After the initial euphoria of his breakthrough at Sunderland and the international opportunities it pretty quickly led to, James McClean admits now that “things kind of went sour” for him on both the club and country fronts.
With his club future now up in the air, though, it would be hard to imagine a sweeter time than Saturday against Scotland to confirm his return to form.
McClean stood out as one of the few players of real quality left in the side as Wigan were again relegated this season, but as Martin O’Neill weighs up his options for tomorrow evening, the manager will probably set more store by the 26-year-old’s performance for Ireland from the bench in the European championship qualifier against Poland back in March.
The winger only got on as the game edged towards the 70-minute mark but such was his impact in the time that remained that he was mentioned by many as a contender for Man of the Match.
From out on the left wing, McClean caused chaos among the Poles, who were trying to defend their lead, with a series of dangerous runs and crosses.
One ball into the box presented Robbie Keane with a decent chance to score and another couple forced defenders to scramble the ball away under pressure. The Poles struggled, too, to cope with his strength, with a couple of stiff challenges underlining his determination to help Ireland haul themselves back into the game.
Start him or spring him
His attributes are all likely to be put to good use again tomorrow with the main question being whether O’Neill decides to start the former
Derry City
star this time or spring him again from the bench.
“It’s never nice been on the bench,” says McClean by way of expressing his preference. “Look, you want to make an impact regardless. You’ve a job and that’s trying to get to the Euros and as a player, you look back on your career and times like that don’t come around too often, so, from an individual point, you want to get in the team.
“Obviously it’s a team game but if you ask everyone in the squad would they want to be on the bench or starting the game, there is only one answer. Look, you don’t know what the manager is thinking but hopefully I’ve done enough to get into the starting line-up; that’s where you want to be.”
Mutual understanding
O’Neill was quick to spot McClean’s potential at Sunderland, handing the then 22-year-old his debut in his first match in charge of the club back in December 2011, and the pair, the player thinks, understand each other well.
“I’ve worked with Martin a lot now, over his time at Sunderland and obviously here, so I know what he expects from me and I know what I have to do myself.
“I was very raw back then,” he says, “but that comes with playing with no fear. I was just doing things off the cuff maybe before, and now maybe I’ve a better understanding around the pitch and a better understanding of my teammates and positions I should be in.
“For one reason or another things kind of went sour a bit. But I think I’ve matured as a player. I feel that I’m an all-round better player now and I’m looking forward to the game, putting my case forward and doing well.
“It is,” he says, “massive. We need three points. We are not going into the game to get a draw; we are going into the game and our sole focus is to win the game. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that’s the case.
“If we all do our jobs, it should make for an interesting game.”
