Today’s Sunday Mail carries a story that Aiden McGeady has decided that it’s time to move on from Celtic.
There are no quotes to the article but there never are in these type of stories, a journalist has their contacts and reputation to go on.
No journalist has a 100% track record but on these sort of stories I’m pretty certain that Mark Guidi knows what is going on.
The story claims that after thinking over his options for the last few months McGeady has come to the conclusion that his career is best served away from Celtic.
Birmingham City have constantly been linked with a move for the Irish internationalist with Spartak Moscow reported to be interested, if his availability becomes public knowledge there are bound to be other clubs in contact.
With a contract running until 2013 Celtic won’t be rushed into accepting the first offer put in front of them but equally they will want any departure completed quickly in order to give Neil Lennon as much time as possible to rebuild the team for the new season.
The departure of McGeady has always been inevitable, the SPL was never going to be the place for his talent to fully develop.
A regular diet of Champions League football would be an interesting contrast to the domestic dish with McGeady showing that he can be just as influential against the continentals as he is at home.
In the successful 2006 and 2007 Champions League campaigns he was one of the main forces taking Celtic into the knock out stages.
Hand on heart every Celtic supporter knows that level of achievement is highly unlikely in the season ahead. That includes McGeady.
Two or three years ago he would have imagined himself moving on to a top six English club to develop his game- today a move to almost any Premiership side would give him a chance to perform at a higher level than Celtic are likely to offer him.
Moving to a club that perhaps loses as many matches as it will win will be a culture shock to the 24-year-old but he has shown that he can adapt.
Gordon Strachan insisted that he tracked back to help the team, a change that many probably thought that they would never see.
Without becoming a fantastic defender McGeady became effective simply by making up the numbers, following the ball back rather than waiting, hands on hips, for the ball to come his way to create another attack.
Although he has been very influential at times for Celtic you don’t have to look too far at Celtic for supporters to demand ‘Where’s the end product?’
His shooting leaves lots to be desired and his delivery can be frustrating at times but 90% plus of fans would rather watch Celtic with McGeady rather than without.
If every penny of any transfer fee is given to Lennon, alongwith his existing budget, Celtic could be ready to hit the ground running, to go to war as someone might say.
With complete confidence I don’t anticipate McGeady taking the high road to Middlesbrough but perhaps a move to White Hart Lane could be part of a deal to really get Celtic Park bouncing when the new season begins…
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Take the money. Life goes on. He only performed when it suited him.
Are you serious, you are doing a re-write on a Mark “scoop” Guidi
Can’t say I’ll be sorry to see him go…..
Potential is enormous….doesn’t fulfill it…
we, like every other club, need money….and if he’s one of the sources for big income….so be it….I wish him well if he leaves.
I would have to agree,if only for his own development as a player.Aiden has never been given the protection by referee’s,infact he has consistantly been singled out by referee’s when he complains about the treatment dished out to him by defenders,look no futher than this seasons Celtic v Rangers to prove this point. McGeady has also had to indure vile and bigoted abuse from almost every SPL ground because of his preferred nationality.
McGeady must now look to pastures new. Maybe not as far as Moscow,but most EPL don’t have the kind of cash the Hoops would require,so what ever Aiden decides i’m sure .
all Hoops fans will wish him well.
Hail Hail
you are worse than the papers
Every player has their price and McGeady isn’t any different. My own feeling is that he flatters to decieve more often than he delivers.
McGinn if he stays injury free probibly carries as much if not more of a goal threat so would have a ready made replacement. This would allow any transfer fee recieved to be used where the team needs it most – striker and central defence.
Like Mike tho wish him all the best.
Hail Hail
90% plus would want to see mcgeady stay ??? are you having a laugh, i would say its the other way round. he plays well one in ten games and as you say he has no end product and if he is so good why is he only a sub for ireland.
take the money and run .
Although I’d be sorry to see him leave, I feel there could be someone special waiting to replace him. Not enough for me to put the brilliant tag around his neck. He was at times, but not often enough and rarely troubled Rangers.The money will come in handy and like Pete, I have a lot of time for McGinn. Maybe Strachan will take him as he’s been a great dressing room influence!
Another pointless story that restates what we all know. Aiden McGeady to grow, must leave Celtic. Thats the worst kept secret in Scottish football.
If a club meets or exceeds Celtic’s valuation then Aiden will be gone.
As for Mark Guidi, even a broken clock is right twice a day. I find using the terms “journalist” and “reputation” laughable in regards to him
No journalist, just like football managers, has a 100% record.
The same reporter broke the story of McGeady criticising Dougie McDonald after the February derby match with a quote that McDonald wasn’t impartial.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/football/spl/celtic/2010/03/07/dougie-mcdonald-was-biased-against-celtic-in-old-firm-clash-insists-aiden-mcgeady-86908-22091756/
We’re all capable of making up our own minds and judging stories, the source of this story suggests that there is substance behind it.
All we ever hear from to many so called supporters is that McGeady “flatters to deceive” or “no end product” (jesus, how original). Complete rubbish. If we had half decent strikers Aiden would have a much higher assist rate. Aiden McGeady is without a shadow of a doubt the best player in Scottish football. We will miss him when/if he leaves but then the greatest fans in the world will pick on someone else to aim their vitriol.
If there is any truth in this it wil be one of the 1% of rumours that the Sunday Mail in general and Mark Guidi in particular has managed to get right.
However, I would not shed any tears if McGeady did move.
Although he has shown flashes of talent, consistency in his play has been missing, and it was only under Gordon Strachan who kept a short rein on him that he showed his best form.
Tony Mowbray seemed to play him every week regardless of how he was performing, and last season he wasn’t performing all that often.
There is good reason the player has been nicknamed Greedy McGeady.
More interested in himself than in how he could enhance the overall performance of the team.