FORMER IRELAND international Aiden McGeady gave an interesting interview during the week.
Speaking on Celtic’s official podcast, the 38-year-old outlined the difference between modern footballers and how players were when he first broke into the Bhoys team in 2004.
To outline the change, McGeady cited his two spells working under Martin O’Neill initially with Celtic and then for Ireland.
O’Neill’s methods, the winger claims, didn’t change during this period.
“But I started to see the change we were talking about, the changing culture from older players not really expecting to be told what to do,” he explained. “To players who were coming away a lot with Ireland… Expecting to be talked through the game and talked through tactics.
“Every single buildup, whether we’re going to play out from the back, what we’re going to do in every single phase of play.
“That was when I started to see the changing culture to the way that he managed players back then when he was with Celtic. That was the biggest thing for me.
“You would see players come in going, ‘I don’t know how we’re playing. I don’t know if I have to drop and pick up the ball.’ It would be a bit of excuse-making, at times.
“Then again, I’m not having a go at these players saying they shouldn’t be asking questions about formations and tactics and style of play.
“That’s just the way they’ve been brought up with football. They would get that at their clubs and they’d come away with Ireland.”
McGeady’s point brought to mind an oft-told anecdote by Graeme Souness. Recalling when he first signed for Liverpool in 1978, the confused youngster approached then-assistant boss Joe Fagan after a week with little instruction or direction.
“I said to him, how do you want me to play? He told me to f**k off, ‘we spent all this money on you and you’re asking me to how to play?’ So I never asked another question in seven years at Liverpool.”
The message was clear: the onus was on Souness and the other Liverpool players to perform. The manager could do little beyond picking the right starting XI.
Compare that to Monday night after Man United’s 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
Antony was pictured conversing with team-mates Mason Mount and Andre Onana after full-time.
The footage incensed Sky pundit and another footballer who came of age in a different era, Jamie Carragher.
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“Just get off the pitch,” the former Liverpool defender said. “Whispering behind your hand, you’ve been absolutely awful.
“He’s probably talking about one of the players or somebody else, or the set-up, or the manager, just get off the pitch.
“Shut up and get in. You’ve been beaten 4-0, whispering, talking — honestly, embarrassing.”
Perhaps no player sums up the ineptitude of the Erik ten Hag era more so than Antony.
The £86 million signing has invariably failed to justify the price tag.
And the fact that the Brazil international was signed from Ten Hag’s former club, Ajax, is a damning indictment of the Dutch coach’s judgement.
The 4-0 loss was one of a series of humiliating defeats the manager has presided over during his two-season reign.
The Red Devils have shown glimpses of their potential — notably the 4-3 FA Cup defeat of Liverpool back in March — but overall have fallen badly short this season.
Should they finish in their current position of eighth, it will be their worst league performance since 1989-90, when an FA Cup triumph conceivably saved Alex Ferguson’s job.
So what’s behind this disastrous campaign — another example of many where United have flattered to deceive in the post-Alex Ferguson years?
It goes back to the McGeady quote.
You can interpret it in two ways. Modern footballers wanting more tactical detail can be interpreted as a positive development, a demonstration of enthusiasm and a willingness to think about the game on a deeper level.
On the other hand, the less charitable view — as McGeady alluded to — is that they are more likely to look for excuses at times.
Players now are less inclined to take personal responsibility compared to 20 years ago when McGeady first broke on the scene.
The cult of the manager and his successes and failures tend to be over-hyped by the media and players have surely been infected by this culture too.
Laying the blame on the coach or elsewhere has become the habitual response for some underperforming players.
It is also a natural consequence of a sport where the coach’s job has become increasingly precarious as clubs are much less willing to give managers time to develop.
Judging by the numerous dressing leaks over the years — not just against Ten Hag, but also David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho — United’s players are ostensibly serial offenders in their reluctance to accept personal responsibility for the consistently underwhelming performances.
But they are far from the only culprits. One of the most glaring examples was Chelsea winning the 2014-15 title under Mourinho, finishing 10th the following season prompting the Portuguese coach’s dismissal at the midway point, and then winning the Premier League again the next season under Antonio Conte.
More recently, it is hardly a coincidence that news of David Moyes’ impending West Ham departure has coincided with 5-0 and 5-2 away defeats against Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
The players were far better in both cases than these anomalous displays suggested.
These dramatic collapses tend to be more commonplace at the end of the season, often when a manager’s future is uncertain.
Man United are one of several top-flight teams seemingly “on the beach” already.
Nonetheless, if they can summon a performance out of nowhere as they did against Liverpool in March — perhaps to make a point that they are better than recent results have indicated — title-contending Arsenal could be in for a tough afternoon when they visit Old Trafford on Sunday.
Upcoming Premier League fixtures:
Saturday
Fulham v Man City (12.30)
Bournemouth v Brentford
Everton v Sheffield United
Newcastle v Brighton
Tottenham v Burnley
West Ham v Luton
Wolves v Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (17.30)
Sunday
Man United v Arsenal (16.30)
Monday
Aston Villa v Liverpool (20.00)
Tuesday
Tottenham v Man City (20.00)
Wednesday
Brighton v Chelsea (19.45)
Man United v Newcastle (20.00)
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Aiden McGeady, Martin O'Neill and the crisis at Man United
FORMER IRELAND international Aiden McGeady gave an interesting interview during the week.
Speaking on Celtic’s official podcast, the 38-year-old outlined the difference between modern footballers and how players were when he first broke into the Bhoys team in 2004.
To outline the change, McGeady cited his two spells working under Martin O’Neill initially with Celtic and then for Ireland.
O’Neill’s methods, the winger claims, didn’t change during this period.
“But I started to see the change we were talking about, the changing culture from older players not really expecting to be told what to do,” he explained. “To players who were coming away a lot with Ireland… Expecting to be talked through the game and talked through tactics.
“Every single buildup, whether we’re going to play out from the back, what we’re going to do in every single phase of play.
“That was when I started to see the changing culture to the way that he managed players back then when he was with Celtic. That was the biggest thing for me.
“You would see players come in going, ‘I don’t know how we’re playing. I don’t know if I have to drop and pick up the ball.’ It would be a bit of excuse-making, at times.
“Then again, I’m not having a go at these players saying they shouldn’t be asking questions about formations and tactics and style of play.
“That’s just the way they’ve been brought up with football. They would get that at their clubs and they’d come away with Ireland.”
McGeady’s point brought to mind an oft-told anecdote by Graeme Souness. Recalling when he first signed for Liverpool in 1978, the confused youngster approached then-assistant boss Joe Fagan after a week with little instruction or direction.
“I said to him, how do you want me to play? He told me to f**k off, ‘we spent all this money on you and you’re asking me to how to play?’ So I never asked another question in seven years at Liverpool.”
The message was clear: the onus was on Souness and the other Liverpool players to perform. The manager could do little beyond picking the right starting XI.
Compare that to Monday night after Man United’s 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
Antony was pictured conversing with team-mates Mason Mount and Andre Onana after full-time.
The footage incensed Sky pundit and another footballer who came of age in a different era, Jamie Carragher.
“Just get off the pitch,” the former Liverpool defender said. “Whispering behind your hand, you’ve been absolutely awful.
“He’s probably talking about one of the players or somebody else, or the set-up, or the manager, just get off the pitch.
“Shut up and get in. You’ve been beaten 4-0, whispering, talking — honestly, embarrassing.”
Perhaps no player sums up the ineptitude of the Erik ten Hag era more so than Antony.
The £86 million signing has invariably failed to justify the price tag.
And the fact that the Brazil international was signed from Ten Hag’s former club, Ajax, is a damning indictment of the Dutch coach’s judgement.
The 4-0 loss was one of a series of humiliating defeats the manager has presided over during his two-season reign.
The Red Devils have shown glimpses of their potential — notably the 4-3 FA Cup defeat of Liverpool back in March — but overall have fallen badly short this season.
Should they finish in their current position of eighth, it will be their worst league performance since 1989-90, when an FA Cup triumph conceivably saved Alex Ferguson’s job.
So what’s behind this disastrous campaign — another example of many where United have flattered to deceive in the post-Alex Ferguson years?
It goes back to the McGeady quote.
You can interpret it in two ways. Modern footballers wanting more tactical detail can be interpreted as a positive development, a demonstration of enthusiasm and a willingness to think about the game on a deeper level.
On the other hand, the less charitable view — as McGeady alluded to — is that they are more likely to look for excuses at times.
Players now are less inclined to take personal responsibility compared to 20 years ago when McGeady first broke on the scene.
The cult of the manager and his successes and failures tend to be over-hyped by the media and players have surely been infected by this culture too.
Laying the blame on the coach or elsewhere has become the habitual response for some underperforming players.
It is also a natural consequence of a sport where the coach’s job has become increasingly precarious as clubs are much less willing to give managers time to develop.
Judging by the numerous dressing leaks over the years — not just against Ten Hag, but also David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho — United’s players are ostensibly serial offenders in their reluctance to accept personal responsibility for the consistently underwhelming performances.
But they are far from the only culprits. One of the most glaring examples was Chelsea winning the 2014-15 title under Mourinho, finishing 10th the following season prompting the Portuguese coach’s dismissal at the midway point, and then winning the Premier League again the next season under Antonio Conte.
More recently, it is hardly a coincidence that news of David Moyes’ impending West Ham departure has coincided with 5-0 and 5-2 away defeats against Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
The players were far better in both cases than these anomalous displays suggested.
These dramatic collapses tend to be more commonplace at the end of the season, often when a manager’s future is uncertain.
Man United are one of several top-flight teams seemingly “on the beach” already.
Nonetheless, if they can summon a performance out of nowhere as they did against Liverpool in March — perhaps to make a point that they are better than recent results have indicated — title-contending Arsenal could be in for a tough afternoon when they visit Old Trafford on Sunday.
Upcoming Premier League fixtures:
Saturday
Fulham v Man City (12.30)
Bournemouth v Brentford
Everton v Sheffield United
Newcastle v Brighton
Tottenham v Burnley
West Ham v Luton
Wolves v Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (17.30)
Sunday
Man United v Arsenal (16.30)
Monday
Aston Villa v Liverpool (20.00)
Tuesday
Tottenham v Man City (20.00)
Wednesday
Brighton v Chelsea (19.45)
Man United v Newcastle (20.00)
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