Aiden McGeady

[FarBeag]

One thing for sure I am glad that he chose us instead of Scotland. I just get the feeling that there are so many people for whatever reason trying to find fault with him. Fine, he was not excellent last night and lost the ball on more than a few occasions but the positives with having him play far outweigh the negatives

[seanfhear]

When damian duff came on the seen i could not see what mick mccarthy saw in him.After a dodgy start he became one of Irelands best players and if he gets over his injuries he may be again.
I am hoping that the same happens with Aidan McGeady.If he gets physically stronger and improves his crossing then we will have a fine player.

[eirebhoy]

I would prefer if he didn,t throw his hands in the air and look to the skies every time he loses the ball.
If he gave a stupid pass away he's probably throwing his hands in the air and shouting at himself. I know McGeady inside out and he's not going to blame someone for his own mistakes. If he's blaming someone else for not receiving his pass then they probably turned his back on a pass and tried to make a run. Anyway, he gave the ball away loads yesterday and needs to improve on Wednesday.

As for him "falling". McGeady is the furthest from a diver that you'll find. He doesn't even do what Duff and Nakamura does and draw a foul in dangerous area's, he just plays his game and if he gets taken down he goes down. That one where he was taken down just outside the box was a stonewall.

We won plenty of fouls in good areas yesterday so that's good.

[Poor Student]

Anyway, he gave the ball away loads yesterday and needs to improve on Wednesday.


What I like about McGeady is that when he does give the ball away he will chase it back to his own box if necessary. Unfortunately he's prone to some very rash challenges from behind in the process though. He's become an increasingly marked man in the Scottish game with two men giving him attention in most games, he's still young and hopefully he'll develop his game to overcome this.

[joema]

Oh God the Thread Police. A little relieved this doesnt just apply to the NFL or NHL boards we have here, a little disappointed.
I mean, Dont read it then. Why would any rational human care about an extra thread they dont like? Makes no sense. Just dont read it then. Its not cumulative. Its not actual weight. It takes nothing to look it over. It affects absolutely zero of the average working persons life. The Thread Nazi. I may make a new entry on Wiki, stand by..........
Drives me nuts. Free speech for all.

Bit of an overreaction you think?:rolleyes: Ridiculous thread IMO, don't loose any sleep over it kid!:eek:

[gilberto_eire]

Oh God the Thread Police. A little relieved this doesnt just apply to the NFL or NHL boards we have here, a little disappointed.
I mean, Dont read it then. Why would any rational human care about an extra thread they dont like? Makes no sense. Just dont read it then. Its not cumulative. Its not actual weight. It takes nothing to look it over. It affects absolutely zero of the average working persons life. The Thread Nazi. I may make a new entry on Wiki, stand by..........
Drives me nuts. Free speech for all.

I undertand your point of view on posters don't have to read it, but it's just a stupid thread you created

''I figured McGeady out, he runs really fast and then falls over'' that's just a post of complete and utter drivel.

You have to have some order on what threads are opened or there would be tonnes of pointless crap set up and it would make the site a joke and a waste of a posters time to find something worth while to read!!

[cheifo]

Jim Beglin joked after 10 minutes that McGeady must have went to the Paul Scholes school of tackling.

What I do like about McGeady is his obvious commitment to the cause.At times even could be too eager to please(rather than giving a simple ball inside), which can be a fault of wingers, and young players in general.

What is clear, IMO is that he is capable of wonderful skill and both Doyle and Robbie will thrive on crosses similar to yesterdays.

After the first couple of misplaced passes I thought he might go hiding.
He did the opposite, kept energy levels up, and also produced a couple of impressive cross field passes.

Wingers are seen as having a responsibility to make something happen every time they get the ball, so they tend to either excite or frustrate.

Showing my ignorance here, but I wonder does a lot of prep work go into identifying full backs weakness.

Bring this up at this time as Montenegros defenders are meant to be their sides definate weak point.

[Crosby87]

I undertand your point of view on posters don't have to read it, but it's just a stupid thread you created

''I figured McGeady out, he runs really fast and then falls over'' that's just a post of complete and utter drivel.

You have to have some order on what threads are opened or there would be tonnes of pointless crap set up and it would make the site a joke and a waste of a posters time to find something worth while to read!!

Sigh. I actually LIKE McGeady. I am a person of reason, not just saying what the next person says. I watched the game back. He is falling all over to the point that it is ridiculous. Do you know that? I challenge you to watch it and disagree with me, if you do I respect your opinion.
I'm not just making this up and I aint a kid.
HE FALLS DOWN THE WHOLE GAME. Its almost Saturday Night Live stuff, im not kidding..... This is the last I will comment on the matter. But I challenge you to watch and disagree.

[pete]

McGeady has flat feet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_feet) so while that is good for dribbling it also means he has difficulty keeping his balance.

[Stuttgart88]

Looks like we've found a few "characters" on foot.ie lately.

Duff spends a lot of time getting knocked over. He gets himself between the defender and the ball so the result is he either gets past the man or draws the free kick, frequently frustrating his markers.

Anyway, if I was to criticise McGeady it's on the basis that he still takes the ball too statically - I'd prefer to see him run onto it more - and his passing is careless. If the killer pass isn't on then play it simple. Loss of possession frequently was attributable to McGeady. He's still work in progress at this level but I think he's good to have in the team, on balance (or lack of it).

[geysir]

On balance, when a new member like Crosby comes on with that amount of negativity they are trolling.
Best ignored or shot.

[The Fly]

First post by a long time voyeur. Great site!

I've been following this 'kid's' career ever since he declared for us and started to break into the Celtic first team. In my view he is our most naturally talented player by some distance and for some time. I know alot of fans get frustrated by him and have misgivings about him. I share alot of these frustrations - I know he has never really caught fire for us but I believe he will in time.

The main issue with him is that he is not a winger - he's a number 10. He does not have the out and out pace and directness to be a winger. That is not say he is slow - he has amazing footspeed but this is better used in tighter spaces in central positions.

He played as a number 10 throughout his time in the Celtic youth teams - it was only when he broke into the first team that he was played on the wing, owing to his size. This is his weakness - often he is outmuscled and easily pushed off the ball. He needs more muscle and strength in his legs and upper body. He improved on this, and his pace, last year and had his best and most consistant season for Celtic as a result. But this should be his last season with Celtic. To advance he will have to move and I agree with those who say he would be more suited to Spain or Italy at this time.

He has said himself many times that he sees his future playing in a more central position but he will have to force the issue by more improvement in his game. If he doesn't I fear his career and game will plateau. Trapattoni said in an interview that he would like to play him centrally in the future and that McGeady was the player he was most impressed with. Could there be a better judge? Only time will tell! ;)

[Razors left peg]

First post by a long time voyeur. Great site!

I've been following this 'kid's' career ever since he declared for us and started to break into the Celtic first team. In my view he is our most naturally talented player by some distance and for some time. I know alot of fans get frustrated by him and have misgivings about him. I share alot of these frustrations - I know he has never really caught fire for us but I believe he will in time.

The main issue with him is that he is not a winger - he's a number 10. He does not have the out and out pace and directness to be a winger. That is not say he is slow - he has amazing footspeed but this is better used in tighter spaces in central positions.

He played as a number 10 throughout his time in the Celtic youth teams - it was only when he broke into the first team that he was played on the wing, owing to his size. This is his weakness - often he is outmuscled and easily pushed off the ball. He needs more muscle and strength in his legs and upper body. He improved on this, and his pace, last year and had his best and most consistant season for Celtic as a result. But this should be his last season with Celtic. To advance he will have to move and I agree with those who say he would be more suited to Spain or Italy at this time.

He has said himself many times that he sees his future playing in a more central position but he will have to force the issue by more improvement in his game. If he doesn't I fear his career and game will plateau. Trapattoni said in an interview that he would like to play him centrally in the future and that McGeady was the player he was most impressed with. Could there be a better judge? Only time will tell! ;)

Welcome to the site:)... big fan of McGeady myself but disagree with you that he is more suited to playing centrally.I really dont think he has the football brain to be the central play maker, he take the wrong option far too many times... at the moment anyway, he may improve with experience

[barryk]

Tries hard ... was Irelands worst player.
I counted six passes to the opposition in the first half hour and missed a sitter

[seanfhear]

Except for the shot at goal which was a schocker I thought Aiden played well on wednesday.He made some good runs,some okay crosses,did not lose the ball as much as he sometimes does.It was also a compliment to Aiden that the full back tried to rough him up from the start of the second half onwards.It was very poor refereeing that the full back was not booked early in the second half.
If Damian Duff could come back to the player he was then we would have two good wingers.
I would say that Aiden followed the instruction that Trappatoni gave him which is a plus to any coach.

[third policeman]

Got to agree that McGeady is not a natural winger. There is a tendency in "these islands" to put technically gifted and pacey players in wide (ie peripharel) positions. If Maradonna had been Irish or British no doubt he would been a very good winger but would never have become a great player. I dont think McGeady shoud be playing in an orthodox wing position and I am not sure that we should be playing with two wingers. it's not a system that suits our strikers and at the minute it is preventig us getting the best out of our two most talented individuals, Mcgeady and Andy Reid. Just posted on the Whelan thread the suggestion that we could play a 4-1-2-3. Whelan holding, Reid and Reid ahead with three attacking players McGeady, Doyle and Keane. Its a much more fluid system and therefore more risky, but at the minute we are not creating enough chances and dont seem set up to trouble good international defences.

[drinkfeckarse]

I was thinking about his performance last night as I was watching the game. It struck me that his hype goes against him in an Ireland jersey. Don't get me wrong, he didn't have a great game last night but he played ok in my book. His problem is that a lot of people read too much rubbish in newspapers and expect him to be Ronaldo or something and when you get that kinda stuff out of your mind and actually analyse what he does then you'll see he is one of our better players.

He gave the ball away a few times, was pushed off the ball too easily at times but he also put some decent balls into the box and worked his socks off for the team. That's what I want out of my wingers and that is their main objective. He gets balls into the box in every game he plays in but because he also runs at defenders and loses the ball at times people slate the guy.

In time he'll learn when to run at more than one defender and when to keep the ball or play a pass inside to keep possession. That comes with experiance. I've no doubt that when he adds better decision making to his game he'll probably be our best player.

[colster]

I think MacGeady needs a run of games with Ireland before we seem him produce on a consistent basis. I think he needs those games to gain confidence and relax a bit more. He always seems a bit tentative to me. He has the talent to be a very good player for us. He's shown he's pretty good defensively in the last couple of games so I don't think it's a major risk playing him.

[eirebhoy]

Tries hard ... was Irelands worst player.
I counted six passes to the opposition in the first half hour and missed a sitter
I can absolutely guarantee you McGeady didn't misplace 6 in the entire match yesterday, or anywhere near it. I'm bewildered by this comment. The only conclusion I can come to is you thought McGeady was someone else.

McGeady was alright. He kept possession well for the most part. The moves tended to break down when the ball got to Hunt.

[Noelys Guitar]

I think MacGeady needs a run of games with Ireland before we seem him produce on a consistent basis. I think he needs those games to gain confidence and relax a bit more. He always seems a bit tentative to me. He has the talent to be a very good player for us. He's shown he's pretty good defensively in the last couple of games so I don't think it's a major risk playing him.

I really believe he is starting to grow into this team. Trap believes in him and his workrate so far has been excellent in the two competitive games. All it will take is one outstanding performance from McGeady (skinning a full back throughout a game) and the confidence will stay with him. He has the skill.

[tetsujin1979]

Trapattoin definitely believes his work rate is improving
From http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/orsquoshea-blossoms-as-irelandrsquos-players-raise-their-game-for-trapattoni-1474199.html

"On Wednesday and the game before McGeady worked twice the amount from what he had done in the past," said the 69-year-old.

"He must understand that we can work offensively as well as defensively. Two years ago he was young and it is normal. He is still young, but he is learning."

[seanfhear]

Quote:
"On Wednesday and the game before McGeady worked twice the amount from what he had done in the past," said the 69-year-old.

"He must understand that we can work offensively as well as defensively. Two years ago he was young and it is normal. He is still young, but he is learning
Its very positive for Aiden that a manager(defensive!)like Trappatoni has faith in him.

[Billsthoughts]

I would have thought the fact that he felt the need to praise him and reassure him would suggest he was poor in both games. Which he was.

[seanfhear]

I would have thought the fact that he felt the need to praise him and reassure him would suggest he was poor in both games. Which he was.
If Trappatoni keeps selecting him then he must think that he is doing ok.

[Brendan 82]

If Trappatoni keeps selecting him then he must think that he is doing ok.

Nevermind Bill, he thinks Keith Fahey should be playing there.

[Billsthoughts]

I dont think I have ever said anything about keith fahey on here. ever?
:confused::rolleyes:

The day mageady has a great game for Ireland I will be delighted. But that day hasnt happened yet. despite what all the rubbish emanating from the "all things Celtic are great" brigade might try and tell you. I dont doubt hes played fantastic for Celtic but he has been average and below for Ireland. As this is an Ireland forum that is the only relevant fact.

for the record I love watching Keith Fahey play football ;)

[Brendan 82]

You say the same thing again, and again, and again. Zzzzzzzz.....

[eirebhoy]

I would have thought the fact that he felt the need to praise him and reassure him would suggest he was poor in both games. Which he was.
Same goes for Whelan, Given, O'Shea, yeah? I'm biased towards McGeady. I don't know if it's that you're biased against him or you exaggerate because you think too many people are biased towards him. You're certainly being unfairly harsh on him.

I'm certain Trap would have been impressed with him on Wednesday. He certainly wasn't poor. Keane, Hunt, Whelan, Doyle all had half chances on Wedensday. McGeady's delivery set all those chances up. He had to be fouled 2 or 3 times, otherwise he was away from his opponent. He misplaced 1 pass all game, albeit they were mostly simple passes but it's a bit improvement on Saturday.

McGeady for me was a 7/10 on Saturday. If he wasn't fouled so much he'd be at least a 7/10 for most people I feel.

[Bohemian1890]

It's an attention deficit disorder temporarily relieved by receiving some attention.
He is just trying to inject some life in the dead horse by repeating the same old sarcastic stuff about Celtic and McGeady trying to wind up people.
Patently stupid and immature.
McGeady was poor obviously anyone who knows about football can see that he has yet to do it for Ireland.

[micls]

McGeady was poor obviously anyone who knows about football can see that he has yet to do it for Ireland.

He was better than in previous games, and certainly better than Hunt.

But yes he has a long long way to go.

[tetsujin1979]

I would have thought the fact that he felt the need to praise him and reassure him would suggest he was poor in both games. Which he was.
So Trapattoni not mentioning Hunt means he had a fantastic game?

[Kilcruise]

have to say bad miss by him against Montenegro, should at least have been on target. bad miss

[eirebhoy]

The day mageady has a great game for Ireland I will be delighted. But that day hasnt happened yet. despite what all the rubbish emanating from the "all things Celtic are great" brigade might try and tell you.
What might they tell you?

Every post about McGeady's performance from the Celtic forum I post on (bar my posts which I've already pretty much posted on these forums):


I'd be tempted to pull McGeady off, hes contributing nothing to Ireland - not sure whats on the bench though?

McGeady getting kicked off the park.

He has really got to work on his finishing, that's the poorest part of his game.

I thought McGeady got better as the game went on but he never had much space and Montenegro defended against him quite well....still should have scored that chance though

Mcgeady did ok and should of scored he had one run in the first half that was explosive and worked very hard.

I thought he played well, much better than Georgia. Its a pity he didnt find the net. What strikes me is that the Ireland players seem to trust him more. I had the feeling that previously people were reluctant to give him the ball. Increasingly his team-mates are looking to give him possesion which is a big reason, imo, why hes been far better for Celtic than Ireland. I think Aiden needs to trust himself more. I think the fact hes a bit shy and modest is probably his major downfall. He looks apologetic at times. If he was more arrogant - demanding the ball etc etc which his talent deserves - hed be a better, more consistent player. For me the problems with Aidens game at times are all mental because the guys talent is not in question.

McGeady is settling in nicely under Trapp , just the right manager to get him right with the international set up.

funny that mcgeady gets 5 or 6 out of 10 in the papers today but if he scored that opportunity then he pobably would have got man-of-the-match.

To be fair McGeady wasn't too great yesterday - he was no better or worse than most of the attacking players though - 5 or 6 out of 10 is just about right.

[Mayo_Bhoy]

Dropped for the Motherwell game today.

[eirebhoy]

Dropped for the Motherwell game today.
I wouldn't say dropped. Naka has been Celtic's best player this season so far and he's also on the bench. Hartley on the bench, I'd call that being dropped because he doesn't need a rest. Strachan just trying a new system out and rightly so.

[tetsujin1979]

Cillian Sheridan on the bench too

[eirebhoy]

The way the team are playing at the moment I don't think McGeady will be starting on Wednesday. Naka will probably come in and I can't see another of this team being dropped to fit McGeady in.

[tetsujin1979]

I'd heard this rumour before, but this is the first confirmation of Alex Ferguson trying to sign McGeady before he signed to Celtic: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/7615502.stm

[Colbert Report]

I've yet to see him impress for Ireland. Let him come off the bench until he proves he's up to playing at the international level. I saw him play against Rangers last week and he was shockingly bad. Maybe he's one of those players that looks great against the likes of St. Mirren or Gretna but can't cut it against the big boys.


Stephen Ireland is a much better option on the wings if we can get him to come back.

[EAFC_rdfl]

I've yet to see him impress for Ireland. Let him come off the bench until he proves he's up to playing at the international level. I saw him play against Rangers last week and he was shockingly bad. Maybe he's one of those players that looks great against the likes of St. Mirren or Gretna but can't cut it against the big boys.


Stephen Ireland is a much better option on the wings if we can get him to come back.
Could you maybe suggest who should take his place if Trapp should 'Let him come off the bench until he proves he's up to playing at the international level', there isn't much use in making a statement like that if you're not going to suggest an alternative. And mentioning Stephen Ireland isn't much of a help in all fairness. Was he in the squad for the last 2 games?

[Plastic Paddy]

I saw him play against Rangers last week and he was shockingly bad. Maybe he's one of those players that looks great against the likes of St. Mirren or Gretna but can't cut it against the big boys.

This (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article2828005.ece) was on the first results page of a quick Google search. I think it somewhat disproves your theory. He's got form in the CL too; you can search for Paolo Maldini's comments after the game with AC Milan in December 2004.


Stephen Ireland is a much better option on the wings if we can get him to come back.

Now I know you're taking the píss. When that little scratter apologises in public for his lies and deceit over not wanting to represent his - our - country, then the nice Signor Trapp may find him a place in the squad. He's not fit to lace McGeady's boots as a footballer (nor seemingly as a person). I know for sure who I'd rather see playing for the national team.

:ball: PP

[Billsthoughts]

This (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article2828005.ece) was on the first results page of a quick Google search. I think it somewhat disproves your theory. He's got form in the CL too; you can search for Paolo Maldini's comments after the game with AC Milan in December 2004.



Now I know you're taking the píss. When that little scratter apologises in public for his lies and deceit over not wanting to represent his - our - country, then the nice Signor Trapp may find him a place in the squad. He's not fit to lace McGeady's boots as a footballer (nor seemingly as a person). I know for sure who I'd rather see playing for the national team.

:ball: PP


2004??? - its 2008 now and he still hasnt had a decent game for Ireland. I would also pick stephen Ireland ahead of him. Purely on the basis that the end product you get with Ireland is better.

EB I think your overstating Mageadys contribution to Irelands performances against Georgia and Montenegro. you seem incapable of seein the wood from the trees when it comes to him.

[Colbert Report]

If he wants to be taken seriously as a footballer, he should sign for a team the likes of Everton or Aston Villa and we'll see then if he has what it takes to make it at the international level. Save me the "Champion's League football" crap your type always say. Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are all in the CL every year. He'd get eight games in against top CL teams rather than the four he'll get this year against Man U and Villarreal.

I haven't seen him do a single thing for Ireland to justify the praise all the Celtic fans heap on him. I realise he must be a better player than he's shown on the national side - he wouldn't have won all those SPL awards if he didn't. I just can't justify his continued selection for the Irish national team on the basis that he has shown promise for his club team. He doesn't belong on the pitch in any game I've seen him play for us - and I watch them all.

Kilbane, Hunt, Duff, Ireland, and Keogh have all shown themselves to be better options than McGeady on the wing. Time for him to start his on-field performance to do the talking.

[bogwarrior]

If he wants to be taken seriously as a footballer, he should sign for a team the likes of Everton or Aston Villa and we'll see then if he has what it takes to make it at the international level. Save me the "Champion's League football" crap your type always say. Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea are all in the CL every year. He'd get eight games in against top CL teams rather than the four he'll get this year against Man U and Villarreal.

I haven't seen him do a single thing for Ireland to justify the praise all the Celtic fans heap on him. I realise he must be a better player than he's shown on the national side - he wouldn't have won all those SPL awards if he didn't. I just can't justify his continued selection for the Irish national team on the basis that he has shown promise for his club team. He doesn't belong on the pitch in any game I've seen him play for us - and I watch them all.

Kilbane, Hunt, Duff, Ireland, and Keogh have all shown themselves to be better options than McGeady on the wing. Time for him to start his on-field performance to do the talking.

My god in no way have any of these players shown themselves to be a better option than mcgeady over the past year or so!!

Duff cant walk unfortunately and hasn't done so in a very long time. Keogh isn't a winger in my eyes...remember him against cyprus in croker for stans last game in charge?!?
Ireland is a prat and should never wear the irish jersey again.
Hunt was woeful last week and has only ever produced once in an irish shirt which i think was his debut as a sub. I think thats his limit.
The Killer is a hero alright but i like the look of him left back and thats where he is with wigan so i think that is where he should remain.

With a player like McGeady you have to take the rough with the smooth. He's matured alot as a player and did alot of tracking back last week as well. He offers an outlet we haven't had in a long time. Genuine pace skill and trickery like a young damo duff. When we were under a bit of pressure last week his runs from deep with the ball relieved our defence and gave us time to push out. His dead balls were far superior to those of Stephen Hunt's as well.

Whilst no player at international level should be guaranteed their place, except perhaps for a select few, I think McGeady is good value for his place in the irish side at the moment.:ball:

[Colbert Report]

Dead balls better than Hunt? I agree.
Tracking back quickly? I agree, and a must for any winger playing in our current system.

"Genuine pace skill and trickery like a young damo duff" - who are you trying to kid? Every time he gets the ball he tries to be all fancy and winds up losing possession.

[bogwarrior]

You take the rough with the smooth colbert. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. I'd rather see a winger take on a man all day long then simply passing it back to the full back which hunt constantly seemed to do.

You said all those players should be considered ahead of McGeady but haven't given any legitimate reason why.

[bogwarrior]

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,2483_4148325,00.html

[Billsthoughts]

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,2483_4148325,00.html

"It's difficult to say (if he would have broken through at United)."
Hardly ringing endorsement.
Agree with bogwarrior about wingers that they have to take people on and that a lot of the time they are going to lose possesion. But I think with Mageady ,for Ireland at least , theres a bit more to it than that.

[Colbert Report]

You lads have to stop living in the past. Who cares how promising McGeady was at age fourteen? This is 2008. If Alex Ferguson wanted McGeady, he'd wave his chequebook and pluck any Celtic player, including Boruc, away without any negotiations whatsoever. If you think McGeady is anywhere near good enough to play for Manchester United you need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.

[eirebhoy]

EB I think your overstating Mageadys contribution to Irelands performances against Georgia and Montenegro. you seem incapable of seein the wood from the trees when it comes to him.
My comments at half time in the Georgia game:
"McGeady playing like he has been for Celtic this season. Just can't seem to beat a player. I wish he'd come inside more as he's way too predictable."

And full time:
"McGeady was actually better tonight than he has been for Celtic this season but its not saying much as he's been way off form for Celtic. He had a decent 2nd half. Can't fault his "end product" though."


I think I'm usually spot on with my analysis of McGeady. ;) Just because I'm constantly posting about him doesn't mean I'm waxing lyrical about him all the time. When McGeady's going through a bad patch of form it's easy to forget how good he is.