Aiden McGeady

[tetsujin1979]

I found that link on another forum. I'd usually upload it to Youtube but they banned me for posting football clips for some strange reason.

YouTube issued a statement a few weeks ago that they would remove all Premiership clips, it could be related to that.

Incidentally, their share price dropped quite a bit after the statement was issued!!

[geysir]

Pity about the McGeady clips being censored. Even though the clips are obviously not EPL? I hope the McGeady appreciation society find some other place.
I'm not quite convinced that he's a confidence type player, more a trying too hard too fast, to prove something. From the interviews he sounds very together, has had to endure a lot of stick about his nationality but was comfortably sure with his decision. Has had to handle the supposedly tougher tacklers and abuse in the SPL.
Looking at him for Ireland and in the CL, I think you could make a fair comparison with Duff and his first appearances in Green.
When Duff came on against Turkey away and Portugal away, he just kept it tight, layed off the ball, didn't lose possesion, waited for his opportunity to turn it on in later games.

[McGeady10]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSS61Deu8t8

Great McGeady interview... clips from his childhood etc!! :D

Notice him wearing the Ireland strip for the 94 World Cup... Aged 8 :D

[Kevin77]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSS61Deu8t8

Great McGeady interview... clips from his childhood etc!! :D

Notice him wearing the Ireland strip for the 94 World Cup... Aged 8 :D

Great clip. Thanks for that. Hairs standing up on the back of my neck watching it. Class dribble when he's playing on the clay pitch too. Nice finish!

[tetsujin1979]

Mcgeady and Johnstone vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv2Fvp4okSs&NR

[irishfan86]

I watched the second half of Celtic's match against St.Mirren.

McGeady didn't impress me much but he scored a good goal.

[geysir]

Interesting McGeady quotes after his return to the Irish starting line up from the IT
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/sport/2007/0824/1187332465827.html

Only the McGeady quotes are pasted here from the article

"Every game you play for Ireland you want to show the manager what you are all about," says the Celtic player. "You want to impress with every opportunity you get. That's what it's about really, and I hope I have done myself justice with this game.

"I enjoy playing in matches like that because we were knocking the ball around so well. We have got players who can pass the ball around and you know you are going to get on the ball, the other players are going to make space for you."
"What Stan wants me to do is stand out wide and try to get crosses into the box, and I was happy I was able to get one for Robbie who was brave, got in there and took it well, as well as a pass for Shane who managed to score also. Overall, of course, I was pleased.

"I'd say it was probably my best game for Ireland, but I haven't really had a run in the team. It's been 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there. I think I've only started one or two games. But hopefully I am going to have a bit of a run now, I'm looking to stay in there."

[Bottle of Tonic]

He didnt play well against hearts on Saturday. A lot of his passes went astray, not many runs came to anything and he was muscled off the ball on numerous occasions. That said one little bit of skill and quick thinking from him opened up hearts defence for a nice little cross to the back post that was nodded down for a goal. I'm sure it'll be on you tube if anyone is interested. Given that Ireland have struggled over the years at creating clear goal chances I think its worth having Aiden in the team as he will usually do this at least once in a match.

[eirebhoy]

Yeah he wasn't great against Hearts. It's interesting that his best game for Ireland came in the middle of 2 poor games for Celtic. His cross for the 3rd goal was excellent (1.40):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lowfxwLJnkk

[paul_oshea]

hearts are crap.

[Poor Student]

He had a great performance for Celtic tonight against Benfica. He's getting faster, stronger and playing more intelligently. He's still only 21.

[backstothewall]

Didn't see much of Celtic tonight but I like him, would prefer to see him on the right for Celtic, especially given our weakness down that side

[eirebhoy]

http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=58308

^^ If you watched tonights match maybe you'd think that Celtic fans have pretty low standards if they praise McGeady so much for that performance...we do. :) He's never going to be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo but he's good enough to be a star player for Ireland.

[kingdom hoop]

Yeah very good showing from the wee lad tonight. The quotes Eirebhoy (I had to credit you in some way:)) put up about McGeady saying he's becoming more confident, working on his speed and hungry for goals certainly showed up tonight. Delighted for him. (Eirebhoy I mean not McGeady :D)

[NeilMcD]

Didn't see much of Celtic tonight but I like him, would prefer to see him on the right for Celtic, especially given our weakness down that side

He is actually far better on the left though. Always plays better on the left.

[eirebhoy]

DuPont’s Sports Science beginning to tell on McGeady

There has been a debate recently on player development, specifically young players, who can find the step up to first team football at Celtic difficult. I am not sure of all the components that go into making a great player; ball control, strength, speed and, of course, good decision making, but what is true is that better players continue to develop well into their 20s, and few achieve greatness without some help along the way.

A case in point is Aiden McGeady, who has enjoyed a palpable step-up in form this season. When Aiden broke into the team in 2004 he looked a fabulous prospect, but subsequent progress has been mixed.

This season he has moved up a gear; when Celtic are playing well he is on fire, even when Celtic are poor, he is a fluent, better player. He has found a gyroscopic ability to throw himself into a challenge and emerge with the ball.

When preseason training got underway, new head of sport science, Gregory DuPont interviewed each player. DuPont has a PhD in Sports Science and Exercise Physiology, a light year away from the medicine balls that dominated the ‘gym’ Celtic used in the 1960s, so speaking to the players, doing some research, was the first step in establishing a forward plan.

Aiden’s request was simple, “I need you to make me faster”. Aiden had the close control, but the ability to escape from a defender once he had beaten him was a perceived weakness. This weakness had an impact on decision making; would Aiden take a player on believing he could not get away from him? It may also have an impact on confidence.

McGeady is now working to develop specific leg muscles and in the space of just a few months has seen his speed and form improve significantly. I understand he believes his work with DuPont has made the crucial difference to his form this season.

It is still early days for DuPont; he has only been at Celtic four months, and not every player will have been able to articulate his area most in need of development, but if he is as successful with other players as he has been with Aiden McGeady he will prove to be a significant appointee.

http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/2007/11/duponts-sports-science-beginning-to.shtml

[shaneker]

He was brilliant tonight, MOTM by a mile - please God he's turned the corner.

Will need to see 5 or 6 more performances of that calibre before I start to believe it though...

[McGeady10]

DuPont’s Sports Science beginning to tell on McGeady

There has been a debate recently on player development, specifically young players, who can find the step up to first team football at Celtic difficult. I am not sure of all the components that go into making a great player; ball control, strength, speed and, of course, good decision making, but what is true is that better players continue to develop well into their 20s, and few achieve greatness without some help along the way.

A case in point is Aiden McGeady, who has enjoyed a palpable step-up in form this season. When Aiden broke into the team in 2004 he looked a fabulous prospect, but subsequent progress has been mixed.

This season he has moved up a gear; when Celtic are playing well he is on fire, even when Celtic are poor, he is a fluent, better player. He has found a gyroscopic ability to throw himself into a challenge and emerge with the ball.

When preseason training got underway, new head of sport science, Gregory DuPont interviewed each player. DuPont has a PhD in Sports Science and Exercise Physiology, a light year away from the medicine balls that dominated the ‘gym’ Celtic used in the 1960s, so speaking to the players, doing some research, was the first step in establishing a forward plan.

Aiden’s request was simple, “I need you to make me faster”. Aiden had the close control, but the ability to escape from a defender once he had beaten him was a perceived weakness. This weakness had an impact on decision making; would Aiden take a player on believing he could not get away from him? It may also have an impact on confidence.

McGeady is now working to develop specific leg muscles and in the space of just a few months has seen his speed and form improve significantly. I understand he believes his work with DuPont has made the crucial difference to his form this season.

It is still early days for DuPont; he has only been at Celtic four months, and not every player will have been able to articulate his area most in need of development, but if he is as successful with other players as he has been with Aiden McGeady he will prove to be a significant appointee.

http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/2007/11/duponts-sports-science-beginning-to.shtml

This is nonsense. Aiden has always had pace the problem is that he broke into the Celtic team probably too young. He was 18 and weighed 9 1/2 stone. From then till now he's put on 2 1/2 stone of solid muscle and that's obviously going to slow you down a bit. He's now able to carry the weight and use the muscle he's put on to give him extra power and pace which was the objective all along. If someone could teach you how to run fast in 5 months every player in the world would be electric.

[McGeady10]

He was brilliant tonight, MOTM by a mile - please God he's turned the corner.

Will need to see 5 or 6 more performances of that calibre before I start to believe it though...


What corner? His performance tonight was only a little better than his performance v Spartak Moscow at the start of the year. He has been immense for a month and everyone who's watched Celtic over that period knew what was coming from the Gwedore man tonight.

[kingdom hoop]

If someone could teach you how to run fast in 5 months every player in the world would be electric.

:D I don't think it's as simple as being taught how to take longer strides. My brother, and he's in the business I'll have you know, says it's down to the science of plyometrics, and he's my big brother so he's always right on everything, plus he has the professional knowledge in this case. Anyway, shur we may as well ask the man of the moment. Aiden, what do you think;

"...I'm enjoying my football. Perhaps it is a confidence thing, but I feel I have the ability to knock the ball past players and burst past them now.

"In the past, that wasn't always the case. I have certainly worked hard on my speed and fitness with the specialist coaches we have...."

McGeady10, I think it's far more likely any improvement in speed is as a result of recent tailored training as opposed to simply the culmination of him putting on muscle over the years and just now finding the right balance. An appreciation for the intricacies of human biology wouldn't go astray. :)

[Stuttgart88]

He had a great game last night, no doubt, but I still find his final ball frustrating.

[Wolfie]

If he can maintain that level of performance consistently he could possibly deliver on some of that much hyped potential.

[NeilMcD]

What corner? His performance tonight was only a little better than his performance v Spartak Moscow at the start of the year. He has been immense for a month and everyone who's watched Celtic over that period knew what was coming from the Gwedore man tonight.

What part of Glasgow is Gwedore.

[NeilMcD]

:D I don't think it's as simple as being taught how to take longer strides. My brother, and he's in the business I'll have you know, says it's down to the science of plyometrics, and he's my big brother so he's always right on everything, plus he has the professional knowledge in this case. Anyway, shur we may as well ask the man of the moment. Aiden, what do you think;

"...I'm enjoying my football. Perhaps it is a confidence thing, but I feel I have the ability to knock the ball past players and burst past them now.

"In the past, that wasn't always the case. I have certainly worked hard on my speed and fitness with the specialist coaches we have...."

McGeady10, I think it's far more likely any improvement in speed is as a result of recent tailored training as opposed to simply the culmination of him putting on muscle over the years and just now finding the right balance. An appreciation for the intricacies of human biology wouldn't go astray. :)

So McGeady10 is not the official spokesman of Aiden McGeady then.

[Sligo Hornet]

So McGeady10 is not the official spokesman of Aiden McGeady then.

It doesn't AUTOMATICALLY follow....just as Moscow Mule isn't the official correspondent for Spartak Moscow......although "Ealing Green" is the font of all knowledge concerning the Hangar Lane Gyratory System in West London!;)

[geysir]

McGeady's little legs are motoring like a propellor now.
Would he be ready for Alan O'Brien in a sprint down the wing?

[charliesboots]

http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=40161&page=20

[shaneker]

Hmmm. Taxi for Boruc!

[Lim till i die]

There's hundreds of Ronaldos plying their trade all over the world

I'm sure with a lot of effort he can maybe become better than one of them

[eirebhoy]

Please don't listen to Boruc. He's a bit mad.

[McGeady10]

Boruc is right. McGeady is now ready to be the main man!

Well said the Holy Goalie!

[Ordinary Fan]

I want to see him do it for Ireland in a competitive match after his last couple of non-performances.

[eirebhoy]

I think a poor performance against Wales will leave me justified in my talk about confidence. ;) Seriously though, it really is all about confidence now going into the Wales match. For once I fancy him to have a good game, if he plays.

[Billsthoughts]

I dont think you can put the slovakia/czech rep games down to confidance. he totally made no effort whatsoever. They were two of the worst performances by an Irish player ever in my opinion. I am a fan of his but you have to call a spade a spade. should consider himself lucky if he gets a role as an impact sub. he had his chance and he blew it.

[RogerMilla]

I dont think you can put the slovakia/czech rep games down to confidance. he totally made no effort whatsoever. They were two of the worst performances by an Irish player ever in my opinion. I am a fan of his but you have to call a spade a spade. should consider himself lucky if he gets a role as an impact sub. he had his chance and he blew it.

the fact is he was selected on merit for the slovakia game and was poor , any other manager would have dropped him so i dont hold his poor performance against czech against him at all, he should start against wales as he is playing very well at club level but if he is restricted to impact sub then he should grab that chance too , he will come good for ireland , nothign surer.

[Stuttgart88]

he had his chance and he blew it.I remain a bit sceptical but he is only 20. He'll have many more chances.

I think McGeady would shine even more at Celtic if he was feeding Larsson / Sutton, or Van Hooijdonk. I think Hesselink is poor and McDonald, good as he is up to a point, isn't the type of player to benefit from good wing play. I thought McGeady's final ball was poor on Tuesday but then again I'm not sure anyone could put a good ball in to Hesselink.

McGeady will continue to struggle for Ireland until he has a good full back supporting him and a central midfield capable of getting a grip on a game. He was downright careless at home to Slovakia and away to Czech Rep. though.

[Billsthoughts]

obviously I was speaking in the immediate short term about him blowing his chance. If ever a player would benefit from a move away from the SPL its him. he has a couple of tricks that will get him by in scotland but needs to be playing at a higher level and pushing himself a bit more. You can forgive any player for having a bad game but in the two away games in slovakia and czech rep he was just totally off the pace and totally making no effort whatsover. he looked like a fan who had won a competition to play for Ireland. altho a fan of who is another question......:D

[Plastic Paddy]

obviously I was speaking in the immediate short term about him blowing his chance.

Not obvious to me. You seemed quite absolute in your choice of words. Perhaps another moment's reflection before hitting the 'send' button would have added some clarity.


If ever a player would benefit from a move away from the SPL its him. he has a couple of tricks that will get him by in scotland but needs to be playing at a higher level and pushing himself a bit more.

Higher level? Have you heard of the Champions League? He sure won't get the regular exposure to that competition playing for some mid-table EPL side, I can assure you. No, Aiden is much better off where he is, developing his game, his fitness and his strength. The fact that he signed a 4.5 year deal a few months ago would suggest he agrees with that assessment. I can only say that I'm glad (for both him and for Celtic) that you're not his agent.

:ball: PP

[eirebhoy]

I dont think you can put the slovakia/czech rep games down to confidance. he totally made no effort whatsoever.
This is actually going into questioning McGeady the person, not the player. I can tell you now that you've got him completely wrong. Just trust me on that one. :) There's absolutely no way McGeady would slack off in a game. He puts in tremendous effort off the ball. If he wasn't helping back off the ball in those 2 games then it was Stan's instructions. Seriously, not giving 100% is something I hate and I wouldn't be defending him if that was the case.

Strachan is turning McGeady into a very good player. I really rate Strachan in this department and I wouldn't want to see them part ways. :)

[youngirish]

This is actually going into questioning McGeady the person, not the player. I can tell you now that you've got him completely wrong. Just trust me on that one. :) There's absolutely no way McGeady would slack off in a game. He puts in tremendous effort.

He's sh*te though Eirebhoy. He has one good game out of every 5 against decent opposition. I know you love him but he is crap. Always thought he was overrated and haven't seen anything to change my mind.

Not quick enough. Doesn't know when to release the ball. Doesn't score enough goals. Gives the ball away too much. He's too many shortcomings to become a good player at International level.

[Stuttgart88]

Bill's comment about his performances in those games being among the "worst ever" by an Ireland player interests me. The really awful thing about Stan's tenure was that you could say the same about many players. There were literally dozens of absolutely dire individual performances. I'm not saying this in support of McGeady, merely pointing it out.

Were they not motivated / bothered?
Not good enough?
Not fit?
Not clear of their role?
Not playing in a position / role that suits?
Not playing adjacent to a player that'd complement strengths?

[gustavo]

McGeady is young , I have no doubt that he will be good enough for us soon , for some reason it just hasnt happened for him internationally but I suppose Duff was a couple of years older than what McGeady is now before he started making a real impact for us

[youngirish]

McGeady is young , I have no doubt that he will be good enough for us soon , for some reason it just hasnt happened for him internationally but I suppose Duff was 3 years older than what McGeady is now before he started making a real impact for us

Duff looked excellent offensively for Ireland by the time he was McGeady's age. McCarthy just preferred the more robust but far less talented Kilbane on the left.

McGeady is no Duff. More Eddie McGoldrick than Duff.

[gustavo]

Do you not even think McGeady has the potential to be as good as Duff was?
Even if you dont think he is there now

[eirebhoy]

He's sh*te though Eirebhoy. He has one good game out of every 5 against decent opposition.
I thought he was excellent in Portugal a couple of weeks ago and did well against Milan.


I know you love him but he is crap.
I don't love him. I'm very biased towards him but that works both ways. I want to see him be a star player for Celtic as much as I do Ireland. I'm pretty sure I don't let this bias cloud my judgement though. It's just the fact I watch him play twice a week and he's in the form of his life.

He certainly does have many shortcomings. Strachan is sorting them out. It's amazing how his pace has increased already. His shot is very poor, he needs to keep working on that. It's his link up play and intelligence that have increased the most under Strachan. I definitely think when he's 28/29 he'll be a playmaker and a lot of the play will be going through him. There's no way that would be the case if it wasn't for Strachan.

[Stuttgart88]

I remember Duff getting slated at time in his early Irish appearances.

I'll reserve further judgment on McGeady as an international until he has played a few times under a better manager who knows how to deploy players and set a team out properly. Super match the other night but I'd prefer to see him run on to the ball more often rather than taking it standing and a better final ball, like Duff at Chelsea.

[youngirish]

Do you not even think McGeady has the potential to be as good as Duff was?
Even if you dont think he is there now
No. I couldn't see McGeady making it week in, week out for one of the better teams in the Premiership. I can't see him improving dramatically either irrespective of his age.

There's been no evidence of any major improvements to his overall game (and not just small parts of it) since he broke into the Celtic team about 3 seasons ago. He's always went through spells of having a few decent games followed by numerous poor performances.

Players like McGeady (skillful, tricky wingers) generally don't improve too much with age anyway. If he was a defender or a central midfied player I'd be more hopeful of improvement.

[gustavo]

Players like McGeady (skillful, tricky wingers) generally don't improve too much with age anyway. If he was a defender or a central midfied player I'd be more hopeful of improvement.
So you dont think for instance Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player than he was 3 years ago?

[eirebhoy]

Actually, on Duff. I think what Strachan is doing with McGeady is exactly what Mourinho tried to do with Duff. In this case though maybe McGeady was 'caught' at the right age. Strachan has constantly says McGeady feels he has to do something special every time he gets the ball. Strachan said he only needs to try something special 3 or 4 times a game. The rest of that time he should be concentrating on his passing and general link up.

Mourinho probably went to the extreme with Duff though. Duff just never tried to beat a player in his last season and a half under Mourinho. A lot of his passes were backwards too and he wasn't looking to make a really dangerous pass.

[eirebhoy]

Players like McGeady (skillful, tricky wingers) generally don't improve too much with age anyway. If he was a defender or a central midfied player I'd be more hopeful of improvement.
He certainly wouldn't have improved all that much if left to his own devices because he lacked the brain. He'd be a winger all his life who's job is to beat players and put in a few crosses. That's where Strachan comes in though. This time last year I thought he was much better and much more aware player. He's now on another level again.

/btw - I'll try my best to get a video of McGeady playing Milan 3 years ago. That was always thought to be McGeady's best performance. We can then see how much he has changed. :)