McCartney: George

2010-2011 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Left Back

Born: Belfast, Northern Ireland: 29-04-1981

Debut: v Sheffield United (h): 25-09-2010

6’ 10st 8lb (2010)

An attack-minded left back, he graduated from the Sunderland youth system and made his first-team debut in the 3-0 League Cup Second Round First Leg win over Luton Town on 19th September 2000 at the Stadium of Light. He had already represented Northern Ireland at Schoolboy and Under-Eighteen level, making a scoring debut for the Under-Eighteens in a 3-1 win over Denmark at Seaview, home of Crusaders in Belfast. He played three further games for the Under-Eighteens as the two teams played a 1-1 draw at the Showgrounds Ballymena two days later and two games in the UEFA Under-Eighteen Championships as they lost 0-1 to Ukraine at the Olimpiyskyi Kiev on 30th April 2000 and then drew the return eleven days later with a 2-2 scoreline at the home of Crusaders. He made his debut for the Northern Ireland Under-Twenty-One team on 6th October 2000 in a 0-3 defeat by Denmark in the UEFA Under-Twenty-One Group Three Qualifiers at the Oval, home of Glentoran, in Belfast and by 31st August 2001 he had five caps at that level with four further UEFA Group matches. He gained his first full Cap for Northern Ireland, in a 3-0 win over Iceland in the 2002 World Cup Qualifying Tournament, scoring on debut, at Windsor Park, Belfast, on 5th September 2001, when he completed the scoring in the sixty-first minute. After Jason McAteer was forced out for a prolonged period through injury, McCartney was appointed team captain in 2003-04. He was Sunderland's Player of the year in 2004-05, the year they won the CCCL Championship and was also elected as a member of the CCCL team in the same season. He played one hundred and thirty-four, of which seventeen were as substitute, in the League, along with ten starts and three games from the bench in the F.A. Cup, six starts and two games as a substitute in the League Cup along with two stars in other games, all without a goal in any competition, before being transferred to West Ham United on 8th August 2006 on a four year deal. In a deal worth £1 million, the Hammers paid £600,000 plus Clive Clarke to secure the services of the Twenty-five-year-old left-back, who by that time had already accumulated twenty Irish International Caps. He made his debut in the team's 2–1 defeat by Chesterfield at Saltergate in the Third Round of the League Cup on 24th October 2006. Initially his appearances were restricted to games from the bench but with the advent of Alan Curbishley he became the regular left-back. He scored his first League goal on 4th November 2007 in a 1–1 home draw with Bolton Wanderers and went on to be selected as the runner-up to Robert Green as the club's player of the year. His transfer back to Sunderland caused the resignation of Manager Alan Curbishley after it was done without his knowledge. He scored the one League goal in fifty-four starts and seven substitute appearances. He also made four starts in the F.A. Cup and six in the League Cup. The transfer was on a five year contract and took place on 2nd September 2008 and the fee was rumoured to be in the region of £6 million. West Ham had turned down a £4.5 million bid from Sunderland in July 2008 and McCartney had signed a new contract with the club being adamant he was not for sale. McCartney put in a transfer request citing his wife's inability to settle in London. West Ham reluctantly accepted an increased offer from Sunderland and Curbishley resigned as a consequence. Roy Keane was in charge of the Black Cats but after he was replaced by Steve Bruce, McCartney suffered an ankle injury and then could not get his place back from Anton Ferdinand. In 2010-11 he suffered a knee injury in the pre-season tour of Portugal. Kieran Richardson was given the number three shirt for the season as Sunderland's first choice left back. On the international scene he had accumulated five Under-Twenty-One Caps and had made thirty-two starts and played twice as a substitute for the senior team. In 2005 he had had a falling out with team Manager Lawrie Sanchez and fell out of favour. After Nigel Worthington became Manager he was recalled and made his return in a 3-1 win over Liechtenstein on 22nd August 2007. McCartney joined Leeds United on 23rd September 2010, initially on a one month loan. He made his debut on 25th September 2010 in the 1-0 Elland Road victory over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United. In his second game he conceded a penalty as Leeds went down 6-4 at home to Preston North End. On 4th October 2010 his loan was extended so he could play in the home game against Cardiff City, which Leeds lost by 4-0. On 30th October he signed a one-month extension which enabled him to play at Scunthorpe on the same day. His loan was further extended for another month on 1st December 2010. He returned to Sunderland on its expiration on 31st December 2010. He had made seventeen consecutive appearances in his three month stay. On 14th January 2011, he re-signed on loan until the end of the season. In a newspaper interview on 3rd May 2011 McCartney stated that the team had become jaded and had lost form and conceded vital points through tiredness in the promotion run-in. His comments brought a withering attack from the club's chairman Ken Bates: Sunderland left-back McCartney, 30, on loan at Leeds for most of the season, has angered Bates with comments made in a local newspaper about some of Simon Grayson's players "being out on their feet after playing so much this season". Bates told Yorkshire Radio: "I see he's rather unwisely been giving an interview in which he says the players are tired, a sense of jadedness among certain players has proved telling. Well, I don't quite understand what he means by that because, when we play QPR, we'll have played fifty games, but everybody at the club will have played at least forty-eight, forty-six league games and two cup matches. I don't understand what he means by players being 'out on their feet' after playing so much this season. It certainly doesn't apply to him. As far as I can see, looking at the fixture list, as far as I know, he has only played twice in the last six games. So I don't think fatigue can contribute to his contribution, which I haven't been particularly impressed with." Bates added: "As I understand it, he has been fined more than once for turning up late in training. So perhaps if he turned up on time and showed a bit more commitment then he wouldn't feel quite so tired. I think it's a rubbish excuse for him and anybody else who wants to swing that one." McCartney left Elland Road with those words ringing in his ears. During his spell with Leeds he was recalled into the Northern Ireland team in November 2010. In February 2011 he was called into the Northern Ireland squad to face Scotland, but on 8th February 2011 he once again announced his retirement from international football. By then he had gained thirty-four caps. On 10th August 2011, McCartney went on a season-long loan to West Ham United. He became their first choice left-back and went on to make thirty-six starts and two substitute appearances in the League and one start in each of the F.A. Cup and League Cup competitions and also made three substitute appearances in the Championship play-offs as the Hammers regained their EPL status. He had scored one League goal during his spell at Upton Park, with a goal in a 2-0 win at Cardiff City on 4th March 2012, and he was awarded the club's Players' Player of the Year award. At the end of the season he became a free agent and joined West Ham United on a free transfer on a two year contract. With Sunderland he made thirty-six starts and had five games from the bench in the League and two starts and one from the bench in the F.A. Cup and two starts in the League Cup in his second term with the club. He had injury problems in his first season back picking up an ankle injury in the 0-3 EPL defeat at Swansea City on 25 August 2012. He returned to action in the 4-1 home League Cup Third-Round defeat by Wigan Athletic on 25th September 2012, but then suffered a knee injury in training in December 2012, ruling him out of the Christmas and New Year fixtures. In his return game on 30th March 2013 he suffered a recurrence of the same knee injury which saw him miss the rest of the season. He had started nine and come on as a substitute in three more in the League and started one game in the League Cup by the end of the 2012-13 season. He made his first appearance of the new season in the 2-1 home win over Cheltenham Town in the League Cup on 27th August 2013.