James McCarthy

[Efcjake]

Get him fit enough to flog to a desperate Newcastle in January please

 

[mkrudden]

Why has everyone collectively forgotten how gash he is?

I can't think of any more anonymous a footballer in my time watching Everton.

Without looking, how many games do you think he's played for us? If you guessed around 10, I'd understand, as that's about the amount of games he did something in.

McCarthy is unrealised potential. He's 27 now - he's not going to come good. He's completely unremarkable. Gana is twice the player without being exceptional in his own right. Hell, I'm more interested in Baningime being back!

Yet Baningime has done even less than McCarthy....

 

[steele]

Yet Baningime has done even less than McCarthy....

McCarthy was good when he played alongside Barry

 

[BlueToff]

I’d disagree with you there mate, he is a ball carrier, there are many ways of doing this. You can dribble, you can give and go, you can create triangles, you can use pace, you can use stamina, you can find space. Essentially it’s all about getting the ball forward yards from midfield and unlocking the forward players.

Deceptively McCarthy makes up yards through the central Chanel.

Leon Osman got a lot of stick, rightly so in some cases as he always lacked that killer ball, but one thing he is underatted for is how many yards he made from midfield in transition he was excellent at it.

But I don't think McCarthy is the player to be playing an incisive pass into Gyfli, mate.

Gomes has the skillset for that.

We already have plenty of players who make up the yards. Against teams who we'll have a lot of the ball against, Gomes has to play if he's fit and in form. Because he's the player who can be that link that we desperately need, so we don't have to worry about getting the ball into the front four.

In other games, McCarthy/Davies will be better options.

 

[MikeH72]

Yet Baningime has done even less than McCarthy....

McCarthy had kind of a 10 year head start on him mate.

 

[Moomin]

Good to see that spending his recovery in his home of Scotland has worked out well for him.

Hopefully he gets upto full fitness soon.

Can see him putting a transfer request in when fully fit in January.

 

[Neiler]

But I don't think McCarthy is the player to be playing an incisive pass into Gyfli, mate.

Gomes has the skillset for that.

We already have plenty of players who make up the yards. Against teams who we'll have a lot of the ball against, Gomes has to play if he's fit and in form. Because he's the player who can be that link that we desperately need, so we don't have to worry about getting the ball into the front four.

In other games, McCarthy/Davies will be better options.

I’d probably have a different opinion to be honest mate, but all good.

I think there will be competition for that spot between, Davies, Gomes and McCarthy. I’d back McCarthy to be honest.

I think Gana is establilished so one of the above.

I also think we will go three in midfield at times with three conventional midfielders in a 4-3-3 when we need to be more solid.

 

[BlueToff]

I’d probably have a different opinion to be honest mate, but all good.

I think there will be competition for that spot between, Davies, Gomes and McCarthy. I’d back McCarthy to be honest.

I think Gana is establilished so one of the above.

I also think we will go three in midfield at times with three conventional midfielders in a 4-3-3 when we need to be more solid.

Fair enough mate, but can you see McCarthy playing an incisive pass from deep into Gylfi's feet?

Or a long pass out to the wing/full-backs.

I can't, personally.

I can see him harrying and hassling and doing what he's good at - turning the ball over quickly. But, only if he can stay fit, which is a huge issue.

 

[Ebrell22]

Am i the only one who thinks hes gash?
Get rid worse than darren sicknote anderton

 

[Neiler]

Fair enough mate, but can you see McCarthy playing an incisive pass from deep into Gylfi's feet?

Or a long pass out to the wing/full-backs.

I can't, personally.

I can see him harrying and hassling and doing what he's good at - turning the ball over quickly. But, only if he can stay fit, which is a huge issue.

I think we both know he is a different type of player mate, he’s not a playmaker, but no 8s rarely are. You are describing a Gerard, Scholes, Alonso or Pirlo. A deep lying playmaker I’m not sure that’s exactly what we need, yes there is a place for it but having that type of player changes the dynamic of a team. There has to be compensation and that changes the dynamic of a team. Then you are looking at box to box midfielders that what Jimmy is you are looking at players of the likes of Keane, Viera, Dembele, Nzonzi etc. Both have their places and can be magnificently effective.

When you look at Everton our difficulty isn’t in creativity of chances it’s imposing our game in midfield, wining the midfield battle and getting a foundation to unlock our front players (finishing the chances we make is a different story) - winning the midfield battle is first and foremost and unless you win that battle you can’t have a deep lying playmaker to accommodate as you have to win the foundation for them to play, nor can you transition play. We struggle with that presently.

Secondly when it comes to us I would argue that a Gylfi doesn’t play at 10, I would actually argue he is playing as a deep lying playmaker unothadoxly, he’s playing as part of midfield three and given license to play between the lines and push on when we are in possession, Gylfi is flanked by Davies and Gana who try to win the battle. So in my personal opinion Gomes could be in competition with Gylfi as much as Davies or McCarthy. In fact I suspect that’s the plan perhaps to play with a deeplying playmaker rather then Gylfi when we need to be more solid in bigger games, with Gylfi maybe on the flank. I don’t think we will play with a Gylfi and Gomes.

So for me essentially we play a 4-3-3 with a creative player as one of the three in midfield who slips to 10 when we are offensive. That could be Gomes or Gylfi depending, they will be flacked in midfield by Gana or one of McCarthy or Davies.

Just my analysis of how I see how we are playing and possibilities predicting how it will work out, obviously there are other options, Betnard can also play that deeper role. But I don’t think we will play with two in the central Chanel myself.

It’s great to have so many options, variance and competition as a squad, per and during games. Doesn’t matter who’s right we are all just sharing opinions really we will be rooting for them all.

 

[Zatara]

The problem is who will buy him though mate.

Teams get desperate in Jan if theyre worried about relegation.

Zatara, I usually agree with most of your posts but not this one. If he is sold quickly in January it's unlikely we would get a lot for him, why not wait and let him prove his fitness, if he stays fit he can be a valuable player for The Blues with the proviso that he ends his career with Southern Ireland.

Thats the snag, he cant prove his fitness...everytime it looks like hes turned a corner...BAM...hes injured

 

[Carl O'Ancelotti]

Broke his leg saving a certain goal against Everton so he deserves a bit of slack.

Lets see if can get into Marco's team before writing his Everton obituary.

 

[royalblue66]

Welcome back Macca.

 

[toffeejack]

But but that would be a fully fit squad? Well, except Coleman, but this is everton so we'll take it.

 

[toffeejack]

Let's just agree we have options. Personally I think Mccarthy could be good and at his best he's better than Davies imo, but I don't think we need both of them in the squad. If I had to sell one It'd be Mccarthy but he deserves to be given a chance under Silva. We need to sell one of them, schneiderlin and besic in the next two windows and replace them with a proper box to box and a holding DM, that would be the prefect blend and mix imo.