My mate from Derry reckons he'll be at Tranmere in 2 years' time!
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My mate from Derry reckons he'll be at Tranmere in 2 years' time!
have to agree generally Paul. Not convinced yet that he is the real deal. Next season will be telling. Needs to add more to his game. The one thing he definitely has going for him is he is a decent and natural left-sided player which is a rarity in England. Still only a prospect from my perspective...
Even if Premier League teams do work out his directness next season, he can still offer us something in Poland. I'd prefer the full-steam ahead approach of McClean to Hunt as a late impact sub against the likes of Croatia.
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Originally Posted by AlaskaFox
I think you could argue PL sides have gotten a bit of a handle on him already, its now up to him to overcome that and develop his game. He has the raw materials to do that and it will be intriguing to see how he does on that front next season and beyond. I am inclined to hold judgment on him a while yet and wouldn't be surprised if Trap does likewise in the final selection.
Each spot is precious in that final squad, you have to know exactly what each player will give you, and McClean could go one way or the other, he could inspire, or he could be ineffective as he has been of late. Its a very tricky call but a bad tournament would be hard to recover from for him, when given a bit of time, in two years he may be definitely ready and really bring something to the table. Or not, but at least there would be certainty.
Agreed. If the tourney was this time last year, I'd say include Coleman. He's very much an example of second season syndrome, but if a young player is flying then take them now when they're in form and deal with any drop off in form when it happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by paul_oshea
McClean's got his head up - claiming a place in the squad would only make him more confident and he'd play like he had nothing to lose if he was thrown on as an impact sub in the group games.
I don't know how that would function, that a manager would decide on a squad of players he can work with over a qualification period, then drop a player based on club form, don't call him up for a squad meet? Or if a player like Coleman returning after injury, freeze him out of the squad? It's bad enough that the national team only plays 6 (or so) real games in a year, but if there's a revolving door policy based on club form, what chance is there for any consistency in the team? or confidence being imposed in the young players who are making their mark in the squad?
I prefer to have a settled squad (with a few on standby) and a settled team. Should we have a friendly next week, I'd prefer a coach who doesn't cast Coleman out of the squad on the basis of a couple of mistakes he makes coming into his dysfunctional club team, after a period of niggling injuries. I prefer the coach who would call up Coleman to the squad and appraise how he's able to function for us.
Valid point about Premiership sides getting a handle on him, but in a game likes the Wolves game it appeared that he was getting quite a lot of attention and doubled on at times.
He'd come up against Corluka against Croatia which isn't an overly-daunting proposition for him. Against Spain it'd be Ramos, who is quite a good player going forward, but is prone to defensive lapses. McClean's tireless running to track back Ramos' forward surges would be beneficial and, obviously, he'd be expected to tuck in to attempt to cope with the awesome Spanish midfield. As regards Italy, I'm not quite familiar with Balzaretti or Abate.
Basically, the crux of my point is that, while McClean is putting in less awe-inspiring results than he was a month or so back, he could still do a job for Ireland, most likely as an impact sub because Duff will start, injuries permitting. Trap needs to decide whether Hunt or McClean would be more effective in this role and I think McClean is the better option. As we've stated, that doesn't mean Trap will go with him and Hunt has more than every chance to be in the squad but the Euro's could be the next stage for McClean to surprise a few people, as he did with the Premiership. It would be difficult for the other managers (Bilic, Del Bosque and Prandelli) to tailor their tactics mindful of the possibility that McClean could come in for the last 20 minutes or so of their games against Ireland, I think they'd be more concerned with Duff and McGeady starting from the off. In this instance, the door would be open for McClean to come in and cause riot.
I have to say I think McClean is a perfect player to spring from the bench in the Euros. He is a type of player that continental teams will not have come against too often and could create havoc in opposition defences.
That would always be my basic feeling on squad building. But there's always room for a wild card when it comes to a tournament and no player could really argue McClean wouldn't warrant it at this stage.Quote:
Originally Posted by geysir
It would be hard on someone to miss out, but the benefits outweigh the negatives at this point. If McClean didn't go I could see the logic mind you and I think loyalty and consistency are two of this side's major plus points.
Agree with this sentiment. I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Olé Olé
He's been very aggressively marked by Cuellar so far at Villa, but still managed to put in a beautiful cross on the turn that Bendtner should have scored. Might have a bit more freedom now Hutton is on.
He's working his boll0x off v Villa and is terrorising the left wing. One lovely deliver in particulary. Best player for Sunderland.
He had a later header on 89 minutes, very good effort, on target but the keeper had
a lot of time to see it as it was from a good distance out.
Work rate and pace wise, I think Coleman and McClean are evenly matched. Skill wise and physicality, I think McClean is superior.
Personally I think McClean has a great chance of carving out a very solid top level career for himself. Whether he will be a superstar, world class player, I dont know. That as much as anything needs alot of luck.
I think Coleman has suffered with second season syndrome and injuries this year. Certainly not to be written off. I think most would like to see him improve his defensive side of his game. He is at a great club and still has great potential. I just think he is a long way off the finished article.
I think it's fairly clear at this point that both Moyes and Trapattoni see Coleman as a full back, they just don't think he's ready to play there yet, whereas Trap clearly does see McClean as a winger, and a better one than Coleman at that. I think he's right on both counts.
'O’Shea backs McClean for Euro 2012': http://www.derryjournal.com/sport/fo...2012-1-3755325
Includes a video interview with John O'Shea.
When they heard about that on OWC, they assumed he was tarmacing. Put them right off! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by SwanVsDalton
Did they not need a few "beggars" in order to meet the quota for their "cross-community" team?Quote:
Originally Posted by The Fly
Scored against Bolton. Paul Merson seems to love him.
Direct free kick too. Doing his countrymen at Aston Villa a favour.
From BBC Sport:Quote:
A free-kick 22 yards out is curled around the wall by James McClean and into the net. It's a decent free-kick but Adam Bogdan should have done better. He got a hand to it but not enough. Bad news for Bolton, but good for Wigan and Villa.