Aiden McGeady

[seanfhear]

For Ireland, he promised more than he delivered. He had the potential and skills to turn a match and did occasionally - but not often enough. The phrase "no end product" seemed to follow him around. I think the four years at Spartak Moscow were a mistake (maybe not financially). At a time when he should have been in the EPL he was in far away Russia getting mixed reviews. When he moved to Everton at 28 he flattered to deceive before tiptoeing down the leagues, culminating in his late flurry at Sunderland.

McGeady seems a very decent, affable person, has good media skills and unfairly soaked so much abuse from the land of his birth. But 96 caps flatters him imo. As good a player as he was/is I believe faulty career decisions stunted his potential.
He was a big fish ( skill wise ) in the relatively small pond of Celtic / Scottish football. You’d wonder had he come through at a top English premier league club would he have had to raise his standards much higher due to the players he was competing against all the way through his development and after. McGeady certainly had skill but never “ pushed on “ ~ ~ He gave the ball away too easily and was a relatively poor crosser of a ball. It’s hard to believe that this would Not have been improved upon if he had developed at a high level English premier league club or else he would have been moved on / loaned out to see if that would have had the desired affect.

If his protection of the ball and crossing had gone up a couple of levels ~ ~ He would have achieved a hell of a lot more.

[Olé Olé]

For Ireland, he promised more than he delivered. He had the potential and skills to turn a match and did occasionally - but not often enough. The phrase "no end product" seemed to follow him around. I think the four years at Spartak Moscow were a mistake (maybe not financially). At a time when he should have been in the EPL he was in far away Russia getting mixed reviews. When he moved to Everton at 28 he flattered to deceive before tiptoeing down the leagues, culminating in his late flurry at Sunderland.

McGeady seems a very decent, affable person, has good media skills and unfairly soaked so much abuse from the land of his birth. But 96 caps flatters him imo. As good a player as he was/is I believe faulty career decisions stunted his potential.

I think he could be a good analyst for RTE and would be good for that connection to be created. I always get a little sad at the fact that our foreign-born ex-internationals might call their birth country home, even if they were played proudly for Ireland and consider themselves Irish, and the connection doesn't remain as strong. I loved meeting Kevin Kilbane in a pub after a gaelic match he was at supporting Mayo and the respect and adulation he received around the place was nice.

[Fixer82]

Signed for Hibs for 1 year

[tetsujin1979]

Paul Forsyth reflects on Aiden McGeady's career in the Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aiden-mcgeady-one-of-scotlands-greatest-exports-or-a-luxury-player-who-wasted-his-potential-26x8wjsfp

[Fixer82]

Paul Forsyth reflects on Aiden McGeady's career in the Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/aiden-mcgeady-one-of-scotlands-greatest-exports-or-a-luxury-player-who-wasted-his-potential-26x8wjsfp

Can’t read without paying. Is it available anywhere else?

[tetsujin1979]

If you register, you can read a few articles for free each month

[Fixer82]

Nice one

[Demesne Lad]

McGeady has returned to action after another lengthy layoff which had him considering retirement:

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/hibs-aiden-mcgeady-the-last-four-or-five-months-have-been-some-of-the-worst-of-my-career-i-thought-about-packing-it-in-3979584

[Demesne Lad]

Out for the rest of the season -- hamstring.

[seanfhear]

Out for the rest of the season -- hamstring.
Surely, he'll call it a day now.

[Demesne Lad]

Surely, he'll call it a day now.

No - Master's degree student McGeady has joined Scottish Championship side Ayr Utd as player/Technical Manager.
Former Celtic and Hibernian star Aiden McGeady joins Ayr United as club unveils innovative Technical Manager role for winger - Daily Record (https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/ayrshire/former-celtic-hibernian-star-aiden-30523220)

[OwlsFan]

You're either absolutely deluded or just finished a heavy day on the beer... or both!!! McGeady is the most naturally talented Irishman of all time. If he even half fills his potential he'll make Liam Brady look like Kevin Kilbane!

Do you think this was McGeady's mother who posted this in 2006 ?

[Demesne Lad]

Lol !

[Demesne Lad]

McGeady played 16 times for Ayr United last season in the Scottish Championship, scoring twice, but has not appeared for them in 2024/25. He is now a free agent. Ayr United posted on X: “Ayr United Football Club can confirm that Aiden McGeady has left the club by mutual agreement".

[tetsujin1979]

He was studying a sporting director degree in UFCB as part of his time there, might have completed it?

[tetsujin1979]

McGeady announced his retirement from football yesterday
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aiden-mcgeady-msc-a78553116_twenty-years-after-making-my-debut-at-celtic-activity-7252612721534210048-ZDhK

[Eirambler]

Whoever the opening poster was on this thread, he really, REALLY, liked Aiden McGeady. :)

[Snapshot]

Nice fella, clever and well regarded but let's cut to the chase here - McGeady was all tip and no iceberg. For Ireland, he scored five goals over 93 appearances - all against the international Falkirks of this world - Andorra, Macedonia, Georgia (2) and Latvia. Tricky entertaining winger, yes, but one unburdened by an end product. He made blue moons seem prolific.


His bizarre move to Russia might have had the roubles rolling but it was also punctuated with injuries, disciplinary spats and the occasional goal in 72 games. For such a clever lad, it was hardly a smart move at the peak of his career. Everton? One goal over four sketchy seasons. His demise was mitigated by an improbable productive Championship spell at Sunderland. But calls for an international recall went unheard by Stephen Kenny, himself an heroic Andorra conquerer.


Overall, an interesting but overrated SPFL product who made few waves beyond it. Nonetheless, academia now creates new opportunities for Aido. Best of luck to him.

[seanfhear]

Aiden McGeady certainly has skill on the ball ~ ~ But for all that skill he couldn't cross a ball well, or keep control of possession ~ ~ Weird to have skill with the ball and not be able to do either of those ~ ~ Weird enigma ! !

[irishfan86]

Definitely an enigma and ultimately a disappointment. I remember at the peak of his powers with Celtic he really did impress in a home and away against AC Milan, where it felt at times as if it were a one on one duel between him and Kaka. He was brilliant if I remember right but sustaining that level never happened for him.

Hugely entertaining to watch, but definitely felt you feeling like there was so much more that could have been.

[Supreme feet]

He frustrated the life and soul out of me, but he always turned up and put in a shift. He wasn't necessarily 'lazy' or a sulking show-pony - he did what his managers asked him to do and he tried to get on the ball - there's only so much you can create when your team is sitting deep and you're constantly receiving the ball in your own half. It should be remembered that Damien Duff scored 8 goals in 100 caps, and only 1 in 34 games under Trapattoni, for whom McGeady won most of his caps.

Unfortunately, creative, attacking midfielders tend to struggle (or go unappreciated) in an Irish shirt, whereas the likes of Kilbane and McClean become legends.

[third policeman]

He frustrated the life and soul out of me, but he always turned up and put in a shift. He wasn't necessarily 'lazy' or a sulking show-pony - he did what his managers asked him to do and he tried to get on the ball - there's only so much you can create when your team is sitting deep and you're constantly receiving the ball in your own half. It should be remembered that Damien Duff scored 8 goals in 100 caps, and only 1 in 34 games under Trapattoni, for whom McGeady won most of his caps.

Unfortunately, creative, attacking midfielders tend to struggle (or go unappreciated) in an Irish shirt, whereas the likes of Kilbane and McClean become legends.

Had an interesting coda to his English career at Sunderland when he played as a 10. Think he may have played in a similar role at Preston. Looked a much more productive player. There is a tendency in these islands to put any tricky technically gifted player out on the wing irrespective of this is actually their optimum position. If he’d been developed in Spain, I’m pretty sure he would have played as an 8 or 10 and had a very different career. Ironic that it was only after he had lost a bit of pace, that he actually got the opportunity to play in what was probably his most effective position.

[tetsujin1979]

We didn't have a target man for him to aim at when he was at his peak, someone like Quinn or McGoldrick would have been ideal.

[seanfhear]

Obviously, we'll never know now, but perhaps if McGeady had gone to one of the big clubs in England with a good record of bringing through young players, whether the competition that he would have come up against, would have made him a better player ?

Was he a big fish in Celtic but not having the competition that would have made him a better player ? As I said in an earlier post ~ It is very odd that a player with McGeady's skill never seem to improve his keeping possession of the ball and his crossing ability ! !

[Eirambler]

I think there's probably something in that alright. At another club he'd probably have been taught how to properly cross a ball. He was so much better than everyone else coming through at Celtic that there maybe wasn't enough focus on his weaknesses.

Incidentally I was speaking to someone this week in Glasgow who would have a fairly in depth knowledge of the Celtic youth setup and he was saying that the longstanding problems remain. The coaching and organisation just isn't good enough, the standard of opposition in Scotland at youth level isn't good enough and the lack of a proper reserve league is holding developing players back - they never play with or against any experienced players of a higher quality (ones out of favour, coming back from injury etc.) in the Lowland League.

He was saying that because Brexit has limited the market that EPL clubs can look at for 16 and 17 year olds they're taking more interest in Scotland. So the best young Celtic players are moving south as soon as the opportunity comes up. Unlike our lads, they don't have to wait until 18 to go.

[tetsujin1979]

McGeady had a trial with Arsenal while he was still in Celtic's academy, and turned them down. There's a photo of him wearing an Arsenal jersey with Liam Brady.
Might have just wanted to stay in Glasgow

[Eirambler]

Probably, but you'd have to think it was a mistake. That would have been a great era to be an emerging player at Arsenal for a player of his natural ability.

[seanfhear]

Probably, but you'd have to think it was a mistake. That would have been a great era to be an emerging player at Arsenal for a player of his natural ability.Yes ~ And in its own way it might tell its own story.

[Kingdom]

McGeady is my favourite Ireland player of the post-Saipan era I reckon. The criticism that he received specifically was baffling to me, in an era where our international team got progressively worse, especially in attack.
We wouldn't have qualified for Euro 2012 without him.

I'm not a Celtic fan so can't speak of what he was like there, but I saw almost every match he played for Spartak in his first two seasons and anyone who questions his time there is quite frankly talking out of their blowholes, because he was fantastic and it's no surprise that that part of his club career coincided with his best period in an Ireland shirt.

And of course there was this moment which ensured that most of his begrudgers have their most recent jolly.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHjf0nWN0_0

[Snapshot]

McGeady is my favourite Ireland player of the post-Saipan era I reckon. The criticism that he received specifically was baffling to me, in an era where our international team got progressively worse, especially in attack.
We wouldn't have qualified for Euro 2012 without him.

I'm not a Celtic fan so can't speak of what he was like there, but I saw almost every match he played for Spartak in his first two seasons and anyone who questions his time there is quite frankly talking out of their blowholes, because he was fantastic and it's no surprise that that part of his club career coincided with his best period in an Ireland shirt.

And of course there was this moment which ensured that most of his begrudgers have their most recent jolly.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHjf0nWN0_0
McGeady questions his own time in Moscow, clearly stating he would have preferred a move to the EPL but the Spartak wages (£50k a week) was too good to refuse. The lifestyle and aggressive supporters worried him and his family's safety. My post was mainly aimed at his international career where the no-end-product tag followed him. I don't question him being skilful and having some good games . . . but 93 caps? I just found him frustrating.

Later edit: In a further online article I read later McGeady says his first two years in Moscow "were great" - contradicting my comment above, but it was in the context of it being an adventure. Also, to underscore his polarisation of fans . . . directly below this thread is a link to the Rubbish thread. It has just two posts. The first declares "worst player ever". The second replies "worst post ever".

[Fixer82]

He could definitely be frustrating when it came to crossing. That was my biggest issue with him to be honest. When he was on form though he was unstoppable. i remember him being brilliant also in a home game V Georgia where i think he scored early doors

[Diggs246]

He also turned up for work, away to Scotland in 2014.

James McCarthy who was a brilliant player, but he called in sick that day and McGeady took all the abuse for 90 minutes. So he certainly had character

[tetsujin1979]

McGeady's taken up a new role with the fa
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aiden-mcgeady-msc-a78553116_delighted-to-have-been-accepted-into-the-activity-7254546058939092993-7gSr

[Olé Olé]

McGeady's taken up a new role with the fa
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aiden-mcgeady-msc-a78553116_delighted-to-have-been-accepted-into-the-activity-7254546058939092993-7gSr

No, he hasn't. It looks like he has started a course with the FA.

[texidub]

Either way it's another insider in the FA. They will crumble eventually.