Cathcart

Pogue Mahone

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Now that Pique is (allegedly) on his way, it would be nice to know we've got some decent young central defenders still at the club.

Cathcart was one of the hottest prospects in the academy, the season before last but seems to have slipped off the radar this season. Anyone got any update?
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Now that Pique is (allegedly) on his way, it would be nice to know we've got some decent young central defenders still at the club.

Cathcart was one of the hottest prospects in the academy, the season before last but seems to have slipped off the radar this season. Anyone got any update?
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Came back from Belgium with an injury and has a series of niggles since, looked closer to his best form late in the season. We have had some quality CB come through last few seasons a couple of them better defenders than Pique and Cathcart is one of them. He is young for a defender and has plenty of time to develope. Chester is another who continues to develope, not as good on the ball as either Cathcart or Evans but is an out an out defender and loves a tackle.
 
Ekeke said:
Cathcart isn't fast and can't head like Vidic.

Sell him!
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If Cathcart has just a year left in his contract, doesn't want to sign and we get an offer for £6 million. We may as well.
 
He's a great header of the ball, as it goes, and can play a bit too.
 
RedPhil1957 said:
Came back from Belgium with an injury and has a series of niggles since, looked closer to his best form late in the season. We have had some quality CB come through last few seasons a couple of them better defenders than Pique and Cathcart is one of them. He is young for a defender and has plenty of time to develope. Chester is another who continues to develope, not as good on the ball as either Cathcart or Evans but is an out an out defender and loves a tackle.
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Cheers.

When you talk about his good form at the end of the season, was this back in the Academy? How old is he anyway? Is he still in his teens?
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Cheers.

When you talk about his good form at the end of the season, was this back in the Academy? How old is he anyway? Is he still in his teens?
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He is 19 or nearly 19 if I am slightly mistaken. Still a couple of years away from the first team I reckon.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Now that Pique is (allegedly) on his way, it would be nice to know we've got some decent young central defenders still at the club.
Click to expand...

There's Evans but that's about it. Chester is decent but looks like Championship material to me. Matty James is highly rated but not yet 17. A bit slow and perhaps best as a DM. Who does that remind you of?
 
I don't know. Haven't seen him play since last year's youth cup final. He's had a frustrating season, not much doubt about that.
 
Cathcart definitely better than that pair, although this year has seen him tread water at best which isn't ideal. Chester could possibly 'do a Shawcross', similar type of defender.

James is a much better midfielder than centre-half. has only really played at the back for the academy because we lack out and out centre-backs there.
 
He was on the bench for a couple of league games a couple of seasons ago wasn´t he? He obviously has potential. With Pique leaving, I can´t see Evans leaving. It would be nice to see Cathcart given a chance also.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Cheers.

When you talk about his good form at the end of the season, was this back in the Academy? How old is he anyway? Is he still in his teens?
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He played in the reserves at the end of april begining of May and began to look more like last seasons player but then got another knock. I think he has great potential but he needs a good injury free pre-season and we might be able to judge better next year.
 
with the 90-minute rule and so on you go through periods where you have a dearth of good kids in one position and plenty in another. Reece Brown's looked good whenever he's stepped up to the U18's so we should be a bit stronger next year hopefully. Zeki Fryers in the year below as well, already an England U16 international.
 
They'll all go eventually, as long as Rio and Vidic are around, with Brown lurking just behind them, they'd probably follow the Pique route soon too.
 
kanchelskis14 said:
They'll all go eventually, as long as Rio and Vidic are around, with Brown lurking just behind them, they'd probably follow the Pique route soon too.
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Got your crystal ball out, have you?

The likes of Cathcart and Evans are a decade younger than Rio and I can't see any reason why they won't play second fiddle for another few years. You don't leave a club like MUFC in a hurry.

Besides, we've been really lucky with Rio's fitness this season. If he had picked up a few more knocks, Pique would have got plenty of opportunities. As it is, he was only one game short of qualifying for a medal and could/should have had a decent run in the CC too.
 
kanchelskis14 said:
They'll all go eventually, as long as Rio and Vidic are around, with Brown lurking just behind them, they'd probably follow the Pique route soon too.
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Not so sure about that. If they're any good they will break through.
 
This Cathcart fella was on the subs sheet a few times late in the 07 season when the defenders injury crisis hit. Is he strictly a central defender or can he line up elsewhere? Is he another Gazza in that he'll be too short to play central defense in SAF's view and shunted elsewhere?
 
his height isn't going to be an issue, he's comfortably over six foot. he's very much a centre-back as well.
 
Very much a centre-back. Possibly good enough on the ball to play in midfield at the lower levels. I think he has even been used as an emergency striker in the ressies when chasing a goal - he's very good in the air.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Now that Pique is (allegedly) on his way, it would be nice to know we've got some decent young central defenders still at the club.

Cathcart was one of the hottest prospects in the academy, the season before last but seems to have slipped off the radar this season. Anyone got any update?
Click to expand...
He doesn't have a prayer with Brown and Evans around. Sorry
 
He's back from a spell at Plymouth where he won the young player of the year award. Apparently the Plymouth fans rated him very highly and he won the award despite being injured towards the end of the season.

It will be interesting to see if he stays at the club or is loaned out again this season.
 
There might just be a space for a young centre-back to get a few games this season. It's just about the only part of the squad where we don't have shit loads of cover in the event of an injury crisis.
 
There was that period where Chester got a game and it would have been better to play Cathcart.

I don't think Chester is good enough, whole-hearted enough though he is. Cathcart is more promising.
 
I'd rather Cathcart went on loan too. Vidic, Rio, Evans, Wes, JOS and (at a push) Nev can all cover the centre-back positions - reserve football plus the possibility of a couple of games in an injury crisis isn't enough for a player of Cathcart's promise IMO.
 
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