87 | James McAtee - 2024/25

Cobra said:
It may be so, but then why bother keeping him around when there have been plenty of clubs interested in him? Also, why bother giving him token minutes in matches - might as well give them to O’Reilly or Wright rather than someone who isn’t good enough?
Click to expand...
I agree with you he should have left in the summer. I guess maybe he thought he would get game time cause he played during pre season
 
Blu3m00n91 said:
He never has and never will be good enough for City’s level. Not a criticism of the lad just how it is
Click to expand...
Then why recall him and put him in the first team squad if it was just to take the piss?

If the hidden aim was simply to bolster his transfer market value, how’s that working out?
 
Last edited:
sir baconface said:
Then why recall him and put him in the first team squad if it was just to take the piss?

If the hidden aim was simply to bolster his transfer market value, how’s that working out?
Click to expand...
Yeah I don't understand it either. It's not just value, if Pep wants to develop him as a player, you're not going to develop playing two minutes in the league. If he was seen as a squad player who could help reduce the burden of how many minutes the first teamers play, getting a minutes rest in a few league games a season isn't going to make any difference.

If he can't be trusted to play more than one minute against Ipswich at home or can't start vs Bratislava than pointless being in the squad.
 
Gaz (FMwkdsoul) said:
he turned down moves and wanted to stay here this season.
Click to expand...

I wasn’t aware of that. Even so, we made a thing about him being part of the first team squad. That looks hollow when he’s not even used to ease an injury crisis.

Anyway, he now knows he’s at the very bottom of the food chain so it’s just a question of when he leaves and for which club.
 
Last edited:
Gaz (FMwkdsoul) said:
he is, no one said he's play outside of dead rubbers and cup games. he knew that he stayed. McAtee, Wright and O'Reilly all had offers to go out this year.
Click to expand...

Had all three gone out on loan, it is almost certain that McAtee would never have played for City again.
The lad loves the club and really wants to play for City. Sadly for him, it looks like Pep has other ideas.
 
sir baconface said:
Then why recall him and put him in the first team squad if it was just to take the piss?

If the hidden aim was simply to bolster his transfer market value, how’s that working out?
Click to expand...
A few players always have to have that role in the squad where they are there to give the senior first choice players a rest and be rotated in the EFL Cup, FA Cup and some of the lesser CL games.

He’s obviously a good football player, he looked really good in the Championship for SheffUtd, maybe showed that top of that league and low PL is his sort of level (which is an excellent level of football to have made it to, brilliant for any player and any Academy to say they’ve made it to or provided players for that level of football). Those rotation opportunities give him a game about once, maybe sometimes twice, a month to show us what he can do.

Maybe if he’d been given a chance of a few games running in a PL game when Gündoğan was doing absolutely nothing we might have seen a bit of confidence and some decent output with some rhythm. I was saying at the time that he couldn’t have done any less than Gundo was doing at that time. But also Pep maybe thought he wasn’t doing it in training or just thought Gundo needed more games in his legs (who has improved a little bit over the last week and does look a bit sharper).

It has to be said, he’s not made anyone sit back and think ‘wow, this lad needs a chance in the PL’ after performances again United (CS), Watford (EFL), Bratislava (CL), Praha (CL), Spurs (EFL) or Feyenoord (CL).

I’d love him to do well with us, I always prefer seeing local lads in the team (I’d love to see a City team where a keeper, one of the full backs, one of the centre backs, one of the midfielders and two of the attackers for example were local lads from the Academy). But I don’t think he’ll be anything more than that rotation player for the lesser games at City.

I’d fucking love him improve me wrong though!
 
Lavinda Past said:
Sadly for him, it looks like Pep has other ideas.
Click to expand...

Not many will ever going to make the Foden bar but just look at Rico.. he's dependable in the middle and doesn't lose the ball stupidly..

Maybe McAtee just doesn't do enough in practice.. Pep has been very clear.. the kids have to earn it and if Rico can earn a position.. the door isn't close.

What's alarming is with our injury crisis none of the kids have stepped up in midfield.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top
✖
  AdBlock Detected
Bluemoon relies on advertising to pay our hosting fees. Please support the site by disabling your ad blocking software to help keep the forum sustainable. Thanks.