We were delighted to see that Republic of Ireland and West Brom winger James McClean was the latest guest on Jarlath Regan's much loved 'An Irishman Abroad' podcast, and in reality we could have done 'about 27 things we learned about James McClean' after listening, but you really should give the full thing a listen yourself to get the most out of a great bit of podcasting.
We've seen McClean open up a lot more in recent times for things like the BBC feature on his annual drama over in England, but this was by far the best insight we've been given into the man who gets Ireland fans off their seats for his tenacity as much as his attacking play.
Regan brought up a range of topics which brought out some interesting responses from the Derry man, and we've picked out five highlights that we particularly enjoyed.
He hates the lack of children playing football in the streets these days.
Something we've heard ad nauseam from Eamon Dunphy and John Giles, McClean too believes things ain't like they used to be.
It's actually a shame.
I think we were kind of the last generation before technology took over. I think now, I've got nephews and that who would rather sit inside and play FIFA on the consoles and not actually go out to the street, and you see it yourself, you're walking around the streets and.. Where's the ball?
There's no-one playing football.
Our street would play our nearest neighbours and arrange matches with other streets and from morning to night your out on the street. You have to be dragged in.
But now you don't see that. And if you do see someone with a ball, you're thinking 'fair play', it's almost a shock. That's sad.
Not sure if the FIFA comment is a thinly veiled dig at his good pal David Meyler, but he's got a point.
How the League Of Ireland was a far better for his development than being at a team in England.
McClean had a brief spell at Lincoln before returning and rising to prominence with Derry City, where he grew in more ways than one.
I went over at 18 to sign for Lincoln, and I wasn't ready. I was homesick. I just wasn't ready to move across and live on my own.
So I went back, and I played another three years of League of Ireland, and that grew me up, as a person, as a player. It toughened me up a lot, so then I was ready to go across.
[League of Ireland players] don't care if you're 15, 16, 17, or if you're the skinny little kid, or whatever physique you have, they're gonna hit you hard. They're out to win a game of football.
The way the game is going now, that's kind of lost. It's become a lot more softer, the game. But, in the League of Ireland I'd like to think you've still got that bit of rough and tumble about.
There's one for the next 'branding report' lads.
He was looking forward to playing in the MLS before he joined West Brom.
After suffering relegation from the Championship with Wigan, McClean had a firm offer from New York Red Bulls, and was looking forward to the challenge until Tony Pulis swooped.
They [NYRB] really looked after me. They took me and my wife out and really looked after us for the weekend, paid our flights, took us out for food, showed us around the facilities and that, they couldn't have treated us any better.
So I said look, I've done the Championship and I don't fancy that again, let's go for something new. I was signing as a DP [designated player, top earners in the squad] so it ticked all the boxes.
Then the day we were due to fly home, we got a call from West Brom, Tony Pulis. I wasn't relieved because I was looking forward to it [New York]. I'd got my head around it, I was looking forward to it.
You're playing in the MLS, you're living in New York, you're being looked after, so what's not to get excited about?
So I had a decision to make. I'd played Premier League before, but I could live with turning down Red Bulls. I couldn't live with turning down another crack at the Premier League.
It would have been interesting to see him as a long-term DP in the league, but it's so much better for Ireland that he's in the Premier League.
How he uses football to cope with difficult issues in his life.
After Jarlath Regan made an important point regarding McClean's handling of the tragic loss of his friend Ryan McBride and how it proved to be inspirational to many, the Derry man came out with a beautiful response as to how football helped him through it.
That comes down to the beauty of football, for me anyway.
For that hour and a half on a football field or hour and a half at training, you have other people that count on you that you don't want to let down. So it kind of distracts, it takes away all your troubles for that time you're on the field. Because the other players count on you, and for me that's how I deal with off field problems.
Everyone is different, I know the Derry City players after Ryan's death it took them a while to cope on the pitch. I don't think there's any right or wrong way. For me that's just how my mind works and how I cope, but everyone is different.
Still dealing with it, of course. But you have to understand, as much as I could sit there and feel sorry for myself, he has a family, a girlfriend who lost a fiance, and a lot worse situation than I have, so if I'm beating myself up then I've got to think about how they are feeling.
For James McClean, nothing could top the feeling of becoming a father, and his measuring point was just perfect.
We also learned what the Derry man's second best feeling could be; a hat-trick for Celtic at Ibrox.
I know everyone says the day your kid is born is the best day ever, it is. No comparison. I don't care. Look, I'm a huge Celtic fan, I could score a hat-trick at Ibrox and we win 3-0, and it wouldn't even come close to the day that my children were born.
As a person, when you bring a child into the world, they're yours, they depend on you for everything. And having that dependency, no matter what has gone on in your life, they are the ones that love you no matter what. So you have to look after them, and you have to be a role model for them.
He could have said winning a World Cup with Ireland, but no, he said what he said and and it's beautiful because it's pure James McClean.
As we said before, the entire episode of Jarlath Regan's An Irishman Abroad podcast is well worth a listen. We obviously love it when a sportsperson is involved, especially when they are as interesting as McClean, so hopefully there's more to come.
