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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Sport
Gareth Fullerton

'George McMullan was a maniac, but he was a leader on and off the pitch'

Barry Johnston has described former teammate and good pal George McMullan as a "maniac" whose team talks would "leave the hairs standing up on the back of your neck".

When it comes to standout captains during his career, Johnston says McMullan and Chris Scannell were hugely influential figures within the Cliftonville dressing room.

But that's where the similarities ended, with Johnston admitting you couldn't get two more contrasting leaders on and off the pitch.

Read more: David Healy reacts to links with vacant Northern Ireland job

The former midfielder played under both men during a hugely successful time at Cliftonville, when the club won back-to-back league titles under legendary manager Tommy Breslin.

Johnston says ex-striker Scannell adopted a more measured approach when wearing the armband, while McMullan often galvanised the squad with incendiary team talks and fiery huddles.

Speaking on Belfast Live's That's What I Call Football podcast, Johnston said: "We had Chris Scannell. As a captain he had the worst timekeeping I have ever seen in my life. He was never on time for anything.

"But in terms of leading by example, he wasn't a big shouter. He went onto the pitch and didn't slabber or argue. He tried to do all the professional things well and we tried to feed off that.

Chris Scannell (Inpho)

"You flip that coin. Georgie was a maniac. In the changing room or huddles, some of his speeches would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Mine are now even thinking about them.

"The wee man led us differently."

Johnston believes the role of captain has changed over the years, with many clubs adopting 'management groups' and sharing the responsibility of leading the team.

He added: "As a player the captain is just the man who takes the armband and is someone who can console you if you need help.

"And in football now there is more than one leader on the pitch. It's not just on one person. Some teams have management groups and things like that. We spoke about that recently.

"Captains come in all different shapes and sizes and mentalities. I was lucky to play with two of the best."

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