Meticulous McGinley reveals plans behind Europe's points

By Mitch Phillips GLENEAGLES Scotland (Reuters) - Paul McGinley on Saturday gave a fascinating insight into the wide-ranging thought and planning he has put into building Europe's players and partnerships into a team now on the verge of yet another Ryder Cup victory. McGinley has plotted since the day he was named captain 18 months ago and so far it has paid off spectacularly as Europe built a 10-6 lead on the back of successive dominant displays in foursomes, the alternate-shot format that demands teamwork. While his American counterpart Tom Watson admitted that he overused some of his players and was left virtually arguing with Phil Mickelson after omitting the Cup veteran from both sessions on Saturday, McGinley's key decisions seem to have paid off. The Irishman said that he spent more time considering the personalities of his players and how they got on with each other while giving a passing nod to golfing form when making his pairings. "Personality is a massive part," McGinley told reporters. "Henrik (Stenson) and Justin's (Rose) partnership came along because of personality more than golf game. There's a particular reason why they were together. "I think Graeme McDowell is a great guy to let Victor (Dubuisson) be Victor. I think Lee (Westwood) is a great guy to let Jamie Donaldson be himself. "There are other guys who need a little cajoling and like to have somebody a little bit spicy on their shoulder. That's a huge part of it, that ability to just gel, that X-factor, that relationship between two guys is important." McGinley has listed McDowell as his first player out for Sunday's concluding singles at Gleneagles and revealed that he had made that decision even before he was made captain, though he kept it to himself. FRESH AND FIRING Part of his thinking for this week's matches, where he has used the Northern Irishman in just two foursomes -- both of them wins alongside Dubuisson -- was to send him out fresh and firing on Sunday morning. He also explained why he had spent so little time on the course at Gleneagles, again in contrast to Watson. "I'm plotting our next move, I'm plotting the afternoon session when the morning session is going on," he said. "The players don't need cheerleaders, they don't need to see the captain. "They have very strong vice-captains with big personalities following each game. They are there for a reason. They are giving me good, honest feedback and I'm plotting the next session." McGinley said he had also left no stone unturned in his efforts to drive away any hint of complacency within his team. From the midweek address by former Manchester United soccer manager Alex Ferguson to the choice of posters and slogans plastered around the team room, everything is chosen for a specific reason. "We only have to look back two years, we were the beaten team the first two days. They were sensational the first two days," McGinley said, referring to Medinah in 2012 when the U.S. led 10-6 heading into the singles before being defeated. "Complacency is a massive word. It's easy to just come off the edge. We have another huge graphic in our team room that says: 'Passion has determined our past -- attitude will determine our future.' "Another is a huge picture of a European rock in the middle of a raging storm in the ocean. The storm arrived this morning when the Americans came at us really strongly, and we did incredibly well to get 1-1/2 points. "Then this afternoon our wave came out, fresh guys performed and got the job done. This job is far from finished though. We're in great position, but we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow." (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)