Koeman: McCarthy was not fit to play

Firstly, I don't think he should have been asked could he play.

Secondly, he shouldn't have said he could. He'll be out the door in the summer.

He's not a starter standard but I think he's a very good squad player. We definitely could do with him tomorrow.

I suppose the prepared statement had the support of the club and the fact he stated that any further dealings on this will be between 'the club' and the FAI, and not involve him, reveals a wider disquiet within Everton about this.

If his statement about the communication between the two medical teams is accurate, and you would think it was, then there is a real issue here that needs sorting. As he said, not for the first time.

I'm glad he said this, and allowed time to pass after Seamus's injury.

Loving Koeman's words. Do one, O'Neill!!!

I love the prepared statement and the go at O'Neill... rightly so .

He was great in his first season but since then injury after injury.

Absolute idiocy from him.

He will probably move on to Newcastle in the Summer and look back with regret.

As for O'Neill and Keane... contempt doesn't even sum it up. One is a silent snake charmer and the other is an egotistical big mouth.

That way, we could argue that he got injured on international duty and his wages would then get paid out of Blatter's pension fund.

McCarthy is a lite version of Idrissa Gueye. We'd need him tomorrow for a 30 minute cameo at best, and even then you'd be wondering if his hamstrings were going to last.

Barry will help us to control the midfield tomorrow. As long as he has legs around him (i.e. Davies and Gueye), he can still be effective, and tomorrow is a game right up his street. We'll need Barry tomorrow with Schneiderlin out.

As for Chris Coleman – he sent out players in the second half to do in the Irish players. After Bale got away with a murderous lunge on O'Shea, Taylor obviously thought the ref was soft and could do similar – followed by his assault on Seamus Coleman.

Which international manager is the real culprit here?

Koemann has sidelined and undermined McCarthy almost since his arrival at the club. Now in his prepared statement he referred to advising Ireland's medical team "about not only current injuries but also previous injuries".

The question is if that is the case was Koeman himself guilty of the same decision when he played him in the derby game when he controlled the match until he had to go off "injured" at half-time. Is this all just a smoke screen.

Just wondering what the real agenda is.

Moyes was too nice, Martinez too clueless. Koeman don't take crap from anyone. Hopefully this rubs off on the players.

We need him to play in a couple of pre season friendlies to show other clubs he is fit (but we know he will break down again soon), then sell him for the best fee we can get and let other clubs manage his sick note career!

(Besic will turn out to be better than him anyway. Sell McCarthy to West Brom asap!

"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 at 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 9 October - 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."

Anyone else feel like knocking O'Neill out? Fool.

I do, however, have doubts about his intelligence. The desire to play for his national side had to be put aside. If he was not fit; and he was not, he should have taken his name out of the running for selection. It was his call, and he muffed it.

He is certainly not endearing himself to the manager, and the club, who pay his wages.

It speaks volumes that McCarthy could not even get through the warm-up.

Yes, the player has to take his share of the responsibility for a decision that has harmed both himself and the club. But when did any decent manager rate the subjective opinion of an individual player over objective medical reports?

Instead of trying to sneer his way out, he should have the honesty to admit that he was wrong.

Not to worry. They'll certainly get a place in the new format 148 team World Cup Finals.

McCarthy is likely finished in Koeman's eyes given this is the second time round he's injured himself on international duty when not match fit. If that's the case, then McCarthy has got nobody to blame but himself.

I'd say you got it right. The only difference, to me, is that the Club didn't just "support" the statement, it "prepared" the statement in anticipation of Koeman being asked about McCarthy. And he read it verbatim. Don't know what the legal ramifications are in such matters, but would expect some legal actions being pursued by the Club.

Also, this part of Ron's statement: "Everton's medical team advised extreme caution, not only over the current injury but also due to the previous injuries and the assessment by the Ireland medical team was that it would be a high-risk for James to play against Wales."

No way he says that into a microphone, in front of cameras, unless our medical staff confirmed it to be fact.

Finally, "“But, of course, James has a strong desire to play for his country so when asked if he was fit to play, he said that he felt he was fit. And he was selected to start by the Ireland manager who, in my opinion, in this instance was not protecting the player."

100% on O'Neill. When a national team's medical staff says "high-risk" about a player and you try to cover yourself with "the player said he could play", you were "not protecting the player".

Of course, O'Neill would just be in a long line of managers/head coaches (all professional sports) who'd risk a player's health if it meant helping to keep his own job. Happens all the time.

As a general subject, club vs country, I hope Everton pursue whatever legal action available. Might help, in the future, to protect players from this kind of thing.

As for McCarthy, he doesn't give a shit about EFC and he's proved it yet again. He's lost without his "mentor" Martinez and he is a very poor player – apart from running around a lot. Get rid. No loss.

I also doubt "Hinge and Bracket" at Ireland had any input at all in their statement –far too many big words, put in the right order and in context!!

Dope Keane is thick as shit, and O'Neill thinks he's the modern-day Cloughie. Let's get it straight, O'Neill and Keane – your old manager had wit, charm, charisma and knowledge.

You two are just a couple of chancers who run an international side like a pub team and just got plain lucky by having great players around you when you played. Water carriers, the pair of you.

It is obvious that like the other players returning from the Euros he was being eased back in. Once again, O'Neill is talking nonsense.

What pray tell was McCarthy doing in those 34 days by your count between those games, and under whose direction? O'Neill's? Thought not. I wonder which manager/club/team is pointing the finger improperly here. Seems Everton have been piss poor in keeping him healthy, which is I think true and which is the point of O'Neill's response. Is Koeman guilty of the glass houses and stones bit?

I wonder would McCarthy have been training for Everton if he had not joined Ireland? Koeman did not say he shouldn't be training and if McCarthy wasn't able to be training, then he wouldn't factor in today's game either as he would be unfit to play. There does not seem to be a criticism of over the top training methods. He felt a twinge in warm-ups, not the actual game so O'Neill didn't play him either. There is an awful lot of whining going on over a C+ player. Maybe Koeman didn't have anything else to talk about over the international break either.

As for those suggesting putting him on the bench today, what? Why? That would mean he would be coming on as a sub. If he isn't healthy and pulls the rubber band he calls a hamstring, then Koeman would have to use two subs for the same spot or play a man down, when he is stretchered off. You don't put a physically iffy player on the bench.

Very revealing.