After Ireland slugged out what we all once thought was a great goalless draw in Copenhagen for the first leg of the World Cup qualifier, the press huddled in the freezing Scandinavian cold.
It was off the corner of the pitch, outside in the dark where the players would walk by into the team bus and, one by one, none of the Ireland players stopped because there was too much riding on the second leg now. They didn’t want to say the wrong thing in the media or make a splash when they had just gotten through the first half of the playoffs unscathed with all the work still to do so most of them politely refused interviews – fat lot of use, in hindsight.
Callum O’Dowda stopped to talk though at the very bottom of the walkway and there was a bit of relief amongst the journalists that they’d at least have some reaction quotes to take away from the night.
But as eyes peered desperately and enviously down in the direction where the only action was, it was taking a long time to even start that interview as the guy holding the video camera – everyone assumed it was for the UEFA website or something – started to help O’Dowda get his mic up through his close properly before running the sound check. It was definitely a first in a mixed zone which is generally just a scramble to grab the first person not forceful enough to reject the requests outright and three-minute interviews break out all over the area, players are moved on and the next one is sought after.
O’Dowda was happily obliging with this particularly extended rigmarole though and gave a meaty enough interview too. When he reached the Irish contingent of the press, he simply offered a half smile, a gentle nod but a dismissive hand along with his apologies as he continued walking on by and onto the team bus.
There was obviously a sense of injustice about the thing but, as it transpired, the talk was that O’Dowda was having a documentary made on his career and this guy with the camera and mic was following him at all his games.
I liked that. Suddenly, O’Dowda went from being an exciting young guy who we knew had potential to being a player who obviously fancied himself and was backing himself to make it. If he didn’t keep pushing on, the documentary could be the most mundane thing ever produced. But if he did carry on his climb, if he kept working and kept his mind fixed on the hellbent desire to reach the top, the footage would capture a special journey from Oxford United to Bristol City and all the way up the levels.
At 23, O’Dowda is starting to really show consistently what he’s about. With bare stats, he has just two goals and three assists in the league for Bristol City so far this season but his form has been influential and the club sit two points adrift of the playoffs, in seventh place in the Championship.
Now, it seems that he might have a choice: to keep fighting and leading for Bristol, or join the Leeds juggernaut which won’t be stopped on its mission for the Premier League.
I understand Leeds are looking into Bristol City winger Callum O’Dowda as an option as they pursue a new winger #lufc
— Tim Thornton (@SkySports_Tim) January 15, 2019
Sky Sports reporter Tim Thornton revealed that Marcelo Bielsa is seeking the acquisition of O’Dowda in the January transfer window whilst the reputable Phil Hay from the Yorkshire Evening Post confirmed the link.
Leeds normally operate with Ezgjan Alioski and Pablo Hernandez as their wide players but have sometimes adopted a 3-4-3 formation too, such is the tactical flexibility of the manager. In their systems, O’Dowda would have plenty of opportunities for game time and he has proven that he can even play more in-field in a central role too as he has done to exciting effect with Ireland in the last year.
The news isn’t something that pleases Bristol City fans though.
If you take him I will kill every Leeds fan I ever meet
— Preece (@charlie_preece) January 15, 2019
Yeah mate quality player another one with prem potential just needs the right coaching
— Preece (@charlie_preece) January 15, 2019
“Just needs the right coaching” to be a quality Premier League player… Marcelo Bielsa will probably do.
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