Alan Mahon

[iasc1]

I was watching the wigan v leeds match yesterday, and there was a lad playing for wigan called alan mahon, he scored a cracker, and he's irish, has anyone heard of him before, he seems to be doing well for wigan, and theyre flying at the moment, wonder if he'll be called up for the croatia game

[eirebhoy]

I left my Sarcasm detector at home today, I hope you're being sarcastic?

[gustavo]

ehmm well he has been on the scene for a while first with tranmere then blackburn then sporting lisbon and now wigan . i think his best days are behind him plus theres a lot of competition for left wing for him to get by but you never can say never .

[iasc1]

eh...no not being sarcastic....why?

[eirebhoy]

You've honestly never heard of Alan Mahon? He's 26 now and has 2 caps. He actually played a CL match against Real Madrid believe it or not.

[iasc1]

no never heard of him before, these caps must've been a while back yeah?
i just thought a player doing well for wigan who are flying in the championship
is an option to andy reid who hasnt been doing the best

[Donal81]

Been around for years, I think he was one of the new generation that McCarthy blooded in the US Cup in 1996 along with Dave Savage, Alan Moore, etc. Very few of them really went the distance and progressed beyond where they were at that stage. He's been on the fringes of top level football for a long time but has never made the leap. I doubt he's worth calling up although Wigan are having a stonking season so far.

[eirebhoy]

is an option to andy reid who hasnt been doing the best
Has he not? :confused:

Yeah he got capped when he was playing for Tranmere in 2000 against Greece and South Africa. He got injured against South Africa I think. He then moved to Sporting Lisbon.

[iasc1]

reid hasnt being doing well in the the ireland matches he's played in

[Slash/ED]

reid hasnt being doing well in the the ireland matches he's played in

He's been MOTM in most of the matches he's played in for us. Also, he's far far far better than Alan Mahon. Mahon has never made it at the top level despite being around the first division for some time and I honestly don't think he ever will either. Reid has the potential to be a superb player who could easily make it at a higher level and hopefully will in the winter transfer window.

[eirebhoy]

reid hasnt being doing well in the the ireland matches he's played in
Canada - Assist for Keane goal, Man of the Match.

Brazil - Ran Cafu raggid and Cafu actually got booked for one of his many fouls on him.

Czech Rep - Again one of our best players

Poland - probably our best player but nobody played their best football.

Romania - Good game

Jamaica - As above

Holland - The Dutch panel's man of the match

Bulgaria - Scored and Man of the Match

Cyprus - Scored and Man of the Match

Switzerland - poor game

France - Good game

Faroe's - No worse than anyone else.

[iasc1]

fair enough...its the only match i've seen mahon play in, just impressed by the goal he scored, hopefully reid will become the superb player

[Slash/ED]

Poland - probably our best player but nobody played their best football.


In fairness eb, Jason Byrne absolutley ran the show for the 30 seconds he was on :)

[iasc1]

Switzerland - poor game

France - Good game

Faroe's - No worse than anyone else.



its the last few competitive games i've been thinking of, friendly performances dont mean much, he was woeful against france, and he was woeful against faroes, alot worse than most

[Slash/ED]

he was woeful against france

No he wasn't, he was very good and nearly scored.

[iasc1]

No he wasn't, he was very good and nearly scored.

so did john o'sea :)

i just think he's been too hit and miss, but hopefully, he'll lose all that weight liam brady has been harpering on about and be more consistent

[Stuttgart88]

Mahon: Skillful, tidy player who hasn't fulfilled his early potential. Was at Blackburn for part of last season and failed to make an impact. I reckon he's a very good lower league player but nothing special in a better league. Would love to be proved wrong though. One thing's for sure though, I'd put him ahead of McPhail!

In the "Delap" thread The Jamaican PM listed our top 5 central midfielders and I agree with his assessment.

You also have the likes of Miller, Carsley, Quinn, S. Reid etc. so Mahon is unlikely to figure. Potter is coming through the ranks, maybe Thornton will re-appear. That said, Jonathon Douglas got a call-up against Poland so don't rule anything out.

We've a lot of decent midfield options now. A far cry from 5 years ago when Kinsella won about 40 caps partnering RMK, almost unchallenged, and many of these were as a Div1 player with Charlton.

[iasc1]

ah yeah, i wouldnt be saying throw him into the first team proper, give him a run-out, could be a useful back-up, he's older now, and my take the chance to play for ireland a bit better

[Donal81]

I'd still like to see Stephen McPhail get a proper go of it. People still rave about him, one of our most skillful players, etc, etc, but I don't think I've ever seen him play a full match. He's meant to be one of the finest passers of a ball in English football but is stuck playing for Barnsley (I think). The beauty to Keane's beast, if you will? In football terms, of course.

[Closed Account 2]

From around 98-2000 he was a great player for us (Tranmere), had a great understanding with the strikers and played a huge part in the run to the League Cup final. Back in 2000, it was clear he was too good for an upper-mid table Div 1 side (as we were till around 99-2000) and it was generally thought we'd sell him 2-3 years down the line to decent Premier League team (eg the likes of Spurs, Villa, Charlton or Boro). However his contract was up, and he didnt reknew, a lot of the run of the mill Premier teams were interested in him. What put them off was the fact that his age meant they'd have to pay us compensation even though he was out of contract. Himself and his agent then came up with the brilliant plan of sending him to Sporting Lisbon for a year or so to evade the compensation fee - they alledgedly though of this after talking to Phil Babb who after being loaned to Tranmere from Liverpool was approached by Sproting Lisbon.

Mahon never settled in Portugal, I remember reading he suffered from Ian Rush syndrome (ie found that not too many spoke English and in general it was "like living in a foreign country" :rolleyes: - incidently his wonderful agent was rumoured to have sent him on a beginners Spanish course). Either way he had a bit of a 'mare in Lisbon, most of the Premier League Clubs forgot about him and he ended up at Blackburn. I seem to remember him gettin an injury there, he was then at few Div 1 teams like Cardiff (if I remember correctly).

Overall, going on his performances in the late 90s, hes certainly a decent player with a fair bit of ability. Back then he was almost as good as Jason Koumas went on to be for the next year and bit at Tranmere. I dunno what he's been like in the past 3-4 years. I'd guess he'd be a similar player to Andy Reid, not as good perhaps on current form but maybe a bit quicker. He's still fairly young and if he has a decent couple of months with Wigan it might be worth putting him in the squad against the Portuguese in Feb (some irony there if he was to play the Portugese).

[finlma]

I'd still like to see Stephen McPhail get a proper go of it. People still rave about him, one of our most skillful players, etc, etc, but I don't think I've ever seen him play a full match. He's meant to be one of the finest passers of a ball in English football but is stuck playing for Barnsley (I think). The beauty to Keane's beast, if you will? In football terms, of course.


McPhailure is out injured till Christmas. Barry Conlon is scoring a few for Barnsley though.

[Colm55]

i have three Irish team posters on my wall at the moment, one from Euro 96, World Cup 98 (qualifiers obviously) and World Cup 2002 and Alan McMahon's mug is in neither of them, i think once this post is finished and new subjects come up, Alan McMahon will once again fade into obscurity, he was indeed once a prospect and as Donal81 pointed out earlier that he was only of many blooded back in 96, many of whom never made the grade. but how long can a player remain a prospect before everyone realises he is not as they thought? McMahon may have scored a screamer for Wigan but it will only serve as a nostalgic moment for us to remember what he once led us to think he'd become. He may still have the skill and qualities to enjoy a career out of football, but as far as the national team is concerned, we have to many younger lads (as Jamacian PM and Stuttgart88 have pointed out for us) pushing through that appear to have more credentials then he has at the moment.

Sorry if this seems harsh or whatever, but your seen to be at the peak of your footballing career at 26/27 and had his potenial had shone through i'm sure he'd be enjoying an international career now, but sadly it was not to be. I wish him all the best at Wigan, and I believe its where he'll stay ...

[Plastic Paddy]

Well Colm, he can't have made much of an impression on you, given that you continually refer to him as McMahon... :p

:D PP

[Colm55]

Well Colm, he can't have made much of an impression on you, given that you continually refer to him as McMahon... :p

:D PP

Boll!x, i felt that there was something not right alright, thanks for pointing that out, i apologise for any inconvienence caused !

[Stuttgart88]

I'd still like to see Stephen McPhail get a proper go of it.... I don't think I've ever seen him play a full match.

I've seen him play several full matches. Lovely touch, range of passing etc. but he has absolutely ZERO presence. He can't even pretend to tackle.

I reckon his game in The Valley where he virtually gifted Nigeria a goal (or did they hit the post?) was his last chance. He's one of the few Leeds players who actually left for a WORSE club last season. That says it all.

Yesterday's prospect I'm afraid.

[Donal81]

I've heard that before about him (McPhail). He can split a defence like no one else but you need your midfielder to be able to get stuck in a bit as well. Shame, it's not as if he couldn't be taught to tackle.

[drummerboy]

Alan Mahon had a run in the Blackburn team under Souness in the Premiership a few years ago. I think Damien Duff was injured at the time. He done ok but once Duff returned , Mahon disappeared. Like Mcphail he is very pleasing on the eye but probably hasn't got the physical presence needed in the modern game at the top level. I remember him playing for Ireland under McCarthy against Greece and he had a nightmare. He totally froze. I'd love to see him re-emerge and I have to say he was very impressive against Leeds.

[Plastic Paddy]

Alan Mahon had a run in the Blackburn team under Souness in the Premiership a few years ago. I think Damien Duff was injured at the time. He done ok but once Duff returned , Mahon disappeared. Like Mcphail he is very pleasing on the eye but probably hasn't got the physical presence needed in the modern game at the top level. I remember him playing for Ireland under McCarthy against Greece and he had a nightmare. He totally froze. I'd love to see him re-emerge and I have to say he was very impressive against Leeds.

For anyone that can get to see a copy, there's a superb full-front-page picture of him celebrating his goal against Leeds on the front of yesterday's Guardian sports supplement. Unfortunately I can't find the picture online. :(

:) PP

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

i have three Irish team posters on my wall at the moment, one from Euro 96, World Cup 98 (qualifiers obviously) and World Cup 2002 and Alan McMahon's mug is in neither of them, i think once this post is finished and new subjects come up, Alan McMahon will once again fade into obscurity, he was indeed once a prospect and as Donal81 pointed out earlier that he was only of many blooded back in 96, many of whom never made the grade. but how long can a player remain a prospect before everyone realises he is not as they thought? McMahon may have scored a screamer for Wigan but it will only serve as a nostalgic moment for us to remember what he once led us to think he'd become. He may still have the skill and qualities to enjoy a career out of football, but as far as the national team is concerned, we have to many younger lads (as Jamacian PM and Stuttgart88 have pointed out for us) pushing through that appear to have more credentials then he has at the moment.

Sorry if this seems harsh or whatever, but your seen to be at the peak of your footballing career at 26/27 and had his potenial had shone through i'm sure he'd be enjoying an international career now, but sadly it was not to be. I wish him all the best at Wigan, and I believe its where he'll stay ...

Agree with you completely Colm. Just one point I'd like to make: I'm pretty sure Alan Mahon was not part of the US tour in 96. From what I know, he made his debut in 2000. Think it was against Greece in April of that year. He came on as a sub and had a complete mare, albeit playing on the right wing. He seemed very nervous, just like Kilbane was in his first game for Ireland, or Duff is his first few games. Surprisingly, McCarthy didnt give him much of a chance. Think he played a bit part in the US Cup of 2000. The move to Sporting Lisbon was the worst thing he could have done. He was never the same player after that. However, he was a very promising young player and seems to be rediscovering his old form. However, from an international perspective, he couldnt be playing in a tougher position to get a call-up for Ireland. We already have Duff, Kilbane, Reid, Alan Quinn, Michael Doyle, Mark Kennedy? (a left-back at the moment apparently). A few years ago, he also had Keith O'Neill, Alan Moore and Stephen McPhail ahead of him in the queue. Perhaps even Richie Partridge could be added to the list. Nice to see him doing well though.

[skbio_toronto]

Overall, going on his performances in the late 90s, hes certainly a decent player with a fair bit of ability. Back then he was almost as good as Jason Koumas went on to be for the next year and bit at Tranmere. I dunno what he's been like in the past 3-4 years. I'd guess he'd be a similar player to Andy Reid, not as good perhaps on current form but maybe a bit quicker. He's still fairly young and if he has a decent couple of months with Wigan it might be worth putting him in the squad against the Portuguese in Feb (some irony there if he was to play the Portugese).

That pretty much sums up Alan Mahon. As a Blackburn Rovers supporter, like you say he did'nt really have an impact with the blue 'n white halves. Don't forget though it was a certain Graeme Souness managing him, who does'nt exactly have a penchant for favouring Irish players. (In Duff's case, giving his undoubted class, even Souness was an admirer)

I first noticed Mahon in the League Cup semi final against Bolton, where he looked awesome at times. Has'nt gone close to fulfilling that potential (Its a long list) Has'nt been able to develop from a tidy mifielder into the sort of player that makes managers stand up and take notice.

For one, he's never really bulked up physically for the box to box role. And he does'nt possess the very useful commodity that pace undoubtedly gives. Mahon, for me, will prove a very good first division player, at the height of his powers. Whether he'll make it onto an Irish squad any time soon is highly unlikely given tyhe relative 'depth' we have in that department at the moment. I would rate the following players above him.

Keane / Zinedine Kilbane / Duff / Finnan / Miller / Killer Kavanagh / Holland / Reid / Delap. (Much scope for A.N. Other's)

Thats one man's view.

SKBIO-TOR

[iasc1]

wigan won again today...and mahon hit the post with an overhead kick, sounds like a bit of a pele to me :)

[1MickCollins]

I've seen him play several full matches. Lovely touch, range of passing etc. but he has absolutely ZERO presence. He can't even pretend to tackle.

I reckon his game in The Valley where he virtually gifted Nigeria a goal (or did they hit the post?) was his last chance. He's one of the few Leeds players who actually left for a WORSE club last season. That says it all.

Yesterday's prospect I'm afraid.

Yes indeed he is pretty much a 'table soccer' player i.e. he don't move about much. As DaveO pointed out he didn't have the engine to be top class player in the modern game - if he had been around 20 years ago he might have had more impact.

[Closed Account 2]

what are people's thoughts on Steve Reid ? Similar to Mahon, both at Blackburn for a good bit of their careers, both seemed great prospects, both had nasty injuries a while ago?

I think Steve Reid's gradually getting back into the Blackburn fold tho isnt he ?

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

what are people's thoughts on Steve Reid ? Similar to Mahon, both at Blackburn for a good bit of their careers, both seemed great prospects, both had nasty injuries a while ago?

I think Steve Reid's gradually getting back into the Blackburn fold tho isnt he ?

He's played the last few games. Haven't seen too much of him in those games but from what I read, he has been quite impressive.

Reid has some great attributes. He's fast, powerful, and can pack a real punch from freekicks. He can also play anywhere across the midfield. His biggest problem has always been confidence. He suffered with nerves on his debut against Croatia and in numerous other games at Lansdowne. Curiously, he thrived when introduced as a sub at the World Cup. His cameo performance against the Cameroon was one of the highlights of the World Cup from an Irish point of view.

I recall being at a Millwall home game a couple of years ago. :eek: :confused: Richie Sadlier and Robbie Ryan were in the same team as Stephen Reid at the time. Reidy ran the show that day. He scored one and set up the other two. He struck me as a player with a great engine, tackled well, and sprayed 50 yard passes all over the field. A couple of weeks later he made his international debut against Croatia. He is still only 22 and I believe he may yet be one of Ireland's best players in a few years time. I have huge faith in this lad.

In term of natural ability, Reid is on a completely different level to Alan Mahon.

[Irish_Praha]

I have to agree with the PM on Reid. Also, I think he has the atributes to become a box-to-box CMF;quick, athletic, good tackler/passer and a wicked shot. He is mighty at the free kicks as we saw against Cameroon. So if he was in the starting 11 it would make void any arguments for having Harte back in the team, thankfully. I originally thought moving to Blackburn would be a great move for him but they totally lost their shape and form after selling Duff and he was played in 4 different positions in a poor team, which must have battered his confidence. Then he got injured at the start of this season. Hopefully now that he's come back from a long-term injury he will be delighted to be playing again and leave his nerves in the dressing room.
He's like a lot of our players at the moment, great potential but he needs to string a few good performances together and get at least another 5 caps for Ireland to show that he is as good as some people think. I'd include Miller, Andy Reid and McGeady in that catagory although McGeady is still very young and has plenty of time to prove himself. Getting back to S. Reid I think it's going to be quite difficult for him to prove himself in such a bad Blackburn team. It has to be a bit soul-destroying to be on the end of a 2 or 3 nil loss most weekends but they did draw 2-2 with the once mighty Liverpool last weekend :D

[skbio_toronto]

True, true and true again on Steven Reid. The potential is there. His former manager at Milwall Mark McGhee referred to him as a potential Patrick Viera. (Take that with a pinch of salt of course)

I've seen him play for Rovers as well as ourselves. His big problem is a 'severe' lack of confidence - no exagerration. Might have something to do with all the injuries he's had in a young career. Can't help feeling he'd rather be somewhere else when watching him play, at times.

He's keeping out two internationals (Javier de Pedro and Morten Gamst Perdersen) in the Blackburn line up. And Australian right winger Brett Emerton has been moved to the left to accomadate him. So a certain Mr. Hughes can see a Spark!! (Pardon the obligatory pun)

SKBIO-TOR

[DannyInvincible]

Alan Mahon talks to The42.ie about his playing days, including the brief spell with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, as well as his move into coaching with the Manchester City women's team: http://www.the42.ie/alan-mahon-interview-3365352-Apr2017/