AIDEN McGEADY had more experience playing under Martin O’Neill during his career than most Ireland players.
McGeady made his Celtic debut in 2004 under O’Neill and enjoyed a breakthrough season with the ex-Ireland boss at the helm.
The Glasgow-born winger became a regular in the Celtic team the following year which would be O’Neill’s last season in charge of the side.
However, it of course wasn’t the last time the duo would work together with O’Neill taking over from Giovanni Trapattoni in the Ireland hot seat eight years later.
McGeady enjoyed some of his most memorable Ireland matches under O’Neill and had a fair insight into how his former boss would operate different sides.
Speaking on the official Celtic FC podcast, McGeady compared how players’ attitudes changed rather than O’Neill himself over his two spells with the boss.
McGeady had previously stated that modern players require more instruction than those he played with and insists this was evident over O’Neill’s two stints.
The 38-year-old said: “It was almost the exact same.
“But I started to see the change we were talking about, the changing culture from older players not really expecting to be told what to do…to players who were coming away a lot with Ireland…expecting to be talked through the game and talked through tactics.
“Every single buildup, whether we’re going to play out from the back, what we’re going to do in every single phase of play.
“That was when I started to see the changing culture to the way that he managed players back then when he was with Celtic. That was the biggest thing for me.
“You would see players come in going, ‘I don’t know how we’re playing. I don’t know if I have to drop and pick up the ball.’ It would be a bit of excuse making, at times.
“Then again, I’m not having a go at these players saying they shouldn’t be asking questions about formations and tactics and style of play.
“That’s just the way they’ve been brought up with football. They would get that at their clubs and they’d come away with Ireland.”
While McGeady was surprised at some of his teammates’ attitudes, he was always fond of his former manager.
He added: “Martin’s style never really changed – and why should it? He was a very, very successful manager.
“That was what he knew how to do best. Even with Ireland, he was very successful as well, got us to the last 16 at EURO 2016 and the World Cup play-offs where we lost to Denmark.
“A very successful manager who is very, very good at what he’s done and knows football inside out.
“I’m not talking Martin down here with the way he managed his team, I just think that football has changed. He’s always had the same style and that was just the way it was back then.”