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One
minute, you're nodding in an equaliserfor Man United's reserves
against Walsall, the next you're collecting your boots and getting
in the car to head down the M6 to sign for West Brom.
One minute you're sitting on the sidelines watching the Albion get
a draw at Southampton with a superb performance from your centre
back rivals, the next you're the man of the moment with a place
in the full Irish squad to boot.
Paul McShane - overnight success? Yes. And no.
Unless you've found your way into the public consciousness via a
reality talentless show, most people who are suddenly catapulted
onto a higher plane have got there by building on some solid foundations
that have been carefully laid down over plenty of years.
For most professional footballers, the road to the top isn't paved
with good intentions, because intentions get you nowhere. You have
to deliver and you do that through a lot of hard graft, an attention
to detail, a bit of sacrifice and, perhaps the most telling ingredient,
a bloody minded refusal to accept second best.
Wicklow born Paul McShane has plenty of easy going Irish charm about
him and off the field he's a likeable lad who has already made plenty
of friends at The Hawthorns. But spend a bit of time talking to
him and you can see just how different an animal he is when there's
a tackle to be won, a loose ball to challenge for, a game to win.
Take a closer look, and you can see a young man who, quite frankly,
hasn't got the time nor the inclination to take any crap. He's got
too much to do. The more you think about it, the more you know about
his background, the more obvious the parallels with another footballer,
perhaps the only one that McShane genuinely looks up to.
"Roy Keane is a huge character in Ireland. When I was at United,
he was a great example, I looked up to him when I was younger and
I'd say that on the field, he was my role model and probably still
is because his will to win was incredible. But Keano is a law to
himself. He's a hard character, driven, he's not the kind of man
that puts his arm round you, he's not sentimental or anything.
That's the way it is at United, you have to look after yourself,
you're responsible for what you do and you have to learn the hard
way sometimes.
"The coaching is brilliant there, they teach you so much about
the game but aside from that, they expect you to get on with it
yourself, they expect you to be your own man, to look after yourself.
They're not protecting you and looking after you night and day.
Some people think that because you're at United it's like paradise,
you get everything dome for you, but it's not like that. You're
responsible for yourself.
They
give you an opportunity and then it's up to you to take it. There's
no room for sentiment at a place like that, they're trying to produce
the best players in the country and part of that is being able to
look after yourself, being independent, being a strong character."
That pretty much sums up McShane himself, a strong character with
a ruthless streak, the singlemindedness that you want from an out
and out defender.
Nobody in their right mind would voluntarily tangle with McShane.
"I was always interested in football from as long as I can
remember. I was
playing in a mini league for my school and then got scouted by one
of the local teams in Wicklow. That was where I really got started.
I played for Greystones United from under 8s to under 11s and then
on to Newtown Mount Kennedy, all local to where I lived.
But my ambition at that stage was to get the chance to play for
a team in Dublin, one of the bigger clubs. I always set my sights
on St Joseph's in Dublin, they were a good club, and lucky enough,
I got the chance, which was my big break I suppose.
After I'd played for them, I got a trial for the national team and
did ok, and then that opens everything up because people outside
Ireland really start to take a bit of interest. It was from that
that United came and saw me and I got a move to Old Trafford.
"As a boy, I was always interested in Celtic as most people
are in Ireland, but I was really a Manchester United fan so to get
the chance to go over there was brilliant. Saying that, I was probably
less of a fan by the time I got to go than I had been as a kid because
as I was growing up, I was more involved in actually playing than
following anybody, I drifted off from supporting a bit.
"Even then, it couldn't have been a better club to go to, because
coming
over to England to play was always the next ambition once I'd got
myself to Dublin. I really wanted to become a professional player
and you have to accept that that means leaving Ireland, because
it's not going to happen for you over there. I understood from the
start what it would entail and I was determined that if I got the
chance, I'd take it.
"A lot of Irish boys come over to English clubs and then within
a year, they're homesick, they're on the boat back, but I was just
totally focused on it. I was determined to give the whole thing
a shot, see it out, no matter what happened. But things have been
good for me, I kept progressing through the levels at United so
there was always something to keep me busy. I didn't have time to
get homesick, I just concentrated on my football from day one, enjoying
every minute of it. Of course you miss things from home but you
have to be realistic.
As a footballer, there's nothing for you back home where in England,
every day I was working with Manchester United. You'd be daft to
let anything get in the way of an opportunity like that."Still
only 20, McShane isn't the kind of player who is going to sit around
in the reserves and hope for a chance to come his way. He's going
to make it happen. But he's a realist as well, and he quickly realised
that times had changed at Manchester United.
"It's probably harder to get into the United side as a youngster
now than it was ten years ago because the club can't wait for players
to get used to playing for the first team, they have to step straight
in and do a job. They've won so much over the last ten years, they
have to compete in Europe, they're expected to win every game. So
now they go out and spend big money on big players, much more so
than they did in the past.
"I was always positive, I always felt I was going to get the
chance, because that's the only way to be. My first year, I won
the Youth Cup with them, which was the first time they'd won it
since the Beckham days so it was looking positive, but the game
has changed. Maybe I'd have got a chance a few years go but I was
never going to get ahead of Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Mikael Silvestre
because they're experienced pros, they've been around and they're
on serious money!"
The extent of Paul's desire to succeed in the game, to make his
mark is obvious in his wholehearted commitment on the field. It's
also obvious in this little story about the days immediately after
he signed up for United.
"I was back home, waiting to come over to England for the next
season, but I was keeping an eye on things. They were getting quite
a way in the Youth Cup and to be honest, I didn't want them to win
it because I was going there the following season and I wanted to
be first to win it!
That was a big goal for me from before I joined, so to achieve that
was fantastic. Getting in the team in the first year was good enough
because you don't usually get in until the second year, but to then
go and win it with the likes of Luke Steele, Kieran Richardson,
that was brilliant."
Not too many youngsters get a crack at United's first XI without
having served an apprenticeship elsewhere - even David Beckham went
on loan to Preston before Fergie gave him his chance. Paul was no
different, and it was to prove a pivotal experience.
"The first senior football I played was down the road at Walsall
which was really good for me. I made my league debut against Sheffield
Wednesday and scored, on Boxing Day, so that was a good Christmas
present. It was a bit chaotic because I was on my way home for Christmas.
I got the call when I was on the boat going back that Walsall wanted
me to go there so I came straight back and played over the Christmas
and New Year period. But then I got an injury and had to go back
to United for treatment which finished the spell.
"But once you play in the first team, whoever it's for, nothing
else is really the same after that. You just become really impatient,
you want that every week, to play in games where there's points
at stake.
That's why I was really pleased to get the chance to go to Brighton
on loan last season, play in the first team for them. It was a good
year for me personally even though the team struggled, I played
41 league games and got voted Player of the Year by the fans, I
got about 58% of the vote or something which was a bit embarrassing
considering I was only on loan, I felt a bit for the other lads.
The club was great to me, it was a real learning platform, I learned
so much about how games really work and because we weren't doing
well, I was always being tested, in defensive situations I'd never
been in before so it was brilliant. As the season went on, I pretty
much made up my mind that when I went back to United, it was either
first team football or I was going to move on. I didn't want to
take a step backwards."
Onwards, ever onwards, which brings us to the Albion. His youth
team colleague Kieran Richardson knows a bit about the Baggies,
but Paul didn't pick his brain before deciding to sign on the dotted
line, as he explains."Funny enough, the move happened so fast
that I didn't have chance to talk to Kieran about coming here. It
was really a question of collecting my stuff and getting down here
for a medical and all that.
I've heard him talk about Albion before in the dressing room. He
had a great time here, he likes the club, so I had a lot of good
impressions about it before I got here. I feel that coming here
is a big step in the right direction, I think it will be a big help
for me as a player.
"I knew I'd have to bide my time to start with which is hard,
because I'm not the most patient character, I always want to play.
I was lucky that we had the game at Orient so I could get one under
my belt early on, and then I've had my chance the last few weeks
because of the injury to Curtis. I wouldn't wish that on anybody
because I've had injuries in my time and they're very frustrating,
but I think I've come in and done a job. I've tried to take the
opportunity."
Not only has Paul impressed the Albion faithful with his commitment
to the cause, he's caught the eye of Steve Staunton as well, a call
up to the full Irish squad arriving last week.
"It's a dream come true. I'm over the moon. One of the reasons
why I had to leave Manchester United was so I could play regularly
and push for a place in the Ireland squad so it's all panned out
nicely. But it's a surprise it's happened so quickly because I've
only played a few games for West Brom. I'm delighted I'm in and
I just have to do my stuff now. It's a great opportunity. Steve
Staunton is a legend with people my age. It's flattering to be selected
by him.
"My aim is to stay in the squad now. As a kid, I looked up
to players like Kevin Moran and Paul McGrath. They were two real
defenders and I like players who like defending and give it their
all. Those two did that and it would be great to have an international
career like theirs. But I'm not going to look too far ahead. I'm
just going to go and enjoy the experience."
And just in case anyone runs away with idea that McShane only has
eyes for Ireland now, there's a stern reminder that it's his Albion
career that he's focusing on now.
"I'm not here to be a squad player, because I could have been
that at United. That's not what I want. I want to play every week,
that's the bottom line. I want to keep my place in the first XI.
End of story."
If he says it's the end of story, I'm not going to argue.
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