Aiden McGeady's departure will signal end of Scottish Football's entertainers

Thursday, 21 January 2010 19:57

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If McGeady leaves, will the last one out please turn off the lights

By Jamie Milligan

Aiden McGeady. He is the last great entertainer in a show that has lost its most talented cast.

There was a time not so long ago when this cast of stars would flaunt their talents in stadiums all over this country; dazzling and inspiring those fortunate enough to see them and seducing a generation of youth into falling in love with this game of ours.

But this galaxy of talent has gone and we are left with nothing but cherished memories of their brilliance that once had us on the edge of our seats shaking our heads in awe.

Scottish football currently finds itself bogged down in mediocrity.

Crippling debts and a generation of inactive youth has taken its toll on our game; and as for star quality, well, it has never seemed more like a distant memory.

Fans are leaving in their droves, disillusioned with the lack of quality on show, and are finding other ways to spend their Saturday afternoons.

The great players who lit up stadiums, enchanted fans and put this country on the footballing map are a dying breed but they are not quite extinct, not yet anyway.

There is one last man in Scottish football who can be counted on to entertain, enthral and dazzle us in the style that the great men of the past did; that man is one Aiden McGeady.

The man dubbed “Aidniho” by the press is easily the most entertaining player in Scotland and although he arguably is not the same standard of player as his predecessors, it would be bitter folly to suggest that he is not a showman and that he does not embody some of the of the great men’s attributes.

Since his debut for Celtic back in 2004, he has progressed from a promising kid, to a main stay in the Celtic side and in recent seasons he has become their most valuable asset.

McGeady is a blast from the past. He has pace, trickery, vision and genuine ability, all things that our game has been starved of in recent years.

There are times when he appears to be carrying Celtic on his own. There are times when it looks like Aiden McGeady versus the mush.

It used to be said when Davie Cooper played, Rangers played. Well, the same can be said about McGeady’s importance to Celtic. If McGeady is taken out of the Celtic line up, Celtic look very average but with him they are a constant threat.

McGeady was born and raised in Scotland but turns out for the land of the shamrock and not for his country of birth.

His choice to play for The Republic of Ireland and not for Scotland is a debate for another day, but what certainly can not be debated is the fact that Scotland would be a vastly improved side if McGeady wore a lion rampant on his chest and not the Irish badge.

Despite all his strengths, McGeady does not have to look far for his critics and it would be inaccurate to suggest that McGeady did not have his flaws.

Too often his final ball is not up to the standard required for him to be called a truly great player. Too often he tries one trick too many and finds himself out of options. Too often he can be the star of the show in a one game and then can go weeks being almost anonymous.

These are some of his critic’s favourite arguments and yes, it has to be said that there are inconsistencies in his game that he must address. But if he does address them, then wow! What a player we will have on our hands then.

His biggest critic somewhat surprisingly appears to be large sections of the Celtic faithful. The Celtic support just can not seem to make their mind up about him, with some saying that he is the most talented player to pull on the hoops for years and others arguing that he is vastly over rated.

Even his international manager Giovanni Trapattoni doesn’t know what to make of him. Trapattoni picked and then benched McGeady regularly throughout the World Cup qualifiers this year.

One man who does appear to have his mind made up on McGeady is Alex McLeish. The Birmingham gaffer has identified McGeady as a key man as he looks to splash the cash to improve his high flying side.

McGeady has been the subject of a reported double figure bid from Birmingham in this transfer window and if the speculation is true then the Aiden McGeady fan club will be praying until the window slams shut that their talisman doesn’t leave Parkhead.

It is sad that as a country we are now so lacking in talent that we have to cling to the past and that we are so fed up with the present that all we can do is smile remembering the better times, but that’s the cold hard truth and we will have to accept it.

If Aiden McGeady continues the mass exodus of talent from our game then where will the Scottish game be?

People forget that football was meant to entertain, it was meant to take the masses minds off their daily struggles, if only for a mere 90 minutes. And without players like McGeady we have no entertainment and without entertainment, we will, eventually, have no fans.

Imagine all the great shows without the characters who make them worth watching. Imagine “Only Fools and Horses” without Del Boy. Imagine “24” without Jack Bauer. Those shows would become very mediocre, people would lose interest and eventually, in time, the shows would be taken off air.

Let’s now hope something dramatic happens before this show that we love gets cancelled.

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