St Ledger matures after TV traumas (From The Northern Echo)

St Ledger matures after TV traumas

9:37am Friday 13th November 2009

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Middlesbrough might not have a game tomorrow, but centre-half Sean St Ledger is gearing up for the biggest match of his life. Scott Wilson met the Republic of Ireland international and found him determined to right a few TV wrongs.

WHEN Sean St Ledger takes the field at Croke Park for the first leg of Republic of Ireland’s World Cup play-off with France tomorrow evening, the eyes of an expectant nation will be upon him.

The Middlesbrough defender will appear on television screens the length and breadth of both Ireland and the United Kingdom, but despite his lack of experience at international and Premier League level, it will not be the first time he has been a TV star.

In 2006, Sky TV produced a reality show called Big Ron Manager, in which Ron Atkinson was parachuted into Peterborough United to act as a trouble-shooter alongside manager Steve Bleasdale.

Chaos ensued, with Bleasdale resigning after a series of blazing rows with Atkinson, a number of senior players becoming embroiled in a dressing-room brawl and a cocky 21-yearold earning notoriety as the arrogant face of the modernday game.

St Ledger was that cocky 21-year-old, and as he looks back on the arguments and disputes that peppered his involvement in the show, Middlesbrough’s on-loan centre-half admits it marked a low point in both his personal and professional life.

“I’ve watched it back since and I was cringing,” said St Ledger, who only made his international debut as recently as this May. “I didn’t come out of it too well.

“Some of the things I said and did weren’t right. If I’d been watching myself, I’d have thought, ‘That guy’s a right plonker’.

“I wasn’t happy in my football life then and I didn’t see eye to eye with Steve Bleasdale, and I suppose that came across in the programme. We didn’t like each other, but I should have shown him more respect.

You don’t get on with everybody in life, but he was my boss and I didn’t show him that respect.

“That’s one of the things I’ve had to learn. You have to show the manager respect, whether he picks you or leaves you on the bench.

“But it was a good experience because I realised what I needed to be as a professional footballer. Now, I would say I’m very professional and obviously football is the most important thing in my life. If you ask the manager I’ve just had (Preston boss Alan Irvine), I’m sure he would say I’ve grown up and matured.”

And if 2006’s television appearance marked the low point of his career, this evening’s on-screen outing, allied to Wednesday night’s return leg in Paris, could represent a quite incredible high.

Despite never having played in the Premier League, St Ledger is just two games away from an appearance in the biggest football competition in the world.

The defender was an armchair fan when Ireland began their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win over Georgia last September, but 14 months on and he is now an integral part of boss Giovanni Trapattoni’s back four.

“It’s incredible,” said St Ledger. “Last season I wasn’t even in the squad, but I kept plugging away wondering if my chance would come and then suddenly there I was playing against Nigeria.

“I am fortunate that (Ireland coach) Alan Kelly kept coming to watch Preston’s matches, and I know the feedback he was taking back to the manager helped keep me in the picture. I’m really grateful to him.

“You wonder if your chance has gone, but people have continued to support me and that’s got me into the squad.

“The manager has also shown real faith in me, and that’s given me real confidence when I play for Ireland. He gave me a run in the side, and that was massive in terms of my belief.”

While he was born in Birmingham, St Ledger qualifies to play for the Republic of Ireland because he boasts a grandfather who was born in County Carlow.

He was raised as an Ireland supporter, and cites his first World Cup memory as Ray Houghton’s unforgettable winner against Italy in the 1994 tournament in America, a goal he mirrored when he broke his international duck against the Italians in Ireland’s final qualifier in Dublin last month.

“The first finals I really remember is USA 94,” he said. “I don’t think any Irishman will ever forget when Ray Houghton got the goal against Italy.

“That was one of the strange things about scoring against Italy last month – I can still remember jumping round the room when he scored in the States, and there I am doing the same.

“It was an incredible feeling, but I didn’t really get the chance to enjoy it because they scored so quickly afterwards. It felt like the winning goal at the time, but it obviously didn’t turn out that way.”

As a result, Ireland must negotiate a two-legged playoff against a French side that includes the likes of Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema.

St Ledger admits that France have a better squad on paper than Italy, but with Boro team-mate Didier Digard admitting that Ireland were the one side he wanted to avoid as a France fan, the defender is confident that Irish eyes will be smiling come Wednesday night.

“It is a daunting prospect because France have some of the best players in the world,” he said. “But we’re all looking forward to the test.

“I had a conversation with Didier when (Frank) Ribery was ruled out of the games, and he just said, ‘It won’t matter, they’ll just play Benzema instead’. That’s a reminder of what we’re facing.

“But they’ll also be worried about coming to Croke Park and playing us.

We were unbeaten in our group and people shouldn’t forget that.

“It’s probably not the draw we would have chosen, but France finished second in their group for a reason. The support we’ll get at Croke Park will be brilliant, and they should be two unbelievable games to play.”

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