Current Players Thread

[BomberBowyer]

McAtee. Discuss.

Thought he did well initially last night but seemed to fade through the first half. Got involved and tried to set things up but also lost possession far too easily on occasion, a couple of times doing so led to a very dangerous break away for them. Then as we lost control a bit seemed to go missing which is probably why he was hooked. Clearly has some skill but also seems very lightweight. Thought his set piece delivery would be good but hasn’t remotely shown that either.

Does he need a run of games? Can we afford to give him that time? Zero evidence he justifies displacing MGW from the team. Loan in January?

Fair analysis SM and hard to disagree with any of that. For me he has been really disappointing. Expected him to be pushing for a starting place and providing that added bit of quality in set piece delivery etc. I do wonder however if he is struggling with confidence and lack of minutes. Also the fact that the majority of his opportunities, like with Kalimuendo, have been as part of rotation and significantly changed starting 11s not playing to his strengths. I’d like to see what he can do with a good run of minutes within our first 11 as still think there is a player in there so for now I would give him the benefit of doubt.

[toddy]

thought it was an odd choice at the time, harvey elliot would have been a better choice, but hes not done much at villa either

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

McAtee has got that killer pass in him, its' nearly come off 2 or 3 times now his vision is really good.

Dare I say that perhaps he is used to having better players around him?

I would give him time.

[BomberBowyer]

McAtee has got that killer pass in him, its' nearly come off 2 or 3 times now his vision is really good.

Dare I say that perhaps he is used to having better players around him?

I would give him time.

I think that is fair Sniffer and kind of what I was alluding too. 

McAtee is on the pitch to create and his kind of role can be very difficult when you are playing most of your minutes as part of a much changed or second string 11.

[HebdenRed]

McAtee has got that killer pass in him, its' nearly come off 2 or 3 times now his vision is really good.

Dare I say that perhaps he is used to having better players around him?

I would give him time.

Agreed. I thought he was good in the first half (this was also the view from peeps around me in the stadium). One podcast in particular game him some clog last night. 

Thought he found some good positions, got on the half turn and passed through the lines. From what I saw, once he beat the lines and found his space there was nobody on the same wavelength for that final pass. 

In a way I hope he was injured or felt something last night. Im sure it will come. Think we will have to be patient with him.

[DeesideRed]

McAtee. Discuss.

Thought he did well initially last night but seemed to fade through the first half. Got involved and tried to set things up but also lost possession far too easily on occasion, a couple of times doing so led to a very dangerous break away for them. Then as we lost control a bit seemed to go missing which is probably why he was hooked. Clearly has some skill but also seems very lightweight. Thought his set piece delivery would be good but hasn’t remotely shown that either.

Does he need a run of games? Can we afford to give him that time? Zero evidence he justifies displacing MGW from the team. Loan in January?

I've always been a fan of watching the England U21 teams to see who the next stars are going to be, they tend to be a reasonable predictor of who has a chance and who will ultimately end up having a reasonable career in the Championship. 

McAtee blows hot and cold, there is a bit of the MGW in him albeit with one significant difference, MGW whilst frustrating as hell sometimes with the flicks and losing possession in bad areas still goes looking for the ball. He has that about him, in that even when its not coming off, he's still there, wanting the ball. 

Thats the little concern i have with McAtee, i've watched him live both for u21 and for Forest and you see him hide after a few mis-placed passes. He should have run the game vs Malmo, it was perfectly setup for him but he often found himself caught behind players or worse still 4-5 yards away from his own man. 

There's no doubt he can have quality on the ball but he was dropped out of the u21 XI because when its not happening for him the team tend to have to carry him as you cant find him. He was often replaced for England by Harvey Elliot who is currently on loan at Villa which makes you wonder whether that would have been the better deal. 

Personally i think hes going to become a right sided forward not a 10 as he also lacks physicality and his most dangerous moments have all been off the right side drifting in. Whether thats here, i'm really not sure. Put it this way, if MGW were to get injured, he is certainly not the current backup.

[DeesideRed]

thought it was an odd choice at the time, harvey elliot would have been a better choice, but hes not done much at villa either

I've just posted the same, particularly given he was a loan.

[Salvatore Matrecano]

McAtee has got that killer pass in him, its' nearly come off 2 or 3 times now his vision is really good.

Dare I say that perhaps he is used to having better players around him?

I would give him time.

Agreed. I thought he was good in the first half (this was also the view from peeps around me in the stadium). One podcast in particular game him some clog last night. 

Thought he found some good positions, got on the half turn and passed through the lines. From what I saw, once he beat the lines and found his space there was nobody on the same wavelength for that final pass. 

In a way I hope he was injured or felt something last night. Im sure it will come. Think we will have to be patient with him.

Can I just pick up on this one then, its an interesting point.

You have said nobody is on his wavelength for the final pass, others have said he needs better players around him.

Then again people have been defending Kalimuendo’s performance (excellent goal apart) by saying he was making intelligent runs andthe final ball in to him wasn’t good enough.

Therefore which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Either McAtee was poor or Kalimuendo was.

Kali has redeemed himself with a 90 min performance which suggests there is more to come and Im pleased for him. McAtee for me has fluffed this chance.

[Reds73]

MGW and Anderson both rave about him.
In the summer when MGW was seeking assurances from EM regarding the ambition, EM told MGW we are getting McAtee and MGW was hugely behind it.

The talent is not in doubt, neither is his attitude.
He’s just for whatever reason really struggling to impose himself.

He is 100% worth persisting with, as he is still young, not played loads of football, and will come good I reckon.

[wassy04]

I think his main issue is physically, he's just a bit weak, maybe in some ways playing in the Europa against Championship style teams isn't the best for him. I think he needs to be stronger, whether that would come from playing more regularly, difficult to tell. I know there are similar players out there like ESR at Fulham, that have similar issues.

Ultimately though, can we ever envisage a starting team, whether its 433 or 4231 where him and MGW start? Neither can reliably play deeper due to giving the ball away too much. Could one of them start out wide? Would we ever want that ahead of one of the 4 wingers we currently play. Can't see it under Dyche, who famously likes his wingers. Only real change Mcatee has is if MGW goes down and even then he isn't guaranteed to be the starter.

Worth noting though he's 23, very highly rated in general too, he does still have time on his side. Definitely one to keep around the squad, just need to try and get him more PL minutes off the bench.

[HebdenRed]

McAtee has got that killer pass in him, its' nearly come off 2 or 3 times now his vision is really good.

Dare I say that perhaps he is used to having better players around him?

I would give him time.

Agreed. I thought he was good in the first half (this was also the view from peeps around me in the stadium). One podcast in particular game him some clog last night. 

Thought he found some good positions, got on the half turn and passed through the lines. From what I saw, once he beat the lines and found his space there was nobody on the same wavelength for that final pass. 

In a way I hope he was injured or felt something last night. Im sure it will come. Think we will have to be patient with him.

Can I just pick up on this one then, its an interesting point.

You have said nobody is on his wavelength for the final pass, others have said he needs better players around him.

Then again people have been defending  Kalimuendo’s performance (excellent goal apart) by saying he was making intelligent runs andthe final ball in to him wasn’t good enough.

Therefore which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Either McAtee was poor or Kalimuendo was.

Kali has redeemed himself with a 90 min performance which suggests there is more to come and Im pleased for him. McAtee for me has fluffed this chance.

Fair opinion Salv. But I am not won over by Kali yet. Didn’t say I had been. My comments were on McAtee.

He won’t get endless time and it’s by no means a free pass, but trying to redress the scapegoating a bit.

[Trailer Park Tom]

I'm a firm believer that you can't judge any signings who haven't made league starts. I hate the concept that you come here (for big money) and have to earn a start through cup games and off the bench. When you come off the bench the system is usually different as is the game situation. When you play in the cup you aren't playing with the best players.

Its a bold move to hook someone when the team is doing well. But last season I thought we really f****d up with Sosa and Jota. They may well not have been good enough but if we occasionally started one of them for 60 mins, while everyone around them was on absolute fire from the start, they would have been more likely to have a good game. 

That's why I said Kal should start Sunday. Not because he is better that Jesus, but because Jesus is ready if things don't work out after an hour. Someone who has had minutes is more likely to make an impact off the bench anyway.

I'm not saying we should hook MGW because we don't have the luxury of last seasons form but it's very harsh on the lads.

I'm positive they have both come here to start league games.