Most liked posts in thread: Shay McCartan

I know he's blown hot and cold and his not taking opportunities had really frustrated me in his time at city. But so have others, and Stuart can only work with the squad he has now. I think he needs to start and get a proper run of games.

He's one of the only players at the club capable creating something from nothing. He has good close control (agree with the robbie Blake comparison although obviously at a much lower level). He also has a good shot on him and is an instinctive finisher. Even chances not converted he is generally on target and forces the save.

I know the opportunity for first goal on Tues was gifted by stevenage but hand on heart who else would've had the techinque to dispatch so clinically?

People saying he did nothing on Tuesday but score 2 goals really need to have a word with themselves. I would gladly take a player doing f all but score 2 goals as that's what wins you matches. That's pretty much what swindon fans say about Doyle and you don't hear them slating him.

 

Weakest tackler I've ever come across. When the ball is at his feet and he drives forward from time to time he looks an asset but few and far between in a city shirt. Major disappointment as he has the build to be a dominant force in a midfield. His quality and fitness clearly set him back in the last couple of years. He'd be the first out of the door for me. Could get 2 decent midfielders/players on his wage packet.

 

Agree with that. I was slagging him off at half time yesterday saying he wasnt a left winger but it was Stuart's fault for playing him there. However, on the Radio after the game Stuart said he had told McCartan to get involved in the centre. unless we have a CM disciplined enough to cover him when he comes inside that may create problems later down the line if we persist with a 4-4-2 against better teams? Could leave Wood exposed and teams may target us there. If someone like Akpan is left to do the covering job our fate all depends on what mood he is in on the night....i.e god help us when he blows cold.

For that reason, the 4-4-1-1 you suggest makes sense. Keep Shay in the centre where he can influence play. McCall used Clarke in a similar role, just off Hanson or Wyke, if I remember correctly?

Shay playing off Novak or Donaldson could be the best partnership for now.

 

If only DMH, Reeves, Akpan & Pritchard reminded me of Lawrence, McCall, Whalley & Beags

 

This a better way of looking at it. Lets not cream ourselves over a decent 45 minutes against the worst team in professional football by some distance. Good to see McCartan on the score sheet, lets hope McCall doesn't do to Shay what he did to him last time he was here. Time to give him a run and see what he can do. A couple of goals but some context to go with it please.

 

I never understand these types of comments, 'yeah, but apart from scoring the two goals that won us the game, what did he actually do?' I mean FFS, what do you actually want from him!!!!!

 

Exactly - if he spurned those two chances, he'd still have had two of our best chances making him a threat. To finish both neatly is praiseworthy indeed!

I don't care what he does if he scores two.

Just like Swindon don't care what Doyle does when he scores.

 

The other thing critics of Shay seem to ignore is that he has never really been given a proper run in the team. He has made a lot of appearances from the bench and has not been a consistent starter yet when he does play, people are writing him off if he doesn't score in the first five minutes of being on the pitch. I think he deserves a chance and should be a definite starter on Saturday.

 

Maybe something to do with the 1342 posts he made asserting he'd never play for us again.

 

Likes to avoid the traffic?

 

He's been very unlucky this season. In the cameo roles he managed to get in the dwindling embers of the Bowyer era he shone out. He's been the only player to make an impact from the bench this season. Keeps getting dropped. Disappointed not to see him on McCalls first team sheet. If his season follows the pattern so far he'll be dropped again after 2 goals and MOM last night. I for one will be fuming if he is.

 

Let's be honest here, if he was in the current Swindon squad - he'd probably had started 20 matches and scored 10

I feel he's been unfortunate in his time with us. First spell, McCall not quite at his best - due to the Rahic battle. 2nd spell - cautious manager, never a chance he's going to gamble on a player who needs a system to work around them. Hopefully the second half of his second spell is better

We've got so many decent midfielders, but no defensive ones that having possession is vital for us, i.e. 4 in midfield with McCartan behind the front man is ideal

 

Hard to know whats best for McCartan. He has shown he can score, he's not a number 10 in the Billy Clarke type of mould, tends to play with his head down. More of a finisher than a creator. Not sure he fit the plans long term.

 

I've re-read them. The only

Good god if we subbed everyone that played poorly in the 1st half we'd need a bigger subs bench and a rule change.

 

Akpan and Guthrie were the worst on the pitch for me, first and second half.

Akpan is such a bottler, he's dangerous.

 

Nonsense. Tackling isn't one of Reeves' strengths but he does at least try.
Akpan, by contrast, is built like a heavyweight boxer yet consistently loses tackles against players far smaller and lighter than him. And that's on the few occasions when he bothers to get anywhere near the opposition to even make a tackle. Most of the time he stands around in non active areas, avoiding getting involved, thereby leaving his teammates to cover his man as well as their own.
He does three or four good attacking things per game, and the rest of the time he's a massive defensive liability. He simply doesn't offer enough going forward to justify the damage he causes defensively.
Everyone who went away to the Burton game in L1, where Akpan ran the show, knows what he's capable of when he puts his mind to it. At this level he should be bossing most games. Instead he's the Invisible Man, stealing a wage.

 

What a player Blake was. Always knew when he had it something would happen

 

Blake would've played for England if he had pace. Was the only part of his game where he couldn't quite compete.

 

He's been a City player for 3 years!!! How long do you give a guy to see the best of him? A manager these days gets 6 months tops.

 

He's not been dealt a decent hand so far at City. Collins said the door was open for him but he wisely ignored him and went to Lincoln doing his best to stay there. Bowyer brings him back saying he's in his first team plans and then never gave him a look in. Hopefully Stuart can provide something more for him to prosper otherwise we have indeed wasted the £250k outlay.