Aiden McGeady

[eirebhoy]

Can your dog do step overs?

I can't say McGeady is big on stepovers. He'll always move his feet but he's hardly Denilson when it comes to the oul' lollypops.

If McGeady is not Ireland's best player in 4 or 5 years time I'll run down O'Connoll street naked. His form this season has been incredible and I can't believe he didn't start last night. He has played against players of the ability of Jansen many a time, he would certainly not have been out of his depth. McGeady's a confidence player and he'll be much better for Ireland away from home until he gets the backing of the Irish fans. In Lansdowne he has a lot more pressure on his shoulders.

From that thread that McGeady10 posted:

Huddleboard Rating/MOTM Winners so far this season:

Killie - McGeady
Hearts - McGeady
St. Mirren - Naka/McGeady
ICT - McGeady
Hibs - McGeady

McGeady10, why not contribute to a few more threads other than those about McGeady?

[pete]

Staunton is already picking squads from reality tv so i suppose picking a team from internet ratings wouldn't be a big step up.

[tricky_colour]

No, cos he kicked it away!

If was our only shot on target of the match

[micls]

I agree ... I think McGeady and Alan O'Brien should be our two wide players for the next game. They are two genuinely attack-minded players with the one thing that scares defenders - pace. It's that old chestnut - if you're good enough you're old enough!

McGeady should start alright but Alan O' Brien?? Sure he's fast as hell but the young fella gets confused when he sees the white roundy thing at his feet.

Roy O donovan is probably one of the fastest players iv ever seen play football but that doesnt mean he's good enough to play for the senior team

[Pat O' Banton]

McGeady is gash though

Makes Gareth Farrelly look like Ronaldinho

Good God.

I'm not even sure if he's the most naturally talented McGeady of all time

I can only assume your talking about his punditry skills and even at that he's untested as a pundit at the highest level

Or to quote Paulo Maldini, McGeady has "talent, a good personality and calmness." Still lads I'm sure you know beter than people like Maldini.

[Sheridan]

McGeady is the most naturally talented Irishman of all time.

That's wrong on at least two counts.

[Billsthoughts]

i like mageady but in fairness to staunton he was non existant in the first half against the dutch. didnt want the ball at all.

[Emmet]

McGeady should start alright but Alan O' Brien?? Sure he's fast as hell but the young fella gets confused when he sees the white roundy thing at his feet.

Roy O donovan is probably one of the fastest players iv ever seen play football but that doesnt mean he's good enough to play for the senior team

He's nowhere near the finished article I admit but I think he does pose a genuine attacking threat ... his problem will be getting first team football at Newcastle - he has Duff and N'Zogbia competing for the left midfield position!

[micls]

He's nowhere near the finished article I admit but I think he does pose a genuine attacking threat ... his problem will be getting first team football at Newcastle - he has Duff and N'Zogbia competing for the left midfield position!

Maybe. I really hope the lad proves me wrong but i think he'd be better off as a sprinter.

A loan move for some first team football would do him a world of good alright

[Emmet]

Maybe. I really hope the lad proves me wrong but i think he'd be better off as a sprinter.

A loan move for some first team football would do him a world of good alright

You're right - he does need regular first team football ... I'm basing my opinion of him on his second half showing against Holland and eight minutes or so against the Germans !!!

[hoopy]

Aiden McGeady is Irelands on-form attacking player. Not to play him tonight was gross negligence on the part of the manager. McGeady will be starting the Champions League in a few weeks time. We can't afford to leave such ability on the subs bench.

Unfortunately mate like a lot of fans forums the anti Celtic brigade won't have a bar of McGeady. Most of us on planet Earth know how good he is but nevermind. Let's keep playing a stick like O'Shea because he plays for Utd(he must be good so) and the other 'greatest league in the World' players. I know the Scottish league is poor as much as anyone but McGeady is currently the best player in it and can't do any more than play as well as he is now. It just seems that whatever manager Ireland has always goes back to this 'experience' b**** however bad the players are

[pete]

That's wrong on at least two counts.

Careful now, don't do it...

[OneRedArmy]

I would have brought McGeady on a bit earlier and when he came on, I would have liked to see him get the ball rather than watch it sail over his head to our gargantuan strikers up front...

However, there are a number of reasons that he didn't start:
1) Defensive ability. Whilst it would have been refreshing to see us start with 2 wingers, we were playing the 3rd best side in the world, away from home. They have two good wide players (actually one great and one less so but even so) and I'd have feared for our full backs with Duff and McGeady starting as they would have been very exposed.

2)Ability to shine in a poor league doesn't automatically translate. Given a few more Champions League performances under his belt people will be able to judge his progress better, but in the same way Eircom League prospects often have their club form discounted based on the lack of quality in the league, the same applies to Scottish football. It can't be compared with the Premiership. This doesn't mean that McGeady isn't the great white hope, it just means that MoTM performances against the Aberdeens of this world aren't worth toffee in international football. Harsh but true.

Don't get me wrong, having seen him quite a few times for the U21s the potential is definately there, and on the basis we aren't going to qualify for 2008 we should only be playing guys who will be around for the 2010 campaign and he should get his chance. But not starting him last nite by no means was the firing offence that some of you seem to think.

[eirebhoy]

2)Ability to shine in a poor league doesn't automatically translate. Given a few more Champions League performances under his belt people will be able to judge his progress better, but in the same way Eircom League prospects often have their club form discounted based on the lack of quality in the league, the same applies to Scottish football. It can't be compared with the Premiership. This doesn't mean that McGeady isn't the great white hope, it just means that MoTM performances against the Aberdeens of this world aren't worth toffee in international football. Harsh but true.

On the same token, while the SPL is a poor league, it's probably the fastest league in Europe and you get no time on the ball. Playing for Celtic you are just going to be harassed for the 90 minutes. 4 Inverness players actually got booked a couple of weeks ago for all fouling McGeady. Hesselink signed last week and played 40 minutes and said he was shattered after the game. Juninho was excellent playing in Spain but couldn't hack the SPL.

We'll have to see how he does in the Champions league but I think he'll really enjoy playing with that little bit more space. It's only 10 days for the first CL match so hopefully the Irish neutrals watch him against arguably the premiership's best right back. He could play terribly and I dread the thought of the next morning on here.

[endabob1]

The point about not playing with 2 attacking wingers is a valid one for games away from home agains a team currently among the best 5 or 6 in the world.
I'd like to see him start in the home games or in Cyprus.

We need to build a team for the next world cup and that means looking at emerging players and getting rid of the older brigade, bringing Carr back was a mistake purely because I think with Finnan and Joey O'Brien we are well covered in that area. Similarly Kilbane should be moved on and allow someone like Stephen Ireland a chance in the centre.

Last point on McGeady, he's hugely popular with Celtic fans because he picked Ireland over Scotland and they know how much it pees off the Rangers fans, that has as much to do with his popularity as his ability.

[Peadar]

I don't watch much Scottish football so I've never seen McGeady play for Celtic but from what I've seen of him at International level (U21, Senior) he's not worthy of automatic inclusion in the starting XI.

His performance away to Cyprus last year wouldn't see him get into the Waterford starting XI. The amount of posession he gave away was unnatural! He seems to have potential but what he does with it will only tell with time.

[eirebhoy]

His performance away to Cyprus last year wouldn't see him get into the Waterford starting XI. The amount of posession he gave away was unnatural! He seems to have potential but what he does with it will only tell with time.

That's a fair point but you have to realise that McGeady was playing like that at club level too 12 months ago. He was the only player to play in every pre-season game when Strachan took over and he didn't impress in any of them. That meant he was dropped for the Artmedia game but came on after 20 minutes for Sutton. He missed one of the easiest chances you're likely to see in that game and his confidence must have been in shatters. He didn't play at all in the return leg, Ross Wallace took his place.

He started against Motherwell the last weekend in July and it was his last start for 4 months. Strachan put him in the reserves and he was more determined than ever to get his place back. We played Cyprus in October when he was at his worst confidence wise and most Celtic fans were doubting him (in comparison he was man of the match in the home leg against Cyprus a year before hand when he was the new kid on the scene). He came back into the team in November and and scored 3 goals in 5 games including a goal and man of the match against Rangers. He got injured for a few months and we only really got to see the new McGeady this season.

I have a brother who can't stand flashy players like McGeady, Ribery, Ronaldo and Schweinsteiger so I hate seeing McGeady having a poor game in front of him. Ribery had an abysmal first game at the world cup and no matter how well he played after that he couldn't win over my brother. He had no end product and couldn't beat a man against Switzerland and he had made a judgement on him already. I feel a lot of people on here feel the same. Alan O'Brien apparantly had an excellent debut against Holland but McGeady wasn't great. That's the reason I keep trying to tell people it's a "new McGeady". I want him to get a fresh start and people to forget the inconsistent winger he used to be.

[Peadar]

I want him to get a fresh start and people to forget the inconsistant winger he used to be.

He'll have to earn my respect.
I'm keeping an open mind though.

[Billsthoughts]

On the same token, while the SPL is a poor league, it's probably the fastest league in Europe and you get no time on the ball. Playing for Celtic you are just going to be harassed for the 90 minutes. 4 Inverness players actually got booked a couple of weeks ago for all fouling McGeady. Hesselink signed last week and played 40 minutes and said he was shattered after the game. Juninho was excellent playing in Spain but couldn't hack the SPL.

Again I think he is a good player but this is one of the dumbest posts ever.

[wws]

McEadey is this seasons elliot - the get out clause from reality. we didnt beat the israelies cos kerr didnt bring on elliot - or so the fantasists will have you believe. now we didnt beat the third best team in the world because we didnt start mcgeadey

get out clause from reality

we just wernt good enough - we simply dont have the players. Physically mcgeady doesnt look like he could impose himself on that game