Paul McShane (footballer)

Paul David McShane (born 6 January 1986) is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a defender for League One club Rochdale and the Republic of Ireland national team.

Paul McShane

McShane with the Republic of Ireland in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Paul David McShane[1]
Date of birth	6 January 1986[2]
Place of birth	Wicklow, Ireland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3]
Position(s)	Defender
Club information
Current team	Rochdale
Number	5
Youth career
	St Joseph's Boys
2002–2004	Manchester United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2004–2006	Manchester United	0	(0)
2004–2005	→ Walsall (loan)	4	(1)
2005–2006	→ Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	38	(4)
2006–2007	West Bromwich Albion	32	(2)
2007–2009	Sunderland	24	(0)
2008–2009	→ Hull City (loan)	17	(1)
2009–2015	Hull City	102	(3)
2011	→ Barnsley (loan)	10	(1)
2012	→ Crystal Palace (loan)	11	(0)
2015–2019	Reading	96	(3)
2019–	Rochdale	22	(0)
National team^‡
2005–2006	Republic of Ireland U21	9	(1)
2006–	Republic of Ireland	33	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:09, 13 November 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:28, 31 August 2018 (UTC)

McShane won the 2003 FA Youth Cup with Manchester United. He had loan stints with Brighton & Hove Albion and West Bromwich Albion before his subsequent transfers to Sunderland, Hull City and then Reading with two further loan spells in between the latter two. He worked his way into the Republic of Ireland national team, making his debut in 2006. He was then called in from the international wilderness to the Irish squad for UEFA Euro 2012.

Early life

Born in Wicklow, County Wicklow,[2] McShane started his career with Greystones United, as well as playing for Newtown Juniors and his secondary school, St. David's. He later joined St Joseph's Boys, a club based in south Dublin.

Club career

Manchester United

In the summer of 2002, he signed for Manchester United.[4] In December 2004, he was loaned to Walsall,[5] where he played four league matches and scored once against Sheffield Wednesday.[6] He played for Manchester United in the final of the 2003 FA Youth Cup in which they defeated Middlesbrough 3–1.[7]

He played in pre-season friendly matches and was given the squad number 34, but did not make a full debut for Manchester United.

Brighton & Hove Albion

In August 2005, he moved to Brighton & Hove Albion on an initial five-month loan deal.[8] The loan was later extended for the whole of the 2005–06 season.[9] McShane was voted Player of the Season by the supporters, as well as the away supporters' Player of the Season.[9]

West Bromwich Albion

On 10 August 2006, McShane and fellow 2003 FA Youth Cup winner Luke Steele moved to West Bromwich Albion on a permanent basis in a deal that saw Tomasz Kuszczak join United on a season-long loan with a permanent deal confirmed for the following summer.[10] He made his debut for West Brom in a 3–0 win over Leyton Orient in the League Cup on 24 August 2006.[11] His goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup on 6 January 2007 sent Albion on their way to a 3–1 victory.[12] It was the first of three goals he scored in 42 appearances for the club.[13]

Sunderland

On 26 July 2007, McShane joined Sunderland for an initial £1.5 million fee.[14] McShane's first match for the Black Cats ended in success – his performance helping Sunderland to a clean sheet and a 1–0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.[15]

Hull City

McShane playing for Hull City in 2011

On 29 August 2008, Sunderland accepted a loan offer for McShane from Hull City, who were newly promoted to the Premier League.[16] While playing for Hull, he scored the opening goal at Anfield in a league match versus Liverpool on 13 December 2008.[17] His last match during his loan spell for Hull was an FA Cup victory over Newcastle United on 14 January 2009, as he was recalled to Sunderland by manager Ricky Sbragia.[18]

On 30 August 2009, McShane rejoined Hull on a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee.[19] On 16 February 2011, he joined Barnsley on a two-month loan, but Hull were given the option to recall him after 28 days.[20] He scored his first goal for Barnsley in a 4–2 win over Bristol City on 9 April 2011.[21]

On 13 January 2012, McShane joined Crystal Palace on a one-month loan.[22] McShane's loan at Palace was extended until the end of the 2011–12 season on 31 January 2012.[23]

The 2012–13 season started more positively for McShane than his previous few seasons at Hull as he enjoyed regular appearances under new manager Steve Bruce, often being deployed as part of Hull's new system of a three-man defence. He scored his first goal in over four years on 1 December 2012, shouldering the ball home to help Hull to a 2–1 victory at Nottingham Forest.[24] More solid performances at the heart of the Tigers' defence followed for McShane in 27 appearances that season, until he was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with ankle ligament damage suffered in a match, again against Nottingham Forest. With his contract running out at the end of the season, this injury put McShane's long-term future at the club in doubt.[25] However, McShane returned to the team unexpectedly before the end of the season. On 4 May 2013, McShane started on the final day of the season in a match against Cardiff City, a match which the Tigers had to win to guarantee promotion to the Premier League.[26] In the 63rd minute of the match, an inswinging corner from Robbie Brady was met by the right foot of McShane, who saw the ball nestle in the corner of the net to give his team the lead.[26] This meant the Irishman had potentially scored the goal to promote Hull (although Watford's subsequent loss to Leeds United meant they achieved this regardless).[26] In the aftermath of the match, Stephen Quinn, talking of his teammate, said "Mac's my age and I want to be like him. I want to structure my life like him. He dedicates his whole life to playing. He's had knock-downs in the past but that's the measure of the man. That's why I like him even more, he comes back from anything like that. He's an almighty man who you want in the trenches wherever you go." Steve Bruce later confirmed that McShane would be offered a new contract for the next season in the top flight.[27] On 8 July 2013, McShane signed a new two-year deal with Hull City.[28]

McShane's 2013–14 Premier League season started slowly as he was mainly named as a substitute for the opening two months of the campaign, but was finally included in the starting eleven away against Tottenham, a match in which he was successful in keeping the home side out up until a controversial 80th-minute penalty.[29] He started the next match, again away at Tottenham but this time in the League Cup three days later, and put in a similarly impressive performance, scoring a header in the 99th minute past a helpless Brad Friedel.[30] He followed this up next Saturday with another impressive display, earning the Tigers a clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Sunderland.[31] On 17 May 2014, he played as a substitute in the 2014 FA Cup Final against Arsenal.[32]

On 28 May 2015, Hull City released McShane and five other players who were out of contract at the end of the 2014–15 season.[33]

Reading

On 2 July 2015, McShane signed a three-year contract with Reading.[34] He made his first professional appearance for the Royals on 8 August 2015 in a 2–1 defeat away to Birmingham City.[35] McShane's first goal for Reading came during a 3–1 victory against his former club West Bromwich Albion on 20 February 2016, where he scored the equaliser during the FA Cup Fifth Round match at the Madejski Stadium.[36]

He was released by Reading at the end of the 2018–19 season.[37]

Rochdale

On 10 October 2019, it was announced that McShane had joined League One side Rochdale on a short-term contract until January 2020.[38] This was extended by 18 months in mid-January 2020.[39]

International career

McShane with the Republic of Ireland in 2012

McShane received his first senior international call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad from manager Steve Staunton on 25 September 2006, for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers against Cyprus and the Czech Republic.[40] An injury to Andy O'Brien and the suspension of Richard Dunne (the two central defenders that had started the match against Cyprus) meant that McShane was given his first international cap against the Czech Republic on 11 October 2006.[41] The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with McShane being named man of the match.[42] McShane was part of the team that missed out on place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup after being defeated by France in Paris in a play-off, and was the Irish player directly behind Thierry Henry[43] when Henry twice handballed late in extra-time before crossing for William Gallas to score an illegitimate, but accepted, goal.[44]

On 29 May 2012, he was called in from the international wilderness to the Irish UEFA Euro 2012 squad following an injury to Kevin Foley ahead of the tournament.[45]

Style of play

Eamon Dunphy once compared McShane to Spanish international defender Sergio Ramos, labelling Sergio Ramos "...like Paul McShane on steroids".[46]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 13 November 2020

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester United	2004–05[47]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2005–06[48]	Premier League	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Walsall (loan)	2004–05[47]	League One	4	1	—		—		—		4	1
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)	2005–06[48]	Championship	38	4	1	0	1	0	—		40	4
West Bromwich Albion	2006–07[13]	Championship	32	2	4	1	3	0	3[lower-alpha 1]	0	42	3
Sunderland	2007–08[49]	Premier League	21	0	1	0	0	0	—		22	0
	2008–09[50]	Premier League	3	0	0	0	0	0	—		3	0
	2009–10[51]	Premier League	0	0	—		0	0	—		0	0
	Total		24	0	1	0	0	0	—		25	0
Hull City (loan)	2008–09[50]	Premier League	17	1	2	0	—		—		19	1
Hull City	2009–10[51]	Premier League	27	0	0	0	1	0	—		28	0
	2010–11[52]	Championship	19	0	0	0	1	0	—		20	0
	2011–12[53]	Championship	1	0	1	0	—		—		2	0
	2012–13[54]	Championship	25	2	3	0	1	0	—		29	2
	2013–14[55]	Premier League	10	0	3	0	2	1	—		15	1
	2014–15[56]	Premier League	20	1	1	0	1	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	23	1
	Total		119	4	10	0	6	1	1	0	136	5
Barnsley (loan)	2010–11[52]	Championship	10	1	—		—		—		10	1
Crystal Palace (loan)	2011–12[53]	Championship	11	0	—		1	0	—		12	0
Reading	2015–16[57]	Championship	35	0	3	1	2	0	—		40	1
	2016–17[58]	Championship	30	3	0	0	0	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	31	3
	2017–18[59]	Championship	26	0	1	0	0	0	—		27	0
	2018–19[60]	Championship	5	0	0	0	0	0	—		5	0
	Total		96	3	4	1	2	0	1	0	103	4
Rochdale	2019–20[61]	League One	16	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	17	1
	2020–21[62]	League One	6	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	7	0
	Total		22	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	24	2
Career total			356	15	21	3	14	1	5	0	396	19

1. Appearance(s) in Championship play-offs
2. Appearance in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 29 March 2016[63]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland	2006	2	0
	2007	7	0
	2008	5	0
	2009	6	0
	2010	3	0
	2011	3	0
	2012	2	0
	2013	3	0
	2015	1	0
	2016	1	0
Total		33	0

Honours

Manchester United

• FA Youth Cup: 2002–03[7]

Hull City

• Football League Championship runner-up: 2012–13[54][64]
• FA Cup runner-up: 2013–14[32]

Republic of Ireland

• Nations Cup: 2011[65]

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2018" (PDF). English Football League. p. 33. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
2. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 273. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
3. "Paul McShane". Reading F.C. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
4. "Hull City defender Paul McShane: I had to leave Manchester United". Retrieved 11 October 2017.
5. "Saddlers snap up Man Utd starlet". BBC Sport. 23 December 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
6. "Sheffield Wednesday 3–2 Walsall". BBC Sport. 26 December 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
7. Wallace, Sam (26 April 2003). "FA Youth Cup Final: United's slick new breed". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
8. "McShane seals Brighton loan move". BBC Sport. 4 August 2005. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
9. "A tribute to Paul McShane". Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
10. "Man Utd clear up Kuszczak details". BBC Sport. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
11. "Leyton Orient 0–3 West Brom". BBC Sport. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
12. "West Brom 3–1 Leeds". BBC Sport. 6 January 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
13. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
14. "Sunderland sign defender McShane". BBC Sport. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
15. McKenzie, Andrew (11 August 2007). "Sunderland 1–0 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
16. "Hull bag defender McShane on loan". 30 August 2008. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
17. "Liverpool 2–2 Hull City". BBC Sport. 13 December 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
18. "Hull chase Sunderland's Whitehead". BBC Sport. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
19. "Hull City sign defender McShane". BBC Sport. 30 August 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
20. "Barnsley sign Hull City defender Paul McShane on loan". BBC Sport. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
21. "Barnsley 4–2 Bristol City". BBC Sport. 9 April 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
22. "Crystal Palace sign Hull City defender Paul McShane". BBC Sport. 13 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2012.
23. "Defender Joins on Loan". Crystal Palace F.C. 13 January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012.
24. "Nottingham Forest 1–2 Hull". BBC Sport. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
25. "Paul McShane injury leaves long-term Hull City future in balance". Hull Daily Mail. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 13 February 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
26. "Hull 2–2 Cardiff". BBC Sport. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
27. "Quinn: No one deserves to stay at Hull City more than mighty Paul McShane". Hull Daily Mail. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
28. "New Contract For McShane". Hull City A.F.C. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
29. "Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 Hull City". BBC Sport. 27 October 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
30. "Tottenham 2–2 Hull (8–7 on pens)". BBC Sport. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
31. Johnston, Neil (2 November 2013). "Hull City 1–0 Sunderland". KC Stadium. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
32. McNulty, Phil (17 May 2014). "Arsenal 3–2 Hull City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
33. "Hull City: Paul McShane and Steve Harper among six released". BBC Sport. 28 May 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
34. "Confirmed: McShane is third signing in four day". Reading F.C. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
35. "Birmingham City 2–1 Reading". BBC Sport. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
36. "Reading 3–1 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
37. "Paul McShane: Reading defender released by the Championship club". BBC Sport. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
38. "Paul McShane: Rochdale sign veteran defender on short-term deal". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
39. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/51142830
40. "Staunton gives McShane a chance". BBC Sport. 25 September 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
41. Jackson, Lyle (11 October 2006). "Rep of Ireland 1–1 Czech Republic". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
42. "Paul McShane, Defender". Retrieved 11 October 2017.
43. "Fifa paid Irish to stop legal action over Thierry Henry handball". 5 June 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
44. "Thierry Henry handball prompts Irish justice minister to demand replay". The Guardian. London. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
45. "McShane named in squad ahead of Foley". RTÉ Sport. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
46. "Quotes of week". BBC Sport. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
47. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
48. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
49. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
50. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
51. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
52. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
53. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
54. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
55. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
56. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
57. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
58. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
59. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
60. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
61. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
62. "Games played by Paul McShane in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
63. "McShane, Paul". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
64. "Championship: 2012/13: Latest table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
65. "P. McShane: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 4 January 2018.

External links

• Profile at the Reading F.C. website
• Profile at the Football Association of Ireland website
• Paul McShane at Soccerbase