Irish boss Giovanni Trapattoni says winger Aiden McGeady is “100 per cent” and ready to play in the Euro 2012 qualifiers against Slovakia and Russia. The Spartak midfielder played three minutes of the Moscow derby on Sunday after missing much of the summer with an ankle injury sustained on June 10th, but met up with the Ireland squad at the first opportunity this morning and trained in Malahide.
Captain Robbie Keane is travelling from the other side of the world where he now plies his trade with LA Galaxy and will join the squad tomorrow.
The manager today spoke publicly for the first time since the striker’s move from Tottenham to Major League Soccer and appeared satisfied the decision will not affect the Tallaght man’s international future or form.
“He went with enthusiasm, he told me he was happy to go but he wanted to be with the Irish players too and he will come,” said the Italian. “Before people said he wasn’t playing enough, but I said senior players have played a lot of football and can keep their conditioning. Now I’m sure he can play despite the long flights.”
Burnley winger Keith Treacy and Sunderland defender John O’Shea will also arrive tomorrow. O’Shea featured for the first time for his new club at the weekend and played 95 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Swansea after recovering from injury.
The Irish Management team remain confident goalkeeper Shay Given will be fit after he suffered a back strain while playing for Aston Villa on Saturday. He will also join up with the squad late.
The only players to sit out training today were defenders Seán St Ledger and Darren O’Dea, and striker Shane Long, who has scored against Manchester United and Chelsea this season after leaving Reading for West Brom.
With each carrying minor knocks, their absences today were merely precautionary and Trapattoni insisted: “It was better we let them rest, the will be fine though, we are sure.”
The manager is happy the Long's form has provided him with a selection headache ahead of a big week, with Kevin Doyle, Keane and Simon Cox also vying for a place on the pitch.
"It's important to have these options. In the 90 minutes, we can start and then change. It's very important to choose every option."The Slovakia and Russia games will have a major say in the outcome of the group, with the three sides involved locked together at the top of the table on 13 points. Ireland lost at home to the Russians and drew in Slovakia in October, and there has been little to choose between the teams throughout the campaign to date.
But while Trapattoni is fully aware of the magnitude of the double-header, he is refusing even to contemplate what lies ahead in Moscow next week until the first encounter has been negotiated.
He said: "We must prepare for these two games with more attention - I say more because it is always important to improve. Every game shows us or teaches us that it is possible to improve again.
"For example, for the last game against Croatia, we were missing two or three important players. But the players who came in played well, and I am confident about them. I saw how it's possible to improve not only the system, but the attitude, mentality and how it's possible to achieve the result when we are missing one or two important players.
"Now against Slovakia and against Russia, we need to start with the winning mentality because I think we can do that. But we have to think about Russia only after three days."
Dick Advocaat's side suffered a setback yesterday when goalkeeper Igor Akinfeyev was ruled out of both of their qualifiers with a knee injury sustained in the same game in which McGeady made his return.
Vyacheslav Malafeev, the Zenit St Petersburg goalkeeper capped 18 times, is likely to take his place, though Advocaat has added Dynamo Moscow’s Anton Shunin (one cap) to the squad for the home games against Macedonia, on Friday, and Ireland.
Ireland winger Aiden McGeady scored an injury-time winner from the penalty spot as Spartak Moscow edged past Rostov 2-1 in the Premier Liga clash at the Luzhniki Stadium.
The home side had gone behind to Anri Khagush's 24th-minute strike. However, Welliton equalised shortly before the break when McGeady got past two Rostov defenders to send over a cross for Welliton to head home just before half time, and when referee Alexander Gvardis pointed to the spot in the dying seconds, McGeady kept his cool to convert his second goal for Spartak since his nine and a half million pound move from Celtic.
McGeady has settled well in Moscow and has given Spartak an added attacking option with his impressive penetration down the wing. The Irish midfielder’s initial apprehension when making the first transfer move of his career seems to have passed and he has settled into the different Russian style of football, with the ball being played far more on the ground than in the SPL with former club Celtic.
Celtic winger Aiden McGeady looks set to call it a day on his Celtic career in what will be a major blow to new Hoops manager Neil Lennon.
According to a report in yesterday's Sunday Mail the Ireland winger has made up his mind to leave Parkhead, with the only consolation for Celtic being that they can expect to bank around £9m for their man.
Fans favourite McGeady broke into the Celtic first team six years ago and has developed into one of the most gifted players in the SPL.
But rookie Celtib boss Neil Lennon is resigned to losing his star man, with Russian side Spartak Moscow already having seen a bid of around £8m rejected by the Hoops.
Spartak are said to be ready to return to the table with an increased offer this week and while the Irish ace would consider a move to Russia his preferred option is to take his talents to England.
McGeady won’t be short of admirers in England, with Aston Villa, Spurs , Everton, Birmingham and Sunderland all tracking the want away Celtic star.
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has already had a bid of £8m knocked back for McGeady in January but hasn’t given up hope of landing the Celtic star.
Former Hoops boss Martin O’Neill also has the wing ace in his sights. O’Neill gave McGeady his first team break in 2004 and with James Milner set for a £26m move to Manchester City has the funds to meet Celtic’s asking price.
McGeady is under contract until 2013 and new Celtic manager Neil Lennon recently came out and said it would take “ridiculous money” for him to part with the star, but the winger is hoping Celtic don’t price him out of a move by asking for silly money for his services.
Robbie Keane has been voted the Celtic fans' player of the year despite having been at the club only two-and-a-half months.
The 29-year-old striker joined the Scottish giants on loan from Tottenham just hours before the transfer window closed at the start of February amid huge fanfare at Parkhead.
The Ireland international collected the award at the club's annual dinner after taking his tally to 13 goals in 15 games with the opener in Saturday's 3-2 home win against Hibernian.
However, Keane's impressive personal form failed to revive Celtic's season, with manager Tony Mowbray sacked as they fell further behind in the title race, while the Bhoys were then dumped out of the Scottish Cup semi-finals by Ross County in one of the worst defeats in the club's history.
Fellow Ireland international Aiden McGeady was a clear winner in the players' player of the year category but Keane's gong shows how few Celtic players have impressed consistently this season.
Keane also shared the top goalscorer award with Georgios Samaras, although both have netted one less than Scott McDonald, who was sold to Middlesbrough in January.
Damien Duff has been ruled out of Ireland's World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria and Italy with a hamstring injury.
Thursday evening's shock news was a big blow to Ireland boss Giovanni Trapatonni before the important group 8 games against Bulgaria and Italy.
There had been no suggestion of any problem with Duff's fitness and Aiden McGeady remains a fitness doubt because of a foot injury, but goalkeeper Shay Given will be fit.
Reading winger Stephen Hunt looks certain to replace Duff in the starting line-up.
McGeady took only a limited part in training on Thursday and faces a fitness test on Friday.
Wolves midfield Andy Keogh is in line to come into the team if McGeady is ruled out.
Duff picked up the injured in training on Wednesday and a scan on Thursday morning revealed that he is likely to be out for two weeks.
After a long injury-affected spell, Duff has returned to impressive form for in recent games.
The Newcastle winger's withdrawal was confirmed by Republic assistant Liam Brady on Thursday evening.
Duff returned to Newcastle after getting the results of the scan.
Manager Giovanni Trapattoni is already minus injured defender Steve Finnan who misses out because of a hamstring injury.
Ireland take on Group Eight leaders Italy in Bari four days after the Bulgaria game.
The Italians are ahead of Trapattoni's team on goal difference with both teams locked on 10 points after four games.
The Football Association of Ireland are no longer having to consider making new travel arrangements for the Republic squad's trip to Bari.
Airports in Ireland had been expected to be affected by a nationwide strike on Monday - the day that the squad are scheduled to travel to Italy.
However, the strike threat has now been averted.
Ireland assistant manager Marco Tardelli has played down injury concerns surrounding Shay Given and Aiden McGeady.
The Manchester City keeper and Celtic winger received treatment at their clubs on Monday ahead of Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria.
"I'm sure they will be available for the next training," said Tardelli.
Given has a shoulder problem while McGeady picked up a knock in Celtic's game against Dundee United on Sunday.
However, both players are expected to link up with the Republic squad on Tuesday.
Full-back Steve Finnan pulled out of the Irish squad last week because of a hamstring injury.
Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov will miss Saturday's World Cup qualifier because of an ankle injury.
The Manchester United forward sustained the injury during the 2-0 defeat by Fulham in the Premier League.
Ireland take on Group Eight leaders Italy in Bari four days after the Bulgaria game.
The Italians edge out Giovanni Trapattoni's team by goal difference with both teams locked on 10 points after four games.
The Football Association of Ireland are having to consider making new travel arrangements for the Republic squad's trip to Bari.
Airports in Ireland are expected to be affected by a nationwide strike on Monday - the day that the squad are scheduled to travel to Italy.
The possibility of travelling on Sunday or delaying the departure to Tuesday is being examined.
Bayern Munich could be set to make a move for Aiden McGeady following a fact-finding mission on the Celtic winger.
Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni claims he was asked to give his assessment of McGeady by the German outfit.
The Italian met Bayern representatives at Chelsea's 1-0 win over Manchester City last week, where the discussion took place.
Trapattoni told the Scottish Daily Mail: "They asked me what I think about McGeady because they have followed him.
"They wanted to know my opinion and I said McGeady is one of our most important players."
Extra-time goals by Ireland internationals Darren O'Dea and Aiden McGeady gave Celtic a deserved Co-operative Insurance Cup final victory over rivals Rangers at Hampden Park this afternoon
After 90 tense but mediocre minutes had failed to produce a goal, the game moved in to extra-time and just a minute after the restart Dublin born O'Dea, who had not scored since Celtic beat Livingston in February 2007, leapt to head a Nakamura free-kick past Allan McGregor.
In the third minute of added time at the end, Rangers defender Kirk Broadfoot was red-carded by referee Dougie McDonald for denying McGeady a clear goalscoring opportunity and the Ireland international winger scored from the spot.
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan had sprung a surprise by giving a first Old Firm start to Loovens, with Gary Caldwell moving forward into midfield and misfiring strikers Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Georgios Samaras being left on the bench.
It looked like it was going to be a midfield war of attrition, with Rangers playing just Kenny Miller up front as Kris Boyd was left on the bench as expected.
Even without their moody top scorer, it was Rangers who started the brighter and Sasa Papac got in behind the Celtic defence only to be ruled offside.
But Celtic settled and began to take control to put increasing pressure on a Rangers side denied the speedy presence of in-form Madjid Bougherra, who failed a fitness test.
It took extra-time however before the two Scottish rivals could be seperated and the Irish delivered an early St. Patrick's day present to Gordon Strachan and the ten of thousand of hoops fans in Hampden Park today.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is preparing a £7 million summer swoop for Celtic and Ireland winger Aiden McGeady, it has been claimed.
Reports today suggest the Spurs boss made an inquiry about McGeady's availability through a third party in the January transfer window and is set to follow that up with a bid at the end of the season.
Redknapp has always been a big admirer of the Ireland international winger and has had him watched several times.
And he plans to travel north this weekend to watch the player in action in the Co-operative Insurance Cup final against Rangers.
McGeady, 22, has had a fairly turbulent season at Celtic Park and was suspended for two weeks by Gordon Strachan following a dressing room bust up with his boss. The relationship between McGeady Strachan has always been strained and some have suggested that the Celtic boss simply dislikes the player and would be happy to see him leave.
Ireland winger Aiden McGeady is determined not to let the chance of a trip to the World Cup finals slip from his grasp.
The 22-year-old Celtic winger turned in an excellent individual display as Giovanni Trapattoni's side drew level on points with Group Eight leaders Italy with a 2-1 win over Georgia at Croke Park on Wednesday evening.
Ireland had to come from behind to secure a third win in four qualifiers as they took their tally to 10 points, but for McGeady, the victory rather than the performance was what mattered most.
He said: "The result was the most important thing. Not to win would have undone all the good work in the first three games of the campaign.
"Now we are on 10 points, level with Italy, and we have given ourselves a great platform to go on and qualify.
"There is still a lot of football to be played. There's always room for improvement, but we are playing some good football as well."
Giovanni Trapattoni has told Aiden McGeady he is expecting even more from him as Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign gathers pace.
Trapattoni was delighted with his contribution to a priceless win, although he is confident there is even more to come from the midfielder.
He said: 'McGeady was very, very important, but he can improve again. With more confidence, he has the impossibilty to improve.
'He has two very good legs. After the first half, I said to him, 'Believe in yourself, believe in yourself, believe in yourself'.
'He became more and more confident and he has the possibility to grow.'
If McGeady's performance, coupled with skipper Robbie Keane's lethal finishing, won the day for Ireland, Trapattoni was particularly pleased with the way his players stuck to the blueprint he has drawn up for lasting success.
His desire to play two combative players in the middle of the park has proved detrimental to Andy Reid's international career, but it has made Glenn Whelan a key member of the team.
Ireland winger Aidan McGeady is enjoying life under Giovanni Trapattoni and has spoken of how he is given much more freedom on the pitch to move off the wing and challenge for possession in central midfield areas. This is in contrast to the rigid set-up he plays under at Celtic with Gordon Strachan.
"I've really enjoyed working under him," the Celtic and Ireland winger said.
"He wants everybody to work hard on the defensive side of the game but I wouldn't say that he was defensive-minded. He wants you to be progressive and encourages me to drift into little pockets of space."
"At Celtic I play out wide - and am told to stay out there - but with Ireland, Trapattoni wants me to come inside."
"It's not a playmaker role, but if I haven't seen much of the ball during the game he encourages me to come inside and try and pick up possession infield. He sees me doing more damage in the middle."
McGeady's creativity will once again be employed in this fluid role when Georgia arrive at Croke Park on Wednesday, for a match critical to both sides' hopes.
The visitors, beaten 2-1 in the corresponding fixture back in September, need a win to revive their faint hopes of qualification, while Trapattoni believes the psychological importance of victory means the game is also a must-win for his Irish team.
There will always be battles, disagreements & personality clashes within any team set-up and Strachan has had his fair share of those over the last three years at Celtic, for example when he got rid of the nucleus of the O’Neill team, Chris Sutton, Petrov, Alan Thompson etc….
But the McGeady episode feels different, it feels personal rather than team related. Sutton, Thompson etc.. were all senior, mature players who had a strong influence within the dressing room and Strachan felt he had to make changes to take control of the dressing room and mould his own team, which is perfectly understandable.
I just don’t get why he seems to have a real dislike for the young player. Even last season, when McGeady had a terrific year and won almost every player of the year award available in Scotland, Strachan was always lukewarm in his praise for McGeady, and while he certainly recognised his ability, he was never animated in his conversations regarding his player.
Although, he was open enough in a BBC interview, prior to his appointment as Celtic boss, when he called McGeady a “traitor” and said he should be “hung, drawn and quartered” over his decision to represent Ireland rather than Scotland.
The poor McGeady/Strachan relationship has bubbled away over the last three years and it it’s said that Tommy Burns was the ‘referee’ who stopped it boiling over during that time and perhaps the sad passing of Tommy Burns has simply allowed Strachan the chance to force McGeady’s hand. Although perhaps it is only now that Strachan feels he has enough control to engineer the end of McGeady’s time at Celtic Park.
McGeady was obviously wrong to shout abuse at the manager after the Hearts game, even if he did feel he was being unfairly singled out (as was the case earlier in the season, when Strachan banned him from the room during the post match talk after the Rangers defeat).
To be honest, I don’t really care if Celtic win,lose or draw every week and I am more concerned that Irish players are playing regularly, progressing and thus improving our chances on the international stage, and for McGeady, just like Darren O’Dea, their international prospects would be better served, if they are far away from Parkhead.
I don’t think McGeady will ever be a superstar, but at 22 and with a wealth of experience behind him, the right team and manager could mould him into a very important player for Ireland in the future.
