09 Sep 2026 07:11:22
Ed001 and all Reds.
Question
Do any of you feel "dad" Macalister didn't get offered a new contract in the summer?
IMO after his last season, him and his dad have a cheek! He was not worthy of new contract. He looks to have started slightly better this year, but he is miles of a new deal for me.
Thoughts?
{Ed001's Note - he seems to be letting people know he is up for grabs on the cheap if you ask me. More angling for a move from the pair of them.}
09 Sep 2026 07:51:04
Absolutely. A very accurate assessment ED01. Let him off.
{Ed001's Note - I would be furious if it was me in charge. It was a pre-match press conference and you do that? Completely out of order.}
09 Sep 2026 08:36:35
I haven't seen the interview and didn't know if anything was lost in his translation.
But as you said Ed why do it then.
Also do you think he will be dropped for the game tonight because of it?
{Ed001's Note - I wouldn't expect him to be dropped, Iraola is used to working with players looking for moves away.}
09 Sep 2026 09:27:25
I mean, he was asked a question. It’s not like he stopped and made a big song and dance about it.
Not sad. It's what it is. I think we’ll see a very good Macca this season regardless.
09 Sep 2026 09:40:30
When he actually puts an effort in, he is a very good player, but for the past season and a half he was focussed on improving his swan dive more than anything. I’d wait and see which version shows up this season, but I think his days may be numbered and the club might look to sell at the end of the season.
09 Sep 2026 09:55:08
I'd quite like to see Nyoni get Macca's place this game in all honesty.
09 Sep 2026 10:14:13
Is the club running down their contract?
They can't keep doing this!
09 Sep 2026 10:26:20
As long as we get a fee for him in the summer, I would be happy.
09 Sep 2026 09:30:52
Indeed, Ed01. I thought his comments were pretty petty esp. making them in a presser before a UCL game. A bit odd of a venue to spew your sour grapes, me thinks.
09 Sep 2026 10:41:13
Macca played very well last game, though, and gives us a lot of what we need in that part of the pitch at this precise moment. When everybody else is going at 100mph he gives us a bit of calm and it actually helps that he's a slower and more deliberate player. He was also positionally on point for pretty much the entire game. In the press conference he revealed what we could pretty much deduce for ourselves throughout the season, which was that he was playing through pain since the end of the title-winning season.
While I too am inclined towards moving him on, he's still a very good player to have in the squad, as long as he isn't played in a system where he has to cover big spaces. Whether he is worth a bumper new contract is another question though. We'd have to say how he gets on this year, though I suspect he won't be a nailed-on starter, game in game out.
09 Sep 2026 10:59:43
I think and have always thought that he is one of the most overrated players to ever play with the club. He'd be easily replaced without missing a step. My opinion only, of course.
09 Sep 2026 10:55:55
I was surprised it was the second/third question asked in the presser. Usually a club press officer asks the first questions which will have been scripted with the coach/player to diffuse any potential uncomfortable narratives. Who was the journo who asked the question?
09 Sep 2026 12:16:14
In all fairness, Ed, MacAllister was directly asked about his contract situation by 2 reporters. His initial response was "It's going to depend on how I perform, like every football player. the fans don't need to worry because I will give my 100%, maybe they will change their minds (the club about not offering a renewal)."
It's not like he just brought it up out of the blue for no reason like Salah might.
09 Sep 2026 13:37:48
It was hardly spewing sour grapes.
He was asked a question and answered it. He spoke of his sadness about not yet being offered a new contract and his love for the club, fans and city.
He handled it well.
09 Sep 2026 13:58:29
He had the option of replying "It is between the club and me and we're discussing it", regardless of how many reporters asked the question. 90% of players and coaches answer this way. The contract expires in June 2028 - 2 years from now. Nothing final, as far as I am concerned. It's way too soon. Clearly he wants to wash laundry in public.
Salah did it? Yes, he did. But I think he is entitled to more leeway and understanding due to how much he did for the club. Mac Allister? Only in his dreams.
09 Sep 2026 15:58:57
It was comical. Much like being called hateful for not sobbing over overpaid footballers in a Madrid shirt sitting in Spain on a bench.
We need a few quality characters in the squad, hopefully in January and the summer. Few wrong ones in it.
09 Sep 2026 17:35:11
Yeah, lying is always an option, ArAy1969.
He could have lied, misled the fans and maybe left on a free transfer and the fans wouldn't have minded at all.
He might just need to earn the offer of a new contract.
It's not a big deal.
09 Sep 2026 19:05:50
To be fair to Mac, the journalists present just kept coming back to his contract status. Asked a question, I thought he answered it well. Then the same question repeated again and again. What else could he do, blank them?
10 Sep 2026 11:57:52
Coacher, yes he can and should have as he had already answered it.