Houllier confirms Ireland wants to leave!

[Pete3206]

Good player he may be, but it's obvious that where hard work and dedication are alien to him. He's has been given a fantastic opportunity to revive a flagging career, but he just can't be bothered can he? His comfort zone with all the trappings is all that appeals to him.

He'll never be a top player. He might get a move to another Premier League club, but whoever takes him on will have the same problems. He'll fade out very quickly.

Good riddance you tosser. You have no idea how lucky you are to have worn the Villa shirt.

[Eigentor]

This seems a very strange stick to beat the board with, we got a fantastic player for a relatively good fee, the new manager has played him but he hasn't looked the least bit interested. There is only one person to blame and its Ireland, he has been utterly unprofessional and should be ashamed of himself.

He may be a fantastic player. But he hasn't looked like one for some time now. The point is, whether a player is successful or not depends very much on the manager. Some managers rate some players, other managers rate others. Some managers can get average players to perfom well but fail to inspire stars. Etc etc. This is the reason why signing a player when we are managerless seems peculiar.

[BannedUserIAT]

Oh how you all mocked me!

Let's hope the business gets done quickly. But, as I said on page 1, I just can't see any manager viewing him as anything but damaged goods.

[villasjf]

So we are going to see the end of this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/picturegalleries/6226400/Top-10-footballers-tattoos.html?image=6

[JUAN PABLO]

He'll probably demand (and very likely get) a loyalty bonus.

Sick isn't it. Ireland is to loyalty what King Herod is to childcare.

I wished I could get angry but I just kind of numb to this shite.

he will end up on some reality TV show...  the ponce

[Dribbler]

Good riddance to the useless tosser, he has looked a complete waste of space, and there are not many sights more pathetic than seeing him meander around the pitch in a Villa shirt with absolutely no conviction whatsoever.

Personally though i would keep him for the next four years, but not let him near the first team and find ways to make him suffer.

[JUAN PABLO]

So we are going to see the end of this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/picturegalleries/6226400/Top-10-footballers-tattoos.html?image=6

maybe he should have tattooed his scalp ...

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Ireland seems a typical example of the modern young footballer who forgets why they have all this wealth in the first place.
He had a couple of good years after establishing himself but has failed to maintain the hunger or edge for the game. He will get another relatively good contract somewhere, he may even come to national prominence again putting in half a good season for someone. After about the age of 28 you will hear little or anything of him, probably retired before 30.

Give me players who no matter what prominence they achieve never ever forget that its their performances week in week out, season after season out, that count first last and always. They are the ones who you spend their careers in the top flight after the age of about 32 going on and on at the highest levels. The Brad Freidels, the Emile Heskeys, the Kevin Philliphs, and yes the David Beckhams.

Look at when we had Dean Saunders and Dalian Atkinson, in my opinion Atkinson had more ability than Saunders but go and check their career stats. 

[villasjf]

I bet Sidwell wants him to stay so he can look like a better player.

[PeterWithe]

In future I think all of our transfer medicals should involve a psychiatrist's report.

Interesting point, if you want a £12k pa job answering the phone at NatWest you have to do some kind of psychcometric test to establish your suitablility yet football appears to be able to take a much more relaxed view of deal like this which is likely to cost us the thick end of £10m

[garyshawsknee]

Who does he expect will sign him? After his stint here no big club will want him. Its so annoying as the weirdo obviously has talent,but his brain must be wired differently. We'll have to add him to the pile with other players like Curcic,Collymore as wasted talents at the Villa.

[Phil from the upper holte]

So we are going to see the end of this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/picturegalleries/6226400/Top-10-footballers-tattoos.html?image=6

Thats an awful tattoo

[eastie]

Decent player on his day he may well be but he had a reputation of bring troublesome before we signed him and was by no means a safe signing , anyone who can lie about their gran dying to miss a game has to be looked at rather dubiously- If we had got the best out of him it would have been a major coup but the gamble has failed.

Maybe our best chance of getting rid is a player exchange with someone., but we will not get £8m back for him.

[PeterWithe]

If we'd have had a little more faith in Bannan a little earlier we wouldn't have needed to take the gamble.

Ah well, onward and upward.

[tarzansbrother]

Are Man C still paying a slice of his wages? Once he moves to Fulham for £6m he will have 3 clubs paying his wage, hilarious.