Kevin McDonald

[Patrick Suffaux]

Basics maybe, on occasion. Its ridiculous to say that because you watch your team once a week you have a clue about anything more than a passing knowledge of the game. Christ knows how many games I have played/watched but I don't profess to know any better than anyone managing/coaching.

Sky Sports have a lot to answer for. As does the internet and Talk Spurt.

We only do what the manager does....watch and then form an observational opinion from it. Yes his influence and knowledge extends to the dressing room/training ground but that doesn't mean supporters don't know what's going on and what's required. I agree that some supporters talk rubbish and think they know more than they actually do. Put that down to blinkered passion, some people simply can't form an honest and concise opinion because they love their own team too much. Some of us aren't like that.

I'm not saying I know anymore than Danny does, I'm sure I know far less. However it takes not a genius to see that we're not purposeful enough with the ball and don't stretch the opposition. I'm not saying whether its down to personnel or the coaching (because I don't know) however I can see quite clearly we're not making it hard enough for the opposition defence. Basic things, the runs we make, the types of passes we play. Too predictable.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Passing with purpose is the appropriate mantra.

Yes! This is what we didn't do Saturday and haven't done in a lot of games.

We were clueless against a Tranmere team that will not finish in the top six.

Only bit of your post I disagree with. With that level of commitment and work rate I would give them every chance. It's a poor division.

The fact that he is not popular should not prevent us from acknowledging that McMahon was one of the best players on the pitch on Saturday.

Agreed, I thought it was one of his better games.

His job is infinitely more difficult than some of us are prepared to acknowledge

This is the thing to remember. I like DW and my criticism of our performance is purely an observation of the things we're not doing, I'm sure he's aware of those issues. We did other things very well on Saturday, the back four were excellent.

 

[ponteblade]

We play in front of teams, instead of trying to get down the flanks to put a decent cross in.
And it's pass, pass, lost it!

 

[United Aren't Back.]

I don't think McDonald would have made much difference Saturday with respect to him. We have the same problems every time we play a good organised and committed outfit (they're usually the ones at the top).

They had more fire in their bellies and worked a lot harder than us in key areas. We're too soft at times imo and are not prepared to force the issue enough. We want to over play it when we should be applying more pressure and making runs into those areas defenders don't like.

Too rigid, too predictable. Would have been the same with KMac.

Kmac may be our best, but he is vastly overrated too. Inconsistent, injury prone, disappears in key games...the list goes on and on.

 

[GAZBLADE]

Kmac may be our best, but he is vastly overrated too. Inconsistent, injury prone, disappears in key games...the list goes on and on.

I totally agree, and unfortunately that about sums up our inconsistencies. There's a lot of pressure put just on Kmac.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Kmac may be our best, but he is vastly overrated too. Inconsistent, injury prone, disappears in key games...the list goes on and on.

My view is that he's a good player made out to be something he's not. He's an intelligent footballer and his strengths are being able to dictate the tempo and switch the play. He's the kind of player that can either calm things down or can hit a cross field pass to open up the game a bit for us. It's an important role and when he's in form he does it very well.

The thing I don't see is the suggestion that he opens teams up with defence splitting passes. I've seen him do it a few times. On most of those occasions it was when we had a striker who could receive the ball pretty much anywhere on the pitch and do the rest himself. That's not taking any credit from KMac but some people can get carried away with a players capabilities at times and exaggerate a little.

 

[blader]

Kmac may be our best, but he is vastly overrated too. Inconsistent, injury prone, disappears in key games...the list goes on and on.

1. I wouldn't say he was that injury prone, he's missed maybe a dozen games since signing. We have worse players for that!
2. Inconsistent. Well OK, but if he was consistently at his best, he certainly wouldn't be at Bramall Lane, He'd easily be a premier league player.
3. Look at our record with and without him since we signed him, there is an incredible correlation. Don't forget the team performances in specific games he missed - Wednesday away, Playoff Final?

Since going off at carlisle, we managed to draw 1-1 with them, and drew 0-0 with tranmere. He is the ONLY bit of class and creativity in our whole 11. K-Mac is vital, and was the League 1 signing of the season when we got him on another contract. If it wasn't for his attitude, he would be in the premier league, as he was with Burnley before Mr.Laws stuck his nose in!

 

[super_pig]

Kmac may be our best, but he is vastly overrated too. Inconsistent, injury prone, disappears in key games...the list goes on and on.

the opposition don't seem to think so.. they often double mark him or try and kick him out of the game

 

[Balham]

Kmac may be our best, but he is vastly overrated too. Inconsistent, injury prone, disappears in key games...the list goes on and on.

Define overrated?

I see a footballer with the rare talent of being able to make the game appear to slow down when he's got the ball. I also see a central midfielder with the vision to hit a 5 or a 50 yard pass with either foot.

What I don't see is a central midfielder capable of making the adroit interception to gain possession or with the knack of being able to time his arrival in the box to fire home 10 goals a season. However, if he could either of those that he'd be playing in the premier league; both and he'd be at an elite club.

The issue is that he's surrounded by functional players. The only one capable of running into space in the channels is Blackman: Flynn will always cut in for a ball to feet while the front two normally comprise Porter, who's relatively immobile and isn't great at controlling passes and now Miller, who's more of a reactive poacher than a proactive work-the-channel forward. In addition, the selection of Doyle covers the defensive side but removes the attacking threat from centre midfield more often than not.

However, the key is that this season there isn't the outlet of a full-back bombing forward. Playing both Hill and McMahon removes this option - in my mind, it has to be one or the other, with Williams or Westlake coming in.

Someone mention that KMc likes to operate as a deep lying playmaker. It's probably his best position but with the rest of our team being pretty static it exacerbates the problems: he needs to be pushed 10 yards up the pitch.

the opposition don't seem to think so.. they often double mark him or try and kick him out of the game

That is an issue purely because we don't have anyone else capable of controlling the game. The opposition scouts will have noticed that we rely on McDonald to start attacks and that they can sacrifice a wide midfielder to close him down - the fullbacks should be exploiting the space that leaves.

We need to strengthen in central midfield as well. Doyle is an average player; an improvement on his non-footballing predecessor but that's nothing to the point. Younger, more talented athletes, more nimble of foot and quicker in thought, are running through him in much the same way as they left The Maestro shadow-chasing. It's a problem that needs addressing.

You ought to be careful expressing sentiments like that, it got me labelled as "never having anything good to say about United"...but you're quite right.

 

[Pinchy]

Define overrated?

I see a footballer with the rare talent of being able to make the game appear to slow down when he's got the ball. I also see a central midfielder with the vision to hit a 5 or a 50 yard pass with either foot.

What I don't see is a central midfielder capable of making the adroit interception to gain possession or with the knack of being able to time his arrival in the box to fire home 10 goals a season. However, if he could either of those that he'd be playing in the premier league; both and he'd be at an elite club.

The issue is that he's surrounded by functional players. The only one capable of running into space in the channels is Blackman: Flynn will always cut in for a ball to feet while the front two normally comprise Porter, who's relatively immobile and isn't great at controlling passes and now Miller, who's more of a reactive poacher than a proactive work-the-channel forward. In addition, the selection of Doyle covers the defensive side but removes the attacking threat from centre midfield more often than not.

However, the key is that this season there isn't the outlet of a full-back bombing forward. Playing both Hill and McMahon removes this option - in my mind, it has to be one or the other, with Williams or Westlake coming in.

Someone mention that KMc likes to operate as a deep lying playmaker. It's probably his best position but with the rest of our team being pretty static it exacerbates the problems: he needs to be pushed 10 yards up the pitch.


That is an issue purely because we don't have anyone else capable of controlling the game. The opposition scouts will have noticed that we rely on McDonald to start attacks and that they can sacrifice a wide midfielder to close him down - the fullbacks should be exploiting the space that leaves.

You ought to be careful expressing sentiments like that, it got me labelled as "never having anything good to say about United"...but you're quite right.

Leaving aside the final paragraph, an excellent and articulate analysis. Well done.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

the opposition don't seem to think so.. they often double mark him or try and kick him out of the game

Yes cos they know Blackers and he are our only threats.

 

[LardSardine]

Anyone heard anything about his fitness for tomorrow's game (or subsequent ones!)? Or is it being kept quiet to keep Crawley guessing?!

 

[Fiery Blade]

Apparently he's up for selection for tomorrows game ....now lets think ... who can we drop from last weeks scintillating performance against Tranmere ....?

 

[green blade]

Where does this rubbish about injury prone come from? Before he signed it was his hamstring now it's something else. Did anyone see the whack he took. He is a cut above what we have and let's hope he doesn't move on in January.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

It comes from his frequent injuries. His inconsistency definitely puts buyers off, or he`d have slung his hook last summer.

 

[Latters]

McDonald was an absolute class above today. There were numerous times where he should rightfully have lost the ball but instead he beat about four men and played a pass that nobody else on the pitch would have even seen, let alone pulled off.

He's the first player we've had in years that I'm truly happy paying to watch and enjoy seeing him play. Best midfielder in the division by a country mile! I hope to God we keep him for years to come!

 

[Silent Blade]

His link up with Ryan Flynn in the right leading up to the penalty was class

 

[yorkshirecoast]

McDonald was an absolute class above today. There were numerous times where he should rightfully have lost the ball but instead he beat about four men and played a pass that nobody else on the pitch would have even seen, let alone pulled off.

He's the first player we've had in years that I'm truly happy paying to watch and enjoy seeing him play. Best midfielder in the division by a country mile! I hope to God we keep him for years to come!

Agree. He's the best player in League 1 by some distance. He was excellent today. My only criticism is I would expect him to dominate more games like he did today but sometimes he doesn't impose himself.

 

[super_pig]

like i said in another post he's worth the entry fee alone.. proper footballer.

 

[bartman]

Agree. He's the best player in League 1 by some distance. He was excellent today. My only criticism is I would expect him to dominate more games like he did today but sometimes he doesn't impose himself.

Totally agree...I just wish he would shoot more often

 

[United Aren't Back.]

Hardly class today was he, that was due to an awful side just harrying him all over the shop, mac didnt know what planet he was on today.

 

[Guesty]

He panicked whenever he had the ball in and around the penalty area today. Too far forward and his passing/crossing is simply shocking.

 

[Pedro Verde]

Thought he had a good first half but he was invisible in the 2nd half

 

[United Aren't Back.]

He panicked whenever he had the ball in and around the penalty area today. Too far forward and his passing/crossing is simply shocking.

His passing is dreadful and the man was a passenger all afternoon today.

 

[Darthblade]

Regrettably, he gets no protection from the very poor referees we have in this division for the last 2 years. He was the subject of several agricultural challenges today, as usual and I'm staggered that the Club dont protest oficially, the staggeringly poor standard of officials.
Having said that, Mac, along with the rest of the team were shit today. Fact!! We are one of the least poor teams in the very poor division this year.

 

[super_pig]

didn't do much in the second half because we went route one with four forwards in case you'd missed it.. although i'd admit he did lose heart after being through on goal and managing to cross it ffs!!
(i was the one shouting 'shoot you tw*t' at the time)