Most liked posts in thread: Shay McCartan

They might be L2 mate, wouldn't want to play them at present

 

I rated McCarten, he looked an intelligent footballer to me, like a Billy Clarke and I thought all the unfit/fat bollox was just that. Some players take a while to settle into a new club......

I watched him today and he ran the show for Lincoln v Morecambe, the best player (by a mile) on the pitch. He linked everything up and the Morecambe defenders just couldn't control him. Lincoln (3-1) are certain to go up, they were really impressive and there was really positive vibe about the city and stadium which was 90% full. I very much doubt that he would want to come back to VP.

It was great to see Kevin Ellison again, how does he do it? He's 40 in 3 months yet was Morecambe's best player and the one who put in the most effort. I was willing him to score, and he did at the far post, surprise, surprise.........

 

Think it likely we will be able to keep Ball and O'Brien. Payne is more doubtful, but if Payne doesn't return in January, then I think a revitalised McCartan could do a job for us, especially now Rahic has departed and we have new management and a positive environment at City.

 

More likely we will keep Ball. He can't go to a third team and I can't see him walking back into the Rotherham first team.

 

Payne possible ball doubt it already played for Rotherham and us so can't play for another team this season and not in the future plans at Rotherham so likely to be with us for the campaign

 

Lincoln offered us £75k apparently in the summer we rebuffed but agreed to a loan as the club saw potential in him. Whether that gets changed in jan time will tell.

 

If we can get any youth into the first team then all well and good.

However, these development squads sound commendable on paper, and it rears it's head every decade or so like a eureka moment in the boardroom.

The last one before Rahic's brainchild was under Peter Jackson 7years back, remember Archie and his development squad. In came PP and it died a death, same as this is has now.

DH is quite rightly focused solely on the first team.

We don't have the resource to fund and maintain a development squad in the way it's required to work, without it taking away from the first-team. Such luxuries are afforded to clubs like Southampton that are successful at this.

 

If you're a professional footballer with a relatively short career,you should want to be the best you can be,playing for the biggest club at the highest level.

With all due respect to Accy,if that's the size of club McCarten feels happiest at,then he lacks ambition and I don't think anyone at City would be ok with that lack of belief. If he wants a successful career,including being an international he needs to set his goals a lot higher.

 

Shay McCartan getting very mixed reviews on the Lincoln City forum.

https://forums.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/shay-could-be-returning-to-bradford.89497/page-2

"Nice to read that Shay's stated he prefers to stay at Lincoln and I think the comment "that it may force Lincoln's hand to sign him permanently" is significant - my guess is that's the most likely outcome. I would be happy if we do"

"Dont think they are suggesting £250 K, but not totally convinced by him, tends to fade from games, but at £50,000 ish maybe."

"Seems a ploy to get us to buy him to me, but I'd not push the boat out for him. Certaily not anywhere near £100k. As above, if they were after £50k or something you'd probably go for it, but that'd represent a huge hit for them."

"After a very bright start (thought he was magnificent first half against Swindon in an attacking midfield role), I personally think he’s faded badly.

Doesn’t score enough, doesn’t turn on the ball enough in those deeper forward positions, and more often than not fades out of games (has he for example had one good 90 minute performance for us?). For me, he too often plays in that nowhere zone which is too far from the main front man (usually Akinde), and too far from midfield to get on the ball and dictate play (as he did in the aforementioned Swindon match). This could be a setup issue rather than a player issue, but whatever it is, we haven’t seen nearly enough of his best form to warrant a hefty permanent transfer fee. Let’s not also not forget we’re supposed to be looking at League 1 standard players, and therefore the reviews coming out of Bradford should not be dismissed too readily. If he couldn’t cut it with them at the higher level, could he do it with us? From the evidence I’ve seen so far, I’d have to say no.

Don’t get me wrong, the lad is miles away from being a bad player. I just don’t think he’s worth anywhere near the mooted £100k, and nor do I think he should be an automatic pick in the first XI. Cambridge proved to me that the Rhead/Akinde partnership can be more effective, and therefore McCartan would seem more to me like an impact player off the bench.

£50k tops for me, and if Bradford want to play hardball on this by demanding a high transfer fee, let him go back and we can take our chances in the loan/non league market."

"That's a decent enough assessment though a bit over-critical - his position is dictated by the coach though like you I'd also like to see him turn and run at defences more.

The question is do we look any better going forward when he isn't playing? I don't think we do.

But I'm undecided whether he should be permanently signed."

Not great reading, truth be told...

 

as well as paying part of Jones and Gibsons wages for them to not play for their loan clubs!!

What a season!

 

i wouldn't be surprised if he ended up leaving and signing for Lincoln on a free transfer.

 

I was one of them, he's been disappointing. Would benefit playing with someone physical alongside him.

 

He's shi&e

 

He should be brought back. Maybe Hopkin can bring out the best in him.

How’s Patrick doing by the way?

 

Or the owners can and should put their f&cking hands in their pockets and by decent players.

Shi&e owners. Let's stop trying to make excuses for them.

McCarten isn't good enough and isn't the answer to our problems.

 

A target man that wins nothing in the air and is laughably poor with his feet? What's the point in that?

 

Sharpe would never come to Bradford irrelevant of the money. Why would they sell one of there best players when he’s perfectly capable of firing them in to the premier

 

Good riddance. If we get some money for him I'm happy for him to be shipped out. He's not any improvement on any of the front line currently, so won't be missed.

 

Not sure if the budget was met but recruitment has been poor and below the standard needed to progress, that is the bottom line for us.