McGeady Backs Embattled Strachan

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Irish Voice Sport

McGeady Backs Embattled Strachan

April 9, 2008

By Cathal Dervan

IRELAND winger Aiden McGeady has publicly backed manager Gordon Strachan as the pressure mounts on the Parkhead boss ahead of next week’s Old Firm showdown. Some Celtic fans showered abuse on manager Strachan during Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Motherwell which well and truly handed the title initiative to Rangers.

But McGeady told the Daily Record, “The fans can sometimes forget too quickly. The boss has won the SPL two seasons in a row and has taken Celtic into the last 16 of the Champions League for the past two years. That is something new in the history of the club.

“All of a sudden fans are saying he has got to go, but they should think about the success we’ve had under him. A year without winning trophies is a big failure at a club like ours but there’s always next season.

“I don’t think the manager is finished by any means. I still expect him to be here next season and I don’t think he would consider leaving when he has unfinished business at this club.”

The jury is still out on Strachan’s Celtic future, however. The president of the Affiliation of Celtic Supporters’ Clubs, Peter Rafferty admitted, “There was a backlash from the fans on Saturday, there is no doubt about that and it would be silly to say otherwise.

“There was a major reaction from the fans and it was down to frustration about results and substitutions. It’s difficult to say what percentage are for and against the manager. Sometimes it is the vocal minority who make themselves heard, but we need to see what the silent majority feel.”

Striker Scott McDonald was controversially substituted for Georgios Samaras during the Motherwell game and then threw his tracksuit to the ground in disgust before apologizing to his manager and his teammates.

“It was nothing to do with the team or the gaffer, it was just my passion for playing for the club,” said McDonald. “I wanted to stay out and try and turn the game around for the team and myself. He (Strachan) made the decision for the team and I’ve got to understand that. I’m part of that team and when you do what I did it creates a negative reaction all round the stadium.”

Celtic trio McGeady, Scott McDonald and Barry Robson have been named on a four-man shortlist for the PFA Scotland Player of the Year award, with Carlos Cuellar the only Ibrox player nominated. McGeady is also on a five-man shortlist for the young player award.

McGeady has also distanced himself from reports linking him with a summer move to Newcastle.

“I’m contracted to Celtic for the next three years so we will see what happens, but I am happy at Celtic,” said McGeady.

“There is a time and place for everything. I would obviously love to test myself in the Premiership, you would be mad to say you wouldn’t. But I would think just now I am definitely staying at Celtic and learning the game more.”

Five-time SPL champion Neil Lennon has returned to Celtic to take on a coaching role, signaling the end of his lengthy playing career in the process.

“Neil is someone who I am proud to have worked with previously and is a man who I have great respect for,” Strachan told the club’s official website.

Former Ireland under-21 star Noel Hunt scored again as Dundee United drew 3-3 with Scottish league leaders Rangers on Sunday, 24 hours after Celtic lost at home to Motherwell.

Keane Lashes Out

SUNDERLAND boss Roy Keane has lashed out at Liam Brady’s involvement with the new Irish set-up –- and recommended his FAI nemesis John Delaney for the role of taoiseach (prime minister) when Bertie Ahern quits next month.

Keane was in flying form at his annual news conference on behalf of Guide Dogs for the Blind last week. When asked who should replace Ahern he quipped, “John Delaney.”

The Corkman also had a pop at Brady, who took the opposite side during the Saipan row in 2002. Asked what Brady will bring to the job as Ireland assistant, Keane said, “I don’t think he will add anything. He’s probably just a translator. It’s a gut feeling, which I follow a lot. I haven’t got a clue what he’s going to add, not a clue.”

However, Trapattoni is the perfect candidate for the top job according to Keane who added, “I think it’s a job that suits an older manager, so please God he’ll do well. His track record is there for all to see, he’s got great credentials, so hopefully his good record will continue.”

Keane did warn new Irish coach Trapattoni that his squad may lack the depth needed to succeed at international level.

The Sunderland boss said, “We have good players but not world class. Robbie Keane is a very, very talented player, but world-class players are the ones that have done it on the biggest stage. And, unfortunately for Robbie, Spurs have not done it on the biggest stage, which is the Champions League.

“And how many games has Damien Duff played in the Champions League? I don’t think he would have played many. These Ireland players need to be playing at this level on a regular basis.”

Keane also reopened old wounds with Manchester United in an Irish Times interview when he accused the club of betraying him when they let him go in November of 2005.

“The day I left United, in hindsight, I should have stopped playing really,” Keane said.

“I lost the love of the game that Friday morning. I thought football is cruel, life is cruel. It takes two to tango also. I am fully responsible for my own actions but some things are wrong.”

Crowe’s Record

GLENN Crowe broke the Bohemians scoring record with the winner against Shamrock Rovers in the Dublin Derby last Friday night when he edged past Turlough O’Connor with 121st goal for the club.

Crowe told the Irish Daily Mirror, “I didn’t have a clue about the record –- and that was probably a good thing. It’s a nice record to have although it’s not a thing that you set out to achieve at the start of your career. I’m delighted with the amount of goals I have scored and hopefully there are a lot more in me.”

Munster Wins

MUNSTER will face their former coach Alan Gaffney and his current charges Saracens in the semifinal of the Heineken Cup after a quite incredible 16-3 win over Gloucester in England last Saturday.

Ian Dowling, just before halftime, and former All-Black Dougie Howlett got the vital tries for the Irish province as coach Declan Kidney’s international prospects received a major boost with a thoroughly deserved win.

Ronan O’Gara supplied the remaining points on a day when Scotland star Chris Paterson endured a nightmare in front of goal with three misses from three attempts.

Munster skipper Paul O’Connell admitted, ‘We were a bit lucky that Gloucester missed their early kicks, but on the other hand we took our own chances. Experience always plays a part in games like these but what was more important was a very honest effort from numbers one to 15, and also from the bench.”

Coach Kidney said, ‘We probably rode our luck but it was a huge effort from the whole squad, and a huge amount of credit has to go to everyone involved. I am delighted to have got through, and you have to enjoy these days.”

Back row specialist Denis Leamy can’t wait for the last four clash at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena at the end of the month. “We have given ourselves a fighting chance in the semifinal, albeit on the road again,” Leamy said. “We’re still there and we have a lot to play for before the end of the season.”

Saracens boss Gaffney is looking forward to the challenge of trying to dump former employers Munster out of the Heineken Cup after he masterminded a stunning 19-10 upset of the heavily-fancied Ospreys on Sunday when Toulouse booked a semifinal clash with London Irish.

“Munster were superb in the way they won at Gloucester. They really did dominate the game,” said Gaffney. “I sent a number of congratulatory text messages to my Munster friends after their win against Gloucester on Saturday, and I got a flood of them in return after the final whistle against the Ospreys.”

“I guess you could say we’ve put a spanner in the works by beating a team that many people thought were the favorites to win the tournament. Now, we will have to do it all over again when we meet Munster.”

Padraig Ready

PADRAIG Harrington believes his preparations for this week’s Masters have been spot on after deliberately basing himself in America for the past fortnight when he claimed a fourth-place finish at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and a midfield finish in the Houston Open.

“The two weeks I’ve had over here have been very beneficial,” Harrington said. “Certainly, in Houston, I was trying a little bit too hard and I need to ease up on myself a little bit.

“My work load wasn’t any more than New Orleans, so I can’t say I played any better or any worse –- but I know I am never going to under-try. I just have to be careful not to over-try. I am much happier now than I was at the start of last week, but while I haven’t necessarily improved, I know where I stand.

“I am getting more familiar with myself and this is what these past two weeks have been about and that’s been good.”

GAA Results

NFL Division 1: Derry 0-14 Tyrone 0-10, Kerry 0-9 Kildare 0-8, Mayo 1-11 Galway 2-9, Donegal 1-14 Laois 2-8

NFL Division 2: Cork 0-12 Monaghan 0-10, Dublin 3-20 Roscommon 0-7, Meath 3-7 Armagh 1-6, Westmeath 0-10 Cavan 0-6.

NFL Division 3: Fermanagh 2-6 Wexford 0-12, Limerick 2-6 Longford 3-5, Leitrim 2-7 Down 1-9, Louth 2-7 Sligo 0-12.

NFL Division 4: Tipperary 0-10 Antrim 0-7, Carlow 0-11 Waterford 1-15, Offaly 4-22 Kilkenny 1-6, London 0-6 Wicklow 4-9.

NHL Division 1 Quarterfinals: Limerick 0-8 Cork 0-13, Waterford 0-14 Tipperary 1-16.

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