Irish camp dismisses Koeman accusations over McCarthy

It baffles any kind of logic that McCarthy would have been fit.

Wonder if the medical team meeting went like this.

"hey Paddy, hear the one about McCarthy and hamstring injuries?"

"No such thing Murphy. He's good to play!"

McCarthy pulls out with hamstring injury.

Paddy and Murphy look at each other "Ahhh... THAT hamstring!"

More to come on this...

In November, Koeman advised McCarthy should not meet up with Ireland. Ditto this time. Seems clear what he was saying to me.

It is obvious that there is some underlying problem which the medical teams need to sort. And he hasn't been available for Everton.

I've seen lots of messages on here suggesting Koeman doesn't rate James. Personally I think he does, which is why he wants him 100% fit before he plays.

I can't see anything funny about it though as if the medical team did indeed pass him as fit then they were obviously completely wrong due to McCarthy not even making it onto the pitch despite 'declaring himself fit'.

Looks like Everton staff were correct in their evaluation and the player and Irish team got this one wrong, rubbing salt into the wound in the process.

The manner in which the Irish coaching staff treated him was not a help but his problems are on going and long term.

In the not-so-distant past there was a rule that if you did not play for your club before an International game, you did not travel. One of the better rules!

Agreed. He had an opportunity to move him off in the summer/January window and chose not to.

"If he was fit to play, surely he would have lasted longer than the warm up."

So all he managed was a hammy stretch and he felt a niggle?! What on earth did they think would happen when he started sprinting and lunging?

In the case of Macca, you just can't blame him or his judgement. It's the dream of every young Scottish kid to play for Ireland.

As for that no-mark clown O'Neill your be hearing him go on about this until the day when he realises that no one rates this turnip anymore and he is jobless

I'm a life long Irish Evertonian. My cousin Tommy Ring played for Everton in the 60s; however, I feel the Everton medical team need to answer some questions as to why this injury is dragging on.

The other issue I have is that when McCarthy was fit, Barry was getting picked ahead of him. I'd say he wanted to prove a point. From reading the comments from the Irish camp, McCarthy didn't "break down" in the warm up, he felt a twinge and could have played but O'Neill said no!

Internationals are a joke and take away my weekly fix of all things Blue.

Won't be at West Ham but will be at the Emirates last game of the season, hope to see you there? Take care.

'Paddy' or 'Murphy' flags your racist comments and you're suspended from the site.

Arsehole comment.

I agree with you that there is a lot more to come on this one, but Martin O'Neill only needs McCarthy fit occasionally, whereas Ronald Koeman needs him fit every week and, as much as the player would have wanted to play last week, he's either stupid, or doesn't give much of a fuck for Koeman, who does seem to be the only one who is really trying to protect him at present?

Maybe McCarthy doesn't like his Everton manager, who knows? But he plays for Everton and they are the ones that pay his wages, so trying to play when he knows he's not really fit, is only going to do him a lot more damage in the long-term, and the only man who does seem to be acting responsibly in all of this is Koeman.

Oh yes, I'm the great dissembler...

Ron can sing it like the best!

I'm as Aussie. Fire something back and we'll call it evens. Or if they were Aussie docs I'd been happy to call them Brad and Shane. Or am I getting myself in more trouble?!

It's farcical that this has come to this; Koeman and O'Neill need to speak on the phone, in private and just sort it out.
.

Where do you think the blame should lie? It used to be called the bleedin' obvious!

McCarthy will be moved on in the summer. No club can afford to keep a player who seems to prioritise international football over playing for his club.

By the way you may want to change the word 'detente' in the above article – it doesn't make sense.

He's as petulant as he is arrogant.

Your point therefore is probably correct.

But... O'Neill is defending himself against the accusation by Koeman that both the club and Irish medical teams declared him unfit and he picked him anyway.

He's entitled to do that. Maybe Ron told a porkie? Or are we too biased to read the news without going into uproar.

Maybe O'Neill is telling fibs? The truth will come out.

For the Irish manager to blame lack of rest post-European Championship 2016 and three games in a week early season is complete nonsense. Lukaku has played almost every game this season for club and country. Oh yes and the later stages of the European Championship!

The current Irish management team have made comments previously back in 2014 regarding fitness of our players and how lucky we are to have Irish players in our team. The future recruitment of Irish players must be looked at while this current Irish management team are in place.

The player must be sold in the summer. Get him fit and sell him. Total lack of thought and respect for the club. Sell him to Celtic, his home club.

I am hopeful that our recruitment of players in the summer will not involve playing at international level with Ireland. They are becoming a distraction for our manager. Statements made should come from the Director of Football and not Koeman.

'Once again the Everton manager, master tactician of the blame game, has struck out in his comments today, criticising both myself and James McCarthy.

'Perhaps a review of Everton's pre-season programme might provide some enlightenment.

'James had a magnificent tournament for the Republic of Ireland last summer during Euro 2016, playing his last game in very late June. He then returned to Everton after a very short break, but only 11 days later, he played his first of three games, all within an eight-day period, against Real Betis, Manchester United and Espanyol. Overloading?

'It should be added that James last played for his country on the October 9, 2016 - almost half a year ago. Since that time he has been totally under Everton's supervision.

'James is diligent and conscientious in his professional preparation.

'Perhaps, in this instance, quiet introspection may serve the Everton manager and his medical staff better.'

James McCarthy began his pre-season three and a half weeks after Ireland were knocked out of the Euros. From the master tactician.

Ha ha

The blarney is mere envy.

If Keane thinks he's so hard why not arrange a boxing match with Big Dunc for charity?

What match were you watching. Did Ireland get away with a few bits and pieces in the first half? Of course, Coleman was going to get stuck into his team and told them to give as good as they got in the second half, and of course by saying that I am not supporting the tackle on Coleman / O'Shea etc.

If Liverpool start messing with us tomorrow what do you want Everton to do – lie down and take it?

If Koeman can prove that the Irish medical team advised O'Neill that it was a risk to play McCarthy then he should come out and provide the evidence.

I know for a fact that O'Neill was in McCarthy's ear the whole time he was with Ireland telling him how much he needed him to play, make of that what you will, I am in Koeman's corner.

McCarthy and O'Neill both made bad decisions, and O'Neill in particular is. Not doing himself any favours.

His protestations are those of a man who knows he's fucked up – and has been shown up for fucking up – and he doesn't like it and has hit the "Behave Like A Baby" button – and hit it hard.

Then enter his henchman Keane – only appointed to play Bad Cop because the IFA think football can be complimented by having a Despicable Me / Addams Family sideshow to run alongside it and there we have it – a modern day pantomime.

I would sell McCarthy off the back of this and let him, O'Neill and Keane be someone else's problem.

Ungrateful bastards.

On the other hand, there are supposed to be medically qualified staff who can evaluate this kind of thing and are dealing with assets (players) worth millions to hundreds of millions.

Clearly the Irish medics involved are worthless, as is their manager.

If I were Koeman, I'd be looking to find ways of getting players disqualified from internationals.

If they deemed him fit to play, they need better screening.

That is the reason he never got back to his 2013-14 levels, when he was working for himself and Barry. I fear he is never going to get over the damage, especially if Martian O'Knowitall keeps selecting him.

I stand by Koeman on this, and I hope he publicly questions that moronic sidekick why it was okay for him to walk away from a World Cup when fully fit, but McCarthy can't be rested with a career-threatening injury.

Oh, but wait... a twinge felt during warm-up... okay... player has to pull out. Bad luck, James! Bad luck, Ireland!

But what' all this BS about O'Neill ignoring advice from *both* medical teams? A case of adorning Booby's old shoes I think.

And as for last Saturday...master tactician, my arse!

Do I think James' first game back from injury should be for Ireland? Absolutely not. Terrible decision by all concerned when his career is on the line.

But...

Koeman claimed both the Everton and Irish medical staff had advised against playing him. It's beginning to look like he was telling porkies, in his own 'refreshingly honest' way.

Sure, the risk can only be minimised, and McCarthy will always be at heightened risk of a recurrence, but there is a difference between pulling up in a game and in the warm up.

If he is so fragile he is pulling up in the warm-up, he should have been nowhere near the match day squad. That is avoidable.

International football is a joke, bunch of strangers borrowed from clubs who they are contracted to play for coming together every blue moon.

Maybe international players should just play for their countries and not get involved in club football, their bread and butter. Let's see how they like surviving on sporadic, low wages. serve them right.