McCourt can't be trusted.....

Ok whatever fella.

 

Its a thread about Paddy (not Brek). Not sure why "they" would feel the need to comment.

The discussion is about whether Paddy can be "trusted" defensively.

 

I don't rate him as highly as many do but i'd start him tonight. Two main reasons being.....

1) It's not like we are winning with him out of the team.

2) He would be surrounded by a much better quality of player so the pressure shouldn't be on him as much with 'pass to Paddy' tactics.

 

I was one of those suggesting Shea over Paddy. Whether I would now after his last performance I don't know but my reasons would be that he's faster, stronger, bigger and fitter. He does work harder for the team, no doubt (he's not exactly an O'Brien or Jennings though I admit). He's much less likely to allow his man past him than Paddy and also much more likely to be able to stop a cross coming in. I just think that 'the other side of his game' is a little sharper than Paddy's. I thought he played particularly well at Wednesday in both halves of the pitch. There's a player in there IMO and I just don't think we've seen the best of him.

However, I must stress that I am one of Paddy's biggest fans!! I love watching him glide past defenders, it almost beggars belief! He would be involved in every game if it were me picking the team. I'd bring him on with 30-35mins to go against tired legs. I know people say 'he hasn't been good off the bench' but I can't help but think that that's just coincidence and partly down to the fact that he's only come off the bench once or twice. Also, from what I've seen of Paddy, he's only got a good half hour in him anyway before he tires or teams start to work him out.

Then there's Cywka to throw in the mix. Feel really bad for him at the moment - plays well (probably scores) every time he gets on the pitch and yet can't buy a start.

Hopefully Danny will find the right balance for our vast array of wingers we have at the moment.

 

just how games and how many minutes has Paddy played to date?

 

Obvious really. Those who say he can't be trusted defensively were suggesting that's why Shea was starting instead. Yet as we've seen, Brek is neither an asset defensively or offensively. Hence me asking where you were.
And threads very rarely stick rigidly to topic. They often veer off into sub topics. But here's one for you, I saw that Paddy made two brilliant tackles/interceptions at the weekend, so along with the tackle that led to Pedersen's goal against Wednesday, I'd suggest he's more than capable of doing the dirty side. As well as being our most dangerous player, our most exciting player, and the player that neutrals think is our best player.
Unless you stick O'Brien and Jennings out wide, you aren't getting defensive qualities from our wingers. Cywka hasn't a tackle in him, and has no positional sense going backwards. Shea is yet to show me what it is that he actually is. Thus far, it's an impression of Fallon out wide. And RNL has dropped into the 21's again and another year wasted.
Paddy McCourt not making this XI borders on lunacy. He didn't get much right this term Flitcroft, but he signed Paddy, and I'm glad about that.

 

I'm just not seeing it, Zemaj. The Wednesday game I thought Shea was dreadful. Their fans told me afterwards they couldn't believe Paddy didn't get on. Instead, Jim and Cywka got on and combined to cost us the game.
A mate of mine works in the states for ESPN. He used to be part of the media team at LA Galaxy before that. I went to school with him, he's a Wednesdayite. Anyway, he's seen a lot of Shea and the player he described to me when we signed him, is the player I've seen. Has undoubted technique, good pace and some key assets to be a big player at this level. But he goes missing in games, doesn't get involved enough and his final ball/shot leaves a lot to be desired.
If you read up on him, he's been wrote off by most US pundits and won't be anywhere near the World Cup.
I think we should cancel his loan and get another striker or centre half in. We have plenty of wide players.
.
I expect him to play a blinder tonight and prove me wrong.
I don't think he's a bad player though, I just think Jim, Paddy and Cywka are better options, and would even rather we picked RNL whose development is a benefit to us, not Stoke City. I'm in Tarn now, so gotta go. Good debate though.

 

Our back 4 and front 2 just about pick them selves. That leaves 16 players who are midfielders or who have played midfield this season fighting for 4 places. Almost Spackmanesque?

 

And what makes you think DRFC staff can be trusted? Or yourself for that matter? I'm offended that you expected his to be taken at all seriously!!

 

I'm in both camps.

He's an extremely gifted player one of the best I'll see at oakwell however he is quite often infuriating to watch trying to beat a man six times, mis placed passing, poor defensively.

You do realise he has started nearly as many games for barnsley in one season as he did three years for Celtic...

He was more often than not t game changing sub.

 

That's another thing.

I keep reading all his best performances have come when he's started. But I've only seen him come on as a sub 3 times & twice he did well.

That's a better ratio than the ratio of his performances from where he's started games

 

Couldn't give a toss what he did or didn't do at previous clubs. Brek Shea couldn't get a sniff at Stoke, nor COG at Wednesday when we loaned him. Jennings never got near at Bayern. But Dawson was a regular at Orient.
Means naff all to us what any of em did previously. And of the sub appearances Paddy has had for us, Donny was the only decent one to my mind. Whereas, I can recall him bossing games he started in - Wednesday, Donny, Reading, Leicester, Brighton, Burnley etc.
I don't think he's Hignett or owt, but he ought to be a regular for us. Playing defensive players has got us where exactly? I'd suggest Paddy was pivotal to at least 9 points this season, 8 of them as a starter.

 

.

 

Quite so. Mostly deliberately.

Fair enough, but that was in another thread. I'll see if I can find it mate.

So, that's a "yes" from you. That's really the point of the debate.

 

Shurrup.

 

I think he should be given a chance to start, but i dont think him not playing has cost us points as ive said a couple of times.

 

You've said been asked to back up your assertion with some concrete example and failed.

 

Trudging away from the JJB it's clear that it's the rest of the team that can't be trusted Paddy performs his role as mercurial winger to a T.

 

Mata has players of brilliance to replace him Paddy has Very very average players. Flair players who can't defend much are still very much in existence in the game so that pretty much contradicts what you say. Arch pragmatist Warnock found room for Tarrabt a couple of years ago and he was the best player our league by a mile. This worship of effort over talent gets you where we are bottom of the league. Look at the top 10 teams all have a game changer or two who often do no defending. Promoting the average has failed so it's time we stopped.