Niall recently spoke to RedMatchday Magazine

A DIFFERENT ERA, A DIFFERENT WORLD, BUT WHEN THE SUAVE, SOPHISTICATED IAN FLEMING CREATED THE YET SUAVER, MORE SOPHISTICATED JAMES BOND, HIS READERS COULD ONLY MARVEL AT THE WAY IN WHICH THE SECRET AGENT COULD TROT AROUND THE GLOBE, SUCH JETSETTING TRAVEL LEAVING JAWS EVERY BIT AS SLACK AS THE MEMORABLE ARRIVAL OF URSULA ANDRESS FROM OUT OF THE SURF IN THE CINEMA VERSION OF “DR. NO”. WELL, NEARLY.
 
But fast forward half a century and you’ll find that the modern day footballer gives his passport every bit as much hammer as Bond ever managed. Take Niall McGinn for example, Aberdeen’s very own deadly assassin.
The last few months have taken in trips to Uruguay, Chile, Latvia, the Netherlands, the Basque country and most recently, Kilmarnock on a Wednesday night.

Apart from Aberdeen’s adventures, Niall was also off in pursuit of more Northern Irish caps during the summer, a jaunt that took in a South American odyssey. Uruguay were one port of call, the side that saw off England in Brazil struggling to get the better of Northern Ireland in Montevideo, the only goal of the game coming just beyond the hour mark from Christian Stuani, just enough to pacify a 50,000 crowd in the Estadio Centenario.
From there, Michael O’Neill’s team were off to Chile and a friendly in Valparaiso, the teams locked in stalemate until 11 minutes from time, whereupon the hosts notched twice through Vargas and Pinilla. Encouraging displays, disappointing results, but at least it gave Niall a real insight into two of the key teams who competed in Brazil this summer.

“I enjoyed both of the games. The Uruguay match was played in the stadium where the first World Cup match in history was played, back in 1930. To play in their backyard in front of 50,000 fans was great. The Chile game was a good experience for us all as well, these are once in a career opportunities for a country like Northern Ireland.

“It was nice playing against them, then coming home and putting your feet up and being able to say you played against them while watching the World Cup! They are great memories. I watched as much of the World Cup as I could. Because I got the opportunity to play against Uruguay and Chile, it was great to watch them again.

“There were players who stood out for me. James of Colombia was very good, and now he has his move to Real Madrid off the back of it. I thought Mascherano was also very good, he was very consistent throughout the tournament and Arjen Robben was also very good. He was always full of energy and looking to create chances for his teammates and chances for himself.

“Another player who stood out for me was Fabian Johnson, the right-back for the USA before he got injured, but then his replacement who came in, DeAndre Yedlin, was actually very good as well. I was really pleased to see the USA progress as a team, as it is a country I know well. I thought their match against Belgium was one of the best games in the World Cup.

“The USA maybe don’t have lots of big name players but they have a good team spirit, a real passion for playing for their country, are well organised and most of all, they have unbelievable fitness which takes you a long way in the modern game. They have a lot of athletes in the side.

“They are not dissimilar to the way we have played in Europe. We have a good team shape, we work hard off the ball and when we have it, and when chances do come along, we have to take them.

“When you play against the top European teams, you know they are going to keep the ball a lot better than the sides that we play in our domestic league. A key to success in European games is being patient, especially when you are playing the bigger teams like Real Sociedad. You know that technically, they are going to be very good and will hold onto the ball for long periods. You know that you are not going to create as many opportunities as you would like, so when they do come along you have to take them.

“We face similar situations with Northern Ireland. When you play for a smaller country like that, we are obviously doing a lot of chasing of the ball. We need to have a good team shape to compete against the bigger nations. Thankfully we have done that over the last couple of years and we are progressing under Michael O’Neill.

“Like for Scotland, the next European Championships are going to be our best opportunity for a long time to qualify for a major tournament so we have to be positive going into the qualifying games. Two teams qualify automatically from the group. We are in a tough group so it is very important we get a good start but if we do that we have a chance. We have shown in the past we can beat the bigger teams but we have struggled against the lesser teams so we need to get that right. We need to get a bit of consistency. But I would love to play in a major tournament for my country. “It has come to the stage now where I have established myself as an international player. I have played against some of the biggest names in the game so I need to use that experience to improve my own game and also to help some of the younger boys in the squad, particular in these European games.

“It is great to be involved at International level. Every cap I get means a lot to me and I hope I can collect a lot more in the years to come. That’s why I was very happy to go off to South America in the summer even though it meant I didn’t get much of a break given that we were back so early for these Europa League games.

“I did not have much of a holiday – four days in Spain and four days in Portugal. It does not bother me though. It’s come to the stage where as a professional footballer, you have to accept in today’s football world that you are not going to get as long off as players used to. Even at the end of this season, we have a European Championship qualifier on the 13th June. You just have to get your head round it and get used it to and be fully prepared, physically and mentally.

“The manager though is so good that he will monitor my situation and all the players. He will have all the data on us and if he thinks we need a little rest during the campaign, he will act accordingly. But you can improve all aspects of your game and that includes your fitness. I have been working hard behind the scenes with Graham Kirk to improve mine since he came in so I don’t think it will be an issue”.

“Since we have come back for preseason the manager has not changed much. He didn’t change things dramatically just because we were playing European teams, because he has got us playing the right way anyway. We played the right way last season and we had a lot of success in the cup competitions as well as the league games. So there is no major reason for us to change things.

“The European games were a great experience and can only be beneficial to you as a player. Many players at many big clubs never get the opportunity to play in Europe. They are games you have to cherish and enjoy being involved in.

“It is great just to be involved with such a great club and playing for such a good team. There is really good spirit in that dressing room and as a professional footballer it is great to be part of it.
With competition for places out wide and through the middle increasing now, it certainly keeps players on their toes, even those as well established as Niall. Nonetheless, the spirit at Pittodrie is so strong that competition is welcomed, not feared.

“David Goodwillie has settled into the squad very quickly. He has come in with a smile on his face. He has played with some of the boys at other clubs and he knows a few from the international set up. Hopefully this will be a good place for him to kick on. David knows how hard he will have to work to get into the side, but he has been looking very good in training. In is great to have him on board. It is always good to have competition for places. It forces the players who play week in week out to keep doing well.

“There is a good bond amongst the players at the club and between the players and the staff. Walking around the place, you notice it. You enjoy coming into work every day. You enjoy the game days. You enjoy the atmosphere that we are very fortunate to be playing in front of. It is a happy place to be and a good place to being playing your football. We are in a good place at the moment, things are going well. Long may it continue”.
If Derek McInnes has any say in it, it will continue for a very long time. As Niall recognises, the manager has transformed this football club and its modern day expectations in next to no time.

“We all know the calibre of the manager. His day to day work ethic is very strong. He is in very early into work in the morning and more often than not, one of the last to leave at night. He puts in so much work behind the scenes that nobody sees. He does so much preparation work on the opposition as well. To play under a manager like that, who knows the game so well, it’s an honour. He is very, very positive and that rubs off on the players. He knows how good a side we are on our day. We are building some special here, which is really good.

“I am enjoying being part of it.”