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What does Mclean bring to the team?

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I'd be charging him for a season ticket, he runs around alot, then stops, watches and points.

Occasional toepoke from 25 yards.

He's channeling the spirit of Mr Pointy Man.

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Ged, youā€™d have a valid point if any of our players had performed well this season. Cantwell (who is very inconsistent and already pointed out, regularly loses possession) and Krul are really the only two who have even remotely stepped up. Possibly Pukki as well but he has not looked the same player since late 2019.

Marco, along with the players you mention, havenā€™t been great so far but who in midfieldĀ has? If he improves others around him, then itā€™s worth playing him.

It would be worth having a look at the results with/without Marco in the team? I know most of Pukkiā€™s goals from open play have come when heā€™s been playing.

Besides, itā€™s just my opinion (and possibly fact)....
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Edited by Clint

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McLean is a neat summary of the weakness of our squad though- he's probably a bench warmer at best for 19 other clubs in this division, he's a key starter for us.

Similarly I don't think players like Trybull or Tettey make many other teams 25 man squads at this point.

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1 hour ago, Terminally Yellow said:

I think he's a reasonable player. I think his problem is he is an attacking midfielder in a team full of similar players and doesn't stand out.

Reasonable in Scots league 3

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2 minutes ago, Terminally Yellow said:

I would say he's a good championship level midfielder.Ā 

In my opinion, he would survive in the championship but a long way from being good.

He's a passenger most of the time.Ā 

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4 minutes ago, Number9 said:

In my opinion, he would survive in the championship but a long way from being good.

He's a passenger most of the time.Ā 

I think you're being harsh, but each to their own. I think we can both agree he's not a player either of us are entirely massive fans of!

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I never particularly like it when an individualĀ player is singled out after a bad defeat.

He's had some super moments, especially last season. It was however clearĀ  even then that he was a PL back up player at best.

Ditto: Trybull and one or two others who I won't mention as they have their fans and there's little need to cause controversy.

Needless to say, but Nathan Redmond ran rings around our defence on occasions on friday evening. He looked a class above our entire midfield and he got his fair amount of stick from the support whilst he was here.Ā 

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37 minutes ago, Number9 said:

In my opinion, he would survive in the championship but a long way from being good.

He's a passenger most of the time.Ā 

He started all of our last 14 games last season, of which we won 10 and drew four. He scored three goals and contributed five assists.

He's certainly a (very) good Championship midfielder. Is he a Premier League midfielder, however? Not for me.

You can copy and paste that previous paragraph for all of our central midfield options, I feel.

.

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McLean canā€™t pass, tackle, mark, assistĀ or score. He was not good enough in the Championship and heā€™s certainly not good enough for the PL. best bet is to sell him to Rangers and let someone else have a go. Mario was good at the back end of last season so why not play him. Heā€™s creative, he scores goals, heā€™s dangerous at free kicks. It canā€™t be any worse than playing Kenny.Ā 

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16 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

He started all of our last 14 games last season, of which we won 10 and drew four. He scored three goals and contributed five assists.

He's certainly a (very) good Championship midfielder. Is he a Premier League midfielder, however? Not for me.

You can copy and paste that previous paragraph for all of our central midfield options, I feel.

.

You're probably clever enough to watch and formulate your own opinion rather than just throw up stats which can be used to prove multiple differing arguments.Ā 

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46 minutes ago, Terminally Yellow said:

I think you're being harsh, but each to their own. I think we can both agree he's not a player either of us are entirely massive fans of!

In the championship he wasn't played in his best position, but I got the impression he was just glad to get a game.Ā 

He has been tried in his best position in the Premier league and he wasn't good enough.Ā 

Too often he's a spectator pointing fingers at everyone else.Ā 

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5 hours ago, Clint said:

Ged, youā€™d have a valid point if any of our players had performed well this season. Cantwell (who is very inconsistent and already pointed out, regularly loses possession) and Krul are really the only two who have even remotely stepped up. Possibly Pukki as well but he has not looked the same player since late 2019.

Marco, along with the players you mention, havenā€™t been great so far but who in midfieldĀ has? If he improves others around him, then itā€™s worth playing him.

It would be worth having a look at the results with/without Marco in the team? I know most of Pukkiā€™s goals from open play have come when heā€™s been playing.

Besides, itā€™s just my opinion (and possibly fact)....
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The general problem isnā€™t the front three, yes they have missed some chances but the problem is the overall team dynamic that prevents the front players getting on the ball in the right areas and at the right time. Ā  Buendia and CantwellĀ for example spendĀ far too much time and energy helping out the full backs so when we recover possession they are far too deep to have impact. Ā  Consequently we struggle to keep possession. Ā Ā Ā Separately the central midfielders donā€™t have the control of the pitch like we had last seasonĀ and canā€™t find the front players when they do have possession. Ā  The dynamic hasnā€™t worked and disappointingly, weā€™ve not had enough options, due to injury and players failing to step up to try something different. Ā Ā 
The central midfield has been our problem both defensively and offensively all season. Ā  McLean and Tettey are the only ones left that can offer a bit of both when starting games. Ā Ā 
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MarcoĀ is a different matter. Ā  Unfortunately, he has found this level so difficult that he rarely makes the squad now. Ā  Ā Given our difficulty playing out, we definitely could do with someone big and strong to offer us an out ball but Stieps hasnā€™t been able to do that either.

He hasnā€™t improved anyone around him, Buendia is Pukkiā€™s supply. Ā Ā 

Edited by ged in the onion bag

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2 hours ago, Number9 said:

You're probably clever enough to watch and formulate your own opinion rather than just throw up stats which can be used to prove multiple differing arguments.Ā 

Of course there's more to football than stats, but they're a very good indicator. McLean's Championship stats last season for a central midfielder were excellent, and a player who is "a long way from being good" in the division would never have attained them.

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He's actually one of a few midfield players I'd he happy to see moved on, along with Leitner and of course Tettey who will be done.

We have a lot of numbers in the middle of the park and none of them are dominant and that's what we need.

Said it before but we are to lightweight in there.

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As he's statistically our best header, why not try him as one of 3 Centre backs?Ā  If he's facing up to attackers rather than racing around trying to chase them back, it might prove to be an interesting tactic.Ā  Can then allow Aarons and Lewis to attack with less confusion.Ā  I'll get my tin hat.

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Our midfield, as a five, are not good enough as a group for the EPL. Most players can excel in a better team. That probably goes for many of our midfield players.

The combination, whichever one it is, has weaknesses that get embarrassed at this level. Make no mistake, midfield is still the most important part of the team. How they defend after attacking is just as important as how they attack after defending.

In the Championship last season, they managed to outweigh their defence frailties with some stunning attacking play.

Kenny enjoyed success in that position last season but he and all the others have not managed to defend in front of our back four. We rely on the full backs getting forward and midfield must cover. But at this level, none have the pace or power to cope.

I still don't understand why Godfrey, other injuries permitting, hasn't been tried in the role he got praise for at Shrewsbury.

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12 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

Ā 

I still don't understand why Godfrey, other injuries permitting, hasn't been tried in the role he got praise for at Shrewsbury.

IMHO it's because the things he's good at make him stand out as a young English centre half whilst he would probably look more by-the-numbers if played in midfield.

He's going to leave anyway. This way is the maximum earning potential.

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3 hours ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Of course there's more to football than stats, but they're a very good indicator. McLean's Championship stats last season for a central midfielder were excellent, and a player who is "a long way from being good" in the division would never have attained them.

Ok, he'll run up and down alot - stat 1

Head a ball more than our other players (who don't head the ball at all) stat 2

Stats can be misleadingĀ 

Edited by Number9
Explaining

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Kenny was shocking against Southampton but he's generally better than that,he's a good all round midfielder and think him and vrancic at cdm is well worth a try.

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34 minutes ago, Number9 said:

Ok, he'll run up and down alot - stat 1

Head a ball more than our other players (who don't head the ball at all) stat 2

Stats can be misleadingĀ 

He is certainly a very good championship midfielder and I have no idea how or why anyone would think otherwise unless he slept with your wife or similar, in which case his judgement might be able to be called into question but doesnt detract from his footballing ability.

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I give it two games if Vrancic starts before people turn on him.

Ā 

Iā€™d love to be proven wrong, but his flaws outweigh his advantages. Having said that, weā€™ll always have Sheffield Wednesday. If we could wheel him on for free kicks and then offĀ again afterwards heā€™s be onĀ every team sheet.

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3 hours ago, Number9 said:

Ok, he'll run up and down alot - stat 1

Head a ball more than our other players (who don't head the ball at all) stat 2

Stats can be misleadingĀ 

If McLean is "a long way from being good" at Championship level, who would you rate as a good Championship midfielder, and who would you say is a top Championship midfielder?

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He's an 'inbetweenie.'

We've had dozens of those over theĀ last twenty years.Ā 

Good signing initially, but PL back up at present.

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16 hours ago, Jersey Canary said:

McLean canā€™t pass, tackle, mark, assistĀ or score. He was not good enough in the Championship and heā€™s certainly not good enough for the PL. best bet is to sell him to Rangers and let someone else have a go. Mario was good at the back end of last season so why not play him. Heā€™s creative, he scores goals, heā€™s dangerous at free kicks. It canā€™t be any worse than playing Kenny.Ā 

You're wrong about Mclean.Ā https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/14/Norwich-City/stats

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