James McCarthy

I'd rather we just paid off his deal and moved him on. There is no reason for us to continue to pay him £15k a week, while he's either constantly injured or unavailable for selection.

Can't blame the guy for signing the contract. Who wouldn't sign a contract worth £3m in the final years of your career. He would have been stupid not to. Celtic were * imbeciles giving him that length of contract.

No problem with him personally and I bet he's a great guy to have around the dressing room but if we aren't able to loan him our or move him on, just pay him off and let him retire. That's likely what's going to happen anyways. It then frees up more space for us in the squad.

Would only cost the club about £1m to pay off the remainder of his contract anyways.

 

Totally agree but if we pay him off we pay him the equivalent of his full contract so regardless we pay him the worth of 15k a week. Surely he isn’t a bad egg in the dressing room and needs removed

 

I've no hate for him, the deal was a stupid one to give at 4 years but he contributed well to Ange's first season and then he's been done since then. I'd imagine he's made some coaching contributions to the squad. If he wants to play football he can look elsewhere in Jan to get some last playing out, if he'd rather teh pay he can sit here and be a background character and support the B team.

 

Young James playing for the b side against Gretna tonight

 

Real prospect. Hope we can keep hold of him.

 

I'd start him and Kwon in the engine room tomorrow.

 

Should get game time soon


A real prospect

 

Pay the contract off and get him out the door, just hangs about like a bad smell.

 

Sadly I doubt that's likely to happen. It's not McCarthy's fault that Celtic offered the deal he was given and he shouldn't be blamed for not being interested in a transfer elsewhere, where there is neither assurance he will be able to play and certainly not get the sort of money he is taking now.

With more than 18 months left, that is a LOT of wages to pay someone off especially in any sort of lumpsum (and you better believe he is not going to agree to leave for a fraction of that), so the question then becomes what to do with him and how best to get some value from him being there.

If he did agree to go, with the assurance of being paid in full, then what does Celtic get for however much they will be forking out? Money for nothing. Like it or not, with the sort of PL experience etc that he has, whether help with scouting, either for players or opponants, with the B team or at the academy or whatever else, or simply training with those youths and hope can impart some of his experience and knowledge etc. Same sort of thing WGS had with Bobo, all those years ago.

 

Why does his presence bother so many people so much?

He longer involved with the 1st team squad hes a B team player if he's happy to play at that level and it helps bring on even 1 academy player then who cares. All the big sides in england do it with their u23 teams.
I mean let's be honest probably better
chance of a youth player developing playing alongside someone with his experience then by being coached by Darren Odea.

And for those moaning about the wage, that's not Mccarthys fault and I'd rather spend the money over next 18 month trying something like this to develop our youths than their be an extra 60k profit each month to swell the bonuses of that fat * lawwell and his tory mates.

 

I would try get him out on loan to one of the other Premiership teams. He could be a decent player for them and maybe do some damage for us. He’s an experienced pro and see if he was playing in a team that sits deep could still offer something.

 

I think we probably should pay him off but I don't think the last part of that is accurate.

He's an excellent professional and his experience around the club will always be good. He's also very well thought of and liked in the dressing room. So, I want him out because I want to free up space in the squad for another midfielder but I have no issue with him personally and I don't blame him one bit for signing the contract. Who wouldn't sign that sort of deal?

 

If he is such an excellent professional, why is he not pushing for a loan deal so he can put himself in the shop window?
Sitting at CP for 15K a week is not going to extend his football career.

 

I doubt he'd accept a payoff that's much less than what he would earn seeing out his contract. And in terms of freeing up a space on the squad, that doesn't really make sense, he never makes a match day squad anyway so it's not like he's taking someone else's spot. It's probably helpful to have him around for training drills/matches and to help with the youths.

 

He's 33 years old and has been injury prone for the majority of his career.

He's not going to extend his career. If he manages to get a move to anyone worth playing for after his Celtic contract ends, I would be astounded. He probably could go on loan but realistically, does anyone want him?

It's all well and good saying 'loan him out' but it's not as easy as that. He's on £15k a week so Celtic will want some percentage of his wages paid. No one out with Scotland is going to take the risk on him, even on 30% of his wages. Are any teams in Scotland going to look at loaning him in as good investment when they can probably find permanent transfers, for younger, more mobile players from the lower leagues down south.

 

You obviously hold the guy in very high regard which I respect.
From my perspective, I look at someone who has cost us millions in wages and who has contributed nearly nothing to the first team, we have all worked with people who contribute very little to the team effort, if they are a nice guy or not then that does not make it ok.

 

I wonder if his appearances in the B team were to prove to some team he is fit, before they sign him? Maybe?

 

I don't hold him in any higher regard than other Celtic players.

He has cost us millions in wages because our board gave a 31 year old, injury prone midfielder a 4 year deal on £15k a week. You want him just to ignore his salary and his contract because he can't contribute to the team? It doesn't work like that. It's a legal contract.

What are you expecting?

 

Never really thought of that but it makes a lot of sense. I still don't think there would be much interest in him, to be honest.

 

Value for money?