He played 12 minutes, and they conceded after he came on
played the last 20 for Celtic good impact he made on the team
He played 12 minutes, and they conceded after he came on
A completly irrelevant statistic. Does that inform anybody about his cameo? about his 18 minutes on the pitch? How about his 70m cross field pass, direct to the the toe of his fellow player? James looked fine out there in that company, albeit for 18 or so minutes. Fitness is his issue not his ability.
Is his head right though? He's had so many opportunities in a long career and yet hasn't really produced anything special on a consistent basis at a decent level. Was ecited about him early in his career and yet now looking back, it seems to be a case of glamorized mediocrity. Oh well.
Well Trap stated that he was shy, very taciturn fellow. Too serious to play football when he compared young McCarthy with Platini and Riviera. He even wore the number 10 shirt in some games under Trap. Maybe he was so matured and down to earth r
That italian Trap confused shy taciturn with being an.old head in a young body
He's had a decent career at a good level. Something akin to Mark Kinsella or Matt Holland? It's probably not fair to judge him against the superclubs he was linked with in the media at 16.
Judging him against other Irish midfielders of the last fifteen years or so: not as good a passer as the likes of Andy Reid or Hoolahan; not as aggressive as Carsley or Meyler; not as much of a goal/assist threat as Hendrick/Andrews (at their best). Better than the likes of Paul Green, Arter and Hourihane, and more effective/committed than Darron Gibson. Better passer than Glenn Whelan. Nowhere near as good as peak Steven Reid. Probably deserves to get into the squad as backup to Cullen, and should challenge for the #6 shirt if he stays injury-free and regains some of his Everton form. Which is a big 'if'.
Last edited by Supreme feet; 08/11/2021 at 11:13 AM.
He never said anything about him being taciturn. It seemed clear to me he was talking about his footballing personality as a (then) young player, not whether he'd be great craic on a stag weekend. Trap felt he was a bit too passive/reactive and needed to be more assertive in that role.
I don't want to be picking on McCarthy. I was annoyed when Trap kept picking Paul Green ahead of him back in the day. He did very well for Everton, and was probably unfortunate to be stuck with Glenn Whelan as a midfield partner, instead of being picked at #6 alongside a more dynamic midfielder. He did well against Germany and Italy in 2015/6 when Whelan was dropped/suspended.
But even before his injuries, he was hugely underwhelming as an international player, imo. I never expected him to be another elite-level Roy Keane-type presence. I did expect him to have a similar impact in his position to the likes of Coleman, Dunne, Hoolahan, Doyle or Walters in their positions; not elite, but effective, and an asset at international level against teams like Scotland, Poland, Serbia, Austria, etc. With his club pedigree, he should have been noticeably more aggressive, authoritative, dominant, and a better passer than the collection of journeymen, cloggers, invisible men and crocks we've been plugging that midfield gap with over the last fifteen years. I wanted him to do for us what Steven Davis and Joe Allen have done for NI and Wales; what Steven Reid was doing in 2008 before he got injured. Unfortunately, it's never really happened.
Cullen's performance against Portugal - the breaking up of play, aggression, quick forward passing off both feet, eagerness to receive the ball - was exactly what I would have wanted to see from McCarthy at his peak.
What a pass!!! What a player!!! What a victory!!! Kudos James. Or Jimbo!! He did a Román Riquelme no see pass like a playmaker
Likely replacement for Cullen when/if he is serving a NL suspension? I'd like to see Kilkenny given a go at some point.
This is what Kenny had to say about him after the 1-1 draw in Bulgaria: https://www.the42.ie/james-mccarthy-4-5196523-Sep2020/
I thought he had said that he wanted to build his team around McCarthy, and he's said something similar about Egan, but I can't find that quote
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