Desailly, Baresi, Irons…Mayo?
Partick Thistle had shipped 10 goals in 3 games before welcoming Arbroath to Firhill on Saturday.
The visitors would have been desperate for the three points given league leaders Kilmarnock were held to a draw by Morton the previous evening.
Whilst Dick and Ian Campbell would’ve had their squad well prepared for the occasion, they would’ve been as clueless as the rest of us about who was to line up for Thistle given the recent absences of key players through illness and injury.
When the team lines were announced, it still wasn’t clear how the home team would shape up. Out of the five defensive players listed, the only certainty was Stephen Hendrie’s role on the left.
As soon as the teams positioned themselves at kick off, it was clear that the formation was to be consistent with McCall’s main strategy this season (4–3–2–1) but with the inclusion of Rangers loanee Lewis Mayo in a holding midfield role instead of his usual centre back positioning.
Mayo excelled as his aerial ability and strength helped reduce Arbroath to few attacks throughout the game. The provision of additional support for the back line certainly seemed to have an effect on the confidence levels of Ciaran McKenna who looked every bit an assured and conscientious right back.
It remains to be seen if Mayo will follow in the footsteps of Marcel Desailly, Franco Baresi and (in the context of Partick Thistle) Davie Irons, and be utilised as a defender and a midfielder as the season progresses.
Irons signed for Thistle early in the 1991/92 season following a successful spell with Dunfermline. Despite picking up several player of the year awards at East End Park, the new management team were happy for him to speak to John Lambie and subsequently pen a deal at Firhill.
Up until this point, Davie Irons was a very effective midfielder. A good passer, with aerial ability and the essential skill of being able to read a game — he also contributed a handful of goals to teams throughout his career.
His career was about to change as Lambie identified him as having the necessary skills to convert to centre back.
I was fortunate enough to speak to him about how this came about, the impact it had on his life and how it may affect Lewis Mayo’s career.
Davie recalls the situation in the away dressing room at Parkhead when John Lambie read out the team sheet and named only one recognised centre back, “We all looked around and then someone asked, ‘Boss. Who’s playing at the back?’ I remember John studied the room before hitting out with, ‘Irons. You can do it.’ At the time it came across as him saying ‘You’ll do’ and pointing at me.”
Irons went on to excel in this role for Partick Thistle but he was quick to dispel the thought that this was an off-the-cuff decision by Lambie, “He obviously saw something that he felt would allow me to fulfil that defensive role. It wasn’t until later on, a few games later, he explained why he thought I could play there. The guy was a genius. His record in Scottish football is up there with anybody in Scottish football in terms of promotions and championships.”
In terms of the attributes necessary to play in either role, Davie explains what a manager would look for, “Ian (McCall) has obviously seen something in Lewis Mayo which makes him believe that he can play in that role. You would need to have good vision and awareness of what’s around you. Stepping into midfield, you need to be have 360 degree vision, rather than just facing what’s in front of you. You need to have the ability to move the ball quickly, or know when to be more composed and keep it. Quick decision making is crucial.”
Other than footballing ability, what else is Mayo likely to have demonstrated? Davie goes on, “He will be athletic and physical enough to deal with playing in the midfield. If you can deal with that at the back you can certainly deal with it in the midfield. He will have that ability to get up and down the park, although these days players have more specific roles. You used to have to be able to do everything as a midfielder — box to box, cover, score goals and defend! It’s definitely changed. In general play, he’ll be expected to be that screening player who won’t allow counter attacks and protect the back four.”
I am curious to find out if versatility is useful in today’s game. Is it better for a player to apply his skills in other areas, or be defined as a specialist?
“There are two ways to look at this. From a player’s perspective, as an individual, I think it can be frustrating if you are chopping and changing. For young players, in particular, it can be a very good thing to gain that experience in other positions. However, when you are trying to establish yourself and nail down a position you would prefer to know where you’re going to play week in, week out. Having said all that, if I’m Ian McCall then I’m happy that there are players who can fill in in different positions due to the nature of the size of the squad — you’ll have suspensions and injuries, for example.”
Whilst Davie’s initial change of position came as a shock to him and the rest of the team, I wanted to know how someone (who isn’t John Lambie) would handle that situation with a player, “Knowing Ian as I do, I know that he will have communicated his plans with the player. He will have sat down and given him the reasons why he thinks he can play in there, what it (the change) would bring to the team and how it would potentially impact on his career. It’s especially important to have this explained to him as he’s a loanee— Rangers will be in touch with the player to ask about this kind of thing so conveying that information and getting Mayo to buy into the idea is crucial.”
With Davie alluding to how a change of position could affect Mayo’s career, I’m curious to find out about how the similar situation he faced changed things for him, “It without a doubt had a lasting impact. It gave me confidence knowing that I was trusted to play in another position that I never thought I would. Then, as an older player and as a coach, I was able to exert my experience and influence a team a bit more through communication. Playing at the back I had to talk to my teammates a lot more than I would have just playing in midfield. The move helped to educate me about the game and influenced my coaching. It made me understand and appreciate the different demands placed on players in other areas of the pitch. If you, as a coach, only ever played in one position then it’s harder to empathise with players. I might not have been as confident speaking to one of my defenders about their game had I not had that experience.”
I am struck by how one manager’s decision had a lasting impact on a single player’s career. Davie credits John Lambie with having a great influence on his career not just in terms of how he taught him about the game, but also helped to lengthen his playing days.
Lewis Mayo impressed me on Saturday. I am sure he will take confidence from that into his career which seems destined to be away from Firhill and, hopefully, onto an international stage.
My sincerest thanks to Davie Irons for giving up his time to speak to me.
