Irish public took to popular McAteer on and off the field

THERE’S SOMETHING about the way Ireland, as a nation, embraced the ‘Plastic Paddys’ of the Charlton and McCarthy eras. It was certainly about more than the sport; there was undoubtedly a political edge to it, a ‘he picked us over you’ feeling.

Whether it was the Yorkshire twang of big Mick McCarthy, the horizontal drawl of cockney Clinton Morrison, or the loveable scouse tongue of Jason McAteer, each ‘returning’ son’s words were treated with almost the same reverence as the Pope or Bill Clinton.

Not every country reacts the same way with string-like bonds, partly because the residence laws now allow players to play for an adopted home, even if they boast less of a connection than, say, ‘Big Cas’ had with the Emerald Isle.

Jason McAteer was one of those who really fell into the bosom of a nation. The Liverpool native had, somewhat comically, never set foot in the 32 counties before declaring for Ireland, but he did have that all important connection, the Northern Irish grandparent.

And so started an affinity with McAteer that is still going strong, more than 20 years later. To be fair, as well as some memorable moments in over half a century of caps, it was his personality that made him a household name this side of the Irish Sea.

But there is more to Jason McAteer than met the public’s eye. While the story of the football career is interesting enough, it’s the story behind the man that makes ‘Blood, Sweat & Jason McAteer’ the fascinating autobiography it is.

The first thing to note about this publication is its honesty. Endless books tell you how ‘warts and all’ they are but fail to live up to their claims. It’s easy to know McAteer is airing truthfully because he doesn’t always come off well in stories.

But that honesty and self-reflection aside, the other content is interesting too. Most Irish fans will not realise the difficult route McAteer had to the top of the game. It wasn’t Premiership Academy, full-time contract, pro debut and then international.

It was a harder than that. The stories of those early struggles, the difficult days in Marine F.C. and the journey to eventually making the breakthrough at Bolton, make up the opening quarter of this book.

The middle half is as you might expect, getting to play for his boyhood club Liverpool, and of course the adventures with Ireland under Jack Charlton and Mick McCarthy. Unsurprisingly, there are many great stories in those pages, some the reader might be familiar with, while others are less well known.

It’s probably the final sector of the book that has garnered the majority of press attention in the last few weeks. McAteer details his difficulties after he left the game, his almost fatal dice with depression, and how he managed to turn his life back around, to the happy and contented place he now resides.

Negatives? One might take issue with his belief that ex-players should be fast-tracked through coaching courses and into clubs. The public hear enough rubbish for former pro’s on television to know that a lot of them should be nowhere near a coaching role.

But that nit-picking aside, all in all it’s a solid offering from McAteer. Does the average Joe Soap on the street want to read this, someone who tuned in to USA ‘94 and Japan/South Korea 2002?

Probably not, as while the human story will hold that audience in spells, the heavy lean on his career on the field might be a bit info-heavy. For diehard Irish fans though, this is going to be one for the Christmas stocking. DEAN GOODISON Visit The Book Centre on Wexford’s Main Street for the very best selection of sports books.