Koeman responds as O'Neill continues to deflect blame for McCarthy injury

The gauntlet has been thrown. If McCarthy goes and plays then I suspect Koeman won't take that favorably.

Time for him to make a choice?

Taxi to Finch Farm, please!

It was a chance for him to get games that he thought he wouldn't get with his club and, bearing in mind RoI had lots of injuries in midfield, then O'Neill was always going to play him as much as the player looked able to play.

A lot of fans on here have been saying for some time that McCarthy is so negative with his passing and rarely scores, so I will be surprised if he gets that many games unless Barry is out injured or Gana is away at the AFCON.

It's a typical country v club manager argument where the player is much more important to his international manager than he is for his club manager.

"We spoke about what is best, what we want and I think finally by himself the player the same likes to play for Everton and to play well for Everton.

"I think the player himself learned from what happened last time and how he was overloaded and he got another injury. It's best for everyone for him first to be fit and training with his club. Then you're ready for the national team and not vice versa."

If these are accurate; then the message is clear whatever way you look at it.

Under the wonderful FIFA rules, if a player is selected in the national squad, the player has to report for duty. The national medical squad then send him home if unfit. It stopped clubs feigning injury and the player then playing the full game in the next few days.

Koeman does have several valid points but Manic Martin is choosing to ignore them.

Call him out for a straightener, Ron.

If he plays at all; even if he doesn't come back injured, I suspect there's no way back.

It's in his interest to make sure he's fit to grasp these opportunities; if he leaves EFC, it will be to a club with less prospects of achieving things.

He's at best a decent Championship player – I'd be amazed if we manage to recoup what we paid for him.

Personally, I think he will be gone and possibly in January, as he is becoming a liability with injuries and not a first team pick or good enough. Even when he was fit in the Euros, he was poor, hence being substituted.

I wish him well but we need better players than him in the midfield if we are to make the progress everyone is hoping for.

At least Koeman is now saying he doesn't want to comment anymore. O'Neill now has a fit and in-form Harry Arter to choose in midfield rather than a clearly not match-fit McCarthy. Easy choice that.

Yet, instead of giving Gibson a couple of cameo appearances with the Republic in their two international matches to get him match fit, O'lNeill played him fully for 90 minutes in their first match against Germany and then played him again in their second match, when in the second half he ruptured his knee ligaments. Never the same player again.

O'Neill is doing the same to McCarthy, who was not match fit last time, and without any consideration to his playing career at Everton, he played him fully in 2 international matches. Even a Premier League manager would not have done that with a player who also just came back recently from a groin operation.

He also publicly put McGeady's problems on Everton by saying he should get out of the club. In contrast, Keane said McGeady should knuckle down and fight for a place at Everton. McGeady took O'Neill's advice and ended up in the Sheffield Wednesday Reserves.

Now we have McCarthy and again O'Neill bad mouthing Everton. I don't know what his problem is. Does he resent us 'cause – despite his mad spending at Villa – he could never finish above us? Is he upset that media links with us were brushed off when we got Martinez?

I don't know... I've always supported Eire for reasons of ancestry but that's no longer the case cause I'm frankly tired of this twit.

Kieran, I'd have brought Gibson to France but he didn't deserve to go. He played that second last game down in Cork (?) and was shite. He hardly played all year. Not sure where you're going with the McGeady line - "Does he resent us 'cause – despite his mad spending at Villa – he could never finish above us?" Paranoia even beyond ToffeeWeb's standards.

If we accept the principle that managers should not play a player when tired, not match-fit or injured... or 'killed', then why did Koeman play McCarthy against Man City?

He played him because he was over his groin injury. The fact that he then incurred a hamstring injury 5 or 6 days after the City game is just one of those unfortunate accidents that happen in football. Koeman should not have blamed O'Neill on that.

O'Neill should not be making his 'bleating' comments either. Neither comes out with any credit, but at least Koeman is not commenting further. It's all a bit childish.

Listen to RK, James.
He has achieved and experienced far more at club, international and managerial level than the churlish pipsqueak O'Neill. He didn't do that by knackering his knees and groin in noble sacrifice.

If you can stroll into the RoI team when you're recovering from surgery, unfit and short of match practice just ask yourself "how bloody desperate are they" ?
Because your half cocked contribution will make an entire world of difference won't it ?
Is that a wise path to choose ?

In three/four/five years time when you're not getting a game anywhere and have more treatment hours than Darron Gibson, see how many calls/texts you get from ex-RoI manager Martin Unreal ?