Aiden McGeady

**eirebhoy** · 23/08/2009, 12:42 PM

I'm sure Spurs do want both players, or at least 1, but �10m won't get them. 15 maybe.

McGeady played a nice through ball for Fortune's 2nd goal yesterday:
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...e-1867349.html

Also played a through ball to Hinkel who set up Maloney's 1st.

**Colbert Report** · 23/08/2009, 1:17 PM

I would love to see him go to Spurs. Lennon, Bentley and McGeady all providng crosses for the like of Keane, Defoe, Crouch and Pavlyuchenko. Scary.

**dr_peepee** · 23/08/2009, 8:16 PM

Originally Posted by kennedmc

Lennon and Modric are 1st choice on thw wings so McGeady would be starting on the bench

Their first choice now, but there's no depth there if spurs are going to challenge. Plus Modric doesn't play as a wide player in that sense. His best work is when he comes inside..

Actually I worry for Keane to some extent. At the moment I think there's potential for a Keane Gerard scenario at Spurs because I think Modric is constrained somewhat in that role and to get more out of him they may bring him inside more, which may impact Keanes role... (I say this without seeing or reading anything of todays game).

**Stuttgart88** · 23/08/2009, 10:01 PM

Totally unrelated to the thread but in the context of Modric, does anyone else think that for such a talented player it's extraordinary how one (left) footed his is? Compare him to a similar player, Arshavin: similar size & physical attributes, similar eye, similar touch etc. yet Arshavin is a complete two-footed footballer and Modric is about as adept with his right foot as I am. I think Duff's ability to float dangerous balls with both feet is underrated and I think it's astonishing that so many top flight footballers are so one footed.

**Stuttgart88** · 23/08/2009, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by dr_peepee

Their first choice now, but there's no depth there if spurs are going to challenge. Plus Modric doesn't play as a wide player in that sense. His best work is when he comes inside..

Actually I worry for Keane to some extent. At the moment I think there's potential for a Keane Gerard scenario at Spurs because I think Modric is constrained somewhat in that role and to get more out of him they may bring him inside more, which may impact Keanes role... (I say this without seeing or reading anything of todays game).

I think Redknapp is a hit smarter about reading & managing players than Benitez though. If Keane scores twice against anyone I'll bet you that he'll play the next game and if Defoe goes scoreless for a few games then Keane or Crouch or whoever will get a chance instead. I'd say Pavlyuchenko is the one with real worries at Spurs.

**Razors left peg** · 23/08/2009, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Totally unrelated to the thread but in the context of Modric, does anyone else think that for such a talented player it's extraordinary how one (left) footed his is? Compare him to a similar player, Arshavin: similar size & physical attributes, similar eye, similar touch etc. yet Arshavin is a complete two-footed footballer and Modric is about as adept with his right foot as I am. I think Duff's ability to float dangerous balls with both feet is underrated and I think it's astonishing that so many top flight footballers are so one footed.

its not very unrelated to the thread at all because Ive thought for a long time that McGeady is one of the most naturally 2 footed players around at the moment.Look at his goal against Aberdeen last week where he scored from outside the box with a brilliant left foot shot and yet he is regarded as right footed.
As regards other footballers, the one that always stood out for me as being ridiculously dependent on one foot is Ryan Giggs.Class player that he is and with him playing top flight football for nearly 20 years I cannot figure out how the hell he has never learned to use his right foot.Im a massive fan of his but it drives me mental

**eirebhoy** · 23/08/2009, 10:11 PM

I'm sure we had a small debate about this before but I think a lot of it is natural. I remember saying Duff and Nakamura can play excellent crosses with their bad foot but it's clear to anyone that they don't look entirely comfortable crossing with that foot. I'm sure Duff and Naka would practice a lot with their right foot but they'll never come close to matching the technique they have in their left. Then there's someone like McGeady who is equally adept with either foot.

We have our limits and I think it's unfair to think that because someone is so skilfull with one foot that they shouldn't be so bad with their other foot. The difference with my left foot and right foot is night and day and practicing only got it so far. I can hardly put 3 volleys together on my right foot and I would have put hours in years ago trying to improve it.

Modric' technical ability with his weak foot could be on the same level as Bobo Balde's stronger foot and if so there's only so much he can do about that.

**eirebhoy** · 23/08/2009, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

its not very unrelated to the thread at all because Ive thought for a long time that McGeady is one of the most naturally 2 footed players around at the moment.Look at his goal against Aberdeen last week where he scored from outside the box with a brilliant left foot shot and yet he is regarded as right footed.

McGeady is probably the most naturally 2 footed player I can think of atm. The reason he doesn't get the credit for it is because he doesn't have the shooting or passing abilities of a top player. But for sure anything he can do with his right he can do with his left just as comfortably.

Glenn Hoddle actually made the point about how natural his goal against Aberdeen looked on his left foot.

**Razors left peg** · 23/08/2009, 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

McGeady is probably the most naturally 2 footed player I can think of atm. The reason he doesn't get the credit for it is because he doesn't have the shooting or passing abilities of a top player. But for sure anything he can do with his right he can do with his left just as comfortably.

That young up and coming guy Ronaldo isnt bad with both feet either

**Stuttgart88** · 23/08/2009, 10:21 PM

Remember Lubo Moravcik? I've never seen a better TWO-footed player in my life, ever. Look up youtube for his left footed goal against Hibs about 5 years ago. OK, it was against Nick Colgan (

) but what a strike with his "wrong" foot. Total brilliance.

Some of it is natural but don't tell me that Moravcik and Arshavin were naturally two footed and that Giigs couldn't have learnt to use his right better.

My ol' fella dropped a goal off each foot at Donnybrook in the 50s to win a cup for his rugby club. He used to drill in to me the importance of practicing each foot as a kid. Unfortunately for him, and me, he was dealing with a kid who inherited his mum's sporting genes.

My suspicion is that the Nakamuras of this world were indulged too much as kids rather than being put through the uncomfortable measures of practicing what they don't like.

**eirebhoy** · 23/08/2009, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

That young up and coming guy Ronaldo isnt bad with both feet either

There's a bigger difference in ability between Ronaldo's left and right than McGeady's left and right if you know what I mean.

Ronaldo's left is probably better than either of McGeady's feet though.

Lubo was certainly 1 of the most 2 footed players I've ever seen. I never actually took notice of Arshavin's favoured foot which probably says it all. It took me a while to cop onto McGeady's favourite foot too.

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

My suspicion is that the Nakamuras of this world were indulged too much as kids rather than being put through the uncomfortable measures of practicing what they don't like.

McGeady did say his father made him spend a lot of time with the ball on both feet, rather than sticking to the 1 foot. He said by the time his father realised he needed to use both feet it was too late.

'I always worked on both feet because my dad used to tell me he never worked on his left foot enough. He always wished he had done that and advised me to do it. I was right-footed but was always working on my left.

**Razors left peg** · 23/08/2009, 10:32 PM

When I was a kid I used to spend hours in the front of the house just kicking a ball against the wall and I did practice alot doing that with my left so now I still do have reasonable control with both feet.I cant work out that with all the millions being spent by clubs in academies and coaching that it isnt drilled into kids from a very young age,and even with the pros, they spend 5 days a week training with a ball at their feet constantly you would think that it would become 2nd nature to them to be able to have good control with both. The fact that we are only able to pick out one or two players that are good with both is madness

**Colbert Report** · 24/08/2009, 5:08 AM

I remember reading an interview with Jamie Redknapp in Shoot or Match back in the mid-90s when he was with Liverpool. They asked him why he was such a good two-footed player and he said that his father Harry made him train with only one boot on (I can't remember if he's a natural righty or lefty) so it would hurt when he used his natural foot. He said he built it up to a level where his weak foot was actually stronger than his natural foot.

**Oink** · 24/08/2009, 8:57 AM

Well I think it will make more sense when you think about why one foot is "stronger" than the other.... its all about balance. The way you position the stance of your body when you use your foot is what it's all about. If you look at how most humans begin to walk its with the right foot forward first, leaving the left foot to balance the body, when a kid first kicks a football he doesn't look at the process the same way as a he will after a few attempts, he merely considers the ball to be in the way of his stride and runs into it.... so the right foot goes forward... he then learns how to kick the ball from this and negates the left foot, after years the left legs muscles dont develop as much and you don't learn how to position your body when strking with the left and it continues.

Try bog toe the ball standing and keeping the body completely straight with the ball directly in front of you with the right and left... not much difference, now try chip it with the inside of both feet when taking a short step up to the ball.

Any kid has the ability to be as good with both the left and right foot.... as mentioned above the best way to teach is to leave one boot off the natural foot.

**dr_peepee** · 24/08/2009, 9:06 AM

Originally Posted by Razors left peg

When I was a kid I used to spend hours in the front of the house just kicking a ball against the wall and I did practice alot doing that with my left so now I still do have reasonable control with both feet.I cant work out that with all the millions being spent by clubs in academies and coaching that it isnt drilled into kids from a very young age,and even with the pros, they spend 5 days a week training with a ball at their feet constantly you would think that it would become 2nd nature to them to be able to have good control with both. The fact that we are only able to pick out one or two players that are good with both is madness

I remember when I was a kid, I used my bad foot to write MOTHER on the floor with chalk. Me Da was delighted..

**tetsujin1979** · 24/08/2009, 9:08 AM

Whenever I read a blog online with some writer bemoaning the fact that so few players can kick equally well with boat feet, I leave a comment along the lines of "can you write equally well with both hands?"

**Stuttgart88** · 24/08/2009, 9:23 AM

Originally Posted by dr_peepee

I remember when I was a kid, I used my bad foot to write MOTHER on the floor with chalk. Me Da was delighted..

So did Christy Brown.

Still, being totally one footed didn't do Maradona any harm.

Didn't Zizou score that great goal at Hampden with his wrong foot?

**Razors left peg** · 24/08/2009, 9:25 AM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Whenever I read a blog online with some writer bemoaning the fact that so few players can kick equally well with boat feet, I leave a comment along the lines of "can you write equally well with both hands?"

No but plenty of people have been able to do so with practice if they damage their good hand. Its not difficult to learn to shoot or pass the ball properly with your bad foot, just takes time and a bit of effort

**Stuttgart88** · 24/08/2009, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Whenever I read a blog online with some writer bemoaning the fact that so few players can kick equally well with boat feet, I leave a comment along the lines of "can you write equally well with both hands?"

Being able to write with both hands isn't a useful skill to have though. It's not like you'd be there writing a note with your right hand when all of a sudden you need to switch hands, protect your paper and continue with your left. I've never seen a CV state "equally adept at writing both right and left handed". There's a reason for that.

By the way my mum can write perfectly with her left, but only in "mirror style". Bizarre.

Ronnie O'Sullivan can play brilliant snooker with both hands.