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Didn't see this posted anywhere else so:
In a quiet corner of south-west Ireland, a statue of John Egan can be found gazing out across the village of Sneem.
The life-size bronze sculpture has been there since 2017, a fitting tribute to this favourite son of County Kerry and one of Gaelic football’s greatest players.
John Egan Jr, the Sheffield United defender, joined mum Mary — a League of Ireland winner with Cork Rangers during her own days playing women’s football — and sister Mairin at the statue’s unveiling, the family’s pride clear for all to see as four members of Kerry’s all-conquering team from the 1970s did the honours as hundreds packed into South Square.
Sander Berge, Egan’s team-mate at Bramall Lane, also comes from rich sporting stock. Mum Linnea and dad Asmund both played basketball at international level, as the midfielder’s brother Aksel does today. His football lineage can be traced back to grandfather Ragnar, a left-back who made one appearance for Norway against the Republic of Ireland in 1955.
This shared pedigree, albeit in different countries and wildly differing sports, could explain why Egan and Berge struck up a friendship soon after the Norwegian became United’s then club-record £22 million signing in January.
“Sander has spent a lot of time round at mine,” Egan tells The Athletic. “Especially during lockdown. He was over on his own from Norway and we got on well from the start, so I wanted to try and help him settle.
“We enjoy the same things; he’s a good lad, a real friendly giant. Like a big little brother, if you get me. We clicked as mates straight away. He likes his basketball and we have similar interests. That’s why we spend so much time together.
“He comes from a good family, all well-mannered. His brother was over once. He’s even bigger than Sander, about 6ft 8in, something like that; Land Of The Giants stuff. I don’t know what they feed them in Norway but it clearly works.”
The weather is still more winter than spring as the Sheffield United team coach pulls up outside the Banks’s Stadium.
On board is a 19-year-old John Egan, having joined on loan from then-top flight Sunderland only that morning. A mad, 125-mile dash had to be made down the A1 to meet-up with his new team-mates before carrying on to the West Midlands.
Danny Wilson’s United, pushing hard for promotion from League One at the first attempt, have been rocked by an injury crisis, hence the need to bring in a rookie defender with just one previous appearance in league football to his name.
Egan did OK that Tuesday night. Solid, rather than spectacular, as the home side boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation with a surprise 3-2 triumph. The Irish teenager dropped to the bench for United’s next outing on the Saturday, a 2-0 win away to Brentford, and left Sheffield at the end of his month’s loan having not added to that solitary appearance against Walsall.
His departure was barely noticed amid the pressure-cooker atmosphere of what was turning into a two-way scrap with neighbours and arch-rivals Sheffield Wednesday to join runaway leaders Charlton Athletic in winning automatic promotion. United would eventually have to settle for third and were then beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town in the play-off final at Wembley. It would be another five years before they returned to the Championship.
How times have changed for the Irishman in the Steel City.
Egan, having rejoined United — as their then-record signing — in 2018, has gone on to become a key member of Chris Wilder’s side. He has missed just five of the 88 league games since that £4.1 million move from Brentford, and recently signed a new four-year contract.
“The manager and the club wanted to keep me for longer,” says Egan. “And I was delighted by that. I love coming in here to train every day, then going out to fight for three points on the Saturday.
“For me, it was a no-brainer to sign. I love it here and have from the start. We have this great bond between all of us; friends I know I will have for life. That doesn’t always happen in football. You don’t get it everywhere you go and a lot of the lads have commented on that.
“We have the ‘coffee club’ — going for coffee every day, a good group of us. That is why this is such a special club. Everyone wants to spend time together. We all get on really well off the pitch. It was fantastic for me to be able to stay a part of this group by signing that deal of mine. Now, it is up to me to kick on and justify that faith.”
Egan’s journey to the Premier League, like many of his fellow coffee club members, involved more than its fair share of wrong turns and false starts before finding the right path.
That brief loan to a Yorkshire club was followed the next season by another — this time to Bradford City — but he suffered a broken leg after barely two weeks. The injury kept him out of action for a year and, eventually, he was released by Sunderland in summer 2014 after another loan to Southend United in League Two.
“I didn’t know where I was going to go,” admits the defender, whose name now adorns a football academy for youngsters at his old club Greenwood in Cork. “The offers weren’t necessarily flooding in.”
A move to Gillingham in League One brought a career lifeline, Egan’s 52 all-competitions appearances in that first season with the Kent club culminating in him being named their player of the year. A move up to the Championship with Brentford followed at the end of his second season at Priestfield, on the back of claiming a place in the PFA League One Team of the Year with a 40-game, six-goal season. Two years after that came his return to United.
Those back home in Bishopstown who remember John Jr growing up as an accomplished footballer and hurler under the watchful eye of his famous dad have not been surprised by how his career has blossomed.
Father and son often discussed at length whether the youngster should opt for an amateur career in Gaelic football or pursue his dream of life as a professional in England. The right decision was clearly made, Egan’s big regret being his dad — who died when he was 19 — has not been able to share in those recent successes.
John Sr, winner of six All-Ireland Championships in his own career, may not be around any more but those principles engrained in his boy when watching his father coach amateur side Bishopstown GAA to their first senior county final in 2002 are still very much alive.
“Training was Tuesday and Thursday nights, after work,” explains Egan. “Either 6pm or 7pm. Fellas coming straight from work, probably doing a bit of gym afterwards and not getting home until maybe 9.30-10pm.
“When I came on to the other side of things, professional sport at 16, it was so different. Everything is done for you. Train in the morning and most of the day is to yourself. It made me appreciate how much they do to compete at the top level.”
Mum’s influence continues to be keenly felt. A “tough-tackling full-back”, according to the United defender, in her playing days, Mary is not averse to passing on her own nuggets of advice.
“She is always on to me after every game,” he adds with a smile. “She loves telling me what I need to do better. Not too much praise. I do listen to her. Sometimes.”
Praise may be hard-won but, The Athletic wonders, surely Mum did make a fuss after the stunning finish that earned United a point at Burnley in July? “She said I should have scored two that day.”
To be fair to Mrs Egan, Wilder shares her belief that his former record signing should be contributing more goals. Egan, who also scored the winner three days later against Wolves, adds: “The gaffer is right. I only got one in the first season and then two last time, both late on.
“It wasn’t a bad return, but I should be getting more. The delivery that Ollie (Norwood) puts in — and Flecky (John Fleck), too — means I need to score more. It is something I have always had in my career.”
United could certainly do with some help on the goalscoring front. Four games into the new Premier League season, they’ve only got one goal. Worse still, Wilder’s men are second-bottom of the table and one of just six clubs across the top four divisions with a 100 per cent losing record.
Egan’s start has been similarly slow, a red card in the second league game at Aston Villa meaning he not only missed the final 78 minutes of that 1-0 loss but also the following week’s derby defeat at home to Leeds United.
With United putting their league travails on pause, the international break offers Egan — along with club-mates Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick — the opportunity to give themselves a much-needed lift.
Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland are in Euro 2020 play-offs action tomorrow night. Beat Slovakia in Bratislava and next month will bring another one-off showdown away to either Northern Ireland or Bosnia & Herzegovina to decide who joins Spain, Poland and Sweden in Group E at the delayed tournament next summer.
With those group’s games scheduled to be staged in Dublin and the Spanish city of Bilbao, there is plenty of incentive for Egan and his team-mates.
“All the lads will be hoping to be in that team,” the 27-year-old says about this semi-final. “I am no different. The year has been crazy with what has happened with all the lockdown, but all the Irish lads kept in touch.”
John Egan, Republic of Ireland, Sheffield United
Egan and Ireland’s last shot at Euro 2020 qualification begins in Slovakia tomorrow (Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Other United players looking to take a step towards Euro 2020 this week include Oli McBurnie, John Fleck and Oliver Burke with Scotland, who host Israel tomorrow. Berge and Norway are also in play-offs action the same night, at home to Serbia. The winners of those ties then meet in Norway or Serbia on November 12.
Egan is hoping all his club-mates can prevail this week, knowing what a boost this could bring to confidence when everyone is reunited at Bramall Lane next week ahead of what already seems a key Premier League game at home to also-pointless Fulham.
“It is brilliant to be part of a club who have that community feel,” he adds. “Even in the dressing room, we are a tight-knit bunch. No matter who we play, we go on the pitch and give everything. This is a really good group to be part of.
“I had a good upbringing back home. I come from GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), which is a big community background. You play for your people. When we got promoted to the Premier League, the celebrations reminded me of back home. It is why I really feel a part of the city.
“Getting back together in pre-season was great. We were all in the hotel in Edinburgh and it was class. It might be boring for some teams when they go away, all spending time on their own in the room. We are the total opposite. We all bond around the hotel, spending time with each other, playing a bit of golf or a bit of cards.
“Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoyed my time away. I managed to get home to Ireland during those three weeks we had off. It was good. Seeing the family was great; same with my friends back home. Better than going on any holiday for me — especially as I had not been home for ages, but being back with the lads was great, too.”
Those strong bonds in Yorkshire include friendships with the likes of Berge, who the Irishman has been trying to school in the finer arts of those sports he holds dear.
“I have taught him about Irish sport,” adds Egan. “I have a few hurlers in the boot of the car. I am trying to get him into that.
“Same with the golf, though that is going to take a bit of work. We have been out on the course a couple of times. Also, I have had him chipping in the back garden a couple of times, trying to improve his game a bit. Just a chipping competition into a bucket. Thankfully, I have the artificial turf, so he can’t do any damage.
“He didn’t break any windows, which I suppose is a start.”
In a quiet corner of south-west Ireland, a statue of John Egan can be found gazing out across the village of Sneem.
The life-size bronze sculpture has been there since 2017, a fitting tribute to this favourite son of County Kerry and one of Gaelic football’s greatest players.
John Egan Jr, the Sheffield United defender, joined mum Mary — a League of Ireland winner with Cork Rangers during her own days playing women’s football — and sister Mairin at the statue’s unveiling, the family’s pride clear for all to see as four members of Kerry’s all-conquering team from the 1970s did the honours as hundreds packed into South Square.
Sander Berge, Egan’s team-mate at Bramall Lane, also comes from rich sporting stock. Mum Linnea and dad Asmund both played basketball at international level, as the midfielder’s brother Aksel does today. His football lineage can be traced back to grandfather Ragnar, a left-back who made one appearance for Norway against the Republic of Ireland in 1955.
This shared pedigree, albeit in different countries and wildly differing sports, could explain why Egan and Berge struck up a friendship soon after the Norwegian became United’s then club-record £22 million signing in January.
“Sander has spent a lot of time round at mine,” Egan tells The Athletic. “Especially during lockdown. He was over on his own from Norway and we got on well from the start, so I wanted to try and help him settle.
“We enjoy the same things; he’s a good lad, a real friendly giant. Like a big little brother, if you get me. We clicked as mates straight away. He likes his basketball and we have similar interests. That’s why we spend so much time together.
“He comes from a good family, all well-mannered. His brother was over once. He’s even bigger than Sander, about 6ft 8in, something like that; Land Of The Giants stuff. I don’t know what they feed them in Norway but it clearly works.”
The weather is still more winter than spring as the Sheffield United team coach pulls up outside the Banks’s Stadium.
On board is a 19-year-old John Egan, having joined on loan from then-top flight Sunderland only that morning. A mad, 125-mile dash had to be made down the A1 to meet-up with his new team-mates before carrying on to the West Midlands.
Danny Wilson’s United, pushing hard for promotion from League One at the first attempt, have been rocked by an injury crisis, hence the need to bring in a rookie defender with just one previous appearance in league football to his name.
Egan did OK that Tuesday night. Solid, rather than spectacular, as the home side boosted their hopes of avoiding relegation with a surprise 3-2 triumph. The Irish teenager dropped to the bench for United’s next outing on the Saturday, a 2-0 win away to Brentford, and left Sheffield at the end of his month’s loan having not added to that solitary appearance against Walsall.
His departure was barely noticed amid the pressure-cooker atmosphere of what was turning into a two-way scrap with neighbours and arch-rivals Sheffield Wednesday to join runaway leaders Charlton Athletic in winning automatic promotion. United would eventually have to settle for third and were then beaten on penalties by Huddersfield Town in the play-off final at Wembley. It would be another five years before they returned to the Championship.
How times have changed for the Irishman in the Steel City.
Egan, having rejoined United — as their then-record signing — in 2018, has gone on to become a key member of Chris Wilder’s side. He has missed just five of the 88 league games since that £4.1 million move from Brentford, and recently signed a new four-year contract.
“The manager and the club wanted to keep me for longer,” says Egan. “And I was delighted by that. I love coming in here to train every day, then going out to fight for three points on the Saturday.
“For me, it was a no-brainer to sign. I love it here and have from the start. We have this great bond between all of us; friends I know I will have for life. That doesn’t always happen in football. You don’t get it everywhere you go and a lot of the lads have commented on that.
“We have the ‘coffee club’ — going for coffee every day, a good group of us. That is why this is such a special club. Everyone wants to spend time together. We all get on really well off the pitch. It was fantastic for me to be able to stay a part of this group by signing that deal of mine. Now, it is up to me to kick on and justify that faith.”
Egan’s journey to the Premier League, like many of his fellow coffee club members, involved more than its fair share of wrong turns and false starts before finding the right path.
That brief loan to a Yorkshire club was followed the next season by another — this time to Bradford City — but he suffered a broken leg after barely two weeks. The injury kept him out of action for a year and, eventually, he was released by Sunderland in summer 2014 after another loan to Southend United in League Two.
“I didn’t know where I was going to go,” admits the defender, whose name now adorns a football academy for youngsters at his old club Greenwood in Cork. “The offers weren’t necessarily flooding in.”
A move to Gillingham in League One brought a career lifeline, Egan’s 52 all-competitions appearances in that first season with the Kent club culminating in him being named their player of the year. A move up to the Championship with Brentford followed at the end of his second season at Priestfield, on the back of claiming a place in the PFA League One Team of the Year with a 40-game, six-goal season. Two years after that came his return to United.
Those back home in Bishopstown who remember John Jr growing up as an accomplished footballer and hurler under the watchful eye of his famous dad have not been surprised by how his career has blossomed.
Father and son often discussed at length whether the youngster should opt for an amateur career in Gaelic football or pursue his dream of life as a professional in England. The right decision was clearly made, Egan’s big regret being his dad — who died when he was 19 — has not been able to share in those recent successes.
John Sr, winner of six All-Ireland Championships in his own career, may not be around any more but those principles engrained in his boy when watching his father coach amateur side Bishopstown GAA to their first senior county final in 2002 are still very much alive.
“Training was Tuesday and Thursday nights, after work,” explains Egan. “Either 6pm or 7pm. Fellas coming straight from work, probably doing a bit of gym afterwards and not getting home until maybe 9.30-10pm.
“When I came on to the other side of things, professional sport at 16, it was so different. Everything is done for you. Train in the morning and most of the day is to yourself. It made me appreciate how much they do to compete at the top level.”
Mum’s influence continues to be keenly felt. A “tough-tackling full-back”, according to the United defender, in her playing days, Mary is not averse to passing on her own nuggets of advice.
“She is always on to me after every game,” he adds with a smile. “She loves telling me what I need to do better. Not too much praise. I do listen to her. Sometimes.”
Praise may be hard-won but, The Athletic wonders, surely Mum did make a fuss after the stunning finish that earned United a point at Burnley in July? “She said I should have scored two that day.”
To be fair to Mrs Egan, Wilder shares her belief that his former record signing should be contributing more goals. Egan, who also scored the winner three days later against Wolves, adds: “The gaffer is right. I only got one in the first season and then two last time, both late on.
“It wasn’t a bad return, but I should be getting more. The delivery that Ollie (Norwood) puts in — and Flecky (John Fleck), too — means I need to score more. It is something I have always had in my career.”
United could certainly do with some help on the goalscoring front. Four games into the new Premier League season, they’ve only got one goal. Worse still, Wilder’s men are second-bottom of the table and one of just six clubs across the top four divisions with a 100 per cent losing record.
Egan’s start has been similarly slow, a red card in the second league game at Aston Villa meaning he not only missed the final 78 minutes of that 1-0 loss but also the following week’s derby defeat at home to Leeds United.
With United putting their league travails on pause, the international break offers Egan — along with club-mates Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick — the opportunity to give themselves a much-needed lift.
Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland are in Euro 2020 play-offs action tomorrow night. Beat Slovakia in Bratislava and next month will bring another one-off showdown away to either Northern Ireland or Bosnia & Herzegovina to decide who joins Spain, Poland and Sweden in Group E at the delayed tournament next summer.
With those group’s games scheduled to be staged in Dublin and the Spanish city of Bilbao, there is plenty of incentive for Egan and his team-mates.
“All the lads will be hoping to be in that team,” the 27-year-old says about this semi-final. “I am no different. The year has been crazy with what has happened with all the lockdown, but all the Irish lads kept in touch.”
John Egan, Republic of Ireland, Sheffield United
Egan and Ireland’s last shot at Euro 2020 qualification begins in Slovakia tomorrow (Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
Other United players looking to take a step towards Euro 2020 this week include Oli McBurnie, John Fleck and Oliver Burke with Scotland, who host Israel tomorrow. Berge and Norway are also in play-offs action the same night, at home to Serbia. The winners of those ties then meet in Norway or Serbia on November 12.
Egan is hoping all his club-mates can prevail this week, knowing what a boost this could bring to confidence when everyone is reunited at Bramall Lane next week ahead of what already seems a key Premier League game at home to also-pointless Fulham.
“It is brilliant to be part of a club who have that community feel,” he adds. “Even in the dressing room, we are a tight-knit bunch. No matter who we play, we go on the pitch and give everything. This is a really good group to be part of.
“I had a good upbringing back home. I come from GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), which is a big community background. You play for your people. When we got promoted to the Premier League, the celebrations reminded me of back home. It is why I really feel a part of the city.
“Getting back together in pre-season was great. We were all in the hotel in Edinburgh and it was class. It might be boring for some teams when they go away, all spending time on their own in the room. We are the total opposite. We all bond around the hotel, spending time with each other, playing a bit of golf or a bit of cards.
“Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoyed my time away. I managed to get home to Ireland during those three weeks we had off. It was good. Seeing the family was great; same with my friends back home. Better than going on any holiday for me — especially as I had not been home for ages, but being back with the lads was great, too.”
Those strong bonds in Yorkshire include friendships with the likes of Berge, who the Irishman has been trying to school in the finer arts of those sports he holds dear.
“I have taught him about Irish sport,” adds Egan. “I have a few hurlers in the boot of the car. I am trying to get him into that.
“Same with the golf, though that is going to take a bit of work. We have been out on the course a couple of times. Also, I have had him chipping in the back garden a couple of times, trying to improve his game a bit. Just a chipping competition into a bucket. Thankfully, I have the artificial turf, so he can’t do any damage.
“He didn’t break any windows, which I suppose is a start.”
