James McCarthy M free agent b.1990

**paul_oshea** · 18/03/2011, 12:07 PM

You'd think for his debut they would have got the right size jersey for him.

**Junior** · 18/03/2011, 1:00 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Hey, it's not just Fly who can do this fancy smancy text overwrite thingy

Hey.. gatecrasher, let Fly have his moment (week?) of glory, you had the whole 'gut test' which is now in foot.ie folklore.

**Stuttgart88** · 18/03/2011, 1:06 PM

I'm an attention seeker. Can't help it.

**DannyInvincible** · 18/03/2011, 1:31 PM

Bizarre behaviour from Martinez.

Originally Posted by Kingdom

As for the FAI reporting him to FIFA?UEFA? why? The player is with us. The amount of leeway we've pulled through the GFA on getting players to play for us, we'd do well not to be bothering the powers that be over nothing issues.

I don't agree that we've been accorded any extra "leeway" at all. The rules apply to us just in the same way as they apply to anyone else. The Good Friday Agreement has nothing to do with anything. Northern-born Irish nationals were playing for our sides long before 1999.

**geysir** · 18/03/2011, 3:08 PM

That's true to an extent but the GFA has had an effect of playing its part in removing a barrier of sorts that separated a NI born national from the rest of us, the real nationals

. It's almost par for the course now that a footballer with a GFA termed 'Irish identity', will want to declare for the FAI.

Once McCarthy has received his binding cap, Delaney should send a bouquet of flowers to Roberto, thanking him for his part in the development of our prodigious talent.

**geysir** · 18/03/2011, 3:30 PM

With a PS 'and shove them up where the sun don't shine'

**Maroon 7** · 18/03/2011, 3:52 PM

Martinez has come out of this looking like a complete spanner. Complaining about pressure being put on McCarthy when in reality it's Martinez's own big mouth that has kept this story going in the media for months. Can he not see this?

**sean r** · 18/03/2011, 3:59 PM

how come the fai never went after mccourt? or neal lennon?

**SwanVsDalton** · 18/03/2011, 4:21 PM

Originally Posted by sean r

how come the fai never went after mccourt? or neal lennon?

A combination of them being tied down by NI and not being good enough for our squad when we had the chance.

Unfortunately once they've been capped competitively players can't switch associations, but I hear FAI lawyers are working hard to get that rectified to allow retroactive poaching.

**sean r** · 18/03/2011, 4:25 PM

mccourt is good enough dont you think?

**geysir** · 18/03/2011, 4:35 PM

McCourt isn't eligible.
Hyothetical discussion about how good he is, is distracting from the build up to the second coming.

**Razors left peg** · 18/03/2011, 5:07 PM

Originally Posted by sean r

mccourt is good enough dont you think?

No he's muck 90% of the time.
Seem to remember he was approached at the tim but chose to play for the north

**Eminence Grise** · 18/03/2011, 6:00 PM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

No he's muck 90% of the time.
Seem to remember he was approached at the tim but chose to play for the north

Is that a Freudian slip, or a typo?

**Razors left peg** · 18/03/2011, 6:35 PM

Originally Posted by Eminence Grise

Is that a Freudian slip, or a typo?

Haha, a typo

**DannyInvincible** · 18/03/2011, 7:13 PM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

No he's muck 90% of the time.
Seem to remember he was approached at the tim but chose to play for the north

Was he? I hadn't been aware of that. He was first capped by Northern Ireland back in 2002, mind, and had already played in a competitive game for them by the time the most recent statute amendments took effect.

**Park_Lane** · 18/03/2011, 7:33 PM

http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/mc...s-2584626.html

McCarthy has contacted the FAI to say he's 100% commited to us. As he probably was all along.

**SkStu** · 18/03/2011, 7:35 PM

Originally Posted by Junior

Hey.. gatecrasher, let Fly have his moment (week?) of glory, you had the whole 'gut test' which is now in foot.ie folklore.

The Fly has been living off that moment for months now. Enough, i say.

**Razors left peg** · 18/03/2011, 7:44 PM

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

Was he? I hadn't been aware of that. He was first capped by Northern Ireland back in 2002, mind, and had already played in a competitive game for them by the time the most recent statute amendments took effect.

I seem to have memory of it being in the papers when he was at peterborough that we wanted him but he chose the north. could be wrong though