McClean’s art in the right place

At the risk of sounding like Jamie Redknapp, you can literally read James McClean like a book.

All you have to do is look at the words tattooed in flowery script on his arm: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”.

When his attention is drawn to the needle work, the Derryman offers a slightly rueful smile. “I got that at the start of the season,” he says. “It’s a bit ironic that tattoo, but it’s a great motto. Hopefully I’ve learned from it.”

The extent to which he has, becomes clear when he is obliged to bite his lip in answer to a couple of questions.

On Paolo Di Canio following Martin O’Neill at Sunderland: “Each manager has their own style, do you know what I mean? So I will just leave it at that.”

On Titus Bramble’s criticism of the Italian’s man-management: “That’s Titus’s opinion, I’ll leave that to Titus. I’m not going to comment on the matter.”

And on whether, in light of his refusal to sport the poppy, he has encountered hassle on the streets of Britain: “Well, I don’t want to get into that. I just want to stick to the football.”

For all that, you don’t have to push much harder to discover that James McClean is very much his own man, even if has to be careful about speaking his mind these days.

“That’s always been me, that’s the way I was reared,” he reflects. “But there was no spotlight on me before. I was a lad from Derry and that probably went against me a bit. But that’s how it is. I learned the hard way.”

One of those hard lessons was when he felt the backlash from Giovanni Trapattoni and senior players following his tweet slamming Ireland’s performance in Kazakhstan last September as “embarrassing” and a “f***ing joke” and fuming at his own lack of involvement in the game.

“It was in the heat of the moment, it happens,” he says. “I’ve learned a lot from then. I think I’ve matured massively from then. There will be no more outbursts like that.”

He also says that his relationship with Trapattoni is on a much better footing now. “Aye, we’ve put that behind us. We had a chat a couple of days after that happened. It was stupid from me — at the end of the day he’s the manager, he picks the team. I’ve no given right to be in the team. I think we’ve moved on from there and I’ve a good relationship.”

And the players? “They’ve been great from day one. Even after that, a few of the lads sat me down and said ‘look, you can’t do this’. They took the mickey a bit for about a week. They’ve been tremendous.”

It appears McClean’s international and club colleague John O’Shea has also been on his case at Sunderland.

“I think at times John thinks he’s my dad, he tells me off a lot of time,” he grins. “And he’s obviously here too. He’s A1 so he is, a top man, a great fella.”

McClean has praise too for his former manager and fellow Derryman on Wearside, back when the player was negotiating choppy waters after one too many ill-advised tweets.

“Martin O’Neill was a massive help,” he says. “We had a few chats and he told me that I can’t do things like this and that. He was particularly great with me. Obviously the manager here, Giovanni, has been good with me as well. Both managers had a word with me in the past and, looking back, I probably haven’t been the easiest to work with for them, but I’ve taken that on board and I’ve matured a bit and hopefully that’s all behind me now.”

In general, things might have gone a bit easier for McClean had he managed to replicate the impact of his Premier League breakthrough in his second season in the top-flight.

“I played for six months at first in the Premier League and footballers are not stupid so they know you after that. Obviously, there is still a lot I can improve in my game. My right foot, for example, it’s important to work on it. And also things like the final pass. So in the first season I was on top of the world, second season I was a bit indifferent for a lot of reasons that were well publicised.

“Now, I’ve hired my own personal trainer to get stronger and fitter for next season. He will work with me through the summer on speed work, strength and power. I want to go back for pre-season in the best of shape. I’ve a holiday booked [after the game against Spain in New York] so I’ll switch off for those 10 days and then concentrate.”

Before all that, there’s the small matter of a World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands tomorrow night. And it could be a fresh test of McClean’s self-control as it seems that, despite the player’s input into the games against England and Georgia, Trapattoni will opt for converted striker Simon Cox ahead of the out-and-out winger for a starting place on the flank.

“Obviously as a wide man it is [frustrating] but, like I said, he names the team and no player has any given right to be in it, Without a doubt I’ll be deeply disappointed if I’m not starting, like anyone else who’s not starting, but I’ll be willing and ready if called upon. The main thing is getting three points, whatever way.”

As for all the other stuff which has followed in his wake, he reflects: “I’ve never wanted to make headlines other than football. That’s just the way life is. Hopefully I can make the headlines for all the right reasons now, for my football.”

And, yet, there’s a still a detectable note of almost Keano-esque defiance when he is asked if he has any regrets.

“No, none at all,” says James McClean. “I am who I am.”