Author Topic: how good was Steve McMahon (Read 33531 times)

paulrazor · « **on:** February 22, 2011, 10:00:32 am »

just see a lot of talk in the aldridge goal thread about him and comparing him with mascherano

i think the guy deserves his own thread.

memory im envisioning at the minute was a match at spurs in 1990. we won 3-1 and it was around the time everyone was raving over Paul Gascoigne. I think McMahon gave a few swift elbows during the match and just toyed with him.

Gazza left the pitch in pool of blood and tears

i suppose a few memories that will be mentioned will be of course his goal against united in 1988 and one absolute belter at Oxford the same season.

I would go as far as to suggest that although he was sold at the right time i dont think he was replaced until Steven Gerrard came through.

anyone else?

davidg · « **Reply #1 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:04:39 am »

ten times the player Mascherano was, is, or ever will be. A box to box, all action, old style centre mid who could do everything,

fabulous player.

Andy @ Allerton! · « **Reply #2 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:05:24 am »

Steve McMahon was ace.

Davvo7 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:11:52 am »

He was awesome, a mixture of power, aggresion and determination but with a really good deft touch as well. Had a hell of a shot on him as well. It's always a bit pointless trying to compare him with present players, but I'm not sure he would have stayed on the pitch a lot of the time these days - he was a hard tackler! I loved his motivational skills as well, always talking and encouraging. One of the best midfielders we ever had in my humble opinion - and considering how many great midfielders we have had, it is high praise. Always liked his no-nonsence approach to everything, reminded me a lot of Jimmy Case - which is a compliment as far as I'm concerned.

Dubred · « **Reply #4 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:14:20 am »

Was an absolutely brilliant player.

Had it all in his locker.

Some compared him to masch in the aldo thread because of his 'destroyer' image, but to be honest, as good as masch is, mcmahon was twice the player for me. Could do what masch did, and a whole lot more.

Def doesn't get the recognition he deserves. God, how much would he be worth in this market?

Mad Men · « **Reply #5 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:17:33 am »

A different sort of player from mascherano. Wish people would stop being so bloody emotional about the manner in which mascherano left us.

McMahon did exactly the same. Thing to Everyon so he was not perfect either.

McMahon made the midfield tick. I would compare him to Gerrard because their gun ho, tally ho, and come on lads...up and at em style in the middle of the park and his non stop running gave the team a ball winner and a player who could make a deft pass or score a class goal.

Legend for me. Loves the club. Loves the supporters.

Think he is in Asia as epl pundit.

AnnieRoad(Un)Faithful · « **Reply #6 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:21:46 am »

His chasing after the ball when it looked like it was going out of play, collecting it, turning and setting up a goal for Aldo summed him up very well.

A real tank of a player, but one with good touch and plenty of skill.

paulrazor · « **Reply #7 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:22:19 am »

he looks even scarier now

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2008/08/07/mcmahon476.jpgnow.

AnnieRoad(Un)Faithful · « **Reply #8 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:24:59 am »

Quote from: Mad Men on February 22, 2011, 10:17:33 am

A different sort of player from mascherano. Wish people would stop being so bloody emotional about the manner in which mascherano left us.

McMahon did exactly the same thing to Everyon so he was not perfect either.

Wrong.

He rejected us to sign for Villa from Everton, actually, so he didn't upset their fans.

He later joined us because he didn't think it would upset them so much after a couple of years.

paulrazor · « **Reply #9 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:28:20 am »

Quote from: AnnieRoadFaithful on February 22, 2011, 10:24:59 am

Wrong.

He rejected us to sign for Villa from Everton, actually, so he didn't upset their fans.

He later joined us because he didn't think it would upset them so much after a couple of years.

remember reading once his gaff got broke into the first time he played for villa against everton.

remember that celebration against everton in 1987, barnes put him through and he blasted it off southall. him and aldridge went fucking nuts

Red number seven · « **Reply #10 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:36:56 am »

Better footballer and goal threat than Masch by a mile, but entriely different player from an entirely different era. Masch and his ilk are a relatively modern type of midfielder who exist to prevent the class "number 10s" from destroying you "between the lines", but also to cover over for overlapping fullbacks.

Good engine, up and down centre midfielder, nice footballer, decent goal threat, great tackler. The role Gerrard would have played had he been a 1980s player, but don't think he had Gerrard's pace or class.

stewy17 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:38:35 am »

Quote from: Mad Men on February 22, 2011, 10:17:33 am

Wish people would stop being so bloody emotional about the manner in which mascherano left us.

Emotion in football?

How ridiculous...

nocturnalvin · « **Reply #12 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:38:38 am »

a horrible pundit who knives into the manager all the time. Full of ego shite.

stewy17 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:39:53 am »

Quote from: nocturnalvin on February 22, 2011, 10:38:38 am

a horrible pundit who knives into the manager all the time. Full of ego shite.

This thread isn't about his punditry is it?

Ron · « **Reply #14 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:40:40 am »

The way he kept that ball in play against Arsenal for Aldridge to score !
Brilliant !
Great player !

jaffod · « **Reply #15 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:41:11 am »

One of my all-time favourite players, he could do just about everything. Scored one of the best headers I've ever seen against Everton in the Screen Sport Super Cup (great competition!) from 20 yards at the Kop end, top of the net.

nietzsche · « **Reply #16 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:41:46 am »

Was he a bit like Meireles then..?

Regards

Red number seven · « **Reply #17 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:43:18 am »

Quote from: nietzsche on February 22, 2011, 10:41:46 am

Was he a bit like Meireles then..?

Regards

No. He could tackle. and he wasn't covered in tatts.

Fat Scouser · « **Reply #18 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:44:22 am »

A great player.

didi · « **Reply #19 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:45:48 am »

hard in the tackle and delicate in his passing....could ping a ball forty yards and could see a pass thru an eye of a needle...my favourite player at the time....loved his tussles with Mr Reid

Ron · « **Reply #20 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:46:55 am »

Quote from: Red number seven on February 22, 2011, 10:43:18 am

No. He could tackle. and he wasn't covered in tatts.

Red number seven · « **Reply #21 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:48:14 am »

Quote from: Fat Scouser on February 22, 2011, 10:44:22 am

A great player.

Agreed. Kenny's first signing (first time round!) I think?

Funny how the "Barnes/BeardsleyAldridge triumvirate is, rightly, hailed but can sometimes make us forget just how good the likes of McMahon, Whelan, Nicol, Hansen etc were. All utterly top class.

Truly tremendous side.

nietzsche · « **Reply #22 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:49:11 am »

I'm afraid his punditry leaves a lot to bit desired. I believe he tries too hard to be objective at times and that leads him to making comments that I feel do not necessarily reflect what might be his true opinion.

Regards

downhill · « **Reply #23 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:49:42 am »

I remember a 'derby' at Anfield, him & Reid spent the whole match kicking lumps out of each other. But neither of them cried & whinged, just got up & went hard into the next tackle.
Probably had a bevvie & a good laugh after the match.

pistolpete · « **Reply #24 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:51:43 am »

Great player but wasnt there some doubt about his supposedly hard-man image?

jjasonuk · « **Reply #25 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:52:46 am »

I would compare him more to Lucas (when allowed to be a box-to-box player).

Elements of Mach but in all honesty not as good as Whiteside, Trevor Steven or Robson in the same (ish) era.

Was the player who won the ball and kept things ticking over, worked really well in a great team. Unsung hero also like Lucas, better than Lucas not as good as Souness.

Red number seven · « **Reply #26 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:54:16 am »

Quote from: pistolpete on February 22, 2011, 10:51:43 am

Great player but wasnt there some doubt about his supposedly hard-man image?

Dunno, seemed pretty hard to me most of the time. Only game I would question it was the '88 cup final where he got a bang off Vinny Jones early on and seemed to go missing a bit. But that's an easy retrospective narrative and had Aldo scored the pen I probably wouldn't have even noticed.

Jimmy Conway · « **Reply #27 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:54:26 am »

Who remembers his 1 minute signal against Arsenal in 1989?

jaffod · « **Reply #28 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:55:43 am »

Quote from: pistolpete on February 22, 2011, 10:51:43 am

Great player but wasnt there some doubt about his supposedly hard-man image?

There was a lot of shit spoken after Vinnie Jones' tackle on him in the '88 Cup Final. Jones should have got a straight red. Never saw McMahon pull out of anything, but he wasn't a dirty player - just loved a good tackle.

jjasonuk · « **Reply #29 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:56:57 am »

Quote from: Red number seven on February 22, 2011, 10:54:16 am

Dunno, seemed pretty hard to me most of the time. Only game I would question it was the '88 cup final where he got a bang off Vinny Jones early on and seemed to go missing a bit. But that's an easy retrospective narrative and had Aldo scored the pen I probably wouldn't have even noticed.

Was not really the hard man we thought and built him up to be, Whiteside, Reid and Jones all gave him at least equal - doesn;t take anything away from him though, he won the ball and gave it to the players (he could play but not like the others in that team)

pistolpete · « **Reply #30 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:58:04 am »

Quote from: Red number seven on February 22, 2011, 10:54:16 am

Dunno, seemed pretty hard to me most of the time. Only game I would question it was the '88 cup final where he got a bang off Vinny Jones early on and seemed to go missing a bit. But that's an easy retrospective narrative and had Aldo scored the pen I probably wouldn't have even noticed.

Yeah that was it, cheers. I think according to crazy gang accounts of the final, McMahon was seen as 'the enforcer' so Vinnie was told to get into him early to stop him running the game. Seemed to work!

Sangria · « **Reply #31 on:** February 22, 2011, 10:59:05 am »

Quote from: didi on February 22, 2011, 10:45:48 am

hard in the tackle and delicate in his passing....could ping a ball forty yards and could see a pass thru an eye of a needle...my favourite player at the time....loved his tussles with Mr Reid

Not quite as reliable a passer as the real pass wizards in the side, but good enough for the time. Tough, but I think the psychos of that era reckoned he wasn't as tough as he was made out to be. Still plenty tough enough for most teams though. Very busy player, easily fitting into the pass and move ethos. Hammer of a shot, which I modelled my shooting technique on. Taking different standards of fitness into consideration, would be an upgrade on all the current CMs.

FowlerLeftFoot · « **Reply #32 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:00:45 am »

Amazing player! He is gerrard and mascha rolled into one. He can tackle, pass, dribble and scored some nice goals as well.

Red number seven · « **Reply #33 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:00:45 am »

Quote from: jjasonuk on February 22, 2011, 10:52:46 am

I would compare him more to Lucas (when allowed to be a box-to-box player).

Elements of Mach but in all honesty not as good as Whiteside, Trevor Steven or Robson in the same (ish) era.

Was the player who won the ball and kept things ticking over, worked really well in a great team. Unsung hero also like Lucas, better than Lucas not as good as Souness.

Possibly a similar player to Lucas if Lucas was off the lead a bit more, but I don't think we've seen enough of him getting forward to make that comparison valid. Lucas playing in 1988 would've played more like McMahon, I'm sure.

Whiteside and Robson were both class acts at their best. Whiteside probably a better footballer, but lacked the mobility; Robson was just top drawer. One of their careers was destroyed by booze and injuries, the other seemed to have a superhuman ability be able to recover from enormous amounts of both. Trevor Steven was a right midfielder with decent feet and a good crosser, but a different type of player from the other three altogether in my view.

jaffod · « **Reply #34 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:00:56 am »

Quote from: jjasonuk on February 22, 2011, 10:52:46 am

I would compare him more to Lucas (when allowed to be a box-to-box player).

Elements of Mach but in all honesty not as good as Whiteside, Trevor Steven or Robson in the same (ish) era.

Was the player who won the ball and kept things ticking over, worked really well in a great team. Unsung hero also like Lucas, better than Lucas not as good as Souness.

Why would you compare him to Whiteside and Steven? One was a striker who dropped back into midfield when his legs went and one was a RM/winger.
I don't see the Lucas comparison either.

tomred · « **Reply #35 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:01:04 am »

Was one of my favourite players at a time when we were spoiled for choice.

zod · « **Reply #36 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:01:26 am »

Quote from: pistolpete on February 22, 2011, 10:51:43 am

Great player but wasnt there some doubt about his supposedly hard-man image?

He was quite dirty, I remember a few things he did..

Him and Graham Sharp arguing with the ref, McMahan held up two fingers to suggest to the ref that something had happened twice, when the ref turned away the two fingers went in Sharpes eyes.

Kicked Mark Hughes (I thnk?) around the pitch, until Hughes got sent off, turned and winked to the TV cameras.

I can also remember a horror tackle on vinny jones, payback after Jones clattered him in the 88 cup final. Jones needed a tonne of stitches on a big gash in his leg.

Khal · « **Reply #37 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:03:30 am »

Quote from: FowlerLeftFoot on February 22, 2011, 11:00:45 am

Amazing player! He is gerrard and mascha rolled into one. He can tackle, pass, dribble and scored some nice goals as well.

Agreed.

CHOPPER · « **Reply #38 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:03:39 am »

He was very good and when he came to us we were the making of him.

bloodred09 · « **Reply #39 on:** February 22, 2011, 11:05:13 am »

Quote from: jaffod on February 22, 2011, 10:55:43 am

There was a lot of shit spoken after Vinnie Jones' tackle on him in the '88 Cup Final. Jones should have got a straight red. Never saw McMahon pull out of anything, but he wasn't a dirty player - just loved a good tackle.

to be fair jones should have gone to jail on more than 1 occasion. He was a really good player but i agree with the not as good as Souness comment but not many have been.