Tom Boyd: Scotland wary of Aiden McGeady’s revenge

“I always thought there was something wrong with Aiden’s eyesight,” smiles Tom Boyd, when told that Aiden McGeady reckons Ireland have a better first-choice XI than Scotland – a difference of opinion that will be put to the definitive test in their Euro 2016 qualifying clash in Dublin on Saturday.

“I know Aiden very well, certainly during his time at Celtic, but I would say there is not much between them,” Boyd continues.

“They are evenly matched. It could be one piece of brilliance - it could be from Aiden, it could be from someone else. We’ve got guys with bundles of skills like Shaun Maloney. There is certainly a lot in both teams that could win the game in an attacking sense, but there is not much in it.”

Boyd, the former Celtic captain and Scottish international, expects to see more of McGeady in the Aviva than was on display in Celtic Park last November, when Scotland got the upper hand with a 1-0 win.

“Subdued? He was a wee bit,” he agrees. “He was getting back to his homeland and getting booed every time he touched the ball. I think he’d been away from that for a while and he missed all those chants (laughs).

“But back here he will be getting the crowd behind him. We all know what Aiden’s got - an abundance of skill and ability. He is an entertainer and fans love that. I think he has adapted his game under Martin in terms of the way he plays. He has developed into an all-round and complete player. He is certainly someone who could be a major influence in the outcome of the game.”

A lack of consistency has been the recurring criticism of the Everton man but Boyd believes that comes with the territory.

“It’s always a question mark over really entertaining players and wingers,” he observes. “It’s very difficult for these types of players to go and do it consistently, especially when you are up against decent defenders who do watch videos. To be fair to Aiden, he has got a bunch of tricks in his locker. Normally you can watch a winger and say he can only go one way but Aiden has five or six tricks.

“(The problem) for most entertaining wingers is being able to do it week in week out. You go to every single football club and, if they’ve got wingers, I think the key thing that most fans would say blights them is inconsistency in their performance. If they beat a man, there’s a big cheer. If they pass back to a central midfielder, there’s a groan.”

Boyd, capped 72 times for his country, is hugely impressed with how Gordon Strachan has improved the national team. “I think there is a renewed enthusiasm about the team and there is a pride back in the performances,” he says. “And it’s not just about getting the results, which is vitally important, it’s the way the team are trying to play football under Gordon.

“When we had success when I was playing way back all those years ago, we were built on solidity, on not giving much away, winning 1-0 quite often. This team is slightly different - they are more adventurous, which is better to watch for the fans. It’s more entertaining. It’s about trying to get the balance right in getting to a championship. But you do want to see attractive football. I think the way Gordon has gone about it, he is getting both - success and performances.”

While Boyd reckons Strachan has adapted, he suggests that his Ireland counterpart is still recognisably Martin O’Neill in the way he sets his team out to play. “In the national team, Gordon’s approach with the players seems to be different from when he was at Celtic. Maybe it’s the players he has got at his disposal. I don’t think Martin has really changed his style right through his campaign.

“Trying to get guys to play to the best of their ability, trying to get winners in the team. It’s different with international teams because you can’t buy players but you work with what you’ve got and he has developed what has been very successful (for him) through the years.” But as well as differences, Boyd sees striking similarities between the two former Celtic managers.

“Oh, very much so. They’re both winners and you can see that coming right through them. They have a real passion for their football. Martin comes alive on match day but Gordon is probably like that 24 hours a day. Even at training, I hear. They think about the game very deeply.

“There are many ways to win a football game as we’ve seen down the years. So there’s two contrasting styles there but, in terms of their management, they’re both very, very passionate.” And Tommy Boyd, at 49 now Celtic’s U17 coach, is still passionate too. At the very end of the interview, he smiles broadly and delivers his verdict on Saturday’s match.

“Scotland will win 1-0 with a set-piece with ten minutes left. I think there will be a bit more quality in this one and undoubtedly there will be passion - but Scotland by the odd goal.”