I'd be quite happy to see Ireland eased in gradually though, by no means a guaranteed starter initially. I was a bit concerned that Kev Mac seemingly paid no heed to last weeks drubbing and wanted to go with the same midfield v Everton.
Ireland from the bench can still be a useful weapon, coming on with 25-30 minutes with the opposition tiring. His vision and accurate passes could pull sides apart in that crucial phase. The Berger/ Maloney role, if you like.
The thing is, as he's to all intents and purposes our Milner replacement (until we buy a more Milner-type player) and left ManCity cos he wasn't going to get a game, there's no way he'll be used sparingly like Berger or Maloney. He and Young will always play when fit. Hopefully it won't require too much shoe-horning once he's up to speedl
He's not and never was an out and out CM at Citeh though.
Neither was Milner with us for a good chunk of his time here TBF, but he at least had all the ingredients to be one. Strength, stamina, work ethic and so on.
Ireland is a very, very good player. But used incorrectly and he could be prime scapegoat material. Unlike other players, if that were to happen to him I'm not sure he'd be able to shrug it off.
Tough, some might say. If he's good enough he'll man it out and come through regardless. But all players are different, some more complex than others. Surely it's about getting the best out of your available resources and -in time, in the right formation- I believe Ireland could be a big player for us.
Lets not ruin him before that happens with suicidal formations as per Newcastle away. Even with NRC in the side and playing well we struggled to contain Everton. With Ireland starting it could have been very ugly.
