Paul McShane - Which is he!

Bungalow Bill

The range of opinions on Paul McShane are quite something. He was hyped up too much at the start, everyone knows that. But he isn't a one game wonder. He was an apprentice at Man Utd, went on to be Brighton's player of the year, went on to be West Brom's player of the year and up until Saturday, has done quite well at Sunderland.

Seems to me that he is very young, and very capable of big mistakes at the moment.
I do however subscribe to the view that beside a good organisational type central defender that he will do very well. He seems to be suffering a little bit from his confidence at the moment though.

Unearthly

He needs experience at the top level(Premiership and Internationals) and I think he could be a good defender. His lack of pace has been exposed badly in recent games, but hopefully he'll learn from that and get positional sense

DSB

I think he is rubbish but then again who knows what might happen. I've voted no anyways.

Melion

Internationally he isnt good enough yet, he's living on that one debut performance against Jan Koller.
He is a solid championship defender, dont think he'll ever be top class in the premiership though

Mr.Nice Guy

I thought he was a very good prospect when he broke into the Irish set-up and I felt he did very well on the opening day of the season against Spurs but some of his performances since then have been quite bad and against Everton he was dreadful.

I can remember a time when Richard Dunne was prone to some very bad errors though and he's come on in a big way and is now our best defender. I feel that McShane can develop in a similar fashion although I don't see him being as good as Dunne.

I'd put him at the Andy O'Brien level. The real question is do we have any other exciting prospects coming through in defence? Are there any out there? I'm only aware of Darren O'Dea and I don't think he's being heralded as a future "star".

thebaz

i certainly wouldn't compare him to paul Mc Grath , more a Kevin Moran , but has a long way to go before he reaches Moran's level .... if you compare McShane to McGrath you must never have seen him play , drunk, he would have given everton a rougher ride , than the whole sunderland defence did on saturday.

redspider

I think we all have to feel for Paul McShane. A mistake for Ireland and a less than impressive display over the weekend in that 7-1 loss. It is a cause for concern.

Paul McShane is definitely not the worst of central defenders, but he definitely got caught out over the weekend for a couple of route 1 goals and this along with that recent mistake in the Ireland match is worrying. His confidence and the fear of giving away another penalty affected him.

However, he wasnt the only person to blame even for those route 1 goals. Where was his centre-back colleague, and at least in a couple of goals Gordan was not as sharp as he should be and was complicit. As were the cental midfielders, such as Yorke.

One thing is clear is that Paul is not fast enough for a lot of forwards, so he will need to adjust his game accordingly. I think he would be better playing with a better centre half, but then so are most defenders. He is still young, so his game is still developing, and ala Richard Dunne, he could produce some improvements. He certainly does seem to have the will, attitude and fighting spirit.

Best of luck to him, is what I say. Ireland could certainly do with a steady as a rock Paul McShane.

Redspider

ziggy

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ciaran76

Not all defenders have great pace but he seems to go forward too much which is not good if you are a slow defender. I think he is a good squad player to have but I also think he was hyped up too much when he arrived on the scene.

Dave!

Quite small and young, but very tenacious and potentially a very good defender.

leninbenjamin

ziggy wrote: »

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yeah, where's the middle ground option? i don't think he'll ever be a Paul McGrath (or anywhere close) but he's not as dire as some make out. he still has a lot to learn at the end of the day.

gucci

think hes good prospect, although his lack of pace is a worry and obviously is targetted by smarter teams and he needs to really adjust his game accordingly. he obviously has alot to learn but looking at him his confidence is taking a good whacking so he is going to have to show some character to turn it around. hope he does, ireland havnt alot of options for the centre half position and we need them all at theyre best

kensutz

What about headless chicken option. Never rated him one bit.

shiibata

kensutz wrote: »

What about headless chicken option. Never rated him one bit.

my exact thoughts on him too..when in cardiff watching him, thats what he looked like..a real liability..

Pigman II

He puts the ass in accidental assist.

IrishMike

Just watched the everton match, probably the worst display ive seen from a centre half in a long time.
He was at fault for at least 4 of the goals.
He would need someone like carragher or vidic beside him to cover all his mistakes for sunderland to stop leaking goals.
Overrated and just not good enough for the premiership

SteM

My feeling is that United would have kept him if they thought he was going to be a top player but they let him go very his development. That suggest to me that their staff saw something lacking in him whether it be his pace or lack height or his ability to read the game.

You can't doubt this heart but I don't think he has what it takes for the Premier League yet. Put him in beside a Richard Dunne and he looks good but surround him with 'mediocre' players like Sunderland and he seems to get very flustered.

pd101

Think he is an average player at best, nothing more. Hopefully he will learn from all the mistakes he is making at the moment and improve a bit, but he probably wont be a top defender. Hes just continuing on from the likes of Andy O Brien, Doherty etc. - journeymen defenders.

event

SteM wrote: »

My feeling is that United would have kept him if they thought he was going to be a top player but they let him go very his development. That suggest to me that their staff saw something lacking in him whether it be his pace or lack height or his ability to read the game.

no fergie wanted to keep him at the time, but he wanted west broms keeper, the polish lad.
they said they would only get him if they could keep mcshane (who was on loan to west brom). fergie reluctantly agreed

kaimera

Very average and not good enough to be in the international first 11 imo [more like a lack of options for us].

He has heart but not much else. And yes, I will eat my hat if he does turn into some sort of Dicky Dunne clone.

Nunu

A lot of people comparing Mc Shane to Dunne when he was at the same age.
He will never develop into a player like Dunne because of his criminal lack of pace.

The only time I have been impressed with McShane were in a few stints at right back for West Brom...he is all over the place as a centre half - just watch him for Osmans goal at the weekend(which is actually one of the 7 he wasn't blamed for). His positional sense and judgement is atrocious.

He's not totally a lost cause though because through guidance a lot can improve and he's definitely a lad who is willing, but he will never become as good as someone like Dunne when he's that slow.

Gillie

I'd rate Dunne a lot higher but McShane has potential!

IrishMike

Gillie wrote: »

I'd rate Dunne a lot higher but McShane has potential!

He may have potential but not as a top level centre half.
He would be a good quality defender in the championship.
That is and probably always will be his level

ziggy

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Charlie

Looking very fookin dodgy today, certainly wouldn't look to him to shore up Ireland's defence for the next 10 years.

Sky showed Keano giving him a good rollicking from the touchline.

Sherifu

Not his best day today alright. His biggest problem is lack of pace imo. Losing Owen too easily.

ziggy

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Xavi6

From BBC -

1533: Player rater update: Michael Owen is flying with a pretty impressive rating of 9.07 right now. Paul McShane, bless him, has moved up a fraction to 2.70. You can still get involved don't forget.

Sums it up really. He's shite.

estebancambias

Hate The Bbc.

ziggy

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LuckyLloyd

Lack of pace is potentially a positive. Central defenders peak later and can have longer careers on average than other positions. If McShane can learn the game well over the next three or four years and develop a good positional awareness and tactical understanding then he could be a very good player. If he gets there without pace then he could have a career at the top level well into his late 30's. It's a big if of course. But then again, he is game and brave and if he fails at the top level it won't be for the lack of trying.

At the moment his level is in the Championship. He is out of his depth in the premiership. But players improve. I wouldn't write him off yet. The comparison made above with Dunne is probably very apt. In his early years the Honey monster was all physical toil and sacrifice before he developed into an outstanding all - round centre half. That said, pace has never been a particular problem with Dunne.

As with all things, we'll see. I assume everyone is rooting for him though, yes?

Sherifu

Positional sense and reading of the game are very important skills for a defender, no doubt. The thing about having pace is it can get you out of some tricky situations. It won't always save you but it can make up for ball watching or dodgy positioning. Hopefully McShane will improve his positioning in the years to come. He was badly outfoxed today.

zAbbo

He needs to find a better centre half partner, take carvalho & vidic away from Ferdinand & Terry and there less effective players.

estebancambias

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Lack of pace is potentially a positive. Central defenders peak later and can have longer careers on average than other positions. If McShane can learn the game well over the next three or four years and develop a good positional awareness and tactical understanding then he could be a very good player. If he gets there without pace then he could have a career at the top level well into his late 30's. It's a big if of course. But then again, he is game and brave and if he fails at the top level it won't be for the lack of trying.

At the moment his level is in the Championship. He is out of his depth in the premiership. But players improve. I wouldn't write him off yet. The comparison made above with Dunne is probably very apt. In his early years the Honey monster was all physical toil and sacrifice before he developed into an outstanding all - round centre half. That said, pace has never been a particular problem with Dunne.

As with all things, we'll see. I assume everyone is rooting for him though, yes?

Yep I am for certain. I think he will come good like a Mathew Upson level.

Great post.

Charlie

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

The comparison made above with Dunne is probably very apt. In his early years the Honey monster was all physical toil and sacrifice before he developed into an outstanding all - round centre half. That said, pace has never been a particular problem with Dunne.

The Honey Monster, I had forgotten about that aul name, lol.

JimiTime

He's too small IMO. No doubt about his heart, but he's all huff and puff. Not good enough for the premier league.

estebancambias

He's 6ft, John Terry is 6 ''1.

Xavi6

The worst thing is though, ok he might develop, but here and now we're stuck with him for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

estebancambias

Kelly

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Dunne

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O'Shea

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Kilbane

zAbbo

JimiTime wrote: »

He's too small IMO. No doubt about his heart, but he's all huff and puff. Not good enough for the premier league.

He's 5.11, taller than Cannavaro

//edit, who knows what height he is, various sources range from 5.8 - 6.0 (he's certainly not 6.0)

Beanmachine

I played against Mcshane a few times For joe's he was on the team a year older than me.There were a few others on his team that could have made it aswell but i think it was his bravery and determination that got him signed.I don't even think he lacks too much pace don't get me wrong he's not the quickest but i think its more to do with his positioning and concentration.

CantGetNoSleep

A ginger player is never going to be any good, especially someone as ginger as him.

Has there ever been a world class player who suffers from this condition? Or do we finally accept that gingers' inferiority will stop them from ever doing anything good?




*No, Gary Doherty was not world class

Xavi6

Paul Scholes?

ziggy

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dc69

zAbbo wrote: »

He's 5.11, taller than Cannavaro

//edit, who knows what height he is, various sources range from 5.8 - 6.0 (he's certainly not 6.0)

according to the sunderland website he is a shade over 6 foot at 183cm

JimiTime

zAbbo wrote: »

He's 5.11, taller than Cannavaro

//edit, who knows what height he is, various sources range from 5.8 - 6.0 (he's certainly not 6.0)

Wow. He certainly doesn't look it on the pitch. this may well be another chink in the armour. Cannavaro has so many qualities that his height are an after thought. Its like, 'wow he is this that and the other, and he's only a wee bloke aswell'. With Mcshane, i find myself wondering what the hell it is. Maybe its not his height, but if he were taller, it might hide some of the other flaws in his game. I'd love to see him come on, but he just looks too........intense.

zAbbo

He's certainly not 6 foot, no chance, it looks like someone has been telling porkies there. I reckon he's in the 5'8 - 5'11 bracket. He looked around the same height as Owen yesterday and he's only 5'8

Pigman II

He could be 6ft. I think his big orange bobblehead haircut makes his head look massive and hense him look shorter than perhaps he is.

Hero Of College

Threw a snowball at my Uncle once and had a 100 yard headstart and my Uncle STILL nearly caught him. He's slow as shi!te...slow as frozen molasses, and not particularly smart to boot.

zAbbo

Yeah he'd be 6 foot with his finger in an electrical socket

zAbbo

Hero Of College wrote: »

Threw a snowball at my Uncle once and had a 100 yard headstart and my Uncle STILL nearly caught him. He's slow as shi!te...slow as frozen molasses, and not particularly smart to boot.

He threw a stone at my dads car once, and he was on a bike with a 2 mile head start, and then my dad chased him, and got the green rage and morphed into a combination of the Hulk and Optimus Prime and caught him and he was like waa-waa-waa "leave me alone mister" and then we all went back to my place and had chocolate sundaes with she-ra and all of the cute captain planet girls...

Oh wait a minute