Jason McAteer
McAteer (2008)
Jason Wynn McAteer ( born June 18, 1971 in Birkenhead, England ) is a former Irish football player.
As a central midfielder who could also be used on the position of the right winger and full-back, he was during his career with five professional clubs used: at Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers. FC Sunderland and most recently at the Tranmere Rovers. The 52- times Irish national team announced on 12 June 2007 the withdrawal of its active footballers career.
Sports career
The entry into the professional business ( 1992-95 )
As MacAteer at the age of 20 years in his home for the amateur division club FC played Navy, he was discovered by the scouting department of Bolton Wanderers. In the years between 1992 and 1995 he was at the trained by Bruce Rioch " Trotters " on more than 100 missions and finally changed in the early phase of the 1995/96 season for a transfer fee of 4.5 million pounds for Liverpool FC. A decisive factor for the transfer was McAteers good performance in the League Cup final in 1995 was, with whom he had with Bolton against his future employer may have with 1:2 lost, but awakened by his willingness to run high in the middle of the interest of Liverpool manager Roy Evans.
Since 1994, McAteer was also an Irish international. He made his debut in March 1994 for the selection of his country against Russia and was then for a short time later held the 1994 World Cup nominated in the United States. There he came in four games for use, including three tool changes after each just over an hour and failed with his team in the second round of the Netherlands.
Liverpool ( 1995-99 )
In Liverpool, which he had already mounted during his early childhood, Evans put it first on a slightly more defensive right midfield position, as was the duo of John Barnes and Jamie Redknapp as already set in the center. At the same time repressed McAteer Rob Jones, who henceforth served as a left defender. On the right side, he quickly formed an effective partnership with Steve McManaman and often got involved in the offensive actions of his team. However, at the end of its shape slightly to the left and the FA Cup final against Manchester United suffered a first light McAteer career setback. During the reception in advance of the final match, the team appeared in cream Armani suits. McAteer, Jamie Redknapp, David James, Steve McManaman and Stan Collymore aroused while in the public the impression to make their new fame as stars of the Premier League to flaunt and exploit them with model contracts such as Top Man, Hugo Boss and Armani, which gives them the derogatory nickname " Spice Boys" earned. Athletic Liverpool defeated the team of Alex Ferguson with 0:1 and McAteer also revealed weaknesses in his otherwise dreaded the enemy flank runs.
In the aftermath McAteer was initially further regular players, found but then in the last two years to 1999, often on the bench again. Especially after the arrival of the former French national coach and subsequent technical director Gerard Houllier, which the club had undertaken after the World Cup in 1998, were increasing signs that McAteer should no longer play a role in the future planning of Liverpool FC. He came in the 1-2 defeat in the FA Cup fourth round against Manchester United again as a substitute for Paul Ince to use and then moved in January 1999 for four million pounds to Blackburn Rovers. There he rose at the end of the 1998/99 season in the second division from.
Blackburn and Sunderland (1999-2004)
McAteer henceforth acted in two seasons in the First Division and second-rate could celebrate 2001 with the rise of a return to the Premier League. Thereafter, however, he found in the managed by Graeme Souness team no further consideration anymore, so let him pull the Rovers in October 2001 for one million pounds in the direction of Sunderland.
In the "Black Cats", he immediately became a central player and secured just with his new club avoid relegation in the Premier League. A personal success, by which his name should be permanently associated with the Irish national team, McAteer was also able to celebrate on 1 September 2001 in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands, as the decisive blow he managed a 1-0 victory - their own team only played to ten men. Thus the way of Ireland to the finals of the 2002 World Cup was paved, which led to great jubilation in the home - for example, Bono enveloped by the rock band U2 during a concert at Slane Castle in the Irish flag and shot during the song " New Year's Day " a ball into the audience with the words " Close your eyes and imagine it's Jason McAteer ". Before the start of the World Cup even though he was injured in a preseason game against Izumo 's Hamayama at the knee and was the tournament is no longer sufficient to regenerate - in the first game against Cameroon, he was replaced at half-time and from then on remained, except for a brief appearance against Saudi Arabia, taken into account.
Also in Sunderland, he came in the 2002/03 season only eight appearances in the league and rose as Table one more time in the second division from. He remained an additional year at the Stadium of Light, completed while the two games of the play-off semi-final against Crystal Palace and got to the end of the season 2003/ 04 the release for free transfer move to another club.
The career ending ( 2004-07 )
McAteer was towards the end of the season without a club before then to decided to return to his native Birkenhead, signed there a two -year contract with Tranmere Rovers and collected in future experience as Kotrainer, to prepare for the time after the active footballers career. He was coached by Brian Little as captain and led the third division in the play-off semi-finals, where the club lost on penalties to Hartlepool United.
After the end of his two-year contract, the Rovers occupied him more as a free agent in the role of assistant coach and players. Another year later, the club's management decided to option for a further obligation not perceive what McAteer short time later responded with his retirement as a football player.