Aiden McGeady M Ayr Utd b.1986

[Kingdom]

Spartak have Porto away first up. toughest draw.

Edit:
They have Villareal/Twente in the semi's too home first too, were they to get that far.

Good man Ronnie Whelan, referencing English clubs being banned from European countries. Buladh bos!

[geysir]

What's the reference to Ronnie about?

[Kingdom]

What's the reference to Ronnie about?

He was asked about European football, and replied that he loved watching it, playing it etc, the MC humourously said "because you were winning it" and Ronnie replied "yeah until they banned us anyway". Cringy laughter in the crowd.
To be fair, it probably wasn't bad, I just don't like Ronnie.

[DeLorean]

I actually find it a bit strange that everybody is so pro-McGeady all of a sudden. I'm delighted in one sense but I can't help feeling there's enormous ignorance attached to it. It reminds me of when Gareth Bale scored the hat-trick against Inter Milan and suddendly he was the best left sided player around, even though he had been sensational for the previous seven or eight months. McGeady has always been a class act, his delivery lets him down (it still does), but to my mind he's the most skillful Irish player since Liam Brady. This isn't a new revelation, and it's certainly nothing to do with what he has been eating in Russia. Amazing what a few good reports coming home and a flukey goal can do to get the bandwagon rolling. However, if it means he finally gets the support he deserves from the Irish crowd, it can only be a good thing.

[geysir]

Maybe there are some people would rather believe that McGeady has undergone a transformation rather than question their previous opinion of the player. A player just doesn't change like that.
The one thing that has noticeably progressed is his confidence on the ball, he toys with a defender. It's as if he has let the pressure of performing go and relaxed into the strengths of his game.

[paul_oshea]

Ya the whole keith wood expression of "the shackles are off".

I think playing away from UK and IRL has given him new impetus, he is far more assured, his control is better and most importantly his end product has improved no end, whilst he also appears to take the right option and not overplay and run into trouble.

Some people are always spotted as being a class act, but some never fulfill that potential, I think that was the fear with Mcgeady everyone knew there was the possibility there to be a world class player. I think now he is not far off that.

[geysir]

I think playing away from UK and IRL has given him new impetus, he is far more assured,

He is more assured.

his control is better

His control is similar. His decisions maybe have matured

and most importantly his end product has improved no end,

Actually not, his distribution is similar. It is still hit or miss with his crosses, similar to Duff and Lawrence.

[paul_oshea]

His control last night and against macedonia not first touch but holding the ball and not being so easily dispossessed the last 2 games has certainly improved.

His end product the last 2 games has also improved, for example far more of his balls beat the first man against macedonia

[DeLorean]

So one match and all of a sudden he's the bee's knees? He was outstanding against Georgia in the last campaign and, in my opinion, very good against Italy at home. There was very little praise going his way back then but there is plenty now. Maybe he does look a bit more assured now, but hardly to such an extent that would justify the overnight adulation.

[paul_oshea]

No thats a very fair piont DeLorean and one i'd agree with you cant just go on 2 games, but the thing is from what we have seen of him the fans have taken to him in Russia which suggests he must be doing something right there. Since he has left he appears to be getting on well, and compounded with the 2 recent games that suggests he has "matured" - read that many (any) ways you like.

[TiocfaidhArmani]

So one match and all of a sudden he's the bee's knees? He was outstanding against Georgia in the last campaign and, in my opinion, very good against Italy at home. There was very little praise going his way back then but there is plenty now. Maybe he does look a bit more assured now, but hardly to such an extent that would justify the overnight adulation.

You have a point, he was becoming the whipping boy and for me it was purely down to him playing in the SPL with Celtic. Look at Lawrence, people went OTT about an average player. It seems those who play in England are immediately favoured against others. McGeady was always a good player but now he's matured somewhat and his move has definitely ironed out his game.

[Kingdom]

I think he's definitely fulfilling the potential he has always shown. I think that there is an element amongst people who watch our games (I'm not necessarily saying supporters ) that they cannot admit that they were wrong about a player, or cannot acknowledge that someone has improved or got worse than they previously thought.
A lot of the time, I feel that people look at McGeady and simply say "oh his end product is terrible" or "he doesn't score enough". His end product isn't terrible - it was maddeningly inconsistent - it has improved no end, but it's not beyond frustrating at times either; Sat was a case in point: he delivered a superb corner that almost led to a goal, the ball came back out, a free was awarded and he skied the ball out over the goal line on the far side of the box. That is maddening, but it's getting less and less frequent, as it should. Someone said to me after the game on Sat, that he offered more of an end product than Duff, and for the game in question it was accurate.
As for the chances he takes (or doesn't take I suppose) he isn't a bad finisher, but he has been desperately unlucky at times, and has probably got exasperated and frantic in an effort to break the hoodoo.
What he offers the team is simple. He puts the fear of God into full backs. I'd go so far as to say he's far and away the most skillful player we have, and his technical ability is exceptional. That might seem to many as a bold statement, I don't. Also, we've seen a few teams doubling up on him. This isn't great for him as like many wingers it forces him down blind alleys and can lead to surrendering possession, but often, it means that there should be extra space for the rest of midfield. The problem there is that we haven't been good enough to exploit that space properly.

For me, he's one of the first names on the team sheet as of now, and has been for a good while. He's probably the player I most look forward to watching either for club or country, and I would always have an inflated grá for the big men at the back!

[paul_oshea]

People just don't like being wrong in general or proven wrong kingdom

When it comes to Ireland football all aspects, I love to be wrong

Having said that there was reasonable doubt about mcgeady or at least frustration and it was credible frustration.

I think the end product arguement is similar to keane, people used get very frustrated with him, not as much now, but because he could be very inconsistent and miss sitters or take the wrong option or whatever. They are very similar in this regard but I find that keane as he got older has lessened this in his game, not eradicated though.

[Kingdom]

I think the end product arguement is similar to keane, people used get very frustrated with him, not as much now, but because he could be very inconsistent and miss sitters or take the wrong option or whatever. They are very similar in this regard but I find that keane as he got older has lessened this in his game, not eradicated though.

DIsagree, you watch if Robbie Keane cut out the bull that comes with his game, the rolling around in mock frustration, the gamesmanship, the flailling arms etc. If he didn't do that, and got on with things, there'd by universal praise for the man. Someone alluded to it in the Uruguay thread - Long at times went to deck and bounced up immediately to continue playing or pressurise the opponent, it's an essential tool. It's one Robbie lacks. It's not something our leader should be doing, after all this time.

[paul_oshea]

No he still has that i meant how frustrating he was in terms of chances missed and taking the wrong option. Read again!! he definitely still is a little moaner.

[Stuttgart88]

I agree with Geysir when he said that his final ball hasn't been noticably different, but maybe that's a big ask in this team.

Maybe POS is damning him with faint praise by saying that it's better because at least now his delivery is beating the last defender, but look at Duff. A player whose final ball has been impeccable throughout his career must have boasted minimal cross-success-rate stats on Saturday. We do not have a front two that thrive off good wing play. But our wingers bear a huge burden in our current team because they are the only guys ahead of the defence who we can trust with the ball. If our wingers lose it, it's not the calamity that our CMs losing it can be, and the flipside is that they win frees, buy us time and on occasion play a critical final ball.

Let's ignore McGeady and look at Duff's contribution on Saturday. I can't recall a single completed cross (I've had a few tonight) but his contribution was invaluable. I think that's how we should look at McGeady too.

McGeady has definitely come on as a player. I'm a big protagonist of our players playing in Europe rather than the UK. In McGeady's case I think his improvement is simply down to playing regularly against better opposition than the SPL can offer. If he'd gone to Birmingham as was mooted, for e.g., he'd have been a luxury player that'd probably be ditched because of the need for a physical relegation scrapper, over a genuinely talented pedigree footballer.

[Fergie's Son]

Is part of it though that he actually has improved due to the fact that he is playing in a better league than the SPL?

[Fixer82]

I don't think he's improved vastly as a player because I thought he was a good player already. People were getting frustrated with him cos they could see his obvious talent but he wasn't making the most of it. In last two games he's made good decisions, lost the ball much less and even put in some good crosses.
Didn't take much but gets a much better result.

He's enjoying his football and has more confidence.
Porbably comes with being under less pressure, being away from the Glasgow goldfish bowl

[Junior]

7 months (incl winter break) and 21 games in Moscow.
6 Years and 185 games in Scotland.

I think the whole Moscow experience has been great for McGeady and as Stutts has said and many on here advocate the more players we have plying their trade in other countries the better it will be for them individually and us as a team.

Though, I would say people might be overstating the impact his very short stay in Moscow so far, has had. A smallish number of games against better teams and perhaps different coaching techniques, removal from the Glasgow Bowlfish bowl etc. will have helped.

I think he's always had it and shown it for Ireland in recent years, I didnt see any massive improvement in the last 2 games. He scored, which is great but in the crowd on Saturday you could hear a massive change in the attitude towards him as a player and I dont think that was purely down to his performance on the night but also the fact that he is now no longer an SPHell player.

[drummerboy]

I think there is a huge improvement since his move to Moscow.