87 | James McAtee - 2024/25

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sir baconface said:
Take the blinkers off, mate.

1. Rinse and repeat isn’t working. Where is the additional risk of easing him in? And I don’t mean coming on in the 89th minute when a game is over.

2. Pep has no track record in dealing with situations like the present. And so far has shown no aptitude. It’s one thing believing he’ll eventually turn the corner (which we all hope) but quite a different one to follow his current mantra blindly.

3. Can you not see the risk of our famed academy system being undermined? Foden only got serious game time when he was literally impossible to ignore. Palmer and others got theirs by leaving the club. McAtee may be a leprous lump of shit for all I know but that’s certainly the message he’ll be getting after being bigged up then discarded.

4. The club is bigger than their manager and always will be.

If he plays and it doesn’t work out then hey, it was worth a try. And you’ll be able to say “I told you so”.
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Blinkers?

If they were good enough they would be playing. I'd like them to get minutes in the second half but Pep isn't holding back great, young players like McAtee for no reason and to piss us all off.

And Pep has no aptitude? Did you mean to use that word?

No, the academy is not being undermined. I don't see how it is.

What would most likely happen is the kids would play, be over-run as they aren't ready and after a few games they'll be abused as not good enough and to fuck off out of the club like what is being said to every player on their own threads.
 
argyle said:
Blinkers?

If they were good enough they would be playing. I'd like them to get minutes in the second half but Pep isn't holding back great, young players like McAtee for no reason and to piss us all off.

And Pep has no aptitude? Did you mean to use that word?

No, the academy is not being undermined. I don't see how it is.

What would most likely happen is the kids would play, be over-run as they aren't ready and after a few games they'll be abused as not good enough and to fuck off out of the club like what is being said to every player on their own threads.
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Re aptitude, please don’t misquote me by omitting key words. Read my post again and come back if you still don’t understand it. If it was a deliberate distortion, go do one.

As for “if they were good enough they would be playing” that’s precisely what I mean by being blinkered. By that logic, Palmer wasn’t good enough yet he’s excelled elsewhere for the last season and a half and doubled or tripled his transfer market value.
 
Can we please try to keep to the subject of the thread, namely McAtee? There's a Palmer thread in the general forum where you can worship/slag him until the cows come home. Thanks.
 
I wonder if McAtee will get a start and the full ninety v Salford. If he doesn't get a start and gets subbed then the writing is clearly on the spiral walls. I hope he does start and finds some of the better things I saw when he was over the road, but I'm more than a little doubtful.
 
Being a romantic, I want all our players to do well, especially young players, and with him coming back to the club this season I had great hopes to see him play and establish his place in the squad.

However, that is looking highly unlikely now, and I can only hope that it is because Pep doesn't want to throw him in when the team are in such a poor run.

Looking like another who is going to have to leave to show what he can really do, sadly.
 
argyle said:
Blinkers?

If they were good enough they would be playing. I'd like them to get minutes in the second half but Pep isn't holding back great, young players like McAtee for no reason and to piss us all off.

And Pep has no aptitude? Did you mean to use that word?

No, the academy is not being undermined. I don't see how it is.

What would most likely happen is the kids would play, be over-run as they aren't ready and after a few games they'll be abused as not good enough and to fuck off out of the club like what is being said to every player on their own threads.
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It's strange for Pep to praise him before the season began and confirm he would be part of the squad, only to have him sat on the bench consistently. Even while others have been given chances ahead of him. He's clearly deemed good enough to be part of our squad and I can understand Pep not wanting to give the kids a baptism of fire but equally now is the time to try something different because what we're doing isn't working. I wondered if his recent lack of game time was a result of the Feyenoord game - he came on at 3-0 and then we draw. But I don't think Pep would be as harsh as to pin that result on one individual player - particularly when so many others made mistakes that led to the draw.

But it's also true that Pep's never been in such a crisis before. He's confident the players will turn a corner and get back to winning ways but you see with teams down the bottom how confidence just erodes and once you're on that slippery slide there's no turning things around. That's why managers get sacked. Try something different. See if someone else can turn things around. I completely agree that our young players could get an absolute kicking if they don't perform and it's better to bring them into a winning team but we need to try something different and McAtee deserves a game to see if he can unlock things. Bernardo has been poor, Gundogan can't move. We've got plenty in the academy that can at least run and make a nuisance of themselves.
 
Here's hoping McAtee gets more starts and playing time soon and very soon. We certainly wouldn't want to lose out on such a talented midfielder at all.
 
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If we get anyone in, i can't see him staying. Even in desperate times when we have injuries everywhere, players barely being able to get through games and losing every fucking match - the kid doesn't get off the bench.
 
shevtheblue said:
If we get anyone in, i can't see him staying. Even in desperate times when we have injuries everywhere, players barely being able to get through games and losing every fucking match - the kid doesn't get off the bench.
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I think the idea was to probably integrate him into a stable team gradually, as and when results allow. Throwing him into a struggling team is likely to do him more harm than good.
 
PragueBlue said:
I think the idea was to probably integrate him into a stable team gradually, as and when results allow. Throwing him into a struggling team is likely to do him more harm than good.
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100% this was the plan. But if you are a player and you're hoping for some game time, you see us in the predicament we're in and then see Pep doing everything he can NOT to play you - you'll prob be in your right mind to think you'll never play. For instance if i was JWE i would know for a fact there is no future for me at this club, as a player who has played his whole career at LB you are seeing Nunez who has played as a 6, 8, 10 and a winger who is now covering for LB! I do think at some point you have to trust the players, Klopp had to do this a few times last season with guys like Quansah and Bradley..
 
shevtheblue said:
100% this was the plan. But if you are a player and you're hoping for some game time, you see us in the predicament we're in and then see Pep doing everything he can NOT to play you - you'll prob be in your right mind to think you'll never play. For instance if i was JWE i would know for a fact there is no future for me at this club, as a player who has played his whole career at LB you are seeing Nunez who has played as a 6, 8, 10 and a winger who is now covering for LB! I do think at some point you have to trust the players, Klopp had to do this a few times last season with guys like Quansah and Bradley..
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liverpool were left with playing " young untried" players or moving more experienced players into positions that they weren't accustomed to.
Bradley and Kelleher are players that have played well when called in.
We have to take this chance.
 
PragueBlue said:
I think the idea was to probably integrate him into a stable team gradually, as and when results allow. Throwing him into a struggling team is likely to do him more harm than good.
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I don’t agree. Loads of young players usually get there opportunity when someone else is injured or the teams out of form. Playing no games at all is doing him more harm than anything

Your last point to me is almost like being scared to play them. Basically another excuse not to play him.

Can’t play him in a struggling side
Can’t play him in well performing side - we can’t take an in form player out
He doesn’t have the experience…

It’s excuse after excuse. At some point we have to give them an actual run in side, especially when the seniors in front have been terrible. Other top sides somehow manage it.
 
sir baconface said:
Can you not see the risk of our famed academy system being undermined? Foden only got serious game time when he was literally impossible to ignore. Palmer and others got theirs by leaving the club. McAtee may be a leprous lump of shit for all I know but that’s certainly the message he’ll be getting after being bigged up then discarded.
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I’m starting to agree with this. I think considering we have the best academy in the country’s peps record with young players is poor. As you say foden became impossible to ignore - even then it’s taken years to become a regular. When everyone’s fit and with new signings I don’t think Lewis will be starting either.

Obviously some of these players aren’t good enough, but seeing players like Palmer, Lavia, Delap, Rogers and harwood bellis becoming the best young players in the league and not playing for us disappointing. I reckon Mcatee will be another one.

Our small squad could have done with a few this season. We’ve signed players for 50/60m who aren’t as talented as our own academy lads. Will more youngsters just see us as a stepping stone.
 
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