Aiden McGeady M Ayr Utd b.1986

[geysir]

He has put a string of very good performances in the CL this year.
But I thought the Benfica defence were not very good at handling him. One thing which is impressive is his ability to effortlessly trap a punt out of defence and retain control with the ball on his foot leaving only one option to his marker, to foul him.
At crucial times all the pressure was relieved.

He did okay when he came on against Cyprus.
You'd think we had a team of CL winners given some attitudes to McGeady.
He will surely get on the bench and get some sub appearances at least.

[youngirish]

So you dont think for instance Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player than he was 3 years ago?

Possibly but he was far better (and younger) than McGeady is now 3 years ago and what held him back was mainly to do with him refusing to release the ball to his teammates which is not a major obstacle to overcome. Anyway he was very young three years ago (barely 19 I think). McGeady will be 22 in a few months.

For every Ronaldo who has improved there is a Simon Davies, Damien Duff, Stewart Downing or a Jermaine Pennant who haven't.

I'd say most wingers are in their peak years at around 22-26. They aren't going to improve dramatically after about 22 and by the time they are 27 most are slowing down due to injuries.

[Maroon 7]

McGeady is having a fantastic season up at celtic. Anyone who can't see that either

A) Doesn't see him play anyway.

or

B) Doesn't want to see any improvements in his game.

He's been on a serious conditioning program that has increased his upper body strength and his leg drive. He's not shoved off the ball as easily as when he was a skinny kid coming through and the leg drive is helping him to get away from defenders he's beaten where he couldn't do before.

Again you only have to look at Ronaldo when he first came to Man U. Constant step-overs, fannying around on the ball and giving away possession. It took Ferguson a good 2 years to knock the rough edges out of his game but the talent was clearly there.

McGeady still needs a bit of work in timing when to release his final ball but he's been a revelation this year for Celtic. No doubt he's had a few poor or indifferent displays for Ireland but we don't have so many players to choose from that we can write off a 21 year old as talented as he is. Sure Giles and Dunphy have all but written him off but those lads don't care and know shag all outside the confines of the Premier League and Ireland games.

[RogerMilla]

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..

just cause you keep saying it doesnt make it true, your above statement is wrong , he wouldnt be a regular at celtic if he was "crap" or "sh*te"

"overrated" i will listen to any argument you make but as for the rest you are just shooting your mouth off.

[tetsujin1979]

Duff looked excellent offensively for Ireland by the time he was McGeady's age.

Duff had played 13 times for Ireland when he was 21, McGeady has 15 caps.
Duff was playing in the Championship when he was McGeady's age, McGeady is winning MOTM awards in the Champion's League.
Duff had no medals, McGeady has numerous SPL League and Cup medals (cue argument about how they're not worth sh!t)

More Eddie McGoldrick than Duff.

oh, please.

[youngirish]

just cause you keep saying it doesnt make it true, your above statement is wrong , he wouldnt be a regular at celtic if he was "crap" or "sh*te"

Yes that's right all Celtic players are brilliant. Are you serious? Have you watched Kenny Miller in a decent league? I'd agree because of his regular Celtic appearances that he could be brilliant for Ireland but I can't get one minor point out of my head:

We don't play International games against Failkirk or Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Unfortunate that, because he'd be class against them. It's just Cyprus and Slovakia he can't raise his game to match.

Duff had played 13 times for Ireland when he was 21, McGeady has 15 caps.
Duff was playing in the Championship when he was McGeady's age, McGeady is winning MOTM awards in the Champion's League.
Duff had no medals, McGeady has numerous SPL League and Cup medals (cue argument about how they're not worth sh!t)


oh, please.

Again we'll see who's right in time (it's always me isn't it). Duff in the Championship was playing in a more competitive league than McGeady in the SPL. Do you still think Paddy McCarthy and Darren Potter are brilliant? Another two players I rightly claimed were poor and overhyped but got shot down for.

McGeady is w**k. He'll never be a top player and for every one MOTM performance he has in the Champions league he has 10 ***** performances. But don't let the facts cloud your opinion. After all, all our young players are World Class aren't they?

By the way everyone don't forget the foot.ie forum golden rule. One good performance every few months makes a World Class player.

[NeilMcD]

We have no world class players other than Shay Given. THe problem with debates like this is, that what is the definition of a good player or a top class player. How do we judge it. If in a few years Mc Geady is playing well for Ireland, it can always be argued that Younirish is right as one could say he is not top class as in top ten in the world etc and this works both ways. I think McGeady has a long way to go and the jury is still out on him but I would not right him off quite yet.

[eirebhoy]

Yes that's right all Celtic players are brilliant. Are you serious? Have you watched Kenny Miller in a decent league?

Have you watched him in the SPL?

[youngirish]

We have no world class players other than Shay Given. THe problem with debates like this is, that what is the definition of a good player or a top class player. How do we judge it. If in a few years Mc Geady is playing well for Ireland, it can always be argued that Younirish is right as one could say he is not top class as in top ten in the world etc and this works both ways. I think McGeady has a long way to go and the jury is still out on him but I would not right him off quite yet.

Good point NeilMcD. I'll clarify what I mean then and state that I believe McGeady will never be more than at best a very average player for Ireland and one that we really need someone better to come in and replace if we are going to qualify for tournaments.

[Maroon 7]

McGeady is w**k.

How can you argue with brilliant and insightful analysis like this?

Stephen Hunt is 26 and only now is he beginning to break into the Ireland team yet some people want to throw a 21 year old on the rubbish tip.

And not only is McGeady performing against the likes of Caley Thistle or Kilmarnock but he's also performing against the likes of AC Milan and Benfica who would probably roll over most teams in the Premier League.

Give the lad a chance and maybe when we have a manager in that can organise a football team we might see the best out of him. I mean who actually looked good in an Ireland jersey under Stan? Andy Reid and Stephen Hunt in parts and that's about it. The rest looked like pub players apart from Shay Given being his usual excellent self.

[RogerMilla]

Yes that's right all Celtic players are brilliant. Are you serious? Have you watched Kenny Miller in a decent league?
McGeady is w**k. He'll never be a top player and for every one MOTM performance he has in the Champions league he has 10 ***** performances:

But don't let the facts cloud your opinion. After all, all our young players are World Class aren't they?.

facts ?? what do you know about facts?? mcgeady is crap , sh*te and W**k , these are your facts . i would put you on my ignore list but your posts are so idiotic and antagonistic that they are entertaining me.

kenny miller was poor at celtic , couldnt cut the mustard and was sold. your mention of him in the above post proves nothing.

[RogerMilla]

Good point NeilMcD. I'll clarify what I mean then and state that I believe McGeady will never be more than at best a very average player for Ireland and one that we really need someone better to come in and replace if we are going to qualify for tournaments.

why couldnt you say that in the first place ? I disagree with you but at least you expressed your point there instead of the previous idiotic posts.

[NeilMcD]

Youngirish, the Eamon Dunphy of Foot.ie.

[youngirish]

why couldnt you say that in the first place ? I disagree with you but at least you expressed your point there instead of the previous idiotic posts.

If a player is not going to be good enough to be able to perform satisfactorily on a regular basis inInternational football then in the context of these boards which are about the Irish national team he is w**k as is the case with JOS and Kevin Kilbane at present (and to a certain extent McGeady).

Why over complicate things? Does everything have to be explained in exact, minute, detail?

[tetsujin1979]

Why over complicate things? Does everything have to be explained in exact, minute, detail?

Because if a poster makes broad, sweeping, generalised statements, they'll look quite the fool when proven wrong.

[Plastic Paddy]

How can you argue with brilliant and insightful analysis like this?

Stephen Hunt is 26 and only now is he beginning to break into the Ireland team yet some people want to throw a 21 year old on the rubbish tip.

Not only is he 2G but he plays for Celtic. That gives some posters here enough reason to write him off. Deny it if you can but you know who you are.

Youngirish, the Eamon Dunphy of Foot.ie.

He wishes.

PP

[Wolfie]

McGeady would need to be far more consistent overall in order to be a seriously convincing prospect at international level.

I think he certainly has raw ability but he needs to become a better reader of the game and more street wise.

I wouldn't write him off yet - he's still got some time on his side to reach some of the potential.

Ray Houghton only made his debut for us aged 25 (?). He was with Oxford at the time. He became a top level performer in England after his Ireland debut.

Andy Townsend was 26 and with Norwich when he made his debut.

[Billsthoughts]

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.

Maybe your just not very bright then eh? This seems to be backed up by the fact that you still felt the need pull me up on it even after I clarified it?

Higher level? Have you heard of the Champions League?

I love this argument. Like playing a max 8 games a season against varying levels of opposition immediately makes him a classier player.
Im not having a pop at the Scottish Premier League. Im just saying in the particular case of Mageady he possesses enough tricks to shine against poorer defences but that he is in a comfort zone that is actually hampering the development of his obvious potential.

He sure won't get the regular exposure to that competition playing for some mid-table EPL side,

Anthony Stokes anyone????

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.

I really don’t care about Celtic so am not too interested about your concern for them. Save it for a celtic forum.
I agree with Stuttgart about the Duff comparison. But his performance in the match against slovakia would suggest he just isnt ready for international football at the mo. Check any other posts I made on him and have always been a fan. But at the mo I wouldn’t pick him for Ireland. I could probably get my game for celtic if I applied myself…

[carloz]

Nobody for a second can say the guy hasnt got potential. he has it in bucketloads and I really hope he fufils it for |ireland, i dont really care how he does for Celtic. However performances like his against Slovakia and the czechs away cannot be tolerated from ANY player in the irish camp, be them of great potential or not. I believe he will make it but he needs to start becoming consistent now.

[eirebhoy]

I could probably get my game for celtic if I applied myself…

You were going so well. Although you might have a chance of making the defence.