James McCarthy M free agent b.1990

[DannyInvincible]

Spurs are lining up a £20 million bid for James, according to the Daily Mail: http://balls.ie/football/james-mccarthy-leaving-everton-soon-according-reports/

[Charlie Darwin]

Nothing to see here, folks.

[DeLorean]

Exactly. Looking forward to the transfer window closing and a more intermittent spread of bullsh!t.

[DeLorean]

But, for completion sake, here's the Daily Mail article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2921712/James-McCarthy-target-Tottenham-Everton-midfielder-nears-return.html) :)

[tetsujin1979]

balls.ie reporting on a daily mail article. It's sh*t squared.

[DeLorean]

Balls is a breath of fresh air compared to Joe.ie, which seems to have progressively turned into the biggest load of garbage on the internet. They ran a story earlier of how Roy Keane needs to move aside, as Jordan Henderson is the new killer stare master. It was the last straw as I unfollowed them immediately, that'll teach 'em :p

http://cdn.klimg.com/bola.net/library/p/headline/0000207657.jpg

[DannyInvincible]

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/04/23/article-1172981-049F64E3000005DC-121_468x358.jpg

They're having a laugh.

[colonelwest]

Balls is a breath of fresh air compared to Joe.ie, which seems to have progressively turned into the biggest load of garbage on the internet. They ran a story earlier of how Roy Keane needs to move aside, as Jordan Henderson is the new killer stare master. It was the last straw as I unfollowed them immediately, that'll teach 'em






They're having a laugh.

Henderson and joe.ie are only wannabes baby (/dunphy)


http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02834/roy-keane_2834815b.jpg


http://www.sportsfile.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/942588.jpg



On topic:

http://cdn.caughtoffside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/James-McCarthy-Ireland.jpg

[DeLorean]

Setback for McCarthy (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/04/everton-james-mccarthy-injury-liverpool)

Balls.

[jbyrne]

Setback for McCarthy (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/04/everton-james-mccarthy-injury-liverpool)

Balls.

maybe not...
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/english/2015/0205/678014-martinez-allays-fears-for-mccarthy-fitness/

[DeLorean]

Super!

[DannyInvincible]

Setback for McCarthy (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/04/everton-james-mccarthy-injury-liverpool)

Balls.

I knew this couldn't be true as James doesn't suffer aggravations or setbacks.

He only suffers entirely new injuries in the exact same place as previous ones in the exact same place as previous ones.

[DeLorean]

He only suffers entirely new injuries in the exact same place as previous ones in the exact same place as previous ones.

You could be right there Jimmy two times :D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKrPUVngxuQ

[DannyInvincible]

McCarthy back in the Everton starting line-up for the Merseyside derby.

[DannyInvincible]

Kilbane reckons James needs to have a row with Martinez to prove how much he wants to play for Ireland: http://balls.ie/football/kevin-kilbane-on-james-mccarthy-32432/


Kevin Kilbane has reopened the debate over James McCarthy’s commitment to international football with some very forthright views about the Everton midfielder’s priorities.

The former Everton and Sunderland winger turned full back was speaking to the Sun (http://www.thesun.ie/irishsol/homepage/sport/irishfootball/6331100/Kilbane-James-has-to-break-free-of-sticky-Toffees.html) when he suggested that McCarthy needs to take a step back and reassess his priorities.

Kilbane has long been held up as one of the most committed players to have played for Ireland in recent years and, as if we didn’t know it already, he confirmed that for him, Ireland always came first.

However, Kilbane like many Ireland fans has questioned whether that is the same for McCarthy. As Roy Keane suggested a number of months ago (http://balls.ie/football/159500-roy-keane-vented-everton/), Kilbane doesn’t think McCarthy’s injury record in the build up to international matches is entirely coincidental.


Invariably he will come off with ten minutes to go and that’s that.

Players being pulled out of international matches by their clubs is nothing new but Kilbane has challenged McCarthy to stand up to Martinez and Everton and prove that he actually wants to play for Ireland.


I think some players allow the decision to be made for them. It’s far too easy for a player to be dictated to by a physio. Sometimes you’ve got to take responsibility for yourself and show what it means for you to come and play.

Kilbane gave Robbie Keane and Shay Given as examples of the desire that needs to be shown when it comes to putting yourself forward for selection. Something which he was more than willing to do during his time in the Ireland set-up.


I’ve seen Robbie Keane, Shay Given, all the lads take injections for big games because that’s what it means to them. I had a row with the physio at Sunderland before the Iran play-off game in 2001. I had an ankle injury but I spoke to Peter Reid and that was it really.

I don't think it's fair to frame this as a lack-of-commitment thing (that's aimed more at Balls.ie than Kilbane); James never had to choose us nor did he have to put up with the sectarian abuse he got on a weekly basis in Scotland from doing so. He hasn't had to keep returning either, but he does. I suppose framing it as such conveniently positions Kilbane's comments at one end of the debate's spectrum and helps catch the attention of supporters' insecurities on this matter.

I get the sense that James is a fairly shy lad who wouldn't want to rock the boat with his club, but the above (and I've not read the Sun article as I don't subscribe) all presumes he's been fit to play when we know he's been carrying recurring injuries (or his father has had serious health worries). I mean, you can only come and play if you are actually fit. All (I think) of his senior caps have come whilst playing under Martinez at club level. Kilbane is of an older generation; fair play to himself, Shay and Robbie - massive respect and appreciation - but there's obvious risk attached to playing through pain with the aid of an injection and I'd imagine most clubs are a lot stricter now about tolerating their younger players taking pain-killers to see them through international duty. Clubs are a lot stricter about everything since Killer, Shay and Robbie started out, from diet to rest, recuperation and general lifestyle.

[DeLorean]

McCarthy's decision to not play against Scotland has been vindicated ten fold to anybody without either an agenda or a paranoid delusion. Kilbane's comments hold a lot weight with regards the current generation generally, but a bit pointless singling out McCarthy after what transpired post Scotland.

[DannyInvincible]

Kilbane's comments hold a lot weight with regards the current generation generally, but a bit pointless singling out McCarthy after what transpired post Scotland.

It's surely more a case of clubs having greater demands and expectations of their "possessions" rather than players nowadays generally and suddenly having lost interest in international football, isn't it?

[DeLorean]

Not sure really. You see the likes of Raheem Sterling not wanting to play (for England) because he feels a bit tired, after one of the least physically strenuous seasons possible in terms of game time. I think that would have been unheard of years ago. There's no doubt that the way they are pampered now leads to an under-appreciation and sense of entitlement amongst some. I'm agreeing with what you're saying, by the way, but I think it might be a combination of factors. McCarthy certainly doesn't seem to fit the mould of the spoiled, modern footballer and I think he deserves a lot more leniency than he's getting, given what he had to put up with to play for us, as you mentioned as well.

[KK77]

Good to see him back playing. The perfect plan working. Has done well in the two games. Ok he won't carve you open with passing or get you many goals but runs around a lot and puts some tackles in. Onwards to Poland next month!

[Stuttgart88]

McCarthy's decision to not play against Scotland has been vindicated ten fold to anybody without either an agenda or a paranoid delusion. Kilbane's comments hold a lot weight with regards the current generation generally, but a bit pointless singling out McCarthy after what transpired post Scotland.
I agree with Danny. There's a fair bit of wordsmithery in the article, no? "Kilbane reopens the commitment debate". "Kilbane doesn't believe it's coincidental" - did KK say that? He said he needs to stand up to Martinez. He said he tends to pull up late in games, and that's that. He did pull up late in the last game before Scotland. He missed that competitive game and subsequent events have vindicated him, as the carmaker says.

But yes, KK's remarks about Shay and Robbie seem to be a bit of a dig at others who won't play through the pain barrier. I think it speaks as much about clubs' relative power versus international football as it does about players' commitment though. It's a bit of both.

[Closed Account]

Examiner puts less spin on it
http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/kevin-kilbane-james-mccarthy-must-put-ireland-first-despite-club-duties-312426.html


Kevin Kilbane: James McCarthy must put Ireland first despite club dutiesFriday, February 13, 2015
http://media.central.ie/media/images/r/RoyKeaneIcyGlareNov13_large.jpg
By John Fallon

In a decorated international career, Kevin Kilbane defied some of his club physiotherapists to bolster the Irish cause, and he feels James McCarthy may have to do likewise next month.
Relations between Irish managerial duo of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane with Everton have become strained over the availability, or lack of, McCarthy and Toffees clubmate Seamus Coleman during the Euro 2016 qualification campaign. That public spat aside, as well as McCarthy’s niggling hamstring issues, 110-cap legend Kilbane believes the onus is on the player to be in Dublin on March 29 for a pivotal tie against the Group D leaders.
“We need James fit and right for the game against Poland,” asserted Kilbane, mightily impressed by the Glaswegian’s comeback displays against Liverpool and Chelsea over the past week.
“James was Everton’s best performer in the Merseyside derby and could essentially be Ireland’s most important player over the next five or 10 years.
“You’ve got to look at the big international games as a priority. I get that club managers want the best for themselves but it might sometimes take a player to highlight that fact to a manager. Some players allow the decision be made for them. I don’t know the ins and outs of the situation with James but I think you’ve got to take responsibility and show what it means for you to come and play (for your county).
“When I played, not that long ago, I saw Robbie Keane, Shay Gavin and Stephen Hunt taking injection after injection because that’s what it means for them to play for their country.
“It’s too easy for a player to be dictated to by a physiotherapist. It’s not so much the manager; the physiotherapist reports to the manager and the manager then puts pressure on the player.
“It’s happened to me at Sunderland — the physio tried to pull me out of the 2001 World Cup play-off against Iran — and it’s still going on at clubs.”
With McCarthy anchoring midfield, Kilbane is confident about Ireland’s prospects of beating Poland to record Ireland’s most significant home win since defeating the Dutch in 2001.
He said: “We can win this one but there’s certainly no way we can afford to lose it. A six-point gap with five games left, four if you take Gibraltar, would be massive to overcome.”
Meanwhile Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic will not face any action after clashing with McCarthy in Chelsea’s 1-0 win on Wednesday but both clubs have been charged by the FA with failing to control their players.
Ivanovic and McCarthy tangled in a melee after the sending-off of Gareth Barry in the 86th minute of the London side’s 1-0 win.
* TV3 football analysts Kevin Kilbane and Brian Kerr were speaking yesterday at the announcement of the broadcaster’s continued live Uefa Champions League coverage on Tuesday nights, resuming with PSG v Chelsea next week.

© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

[DeLorean]

Definitely more context in that report.

[geysir]

James just has to banish the haunting spectre of Keith O'Neill from his midst.

[DannyInvincible]

I think it speaks as much about clubs' relative power versus international football as it does about players' commitment though. It's a bit of both.

Throughout modern sport, there seems to be more of an emphasis on what I suppose you can call the health and safety of participants and players. The concussion discussion within rugby (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/12/breakdown-george-north-wales-concussion) is indicative of that as well. When a club is ultra-concerned about the fitness of its players, international associations obviously have to be mindful of that. Players too might feel reluctant or hesitant to really challenge their club when a club doctor might seem over-cautious in his or her assessment. The club has too much to lose by being potentially negligent and they are paying the player his conditional weekly salary, after all.

Nevertheless, international associations do have the power to call players over for medical assessment for competitive games, so they've no-one to blame but themselves if they don't avail of such a right.

[KK77]

Anyone know anything about the injury he is suppose to have picked up last night? Hopefully not serious and all after him saying Roberto will look after him and manage him well.

[DannyInvincible]

He was in a bit of pain on the ground when Lukaku scored one of his goals, but I didn't think it was anything too serious. I thought he was taken off simply as a precaution against provoking anything further as it wasn't really necessary to have him on the pitch any longer with Everton so comfortably in front.

The only mention I can see of an "injury fear" online is in this piece (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/other-soccer/mccarthy-injury-fears-as-lukaku-scores-a-hattrick-31007266.html), which doesn't go into any further detail beyond the following: "The only other real negatives for Martinez aside from Stones' dismissal was the sight of both Bryan Oviedo and James McCarthy coming off after suffering injuries".

[KK77]

Thanks.

[DeLorean]

The only mention I can see of an "injury fear" online is in this piece (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/other-soccer/mccarthy-injury-fears-as-lukaku-scores-a-hattrick-31007266.html)

The Hearld (http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/james-mccarthy-scare-for-ireland-31007010.html) doing a bit of scare mongering also, with little substance. Martinez wasn't even asked about it post match I don't think so I'd say the general feeling is that it was indeed precautionary.

Here's McCarthy praising Martinez (http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/english/2015/0219/681280-mccarthy-credits-everton-with-recovery/) and the club in his efforts to get fit.

[DannyInvincible]

JAMES McCARTHY lasted just 70 minutes of Everton's eye-catching 4-1 Europa Cup win over Young Boys in Bern just hours after offering a fervent prayer that his injury woes were behind him.

Slightly misleading insinuation there in the Herald piece considering it is common for players to be substituted after the hour or 70-minute mark when they're no longer needed on the pitch, could do with a rest or when the manager wishes to change something. Many completely fit players "last just" 70 minutes; it's not necessarily indicative of an injury.

[BonnieShels]

You mean Hyland was making a mountain out of a molehill after a player was subbed during a 4-1 victory? NEVER!

[paul_oshea]

What do you mean by context Delores?

I thought the consent on here was Mccarthy was always injured and rightfully wasn't able join up and play?

or do we still have to wait for a player or someone else closer to the setup to make our minds up?

[DeLorean]

I'm not sure what you're getting at Pauline :), but all I meant by 'context' was that the report in The Examiner was more comprehensive and gave more perspective on Kilbane's comments. They were certainly less scathing than Balls.ie would have us believe.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

JAMES McCARTHY

"James' injury did not happen with us and he's played once for us in the last year - out in Georgia. For Everton to start talking about James' injuries, (that) it's a cumulative thing plus the fact he plays for Ireland - that's just not the case.

"I watched him on March 1 and saw him play against Arsenal and he looks fine at this minute. Now Everton have a pretty tough schedule between now and us meeting up again, they've got the European games, they're out in Kiev. Himself and Seamus (Coleman) will have to start those matches so we'll see."

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/oneill-harry-kane-had-a-keen-interest-in-playing-for-ireland-31062894.html

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Goal for McCarthy against Newcastle.

[DannyInvincible]

I don't think McCarthy's goal took a deflection or anything, so I'm not sure what Krul was doing:

OV7dvgOraTI

[tricky_colour]

strange sort of goal!!

Did he send him the wrong way? Or is the keeper useless?

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

The way the goal was described I was expecting it to be scuffed and/or deflected, but it was hit well and on target. It wrong footed the goalkeeper and wasn't hit into his gloves where he was expecting it.

That is my entirely impartial and completely unbiased reading of it anyway.

I have seen worse goals and I have seen better ones.

[tricky_colour]

this guy thinks he sliced it, fair bit of swearing it it!! (****ed off Newcastle fan!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_yn1cBBS4E

[OwlsFan]

Stop Press:

Dunphy says James McCarthy one of "the most promising and outstanding players in the top flight in England."

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2013/0327/378667-dunphy-trapattoni-should-be-sacked/

Stop Press (a year later):

Dunphy says:

"The point about McCarthy is interesting. He’s a hyped player. He’s a player that everyone thinks is far far better than he is.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/eamon-dunphy-slams-terrible-flop-and-wojusly-overrated-james-mccarthy-31106822.html

The trouble is I know where most of this stuff comes from. The silent assassin to his far right on the Panel.

In a year's time we will hear that Hoolahan was overrated !!

Gift Grub's take this am:

http://www.todayfm.com/mobile/index.php?id=15880

[geysir]

"I'd agree with Eamon, that's not the reason why I agree with Eamon".

[Charlie Darwin]

I don't like Rosenstock doing soccer players - he gets most of the accent right but there's still that bit of poshness that always creeps through.

[DeLorean]

James McCarthy hits back at Liam Brady comments: 'It's water off a duck's back' (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/irish-news/james-mccarthy-hits-back-at-liam-brady-comments-its-water-off-a-ducks-back-31106327.html)

[DeLorean]

Roberto obviously doesn't know Dunphy very well if he thinks he'd try to distract from a bad result!

Some flattering comments otherwise about both McCarthy and Ireland's potential (http://www.goal.com/en-ie/news/3942/ireland/2015/04/02/10394632/martinez-dunphys-comments-on-mccarthy-a-distraction-from-bad?ICID=SP_HN_HP_RI_0_3)

[DannyInvincible]

James McCarthy scores his third ever goal for Everton to put them 1-0 against Manchester United after 5 minutes. Brilliant work from him to score.

[SwanVsDalton]

Great finish. Rubbish defending but he still had it all to do.

[tricky_colour]

Cracking goal, made in Ireland, Coleman the provider down the wing.

That is the most impressive thing I have seen McCarthy do!!

[DannyInvincible]

eWn06qeKwK7

That clip doesn't show his earlier work. He collected the ball in space in the midfield, carried it forward on the counter-attack before playing a lovely pass through to Coleman on the right. Coleman's attempted pass across to Lukaku was half-cleared back into McCarthy's pass and McCarthy took it from there.

[seanfhear]

Its funny sometimes how fellas knock in goals when they have no time to think about how to finish it.

[tricky_colour]

First time I have seen the Hunchback of Notre-Dame in an Everton shirt!!

[tricky_colour]

Good old head down centre forward.