James McCarthy M free agent b.1990

[Acornvilla]

An article here comparing the stats of McCarthy to Whelan: http://www.sportsjoe.ie/football/glenn-whelans-premier-league-stats-compared-with-james-mccarthys-are-definitely-surprising/45663Tone of the article is pretty disgusting, to be honest. Seeks to discredit Whelan and ridicule him. It's laughable that some people find the need to ignore the opportunity to objectively analyse the performances of Whelan. I'm finding it difficult to think of a game in the past 2 years where he has been poor for us. His passing is crisp and often forward or to oncoming, attacking full-backs (hence the easy, ignorant 'sideways' tagging). He's always showing for the ball. He doesn't have the dynamism to drive forward in possession like Hendrick but he does tend to push up when we are attacking and rarely gives the ball away in such positions. This article is littered with smug inferences e.g.:"What does this mean? Honestly? Probably just that football stats are still behind the times a little.""More key passes is a genuine shocker and his touches have been tidier.""There's nothing there to suggest that the passes being counted weren't just buck-passing exercises or that they weren't back to the 'keeper or full back.""Whelan is rated and trusted by managers for some sort of reason."

The Whelan I watch is always slowing play down and passing behind on running fullbacks. He drove me mad during the Poland game, on a few occasions, Coleman had acres ahead of him, and Whelan would pause for a second and then pass it behind him.. Another moment which sticks in my mind, is v Georgia, he did the right thing, burst on to a ball, and at the edge of the box instead of looking to play someone in, make a 1-2 or take a shot, he turned around and went back to half way.

He's an ok player, and was once very handy for us, but I don't think he's at the same level he was under Trap by any means, age catches up on some players earlier than others, we need more power in midfield to compliment the more creative types. Whelan offers very little any more IMO.

[OwlsFan]

Time to start to worry yet? The dreaded groin trouble. Andy Reid had missed the best part of a season due to a groin injury.

[DeLorean]

In Roberto we trust!!

[geysir]

I suspect Martinez could be trying to prove his players can run laps faster than his new Liverpool counterpart's team.

[Fixer82]

The Whelan I watch is always slowing play down and passing behind on running fullbacks. He drove me mad during the Poland game, on a few occasions, Coleman had acres ahead of him, and Whelan would pause for a second and then pass it behind him.. Another moment which sticks in my mind, is v Georgia, he did the right thing, burst on to a ball, and at the edge of the box instead of looking to play someone in, make a 1-2 or take a shot, he turned around and went back to half way.



Now come on. He didn't go back to half way. You lessen your argument when you start exaggerating.
Remember the times during Ireland's victory over Netherlands when Roy Keane burst out of defence and eased the pressure bringing the ball up the pitch? Then he passed it backwards or sideways and slowed it back down.
Whelan is no Keano but he is a smart defensive midfielder.
Whelan took the right option imo in this instance.
He had two options.
1. Smack it with his left and weaker foot (nobody would've had a problem if he'd had a bang)
or 2. shield the ball and find a team-mate, keeping possession.

[DeLorean]

Excellent penalty save from Robles spares McCarthy's blushes after he gave away a penalty for as kind of reflex handball. He had been booked earlier so maybe lucky to stay on the pitch.

[tricky_colour]

Not too sure what he was thinking with the handball.

[DeLorean]

Yeah you could see he regretted it the second it happened, just misjudged where it was I think and instinctively threw the hand out. No harm done, Everton march on. :)

[SwanVsDalton]

Scores against Watford, although Everton just conceded to make it 1-1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVToxo-4YEM

[DeLorean]

Most of his Everton goals seem to come in end of season dead rubbers. Good finish all the same.

[Fixer82]

Sent off tonight

[backstothewall]

Sent off tonight

Fabulous news. The last thing we want him doing is playing matches at this stage.

[tricky_colour]

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

Think this was his second yellow.

[DeLorean]

Is it a one or two game suspension for two yellows? Either way he'll be back for the FA Cup semi final on Saturday week. They have Southampton at the weekend followed by the Merseyside derby midweek.

[jbyrne]

Is it a one or two game suspension for two yellows? Either way he'll be back for the FA Cup semi final on Saturday week. They have Southampton at the weekend followed by the Merseyside derby midweek.

think its only a one game ban. has to be violent conduct for more than that I think

[OwlsFan]

Time to fret about James ?

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/0526/791191-mccarthy-the-main-concern-ahead-of-friendlies/

[KK77]

Time to fret about James ?

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/0526/791191-mccarthy-the-main-concern-ahead-of-friendlies/

Possibly with the manager now concerned after not being the other day.

[Stuttgart88]

Time to fret about James ?

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/0526/791191-mccarthy-the-main-concern-ahead-of-friendlies/he is the front line player I'd be least worried about losing. Harsh but that's how I feel.

[DeLorean]

I'd have him just behind Long and Brady on my list of players I wouldn't want to lose. Even Coleman is more replaceable I think.

Edit- Hoolahan would be there or thereabouts too actually.

[geysir]

Hoolahan is both there and thereabouts in the indispensables. If he's not there in the starting line up, you'd definitely want him thereabouts on the bench.

I'd wonder who'd be 1st 2nd and 3rd on O'Neill's list?
Whelan, Given and O'Shea? :)

[DeLorean]

Murphy, Walters and probably Brady to supply the amunition. :)

[DannyInvincible]

he is the front line player I'd be least worried about losing. Harsh but that's how I feel.

The concern, at this point, is simply that he mightn't make the Belarus game, isn't it?


McCarthy has been almost ever-present under O'Neill and the manager is hoping the 25-year-old will be fit for Ireland's final friendly against Belarus in Cork.

The 64-year-old said: "If James doesn't play in any of the two games, but feels that's all it is - the scans have been pretty clear - yes, I think James has done enough to be in to be in the 23.

"He's been a major part of proceedings and that would be a type of situation that I would certainly look at and feel, well, if this is just an injury that just needs a little bit of extra time, and he has played a lot of games for Everton...

From reading that, I take it he's expected to be fit for the Euros. Our first game is over two weeks away, so if there's a chance he could make the Belarus game, then surely he'll be definitely ready for Sweden?

[DeLorean]

Yeah no need for panic yet, not that Stutts is panicking. :)

[geysir]

For those who know anything about football would know that McCarthy was our world class against Germany last october.
Therefore Stutts could be going through some existential crisis, a darkness before the dawn type of thing,
as in " go on, leave, see if I care".

[OwlsFan]

The trouble is I think it is the same injury which has been troubling him for much of the season.

We've a small enough squad of Premiership players. We can't really afford to lose any.

[DeLorean]

In fairness the point about McCarthy having more of his own personality without Whelan is compelling. Stockholm, Lille. Any other time?

I thought he excelled in the win against Germany as well, albeit a different kind of performance. I said I'd answer this here because I'm about to ramble on a bit and it's all pretty specific to the McCarthy/Whelan conundrum, if it can be called that.

I got a text off a buddy at home during half time in the Sweden game giving out about how poor McCarthy had been. It was at complete odds with what I had thought myself. I felt he was an integral part of the tempo we set with his energetic pressing. We had dominated the Swedes by giving them no time on the ball and I thought he probably did more than anybody in this regard. It probably wouldn't show in his tackle, interception, possession or passing stats but I felt he was playing very well.

I haven't watched the game back yet and maybe I was totally deluded but I couldn't really believe the criticism he seemed to be getting back home. That said, his second half performance was pretty subdued, possibly as a result of picking up a yellow card late in the first half. He also had a moment very similar to what he was eventually punished for against Belgium, as he tried to win a tackle when shielding the opposing player away from the danger area should have been the routine thing to do.

There's no defending his second half performance against Belgium really, it was pretty awful unfortunately.

Whelan did play well against Sweden, but I think he's getting credit for stuff now that he never used before. Have we become so acceptant of his limitations that once his performs his own (perhaps specialised but I would say undemanding) role in the side with a degree of efficiency then that is enough? Don't get me wrong, I know Whelan has taken plenty of stick himself, nobody's taken more, but I think the job that McCarthy is expected to carry out is a far more challenging one.

Whelan has two basic jobs, sit in front and protect the back four and organise what's around him. The problem is that I think Whelan himself needs protecting because he doesn't have the legs to deal with pacy attacks. He's only capable of patrolling a fairly small area, he doesn't really press well outside of this little section and he doesn't want the ball. McCarthy is found wanting when it comes to the latter also but is capable of covering far more ground, presses very well, is normally just as clued in tactically and has a better all round physical presence. Crucially, I don't think McCarthy needs protecting to the same degree Whelan does so in a sense it's like a waste of a player having them both.

The diamond in the Sweden game confused me I must say. Obviously Whelan was at the foot of it and Hoolahan was at the peak. Hendrick played the left side of it to perfection, covering Brady and attacking with purpose. I couldn't really understand what was going on with the right hand side of it though as McCarthy appeared to do a lot, if not most, of his work centrally. Was he supposed to be covering Coleman in the same way Hendrick covered Brady? Or was this Walters' job, as you couldn't really say we had two up top? Maybe McClean's introduction for Walters confused things but whatever was supposed to be happening didn't anyway in the second half, and we ended up making Marcus Olsson look like Roberto Carlos.

[Kingdom]

I thought he excelled in the win against Germany as well, albeit a different kind of performance. I said I'd answer this here because I'm about to ramble on a bit and it's all pretty specific to the McCarthy/Whelan conundrum, if it can be called that.

I got a text off a buddy at home during half time in the Sweden game giving out about how poor McCarthy had been. It was at complete odds with what I had thought myself. I felt he was an integral part of the tempo we set with his energetic pressing. We had dominated the Swedes by giving them no time on the ball and I thought he probably did more than anybody in this regard. It probably wouldn't show in his tackle, interception, possession or passing stats but I felt he was playing very well.

I haven't watched the game back yet and maybe I was totally deluded but I couldn't really believe the criticism he seemed to be getting back home. That said, his second half performance was pretty subdued, possibly as a result of picking up a yellow card late in the first half. He also had a moment very similar to what he was eventually punished for against Belgium, as he tried to win a tackle when shielding the opposing player away from the danger area should have been the routine thing to do.

There's no defending his second half performance against Belgium really, it was pretty awful unfortunately.

Whelan did play well against Sweden, but I think he's getting credit for stuff now that he never used before. Have we become so acceptant of his limitations that once his performs his own (perhaps specialised but I would say undemanding) role in the side with a degree of efficiency then that is enough? Don't get me wrong, I know Whelan has taken plenty of stick himself, nobody's taken more, but I think the job that McCarthy is expected to carry out is a far more challenging one.

Whelan has two basic jobs, sit in front and protect the back four and organise what's around him. The problem is that I think Whelan himself needs protecting because he doesn't have the legs to deal with pacy attacks. He's only capable of patrolling a fairly small area, he doesn't really press well outside of this little section and he doesn't want the ball. McCarthy is found wanting when it comes to the latter also but is capable of covering far more ground, presses very well, is normally just as clued in tactically and has a better all round physical presence. Crucially, I don't think McCarthy needs protecting to the same degree Whelan does so in a sense it's like a waste of a player having them both.

The diamond in the Sweden game confused me I must say. Obviously Whelan was at the foot of it and Hoolahan was at the peak. Hendrick played the left side of it to perfection, covering Brady and attacking with purpose. I couldn't really understand what was going on with the right hand side of it though as McCarthy appeared to do a lot, if not most, of his work centrally. Was he supposed to be covering Coleman in the same way Hendrick covered Brady? Or was this Walters' job, as you couldn't really say we had two up top? Maybe McClean's introduction for Walters confused things but whatever was supposed to be happening didn't anyway in the second half, and we ended up making Marcus Olsson look like Roberto Carlos.

You've echoed what I've said elsewhere, and in my opinion, you are spot on in the final paragraph about the formation. I think there are a couple of people either in print, or in comms, that are making suggestions re: formations etc, it's being taken as gospel and run with.

[DeLorean]

I think I read that actually as I did catch up with everything on here when I came back, I scanned through the stuff pretty fast but remember seeing something I totally agreed with. I must read it again though.

If McCarthy is expected to play the right side of the diamond the same way Hendrick does (on the left) then it's ridiculous. He's a central midfield player and won't offer much bombing up the right either. I suspect Walters is supposed to do the donkey work down that side though with McCarthy doing Whelan's more forward pressing for him.

[DeLorean]

Good little piece here (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/ken-early-quiet-mccarthy-does-his-talking-on-the-pitch-in-lille-1.2697062#utm_sguid=117404,314d516b-4b8a-47b2-8f44-3af160f88ac7).

[Paddy Garcia]

We will really really miss James when he is not there - its like that with some players...........

[OwlsFan]

Media pressure does transmit itself to some fans. At the Italian game there were at least 3 separate fans close to me giving McCarthy a lot of stick for any error. That said there were also a lot of fans who would counter-shout with "well done James" for any positive contribution as he worked tirelessly across the pitch closing off gaps in the defence. I haven't quite worked out what type of player McCarthy is. He appears to be a front of back four Whelan type and not a classic midfielder in the Giles mode and his game for Ireland, at least, is not based on creativity but rather destruction. The Panel seems to think he should be a Giles or a Pierlo but that isn't his game. He is inclined to rely on the sideways ball most of the time and I am not sure he has that consistent creative spark but I would be happy to be proven wrong. For the moment, as Whelan will eventually sail in to the sunset, I see an Irish midfield of McCarthy doing a good job in front of the back four and Arter (and possibly Judge) providing the creativity.

[DeLorean]

Maybe McClean's introduction for Walters confused things but whatever was supposed to be happening didn't anyway in the second half, and we ended up making Marcus Olsson look like Roberto Carlos.

Surprised nobody corrected me here, as it was actually twin brother Martin.

[OwlsFan]

Surprised nobody corrected me here, as it was actually twin brother Martin.

May be we didn't read your post :)~

[DeLorean]

Kingdom read it so that's good enough for me. :)

[geysir]

I couldn't tell one Olsen from the other.

[squareball]

I think the problem with McCarthy is that he looks like he is always playing the game in second gear. He has the skill and ability but never really imposes himself on games. Italy game was the first in a long time that he looked like he wanted to make an impression.

[tetsujin1979]

probably the first game since the Germany game

[DeLorean]

He was very good in the home leg against B&H too I think.

[Fixer82]

I think OwlsFan is right. McCarthy is a similar player to Whelan. A destructive player rather than a creator. When Whelan was dropped, McCarthy could perform his natural game.

[SkStu]

on the Grand Old Team forum, McCarthy is the subject of a lot of conversation. He is not highly rated by a number of the fans that post on there although they recognize his first season under Martinez he was excellent. A lot of big name players being linked with Everton that would see McCarthy dropping down the pecking order of defensive midfielders and most posters willing to see McCarthy go ahead of Gibson and Barry. He is being linked with Stoke - although nothing credible as of yet.

Not sure what will shake down at Everton this year with Moshiris billions but the fans, generally, are not impressed with McCarthy the player. Does James just need a rest? He has been playing pretty much non-stop since he was 16/17 years old.

[Charlie Darwin]

I'd say it's the Everton fans who need a rest if they'd take Gibson and 45 year old Barry over him.

[SkStu]

Its a legitimate question I'm asking though. By all accounts he didnt play well last year, he was generally disappointing at the Euros and looked tired. Burn out is a real possibility with him.

Barry was Evertons player of the season last year and Koemans first major move when he came to Goodison was to renew Gibsons contract.

[Charlie Darwin]

Burnout might be an issue but I'd say it's more constant injury. No player is going to look good when he's struggling to string a few games together.

[tetsujin1979]

Its a legitimate question I'm asking though. By all accounts he didnt play well last year, he was generally disappointing at the Euros and looked tired. Burn out is a real possibility with him.

Barry was Evertons player of the season last year and Koemans first major move when he came to Goodison was to renew Gibsons contract.

Gibson signed the contract a few days before Koeman was announced
Gibson contract extended (9th June): http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2016/06/09/gibson-pens-new-deal
Blues appoint Koeman (14th June): http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2016/06/14/blues-appoint-koeman

[SkStu]

ok - got my timelines wrong on that. Fair to assume it wouldn't have happened without some sort of input from Koeman and sanction from Moshiri?

Anyway, more concerned with their evaluation of McCarthy and trying to figure out what may be the cause of his lethargy over the last couple of seasons.

He has been playing first team professional football for 10 seasons now. According to Wikipedia here are his appearance numbers (league games only) for each of those seasons.

06/07 - 23
07/08 - 35
08/09 - 37
09-10 - 20
10/11 - 24
11/12 - 33
12/13 - 38
13/14 - 39
14/15 - 28
15/16 - 29

Including all domestic appearances hes had an average of 35.6 games per season. In addition he has 39 international caps since 2010.

The guy has played a lot of football for a 25 year old. Maybe he needs a rest.

[CraftyToePoke]

No way that contract was signed off without Koeman being aware of & in favour of it IMO.

[seanfhear]

It would be great to see James fully fit and given a chance with Koeman . I hope it all goes well for him.

[DeLorean]

Anyway, more concerned with their evaluation of McCarthy and trying to figure out what may be the cause of his lethargy over the last couple of seasons.

I don't think he's been lethargic at all over the past couple of seasons. As Charlie says, the injuries this past year look to have taken their toll in the last month or two. Everton had a really poor season generally but I think they completely lost any sort of motivation to turn things around once they were knocked out of both cup competitions. Very few came out of this period with their reputations unscathed.

I've read through that message board in the past a few times and they're a pretty fickle bunch at the best of times and do like their scapegoats. Whether he'll be a Koeman favourite or not remains to be seen but I wouldn't place much faith in what those guys have to say.

This (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/james-mccarthy-evertons-unsung-hero-10864636) was an article from February which seemed very accurate at the time and I think it may have even represented the general consensus on that same forum at the time, although I can't say for sure off the top of my head.

He's not too dissimilar to Morgan Schneiderlin, who was a very important player for Southampton in Koeman's first season there, so hopefully he can blossom under him. He's been mollycoddled by Martinez for a long time now and, although he's been a brilliant influence on his career, he may not have done him any favours in terms of dragging him out of his comfort zone. Koeman certainly won't wrap him in cotton wool anyway, so he'll either sink or swim pretty fast I'd imagine.

[DeLorean]

I've read through that message board in the past a few times and they're a pretty fickle bunch at the best of times and do like their scapegoats. Whether he'll be a Koeman favourite or not remains to be seen but I wouldn't place much faith in what those guys have to say.

This (http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/james-mccarthy-evertons-unsung-hero-10864636) was an article from February which seemed very accurate at the time and I think it may have even represented the general consensus on that same forum at the time, although I can't say for sure off the top of my head.

Here's his thread on Grand Old Team (https://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/threads/james-mccarthy.77977/page-87) from around that time, worth reading a few pages to see how quickly perceptions can change on there. Although to be fair, I can't speak for individuals, just the general transformation in the comments about him. He's basically gone from being one of their most important players to a guy they should sell, in the space of three months of club football. And reading some of the most recent pages, a lot of them really are clueless.

[RiffRaff]

Main problem with McCarthy for me is a lack of confidence. He doesn't make himself available for the ball, especially going forward. I think he could benefit from playing under a different manager. Gibson, for all his faults, is always looking for the ball