James McCarthy M free agent b.1990

[Noelys Guitar]

Please no Green he is terrible, and every time he plays I know he is going to give the ball to our opponents at least 20 times. I agree about the Stephen Reid injury I said this before here and got the Trap fan club saying I was way off the mark. McCarthy is about 10 times the player Green ever can be. We will not qualify with Green in midfield Russia ran through him like he wasn't there.

Giles goes on a lot about managers just not 'fancying' (Giles words) a certain type of player (In Giles own case Matt Busby). I believe that is what is happening here.

[ShamrockIreland]

Giles goes on a lot about managers just not 'fancying' (Giles words) a certain type of player (In Giles own case Matt Busby). I believe that is what is happening here.

Well he didn't FANCY Pirlo when he was the Italian boss cos he didn't suit his system. Gattusso was asked about this and said half the time the players didn't know what they were doing and the results showed that. There is no system really otherwise we wouldn't be getting murdered by Russia at home. Big Jack did have a system and Brady paid for not following it(And getting old). The Trap gang will come back and tell me we were unbeaten in the last campaign although we only won 4 games. If Trap thinks he's getting a new contract by discarding any talented player in midfield and playing utterly useless ones he's another thing coming

[Predator]

Given suggested that perhaps modern players don't treat playing for the national team as seriously as they did when he was younger. I'm inclined to agree with that sentiment.

[Charlie Darwin]

I don't believe Trapatonni rates McCarthy and does not believe he can do the job that Whelan, Green and less so(in Traps eyes) Gibson and Fahey. He is manufacturing a situation whereby the player himself makes the decision not to be involved. Same applies to his new view of Keane (especially after the Slovakian game). Annoy(bordering on ridicule) the player publicly and force him to make the decision. Hence the comments today about McCarthy and the Vancouver Whitecap stuff in reference to Keane. Trapatonni is a very, very clever man. I don't buy his bumbling Englitalian craic one bit. The bottom line is IMO Trapatonni does not believe McCarthy is good/disciplined enough to stick to Trap's strategy and Keane is past it. I strongly disagree on both counts but Trapatonni feels he can do without both.


Trap is quite clearly an evil genius in the charge of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland who's been sent on a mission to impoverish the FAI (and Denis O'Brien), recapture the prized McCarthy, drive Robbie Keane into retirement (and the Olympic Stadium) and to neutralise our most lethal assets, Andy Reid's guitar solos. He got half way there, but by god we're on to him now...

Some of you people need to shut the laptop for a few hours. If James goes to play for Scotland it's because he wants to play for Scotland, not because some journalist who wanted to stir the pot induced Trapattoni to put his foot in his mouth and then forwarded the comments eagerly to McCarthy's agent.

[CraftyToePoke]

Wonder why Levein wasnt asked the same question?

Levein is on the BBC as saying all options to be pursued or some such phrase, the piece is in relation to Gary Hooper and James McCarthy.

Here : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/scotland/9391709.stm

I get the feeling more and more there is something in this and that Trap is the wrong wrong wrong man to have dealing with it, we will need McCarthy a lot longer than we need Trap.

[Noelys Guitar]

Well he didn't FANCY Pirlo when he was the Italian boss cos he didn't suit his system. Gattusso was asked about this and said half the time the players didn't know what they were doing and the results showed that. There is no system really otherwise we wouldn't be getting murdered by Russia at home. Big Jack did have a system and Brady paid for not following it(And getting old). The Trap gang will come back and tell me we were unbeaten in the last campaign although we only won 4 games. If Trap thinks he's getting a new contract by discarding any talented player in midfield and playing utterly useless ones he's another thing coming

Great point about Pirlo and it applies here with McCarthy.

[Fixer82]

any links to the McArthur interview and Trap press conference today?

[Predator]

I don't see how McCarthy wouldn't fit into Trap's system. He has all the attributes required to do the job and I was half-expecting him to start before he pulled out of the squad.

[SwanVsDalton]

He got rid of both Reid's and made some very damaging public comments about Stephen Reid's injury.

His PR could use serious work. But Andy Reid's tearing it up for Blackpool and Steven Reid retired, not because he got his feelings hurt by some geriatric Italian, but because he decided to concentrate on club football. It's simply hair-pullingly disingenuous to suggest otherwise. So I don't see how you can go from 'he's poor with media' to 'Trap shot JR!' or whatever tin-hatted conspiracy theory you posted earlier.


Hoooowwwwwwwwwwwwwlllllll

Full moon indeed.

[SwanVsDalton]

I don't see how McCarthy wouldn't fit into Trap's system. He has all the attributes required to do the job and I was half-expecting him to start before he pulled out of the squad.

Totally agree, he would've gotten a good chunk of playing time. But Trap wouldn't have seen him play, he'd be too busy up on the grassy knoll fixing a sniper scope to his rifle...

[SkStu]

It really is up to McCarthy now to settle this, and soon.

Seriously depressing stuff and i cant help but feel that Trappatoni has to take a lot of the blame for this. But i really dont think he gives a f*ck.

[SwanVsDalton]

It really is up to McCarthy now to settle this, and soon.

Seriously depressing stuff and i cant help but feel that Trappatoni has to take a lot of the blame for this. But i really dont think he gives a f*ck.

If McCarthy slips through the net he'll have to take nearly all of it. But I don't think it's coming to that...yet. Wern't McDonnell et al claiming McCarthy was still true green on Tuesday morning?

[SkStu]

yeah i suppose. I just have a bad feeling about this.

[Noelys Guitar]

Trapatonni is going to pick him in the squad for the Macedonia game according to both the Irish Times and the Examiner. Didn't hear that in the earlier interview. Hope its true.

[CraftyToePoke]

I think we might be seeing a young guy who put up with a fair amount of abuse in his youth inorder to play for us only to now feel he isnt wanted, if thats the case the blame lies with Trap, all of it. We have seen some real dross in the middle for Ireland of late, players not fit to be in there, surely he could have given him a cap at some stage for the good of Irish football in the longterm, even if he doesnt fancy the player himself.

Hopefully we are ust seeing Wigan protecting their asset, but with Levein and McArthur's somments today and the T.A. website being more hopefull on it tonight also, it is now very worrying, he is still just potential, but its been a while since we have had potential like this emerge.

McCarthy could settle this with a 30 second interview, but he is chosing not to do so, and why should he after Trap has mucked him about like this. Hopefully clarity from the players camp soon. Its badly needed here.

[Noelys Guitar]

His PR could use serious work. But Andy Reid's tearing it up for Blackpool and Steven Reid retired, not because he got his feelings hurt by some geriatric Italian, but because he decided to concentrate on club football. It's simply hair-pullingly disingenuous to suggest otherwise. So I don't see how you can go from 'he's poor with media' to 'Trap shot JR!' or whatever tin-hatted conspiracy theory you posted earlier.

Full moon indeed.
From the Irish Examiner Oct 2009

For his own part, former Millwall player Reid confessed to be being "amazed" at Trapattoni’s remarks, but insisted he was desperate to play for the veteran coach in the World Cup qualifying play-off against France next month.

Who retired who? The Messianic crew are out. And they were disgraceful comments about a great player.

[Closed Account]

Trapatonni is going to pick him in the squad for the Macedonia game according to both the Irish Times and the Examiner. Didn't hear that in the earlier interview. Hope its true.
http://www.examiner.ie/home/mccarthy-for-macedonia-as-trapattoni-clarifies-position-144822.html
It was said earlier, after the interview. Not on video though.
The Daily Mail puts a different spin on the same quotes
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1355457/Republic-Ireland-boss-Giovanni-Trapattoni-tells-James-McCarthy-You-play-Scotland.html?

The point of it all, is that you can read into all of this all you want and until James makes his competitive debut and/or retires from international football at 21-40, some of you won't be happy.

James said this last year
"I was delighted just to get on the park and make my debut," McCarthy told skysports.com. "That's it put to bed now [the Scotland speculation] and from day one I wasn't going to change anyway. I just need to keep working hard with my club and hopefully get more international recognition. I was a bit nervous about being the new boy in the squad but everyone made me welcome. They are a good bunch of lads and I am delighted to make my debut. It is brilliant to be honest to make your debut against top opposition like Brazil and the only disappointment was the result."

For me, that's enough. If you don't think Trap has been honest about calling him up for Norway last year(got injured), and the confusion this time, then thats your own demons and you don't have to share them with us every other day. We get it.

[Charlie Darwin]

Trapatonni is going to pick him in the squad for the Macedonia game according to both the Irish Times and the Examiner. Didn't hear that in the earlier interview. Hope its true.
Daniel McDonnell of the Indo hinted at the same on Twitter earlier. Load of fuss over nothing - doubtful if James' agent even bothered informing him about the whole debacle.

[CraftyToePoke]

For me, that's enough. If you don't think Trap has been honest about calling him up for Norway last year(got injured), and the confusion this time, then thats your own demons and you don't have to share them with us every other day. We get it.

Well I would like to have your confidence on it Joe and hope you are right. And doubtless at one stage we were the only option he wanted, but the omission from the squad this time, the u21 call up, the belated Senior call up and subsuquent withdrawal was a very strange and negative sequence of events which can be interpreted several ways and Trap seems to make everything worse every time he opens his mouth these days. My thoughts stray more and more to who the next Ireland manager will be, lets hope that manager has James McCarthy to pick.

It shouldnt still be an issue, it should have been dealt with, it had been done for worse, Joe Lapira, Terry Dixon.

[Fergie's Son]

Well let's hope that this is put to bed soon and that he plays in March.

[Kingdom]

Please no Green he is terrible, and every time he plays I know he is going to give the ball to our opponents at least 20 times. I agree about the Stephen Reid injury I said this before here and got the Trap fan club saying I was way off the mark. McCarthy is about 10 times the player Green ever can be. We will not qualify with Green in midfield Russia ran through him like he wasn't there.

No they didn't. They ran around him like he wasn't there. :-)

[The Fly]

I expect the thread to break the 100 page mark by midnight.

err.......I meant by midday.

[paul_oshea]

So people are now wondering.even a good while ago when the club made no comment when asked about it,previously that trap said there were conflicting reports in that he was tired and not injured. This should have been put to be ages ago.Its not just from last night it all could have been settle a week ago with one statement.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Can't understand why Martinez didn't just say he was injured. He went off after shipping a knock on 82 minutes on his ankle, manager says he's injured and it's a non story. Makes no sense.

[Stuttgart88]

What I cant understand is people seem to take somethings as gospel and not other things. Very naive altogether in how they read between the lines."he likes Ireland, he likes Scotland, he must decide". What lines are there to read between? (poor grasp of English, and hopefully the whole situation, notwithstanding)


NO, but it was obvious from the start that something was going on here as noely and i suggested, its using cop on.Or reading between lines?

[Stuttgart88]

I haven't read the Indo yet, but the Emmet Malone description provided above and Liam Mackey's version of events here makes me believe that the position is much clearer, and Trap's view is more defendable. His communication isn't though.

http://www.examiner.ie/sport/soccer/mccarthy-for-macedonia-as-trapattoni-clarifies-position-144822.html

[paul_oshea]

"he likes Ireland, he likes Scotland, he must decide". What lines are there to read between? (poor grasp of English, and hopefully the whole situation, notwithstanding)

Or reading between lines?

Won't get into being left out of the squad etc, but there were conflicting reports all the time, and not from "a source " said, that in itself was a sign something was not quite right. Wigan never issued a statement on the thing, whether he was injured or not, just saying no comment. The player never said anything himself. He never came over to be looked at by irish physios.

Now the point I was getting at is this could have been put to bed well before today. It hasn't and that to me says something, and it might well turn out to be fine but then its a terrible indicement on all parties involved if thats the case. A terrible handling of the whole affair, if journos are speculating, the way they are and they are the go between fans and the team, then how some people on here going on about its a nothing blah de blah for the last 5 or so days, is beyond me.

[paul_oshea]

I haven't read the Indo yet, but the Emmet Malone description provided above and Liam Mackey's version of events here makes me believe that the position is much clearer, and Trap's view is more defendable. His communication isn't though.

http://www.examiner.ie/sport/soccer/mccarthy-for-macedonia-as-trapattoni-clarifies-position-144822.html

Well if thats the outcome of this whole scenario and he plays, then I for one will be delighted. Because I dont think we would have seen him in that game otherwise, fast tracked like this. Great ploy by his agent and/or journos to get mccarthy into macedonia game :D

[LFCSixty/Eighty]

If we do manage (God forbid) to lose McCarthy to the Scots, after he has shipped the amount of abuse he has taken for to declaring for us, the blame will fairly and squarely rest at the feet of Trappatoni.

No other player has received such vile and hatred thrown towards him for declaring for us, yet Trap has managed to make it seem that he has yet to make up his mind.

He is getting paid way over the odds to manage us and if he can't deal with a simple thing like this then what exactly is he there for.

He is starting to make Don Givens look like Kofi Annan.

[Stuttgart88]

Now the point I was getting at is this could have been put to bed well before today. It hasn't and that to me says something, and it might well turn out to be fine but then its a terrible indicement on all parties involved if thats the case. A terrible handling of the whole affair, if journos are speculating, the way they are and they are the go between fans and the team, then how some people on here going on about its a nothing blah de blah for the last 5 or so days, is beyond me.Terrible handling of the whole affair, agreed totally. But the cold reality is that he was seen to take bad knocks last week and is only just back from injury. Tuff Paddy quotes the player as being gutted. I have my concerns, sure, but based on evidence rather than emotion and hysteria, there's still little to suggest he's on his way to playing for Scotland. I think there's more evidence to suggest that elements of the Irish media are intent on sh1t stirring. Now, as an emotional man, I suspect something more sinister is afoot, be it the player is p1ssed off, or Trap is still holding a grudge over the RDS no-show, but this is only speculation. We all watch legal dramas I'm sure. If this was in court the defence would be shouting "Objection. Evidence?".

[paul_oshea]

Yes and look what happened Nama last week in the courts, won on a techinicallity.

Courts are the reasons that a poor family in Roscommon was seriouslly abused for years and it wasn't stopped years before it wasnt happening.

Thats how courts work stutts. You have to use your cop on sometime to see things.

[Stuttgart88]

100 pages, for a guy with one cap.

I am using my cop on. Cop on does not mean jumping to speculative conclusions. I prefer to let facts determine my judgment, where possible. So do courts as it happens, even if they get it wrong sometimes. The balance of evidence points to there being no issue regarding his status. The communications fiasco leads to a "no smoke without fire" thinking, which may or may not have its merits. It has planted seeds of doubt in my mind, sure, but I'm not going all John Kenny on it until I hear something more concrete.

[paul_oshea]

Stutts did you ever get to see us on al Jazeera?

Ya everybody appears to be donig that now. But last week there signs of something not quite right. The way its been seen by some reminds me of comical ally on the streets of Iraq saying they are nowhere near we have control blah blah, when there were bombs going off behind him or hitler during WWII denying to the last that the allys were closing in.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Terrible handling of the whole affair, agreed totally. But the cold reality is that he was seen to take bad knocks last week and is only just back from injury. Tuff Paddy quotes the player as being gutted. I have my concerns, sure, but based on evidence rather than emotion and hysteria, there's still little to suggest he's on his way to playing for Scotland. I think there's more evidence to suggest that elements of the Irish media are intent on sh1t stirring. Now, as an emotional man, I suspect something more sinister is afoot, be it the player is p1ssed off, or Trap is still holding a grudge over the RDS no-show, but this is only speculation. We all watch legal dramas I'm sure. If this was in court the defence would be shouting "Objection. Evidence?".

The way certain media elements are going on about it totally ignores teh fact that he was picked in the squad and pulled out. If he wasn't being picked they may have had a point but it wasn't down to Trap that he wasn't in Dublin. I think that's what p1ssed him off so much with the journos going on and on about it. Comparing it to Andy Reid is a joke.

[Jicked]

The way certain media elements are going on about it totally ignores teh fact that he was picked in the squad and pulled out. If he wasn't being picked they may have had a point but it wasn't down to Trap that he wasn't in Dublin. I think that's what p1ssed him off so much with the journos going on and on about it. Comparing it to Andy Reid is a joke.

Trap picked him in our first game of this "campaign" in the friendly against Brazil, and capped him. Picked him in the squad for the games last summer and would surely have played him there again, but the player pulled out. Left him out of the squad for the Armenia game (or was he injured for that?), was then injured for the games later in the year. Trap picks him for this game as soon as he's fit, but player pulls out again.

Since the end of the last campaign Trap has repeatedly tried to pick him, but things haven't come together for whatever reason. Can't see why the usual hacks are trying to make a bigger deal out of it. I thought Coleman's performance against Wales showed that a young guy doing well for their club isn't necessarily going to rip apart the opposition straight away, yet Trap's "snubbing" of Coleman last time round when he, shock horror, didn't use him as a substitute in a friendly was apparently a major story.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Trap picked him in our first game of this "campaign" in the friendly against Brazil, and capped him. Picked him in the squad for the games last summer and would surely have played him there again, but the player pulled out. Left him out of the squad for the Armenia game (or was he injured for that?), was then injured for the games later in the year. Trap picks him for this game as soon as he's fit, but player pulls out again.

Since the end of the last campaign Trap has repeatedly tried to pick him, but things haven't come together for whatever reason. Can't see why the usual hacks are trying to make a bigger deal out of it. I thought Coleman's performance against Wales showed that a young guy doing well for their club isn't necessarily going to rip apart the opposition straight away, yet Trap's "snubbing" of Coleman last time round when he, shock horror, didn't use him as a substitute in a friendly was apparently a major story.

Couldn't agree more.

[paul_oshea]

Very worrying. OR will some on here say his own manager is out of touch, nothing to worry about. Get over it. Dose of cop on. etc

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/martinez-mccarthy-must-not-rush-international-decision-2534815.html

Martinez:(paraphrasing) James said he needs to focus on his club career and forget about international for now.

That doesn't say he has changed his mind, for the little hope of the naysayers out there but its still a strange thing to come out and say given whats going on. What i dont understand, because it might be suggested, is why Martinez would have an agenda in this case.

[Crosby87]

Very worrying. OR will some on here say his own manager is out of touch, nothing to worry about. Get over it. Dose of cop on. etc

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/martinez-mccarthy-must-not-rush-international-decision-2534815.html

This is bad. Now his own manager is talking like something is up. Someone from Ireland needs to do something.

[Noelys Guitar]

Trap picked him in our first game of this "campaign" in the friendly against Brazil, and capped him. Picked him in the squad for the games last summer and would surely have played him there again, but the player pulled out. Left him out of the squad for the Armenia game (or was he injured for that?), was then injured for the games later in the year. Trap picks him for this game as soon as he's fit, but player pulls out again.

Since the end of the last campaign Trap has repeatedly tried to pick him, but things haven't come together for whatever reason. Can't see why the usual hacks are trying to make a bigger deal out of it. I thought Coleman's performance against Wales showed that a young guy doing well for their club isn't necessarily going to rip apart the opposition straight away, yet Trap's "snubbing" of Coleman last time round when he, shock horror, didn't use him as a substitute in a friendly was apparently a major story.

He wasn't picked in the initial 29. Then was picked for the u21's. Then was picked for the whittled down squad. When was the last time an Irish player with one cap was told publicly by his manager that he will be in the next two squads? One a crucial qualifyer. Its eccentric managment at best. I really hope Trapatonni actually picks him when match time comes around. We need McCarthy the way we need Clark. I don't believe anyone is expecting Messi. Just a slight improvement on what we already have could be the difference between qualifying and not qualifying.

[paul_oshea]

Noely read the link. Either someone is telling lies or spinning the truth for their own gain.....or...

[Noelys Guitar]

Very worrying. OR will some on here say his own manager is out of touch, nothing to worry about. Get over it. Dose of cop on. etc

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/martinez-mccarthy-must-not-rush-international-decision-2534815.html

Thats not good news.

[boovidge]

He said the exact same things this time last year though when Levein "had a word" with him about switching. James McCarthur, his team mate at Hamilton and now Wigan says he's heard nothing about it.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/more-scottish-football/talk-of-mccarthy-scotland-defection-news-to-mcarthur-1.1084344

[Stuttgart88]

Why is it any more worrying than "he likes ireland, he likes Scotland. He must decide."?

My instinctive reaction to Martinez' quote is that he is responding to a question about whether McC is about to defect. In that context everything he says is fair, and doesn't show any inside knowledge of the situation. He's probably more aware of the gossip than any decision McC is facing. Obviously it'd be nicer if he said "James has no decision to make, he wants to play for Ireland".

At least he is saying that McC was injured, not tired or disinterested.

[Predator]

Martinez said:
"When James got injured late in October he was so disappointed he just wanted to get back fully fit as quick as a he could. He told me then he needed to forget his international career and that was the conversation we had."

It's obvious that McCarthy didn't want to aggravate his injury, or risk over-doing it. Understandably, he views his club career as more important than his international career.

[geysir]

The standard is, unless the manager gives permission to stay with your club, the player should be prepared to turn up, regardless of fitness to play.
Ray Houghton said as much last night and a young player should be chomping at the bit to turn up. Fahy was in and out and back in again, if he was aggrieved with this, he could manage to put it into some perspective, he turns up and makes his contribution.
Selecting James to play for the next game is an obvious conclusion to the lingering questions around him.
What fit committed player can refuse a call up to an important qualifier?

[Stuttgart88]

OR will some on here say ...Dose of cop on. etc "cop on" has been your stock quote throughout all of this, not anyone else's!

[Noelys Guitar]

I'm really hoping McCarthy himself comes out and clarifys the situation before the weekend. I have not read one comment attributed to McCarthy or those supposedly close to him that the player has any intention of switching to Scotland. Hope that remains the case.

[Fermoy Blue]

Great to have something new to exercise us seeing as Seamus Coleman got a cap and more relevantly, Stephen Ireland has ended the great Stephen Ireland debate by ****ing away his career....only differance here is that McCarthy is actually Scottish!

[geysir]

James has already clarified himself. I don´t need to hear anything more from him or his mates.
He just needs to turn up next month

[paul_oshea]

What about a source who is a mate of a mate.

Stutts my only stick quote is mecom.who I've held since they were in the low 100s.

But who i should add I've only recently broke even due to insufficient funds when their RI went through