McGeady Sets New Goals

Irish Voice Sport

McGeady Sets New Goals

July 13, 2007

By Cathal Dervan

IRISH winger Aiden McGeady wants to improve his goal scoring rate when Celtic defend their Scottish Premier League title next season after just five goals in 46 games last term. The Parkhead youngster said, “I want to score and create more goals. I think hitting double figures has to be the aim for me and I know I’m capable of it.

“It’s all about taking the chances you get. I had a lot of shots last season that maybe went over the bar, hit the woodwork or went just past the post.

“I think I should be looking to hit double figures as a midfielder, because when you look at guys like Alan Thompson and Stilian Petrov, when they were in their prime at Celtic, they were doing that.”

Steven Pressley and Stephen McManus will battle for the captain’s armband at Celtic after they shared the honor during the first two games of the club’s Swiss tour when Celtic beat Basle 1-0 but lost 4-1 to Young Boys of Berne.

New signings Scott Brown, Massimo Donati and Scott McDonald played their first matches for the club when Kenny Miller’s goal proved decision against Basle.

Manager Gordon Strachan said, “Donati did all right. He was tired from the training sessions. He’s done a lot in the last couple of days.”

Sheffield United and French side Toulouse have both been linked with Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen, but the player’s agent is adamant he is going to fight for his place in Strachan’s team.

Agent John Sivebaek told the Daily Mail, “Thomas wants to stay and show everybody is wrong about him. He has decided to fight for his place in the team. Thomas loves living in Scotland, he likes the club and fans.”

Norwich manager Peter Grant has signed Celtic goalkeeper David Marshall on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee, while Celtic striker Craig Beattie has completed his £1.25 million move to West Brom.

UEFA for Dublin?

THE UEFA Cup final is on the way to all new Lansdowne Road –- with the 2011 decider now a firm favorite for the redeveloped Dublin 4 ground.

FAI sources have revealed that the association is in talks with UEFA about staging the prestigious event at the new Lansdowne Road in four years time.

Already promised a major European fixture by UEFA, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) confirmed after Saturday’s annual meeting in Killarney that the 2011 UEFA Cup final now is a live runner.

“We have been promised a major club final by UEFA and the 2011 final now fits our timeline perfectly,” an FAI spokesman confirmed to Star Sunday. “The Lansdowne Road redevelopment is on schedule to be completed in 2009 and that allows us to talk to UEFA about the 2011 final.

“There has always been an understanding between the FAI and UEFA that we would host a game of this caliber at the new Lansdowne Road and 2011 fits the bill on all fronts.”

Meanwhile, the FAI have postponed the election of a new president to succeed David Blood by six weeks to allow current vice-president Maurice Fleming to sort out his nomination for the post.

The association has also announced that next year’s AGM and the new festival of football surrounding it will be held in Monaghan.

Hunt’s Deal

IRELAND wing sensation Stephen Hunt has signed a new long-term contract with Reading and told the critics, “I’m not greedy.”

Hunt has doubled his money with a new three-year deal worth over *1 million a year offered by the Royals after summer interest from Newcastle, Bolton and West Ham.

The Waterford winger has flown out to Korea with his Reading teammates anxious to justify this latest deal.

“I am delighted that it is all signed and sealed now and I have committed my long term future to the club,” said the European Championship star. “I’m no different to any player. I have done what was right for me. If the club values you they will show it and negotiations are part and parcel of football.

“I was linked with a few clubs over the summer. I heard the rumors and you get the gist of the serious ones, but there were two or three clubs keen on me.

“As a player I have to maximize what I get. It’s a short career but we’re not Manchester United either. We don’t have millions in the bank. We’re the same bunch of players as last year. All right, we’ve done well and been rewarded but it doesn’t make us flash or millionaires.”

FAI Fixtures

HOLDERS Derry City will meet local rivals Finn Harps in the tie of the FAI Cup third round. The full draw is: Finn Harps vs. Derry City; Limerick 37 vs. Douglas Hall; Dundalk vs. UCD; Waterford United vs. Sligo Rovers; Bray Wanderers vs. St Patrick’s Athletic; Longford Town vs. Fanad United; Malahide United vs. Bohemians; Cork City vs. Kilkenny City. Games will be played in August.

Soccer Shorts

SHELBOURNE boss Dermot Keely has signed virtually a new team, with Mark O’Brien arriving on loan from Bohemians along with strikers Lee Roche, Anto Flood and Mark Rooney and defenders Alan Keely, Stuart Malcolm and Marc McCulloch . . .

HOT Cork prospect Conor Hourihane from Douglas Hall has signed for Sunderland despite interest from Celtic, Liverpool and Chelsea, while manager Roy Keane is close to finalizing a deal to buy Irish defender Paul McShane from West Brom . . .

WATERFORD boss Gareth Cronin has signed Cathal Lordan from Cork City and striker Willie John Kiely after he returned home from Aberdeen, while forward Karl Bermingham has arrived from Derry City . . .

CORK City face a battle to survive in the InterToto Cup in Stockholm on Saturday after Swedish side Hammarby snatched a 1-1 draw in the first leg game in Turners Cross . . .

NEW Derry City manager John Robertson has signed Northern Ireland under-21 striker Sammy Morrow and is in talks with Scottish based goalkeeper David McEwan . . .

IRISH midfielder Steven Reid is close to a return to full fitness after resuming training with Blackburn Rovers after almost a year out with back and knee injuries . . .

MIDFIELDER Alan Reynolds has returned to Shamrock Rovers from Waterford United joining new signings John Martin, David Tyrrell and Ross Moran . . .

FIRST Division side Kildare County have brought 2006 Player of the Year Stephen Cooling back from Waterford United . . .

BRAY Wanderers have signed former UCD winger Patrick Kavanagh from Birmingham City on a free transfer . . .

HULL City have been linked with a move for Portsmouth’s Irish defender Andy O’Brien . . .

FREE scoring striker Derek Glynn has signed an extended contract with Galway United . . .

WOLVES have been linked with a move for Sunderland’s Irish striker Stephen Elliott . . .

MICHAEL O’Connor has quit as manager of Athlone Town by mutual consent.

Monty’s Open

SCOTLAND’S Colin Montgomerie ended a near two-year wait for a title when he won the lucrative Smurfit Kappa European Open in atrocious conditions at the K Club in Co. Kildare on Sunday, winning by a stroke from Sweden’s Niclas Fasth.

Monty’s win at the K Club was his 31st in total, a new European Tour record, but his first in 19 months and his first with new caddy Craig Connelly on his bag.

“I am thrilled,” said Montgomerie afterwards. “It’s nice to silence a few critics who said I wouldn’t win a tournament again. Any win sounds good right now, it is two years of a dry spell and it is fantastic for me.-

“This is not an important win – it’s a very, very important win. When you go so long without a win you wonder whether it’s going to happen again. You do have doubts.”

Montgomerie was also happy to set a new record for European Tour title successes with his 31st win. “I’m now one win above Nick Faldo, someone I have admired for many, many years and I am very proud of that,” he added.

The tournament was a disappointment from start to finish for the Irish players. Paul McGinley, Damien McGrane, Gary Murphy, Peter Lawrie, Philip Walton, Simon Thornton and Michael Hoey all went home on Friday, while David Higgins ended up tied 56th with Padraig Harrington tied 51st and Graeme McDowell fading on the final day to finish tied 18th.

Sports Shorts

RUGBY: New Leinster flanker Shane Jennings has been ruled out of Ireland’s World Cup training camp in Poland with a fractured thumb and is now struggling to make the squad for France in the autumn . . .

ATHLETICS: Ireland’s David Gillick and Derval O’Rourke returned to winning ways at last Friday’s international meeting in Budapest in the 400 meter and 100 meter hurdles respectively . . .

RUGBY: Ireland hooker Rory Best is the new captain of Ulster.

GAA Shorts

GRAHAM Geraghty is on the verge of a shock return to the Meath football squad in time for Saturday’s All-Ireland qualifier at home to Fermanagh. The former captain was axed from the squad after a training ground bust up but manager Colm Coyle is now prepared to forgive and forget. “There’s always hope, we will see. The door is always open,” said Coyle . . .

WEXFORD goalkeeper John Cooper has retired from inter-county football in the wake of Sunday’s defeat to Fermanagh in the All-Ireland qualifiers . . .

TIPP defender Paul Curran faces a month on the sidelines after he broke his jaw in the win over Dublin last Saturday . . .

TYRONE star Gerard Cavlan has picked up a hamstring strain and could miss Sunday’s Ulster SFC final against Monaghan. Cormac McGinley is also doubtful, but both Niall Gormley and Stephen O’Neill should play . . .

THE draw for the Nicky Rackard Cup hurling quarterfinals, to be played this Saturday, will see Roscommon play Monaghan, Louth face Warwickshire, Armagh in against Tyrone and Donegal against Longford . . .

BRIAN McFall and Johnny McIntosh have quit the Antrim hurling panel.

Share this story: digg this | Add to del.icio.us

Print Save Discussions

Discuss

Email a friend