JAMES MCCARTHY was one of the strangest signings of the summer transfer window. His arrival was announced at the same time as Joe Hart’s and many fans were left unsatisfied.
For some, it was obvious that Postecoglou didn’t sign McCarthy, and someone higher up than the manager pushed for it. It became even clearer when the manager didn’t give the Irishman a chance in the first time, and when he has played he’s come off the bench to play under ten minutes.
In no way am I saying that McCarthy is a bad player, under previous managers he would have been outstanding, but he doesn’t suit the style of play the Australian boss demands.
Minutes don’t look to be heading McCarthy’s way, with a settled midfield and strong backups. However, the midfielder has still been tipped to turn his Parkhead career around, especially if the manager does grant him more playing time.
The former Hamilton boss, that handed McCarthy his debut, Billy Reid has tipped the midfielder to prove his critics wrong. Billy Ried, who’s currently the assistant manager at Brighton, said; [Daily Record]
“James is in a position where he needs to prove himself all over again and show Celtic the player he can be
“He’s been blighted by injuries in the latter part of his career but people forget that he had an incredible amount of senior appearances as a teenager and had huge demands placed on him.
“Those challenges were met head on and he not only showed his ability but also a huge character which he’ll need to call upon once again.
“But nobody needs to convince me he can still be a big success at Celtic.
“There will be some who have their doubts but if James can get minutes under his belt then I’d back him to make the cynics eat their words.
“Ange Postecoglou has a superb array of midfield players and it’s like anything in football, it’s all about proving that you deserve to play.
“That’s the test for James at Celtic and it’s a test he’ll already be aiming to rise to next season.
“There is a role for James at Celtic.
“He’s not the box-to-box player he was, he’s adapted to become a sitting midfielder where he can do the dirty side.
“Keeping it simple as a possession-based player, winning the ball back and being that central cog is what he’s so good at.
“There is stiff competition but it doesn’t matter what age you are, age is not a barrier.
“I look at Mark Noble who I saw when we played West Ham last week, he’s still at the top despite being 35 years old.
“Scott Brown was being written off every season after he turned 30 but look at the size of his character to show people they are wrong. He always came back stronger.
“Players are always being tested and this is another test for James. I’m just hoping that next season marks a positive turnaround for him as it’s probably fair to say that the last few years have not been where James wanted things to be.”
