IT'S not so long ago since a player heading for the United States was regarded as more or less ending his meaningful career, taking the opportunity to eke out a final couple of years and so boost his pension.
So, at the age of just 27, more than a few eyebrows were raised when former Hibs star Tam McManus did exactly that, signing a four-year deal with Colorado Rapids.
While admitting he'd always hankered to play in either the States or Australia, McMa
nus' switch perhaps came a little sooner than even he expected having enjoyed spells with Hibs, Dundee, Falkirk and Dunfermline.
But today, McManus is convinced he made the right move, predicting that, in years to come, he'll be joined on the other side of the Atlantic by a growing number of Scottish and English players in the prime of their careers.
Joking that he was running out of clubs to play for in Scotland, McManus, speaking exclusively to the Evening News from his new home in Denver, said: "I wanted to get out of the goldfish bowl of Scottish football, to get away and enjoy playing my football."
That opportunity arose when McManus was invited to join Colorado during their pre-season preparations at Arsenal's magnificent training centre in leafy Hertfordshire, an arrangement made possible through Rapids owner Stan Kronke, the American billionaire who has a link with the Gunners among his many business enterprises.
McManus said: "I didn't know much about them then but I checked via the internet and saw they had a cracking set-up, very professional.
"I played in a match for them against a very good Ipswich side and we won 3-2, and then against an Arsenal team including Nicklas Bendtner, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott and only lost 2-1.
"I was really surprised at that but I got very good vibes about the place and was convinced I was doing the right thing in signing a four-year deal."
And nothing he has seen since has dissuaded McManus from that initial impression. He said: "We have a brand new stadium, 24 floodlit pitches, the facilities over here are magnificent, something Scotland has badly lacked for years.
"The standard of football is good, there are two or three teams I think are comparable to top sides in the SPL. I'm not saying they would win the League but I certainly believe they could hold their own. We get decent crowds, our average is about 14,000 while Los Angeles get twice as many and Toronto attract about 20,000."
If football is very much a term associated with American football in the States, "soccer" as they like to call it across the Atlantic is, according to McManus, taking off.
He added: "There are literally hundreds of soccer camps on the go here every week and everywhere I drive I see soccer goals, the game is certainly getting bigger and, obviously, the arrival of David Beckham has raised the profile big time."
McManus' own arrival may have generated something less than a stir of that of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid ace, but he believes that the perception of playing in the States as being a depository for stars on the wane is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
And, while there has been a trickle of American players plying their trade in Europe and the world's other more traditional footballing nations, stars such as Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride and Alexi Lalas, he believes there will soon be a great deal of two-way traffic.
He said: "I'm convinced I can improve as a player over here and I think that, in the next few years, there will be a lot of players from Scotland, England and elsewhere coming over to play.
"But there's also a large number of good, young American players coming through, guys like Maurice Edu who has just joined Rangers and Jozy Altidore who went from Red Bull New York to Villareal for a record fee of $10 million."
McManus admitted one of the biggest adjustments he has had to make is adapting to the huge distances clubs are expected to travel.
The Rapids have just completed a series of "road" games which saw them journey to Washington, Salt Lake City and Dallas over the past couple of weeks.
He said: "You'd never moan about having to travel to Aberdeen or Inverness again. The first couple of away games left me absolutely shattered.
"The distances we have to travel are huge and we fly everywhere, travelling the day before and coming back the day after.
"The longest flight is probably to New England Revolution which is four hours each way but the strangest thing is the lack of away fans.
"Whereas in Scotland you can always rely on a few hundred or even a couple of thousand to be there, over here, again because of the distances involved, you tend to find you only have ten and most of them will live locally.
"That makes it very hard to win away. We've just had three away on the trot which has been very tough."
The trip to Salt Lake City allowed McManus to catch up with former Gretna striker Kenny Deuchar, although little was said given the Rapids lost 2-0. They redeemed themselves and revived their hopes of earning a place in the Major League Soccer play-offs with a 1-0 win at Dallas' Pizza Hut Park.
Colorado's own stadium is known as the Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the aforesaid sports retail chain part of Kronke's empire, while other grounds boast the name of their backers, a trend which is only beginning to emerge in the United Kingdom with the likes of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, the Reebok at Bolton, Wigan's JJB Stadium and so on, although it has yet to catch on north of the border.
McManus said: "The names of some of the grounds may seem strange set against Easter Road, Tynecastle, Ibrox and so on but over here major brands put their money into the game and have the stadia named after them."
As much as he is enjoying his football, McManus has also taken to the American way of life, revealing that, while he may not end his career in the States, he's already considering living there once he finally hangs up his boots.
He said: "It's a great standard of life, your money goes so much further, petrol, food, everything is cheaper.
"I just about killed myself a few times driving on the 'wrong' side of the road but the Rocky Mountains aren't far away as is Aspen while New Mexico is just a bit to the south.
"It's a vast place but I've been able to visit a few places while the weather has been absolutely scorching, 80 or 90 degrees Fahrenheit every day."
As far as he might be from home, McManus keeps in touch with what's happening both at Easter Road and in Scotland with former team-mate Kenny Miller, a close friend, even visiting him.
He said: "Kenny came over for a week and went training with us. We were doing ten minute runs and he was absolutely shattered because of the altitude – we are a mile above sea level.
"I was delighted to see Kenny score twice in the Old Firm game, he was under a lot of pressure going back to Rangers having been with Celtic but now he'll be buzzing.
"I also speak to Ian Murray quite regularly and I know he's said he'd like to try over here or Australia before he finishes playing and I could only recommend it to him."
McManus is also well aware of the return of Derek Riordan to Hibs, the striker signing on the same day as his former Dunfermline team-mate Sol Bamba who he believes can be a big star at Easter Road.
He said: "The fans will be delighted to see Deek back but I think Sol will also be another great signing for Hibs. He's a big, raw boy who can lack a bit of concentration at times.
"But he has everything to play at the top level and with the right coaching, which I am sure he will get from Mixu Paatelainen and Donald Park, he'll be a big player for Hibs."
The full article contains 1399 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
