Houdini
39
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 49
- Goals
- 7
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 6
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
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It was so frustrating seeing him and Wan Bissaka on the right hand side together just passing between each other because neither of them wanted to take the initiative to put a decent cross in.
These two posts kind of sum up his game for me today.
It took Pogba dropping behind everyone and sitting in front of the defenders for us to have a grip in midfield. I mean we won but it's just inefficient use of his skillset and a lack of positional quality from McT in this respect.
Ha simmer down big boy no need to get upset. If he was hiding and contributing nothing to the team wouldn’t Matic and Pogba play in front of him in CM? Or is your tactical nous beyond our current management?
I like him, I just don't think he's a midfielder. Looks like an upgraded O'Shea with a decent shot (he should be using it more often).
I think he can have a good career with us but needs to be upgraded upon.
Any decent DM will contribute just as much offensively and will make us more solid at the back.
I think he can have a good career with us but needs to be upgraded upon.
Any decent DM will contribute just as much offensively and will make us more solid at the back.
He plays there due to the utter lack of depth and options we have. Pogba is needed further forward due to the lack of creativity we have and Matic is a busted flush.
I give him a hard time but honestly he's probably better suited as an attacking mid. He has good feet and a good shot, wins headers, played regularly closer to goal and he'd score a good few. You'd never play him over Bruno or Pogba though as the main attacking fulcrum. As a DM hes completely wasted. His passing, positioning, reading of the game, setting the tempo is not good enough. He could be upgraded very easily.
I have seen so many worse players than Mctomminay play for United even during our title and CL winning years.
Fans will try to pick and analyse players simply because we are not winning things yet as a way of trying to highlight our weaknesses.
Good player that I enjoy watching for United.
Fans will try to pick and analyse players simply because we are not winning things yet as a way of trying to highlight our weaknesses.
Good player that I enjoy watching for United.
His best contribution today was near the end in the final 3rd, he really isn't good enough as a midfielder overall.
Why the heck didn't he cross in first time for Cavani? It was like the one against Spurs. He simply is not good enough. We didn't regularly play players who was worse than McTominay when we won.
He was slow to cross the ball in the 2nd half for some reason. Unlucky not to grab a goal at the end .
He isn't good passer of the ball, should be more inventive and also should release the pass quickly, setting the wingers/FBs one v one. This is something all out midfielders lack except Pogba.
I don't understand the "he hides behind opponents" thing, this was the player who played most passes and had second most touches, how can he achieve that by hiding?
I don't understand the "he hides behind opponents" thing, this was the player who played most passes and had second most touches, how can he achieve that by hiding?
Do you care to name a few former worse players in your eyes who got as much game time as McTominay or were handed as big a role as he is in the regular starting 11?
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Jesper Blomquist, Mikael Silvestre, Alan Smith, Marcos Rojo, Brian McClair, Anderson. I'm sure there are plenty more.
Cleverley during SAF's title win. Anderson (who I rated but who was not entirely consistent and had a very specialist type of gameplay as a midfielder).
Oshea, P Neville,butt and Fletcher were useful players that were useful in one or few specific season after many average ones or were useful in couple of average games only in a season.
I find Mctomminay better and it's not his fault that the world class players around him are not as good or as settled as they used to be.
Manchester United: Scott McTominay latest great Scot for club says Sir Alex Ferguson
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56846136
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56846136
Blomquist was a proper squad player, he was never entrusted with as big a role as McTominay is now. Surely the same can be said about the rest. Rojo's longest run in the starting 11 for instance came under Mourinho (and he partnered Phil Jones more than anyone else that season-2016/17 IIRC so that says a lot) and it never went past ten games. The most appearances he had in a single league campaign was 17 if memory serves me right.
These are the surely the worst examples you can come up with. O'Shea was a very useful utility player with real ability that sometimes even shocked some supporters. He's among the best squad players this club has ever had. Butt was more than useful and at one point in his career he was considered one of the best English midfielders. He had an amazing campaign at the 2002 world cup and he earned many plaudits (finally) from rival fans. All those players played roles towards uniteds success under Fergie. I'm really surprised you mentioned Fletcher here. He was a big miss for the CL final and universally praised after being a polarizing figure pre 2006
Fergie has never really been one to shy away from the occasional hyperbolic statements. I won't forget him praising Evans and Jones to the high heavens
How many games has McTominay ever played in a row then?
What matters more is the minutes he's accrued. McTominay has 43 apps this season in all competions for united and a total of 3188 mins or 35.42 full matches. Rojo achieved his highest season numbers at 2385 mins/26.5 full matches in 2016/17 and the closest he came to that in any other season was 1563 mins in his first season here (2014/15).
Fred by comparison has been given 2737 mins/30.41 full games this season thus far which is less than his best haul at United last season of 2855/31.7 full games. He's on track to best last seasons numbers of course but McTominay is still expected to end up with the most minutes from our central mids fitness withstanding. Maguire has only played 9 full games more, Lindelof 4
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I think he's improved massively under Ole.
While McTominay has not been brilliant in every match, I feel the critics towards him is often unfair. The narrative that he´s not a DM influences the view people have on him in the way that he´s not judged on the background of the job he is set to do as a DM, but the job he should have done as a nr. 8.
Right so assume Anderson wasn't a fat feck with no lungs who had to be subbed after 60 mins every game, look at his starts, did he have seasons where he made as many as McTominay?
Scottish bias
McTominay has nothing on the Space-attacking Brazilian Predator.
Didn’t Jose say the times he spoke to SAF he always used to tell him to play Mctominay more 
I think once Ole gets a CB and DM he can trust, and we run more of a 4-3-3, he will shine a bit brighter. He will get his 20-25 games a season.
Didn’t Jose say the times he spoke to SAF he always used to tell him to play Mctominay more
Nope. Not a single season with as many starts as McTominay has got under his belt this season.
Does he actually win the ball well? Anyone have the stats?
Decent squad player but shouldn’t be as “first choice” as he is imo
I kind of dont agree with people thinking he is this average squad player just because he should be rotated around like most of our players have been or should be.
He reminds me of being alot better than alot of the current Liverpool midfielders were at the same age and much better than alot of the United players that SAF used to choose as some of his rotatable midfielders.
I mean I've not given up on VDB at all but is Mctomminay being better than him something little to talk about? I'd have Scott over Veron or Anderson or Cleverely or an injury prone Hargreaves (except his CL winning season), Butt, Obi Mikel, Djemba Djemba, Schneiderlin, Fletcher (except one wonder season in his prime), Fellaini - who were all around title winning teams for us.
People wont agree on alot of the players I mentioned but thats okay. I enjoy watching Mctomminay more than I enjoyed watching alot of these other midfielders. I know it's a
genuinely thing that people push aside as a cringe excuse but I honestly think that people view him as this Scottish guy with not much technique to his play. If he was a Belgian lad coming through our ranks he would be more highly rated for his strengths, defensive contribution, aerial play, ability to play box to box and score a great long goal.
I really value him and dont think we need this great box to box midfielder because he can do that role for a top club like ours.
He reminds me of being alot better than alot of the current Liverpool midfielders were at the same age and much better than alot of the United players that SAF used to choose as some of his rotatable midfielders.
I mean I've not given up on VDB at all but is Mctomminay being better than him something little to talk about? I'd have Scott over Veron or Anderson or Cleverely or an injury prone Hargreaves (except his CL winning season), Butt, Obi Mikel, Djemba Djemba, Schneiderlin, Fletcher (except one wonder season in his prime), Fellaini - who were all around title winning teams for us.
People wont agree on alot of the players I mentioned but thats okay. I enjoy watching Mctomminay more than I enjoyed watching alot of these other midfielders. I know it's a
genuinely thing that people push aside as a cringe excuse but I honestly think that people view him as this Scottish guy with not much technique to his play. If he was a Belgian lad coming through our ranks he would be more highly rated for his strengths, defensive contribution, aerial play, ability to play box to box and score a great long goal.
I really value him and dont think we need this great box to box midfielder because he can do that role for a top club like ours.
Veron at his worst with United is still better than what Mctominay ever did at United, Butt was very similar to Roy Keane as both were combative and ball winning midfielders, with Scholes being redeployed as Midfielder, Butt didn't get to play much but was always an excellent stand in to Roy Keane (for example Butt played in 99 UCL final).
But I agree with your sentiment in general, that we do not need a B2B as we have Mctominay for that.
God he was unfit wasn't he?
24 Prem appearances was the highest he managed.
Silvestre and McClair for sure got more than McTominay though.
Hyperbolic statement of 2021.
Well, kind of but he also gives lot of fouls away. Which is not a good idea to be DM, more suitable as box to box.
Come on..
Surely there are more hyperboles said in 2021 than my statement here, no?
Thanks for that. Yeah i agree he's not a defensive midfielder and doesn't really win the ball back well.Well, kind of but he also gives lot of fouls away. Which is not a good idea to be DM, more suitable as box to box.
they look pretty even. Would be amusing to drop 70mill on RiceWell, kind of but he also gives lot of fouls away. Which is not a good idea to be DM, more suitable as box to box.
Goals scored? Mctomminay 7 Rice 1
Why is that left off? Because it makes Rice look bad most likely.
Declan Rice for 70, 80m would be pure insanity.
Why is that left off? Because it makes Rice look bad most likely.
Declan Rice for 70, 80m would be pure insanity.
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