Scott McTominay

[Ikon]

Might be difficult to get but I’d be very very happy if we could get one of Ugarte/Kone. Rather see us spend £50m on one of these than £30m (minimum?) on McTom. Younger too. 

[Nine]

Agree that those two would be more exciting signings however with Mctominay I feel that the prem experience and being able to settle/integrate faster into our squad and system shouldn’t be overlooked either.

[Ikon]

Rather give new players a bit of time to settle and be stronger for it in the long term. Plus even if we signed someone like Mactommy I doubt he would be thrown in straight away/much much sooner anyway. Even if he has a full preseason. 

[Nine]

Yeah, not disagreeing on that approach at all. Its just that if we look at our business so far you can see a pretty fair balance between British, prem experience signings and the foreign prospects. Expect this next window will be no different. 

[Ace]

What I think of when it comes to Mctominay is when Casemiro got suspended did anyone think ‘oh no we Mctominay will be playing against us’?

 

Or did we all go get in we might be playing McFred ? 

[TRon]

9 hours ago, TheDarkKnight said:

Good questions.

 

He's fine in possession. If you want a comparison, he's about the same level as Rice and Phillips.

 

He's not the most adventurous of passers, but neither are the aforementioned two. His first touch is OK.

 

His main attributes are dribbling and shooting. If I were going to put a label on him, I'd say that he's an old school box-to-box midfielder.

 

He isn't an anchorman. He's better when he's closer to the opposition box than his own.

 

He's unlucky playing in a generation where double-pivots are in fashion. The midfield position these days are broken into two halves, and I'll be honest, he isn't good another to play either.

 

If he played in a three man central midfield were he was given licence to get forward, etc, he'd easily get double digits of goals a season.

 

Since you mention Casemiro, he's a weird player. His positioning is world class but his passing is shocking. At Madrid he kept it simple, and was effective, but since he joined Manchester United I think he's been asked to pass through the lines. He can't do that.

 

 

 

 

Fair enough. Still feels like he's technically limited, and tbh I would rather have a midfielder who can sit allowing Bruno to get forward more since he CAN make decisive passes in the final third, and can also do the box to box stuff as well.

[Conjo]

Buying average players at a premium and hope/expect Howe to improve them just because he's managed to improve some of our current players doesn't seem like a very smart business or football decision.

 

If McTominay was 6 years younger then sure, it maybe worth the risk. 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Conjo

[TheDarkKnight]

5 hours ago, Mazzy said:

 

Yes they are different players with different traits and all that but that doesn't mean that West Ham won't be looking at someone like McTominay if Rice leaves. 

 

And I'm assuming you're joking by saying he'll end up playing at CB when he leaves, otherwise that would be some crazy stupid hot take. 

 

You'd better tell a couple of unknowns like Stuart Pearce and Graham Souness that their hot takes are crazy stupid, too. But hey, what have they ever done in football?

 

Stuart Pearce crazy stupid hot take

 

Graham Souness's crazy stupid hot take

 

A lot of time it's better to just sit back and listen and then think, as opposed to making snap judgements.

 

He started his youth career as a centerback. So it's hardly a crazy suggestion.

 

His main attributes are defensive positioning. Odds are, when he does join a bigger team, they'll already have an anchorman, but one who has more passing ability.

 

[TheDarkKnight]

1 hour ago, TRon said:

 

Fair enough. Still feels like he's technically limited, and tbh I would rather have a midfielder who can sit allowing Bruno to get forward more since he CAN make decisive passes in the final third, and can also do the box to box stuff as well.

 

Cool.

 

The anchorman position is a specialised position. That's why Manchester United splurged £60m on a 30 year old.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by TheDarkKnight

[Dr. TC]

3 minutes ago, TheDarkKnight said:

 

You'd better tell a couple of unknowns like Stuart Pearce and Graham Souness that their hot takes are crazy stupid, too. But hey, what have they ever done in football?

 

Stuart Pearce crazy stupid hot take

 

Graham Souness's crazy stupid hot take

 

A lot of time it's better to just sit back and listen and then think, as opposed to making snap judgements.

 

He started his youth career as a centerback. So it's hardly a crazy suggestion.

 

His main attributes are defensive positioning. Odds are, when he does join a bigger team, they'll already have an anchorman, but one who has more passing ability.

 

Using Graham Souness as your benchmark of tactical genius is the hottest take around 

[Shearergol]

@Froggy all is forgiven 

[TheDarkKnight]

1 hour ago, Conjo said:

Buying average players at a premium and hope/expect Howe to improve them just because he's managed to improve some of our current players doesn't seem like a very smart business or football decision.

 

If McTominay was 6 years younger then sure, it maybe worth the risk. 

 

 

 

 

Is it a premium price, though?

 

When you think of the money spent on Pepe, Sancho, Grealish, it's close to £300m

Just now, Dr. TC said:

Using Graham Souness as your benchmark of tactical genius is the hottest take around 

 

Yeah. He knows nothing about football. He's won zero.

 

This is why not a club in the world will pluck a fan from obscurity to pick and choose and buy players. Generally, they think they know more than people who have been in football their entire lives and have coaching badges.

 

[Froggy]

4 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

@Froggy all is forgiven 

 

You don't know how good you have it. I'm the best one. 

[Rich]

Stuart Pearce and Graeme Souness

 

You not got anything from Stan Collymore or Gabby Agbonlahor?

[TheDarkKnight]

7 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

@Froggy all is forgiven 

Hey, I'm dropping knowledge.

 

Whether you wish to take it or not, as a collective, is entirely up to you.

 

It's what football does to people, same with the net, it gives them Cyber Uefa coaching badges.

 

Anyway. I'm out.

 

Hopefully people here think they know McTominay a little bit more, as I've given an honest and accurate appraisal.

 

For the record, I hope EtH doesn't sell him.

 

Bye all. Best of luck... but not on Sunday.

[Interpolic]

Righteo, piss off then. 

[Jimburst]

3 minutes ago, TheDarkKnight said:

Hey, I'm dropping knowledge.

 

Whether you wish to take it or not, as a collective, is entirely up to you.

 

It's what football does to people, same with the net, it gives them Cyber Uefa coaching badges.

 

Anyway. I'm out.

 

Hopefully people here think they know McTominay a little bit more, as I've given an honest and accurate appraisal.

 

For the record, I hope EtH doesn't sell him.

 

Bye all. Best of luck... but not on Sunday.

 

When did you do your badges?

[Jaqen]

19 minutes ago, TheDarkKnight said:

 

Is it a premium price, though?

 

When you think of the money spent on Pepe, Sancho, Grealish, it's close to £300m

 

Yeah. He knows nothing about football. He's won zero.

 

This is why not a club in the world will pluck a fan from obscurity to pick and choose and buy players. Generally, they think they know more than people who have been in football their entire lives and have coaching badges.

 

 

 

 

[Froggy]

1 hour ago, Interpolic said:

Righteo, piss off then. 

 

 I think you two need a game of Traitors together to form a bond.

[Skeletor]

Defending the likes of McTominay is one thing, but coming to a Newcastle forum and asking us to listen to a Souness opinion.

 

[Nine]

3 hours ago, Conjo said:

Buying average players at a premium and hope/expect Howe to improve them just because he's managed to improve some of our current players doesn't seem like a very smart business or football decision.

 

If McTominay was 6 years younger then sure, it maybe worth the risk. 

 

 

 

I mean, I’d like to think that we indentify targets on a little more basis than hoping Howe can turn them into world beaters alone. And tbf while the evidence so far would suggest that he’s capable of taking players up a level, management arnt just saying ‘let’s sign this bang average plodder and hope we can turn their career around’.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Nine

[Mazzy]

9 hours ago, TheDarkKnight said:

 

You'd better tell a couple of unknowns like Stuart Pearce and Graham Souness that their hot takes are crazy stupid, too. But hey, what have they ever done in football?

 

Stuart Pearce crazy stupid hot take

 

Graham Souness's crazy stupid hot take

 

A lot of time it's better to just sit back and listen and then think, as opposed to making snap judgements.

 

He started his youth career as a centerback. So it's hardly a crazy suggestion.

 

His main attributes are defensive positioning. Odds are, when he does join a bigger team, they'll already have an anchorman, but one who has more passing ability.

 

 

Wow, an Ex Footballer turned pundit said something, it must be true and almost certain to happen at some point in the future. They know just 

 

I am aware that Rice started as a CB but his rise in the West Ham team and the England has come as a CDM. There's no way any team is spending the £100m+ on him to play as CB after what's he's achieved as a midfielder. 

[hakka]

12 hours ago, Conjo said:

Buying average players at a premium and hope/expect Howe to improve them just because he's managed to improve some of our current players doesn't seem like a very smart business or football decision.

 

If McTominay was 6 years younger then sure, it maybe worth the risk. 

 

 

 

 

Exactly. More Bruno, Botman and Isak quality is what we should be aiming for.

[Cronky]

19 hours ago, TheDarkKnight said:

 

You'd better tell a couple of unknowns like Stuart Pearce and Graham Souness that their hot takes are crazy stupid, too. But hey, what have they ever done in football?

 

Stuart Pearce crazy stupid hot take

 

Graham Souness's crazy stupid hot take

 

A lot of time it's better to just sit back and listen and then think, as opposed to making snap judgements.

 

He started his youth career as a centerback. So it's hardly a crazy suggestion.

 

His main attributes are defensive positioning. Odds are, when he does join a bigger team, they'll already have an anchorman, but one who has more passing ability.

 

 

I don't really want to take sides against the family, but this idea of Rice as a CB has been knocking around for while, and doesn't lack merit. The only strange opinion in there is Ryan Fredericks saying that Rice could become the best midfield player in the world.

 

Re England, Southgate has often played two DMs in Rice and Phillips, and I do question that. It might well be a better use of resources to just play Phillips and have Rice as CB in a three. Rice would be excellent at going forward with the ball to disrupt a defence, when opportunity presents, like Ferdinand did at Man U, and to a lesser extent like Schar sometimes does for us. Three at the back would also enable us to drop Walker and have two attacking wing backs in James and Chilwell.

 

Rice has never looked the most confident of players, though I think he is improving in that regard. He can still be very conservative in his decision-making, but maybe if he moves to a club where he's with better players, that might change.

[Skeletor]

Peak Colback today.