Jimmy Mack, Not Coming Back

John Turner 18/01/2008 20comments  |  Jump to last
No-one can argue that David Moyes has done an excellent job in improving the small squad he inherited, and this season for the first time in many we can actually lay claim to having some level of strength-in-depth in the squad. All of a sudden we have options on the bench that can change the game where as in previous seasons we were often forced into changing the formation drastically when substituting a tired or injured player.

One of the main ways Moyes has achieved this strength-in-depth with his small but growing squad is by signing a number of decent all-round footballers who are versatile and can play in a number of positions; Phil Neville, Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka being the prime examples.

James McFadden is another of these players and while his consistency and ability have often been called into question, he is after all still only 24 years old, maybe 2-4 years away from his prime and can (most importantly for me) provide cover for strikers, in behind the striker/s and on the wing. He may not have been our first choice for some or any of those positions but in my opinion he was a valuable squad player who is still young, still maturing and still improving.

It may seem as though we have been waiting a long time for McFadden to ?come good? but when playing well he has contributed to a number of good results for us; Charlton last season (obviously) and Middlesborough on New Year?s Day spring to mind straight away. If I remember rightly Pienaar and Carsley were our only recognised midfielders available that day.

McFadden has been with us for 4 years, he was signed when he was just 19/20 years old. Leon Osman is now 26 and has become a very valuable and important player to us, but throughout his development it was constantly said by some that he would never be good enough, big enough, strong enough etc.

I for one am sad to see McFadden go, and although the £5-6m will come in handy and represents a good bit of business for player signed for £1.25m who is hungry for the regular first team action we simply cannot promise him, I am sure that we are yet to see the best from James McFadden and am disappointed that we won?t get to see that in an Everton shirt. I trust David Moyes to replace him and improve the squad further but I for one will miss him, often brilliant, often frustrating but always exciting to watch, whether through annoyance or joy.

Good luck at Birmingham lad.

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Chris Jones (Wakefield)
1   Posted 18/01/2008 at 13:17:23

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I can't quite believe what I'm reading in the papers, McLeish has this to say about his latest purchase, ...

"... He is the type of player you know you are going to get everything from for the entire 90 minutes of a game. ... When he has come into the (Everton) side, I am not so sure anyone has looked as good as him."

Er, what! Which Everton has he been watching? I know he has to convince his paymasters that their millions have been well spent, but I think he's bigging-up Jamsie rather too much.

I wish McFadden well. He's left us with a couple of good memories, but not much more. Sounds like we got circa treble what we paid for him, good business Mr Moyes!

Jay Campbell
2   Posted 18/01/2008 at 14:20:23

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It’s not up for discussion he simply wasn’t good enough for Everton Footbal Club.

Dutch Schaffaer
3   Posted 18/01/2008 at 14:16:38

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Not a good enough finisher to be Everton’s main striker and far too inconsistant to be a midfielder.

Brilliant one minute and making awful decisions the next.

Spectacular long range shooting followed by abysmal passes to nobody but the opposition or sideline.

If regular first team football gets the best out of him then Birmingham have a player but more then likely he’ll continue to be inconsistant and struggle to find a permanent position in their side in which case it’ll be a great bit of business by Moyes.
Dave Povall
4   Posted 18/01/2008 at 14:38:15

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Unbelievable quote from Garry O?Connor on the BBC site "We played a couple of times together for Scotland and James never loses the ball.....".

Is this the same player?

Maybe this just highlights the difference between his performances for us and Scotland.
Danny Militwitch
5   Posted 18/01/2008 at 15:01:59

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As someone rightly said above, he simply was not good enough for Everton football club. He promised a lot but in reality delivered very little.

Decision making = poor
Passing = average
Pace = poor
Skill = good, occasionally
goal return = poor

£6m for the above.

Debate over really.

Iain Thomson
6   Posted 18/01/2008 at 15:13:33

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McLeishs comments seem rediculous.. Eck isnt stupid he knows MacFaddens form has been bad. Just about confidence building i think..

Im sure Anichebe, Yak , AJ or Vaughn would suck playing left midfield also.

Will be depressing if faddy scores against chelsea tomorrow and then we fail to score agaisnt them midweek.
John Turner
7   Posted 18/01/2008 at 15:34:13

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I don’t honestly think McFadden was as bad as some people suggest. Decision making improves with experience, some people seem to forget how young he still is and he IS improving, he’s looked better to me each season than the previous ones.

I suppose my original point was, if I had the choice between the £5.75m and James McFadden (given his current ability, the fact that his best years are still to come and can cover in two positions), I’d rather have kept McFadden.
Alex Taylor
8   Posted 18/01/2008 at 15:50:45

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I’d sooner take the money and invest in our midfield - someone who’ll take Carsley’s role when he eventually runs out of steam - a great bit of business Daid Moyes.

Well done Jimmy Mac, I wish you well.
Peter Eastoe
9   Posted 18/01/2008 at 15:53:17

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Shame it was the moronic boo boys who probably swayed him into leaving. Who would want to hang around at a club where you get regular abuse.
Witness the comments regarding JM which are regularly aired on here.
I hope he clicks for Brum and leaves the boo boys with egg on their faces !
John Turner
10   Posted 18/01/2008 at 16:08:10

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Peter has a point, too many people once they decide a player is bad make that player the skinny leopard and you just wait for the mistake and jump on it calling them for everything. Your more ’favourite’ players make a mistake and you just say "Unlucky lad". I’ve been guilty of it myself admittedly. Hibbert gets it off the usual people no matter how well he plays.

Good point from Alex too, Carsley is pretty much the only player we don’t have adequate cover for (Neville and Jagielka don’t count yet, if ever) and although he’s been consistently solid this season I feel in a season or two (or three hopefully!) he will need replacing.
Simon Jones
11   Posted 18/01/2008 at 16:12:47

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I liked the lad as he always looked like he was trying. At times he showed sublime pieces of skill.... but I’m not sorry he has gone. Too inconsistent, a bit light weight for the modern Premiership and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind to referees, often resulting in pointless cards.

Best of luck Jimmy, I’ll give you a cheer when you come back, but onwards and upwards. Come on you Blues.
Stefan Tosev
12   Posted 18/01/2008 at 16:11:57

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GL to Faddy

I think that he was never given a proper run in the side in his favorite position up front, on his day he can change any game and I hope he matures and turns into great player for Brum

Simply of the ROI we get we should respect him and wish him GL
Ian Ankers
13   Posted 18/01/2008 at 16:22:50

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I think the McFadden issue is a prime example of how you can get wrong impressions about a club and its players unless you watch them week in week out. If you never watch Everton and then just happened to stumble across one of McFadden's few half-decent performances, then you may well think he?s a good player. You then catch a couple of the Scotland games on TV whilst your browsing the channels and all of a sudden ?He?s the Scottish Rooney!?

For all us poor sods that have watched his every move in a blue shirt, we know that we?ve just blatantly robbed Birmingham of a lot of money!

As for the player himself...Good luck to him, I genuinely wish him well as I am sure all Evertonians will, but I certainly won?t miss him as a player for us. And if he does a ?Beattie? and goes on to be Birmingham's answer to Ronaldo, then great, but even if he scores 30 goals a season and wins European player of the year, I?ll still be convinced that he was never going to make it with us and that getting rid was a job well done by Moyesy!
Tony Williams
14   Posted 18/01/2008 at 17:24:26

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My thoughts exactly Ian.

Watching him for the past four years, I could count on one hand his "outstanding£ performances (probably on one finger)

People are saying he is still young and is still learning.......the problem is that he is not learnng at all. All the stupid mistakes he made when he first came here, he makes still. His disasterous decision making, his runs into blind alleys, his attempts to try and bum a defender when he hit the ball passed him and ran into his back, his weak shooting (which comes off occassionally).

I wish him well but I don’t think he will do a "Beattie" (Which is no great feat seeing as he is playing in the fizzy drink league) He WILL score goals but we won’t miss the few he does score.
Phil Jones
15   Posted 18/01/2008 at 18:33:41

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In fairness, this was a good bit of business for Moyes. He didn’t exactly want to part with him, either. We are a bit light at the moment, and had he not been cashed in now, there’s no telling if his value would hold up through the summer transfer window.

He does have flashes of brilliance, and may go on to become a consistent if not excellent player, but in fairness, the club is attracting a certain kind of player at the moment, and Faddy is perhaps a bit of a luxury right now. I hope, personally, that he is successful. He seems a decent enough bloke, and he’s never been a whiner and complainer, even though he was never first choice here. Good luck Jimmy Mack!
steve williams
16   Posted 18/01/2008 at 18:24:11

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AFTER READING ALL THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS
IT SUMS JAMES MAC UP AS PURE FRUSTRATION
BEING A PARK END SEASON TICKET HOLDER
JAMES NEVER GOT A DECENT RUN UP FRONT WHICH IS WHERE HIS CLOSE CONTROL IS IMPORTANT MY GRIPE WAS HE OFTEN NEVER
LOOKED UP TO SEE HIS TEAM MATES IN BETTER POSITIONS IE LAST FIVE MINUTES AT CHELSEA WHEN ALL HE HAD TO DO WAS SEE CAHILL AND TAP A SIMPLE SQAURE BALL FOR HIM TO TAP IN
I WISH HIM WELL REMEMBER HE COST 1.25M NOT 8M AS DID A.J
WHO WILL NOW BE UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
M J Tyrrell
17   Posted 18/01/2008 at 18:46:56

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2 Mcfadden memories:

1. His rats tail

2. Being "seen" in the Blue Bar with Will Young???

1 Mcfadden verdict

1. Rubbish
cbrad
18   Posted 18/01/2008 at 19:34:59

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pleased hes left because he was so inconsistent and at times so frustrating to watch but in saying that he will be remembered by most of us for some of his quality finishes like the charlton goal last season,the wonderful goal against fulham at goodison 2 seasons ago and the equaliser against metalist in the uefa cup.best wishes to him,lets hope his money goes on a proven goal scoring winger or midfielder.
Jim Lawless
19   Posted 18/01/2008 at 22:41:41

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As an Evertonian for over 40 years and having witnessed many exciting players, I am very disappointed to see James McFadden leaving Goodison. I know he has his critics but I feel he was not always given the chances which he deserved.and I wish him well at Birmingham, and am sure that he will develop into a player who will prove a great loss to the blues....
Ian McDowell
20   Posted 19/01/2008 at 14:53:27

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I am glad to see McFadden go, especially for £5 million. With Johnson, Yakubu, Cahill, Vaughan and Anichebe, he was never going to get a game in his preffered position up front.
Richard Grisdale
21   Posted 19/01/2008 at 21:02:22

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Danny Milllit..... crackin post mate, straight to the point and spot on with it!
Tony Ateman
22   Posted 20/01/2008 at 01:23:52

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I was a pretty crap footballer in the school teams and Sunday League, but I enjoyed and tried hard. What did do my head in was the guy (there would always be one) who thought he was ACE. So off he?d go trying to beat the whole opposing team on his own and not pass it, despite the protestations of his team mates. Of course he?d lose the ball.
Now IF this lad was any good maybe he could do it all on his own. But he wasn?t that good. However HE THOUGHT HE WAS, and his stubborness and bullheadedness meant he would never change.

McFadden is one of those players. He is not as good as he thinks he is. He has not changed or improved in all the time he was here.We?ve done a good deal getting rid of the ball hogger.


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