Ken Hairy 3,781 Posted December 7, 2021 1 hour ago, cambridgeshire canary said: I think one of the main issues is that we are now aware that Webber is slowly gaining a slight 'fraud' status and that we just cannot score. You don't score you don't stay up, simple as that Nail on the head 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1902 1,167 Posted December 7, 2021 I just don't think McLean is premier league starting quality, which I think is a bit different. As a fourth choice central midfielder who makes a lot of substitute appearances and came into the squad during a bit of an injury crisis I would have no issue with him. As it is, he just isn't quite up there, I disagree that he is useless as some suggest. He does track back, his passing is ok if unspectacular, he rarely gets just completely overrun, he doesn't slow down play unnecessarilly. Having said that, he loses concentration just that little bit too often and doesn't massively aid our attacking play. He is basically workmanlike and decent, what you would expect from a lower premier league backup central midfielder really. PLM on paper should be an upgrade as he is better at gaining possession and has a decent shot on him which should help us, unfortunately it's not quite working for him or is at the moment. I do think he is a more talented player though. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ward 3 372 Posted December 7, 2021 On 02/12/2021 at 11:12, Nuff Said said: No, he’s rubbish. Boooo!!! Bring back Mark Fotheringham What about Jason Jarrett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Hairy 3,781 Posted December 7, 2021 12 minutes ago, Ward 3 said: What about Jason Jarrett Cheers, going to have nightmares tonight now...... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nuff Said 5,178 Posted December 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Ward 3 said: What about Jason Jarrett Yeah, but can he do a Fozzy flick? Although I’m not sure we ever saw one either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ward 3 372 Posted December 7, 2021 32 minutes ago, Nuff Said said: Yeah, but can he do a Fozzy flick? Although I’m not sure we ever saw one either. He can't do the flick but don't recall him have a decent kick for us. As for @Ken Hairy hope you don't suffer too much 😳🤣🤣 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shruk4 60 Posted December 8, 2021 On 02/12/2021 at 13:06, The Bristol Nest said: He has been one of our top players for the last couple of years. Maybe it's the position he plays that makes it so difficult for some to recognise it? I think in general its hard for a lot of football fans to appreciatethe midfielder who is the jack of all trades. People were able to appreciate Oliver Skipp, cause it was obvious how many tackles and interceptions he put in. McLean can hit a nice pass a long ball, score a goal, play a nice one two, win a header, but above all its his workrate. He does it all, puts in his yards, covers the correct space to hinder opponents from executing a counter attack etc. For me his qualities have always been obvious. But he is not an eye catching player. maybe some people just never notice him, just see him as part of the crowd. He is a mediocre player at Premier league level, but he always puts in a solid preformance. he deserves a lot more respect than he is given. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hogesar 9,760 Posted December 8, 2021 Consecutive managers rate him, consecutive coaching teams rate him, consecutive playing staff rate him. The same Norwich fans on the PinkUn don't rate him. I can't say I'm shocked. Look, he doesn't excel in one particular area and that makes it very hard for some fans to identify what he does well. Unless they're scoring 30 yard rockets 5 times a season, crunching slide tackles every game or delivering pin point 50 yard cross balls, some fans will never appreciate a player - I don't know if it's because they've not played football at any level before, because if you had you'd always respect the type of player Mclean is. He is our best 'overall' midfielder in that he's decent at pretty much all aspects of midfield play, but not exceptional in any of them. Most teams have at least one in their starting eleven - other players in the team appreciate the ability to keep it simple, work hard, win the ball back, cover ground, etc. It's also worth noting he's the only central midfielder with any ability to win the ball in the air. For a team that's generally poor in the air as it is, that's likely a big reason for his inclusion. I don't disagree we need to upgrade this area of the pitch but whilst we haven't done that Kenny is one of the best options we have for the role he plays and I don't think we have anyone who can do similar - PLM probably the closest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lee Marshall 4 Posted December 8, 2021 He deserves a testimonial match and a space on the 'wall of fame'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites