Aiden McGeady M Ayr Utd b.1986

[ken foree]

well junior he's not that fast okay, he seems quick to me but anyway the point is rarely have i seen him "show" the defender the ball and then skin him, it's often his one-speed tricks as you say, his infamous cruyff-turn/dribble or stepovers.

[Stuttgart88]

I'd still like to see McGeady take the ball at speed more. His preference has always seemed to be to take it standing, show the ball and do some trickery to make space and then he has a limited amount of time to do something. Being quick off the mark is the key here. However he looked to show a good turn of pace to get past Broadfoot for the penalty. I'd say he's quick enough to trouble most good defenders (I'm not saying anything about Broadfoot in this regard) but he clearly doesn't have a Walcott / Lennon / Young burst.

I think he's becoming an increasingly accomplished player and he looks like he's prepared to shoot more regularly. I thought he deserved better forwards than he was serving yesterday, or at least better performances.

[Brendan 82]

Indeed. Pete Sampras should stick to tennis. He was desperate yesterday

[Junior]

However he looked to show a good turn of pace to get past Broadfoot for the penalty. I'd say he's quick enough to trouble most good defenders (I'm not saying anything about Broadfoot in this regard) but he clearly doesn't have a Walcott / Lennon / Young burst.

I think he's becoming an increasingly accomplished player and he looks like he's prepared to shoot more regularly. I thought he deserved better forwards than he was serving yesterday, or at least better performances.

Some of his final balls werent great yesterday but Samaras was woeful when he came on, Mcdonald was his usual industrious self but against Weir and McGeady it was going to have to be something special to allow him to beat them in air, and Mcgeady himself was playing in a strikers role of sorts for the first half - so there werent any real benefactors of his good work.

Broadfoot - well where do I begin.....there is hope for us all yet..grey haired midthirtyism and beer belly will no longer be an excuse for anyone if this neanderthal can play professional football!! I thought Rangers looked dead on their feet in ET, McGeady showed great stamina and fitness to go on that run in the 120th minute and I was even more pleased with the singlemindeness to get the ball and stick the penalty in the back of the net (I havent seen him take a spot kick for us before that I can remember)

[eirebhoy]

I actually thought McGeady could have been much better yesterday. Again I'm looking for something like the performance in Old Trafford or the Nou Camp. A proper playmaking, intelligent role. Yesterday he really should have laid on a couple of goals. His ball for Brown was very poor. I'm being very harsh but he just has an instinct to cross the ball when it's not needed. A simple pass across the ground to McDonald and Brown could have set up 2 goals. Instead he played 2 crosses which resulted in first time snapped shots over the bar.

[Scram]

interesting. i think the best dribblers have always modulated their speed, i.e. they slow down, show the full-back the ball, and accelerate away with drop of the shoulder, or turn, etc. zidane a perfect example. and kaka is a master at this too, he makes space with a good first touch, and shows the defender one direction with his shoulder, then accelerates away into the open space in the other direction. mcgeady does seem to operate at one (albeit very high) speed. ronaldo is similar, very upright and reliant upon pure pace rather than shoulder/body swerves of the giggs/g. best type.

And given that the final ball is the most important part! McGeady should look at some tapes of himself and compare to Zidane etc. and see when he needs to stop, look, listen, think and pass!

[tetsujin1979]

Bayern Munich tracking McGeady according to some reports this morning.
from http://www.football365.com/story/0,1...085024,00.html

Trapattoni told the Scottish Daily Mail: "They asked me what I think about McGeady because they have followed him.

"They wanted to know my opinion and I said McGeady is one of our most important players."

With Ribery expected to leave this summer, McGeady could be his replacement. Would be some move.
Who is the last Irish international to play in the Bundesliga? I honestly have no idea.

[Wexford Delboy]

was it patrick kholmann?(or was he just in the lower leagues?)

[Irish_Praha]

was it patrick kholmann?(or was he just in the lower leagues?)

You could be right. He made one first team appearance for Dortmund in 2004 and was sometimes an unused sub. All his other games have been in the 2nd and 3rd league.

Back to McGeady, I would love for that move to come off. If it was a success it might encourage a few others to play in Germany. I think quite a few Irish players playing for top sides in the Championship or poor Premership sides would do quite well in the BL. Maybe even some of the young players would eventually consider starting out with a BL team if they had some Irish players in the squad. The language and cultural barrier would not be so big as for a young fella to move to Italy or Spain. Most educated people can speak good English in Germany and there is a decent-sized Irish community in most large cities.

[irishultra]

You could be right. He made one first team appearance for Dortmund in 2004 and was sometimes an unused sub. All his other games have been in the 2nd and 3rd league.

Back to McGeady, I would love for that move to come off. If it was a success it might encourage a few others to play in Germany. I think quite a few Irish players playing for top sides in the Championship or poor Premership sides would do quite well in the BL. Maybe even some of the young players would eventually consider starting out with a BL team if they had some Irish players in the squad. The language and cultural barrier would not be so big as for a young fella to move to Italy or Spain. Most educated people can speak good English in Germany and there is a decent-sized Irish community in most large cities.

I agree. tbh if i was good enough i'd aspire to play in bundesliga...just the crowds would draw me there...i hope he joins bayern...i'd love if more middle rate players played there

[Buller]

I agree. tbh if i was good enough i'd aspire to play in bundesliga...just the crowds would draw me there...

Is that you David Connolly?

You could be right. He made one first team appearance for Dortmund in 2004 and was sometimes an unused sub. All his other games have been in the 2nd and 3rd league.

Back to McGeady, I would love for that move to come off. If it was a success it might encourage a few others to play in Germany. I think quite a few Irish players playing for top sides in the Championship or poor Premership sides would do quite well in the BL. Maybe even some of the young players would eventually consider starting out with a BL team if they had some Irish players in the squad. The language and cultural barrier would not be so big as for a young fella to move to Italy or Spain. Most educated people can speak good English in Germany and there is a decent-sized Irish community in most large cities.

The BL is no walk in the park. The standard of football is v. good over there and I dont think many Championship/lower EPL players would get there game at any of the top half BL sides...

[Razors left peg]

Hes definately good enough for Bayern in my opinion and I think being surrounded by better players every week will bring his game on to the next level

[Superhoops]

...Who is the last Irish international to play in the Bundesliga? I honestly have no idea.

Think it might have been Noel Campbell who got 11 caps back in the 70's between 1971 and 1977. He played for Fortuna Cologne in the Bundesliga in 1973/74.

[elroy]

Ribery to United, Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Mc Geady to Bayern this summer?

[The Fly]

Ribery to United, Ronaldo to Real Madrid and Mc Geady to Bayern this summer?

Possibly, though I think it's increasingly likely that the whole 'Ronaldo to Real Madrid saga' is dead.

[Stuttgart88]

Just as an aside I think the Bundesliga is a great league from what I see of it. I don't have Setanta so don't see it regularly but it has good players, good technique, a competitive league that usually goes down to the wire with different teams challenging, great stadia - proper football grounds but fully modern as well, and a real fan culture.

[gspain]

Think it might have been Noel Campbell who got 11 caps back in the 70's between 1971 and 1977. He played for Fortuna Cologne in the Bundesliga in 1973/74.

He was a few years in Cologne. He was sent off in Sofia in 1977 after a mass brawl. 4 sent off that day.

[SkStu]

He was a few years in Cologne. He was sent off in Sofia in 1977 after a mass brawl. 4 sent off that day.

but he would have smelt great.

[Scram]

Originally Posted by gspain
He was a few years in Cologne. He was sent off in Sofia in 1977 after a mass brawl. 4 sent off that day.

but he would have smelt great.

At least he didn't stink at the brawl in Mass.

[Irish_Praha]

Is that you David Connolly?



The BL is no walk in the park. The standard of football is v. good over there and I dont think many Championship/lower EPL players would get there game at any of the top half BL sides...

I wasn't trying to belittle the BL I was just trying to say that if the likes of McGeady moved there and was a success it might open a few other players eyes to this option. There are defo some players who would get on well in the BL. I can't ever see it happening but it would be great to see a 1/4 to a 1/3 of Irish players playing outside of Britain and Ireland. By this I mean young lads being scouted by clubs on the continent. However, the cultural differences appear to be too great compared to moving to England or Scotland. The fact that there's more money to be earned in the UK is probably also a factor.