[Smores]

He was dreadful and often is these days. He's your typical Cleverly type squad player that would usually see little time before moving on to lower level. Nothing wrong with that.

He'll be gone under a new manager fairly quickly. We'll sign a midfielder and we've a few youth who could take his bench slot.

 

[united for life]

I don’t see a long term future under a new manager for him. I’m not sure what is position is. I mean what is he really good at? He isn’t a holding midfielder, isn’t a play maker and isn’t a box to box player. Maybe a mediocre central midfielder that is not up for playing regular football for manchester united. Other than the passion he shows every now and then, I see nothing special for us to capitalise on…

 

[Ali Dia]

I thought he was at least trying stuff again tonight. He’s not at the required level technically and he’s not an out and our worker either. Fine for a squad option but not a nailed on starter week after week. Not if you want to control games and genuinely punish teams through the middle

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

He was dreadful and often is these days. He's your typical Cleverly type squad player that would usually see little time before moving on to lower level. Nothing wrong with that.

He'll be gone under a new manager fairly quickly. We'll sign a midfielder and we've a few youth who could take his bench slot.

Cleverly hit heights McTom can only dream of. Bar kick & rush versus Leeds this lad is average. He’s the embodiment of the current state the team is in.

 

[Poborsky's hair]

The modern day Fletcher / Cleverley / Gibson. Hopefully he turns out to be a Fletcher. A good squad rotation player.

YOu probably never seen Fletcher play then. It really is a lazy comparison just based on their nationality. Fletcher was amazing defensively and twice the player McTominay is going forward, great box to box player and header of the ball, match winner. Not a Roy Keane but still a world class /borderline world class in his two seasons when he peaked - in his CM/CDM b2b position. And he would have continued so if he wasn't diagnosed with a serious life changing decease which firstly took him out of the game for a year or more and then made him play totally differently, not nearly to his ability.

So maybe that's what people remember but serious watchers of this club know he was irreplacable for few seasons and often ran for two midfielders especially for Carrick who was positionally spot on but still pretty slugish there. We could play 4-4-2 with him unlike with McTominay who mostly make ups the numbers and others have to run for him because except his great build he's pretty useless defensively because of his lack of understanding of the game and slow first few meters which are very important in football..

 

[The-Natural]

He has always been a bigger problem than Fred and I think people at last are starting to fully realise that.

 

[Diamond Chap]

Somehow this guy is absolutely stealing a living at this club. Fred gets a lot of flack and rightly so a lot of the time, but christ on a bike he's double the player McT is, play DVB there until we get a much better CM option. This guy is the definition of deadwood if ever i've heard it, a complete passenger.

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

Agree wholeheartedly.
So much negativity on here.
Some cannot credit him with a good performance.

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

He has always been a bigger problem than Fred and I think people at last are starting to fully realise that.

Fred is ‘less sh*t’, both need replacing.

 

[The-Natural]

Fred is ‘less sh*t’, both need replacing.

I agree but just think McT needs to be benched ASAP whereas Fred can still contribute this season.

 

[AFC NimbleThumb]

I agree but just think McT needs to be benched ASAP whereas Fred can still contribute this season.

Fair point.

 

[sullydnl]

Remember reading a story about how Carrick & Co were trying to teach him how to function as a lone DM. I can only imagine how frustrating an experience that must have been given his near constant ability to get into the wrong positions, particularly when we're on the ball.

 

[redinseven]

I agree but just think McT needs to be benched ASAP whereas Fred can still contribute this season.

exactly, McT's positioning and passing are incredibly sh*t, he walks like a headless mosquito

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Hopefully the next manager will barely play him.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

It's a hard enough job screening for Maguire and Lindelof, but it's painfully hard for McTominay because he's just not very good at it.

His occasional dribble out of danger can be enjoyable to watch, but his defensive positioning and awareness is so far away from a proper holding midfielder. But to be fair, he just isn't that player and he's being shoehorned because of his engine and size.

 

[JeffFromHK]

He seem incapable of defending 30-40 yards away from our goal so the opponents basically get a free pass and face our 4 defenders directly whenever the ball gets into our own half.

Never seen him made a good tackle 30-40 yards away from our goal. Every attempted tackle he makes is a foul or a miss

 

[L1nk]

Agree wholeheartedly.
So much negativity on here.
Some cannot credit him with a good performance.

.

A good performance, how? What summed him up is the 5 yard pass he couldn't make to DVB which caused him to then get a yellow card as he tried to tackle to get it back. Despite the fact that it was Fred's energy and pressing got us our 2 goals it was clearly McTominay that had a better match? Come on what a joke

 

[Stack]

He played one pass in the entire game to Sancho. And three passes to Martial.

We finished the first half with 35% posession.

Was one of those 4 passes the one involved in Sancho's goal?

 

[Foxbatt]

Anyone who thinks McTominay could be an integral part of a team that wins titles needs to watch more football.

You are being very polite.

 

[Mr PG]

It's crazy that Ethan Galbraith cannot get a chance here...definitely better than Scott.

 

[Escobar]

Sell

 

[Desert Eagle]

If you think Mctom was better than Fred yesterday then maybe football is not for you.

He was very poor first half but had a decent/good second half.

He is limited and at best should be a squad option.

 

[Pronewbie]

YOu probably never seen Fletcher play then. It really is a lazy comparison just based on their nationality. Fletcher was amazing defensively and twice the player McTominay is going forward, great box to box player and header of the ball, match winner. Not a Roy Keane but still a world class /borderline world class in his two seasons when he peaked - in his CM/CDM b2b position. And he would have continued so if he wasn't diagnosed with a serious life changing decease which firstly took him out of the game for a year or more and then made him play totally differently, not nearly to his ability.

So maybe that's what people remember but serious watchers of this club know he was irreplacable for few seasons and often ran for two midfielders especially for Carrick who was positionally spot on but still pretty slugish there. We could play 4-4-2 with him unlike with McTominay who mostly make ups the numbers and others have to run for him because except his great build he's pretty useless defensively because of his lack of understanding of the game and slow first few meters which are very important in football..

You're probably being presumptuous and ill-mannered with your words.

Were you watching Fletcher's developing years in the senior team? He was mostly making sideway passes in a struggling side, but was rarely dropped when fit, hence the label Fergie's son. People were giving him the same flak as they are McT.

That he rose above it and developed well does not detract from the similar level of criticism both players face, which was my point. Otherwise one can make the same argument about Cleverley and Gibson being different types of players too.

P.S. I was in the pro-Fletcher camp during those dark days.

 

[kouroux]

It really is simple with him. If we aspire to be one of the best clubs in England and Europe, McTominay should never start consistently for us. He has his use but ultimately he is not good enough for our aspirations

 

[Pronewbie]

I think he's a modern day Phil Jones playing in midfield. Useful in some situations, but can't shake that feeling of Centre Back playing in midfield.

Was thinking of throwing O'Shea into the mix actually but thought it wasn't a fair comparison.

Interesting point though. He's 25 now isn't he? While I think McT is infinitely better in midfield than Jones because of his world class fitness levels - and the main reason why coaches utilise him there - he's not got the young and learnin' excuse anymore.

Let's see what the new manager makes of him and take it from there.

 

[Rajma]

Was one of those 4 passes the one involved in Sancho's goal?

It was a poor pass actually, got lucky with as it ricocheted from the defenders legs to Ronaldo.

 

[the_cliff]

I think he's a squad player and I think the coaching setup is well aware of that fact. I reckon it will probably be Matic-Fred against Chelsea.

 

[Borys]

Was thinking of throwing O'Shea into the mix actually but thought it wasn't a fair comparison.

Interesting point though. He's 25 now isn't he? While I think McT is infinitely better in midfield than Jones because of his world class fitness levels - and the main reason why coaches utilise him there - he's not got the young and learnin' excuse anymore.

Let's see what the new manager makes of him and take it from there.

Jones comparison came to my mind because they both are utilized as chasers in midfield, but have no to little positional sense, not to mention any idea what to do with the ball against a team in solid shape. McTominay is much better at passing but only when there's an obvious open passing lane. Jones was probably faster and better at tackling.
McTominay has a very awkward way of moving with the ball, like I said, can't shake that feeling of CB in midfield. I really like the guy though, and I think he'll stay here for long time.

 

[led_scholes]

His passing is limited but not that awful as some claim. Many times he was caught alone with no support. I think team movement is our serious problem. Lack of passing options usually leads to losing possession.

 

[Kostov]

Insanity to suggest that he was our best starting midfielder tonight. And the irony to criticize the rest of Redcafe with that take

It's a common theme on redcafe, one or two posters write something and the herd follows. I just wrote my honest opinion, maybe it's not the same as yours but that's what I though I saw.

 

[Pronewbie]

Jones comparison came to my mind because they both are utilized as chasers in midfield, but have no to little positional sense, not to mention any idea what to do with the ball against a team in solid shape. McTominay is much better at passing but only when there's an obvious open passing lane. Jones was probably faster and better at tackling.
McTominay has a very awkward way of moving with the ball, like I said, can't shake that feeling of CB in midfield. I really like the guy though, and I think he'll stay here for long time.

Yeah McT will be a good squad player to have if he’s willing to take on the role. Phil Jones for me was never ever going to be good enough in a CDM role despite what some fans thought at the time. His technique was nowhere good enough for where football was heading.

I have a sneaky feeling that Poch will like McFred a lot more than what people think, although he would still be in the market for better CDM(s).

 

[Stack]

It was a poor pass actually, got lucky with as it ricocheted from the defenders legs to Ronaldo.

ok...... funny.

 

[Redlyn]

McTom is a bang average academy lad like Cleverly and Gibson. The earlier he is upgraded the better for us. Should be 5th choice midfielder.

 

[Longshanks]

Much like the rest of the team, pretty poor in the first half. Decent in the second half.

He's not perfect and he probably is more suited to a box to box role, but he's alot better at no 6 than Fred. And matic might aswell be playing with a walking stick these days.

Is he the answer to that role, no probably not maybe as a back up/squad option but that's not his fault and I think we he has actually played as the genuine six which has only probably been 4 maybe 5 games this season he's actually been OK.

Alot of the first half performance was to do with being to deep, to passive and not brave enough with the ball. That was a whole team issue ii was possibly deliberate aswell just to not give villareal a head start or it was just because confidence is shot and we were struggling to impose ourselves because of it.

 

[Longshanks]

This chance sums up McTominay.

Actually I think that chance sums up freds lack of positional discipline, he gets drawn to the ball when he should actually be looking to pick up the player/the space where the ball eventually ends up.

Mctom doesn't exactly cover himself in glory, misses the interception, but the defenders back and back off even though they had plenty of cover.

Mctom ends up about where he should be when the ball comes loose just infront and inbetween the CBs its Fred who should be inbetween and just infront of the LB and CB thats created the space for the chance.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Redcafe in a nutshell, repeat one thing often enough and it might turn out to be true. I think he was our best starting midfielder today. Better than his partner and better than his usual this season performance.

Go back and watch their only chance that DDG had to save.

Watch how Mctominay tries to screen the defence, completely loses his man and then proceeds to jog back while they run directly at our defence.

Fred actually comes from the opposite side, overakes Mctominay to get to the ball first. The ball then drops to Freds side and they get the shot away.

That sort of effort is exactly why we keep letting in goals. It's pathetic. You can't carry people defensively.

This chance sums up McTominay.

 

[11101]

Actually I think that chance sums up freds lack of positional discipline, he gets drawn to the ball when he should actually be looking to pick up the player/the space where the ball eventually ends up.

Mctom doesn't exactly cover himself in glory, misses the interception, but the defenders back and back off even though they had plenty of cover.

Mctom ends up about where he should be when the ball comes loose just infront and inbetween the CBs its Fred who should be inbetween and just infront of the LB and CB thats created the space for the chance.

Fred is only there because McTominay isn't chasing back. He has no choice but to go across and try to stop the player.

It's a good initial pass but it highlights McTominay's weakness. He's standing in no mans lands, not blocking the pass to either of the two players next to him. To be fair, none of DVB, McT or Sancho are in the right position there but McT makes it far worse by letting two men get behind him.

 

[Rajma]

ok...... funny.

What’s funny? Watch the replay.

 

[Foxbatt]

Actually I think that chance sums up freds lack of positional discipline, he gets drawn to the ball when he should actually be looking to pick up the player/the space where the ball eventually ends up.

Mctom doesn't exactly cover himself in glory, misses the interception, but the defenders back and back off even though they had plenty of cover.

Mctom ends up about where he should be when the ball comes loose just infront and inbetween the CBs its Fred who should be inbetween and just infront of the LB and CB thats created the space for the chance.

Not at all. Fred was upfield of McTominay and he runs back past him and he runs past the defenders and was in the right position just in case DeGea's save popped in front. All this time McTominay was jogging back as if he was a grandfather. No sprinting to get back at all.

 

[roonster09]

What’s funny? Watch the replay.

Ball didn't touch defender. Check from 45 seconds.

 

[Kostov]

Go back and watch their only chance that DDG had to save.

Watch how Mctominay tries to screen the defence, completely loses his man and then proceeds to jog back while they run directly at our defence.

Fred actually comes from the opposite side, overakes Mctominay to get to the ball first. The ball then drops to Freds side and they get the shot away.

That sort of effort is exactly why we keep letting in goals. It's pathetic. You can't carry people defensively.

First of all it was not their only chance, and yes that video sums up McT, having zero positional awareness, no defensive instincts and on top of that, not enough effort getting back defending. In the same time, I am not sure why would you credit anyone (same goes for Fred)?

It's a complete feck up, you have 4 players behind your 2 defensive midfielder, one easy pass and you are exposed, just like we were there. Then proceed to look at Lindelof and AWB, it's that how it is supposed to defend in a situation like that? And on top of that what the feck is Fred doing breaking any sort of defensive line our CB should have held, and you talk like he got to the ball? All that cluster feck and you point out McT only? Yeah one thing I agree McT in absolute shambles in that situation, just like 3-4 more players in that video.