How does having Irish parents make you Irish if you are born in Scotland? Your parents obviously came to Scotland for a reason so you adopt that nationality. Your parents can claim to be Irish because they are but whether you like it or not you would be Scottish.
Culture, customs, personal disposition, music, faith language, politics, peer groups, extended family, all those things and more contribute to it. You don't automatically assume the nationality of where you are born and isn't a black and white issue, nor should it be. And whether you like it or not, it is his decision to make and he has made it, so he is Irish. Legally, he's an Irish citizen.
Yeah but he is kidding no one. You have to just accept what you are born with, too many ****wits out there living in fantasy worlds.
He was born an Irish citizen.... So... Plus he's not trying to fool anyone. He's an Irish man born in Glasgow.
It's the same argument Northern Ireland are currently using to get FIFA to stop young northern nationalists registering for the Republic. We don't get a choice on where we are born, but many of us do have a choice of what nationality we choose as adults (and in the case of Northern Ireland we have the legal right to choose British or Irish as a nationality). The random luck of which incumbent state entity you were born into shouldn't be the only factor in determining what team you can play for, apart from the example of NI you have practically the whole of eastern Europe where everyone over 25 was born into countries which no longer exist. It would be a coercive mess trying to force all those people into representing teams which they don't have an allegiance to, and it is only supposed to be sport after all.
Englishman Andy Goram grew up to play football for Scotland. His identity is rarely questioned. Englishman Andy Goram grew up to play cricket for Scotland. His identity is rarely questioned. For some reason McGeady is a lightning rod for this..... I say for some reason, I think it has its roots somewhere a bit little sinister in the Scotch psyche and their relationship with the Irish.
Everyone in World Football seems to be benefitting from using the Grandparents rule and worse, personally I don't see the point in solely picking native born Scots when other sometimes better options are available. France, Italy, Germany, and plenty of the world powers use foreign born players and if we don't start doing the same, picking foreigners who have even the most tenuous connection to Scotland, then we will drop even further behind everyone else. If he's eligible and he's better than what we already have, then I don't care where he was born, I'll have him for Scotland.
Everything that is wrong with society. To many people scared to tell the truth in case of hurting peoples feelings. FFS we have people pretending to be the opposite sex. You are what you are born to be, deal with it.
And McGeady was born to the Irish diaspora who has exercised his right to express that identity through declaring as a footballer for Ireland. That is what he was born to be.
Blame Archie Knox, he was the man tasked to scout McGeady for possible Scotland honours and thought not very much of his mercurial talents apparently. When he was asked if McGeady was a possible, Knox just shook his head and made a face.
If Lionel Messi had moved to live in Scotland instead of Spain and qualified through residency would I take him? You're darn tootin.
Pedantic argument that goes nowhere. If you are born on aeroplane then you most likely will end up on the dole as you aint going to be blessed with good genes.
Doesn't make him Scottish and only makes a mockery of the rules. Scotland did have good players born from her and we still didn't win anything.
