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Ali McCann

Ali McCann

ConnorPR2

ConnorPR2

Joined
May 19, 2023
Messages
2,139
Location
Revitt's Mansion
I’m biased because I’m a a bit of McCann fanboy, but you honestly can’t deny how much he’s developed and improved since Hecky has come in.

I’d say he’s our most important player!!! Always absolutely everywhere, integral to the way we play and rarely putting a foot wrong. Not been fazed when given the captaincy in recent games too.

I’m against the whole can’t pass argument. His role isn’t to play these line breaking passes like mads or greenwood but to win the ball back and pass to keep possession which I think he does really well. He definitely can improve his shooting though.

Can genuinely see him being the player of the season if he continues the way he’s been playing.
 
Steve Elliotts Door said:
I'd take the captaincy off Whiteman and give it McCann.
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I get the impression McCann is one of those quiet leaders. But he’s always been vocal on the pitch and reads the game well. Sadly whiteman just hasn’t been up to the standard needed to start or be the captain. He obviously has respect in the dressing room but shouldn’t be in the starting 11
 
I could see a parachute money club wanting him in the summer. One of the best DMs in the league, I wonder if McCall is helping him kick on.
 
Ali and Thor playing together complement each other immensely. Look our best midfield combination that we have had for a long time .Both are always looking to go forward and not backwards.Long may it continue .Would keep them both together sat and replace Greenwood with Keane with him not being available,also Brady instead of Bowler so KJH can play in his natural position on the right.
 
Mick M said:
Ali and Thor playing together complement each other immensely. Look our best midfield combination that we have had for a long time .Both are always looking to go forward and not backwards.Long may it continue .Would keep them both together sat and replace Greenwood with Keane with him not being available,also Brady instead of Bowler so KJH can play in his natural position on the right.
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Probably since Pearson/Browne
 
HunterLionheart said:
Don't think he's really changed at all. Just playing where anyone with sense can see he belonged. Let him be a championship Kante, don't expect him to be great in possession.
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Agree. McCann is genuinely a number 8, like Kante. He's not a holding midfielder, because he isn't good enough to take the ball in front of his own goal and progress play. He's also not an attacking midfielder, because he's about as much of an attacking threat as Andy Procter. But like Kante (at differing levels, obviously), he'll get about the pitch, win it back, and play the easy pass. He's undoubtedly had a good season so far.

shabbagaz said:
I've always rated him and in the past thought he hasn't had a proper good run in the side.
He's been superb this season and certainly my POTS so far.

Has better/more leadership qualities than Whiteman.
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Unsubstantiated nonsense I'm afraid. We can all acknowledge that Whiteman hasn't had a particularly good season without the uncorroborated character bashing. I sit on the IP and, given I don't conform to the widespread anti-Whiteman movement, see things from an objective point of view. He's very vocal. But that won't matter to many, as his first name isn't Sean and his second name isn't Gregan.

Like George Hodgson said on his podcast, we can all see that his performance levels haven't been great, but he said in his time dealing with him over the years, he's seen nothing but a solid, disciplined, and driven lad who speaks like a captain.
 
Doyler said:
Agree. McCann is genuinely a number 8, like Kante. He's not a holding midfielder, because he isn't good enough to take the ball in front of his own goal and progress play. He's also not an attacking midfielder, because he's about as much of an attacking threat as Andy Procter. But like Kante (at differing levels, obviously), he'll get about the pitch, win it back, and play the easy pass. He's undoubtedly had a good season so far.


Unsubstantiated nonsense I'm afraid. We can all acknowledge that Whiteman hasn't had a particularly good season without the uncorroborated character bashing. I sit on the IP and, given I don't conform to the widespread anti-Whiteman movement, see things from an objective point of view. He's very vocal. But that won't matter to many, as his first name isn't Sean and his second name isn't Gregan.

Like George Hodgson said on his podcast, we can all see that his performance levels haven't been great, but he said in his time dealing with him over the years, he's seen nothing but a solid, disciplined, and driven lad who speaks like a captain.
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It isn't unsubstantiated nonsense, it's just an opinion.
Not sure why Gregan keeps being mentioned as I'm not comparing Whiteman to anyone - I just think McCann has better leadership qualities than Whiteman.
 
shabbagaz said:
It isn't unsubstantiated nonsense, it's just an opinion.
Not sure why Gregan keeps being mentioned as I'm not comparing Whiteman to anyone - I just think McCann has better leadership qualities than Whiteman.
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I'd agree, discussions of 'visibility' to one side (I find Whiteman hides a bit while McCann doesn't), it's the little touches like going over to talk to players after incidents. He seems more talkative than Whiteman. There's a level of proactiveness in how he communicates, he'll try to get on top of things before they get worse. Whiteman is more of a reactive communicator, talks after things have gone wrong.
 
Doyler said:
Agree. McCann is genuinely a number 8, like Kante. He's not a holding midfielder, because he isn't good enough to take the ball in front of his own goal and progress play. He's also not an attacking midfielder, because he's about as much of an attacking threat as Andy Procter. But like Kante (at differing levels, obviously), he'll get about the pitch, win it back, and play the easy pass. He's undoubtedly had a good season so far.


Unsubstantiated nonsense I'm afraid. We can all acknowledge that Whiteman hasn't had a particularly good season without the uncorroborated character bashing. I sit on the IP and, given I don't conform to the widespread anti-Whiteman movement, see things from an objective point of view. He's very vocal. But that won't matter to many, as his first name isn't Sean and his second name isn't Gregan.

Like George Hodgson said on his podcast, we can all see that his performance levels haven't been great, but he said in his time dealing with him over the years, he's seen nothing but a solid, disciplined, and driven lad who speaks like a captain.
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Captains armband is a curse with our fanbase. McCann will get it next. When Browne was captain, everyone pointed out how vocal Whiteman was compared to Browne and how he showed he was more of a captain. As soon as he gets it - “he doesn’t show any leadership properties and he’s quiet on the pitch, look how much more vocal McCann is”. Constant cycle from people that don’t actually know what they want from a captain even though a captain is there for the fans, he’s there for the players and it’s their opinion that matters.
 
OB1 said:
Captains armband is a curse with our fanbase. McCann will get it next. When Browne was captain, everyone pointed out how vocal Whiteman was compared to Browne and how he showed he was more of a captain. As soon as he gets it - “he doesn’t show any leadership properties and he’s quiet on the pitch, look how much more vocal McCann is”. Constant cycle from people that don’t actually know what they want from a captain even though a captain is there for the fans, he’s there for the players and it’s their opinion that matters.
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It definitely is, people were critical of Tom Clarke when he was captain here too and it's only after he left people recognised what we had.

For the record, I didn't think Browne was a bad captain a lot of what he did was underappreciated. I do stand by I think McCann is showing more in that role than Whiteman is.

I do also think there's more importance placed on captains than actual exists. If this were the early 20th century, have at it, captains picked the team back then. Now? At most they speak to the referee and exist as an focal point to look at. It's a largely symbolic role.
 
HunterLionheart said:
Don't think he's really changed at all. Just playing where anyone with sense can see he belonged. Let him be a championship Kante, don't expect him to be great in possession.
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Exactly this. All we needed from him was to play it simple and play the 1-2 touch bounce passes that he's been doing. And now with a midfielder in Thor that compliments him, who's more press resistant and can carry and play the ball forward, they're both shining in their suited roles.
 
The key element of this discussion that is being completely missed (although OB1 has alluded to this) is EXACTLY what do people mean when they talk about leadership qualities? For me a leader is someone that will be followed by their 'followers'. Someone who commands respect for the way they embody the vision and ethos of the organisation they represent. This differs in all walks of life, of course, however, in terms of football, I would imagine the players would value and respect a captain who:

a) Gives their all on the pitch
b) Doesn't shout and bawl at people when they make an error
c) Is consistent in his interactions with others, regardless of their status
d) Is approachable
e) Has a good football brain and understands the roles of others
f) Listens to the views of others (this is crucial when things are not going well)
g) Is passionate and demands high standards of himself and others

There are many other qualities that I could list here - but the point I am making is that as supporters, we only see the tip of the iceberg. Clarke is a great example in many ways. Supporters liked him as a captain, even though he wasn't always rated as a player. This from a supporter perspective was probably due to his passion (point g), but in addition to this, listen to the players and how they speak of STC. Having met him and spoken a few times, he also represented the club superbly, made time for others and was a credit to the club. In the eyes of many supporters, it would appear that the only qualities that matter are a and g, whereas in reality, from a player perspective, other elements of leadership are far more important.
 
Jack Daniels said:
@Liberation

😂 👀
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At the time he was getting some unwarranted criticism for being played out of position but you could still see the ability....... I seem to recal ( I sure did ) us agreeing that the team should have been built around him.... We are now very slowly getting there in my view and we look a lot better for it. 👍
 
Mooney said:
The key element of this discussion that is being completely missed (although OB1 has alluded to this) is EXACTLY what do people mean when they talk about leadership qualities? For me a leader is someone that will be followed by their 'followers'. Someone who commands respect for the way they embody the vision and ethos of the organisation they represent. This differs in all walks of life, of course, however, in terms of football, I would imagine the players would value and respect a captain who:

a) Gives their all on the pitch
b) Doesn't shout and bawl at people when they make an error
c) Is consistent in his interactions with others, regardless of their status
d) Is approachable
e) Has a good football brain and understands the roles of others
f) Listens to the views of others (this is crucial when things are not going well)
g) Is passionate and demands high standards of himself and others

There are many other qualities that I could list here - but the point I am making is that as supporters, we only see the tip of the iceberg. Clarke is a great example in many ways. Supporters liked him as a captain, even though he wasn't always rated as a player. This from a supporter perspective was probably due to his passion (point g), but in addition to this, listen to the players and how they speak of STC. Having met him and spoken a few times, he also represented the club superbly, made time for others and was a credit to the club. In the eyes of many supporters, it would appear that the only qualities that matter are a and g, whereas in reality, from a player perspective, other elements of leadership are far more important.
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A good leader makes himself redundant.

So in that respect I think Whiteman has done quite well.
 
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