James McAtee

LongsightM13 said:
That went well…
Honestly couldn’t blame James if he just fucks us off and runs his contract down now. We deserve it.
Every club in the prem and half of Europe’s big clubs will be after him now.
Pep has been great for this club but the man has been an absolute shambles when it comes to a youth pathway.
City were shite tonight and yet the manager still doesn’t give him a second on the pitch, with five subs available. Even Palmer only got three minutes. In a dead rubber when the elders and betters were lazy and shite.
That is pitiful no matter how much of a Pep cultist you may be.
James and his family must be gutted. The kid should have fucking started.
Oh hang on, weirdly the only teenager he gave regular games to was Eric fucking Garcia, his adopted Catalonian son - and his real son’s best mate.
The useless **** who still would still struggle to get a game in our EDS on merit.
Despicable
Click to expand...

You're overstating it, in my opinion — a question of choice of words — and I think you're casting a slur on Pep with the Garcia allusion (I know you're angry, I'm pretty pissed off too), but I'm with you in the general spirit of the post.
It really is incomprehensible. There were a few players coming back from injury who needed game time. Fair enough. That still left at least two spots where Palmer and McAtee could have had about half-an-hour's playing time.
By the way, people should stop talking about “the kids” relentlessly, and “throwing the kids in”. It completely skews the perspective. Both Palmer and McAtee are 19. I would have been annoyed if someone had kept referring to me as a kid when I was 19. I wasn't a kid, except to some old fogey. I knew what I was about. Palmer, in particular, has not looked in the least bit out of place in his first team appearances this season. He's carried them off with aplomb. McAtee, too, with his cameos (which is all he's had a chance to show). We're not talking about two players who are about 11.
There was nothing significant being delivered on the pitch by the seniors, and as people keep saying, the result was in any case far less important than game time. This was a missed opportunity. It's not the end of the world, far from it, but it does leave you wondering.
 
I was expecting Palmer to start and be subbed for McAtee on the hour mark so disappointed neither played. Pep seems to be trying to get Grealish up to speed which is understandable but he and Foden were pretty woeful last night.

It seems the only time Pep is comfortable playing a younger player is if we are 3-0 up after 70 minutes and even then he will more often than not give minutes to more established players. In that way Pep is actually a pretty conservative manager. I guess the problem is that there is always something to play for which means we play our "strongest" team - even when we ran away with the league a few years ago everyone wanted the 100 points kudos (rightly so).

Maybe the only way these guys will get serious minutes is a really bad injury or covid infection crisis.
 
Pep said foden was playing through an injury last week, and yet he starts him in a nothing game where it looks like he's worsened to problem. Foden shouldn't have been on the plane and when he had to come off it should have been palmer or mcatee coming on instead of sterling who's played every game recently.
 
Would have liked to see him get some time on the pitch, but didn't think id see him at all with the 1st team this season. One step at a time. Wont be his last chance
 
@LongsightM13 & @FantasyIreland i think you guys know how much I want him to get minutes. I can understand why you’re incensed. I’m hoping that this spurs him to prove that he can force the issue with his performances in training.

Only thing we can do is be patient and hope the lad is too. I won’t comment on the Pep and Garcia thing as I know you’re pissed but the only thing we can do is support them when they get their chance . It may not get anywhere but what can be done?

There are many things I want to say about yesterday but when I thought about it, I decided not to. There are too many reasons for why things are as they are on the academy front and it’s a debate that’ll carry on forever as long City’s trajectory keeps going up.

I can only will this lad and Palmer on. I try and watch as many academy games as possible, no matter the time, and if I can.

No matter what, Pep has done a lot. He’s not perfect but I don’t want him gone right this moment because of these imperfections.
 
On a slight side note.

Do we know how he's getting on with the step up to first team training? Palmer was there a good few months before he got a start, McAtee has been called up about 2/3 weeks now.

I know Cancelo name check him, but have there been any club info/reports on how he handling it?
 
Brighton's starting XI is going to look really tempting. If he doesn't get a look in vs Swindon reckon those 'nearly there on the contract' stories might start to vanish.
 
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