I will say a bit here about McNamara - at this point, it might need its own thread.
There are people here who take a rather simplistic dichotomous view of players, and that's difficult to respect when the truth is somewhere in the middle. Tommy is a good player, and a solid backup for a team like ours. I agree that he is not the great player some in the media make him out to be, but he is well above crap, and I think that's fairly easy to demonstrate.
Last season he was 14th in the league in assists, and he also added 5 goals to that - many of both were in key situations. This season, he already has 2 goals and 1 assist in limited play. He is a clever player, who is capable of delivering a dangerous pass on target in the final 3rd. He also has a strong leg that can score from range and a smart game that often finds him in the right place to finish a scoring chance.
Of course, his game also has limitations. He is not quick or particularly athletic, so he has trouble covering the ground that our system requires for a mid or a winger. He is not strong defensively or in the air.
What does all that mean, at least for me? He is not a guy we want starting regularly, but he is a solid bench guy for us, who can help us poach a goal late or be reliable in spot starts when guys are hurt. And guess what - that is exactly what he is for us this season. He is filling the role we need and doing it reasonably well. And people have complained about how much he costs. He makes $185K, which is 11th on the team and hardly breaking the bank. Do people really think we can go out and find a better quality backup on those wages or less?
McNamara's goals plus assists per game last year were 0.565, which is higher than Wallace this year at 0.538. Tommy is down a bit this year at 0.511, but I don't think there is an important difference between any of those numbers. We start Wallace not because he is better in the final third, but because he is more athletic and a better defender. He can cover more ground, and with him in the game, we are able to press other teams more effectively. I am okay with that, and I think nearly everyone else in blue is as well. But there is a big difference between that take and the one that says he is unworthy of being in the league.
This leads me to my final point, which is kind of the linchpin for me. Much of the talk around Tommy is really disrespectful, and he is the last guy who deserves that. The UCubed references and other stuff are just bullshit to me. Save that stuff for a guy who deserves to be mocked. If a player is talented but lazy, or has an attitude problem, or has gotten into trouble off the field, then fine. But Tommy is none of those things. He is a guy with limited athletic ability who has carved out a place in this league through hard work and smarts, and that kind of thing should be respected, even if the league may be passing him by.