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Kilbane and Giles on McGeady and the initial resentment Mark Noble could face

Listen to the full interview above via the podcast  Tonight was a special night for John Gi...



Kilbane and Giles on McGeady a...
Soccer

Kilbane and Giles on McGeady and the initial resentment Mark Noble could face

Listen to the full interview above via the podcast 

Tonight was a special night for John Giles. Our roadshow was taking place at Dublin's Tivoli Theatre, a place very close to the Leeds and Ireland legend's heart.

Tonight's show also came at the end of a week when he and Eamon Dunphy entertained the nation with their dance routine in the new Cadbury ad.

John joked that the clip would end up overshadowing his achievements on the pitch when people talk about his legacy.

He was joined on stage by Kevin Kilbane and the two spoke about the resurgence of Ireland winger Aiden McGeady who has given fans hope after his two-goal performance in Georgia.

Kevin Kilbane and Aiden McGeady ©INPHO/Donall Farmer

Kilbane, who played behind McGeady at times during the Giovanni Trapattoni era revealed the pressure McGeady was under during the Italian's reign.

"Trapattoni was very critical of him day-to-day. He would make a beeline for Aiden and he didn't like the way Aiden went about things. Aiden felt pressure before he went out to play so he felt as if he was aiming to please him even if Trapattoni was telling him not to come back," said Kevin.

The lads then moved onto the topic of players eligible for Ireland and the incident when Jack Grealish (who is deciding whether to choose Ireland or England) said he was called a "fake paddy" by Ireland midfielder Stephen Quinn during a recent Premier League match.

Preston-born Kilbane shared some of his reservations about the rule which lets Mark Noble to leave Ireland on the backburner and said he had similar experiences to Grealish, although he does not attach much importance to the incident with Quinn.

"I've heard it said about me and it has been said, by English lads as well, because during Jack's era we were considered as England's B Team and things like that," said Kilbane.  

And he spoke about the initial resentment that Noble might feel in the Ireland dressing room, citing the example of Clinton Morrison who overcame that and became part of the fabric. 

Niall Quinn, Kevin Kilbane and Clinton Morrison in 2001 ©INPHO/Andrew Paton

"Clinton Morrison had upset so many people when we played against him at various clubs. He came in and he was very sheepish, unlike the personality he's perceived to be. But Clinton came in and he embraced everything around the squad and the team and the players loved him because of that as well. There won't be a problem once [Noble] is in but there's that resentment around it. There is that little bit of resentment around it," said Kilbane.    

John stated that during his time, he can remember some Irish-born players showing less passion for the shirt than English-born lads.

"I knew a couple of Irish players who didn't give as much for the Irish shirt as some of those regarded as English lads."

He and Kevin went on to preview the weekend's big Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City.

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