view McNamee's match-by-match record
 
Anthony MCNAMEE

Maurice Malpas' first signing as Town boss, McNamee joined Swindon on a two-and-a-half year deal in January 2008, as part of a double deal with Watford that also brought Moses Ashikodi to the County Ground on loan. At first, the signing was questioned by a section of the Town's support, when it was revealed that the reason former Watford boss Ray Lewington didn't utilise McNamee more often was due to a problem with asthma - a myth that McNamee himself was quick to dispel. After making his Town debut in a 0-0 draw at Crewe in February, and after a quiet first few games, McNamee soon established himself as a fans' favourite, with his pace and trickery down the left wing.

During March, McNamee was utilised in a free role in Malpas' "4-3½-2½" formation - as the only wide player in the side, McNamee was given more license to roam as the attacking midfield player, making up a third man in attack. It wasn't a particularly successful experiment - the Town slumping down the league table - and it wasn't until April that McNamee opened his goalscoring account, when, lining up in a more conventional 4-4-2, he netted Swindon's fourth goal in an eventual 6-0 win over relegated Port Vale. He doubled his tally with a deflected strike on the final day of the season - then immediately claimed that there was more to come from him, as he bid to improve his form away from home, where he generally had not been as influential as at the County Ground.

McNamee started the 2008/09 season on fire - a superb performance in a pre-season friendly against Portsmouth brought praise from Pompey manager Harry Redknapp, and even prompted newspaper stories that the Premiership side were ready to make a bid, as McNamee took his form into the opening games of the season. Unfortunately though, as the Town struggled to get results and their form dipped, McNamee's form dipped also, and as manager Malpas began to sacrifice his flair for a more defensive minded lineup, McNamee spent most of October on the bench. Before the month was out though, McNamee was recalled for successive victories over Northampton and Oldham, and with Malpas vowing to "go on the offensive", McNamee also started games at Scunthorpe and Histon. Within a week of the Histon defeat, Malpas was out of a job.

Over the Christmas period, Danny Wilson took over the manager's position, and McNamee was back on the bench - he remained on it right up until March. Wilson admitted that he thought McNamee was lacking in confidence, and with the Town unexpectedly struggling in the league, he thought it best to take the weight of expectation off of McNamee's shoulders. Ironically, it was after Wilson brought another left-sided player, Hal Robson-Kanu, to the club on loan that McNamee won back his starting place. Throughout February, McNamee was often brought on from the bench to replace Robson-Kanu, but with the Town 2-0 down at home to Scunthorpe, Wilson attempted to play them both - Robson-Kanu on the right, McNamee on the left. With Scunthope down to ten men, the plan worked wonders, the Town eventually running out 4-2 winners. When March came, Wilson eventually decided upon this as his starting formation, the Town pulled themselves out of the relegation mire, and before the month was out, McNamee and Robson-Kanu were being hailed by Wilson as being two of the most dangerous wingers in League One.

Over the close season though, rumours strongly linked McNamee with a move to Norwich City, and his frustrating form returned - once again McNamee was substituted in almost every game he started, and during September, he was dropped to the bench, with loan signing Tope Obadeyi preferred on the Town’s left side, though McNamee was recalled again by the end of the month. He netted his first goal for seventeen months in October, a fluke cross that ended in the back of the net in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie at Exeter, which he followed with another strike in a 4-1 win at Tranmere. A month later though, he was allowed to join the Canaries on a loan deal, with Wilson admitting that he would have been a "pointless exercise" to try and keep him at the County Ground, as his head had been turned by the lure of a bigger club - Wilson also commenting that the winger’s lack of defensive work had been a major factor in his decision to let him leave. Despite only making a handful of substitute appearances during his loan spell, the deal was made permanent when the transfer window opened in January, McNamee signing for the Carrow Road outfit for an undisclosed fee.

PLAYING RECORD:

Season LEAGUE FA CUP LEAGUE CUP OTHER TOTAL
Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls Played Gls
'09/'10 14 (+3) 1 1 - 2 - 1 (+1) 1 18 (+4) 2
'08/'09 30 (+13) - 1 - 1 - 1 (+1) - 33 (+14) -
'07/'08 18 (+1) 2 - - - - - - 18 (+1) 2
TOTAL 62 (+17) 3 2 - 3 - 2 (+2) 1 69 (+19) 4


TRANSFER INFORMATION:

DATE IN/OUT TRANSFER DETAIL
18 JAN 2008 IN Watford
Undisclosed fee ()
26 NOV 2009 OUT Norwich City
(loan)
4 JAN 2010 OUT Norwich City
Undisclosed fee ()


full name

Anthony McNamee


 ENGLAND
U-20 international apps


youth international apps



date of birth
13 July 1983


             
           
             
             
             
             

usual positions
left-sided attacking midfield

youth career
Watford

senior career
Watford
Barnet (loan)
Crewe Alexandra (loan)
SWINDON TOWN
Norwich City (loan)
Norwich City
Milton Keynes Dons
Wycombe Wanderers (loan)
Wycombe Wanderers
Macclesfield Town
Aldershot Town
Woking

website links
Twitter