Could do better

Apocryphal or not, the very existence of such a yarn sums up the dramatic impact O’Shea had made in just a handful of appearances for United. Even before his cameo in Keane’s latest diatribe any look back on those days would have revealed only how far the 24-year-old has fallen.
The ball-playing center-half who caught the eye with Brian Kerr’s underage squads even before making his initial splash with United four years ago has morphed into a full-back more inclined to hurriedly hoof every clearance. The cheeky kid who nutmegged Luis Figo in the quarter-final of the Champions’ League, and evinced so much composure and presence that Alex Ferguson openly speculated about a possible future in midfield is no more. His largely anonymous performance in that position against Switzerland last month was quite correctly one of the biggest sticks used to beat Kerr for his dodgy team selection. It’s impossible to imagine him playing there for Ireland again.
Like his compatriot many years ago with Nottingham Forest, O’Shea’s top-flight debut (after the usual smattering of League Cup appearances) came against Liverpool. It was a bit-part role in the dying minutes of the game however. His first Premiership start came in the center of defense against West Ham United in December 2001. An injury to Laurent Blanc meant O’Shea and Gary Neville were the 12th central defensive pairing used by Ferguson at that point of the season. That statistic alone sums up the unsettled nature of the club at the time of his breakthrough.
This was not the United of the 1990s and O’Shea’s harshest critics will claim his very presence as a more or less first-team regular this past four seasons is symptomatic of declining standards. The contention is he wouldn’t have been anywhere near the first XI in 1994, 1996 or 1999. Through 2002/2003, there were briefly signs he might one day become a player of that vintage. During that first season as a regular, his ability with both feet prompted inevitable comparisons with Denis Irwin and his stylish center-half play instantly invoked the memory of Paul McGrath. Ferguson described him as the future of the club and the possibilities appeared boundless.
“It must be wonderful for Sir Alex Ferguson to look at John and see a player who always seems to adapt and can play with equal distinction, whatever the occasion, at right back, left back, central defense or even midfield,” said Blanc in May 2003. “There is this intelligence to his game and, for someone who has only just turned 22 years of age, he is very mature.”
Although his contribution in the following campaign was less spectacular, many dismissed the fall-off as a typical case of second season syndrome and waited for his undoubted class to reassert itself. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. Perhaps becoming a victim of his own versatility, along the way, his stock has continued to drop. He’s no longer considered a candidate for a center-half position, and the signing of Gabriel Heinze last year was ample proof of his declining rating as a full-back. Even if he has tried to explain his defensive frailties by pointing out the difference between having selfish attacker Ronaldo rather than relentless worker Ryan Giggs in front of him, the weaknesses in his own game have often been exposed at international level.
From the concession of a last-minute penalty with a handball on his debut in a meaningless friendly against Croatia, O’Shea has shown a worrying tendency towards more costly errors and consistent underperforming for Ireland. Against Georgia, a couple of years back, Giorgi Demetradze gave him a case of twisted blood and forced him to concede a free-kick that led to a goal. In the Euro 2004 qualifier in Basel, his mistake led to the Swiss goal. Those incidents apart, he’s never quite shown the promise of that one glorious season at United in an Ireland jersey.
Almost 10 years ago O’Shea didn’t make the Ireland Under-15 team because the manager thought he was too casual on the pitch. It has been a charge he’s fought throughout his career. When going on loan to Bournemouth early in his development, Ferguson told him to come back with a nose resembling Steve Bruce’s, an instruction to put himself in harm’s way a bit more. On a couple of occasions in the past couple of years – usually when Keane launches one of his periodic assaults on young players slacking off – O’Shea himself has confessed that complacency may have infected his game.
It’s easy to see then how the manner in which he gave up the chase of Aiyegbeni Yakubu in the build-up to Middlesbrough’s fourth goal last weekend – so eagerly seized upon by Keane in his role as pundit – could be construed as evidence he is still too lackadaisical for his own good. The video shows O’Shea stopping dead and watching the action unfold once Yakubu gets away.
“Always be on time for training was the big thing he told me,” said O’Shea in 2002 of Keane’s influence on him. “And if you’re not sure what time training starts, then get here as early as you can. Then last season and especially this year, he’s been very good to me, even outside of the help he’s given me on the pitch. The last contract I signed, he helped me out, explained various things to me, gave me advice on anything I wanted to know.”
If the transcripts of the Corkman’s MUTV tirade are to be believed, Keane has openly questioned O’Shea’s latest contract renewal. One more measure of his precipitous decline. A player with a great future behind him?