J mac

[Blade82]

He looks better in the 3-5-2. With two other CB's and and WB offering more protection he's less exposed. He has played well though can't deny that but hope it isn't just a push for a new contract and then normal service resumes.

 

[Maidenhead]

There is one flaw in your justification... He's probably watched Monty playing down under for the last 2 years and thinks THAT is a footballer

He actually said the A league is crap and if we were in it we would walk it.

He was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the game and the performance of United but as regular Blades we're programmed not to notice the good points

 

[sitwell]

NO NO!! It's typical of us to offer this guy a further contract. His recent form has been fine, but you have to wonder:

Is it because he wants a new contract?
Is he good enough (consistently) to be in a promotion winning side?

For me, he needs to go. Just because he is indicative of what is wrong. On the whole, he has been poor, and we should expect better if we want promotion.

Its unfair to say on the whole he has been poor ,he was playing very well up to the hand ball at Spurs ,and the was ridiculously pilloried by some of our supporters from then on in and still it is all some remember of him.Every mistake he made was magnified while other players got away with it ,Brayford for example. I wouldn't have him as a captain ,I don't think he is that type of player despite the nice touch with Whiteman yesterday ,but he has been by far our best defender this season and surely worth a years contract as a senior player next season. I reckon if we don't he will be the first player on Burtons wanted list.

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

No should have gone last season, he is playing solid enough in a poor side, a side that still needs a lot of changes.
He's had his time here and was lucky to even have a contract for this season.
We have to get rid of majority of this side, I'm not having a few decent performances keeping them contracted, when they don't turn up for majority of the season.

 

[wizadry]

Out of Brayford, Collins, Edgar and McEveley the latter has been the best of them defensively this season which sort of shows why we're probably going to be in League one next season.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

He actually said the A league is crap and if we were in it we would walk it.

A bit far to travel for away games though.

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

No should have gone last season, he is playing solid enough in a poor side, a side that still needs a lot of changes.
He's had his time here and was lucky to even have a contract for this season.
We have to get rid of majority of this side, I'm not having a few decent performances keeping them contracted, when they don't turn up for majority of the season.

McEveley's been fine most/all of the season. Any dip in performance came at centre back when his tendency to get under the ball was obviously highlighted.

As a left back though he's been very good - and whenever he's isolated 1v1 I expect him to win that battle and pretty much every time he does.

 

[Sean Thornton]

He looks better in the 3-5-2. With two other CB's and and WB offering more protection he's less exposed. He has played well though can't deny that but hope it isn't just a push for a new contract and then normal service resumes.

As a LB the ball over his head was often a problem, presumably why he tucked in a lot when he was struggling. Been solid recently though.

 

[Sean Thornton]

McEveley's been fine most/all of the season. Any dip in performance came at centre back when his tendency to get under the ball was obviously highlighted.

As a left back though he's been very good - and whenever he's isolated 1v1 I expect him to win that battle and pretty much every time he does.

His worst displays - end of last season beginning of this - were at LB.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

I have a gutting feeling a good few players will lull the fans in to a false sense of security, new contracts will be issued, to which they will then return to being atrocious, stopping the clear out and overhaul for another season.

It's about being sensible & separating the wheat from the chaff IMO. JayMac, now his confidence is back, is wheat rather than chaff & could be one of those experienced, reliable pros that will very much be needed to guide a younger, more dynamic side next season. And he's been playing consistently well for too long now to make this anything like a "playing for a new contract" scenario.

But, fully agree with your underlying point about the general atrociousness & the need for a big clear-out. Just that McEv should survive the cull.

 

[Barney]

It's about being sensible & separating the wheat from the chaff IMO. JayMac, now his confidence is back, is wheat rather than chaff & could be one of those experienced, reliable pros that will very much be needed to guide a younger, more dynamic side next season. And he's been playing consistently well for too long now to make this anything like a "playing for a new contract" scenario.

But, fully agree with your underlying point about the general atrociousness & the need for a big clear-out. Just that McEv should survive the cull.

Haven't and won't comment on McEveley individually as I haven't been there to see this new form, it is just the feeling I'm getting. I now dread it's going to spread to others until we end up giving new contracts out to far too many. Going with the majority and what I have seen this season, we should only be retaining Long, McEveley and Whiteman (dependant on rest of season). We've gone from 0 to 3, it can't be any more than that if we want to overhaul properly.

 

[Karaoke Blade]

I wouldn't have him as captain but if we're still in Division 3 next season I'd have him in the team. Unless Kelly is a new Kyle.

I suspect next season's captain is already at the club. I took special notice of Dean Hammond yesterday and he was very vocal, encouraging and supportive to his team mates. (take note Collins). Also thought he had his best game for us yesterday, much helped by having progressive and energetic midfielders around him.

 

[Bladeloyal]

J Mac one more year .but for God's name not captain .never in a thousand years will he be a captain .watch his head go down when things go wrong .

 

[wizadry]

His worst displays - end of last season beginning of this - were at LB.

Even McEveley would agree with this, unfortunately WHF watches most games with cucumbers over his eyes.

 

[Barney]

Even McEveley would agree with this, unfortunately WHF watches most games with cucumbers over his eyes.

Not so sure about cucumbers, I think it's more a pair of these:

 

[Sean Thornton]

Haven't and won't comment on McEveley individually as I haven't been there to see this new form, it is just the feeling I'm getting. I now dread it's going to spread to others until we end up giving new contracts out to far too many. Going with the majority and what I have seen this season, we should only be retaining Long, McEveley and Whiteman (dependant on rest of season). We've gone from 0 to 3, it can't be any more than that if we want to overhaul properly.

There were a few claiming Collins would be one of those getting a new contract.........

 

[William Henry Foulkes]

I suspect next season's captain is already at the club. I took special notice of Dean Hammond yesterday and he was very vocal, encouraging and supportive to his team mates. (take note Collins). Also thought he had his best game for us yesterday, much helped by having progressive and energetic midfielders around him.

Hammond as club captain has been on the cards since he arrived.

He seems to be winning quite a few fans round.

Personally I'm still unsure as I tend to see all the things he gets wrong and none of the things he gets right, but I do respect Adkins' judgement and opinion.

It was also noticeable that Flynn said, unprompted, that Hammond's work helped him to play well.

Next important questions are: what value do we put on him, and who makes the decisions, ie if Adkins decides he wants him to stay and rates him as worth £x wages - who says Yes or No?

Might start a thread on this.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Even McEveley would agree with this, unfortunately WHF watches most games with cucumbers over his eyes.

Over his eyes?

 

[wizadry]

Over his eyes?

Where did you have in mind?

 

[Barney]

There were a few claiming Collins would be one of those getting a new contract.........

Oh, who was that then?

 

[Barney]

Might start a thread on this.

I wouldn't bother.

 

[bladesadviser]

If Adkins is here next season which I personally don't have a huge problem with, I would be amazed if J Mac and Hammond aren't here as well

 

[Sean Thornton]

Oh, who was that then?

Several posters suggested it over at least two threads. Use the search function to see who.

 

[Stretch]

He would be a useful squad player but I would want a new signing ( or young Wallace) starting in front of him next season depending on what formation NA goes with.

I would also expect him to relinquish the armband if he stays.

 

[PittsburghBlade]

The frustrating thing is, after all these years in league one our own fans haven't realized that we've got these players for a reason, they're not good enough to play higher because of their inconsistencies.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

.

I'm not saying that anyone is right or wrong but my brother's view certainly supports that of the OP and I aint arguing

Is your brother bigger than you?

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

I have a gutting feeling a good few players will lull the fans in to a false sense of security, new contracts will be issued, to which they will then return to being atrocious, stopping the clear out and overhaul for another season.

Its a big issue and Adkins needs to be ruthless.

 

[Bladesince59]

He's playing well of late but jeez was he dreadful earlier on when the rest were pulling away from us?

So for me it's a NO - let him go.

 

[Ricky]

Haven't and won't comment on McEveley individually as I haven't been there to see this new form, it is just the feeling I'm getting. I now dread it's going to spread to others until we end up giving new contracts out to far too many. Going with the majority and what I have seen this season, we should only be retaining Long, McEveley and Whiteman (dependant on rest of season). We've gone from 0 to 3, it can't be any more than that if we want to overhaul properly.

Retaining too many of them could and probably would prolong this current situation as most of them would revert to their usual performance levels, but by being selective when it comes to who we do retain and only keeping the right characters we're protecting ourselves from that situation. At the moment McEveley should probably be kept, Flynn possibly on a heavily appearance based one year contract. That's about it though. In fact there aren't even that many left who are out of contract. Collins and Baxter get fucked off and suddenly the list looks a lot shorter. We'll still have to shift the likes of J Wallace, Harris, Freeman and Scougall though.

 

[PokerBlade]

1v1 he almost never gets beaten. To me this is really.noticeable. He retains possession well. He can drive forward with the ball - should do it more but maybe he's under orders. His passing is good enough.

I wouldn't have him as captain but if we're still in Division 3 next season I'd have him in the team. Unless Kelly is a new Kyle.

Never gets beaten? I'm watching a different McEveley. At the very least he's slow and routinely out of position.

The defence has been a huge issue for us since shortly before he joined, after which it's been worse still. I know he's far from solely to blame but I'm a bit shocked that people see how poorly our defence performs as a whole and then look at ageing players like Jay and say "Good enough, give him a new deal".

We are where we are because of the players in the team. Brayford and Sharp aside, almost anyone in our team can be improved upon, so when we get chances to shift some out we need to take them and look for better.