United loan is just the ticket
Loan agreements work in one of two ways, as Stephen O'Halloran has learned from his prior experience of life beyond Villa Park.
The defender's three-month term with Wycombe Wanderers last season was a qualified success, introducing him to the rigours of senior football and allowing him to take part in a League Cup semi-final against a Chelsea team who were then the Premiership's reigning champions.
The transfer was mutually beneficial to O'Halloran and Wycombe, and his parent club Aston Villa saw even greater value in an approach made for the 20-year-old by Southampton last month.
The Championship was a step up in class for a youngster who had not yet troubled Martin O'Neill's selection policy in Birmingham, but O'Halloran's chance was snatched away as quickly as it arrived.
Within a week of his move to the south coast, the man responsible for signing him – George Burley – left Southampton to become Scotland's manager, and O'Halloran's loan concluded with only a 25-minute appearance against Norwich City added to his resume.
There are players at Leeds who can relate to the scenario of entering a club through one door while the manager who signed them leaves through another, but O'Halloran is intent on creating a more settled and involved role for himself at Elland Road.
The Republic of Ireland international was signed by Gary McAllister on a month's loan yesterday, providing a different source of competition for first-choice left-back Alan Sheehan after Ben Parker was allowed to head north to Darlington.
O'Halloran's debut may come at Swindon tomorrow and, despite the brief outing at Norwich representing his only first-team appearance of the season, he will need no encouragement if McAllister calls on him immediately.
The defender's one priority was to avoid a club whose season had run out of steam, and his time in Yorkshire is unlikely to be wasted.
"No disrespect, but it would have been harder to get motivated about a team that's not pushing for something," O'Halloran said.
"Leeds are looking for the play-offs, if not automatic promotion, and that's a great challenge for me. I've played international matches, under-21 matches and I've had one or two reserves matches so I'm raring to go.
"My last loan was disappointing. There was a bit of trouble because the manager left after three days, and it was a shame for me because they then tried to get a settled side.
"This has all happened pretty quickly. I was at a reserve match (with Villa) on Monday and I was told on Tuesday that it was going to be happening. I'm happy with that.
"Leeds are pushing for the play-offs and I'm hoping I can help out. Hopefully we can finish even better than the play-offs, maybe getting promotion straight off.
"I'm going to take it game-by-game but if the possibility of staying until the end of the season comes up and I'm doing well then I'd love the chance.
Leeds are a massive club in England, and in Ireland – I've been getting requests for tickets already, and I've hardly got here."
McAllister became aware of O'Halloran through conversations with Villa's reserve coach Kevin MacDonald, and United assistant Steve Staunton – the man who awarded the defender his two international caps while coach of the Republic – also provided an encouraging reference. O'Halloran is a versatile defender who can play in the centre of defence or as a left-back, and his signing yesterday helped to explain McAllister's earlier decision to sanction the release of Parker to Darlington for the coming month.
United's boss has kept a close eye on the loan market from the day his managerial tenure at Leeds began, and the attraction of new signings has grown during his four matches in charge, which have extended United's run without a league victory to seven matches.
O'Halloran has joined the ranks at a time of heightened pressure on the Leeds squad, but McAllister said: "He's a player I know, and a player that Steve Staunton knows.
"For a good run of years, the left-back area has been a problem at this club. I jumped into the transfer market when I first arrived and brought Alan Sheehan in, and I wanted a bit more cover and a bit more strength there. I want things to improve in that area."
The impending tussle for position between O'Halloran and Sheehan, who was signed from Leicester City on loan until the end of the season last month, was the cause of immediate amusement in the dressing room at Thorp Arch yesterday.
The two full-backs have been team-mates within the Republic of Ireland's Under-21 squad, and O'Halloran said: "We've been having a bit of banter about it.
"But he's been playing well with the under-21s when I've been playing, and he's here until the end of the season. I'll try and do well for the month and see what happens between us.
"I like getting forward and I'm an attacking left-back. If I get the chance to link up with the left midfielder then I'll be pushing on and trying to get crosses in because we've got two good strikers up there who will score goals.
"The lads want some success at this club. They feel that the club should be back in the Championship and, in the future, back in the Premiership. But we've got to take it game by game and start with a win against Swindon.
"The fans want to be back up there as well, and they're dead right. I hope the pressure won't get to the players because they've been doing well all season."
YEP
