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Author Topic: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game  (Read 47372 times)

Offline alanclare

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Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« on: November 01, 2010, 09:05:32 AM »
From todays' Times.

Gérard Houllier warned Stephen Ireland last night that he needs to work harder if he is to start making an impression at Aston Villa. After the previous two games when Ireland played centre forward before being withdrawn Houllier described the club’s highest earner as looking “lost”. Yesterday he went a step further:

“He needs to work harder,” Houllier said. “He played against Chelsea and did well. He played against Sunderland and it was not good enough to me, as simple as that. He needs to work harder. The skill is one thing but you need to compete. He played against Burnley, but it’s a difficult period for him. We support him. We back him. He comes to a new club and there’s a change of manager in between. We will be 100 percent for him. We know he is a good player. But I don’t want to have players who you say, ‘He’s a good player but…’

“If you say, ‘He’s a good player but he doesn’t defend, but he doesn’t run back, but he loses too many balls in crucial areas’, that’s difficult. He needs to get rid of these ‘buts’ and be a good player. We put him in at Sunderland behind the striker and he needs to get hold of the ball and play.”

Offline Mazrim

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2010, 09:09:30 AM »
Fair enough. Over to you Stephen.

Offline villa baz

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2010, 09:09:48 AM »
houlliers right,time for mr ireland to step up,if not get rid !

Offline PaulTheVillan

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2010, 09:15:19 AM »
Fair enough.

Hopefully Ireland will see this as a challenge and be the class player we know he can be.

Unless he just sulks and fucks off.

Offline TopDeck113

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2010, 09:15:36 AM »
The moral of the story being: don't move to a club during the interregnum between managers.

The truth from where I see it is that Ireland was forced out of Citeh against his wishes and his heart isn't really in it so far as playing for the Villa is concerned.  Perhaps he may have started differently if MON was still manager, but that we'll never know.  Where he finds himself at the moment is at a club he doesn't want to be at, playing for a new manager who didn't sign him and having failed to make any sort of good first impression with the fans.  I hope he turns it around, but it is not looking good.

 

Offline *shellac*

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2010, 09:37:27 AM »
A case of "Right Player, Wrong Timing".

Offline UK Redsox

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2010, 09:45:29 AM »
Ireland's performances have been pretty poor.

Hopefully Houllier has said all this to the player's face as well as to the press

Offline stevenjos

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2010, 09:46:18 AM »
He probably doesnt want to be here after been forced out at Man City. He needs to up his game or be sold to fund sone real attacking midfielder/striker

Offline Pete3206

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #8 on: November 01, 2010, 09:47:18 AM »
GH could start by picking the player instead of selecting one whose inferior aka Steve Sidwell.

Offline PaulTheVillan

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2010, 09:53:15 AM »
I doubt that Ireland is fully 90 minute match fit.

I think once he's fully fit, looking sharp and gets his first goal we'll see a much better player.

He does get in some good attacking positions and always wants the ball, our players don't seem to pass to him.

Offline darren woolley

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2010, 09:56:06 AM »
I hope Ireland turns it around on is day he is a class player i'm hopeing he'll come good for us.

Offline eastie

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2010, 10:08:37 AM »
Agree with pete, Ireland hasn't been at his best in his handful of games but he deserves more of a chance than sidwell who has been awful in nearly every game he's played.

I think if Ireland had took that chance against Chelsea it would have given him a huge boost- but we need to play him and see how he does, too early to judge him yet.

Offline Irish villain

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #12 on: November 01, 2010, 10:14:58 AM »
I really fear I am becoming some sort of self loathing Irishman! Was never an O'Neill fan, think Dunne should be dropped and wasn't really enthusiastic about Stephen Ireland coming in!

We all recognise Stephen's ability, but I just saw him as a luxury. You can only play him in the final third as a Paul Merson type AM. But then you need to have good defensive midfielders to accommodate him or a goal scoring lone striker to convert chances. We lack those things which means we probably won't get the best out of Ireland. I'd sell him as there's no point tryint to adapt your style to accommodate somebody who doesn't want to be here and has a record of petulence.

Offline Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #13 on: November 01, 2010, 10:18:51 AM »
Since Mark Hughes was sacked in December 2009, Ireland became a near permanent substitute under Mancini. His pre season preparation at City would have been constantly overshadowed by the likelihood of moving.
These arent offered as excuses but the reasons why we havent yet seen him produce.
If Ireland has his head right and Houllier & Co. gets his match sharpness right, we will have a very very good player.

Offline UsualSuspect

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Re: Houllier says Ireland Must Up His Game
« Reply #14 on: November 01, 2010, 10:21:11 AM »
I was very damning of ireland last week and agree with most of what GH said.

What is blatently obvious to me is that Ireland would rather be anywhere but at VP

 


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