Maybe he should get another chance. Again.
In the space of 19 league games, Aiden McGeady has scored as many goals for Sunderland as he has in 92 caps for Ireland.
You can nearly sympathise with Martin O’Neill for sticking with the winger who served him so well at Celtic 13 years ago and sticking with him until the bitter 5-1 end against Denmark.
At 31 years of age, Irish fans hoped beyond hope with their manager that McGeady would deliver on the promise he showed at stages – or the promise we heard about at least – so he got 92 chances to do that. Sometimes, like out in Georgia for the Euro 2016 qualifier, McGeady came good but those sometimes weren’t nearly often enough in the green jersey.
Then he invariably went back to his club – whether that was in Scotland, Russia or England – and he’d produce flashes of brilliance. Cynics might’ve rolled their eyebrows, shrugged their shoulders and remarked that they had seen it all before from him but perhaps that was O’Neill’s thinking too. Who else was doing it?
The form McGeady showed for Preston last year for example would’ve had the country falling over themselves if it was someone like Daryl Horgan. But it was McGeady who was starting for them and it was McGeady who was scoring more regularly and setting up goals more often and, had it been anyone else, there’d have been a clamour to get him into the national team.
Sunderland came along, relegated from the top flight for the first time in 11 years believe it or not, and they signed up the Republic veteran and, whilst it has been a pretty disastrous start for them in the Championship, McGeady has been doing alright.
On Saturday, he even scored a header – a goal that would lift them out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.
McGeady! #SAFC pic.twitter.com/htZjbOMVzF
— Mark Evans (@Evs_Dubai) December 30, 2017
McGeady starts the move in his own half, spreads the play, and finishes it off with deadly effect.
Maybe it’s time he got another chance.
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