AIDEN McGeady knows what it is to tangle with Neil Lennon. The Celtic winger is also aware that whatever trouble he encounters away from the pitch is nothing when compared to his former captain's experiences.
McGeady and Lennon almost came to blows after a match at Dunfermline two seasons ago but both are more used to avoiding enemies from across the great Glasgow divide. A more recent incident had its source in the eternal quarrel that is Old Firm rivalr
y, and saw McGeady involved in an altercation outside a nightclub in Glasgow.
The drama happened in the early hours of the morning after Celtic had defeated Rangers 3-2 at Parkhead last month and helped convince some that McGeady, already an apparent transfer target for Newcastle United, will be chased out of Glasgow, and his beloved Celtic. The player is already a target for some fans – not just those of Rangers – who have interpreted his decision to play for the Republic of Ireland rather than Scotland as an act of treachery, and boos often accompany his solo runs down the wing of grounds across Scotland.
But McGeady, speaking yesterday at an event staged by Puma and Greaves Sports, soothed the fears of Celtic supporters when he stated that it has not reached the stage where he has started to pine for a quiet life, although he did make a point of mentioning the attraction of Edinburgh for some Celtic and Rangers players wishing to avoid the daily thrum of Old Firm gossip in Glasgow. Others, however, simply deal with it, and McGeady insisted that the level of vilification he must endure is far below what Lennon, now back at Parkhead as a coach, suffered.
"There are players who have had it a lot worse than me," said McGeady. "Look at Neil Lennon. It's just something that happens in Glasgow. Everyone you meet is a Celtic or Rangers fan. Everyone in Glasgow is involved in football. Some of the guys in the team live in Edinburgh now and they say you can walk down the street there and not get any hassle. Glasgow is a bit different, but I wouldn't say it will drive me away."
McGeady's performances on the wing for Celtic prove he is made of stern stuff. Just as he won't be knocked off his stride by the robust challenges often meted out by frustrated opponents, the winger, named PFA Player and Young Player of the Year this season, isn't going to be cowed by thuggish late-night revellers. He refuses to let them stop him going out at night to enjoy himself, as most 22-year-olds like to do. He dismisses those who suggested he should have kept his head down in Glasgow in the hours following another contentious Old Firm derby, with Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc already having further roused passions by revealing a tee-shirt which had "God Bless the Pope" written across its front and back.
"It's like if you have a good week at work you want to go out and celebrate," he said, "And it's the same in football as well. A lot of the time it is just people who don't know anything about football, who want to just have a go at me and see if they can get a reaction.
"It's the same with a lot of footballers in Glasgow, but, as I say, I haven't had it worse than Lennon. He dealt with it pretty well. You develop a thick skin as you get older but it's not a big deal a lot of the time. It's just comments. Most people you meet are Celtic or Rangers fans – they are either going to shake your hand or give you abuse."
This observation is similar to the one made by Tommy Burns when describing his then existence as manager of Celtic. Burns explained how it was a life where one half of Glasgow hates you and the other half thinks it owns you. The rivalry has been made more extreme by the nature of this season's title chase, which as well as being close has been spiced-up by controversy due to the on-going row over the fixture schedule.
Rangers are being expected to play their next six games before May 24 and even though the burden is great McGeady would still rather have this to cope with.
"They are in a UEFA Cup final, so you'd obviously want to be in their position," he said.
"The fact they have so many games is not going to help them but you would still rather be in their position, with games to play and the advantage of knowing that if you win them all you win the league. We can only hope that other teams do us favours. Obviously it is down to us to win our last two games as well."
Whatever happens in the title race there will be some satisfaction taken by Celtic from simply having run Rangers this close after being written-off earlier in the season. McGeady paid tribute to his team-mates for proving they have the stomach for the fight, on the pitch rather than off it.
"It's funny – only a few months ago people were saying how we didn't have any leaders in the team and that there was no real hunger," he pointed out. "That's all changed. You get angry when you see things like that. It's the same for everyone in the team. No-one was really happy with the comments or what was being written about us. You use it as motivation on the pitch and whenever you win it makes it that much sweeter."
The full article contains 954 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
