McClean's confidence shaken in Poland

dixiefly

Interesting comments from James McClean in The Northern Echo - dont think things have been patched with Trapatoni at all.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/2012/1027/1224325814764.html


Soccer : James McClean has claimed his experiences at Euro 2012 dented his confidence and stifled his progress at club level since.

The Sunderland winger’s rapid rise to prominence last season resulted in a call-up to Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad for the trip to Poland in June, but the campaign proved a miserable one after he saw just 14 minutes of action in the 4-0 defeat to Spain.

His form this season for his club has been a long way short of the standard he set last year, when, in the six months from his debut against Balckburn Rovers in December, he established himself as a firm fans’ favourite at the Stadium of Light.

"I went to the Euros full of confidence,” McClean told the The Northern Echo ahead of today’s trip to face Stoke City. “Personally it didn't go too well for me and it knocked my confidence. I wanted to come back and kick on from last season but so far I haven't managed to do that.

"As a person I went in to the Euros on the back of a really good season. In my mind I was believing I should be at least getting a chance. Otherwise why was I in the squad?

"The whole Ireland thing is out in the public. It's really knocked my confidence. I thought I had a good season but I still couldn't get in the team. There's no point sitting here and sulking about it. I just have to work hard, prove people wrong and that's the attitude I have to take."

McClean has vented his frustration before, most notably on Twitter after the narrow 2-1 World Cup qualifier win over Kazakhstan in Astana last month, when he was an unused substitute.

He apologised to his team-mates for the online outburst, but his frustration with his international experience since declaring for the Republic of Ireland last year clearly remains.

Thankfully, he says, Sunderland manager and fellow Derryman Martin O’Neill is the right man to get his game back on track.

"The manager (O’Neill) has been absolutely first class for me," said McClean. "He has looked after me a lot. He has kept me on the straight and narrow. He has told me off when I needed him to. The biggest thing is he is just giving me advice. He has been top class with me since he came in.

"He is probably the best manager to repair my confidence. I have never really spoken about the whole Euros experience, or the Ireland thing, in general, but even after the Euros, events have probably knocked my confidence a little bit. I know in myself I need to move on from that a little and prove the Ireland manager wrong and get in to the team."

He can start doing that today with another match-winning performance at the Brittania Stadium, where he scored the only goal when the two sides last met there in February.

"It's a happy hunting ground for me," said McClean, recalling an afternoon when the heavy snowfall made conditions difficult. "I haven't had the best of starts so hopefully we can all put on a good performance and we can push on from there."

SantryRed

He is an idiot. Jesus Christ can he not keep his mouth shut?

Brain Stroking

dixiefly wrote: »

"As a person I went in to the Euros on the back of a really good season".

Your only season James.

Turtyturd

Big mouthed, egotistical footballer blaming someone else for his shortcomings....shocking.

Mushy

Brain Stroking wrote: »

Your only season James.

Yeah cos he never played a season football anywhere else before that.

applehunter

Brain Stroking wrote: »

Your only season James.

Cough, James was playing senior football for Derry City for 4 years before he got on the magic plane to the Sunderland.;)

carlop

I actually think McLean is genuinely a nice guy but he really needs a crash course in PR.

His problem this season is not down to confidence. Many wingers down through the years have had great breakout seasons, but once opposing managers understand their style they are often quite easy to negate. This is happening to McClean, and he's not helped by being in a Sunderland team that are playing some shocking stuff this season.

Coleman would be another example.

G.K.

Whatever about his claims for starting, protesting like this won't help his cause. With the partisan nature of this issue, more anti-Trap statements won't be bringing the two sides together.

kitakyushu

Aw jaysus god love him.

It's a good thing he wasn't kept on the bench because of Paul Green or he'd probably be a quivering wreck now.

Rekop dog

Lol this kid is genuinely dim and plays like it too. He'll be probably still blaming Trap in a few years when he's applying his trade in lower leagues.

EdenHazard

Winger is a tough position, I think a lot of people want to see McClean fail(Hatred for LOI, people advocating him to start for Ireland) Better wingers than McClean have struggled to recapture their form.

Brain Stroking

Mushy wrote: »

Yeah cos he never played a season football anywhere else before that.

Last season was the only season in which McClean could be deemed to be in consideration for international football. He could have scored a hattrick every game for Derry City and he wouldnt have been picked for Ireland. No?

Brain Stroking

applehunter wrote: »

Cough, James was playing senior football for Derry City for 4 years before he got on the magic plane to the Sunderland.;)

See above. Cough :rolleyes:

Pro. F

Wingers always struggle when their teams aren't playing well. McClean's fortunes will go up and down with Sunderland's form.

But he is a ridiculous eejit. He actually has a paid babysitter living with him now because he can't control his own gob. Martin O'Neil should just give him a few smacks every now and then.

Pro. F

Brain Stroking wrote: »

Last season was the only season in which McClean could be deemed to be in consideration for international football. He could have scored a hattrick every game for Derry City and he wouldnt have been picked for Ireland. No?

Which shows the error in Irish management thinking. Not just Trap, but the majority of Irish managers.

EdenHazard

I don't think anyone has ever had such performances in LOI that would warrant a callup?

Glen Crowe prob did do enough domestically to earn a few caps. Brian Murphy? He was good, but I mean much of a muchness. Fahey did in his 2008 season with Pat's.

The_Kew_Tour

The introduction he got when he came on as Sub at Czech game was cringe.

Seems to have screw loose in his brain.

dreamers75

EdenHazard wrote: »

I don't think anyone has ever had such performances in LOI that would warrant a callup?

Glen Crowe prob did do enough domestically to earn a few caps. Brian Murphy? He was good, but I mean much of a muchness. Fahey did in his 2008 season with Pat's.

Irrelevant they wont be picked until they are without a club or something.

Mc Clean isnt very clever.

Iang87

Whats with all the "keep his mouth shut" etc about?

Its a breath of fresh air to hear a player speak openly. Much better than the PR driven "its a team game", "i'll be here for the lads", "I'll support from the sidelines".

I for one am happy to hear him speak like this. Maybe its just me and i'm tired of being spoon fed crap from PR companies

Leiva

Iang87 wrote: »

Whats with all the "keep his mouth shut" etc about?

Its a breath of fresh air to hear a player speak openly. Much better than the PR driven "its a team game", "i'll be here for the lads", "I'll support from the sidelines".

I for one am happy to hear him speak like this. Maybe its just me and i'm tired of being spoon fed crap from PR companies

Nah he should just grow a set.

wandatowell

He'd wanna harden up.

Iang87

maybe but when he's being fantastic in the premier league for 6 months, got the whole country praying he gets picked for the team, then..................... COX!!!!!!!!!!!

Leiva

Iang87 wrote: »

maybe but when he's being fantastic in the premier league for 6 months, got the whole country praying he gets picked for the team, then..................... COX!!!!!!!!!!!

If his game is influenced so much by such matters then I don't hold much hope for him ever reaching his potential then.

stand his attitude up against say someone like Roy Keane etc and you will see his short comings.

just shut the fü#k up and do what he gets paid millions for, and thats play football and please the fans. I have a pain in my hole with these winging millionaires and their "problems" ... if he keeps this up we may have another Stephen Ireland on our hands, but if he knuckles down we may have the fantastic player we all see and hope for in the future.
I even had him down as a future captain but I'm doubting his steel now.

Mushy

Brain Stroking wrote: »

Last season was the only season in which McClean could be deemed to be in consideration for international football. He could have scored a hattrick every game for Derry City and he wouldnt have been picked for Ireland. No?

He still had to play seasons of football to be good enough to get the move to Sunderland though.

People having a go at him in this case is a bit stupid IMO. Hes just saying hes lost confidence cos of the Euros, no need to get a jibe in.

dsmythy

One good half season and he thinks he has some god given right to start? Who is this guy again? He's clearly got the fortitude of a mouse, that's where his problem lies.

Brain Stroking

Mushy wrote: »

He still had to play seasons of football to be good enough to get the move to Sunderland though.

People having a go at him in this case is a bit stupid IMO. Hes just saying hes lost confidence cos of the Euros, no need to get a jibe in.

But he is speaking about his exclusion from the Irish starting lineup. The only relevant season in that respect was last season. That was my point.

My general point is that, whilst he may/may be unlucky not to be starting, talking about it in the way he has (numerous times at this stage) is stupid. So there was a very good reason to "get a jibe in". He's behaving like a tool. IMO

Mushy

He was playing well, had a lot of confidence, and it obviously got dented when a player was played out of position to exclude him. What's wrong with saying that? I disagree with his timing on what he says, but not this one.

I don't think it should matter how long he was at Sunderland before getting picked.

NIMAN

Maybe he has been found out somewhat?

I say that as a Derry fan too.

Sometimes when you arrive as an unknown you can shock teams and defenders. They then tend to learn about you, and change how they play against you.

Maybe this is what has happened?

Chucky the tree

Leiva wrote: »

If his game is influenced so much by such matters then I don't hold much hope for him ever reaching his potential then.

stand his attitude up against say someone like Roy Keane etc and you will see his short comings.

just shut the fü#k up and do what he gets paid millions for, and thats play football and please the fans. I have a pain in my hole with these winging millionaires and their "problems" ... if he keeps this up we may have another Stephen Ireland on our hands, but if he knuckles down we may have the fantastic player we all see and hope for in the future.
I even had him down as a future captain but I'm doubting his steel now.

lol, is that a joke? Of all the players to pick as an example of keeping your mouth shut and getting on with things Keane is pretty much down near the bottom of the list.

Paully D

Despite being a Sunderland fan I've probably been one of the most critical of McClean over the last few months, but I fail to see what all the outrage over this article is about?

All he's said is that he went to the Euros in great confidence, thought he was deserving of a chance (otherwise why was he there) and when he didn't get a chance his confidence dipped. The actual piece quoted by the Times is only half of the article too.

Nothing to see here at all.

NIMAN

Maybe because his mouth has got him into bother on a few occasions and he should learn to stop saying anything to the media for a while.

Some might take this as another dig at the Trap.

Did you know that his mate from Derry is even going over to be his mentor(minder?).

Paully D

NIMAN wrote: »

Maybe because his mouth has got him into bother on a few occasions and he should learn to stop saying anything to the media for a while.

Some might take this as another dig at the Trap.

Did you know that his mate from Derry is even going over to be his mentor(minder?).

To be fair it's one of the only interviews he's actually given to the media, Mark Douglas who got the interview even described it as ''rare'' in the first paragraph.

Here's the full thing if anyone's interested:

http://www.journallive.co.uk/safc/safc-news/2012/10/27/james-mcclean-gives-rare-interview-to-chief-sports-writer-mark-douglas-61634-32112974/#ixzz2AUShp1kO

In a rare interview, James McClean opens up to chief sports writer Mark Douglas about his loss of form, his international nightmare and how life has changed during a remarkable year

AMONG the ink which adorns the arms of James McClean is a tattoo which bears the legend: “Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow.”

Given the way a tumultuous 12 months has unfolded for him, it is an appropriate phrase for the Sunderland winger to add to his collection of body art.

From bursting on to the scene in the early days of Martin O’Neill’s tenure to being snubbed at international level – all documented via a selection of terse Twitter missives – it has been some year for McClean and he is not quite as immune to criticism as he first appears.

The 22-year-old admits it has been tough to hear he belongs in the category of “arrogant footballers” for the crime of being a bit too outspoken on Twitter.

It is an unfair charge on a player who is remarkably down-to-earth.

He doesn’t drink, lives with his long-term girlfriend and unwinds by going to the cinema and playing computer games.

Despite the appearance of confidence, the accusations have hurt. Morale has been knocked.

There are two themes to this rare chance to chat to Sunderland’s flying winger – that of disappointment at the way this summer’s Euros went for him and an acceptance he must get used to the constant glare of being a Premier League footballer.

McClean admits: “I’m the same, but it has changed. People point and stare at you because you play football and that is all new to me.

“I spent 22 years back home (in Derry) and you become used to a certain kind of way of doing things.

“I know now I need to watch what I say and be careful.

“It is well known as a Premier League footballer the public monitor every move you make and I probably just need to learn from that.

“I have not changed, I’m the same way I was before.

“I should probably take it as compliment more attention is coming my way this year.

“I know I have not had the best start to this season but it is up to me to overcome that. I am confident I can.

“I know there has been a lot of publicity on other things away from the pitch this year, back home it is the sort of thing you say (Twitter). It’s normal.

“Back home you would Tweet things and it would be a bit of craic and not meant to be insulting.

“Now I have to watch what I say to my friends otherwise people could pick it up wrong. It is old habits.

“The manager has said to me I can’t say things on Twitter I would say back home. People at home would know how to take it, but it is different now. I need to get used to it.”

Having quit Twitter – a brief re-appearance last week was shelved because it “isn’t worth the bother” – McClean is now looking to concentrate on footballing matters.

He rode on the crest of a wave last year, his form making it easy for him to cope with the extra coverage and attention.

This season it has not been so easy for McClean, heralded as a “throwback” winger after making such an explosive impact in his first season.

Defenders know more about him and he is still struggling to come to terms with events in Poland, Ukraine and latterly, Kazakhstan.

Being overlooked by Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni is still a sore point for a player desperate to prove himself worthy of the hype which surrounds him back home – and McClean admits it has affected him.

He added: “The whole Ireland thing is out in public and it’s really knocked my confidence.

“I went to the Euros full of confidence, but it didn’t go too well for me. I thought I had a good season but I still couldn’t get in the team.

“Coming back, I had an indifferent pre-season.

“I wanted to come back and kick on from last season but so far I haven’t managed to do that.

“In the same sense, as a team I don’t think we have managed to do that.

“In my mind in the summer I was believing I should be at least getting a chance. Otherwise why are you in the squad?

“There’s no point sitting here and sulking about it, though, I just have to work hard, prove people wrong and that’s the attitude I have to take.

“The manager here is probably the best manager to repair my confidence. He has been top-class with me.

“I have never really spoken about the whole Euros experience, or the Ireland thing, in general but, even after the Euros, events have probably knocked my confidence a little bit.

“I know I need to move on from that and prove the Ireland manager wrong and get in to the team.”

Is it a hindrance the famously forensic Irish football press are putting forward his claims?

He pauses before saying: “In a way sometimes being the big player people are talking about in the media can be a negative.

“Maybe the manager decided they will not pick the team for him and he is being stubborn. That’s the way it is. That’s just football.”

It probably helps McClean is taking steps to address some of the off-field issues which have brought him unnecessary column inches this season.

His Twitter account has disappeared and former Derry team-mate Eugene Ferry will be joining him on Wearside shortly.

McClean explains: “I went back on Twitter last weekend, after a few days I thought again. I had been off it for two months.

“When I went on again after a while I thought, ‘I don’t really need this’.

“I have deleted it (his account). I thought I was a bit of a Twitter addict to be honest, but I didn’t miss it when I was off it the first time.

“My girlfriend started me up an account as a joke but after two days I thought, ‘I don’t need the hassle’.

Friend Ferry will soon add another friendly face to McClean’s social circle.

He added: “He’s coming over to live with me, he’s from East Derry, but not as a minder.

“He’s finished university and that’s all it is. He is coming over to live with me and my girlfriend.

“I don’t think I need looking after! I am 22 – and I will be charging him rent!”

The hope is, with O’Neill’s help, McClean will return to the heights of last season.

Stoke, where he scored the winner with the one moment of class in a scrappy game last year, would be a decent stage for Sunderland to start motoring.

He said: “The manager has been absolutely first-class for me.

“He has looked after me a lot. He has kept me on the straight and narrow.

“He has told me off when I needed him to. The biggest thing is he is just giving me advice and now I would love to repay him.

“We do feel we have a point to prove as a team. We are capable of more.”

Look I've criticised him myself time and time again on here but I really don't see anything wrong with what he has said in that interview.

He was asked a question and answered it. All he's said is he had a good season last year, thought he deserved a shot in the Ireland team (as did almost all Irish fans too) and with the media constantly raving about him and saying he should be in the team perhaps made Trapattoni feel that he would be letting the media pick the team by starting him (another theory put forward by many). He also says he now has to work hard to prove people wrong.

It's no wonder players hate giving interviews when this is the sort of reaction McClean is getting for saying nothing wrong.

willowthewisp

EdenHazard wrote: »

Winger is a tough position, I think a lot of people want to see McClean fail(Hatred for LOI, people advocating him to start for Ireland) Better wingers than McClean have struggled to recapture their form.

That's ridiculous, it's clear that everyone in Ireland think that he could be a massive addition to the international team & want him to succeed.

Father Damo

Iang87 wrote: »

Whats with all the "keep his mouth shut" etc about?

Its a breath of fresh air to hear a player speak openly. Much better than the PR driven "its a team game", "i'll be here for the lads", "I'll support from the sidelines".

I for one am happy to hear him speak like this. Maybe its just me and i'm tired of being spoon fed crap from PR companies

Exactly. I am not for big egos and dissnt or anything, but quite honestly, fcuk all this towing the party line, Match of the Day pundit love ins, players being charged with bringing the game into disrepute by slagging off a crap referee or accusing him of being corrupt. Free speech makes the game alot more interesting.