Home > Football > From Everton to Birmingham and the drop: McFadden's deluded if he thinks he's too good for the Championship
by Graham Fisher on 25 June 2008
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Today I am going to write an article in which I totally contradict myself from the last one I wrote. In that article I suggested that players who want to move on to bigger clubs are not greedy or disloyal but simply looking to improve themselves and show ambition.
My mind was changed in one particular case when I read the news that James McFadden wants to leave Birmingham following their relegation from the Premier League. The 25-year-old Scotland striker has been linked with a £5.5millon move to Celtic, although the Hoops have denied it. McFadden’s agent is quoted as saying: "He is happy Alex McLeish gave him a chance to play first-team football, but it's a short career."
City chairman David Gold has previously said that McFadden, who joined Birmingham from Everton in January for £5m, is "not for sale" and McLeish has also reiterated he would be at Birmingham next season as they need to keep their better players to launch a promotion challenge.
McFadden has made his name almost entirely on his performances in a Scotland shirt rather than anything he has ever produced at club level. He could not command a regular first-team place at Everton and when Birmingham offered a lot of money for him, both he and the club jumped at the chance.
McFadden didn’t play badly for the St Andrew's outfit but he failed to produce enough to prevent them from sliding to relegation. Now it would appear he thinks he's too good to play in the Championship and instead needs to be playing at the "highest level".
This is either greed, disloyalty or delusions of grandeur - I think it's probably a mixture of all three. Just 109 league appearances for Everton with 11 goals and 12 appearances for Birmingham, in which he scored four times, do not make him a player who deserves or has the right to demand to play at the top level.
McFadden’s club career was going nowhere and Birmingham offered him the chance to resurrect it. He now has a chance to prove himself and pay them back by scoring the goals that take them to the Premier League. I have no idea why he would think he is too good to do that.
If I were the Birmingham chairman I would be very tempted to keep him at the club and play him in the reserves. If the rumours about his desire to leave are unfounded then I apologise profusely, but if they are based on any sort of fact then I think his attitude is nothing short of disgraceful.
Comments (9)
by Chris Lawlor on June 25, 2008
Totally agree with your comments. We (Birmingham) have already sold Muamba (£5.5 Mil) which suited ourselves and the player, therefore we dont have to sell Mcfadden. I expect McFadden to stay and score the goals to put us back to the Premier League, and to take us back where we were when he was signed !
by Way Forward on June 25, 2008
I don't think it's McFadden that wants to move clubs it's his agent saying he can get McFadden a better deal than he's currently on. McFadden as he's a footballer is not the most intelligent thinking thus that the agent is acting in his best interests of course he's not! You only have to look at the Real Madrid thing and Cristanio Ronaldo his agent will get a £10 million cut for sorting out the papers not doing a lot. While I'm not suggesting that McFadden's agent will get as much I'm sure the agent will stand to pocket 50k should McFadden move on. I do not see why agents are needed however they are a complete disgrace! Why's it have to be agent to club why can it not be player to club? We should kick agents out of football and let the administrative workers at each respective club figure out the details.
Totally agree regarding the agents, they're acting as a middle man and i get the impression that they're only in it for themselves. If McFadden wants to stay and it is all agent talk, then McFadden should come out and say that he is staying or leaving.
by Nature Boy on June 25, 2008
McFadden is a moderate talent. He was an Enigma at Everton, in terms of once in a blue moon, that talent would see him score a great goal. That's it. He was petulant, mouthy, moaned all the time, constantly had a go at his fellow players when he was to blame, he consistently made bad decisions such as shooting when he should have passed, and when he should have had a shot, he would choose to pass and that pass would almost always go to an opposing player. The Championship or the Scots Prem would suit his talents on a week by week basis, in my opinion and Birmingham should get shot of a player they overpaid us for as soon as they get back to the Prem.
by liam mcdermott on June 25, 2008
mcfadden is a brilliant player but he is a really talaneted player but he is not bigger than birmingham city and he never will be !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
by frank stone on June 25, 2008
its definatly his agent it was less then a month ago that he said he intednded to play at birmingham untill his contract ends and probably longer. but if his agent has heard some speculation of course hes try and pocket some extra cash im an actor and i know for a fact the only thing an agent wants is money wether there clients happy or not
by James McGlone on June 25, 2008
McFadden as he's a footballer is not the most intelligent thinking thus that the agent is acting in his best interests of course he's not!
by John Kelly on June 25, 2008
James McFadden is a legend in his own mind. Says it all really
What the hell are you on about James. Your missing the point completely! Was grammar needed in my point no not necessarily. Who's saying McFadden did not play well enough for us? Your a complete gimp! McFadden will still be with us for our game vs Sheffield United on August 9th I imagine. Who could honestly afford him? £10 million that's the number that is being touted around is anyone willing to pay that? That's out of the range of clubs like: Wigan, Bolton, Middlesborough, Hull City, West Brom, Stoke City, Sunderland, Fulham, Blackburn and Everton. No top four club is going to want him. Even if someone pays that do you think we'd care? We'd be loaded and could probably get better players.
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