James McCarthy (footballer)

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James McCarthy
James McCarthy.JPG
McCarthy playing for Hamilton Academical in 2009.
Personal information
Date of birth 12 November 1990 (1990-11-12) (age 21)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Playing position Central Midfielder
Club information
Current club Wigan Athletic
Number 4
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2006–2009 Hamilton Academical 95 (13)
2009– Wigan Athletic 64 (4)
National team‡
2007 Republic of Ireland U17 3 (1)
2007–2008 Republic of Ireland U18 2 (2)
2007–2008 Republic of Ireland U19 1 (0)
2008– Republic of Ireland U21 7 (1)
2010– Republic of Ireland 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 February 2012.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2011

James McCarthy (Irish: Séamas Mac Cárthaigh; born 12 November 1990) is an Irish footballer who plays for Wigan Athletic as a central midfielder. McCarthy made over 100 appearances for Hamilton Academical as a teenager, before being transferred to Wigan in 2009 for an initial £1.2 million. Although born in Scotland, McCarthy made his competitive debut for the Republic of Ireland on 26 March 2011 in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Macedonian national team.

Contents

[edit] Early life

McCarthy was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He is the youngest child of Willie and Marie McCarthy,[2] and is an alumnus of St Margaret Mary's Secondary School in Castlemilk.[3] He grew up supporting Celtic,[4] and would later try out for their youth teams, but was turned down due to the large number of players the club had already taken on.[3]

[edit] Club career

[edit] Hamilton Academical

McCarthy made his debut for Hamilton against Queen of the South as a substitute on 30 September 2006,[2] becoming the youngest player to play for Hamilton Academical in the 21st century. His full debut came against Airdrie United on 11 November 2006; a day before his 16th birthday. On 6 January 2007, at 16 years and 55 days old, McCarthy became the youngest player ever to score in Hamilton Academical's history when he scored in a Scottish Cup defeat against Livingston.

On 17 May 2008, after a season which saw his club promoted to the Scottish Premier League, McCarthy signed a new three-year contract with the club.[5] He won the SPFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2008–09 season.[6]

[edit] Wigan Athletic

Hamilton accepted a bid for McCarthy from Wigan Athletic on 16 July 2009.[7] He completed the move to Wigan on 21 July, on a five-year deal, believed to be worth just under £1.2 million. The club could get additional payments depending on appearances.[8] McCarthy made his debut for Wigan on 22 August 2009, as a 74th minute substitute in a 5–0 defeat to Manchester United. He scored his first goal for Wigan in the FA Cup third round victory against fellow Premier League team Hull City on 2 January 2010,[9] and marked his first Premier League start with a goal in a 2–0 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 16 January 2010.

After an impressive start to the 2010–11 season, he picked up a serious ankle injury against Bolton Wanderers on 23 October 2010,[10] keeping him out of action for three months. He scored on his return to the lineup against Aston Villa on 25 January 2011.[11] On 5 February 2011, McCarthy scored twice in a 4–3 victory against Blackburn Rovers.[12] Later in the month, McCarthy was at the centre of controversy in Wigan's 4–0 defeat to Manchester United after being elbowed by United striker Wayne Rooney. A free kick was awarded to Wigan for the incident, but Rooney received no further punishment. Although McCarthy was praised for staying on his feet following the clash,[13] Wigan team mate and captain Gary Caldwell felt that Rooney would have been sent off had McCarthy reacted by going to ground.[14]

In August 2011, McCarthy signed a new five-year contract at the club.[15]

[edit] International career

At the age of fifteen, McCarthy opted to play for the Republic of Ireland.[16] He was eligible through his family links to Gweedore, County Donegal,[17] and he made a promise to his dying grandfather to do so.[18][19] However, McCarthy also claimed that he would have played for Scotland if they had offered him an international call-up first.[16] Despite multiple attempts to persuade McCarthy to switch his allegiance to the country of his birth, he reaffirmed his decision to play for the Republic of Ireland.[19][20][21]

McCarthy made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland Under-17s in January 2007 against Italy.[22] He scored his first goal against Greece when winning his third cap in March of the same year.[23] He was quickly promoted to the Under-18s and played his first game at that level versus Germany in November 2007.[24] He scored twice in the return game that same month.[25] McCarthy played one game for the Under-19s in September 2007 against Portugal.[26] and was subsequently selected for a number of these squads in 2008.[27] McCarthy came on as a half time substitute for the Republic of Ireland Under-21s in their European Championship qualifier on 31 March against Turkey. McCarthy made an instant impression, creating opportunities for the lone striker, as well as making many intelligent runs in behind the Turkish defence.

McCarthy received his first call-up to the Republic of Ireland national squad in February 2010, for a friendly with Brazil played in London.[28] He made his debut as a substitute, replacing Stoke City's Liam Lawrence after 70 minutes.[29] McCarthy withdrew from the Ireland squad for their 2011 Nations Cup match against Wales.[30] This led to media speculation that McCarthy may switch his allegiance to Scotland, as his appearances for Irish youth teams or in the friendly against Brazil do not tie him to Ireland under the present rules.[30][31] The speculation was fuelled by Wigan manager Roberto Martinez who insisted that McCarthy was still considering his international future, even after McCarthy and Giovanni Trapattoni had a face to face meeting in which McCarthy reportedly confirmed his commitment to Ireland.[32]

The question of McCarthy's international allegiance was finally resolved in March 2011 after he accepted a call-up for Ireland's Euro 2012 qualification match against Macedonia, in which he came off the bench replacing Robbie Keane to earn his first competitive cap, rendering him ineligible to play for his native Scotland.

On the 4 May, McCarthy was called into to Irish squad for the games against Northern Ireland and Scotland. However there was more speculation about McCarthy's commitment to the Irish set up when he reportedly gone AWOL after not showing up for training . Later Martinez, the Wigan manager came out and said he will be out "for at least four weeks" .

[edit] Career statistics

As of 12 February 2012
Season Club Division League FA Cup League Cup FL Trophy Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals A yellow card A red card
2011-12 Wigan Athletic Premier League 20 0 0 0 1 0 – – 21 0 2 0
2010–11 Premier League 24 3 1 0 2 0 – – 27 3 2 0
2009–10 Premier League 20 1 3 1 1 0 – – 24 2 3 0
Wigan Athletic Total 64 4 4 1 4 0 0 0 72 5 7 0
2008-09 Hamilton Academical Premier League 37 6 3 0 3 0 – – 43 6 5 0
2007-08 First Division 35 6 2 0 4 1 1 0 42 7 2 0
2006-07 First Division 23 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 24 1 2 0
Hamilton Academical Total 95 13 6 1 8 1 1 0 109 15 9 0
Career Total 159 17 10 1 12 1 1 0 181 20 16 0

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club

Hamilton Academical

[edit] Individual

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Player Profile". Premier League. http://www.premierleague.com/page/PlayerProfile/0,,12306~41884,00.html. Retrieved 17 March 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "Face of the future". Independent.ie. 21 December 2007. http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/face-of-the-future-1252257.html. Retrieved 7 January 2011. 
  3. ^ a b "Net worth". Herald Scotland. 13 January 2007. http://www.heraldscotland.com/net-worth-1.833598. Retrieved 7 January 2011. 
  4. ^ "Scottish-born James McCarthy has always had ambitions of playing for Ireland". Football Association of Ireland. 21 January 2007. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1620. Retrieved 7 January 2011. 
  5. ^ "McCarthy extends stay with Accies". BBC Sport. 17 May 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/hamilton_academical/7406451.stm. Retrieved 17 May 2008. 
  6. ^ "Ireland’s James McCarthy is Scotland’s "Young Player of the Year"". Football Association of Ireland. 5 May 2009. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4264:irelands-james-mccarthy-is-scotlands-young-player-of-the-year&catid=1:senior-men&Itemid=8. Retrieved 8 January 2011. 
  7. ^ Lindsay, Clive (20 July 2009). "McCarthy agrees £1.2m Wigan move". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/8146848.stm. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  8. ^ "McCarthy completes Wigan transfer". BBC Sport. 21 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/8161672.stm. Retrieved 21 July 2009. 
  9. ^ "Wigan 4–1 Hull". BBC Sport. 2 January 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/8434060.stm. Retrieved 2 January 2010. 
  10. ^ "Wigan boss rocked by James McCarthy injury". BBC Sport. 23 October 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/wigan_athletic/9121495.stm. Retrieved 23 October 2010. 
  11. ^ "Wigan 1-2 Aston Villa". BBC Sport. 25 January 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9369947.stm. Retrieved 26 January 2011. 
  12. ^ "Wigan 4-3 Blackburn". BBC Sport. 5 February 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9384149.stm. Retrieved 25 June 2011. 
  13. ^ Hansen, Alan (28 February 2011). "Wayne Rooney's flying elbow could cost Manchester United the title if he is banned by FA". London: Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/8350502/Alan-Hansen-Wayne-Rooneys-flying-elbow-could-cost-Manchester-United-the-title-if-he-is-banned-by-FA.html. Retrieved 25 June 2011. 
  14. ^ "James McCarthy was too honest after Wayne Rooney elbow incident". Goal.com. 1 March 2011. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/03/01/2374262/wigan-captain-gary-caldwell-james-mccarthy-was-too-honest. Retrieved 25 June 2011. 
  15. ^ "Three new contracts confirmed". Wigan Athletic F.C.. 23 August 2011. http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10429~2428838,00.html. Retrieved 13 September 2011. 
  16. ^ a b Spiers, Graham (28 February 2009). "James McCarthy ignores fans' abuse". The Times (London). http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article5816704.ece. Retrieved 10 February 2011. 
  17. ^ Finn, Stephen (23 January 2007). "Scots green with envy as McCarthy prepares to don Irish jersey". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/scots-green-with-envy-as-mccarthy-prepares-to-don-irish-jersey-60764.html. Retrieved 10 February 2011. "McCarthy is eligible for Ireland through his Gweedore-born grandfather Paddy Coyle, who recently passed away." 
  18. ^ "McCarthy Considers Scotland Switch". News of the World. 21 January 2009. http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/football/697041/McCARTHY-CONSIDERS-SCOTLAND-SWITCH.html. 
  19. ^ a b McDonnell, Daniel (8 October 2008). "McCarthy pledges allegiance to Irish cause despite advances from Scotland". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/mccarthy-pledges-allegiance-to-irish-cause-despite-advances-from-scotland-1492508.html. 
  20. ^ "Wigan midfielder McCarthy says no to Scotland". STV. 5 February 2010. http://www.stv.tv/weather/155691-wigan-midfielder-mccarthy-says-no-to-scotland/. Retrieved 8 January 2011. 
  21. ^ Guidi, Mark (20 March 2011). "My international future lies with Ireland and not Scotland, says James McCarthy". The Daily Record. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/2011/03/20/my-international-future-lies-with-ireland-and-not-scotland-says-james-mccarthy-86908-23003377/. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 
  22. ^ "Hamilton Republic of Ireland's U17 team impress in victory over Italy in Dublin". FAI. 23 January 2007. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1627&Itemid=9. 
  23. ^ "Sean McCaffrey pays tribute to Ireland’s U17 squad in Germany". FAI. 23 March 2007. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1854&Itemid=9. 
  24. ^ "Germany prove too powerful for Ireland U18s". FAI. 13 November 2007. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2627&Itemid=9. 
  25. ^ "James McCarthy scores twice as Ireland U18s defeat Germany". FAI. 15 November 2007. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2637&Itemid=9. 
  26. ^ "Ireland U19 lose first match of double-header to Portugal". FAI. 4 September 2007. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2370&Itemid=9. 
  27. ^ "Ireland International Call Ups for Accies". Hamilton Accies FC. 19 March 2008. http://www.acciesfc.co.uk/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=520&Itemid=2. 
  28. ^ "Portsmouth's Marc Wilson in Republic of Ireland call-up". BBC Sport. 22 February 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8528434.stm. 
  29. ^ Robinho has Ireland Chasing his Shadow The Independent, 3 March 2010
  30. ^ a b Young, Colin (7 February 2011). "Wigan youngster McCarthy's 'still loyal to' Republic of Ireland despite exit". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1354669/Wigans-James-McCarthy-loyal-Republic-Ireland-despite-Carling-Nations-Cup-exit.html. Retrieved 10 February 2011. 
  31. ^ Young, Colin (10 February 2011). "Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni tells James McCarthy: You can play for Scotland". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1355457/Republic-Ireland-boss-Giovanni-Trapattoni-tells-James-McCarthy-You-play-Scotland.html?ito=feeds-newsxml. Retrieved 10 February 2011. 
  32. ^ Fanning, Dion (20 March 2011). "Glut of non-runners makes it difficult to avoid a gamble". Irish Independent. http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/glut-of-nonrunners-makes-it-difficult-to-avoid-a-gamble-2586331.html. Retrieved 20 March 2011. 

[edit] External links

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