Jamie McCarthy

[cavan_fan]

Since the thread 'Another Scottish player declares for us' has turned into some wierd discussion of ethinicity I thought it might be good to hear about McCarthy the player. A few questions:

Is he the Keane type of midfielder?
Is he definitely declared for us?
How good is he? Sometimes I worry about prodigy players at that age, is he just big for his age (same as Shaun Byrne was)?

[drinkfeckarse]

I doubt there are many people on here if any that have actually seen him play. Any Hamilton Accies fans on here? :D

I've read a few reports about him but haven't seen him play so can't comment. The fact he made his debut at 15 for them is worth noting, the Scottish 1st Division is a tough league probably on a par with the rest of the Eircom league outwith the top 4 IMO , so if he can be thrown in at that age I'd say he can handle himself along with whatever skill he has.

[eirebhoy]

Here's their forum if you're interested:
http://acciesworld.s10.forumsplace.com/

[drinkfeckarse]

Intersting reading on that site. Looks like he is very skillful. Also played with the clubs U/19 team a few days after a first team game and scored a hatrick which is decent enough playing aginst a team of boys that are all 3 years older than you.

[drinkfeckarse]

Going to a "big" club isn't all the bad things it's painted out to be. IF he did move he would also benefit from top class coaching. Staying at a club for too long can hold your development back at times also. Every situation is different.

[cavan_fan]

It's the age old big fish small pond conundrum. Hopefully his family will be as smart as the McGeady family and he will get the right advice.

There's a slightly different decision to be made here though Paddy. I'm sure the Accies are a great club but you'd wonder about their levels of coaching. Also, there will be a temptation at Hamilton to play him now when perhpas he's not ready. Not sure how good that would be for him long term. He may be better off at e.g. Hibs where he wont have to play so much. Even better get himself over to PSV or Lyon

[Tenderloins]

Are there any stats as to the relative success of lads who make their debuts very young 15/16/17 and those that are 18/19/20 ?
Do more retire injured or retire earlier?

[eirebhoy]

Man Utd, Liverpool, Barcelona, Deportivo and more are apparantly after him.

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=438181&CPID=8&clid=14&lid=2&title=Euro+giants+chase+Scot+starlet

[republicofwhite]

He's crap in Football Manager 2007 so I don't know what all the fuss is about:D

[tetsujin1979]

He's crap in Football Manager 2007 so I don't know what all the fuss is about:D
So is Shane Long for that matter ;)

[republicofwhite]

Ouch... You know I fancy him...:o Bought Stokes and put him on with ten minutes to go for his debut, scored 2. So at least its true to life to some extent :)

[youngirish]

Sounds like he's off to Liverpool. At 16 he should stay where he is:

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrossthewater/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=25934

[SaucyJack]

Sounds like he's off to Liverpool. At 16 he should stay where he is:

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrossthewater/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=25934



100,000??? and he's being looked at by all these clubs? I'd imagine there's a bunch of add-ons to this sale.....once upon a time Mark Kennedy was the most expensive teenager to go to Liverpool.....

[Paddy Garcia]

Liverpool have a terrible record for ruining Irish talent.

[Merc67]

the club have turned down the liverpool deal.. he looks to be off to reading or celtic.

[eirebhoy]

the club have turned down the liverpool deal.. he looks to be off to reading or celtic.
Source?

Just scored against Livingston.

[bwagner]

He scored the weekend again

[Plastic Paddy]

He scored the weekend again

Whooooooosh...

Eirebhoy beat you to that piece of news by two days. Do keep up. :rolleyes:

:ball: PP

[drinkfeckarse]

Liverpool apparently have had a bid accepted in the meantime for him. There's a huge amount of interest in the lad so he'll be able to take his pick. Reading would surely have a chance considering the lack of "stars" in their team and how well they've done promoting young talent.

[galwayhoop]

it definately would appear the better destination. although it would be rare for a player of his age to get regular first team football. while he may get it at ham acc i doubt he would get it at either reading or liverpool at 16.

[youngirish]

Liverpool apparently have had a bid accepted in the meantime for him. There's a huge amount of interest in the lad so he'll be able to take his pick. Reading would surely have a chance considering the lack of "stars" in their team and how well they've done promoting young talent.

Again I'd suggest he's far better staying where he is as he's at least playing regular first team football. He won't get a look in at Liverpool for years (if ever) and it's too early to tell at 16 whether he'll turn out to be a decent top level player or not.

[drinkfeckarse]

Again I'd suggest he's far better staying where he is as he's at least playing regular first team football. He won't get a look in at Liverpool for years (if ever) and it's too early to tell at 16 whether he'll turn out to be a decent top level player or not.

You have a point but there's also the other side of the coin where you can say he'll benefit from top level coaching and top level facilities at a top side. Something he WONT get at Hamilton.

As a Liverpool supporter I'd obviously like to see him going there but as an Irish supporter I think a move to a club like Reading would be more beneficial to us and him.

[Dr. Ogba]

Again I'd suggest he's far better staying where he is as he's at least playing regular first team football. He won't get a look in at Liverpool for years (if ever) and it's too early to tell at 16 whether he'll turn out to be a decent top level player or not.


I think at this stage there's so much interest in the lad it seems inevitable that he's going to move in the transfer window. Would be delighted to see him go to Reading as it seems the kind of place that would keep his feet firmly on the ground whereas he would probably get delusions of grandour at Pool as well as eventually losing out in the starting lineup to some random mediocre Spaniard....

[galwayhoop]

yeah liverpool is a bit of a joke at the moment. so many players of medium standard that it is very hard to pick a strongest 11. add that to the squad size and the rotation policy of the manager .. bad move for a young fella, definately think reading is better move.

[citizenerased]

reading deffo way to go

[Superhoops]

McCarthy named today in Ireland's U-17 squad for the two home games against Italy in Dublin on 23rd and 25th January.

Squad;
Kieron Thorp (Crystal Palace)
Kevin O’Brien (Cobh Ramblers)
Gareth Matthews (Norwich City)
Mark Nolan (Glasgow Celtic)
David Joyce (Birmingham City)
Laurence Gaughan (Liverpool)
Paul Honohan (Wilton, Cork)
Conor Kavanagh (Blackburn Rovers)
Kurtis Byrne (Norwich City)
Conor McCormack (Manchester United)
James O’Brien (Birmingham City)
James McCarthy (Hamilton Academicals)
Eric Foley (Glasgow Celtic)
Shane O’Connor (Liverpool)
Michael Collins (Liverpool)
Ian Daly (Manchester City)
Craig Duggan (Kilreen, Cork)
Sean Scannell (Crystal Palace)

[eirebhoy]

He's talking to Rangers and Celtic this week according to the BBC. I found this post on a Celtic forum encouraging:

My flat mate is an Accies fan and said that it’s only in the last few games they have seen his real potential. He said that he seems to have a much quicker footballing brain than the rest of the team, one touch passing, one two’s etc, but the rest of the team can’t keep up, and the passes go astray. He also seems to have his head screwed on, saying that he wanted to stay with a smaller club to build his first team experience rather than go to a big club and disappear off the seen!

A football brain is something you can't coach so it's great to see it in someone so young. We can all get ahead of ourselves when someone shows all the skill in the world but has no intelligience whatsoever. Get him and his family to Barca. :)

[republicofwhite]

Disaster if he goes to Rangers. Scotland can have him then! :D Reading will be a great move, could be a first team regular at 18. Or Barca should suffice either way!

[FootballsKing]

Not a chance he would go to Rangers after declaring for Ireland
, not a chance in hell

[galwayhoop]

yeah can't see that happening. as a lad born in scotland the fact he has declared for ireland would tend to shown his strong sense of irishness. if both celtic and rangers are in for him then he is only going to paradise. him joining the dark side would be like barry ferguson moving to celtic!

[Irish_Praha]

According to the Daily Record:

"Chelsea have joined Liverpool, Reading, Rangers and Celtic in the chase for Hamilton wonderkid James McCarthy."

I really hope he has more than a good football brain and some good/honest advisors who don't just go for the best financial deal.

[galwayhoop]

he appears to. it has been said in the papers over the last few days he will finish season with hammie. altho € and £ are many chairmen's bedfellows! definately hope the decision is made purely on footballing terms.

[kingdom hoop]

as a lad born in scotland the fact he has declared for ireland would tend to shown his strong sense of irishness.

his wikipedia profile says that he has declared for ireland as a result of a promise to his dying grandfather on his deathbed. fair play to the grandfather:)

[republicofwhite]

It makes no sense to join Liverpool and Chelsea. Why would you be bothered? Simple equation is to the get to a first team asap at a decent club and your laughing. I was extremely disappointed when I heard that Conor Clifford fella went to Chelsea. I have a feeling McCarthy will make a wise decision, and wont be too distracted by the bright lights. Here's hoping. Think Reading would be the best move, especially if Steve Coppell is there for another few years.

[galwayhoop]

yeah chelsea and liverpool have a very poor record of bring players through the youth system of late. with chelsea i can only think of john terry and at liverpool probable only that lad warnock. i know steve g. and carragher came through but they were established before the current regime. there may be more players but the point is that very few come through the ranks compared to the players who are bought in.

reading or celtic (prob. at bit biased on this one) seem the best options for me.

[galwayhoop]

It makes no sense to join Liverpool and Chelsea.

no sense at all. apart from the distance between liverpool and london it would be far too much to ask anybody to train and play for 2 clubs at the same time - no matter how talanted they are! :D :D

[kingdom hoop]

no sense at all. apart from the distance between liverpool and london it would be far too much to ask anybody to train and play for 2 clubs at the same time - no matter how talanted they are! :D :D

money would be good though

[republicofwhite]

Yes! Glad to have a post that makes concrete sense and everybody can unanimously agree on!:o

[youngirish]

Chelski are in for him also. Didn't read all the posts so dunno if this was mentioned. He should keep well away from them and Liverpool if he wants to have a decent career.

[republicofwhite]

The only youths that I can remember breaking through to the first team set up in recent years have been Terry, Jody Morris, Jon Harley! Correct me if I'm wrong but can't see too much logic in being part of the Chelsea youth set up!

[cavan_fan]

Agree its a risky move but I sense a change at chelsea. They've bought some hot young prospects. The fact no-one is coming through now says more about Ranieri than it does about Mourino. It's not like young Chelsea players are coming through elsewhere (e.g. Carlton Cole). Maybe Abramovich wants to show he can grow a team a la Wenger. Wherever he goes he wont be playing first team this year anyway (I hope)

[Paddy Garcia]

Hopefully he will avoid Chelsea. Never mind Scott Parker, I hope that move does not turn out to be the beginning of the end for Duff.

The Hamilton manager Billy Reid has taken a swipe at the Scottish FA for failing to approach one of the hottest young talents on these Islands. It is odd. Hard to imagine an international federation more incompetent than ours.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hamilton_academical/6261503.stm

[tetsujin1979]

Another story similar to the BBC one from yesterday's Independent: http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stories.php3?ca=12&si=1754379
I didn't know about the young lad that changed his mind about his allegiance. Similar to Matthew Connolly I guess

[greendeiseboy]

lets hope he's not pressurised into redeclaring for scotland and we lose out on what appears to be one of the hottest talents for years to emerge.

[galwayhoop]

if what kingdom hoop said above is true then i think there is no chance!

he has been picked in the upcoming irish U17 squad. if he keeps getting called up to our underage teams ii reckon he won't leave. i think we are pretty far ahead of the SFA when it comes to our underage international teams. there, at least, we seem to compete and do well on a european level!

[republicofwhite]

What happened with Matthew Connolly Tetsujin? Thought he was out and out English all the way...

[tetsujin1979]

What happened with Matthew Connolly Tetsujin? Thought he was out and out English all the way...

I've posted on this before, can't find the post though. He was called into an U-19 squad for Ireland before but pulled out of it. Think it was in late 2005. I found the squad list on a page on eleven-a-side.com but it doesn't appear to be there any more. About 6 months later he played for the England U-19's.

[tetsujin1979]

Got sent this on a Celtic mailing list:

HAMILTON starlet James McCarthy has knocked back a two-day training
spell at Chelsea.

The much-sought- after 16-year-old's future is expected to be decided
this week, and it now appears to lie at Liverpool.

McCarthy's advisor George Gray, of Braveheart Promotions, said: "James'
personal choice would probably be Liverpool.

continued..."I would anticipate matters will come to a head this week."

I understand there was further contact between Accies and Celtic over
the weekend, while Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has also made a late bid
to persuade the teenager to head for St James'.

But it would appear the personal interest shown in McCarthy during a
training spell at Mellwood at the end of last year by Reds boss Rafa
Benitez has left a lasting impression on the teenager.

[tetsujin1979]

I couldn't download that Connolly story. So is he with us now or what?
I doubt it, he's played a few times for England U-19's now

[republicofwhite]

Absolute disaster if he goes to Liverpool... Just don't understand it at all. Probably supports them as well or something.