McCLEAN IS NOW A ROLE MODEL
Derry man has made other distractions a thing of the past
CAPTAINING my country and wearing the armband to lead an Ireland team was something very special. There is nothing quite like it. We were in the United States for an end of season US tour with Steve Staunton and I was the only senior player on the trip so I was the obvious choice for the two games against Bolivia and Ecuador in Boston and New York.
It was still a huge honour and one I’d had for a couple of games under Brian Kerr too. Every game I played for Ireland meant something to me, but I will never forget the pride in being the captain of my country on those occasions.
That is why I am really pleased for James McClean and know what it will have meant to him to lead out his country in New Jersey for Friday’s friendly against Mexico.
Of the three games we have to play to see the season out, this was the most irrelevant. It was an opportunity for players to make an impression on Martin O’Neill and cement a place in his thoughts for the future.
McClean knew it was his chance to get his 50th cap and to be skipper and I bet O’Neill was delighted that he volunteered for the trip and thus granted his wish.
His attitude to international football is refreshing and when he said recently that he hates it when players pull out of squads, I was glad he spoke his mind.
Gradually, he seems to have moved away from the other distractions in his life and I am sure fatherhood has changed him. Thankfully, he hasn’t changed as a footballer and always give everything when he pulls on the Ireland shirt, no matter how or if he is performing for his club.
As captain, McClean was the leader of a young group of men, new to international football and travelling as a representative of their country as seniors for the first time. It is a big deal. He is a Premier League player and established international with 50 caps. They will look up to him of course.
And McClean has become a role model for the squad and particularly League of Ireland players who are wanting to make it in England and become internationals.
You do not get into the position of being the captain of your country unless you have earned it, and James McClean has earned the honour and has become an invaluable member of this World Cup qualifying campaign squad.
When you think back to him just making Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad for the Euro 2012 finals in Poland, it is incredible that he has got to half a century of caps in such a short space of time. It shows his desire to play for his country in every game.
That sounds like the corniest thing in the world, but it is the way it has to be. You should want to play for Ireland in every single game.
So I am not really interested in players who need time to think about whether they want to play for Ireland or are ‘toying’ with the idea. O’Neill will not be worried about the result or the performance against Uruguay today, just as he won’t lose any sleep over the 3-1 defeat in the Met Stadium. All he is bothered about this fortnight is the Austria game.
Of course good performances and wins help confidence and that is always the main objective from a friendly. They would love to go into the Austria game on the back of a good win today.
The Mexico game offered a chance for the likes of Alan Browne and Kevin Long to make their debuts and be judged on the international stage. They are always good end of season occasions for players and Stateside supporters, but they are tough games too and an inexperienced team got a bit of a run-around in the early hours of Friday morning. I played against Mexico in Chicago in 2000, and we might have played lesser known Mexican players but we never saw the ball and just ran around in searing heat — we managed a draw thanks to an unbelievable performance from Dean Kiely.
Uruguay in Dublin is totally different. It is a good warm-up, skillful opposition who will attack and it is a shame a Dublin crowd will not get the chance to see Luis Suarez, one of the best strikers I’ve seen.
It’s also a chance to iron out any rustiness and get the legs moving in a game again because some of the Championship lads haven’t played for nearly a month.
The first few days on the training ground will have felt strange but the touch soon comes back and by day three and four, the rhythm is there and you can start to focus on games. But matches are different and this friendly will be a good test.
The team selection will be a good indication of O’Neill’s thinking for the Austria game and some of the fringe players may have a chance to show what they are capable of and sneak into his thinking.