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2015/16 Ins & Outs


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Except it wasn't just injuries. All of his managers at Everton, for example, spoke of how talented he was in one breath and in another breath spoke of how frustrating it was that he couldn't fit into the team. Same comments at international level.

 

I have watched guys like Stevie Nicol move from Ayr Utd. to Liverpool, Graeme Sharp move from Dumbarton to Everton, Steve Clark move from St. Mirren to Chelsea, Andy Gray move from Dundee Utd to Aston Villa, Pat Nevin move from Clyde to Chelsea, Alan Hansen move from Partick Thistle to Liverpool, Gordon Strachan move from Aberdeen to Manchester Utd., Kenny Dalglish move from Celtic to Liverpool and James McCarthy move to Wigan all with great success. Plus, of course, as I mentioned earlier I watched with pleasure and some pride as McLair, McAllister and Lambert went on to greater things.

 

Faddy had equal or better gifts, but didn't quite pull it off at the highest level.

 

That doesn't mean I think he is a failure in any way. I have nothing but admiration and respect for his talent and, more importantly, the way he has conducted himself and his loyalty to our club. In a profession full of ass-hats, I'd happily point any youngster towards him as a role model.

 

I just think he didn't quite reach the level his talent would allow. Maybe it was his decency that held him back a little, or his joy of playing the way he loves rather than than feeling constrained by tactics. Or maybe he was just born 25 years too late when earlier generations could accommodate mavericks like Charlie George and Rodney Marsh in their ranks.

 

Regardless, I'm not trying to be hard on him. It was a pleasure to have him at our club. I just feel he had more in him than his record suggests.

I think the main thing that held him back throughout his career was pace, and what little he did have is now long gone.

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I love Faddy as much as the next guy. Legend.

But lets be honest, he was an average at best EPL player, who had a knack for the odd spectacular goal.

As I said, love the guy, but think we get carried away with how goid he is/was.

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I love Faddy as much as the next guy. Legend.

But lets be honest, he was an average at best EPL player, who had a knack for the odd spectacular goal.

As I said, love the guy, but think we get carried away with how goid he is/was.

+1

 

He was the best player (by some considerable distance) in a Motherwell team fighting relegation and was a joy to watch. However he was never good enough to be anything other than joe average at English Premiership level.

 

He had (raw) talent, but that talent was either never coached, or he never allowed it to be coached, properly to be a more rounded player. Lack of pace held him back certainly and if you playing left wing as he was at the time then you are up against it at that level. You also need to be able to retain possession of the ball in England and faddy was incapable of that unfortunately. He was however capable of moments of magic.

 

He was one of the few bright spots of the last Motherwell team to finish bottom of the league and I will never forget the hattrick against Livingston nor the goal I seen him score in the reserves against St Johnstone. His first spell at Motherwell was so good that it made his second spell look like it was a totally different player playing which was sad to see, particularly if you consider the regression in quality in the Scottish game during the time he was away.

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I love Faddy as much as the next guy. Legend.

But lets be honest, he was an average at best EPL player, who had a knack for the odd spectacular goal.

As I said, love the guy, but think we get carried away with how goid he is/was.

You can also not discount his goals and efforts in a Scotland shirt. 48 caps and 15 goals hardly describes an average player in my eyes.

 

Most players in the premier ship are average these days, principally because even the likes of Leicester and Watford can spend £10m on a player without batting an eyelid.

 

I agree with weeyins post. But I still think a serious injury just around the time he should have been at his peak set him back and he has never recovered.

 

If he was happy to take a pay and play / coaching role I would happily have him around the club. No sentiment involved. Just the fact that he is experienced and will help younger players looking up to a Well hero.

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Except it wasn't just injuries. All of his managers at Everton, for example, spoke of how talented he was in one breath and in another breath spoke of how frustrating it was that he couldn't fit into the team./quote]

 

Im sorry but I cant agree with that. Faddy ibitially struggled at Everton while he learned that he had to work more and be more of a team player and less of a maverick. But once he learned that he had at least a season at Everton where he was superb and a good run for a bit at Birmingham too.

 

The frustrations were that he had a bad injury and never truly recovered to a point where he was capable of working like that for 90 mins,30 odd games a season again, AND that he had natural talent to be even a step above the best he showed down there but never had the pace needed to marry it up,he was a kind of one trick pony where he had the skills to beat a man easily but not the pace to skin him or long range crossing ability to back him up if plan A didnt come off

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Faddy was a very special talent. When he broke through into the first team I can remember the buzz that went through the crowd when he was on the ball. Real edge of the seat anticipation stuff in a way that I've seldom witnessed before or since. Real crushing disappointment when he left for Goodison on the last day the window.

I don't think he did too badly at all down south, not an automatic starter every week but he's just not the Steady Eddie type of player is he, in one minute sublime then the next minute really frustrating

A shame his career became injury restricted, his return promised much but sadly under delivered.

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If there was no place for sentiment in football we would all support Barcelona. I love Faddy and true love is unconditional. Sign him and you will hear my cheers all the way from Taranaki.

I support a club not a player and when push comes to shove how many good games did he have for us over the two spells?

 

McFadden's problem in England is that he wasn't athletic enough.

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McFadden didn't fulfil his attention but he had more ability is wee toe than about 80% of players in the top division.

 

Everton was the wrong club for him, square peg in a round hole a lot pig the time. Was solid at Birmingham before injuries took their toll but like has been said never quite hit the heights.

 

Honestly believe in a club and manager like Arsenal and Wenger had took a punt on him he if was willing to listen would have benefited much more even if didn't make the grade at that very top level.

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Honestly believe in a club and manager like Arsenal and Wenger had took a punt on him

That's plenty.

 

Can we give the James McFadden chat a rest now? He's not coming back, get over it.

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