Alex McCarthy

[Here for the KEBE]

Not to keep playing the same record but...how on earth is he not our first choice?! Just look at those comments from Leeds fans on that link below!

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-whites-news/leeds_united_loan_life_just_fantastic_for_mccarthy_interview_1_3990721

Looks like he's loving it up there too. In my opinion he's played his last game for Reading. The only way he'll play again is if Federici picks up a knock

[rfcjoe]

Mcdermott has his favourites. It's that simple. Mcanuff for example could probably kill Mcdermotts wife & still get picked.

[bripps]

If Federici keeps up his current form then he is surely playing himself into contention as the 'black hole filler, summer 2012'. The best way for any young players development is to play consistently. Assuming Feds leaves in the summer then Leeds are doing us a favour by allowing McCarthy to gain experience rather than sit on the bench.

[bripps]

Mcdermott has his favourites. It's that simple. Mcanuff for example could probably kill Mcdermotts wife & still get picked.

[boycey]

I'm your biggest fan
I'll follow you until you love me, Alex, Alex McCarthy.

[Wimb]

Adam Federici has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship this season and I've not seen anything to suggest he needs replacing, or that McCarthy would have won us any more points.

It's frustrating to have three good players for one position but you don't just drop Federici for the sake of it. Either he'll stay with us and be a good keeper for years to come, or he'll move on to pastures new for a decent transfer fee giving one of the other two the chance to take the shirt in January or moe likely the Summer.

The club's playing it the right way at the moment and doing right by the player, even at the expense of our own fortunes as a club by letting Alex help earn Leeds some points.

[Bandini]

Federici doesn't "need" replacing, but McCarthy is the best goalkeeper we've had since Shaka, and when you have someone of that talent and potential you should be looking to build the team around him.

[Hoop Blah]

Not too fussed about Leeds potentially getting points. They're taking them off other teams in our league so it's swings and roundabouts.

I'm more worried that it means we'll be more likely to lose McCarthy sooner rather than later (he's another of those players that we're unlikely to be able to keep long term if he turns out to be half as good as we hope). If he proves himself at Leeds his value will go up as he'll have shown he can handle a move and playing outside of his familiar surroundings here and also that he can handle the pressure of playing in front of more demanding and vocal fans.

I just have in the back of my mind a suspicion that the club see McCarthy as the one who they'll be best placed to cash in on.

[Svlad Cjelli]

As McCarthy is younger it's easier to keep him second choice. Federici's ego is so big that if he was dropped he'd probably storm off in a huff and there'd be all sorts of grief.

[Bandini]

Also, if Federici was dropped there would be a big dent in the ground.











You know, because he's so fat.

[Elmer Park]

I have a feeling next season our first choice keeper will either be Andersen or, if he has been sold by then, will come from outside the current playing staff. As far as I can see Federici and McCarthy are our two most marketable assets and therefore the 'family silver' so I am expecting both to be sold next summer and possibly McCarthy in January.

[Snowball]

Frankly, a horrible dilemma.

Feds can be a very good keeper, but McCarthy has the potential to be a GREAT keeper.

I've already predicted that, barring serious injury, he will play for England.

If you were manager, would you try to sell Feds in January for 1M+ (if we could get that)
and play McCarthy as first choice,
especially this season as it looks (ATM) like a finish for RFC somewhere between 7th + 14th place?

But then, the thing is, if McCarthy develops (and he's already excellent) he could pull top dollar for a keeper
going to a Premiership top-six club, (if he stays with RFC - playing - or ends up playing first choice at Leeds.

But he could go even as early as the next window, or next Summer (to some clever club realising they can
probably get him for around 1.2 million, a fair few million less than he'll be worth by 2013.)

We have three keepers and surely we are going to lose one BECAUSE HE WANTS TO GO. That means
some deep thought about which one to keep, which one to sell. We probably know what we could
get for Feds (if someone would actually make an offer)... but could we get 1M+?

What if we were offered 2M for McCarthy and 25% sell-on?

What if we kept him, played him for 1.5 seasons and then got 5M for him?

[Snowball]

As McCarthy is younger it's easier to keep him second choice.

Agreed, but what if Leeds tell him he'd be first-choice
or he could go to a Premiership Club as Number 2?

He's getting a taste for playing, and he seems to be talking up Leeds

Federici's ego is so big that if he was dropped he'd probably storm off in a huff and there'd be all sorts of grief.

We shouldn't DROP Feds, but if we could sell for a decent amount...

[melonhead]

I have a feeling next season our first choice keeper will either be Andersen or, if he has been sold by then, will come from outside the current playing staff. As far as I can see Federici and McCarthy are our two most marketable assets and therefore the 'family silver' so I am expecting both to be sold next summer and possibly McCarthy in January.

id imagine that fed, and teh club are engineering that move as we speak

but lol at selling the other two

[Alan Partridge]

I agree with Snowball It's a very similar dilemma to when Ashdown got the shirt from Hahnemann and put in a string of quality performances. i felt at the time Ashdown could have been England material, height, presence, kicked well, made saves he looked the real deal. He was a little bit older than McCarthy was but the situation was the same. Here you had 2 very good keepers for the level both could easily be the number 1 but ultimately only 1 can get the shirt. Ashdown wasn't as patient as McCarthy I imagine to be and chose a horrendous career move going to Portsmouth. I was gutted when he left and I can see the same thing happening to McCarthy. Ashdown might have started the next season for Reading, if not if he'd gone to another Championship club he would almost certainly have started there, continued his development and then earnt his way to the Premiership in time. Sitting on the bench for 5 seasons ruined his progression, he became a forgotton man and his time has passed by Steve Harper style.

This is an important time for McCarthy not just this loan spell but this and next season. He's around that England u21 setup, there aren't THAT many decent English keepers about and I think McCarthy is concerned that others like Butland and Fielding (who imo aren't in his league) are starting to get above him in the pecking order because they are playing. My concern for alex is he gets itchy feet and he does what Ashdown did and gets an offer from a Wolves or West Brom but ends up number 2 and doesn't ever play. He needs to play so this loan move was probably a good idea for him, for me his potential is evident. He has everything already in his locker he just needs games, to make a few mistakes and learn.

What you want is for the situation to be taken out of your hands, Federici to play well so the team does well and someone to buy him. There aren't many Prem sides looking for keepers though.

[The Rouge]

I agree with Snowball It's a very similar dilemma to when Ashdown got the shirt from Hahnemann and put in a string of quality performances. i felt at the time Ashdown could have been England material, height, presence, kicked well, made saves he looked the real deal.

I thought exactly the same as you at the time AP.... but time has shown Ashdown to not be quite as good as that spell suggested.

With McCarthy, I really hope he can realise that potential - but people need to remember, at the moment, he has played a dozen or so games as first choice at this level.

I saw a couple of worrying things in the game at Charlton to suggest that potentially he may not be a top top keeper (I hope they simply get ironed out).

With people that have not seen too many pitch minutes, sometimes you have to give some credit to the management team and acknowledge that they see them every day in training.

[Simon's Church]

Who realistically would be looking to buy him though? Same goes for Federici.

[Svlad Cjelli]

Federici's ego is so big that if he was dropped he'd probably storm off in a huff and there'd be all sorts of grief.

We shouldn't DROP Feds, but if we could sell for a decent amount...

That is absolutely the best option - but when he issued a public "come and get me plea" in the summer, absolutely no PL clubs came and got him....

[Vision]

Agree pretty much with AP and Snowball.

The way i see it, both Anderssen and McCarthy have contributed in putting pressure on Federici and raising his game. If this continues then Federici himself becomes just as saleable an asset as McCarthy as at this moment in time I still believe he's (Feds) just about the better keeper.

The other way round if we drop Federici for McCarthy then imho we get a very slightly inferior keeper short term and more than likely reduce the market value for Federici. Even if McCarthy for the remainder of the season shows he's even better than Feds then he's just as much in the shop window as he would be if he stayed at Leeds. The vultures would still be swarming and you may well have lowered Feds value

Rather perversely i get the feeling that the better Federici plays the more likely it is that we get to see McCarthy as the No1 here next season. Hopefully Anderssen then does what McCarthy has done this season.

I'll take my overly optimistic head off now I think.

[leicsRoyal]

Who realistically would be looking to buy him though? Same goes for Federici.

I was at the game on Saturday, long story, and McCarthy won't have done himself any harm in front of the scouts from Everton, Blackburn, Wigan and Hull that were sat very close to me.

I'm not saying they were there to watch him but they will certainly have noticed him.