SPOTLIGHT: McClean's fight to cope with fame

AMONG the many tattoos inked on the arms of James McClean there is a tribute to his grandmother, an 11 to remember his days as a Derry City winger and a 23 to signify the number on his back when he appears for Sunderland.

But on the top of his left arm there is a piece of bodyart particularly relevant at this time in his life. 'Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow' it reads and McClean shrugged his shoulders and said "it's true, though isn't it?"

Since the day Martin O'Neill used him as a substitute against Blackburn Rovers for the first time on December, 11, 2011, the young Irishman's rise to fame has been startling. So startling that even a player who had been around a professional club for years may have struggled to cope with the changes.

But this was a young man who had only been at Sunderland for four months. Before that he had played for the little known Trojans and Institute before shining on the wing for Derry City.

Dealing with the attention in his hometown was nice, but to suddenly have the global spotlight following his every move and comment has been something altogether different to get used to.

Admittedly, he says, he has made mistakes. He does not really dwell on those, only to suggest he is a young man still familiarising himself with his new high-profile status.

"This is all new to me, still," said McClean, sitting on a stool at the Academy of Light earlier this week when he agreed to do a rare interview having been wary of how his words could come across in the media.

"I spent 22 years back home and you get used to a certain kind of way of doing things. This is all new. I know now I need to watch what I say and be careful. It's well known as a Premier League footballer that the public monitor every move you make. I know that.

"I haven't changed. I do the same things as I did before. I hang out with my mates, with my girlfriend, go to the pictures. It's the same things as I did before. You do get noticed a lot more. People pointing and staring at you as you go about things …."

Sunderland and McClean are both playing down suggestions a close friend of his, Eugene Ferry, from back home in Ireland will come across next month and be employed as the player's minder.

Ferry is coming over to live with McClean and was quoted saying he will "try to stop" his long term pal from using Twitter to air his frustrations. That has been one of McClean's biggest problems in the last few months.

If it has not been his decision to pledge his allegiance to the Republic rather than Northern Ireland, it has been his outspoken views on the social networking site creating a stir.

While being called up for the Ireland squad for Euro 2012 was seen as a perfect end to his first six months as a first team player with Sunderland, he was in the end left frustrated by appearing for just 14 minutes during the finals in a 4-0 defeat to Spain.

That led to his outburst in September when he used Twitter to criticise Giovanni Trapattoni's decision not to use him during a long trek to Kazakhstan. All his experiences have been part of the learning curve, he says.

"I was off it (Twitter) for a while, then I went back on last weekend and after a few days I thought again, so it's deleted again now," he said. "I thought I was a bit of a Twitter addict to be honest, but I didn't miss it when I was off it the first time so I stopped it again. I don't need the hassle.

"I know there has been a lot of publicity on other things away from the pitch this year. Back home you would Tweet things and it would be a bit of craic and not meant to be insulting.

"Now I have to watch what I say to my friends otherwise people could pick it up wrong. It's old habits. The manager (O'Neill) has said to me that I can't say things on Twitter that I would say back home, people at home would know how to take it, but it is different now. I need to get used to it."

Sunderland supporters will be happy to hear McClean wants to concentrate on his football rather than get caught up in off-the-field rows he has found himself caught up in.

There were examples in the closing stages of last Sunday's Wear-Tyne derby of his direct wing play and how it can be effective. Prior to his late runs and crosses, though, he was nowhere near the standards he set last season.

"I went to the Euros full of confidence. Personally it didn't go too well for me and it knocked my confidence," he said. "I wanted to come back and kick on from last season but so far I haven't managed to do that.

"As a person I went in to the Euros on the back of a really good season. In my mind I was believing I should be at least getting a chance. Otherwise why was I in the squad?

"The whole Ireland thing is out in the public. It's really knocked my confidence. I thought I had a good season but I still couldn't get in the team. There's no point sitting here and sulking about it. I just have to work hard, prove people wrong and that's the attitude I have to take."

O'Neill is renowned for being a manager capable of making a player feel like he is the best player in the world. Given both player and manager are from Derry, there is also a common bond between them both. In that sense O'Neill should be the perfect boss to nurse McClean back to his best.

"The manager has been absolutely first class for me," said McClean. "He has looked after me a lot. He has kept me on the straight and narrow. He has told me off when I needed him to. The biggest thing is he is just giving me advice. He has been top class with me since he came in.

"He is probably the best manager to repair my confidence. I have never really spoken about the whole Euros experience, or the Ireland thing, in general, but even after the Euros, events have probably knocked my confidence a little bit. I know in myself I need to move on from that a little and prove the Ireland manager wrong and get in to the team."

While Sunderland's overall performance against Newcastle was one of disappointment, O'Neill is hoping the whole squad can take something from their finish. After finally cancelling out Yohan Cabaye's opener, albeit from a Demba Ba own goal, the Black Cats could actually have nicked maximum points.

McClean was the source of many of Sunderland's attacks in the final stages and he said: "I'm definitely hoping it's the catalyst. We have not managed to play as well as we can this season.

"In the same sense we have only lost one game which was away to the champions, that's no mean feat. Hopefully on Saturday we can push on recapture our old form and start to score some goals."

McClean was the match-winner at Stoke City back in February when he scored the only goal of the game. He returns to the Britannia Stadium this afternoon dreaming of a repeat.

"It's a happy hunting ground for me," said McClean, recalling an afternoon when the heavy snowfall made conditions difficult. "I haven't had the best of starts so hopefully we can all put on a good performance and we can push on from there."

If O'Neill can get McClean ticking again, Sunderland will be a more optimistic and creative place again - without Twitter.