Houllier confirms Ireland wants to leave!

[VillaZogmariner]

Adios Amoeba

[TopDeck113]

Adios Amoeba

Is that the Latin name for one of the species in his fish tank?

[Chris Smith]

I was never keen on us signing him and feel that the board should have pulled out of the deal when MOn walked. I think they went through with it as they wanted a bit of positive publicity at a difficult time. You can't really blame them but I'd hope that on reflection they see it as a mistake.

As for the criticism of the rest of the squad i think people are missing the point. They were bought to do a specific job in a specific style of playing ao of course some are not going to fit into the way the new manager wants to go about things. It happens every time a club changes manager and it doesn't mean that these are suddenly shit players.

[LeeB]

he will be no loss to us, as he has been nothing short of crap since he arrived...

personally, i would refuse to pay the nutty little bald c***...

I'd go further and make the little bastard pay back every penny he's defrauded us of, before we let him go.

[garyfouroaks]

By common consent, Ireland is a good player - but we have seen none of it. I have no idea what the reason is of this. But respect to Houllier for flagging this up early and not giving us a rerun of the Sidwell/Harewood situation.

[JJ-AV]

I'd love to see a team take the bull by the horns and refuse to pay a player his full wages if he says he wants to play for someone else, thing is they can all afford the most expensive lawyers I suppose.

  Lke Chelsea did to Adrian Mutu. 

I can't understand why players doesn't like it at Aston Villa.

Good Club
Good Manager
Good players (most of them)
Decent people
Good education
Good Coaching
Good Stadium
Good City

We will love players if they give 110% and produce good performance regularly. 

It is no good crying about leaving Man City. What if Manchester City gone bust and the club close down and relegated to non league. Would he rather play for them in 8 division below for 250 pounds a week than play for Aston Villa.

Thinks he should have the team built around him without working his way up the pecking order.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Adios Amoeba

Nice Trainers.
The wife is getting me a pair for Christmas.

[Risso]

I was never keen on us signing him and feel that the board should have pulled out of the deal when MOn walked. I think they went through with it as they wanted a bit of positive publicity at a difficult time. You can't really blame them but I'd hope that on reflection they see it as a mistake.

As for the criticism of the rest of the squad i think people are missing the point. They were bought to do a specific job in a specific style of playing ao of course some are not going to fit into the way the new manager wants to go about things. It happens every time a club changes manager and it doesn't mean that these are suddenly shit players.

Surely that applies to Ireland as well?

[villasjf]

According to the Sunday Mercury he has cost us £2k a minute so far what a waster

[Rancid custard]

I don't get that Rancid, Ireland has been shit cos the previous manager played with width, Milner didn't have any problems getting forward through the middle.

You play to your strengths and our best players are our wingers so it makes sense to use them. At the moment there is no-one gambling from midfield to get in the box, whether that's tactical or lack of ability I don't know.

Good point Bosco, but conversely, how many times have we been found out over the last 2 years when it mattered. When Ashley gets marked 2 on 1 that was pretty much it for our creative department.

[VillaZogmariner]

As I've said a few times before about him, his best performances at Man City were as part of a quick front three with Robinho and Bellamy/Jo.

---Ireland----------Robinho---
------------Bellamy--------------

So to take that to Villa he'd have to play as part of a three with Gabby and Ashley

---Ireland---------------Young
------------Agbonlahor--------

But to play that formation you'd have to drop our 2 best players of the season so far in Downing and Albrighton.

Putting him back in to midfield I think he could work as part of a midfield five or maybe as a 3 just behind a striker, but he'd need to sort his head out first and would be battling with Young to get into that position, something I don't think he is prepared to do.

------------Petrov-------NRC------------
---Albrighton---Ireland---Downing---
----------------Agbonlahor---------------

[Eigentor]

As for the criticism of the rest of the squad i think people are missing the point. They were bought to do a specific job in a specific style of playing ao of course some are not going to fit into the way the new manager wants to go about things. It happens every time a club changes manager and it doesn't mean that these are suddenly shit players.

It's understandable that some players are uncomfortable with a new manager, new methods and a new regime. Still, clubs change managers. The players remain. Surely the fans, the club and the new manager should expect the players to do their best to adapt, and not moan about not getting enough time off, yell at the assistant manager and leak unfavourable stories to the press? They are still employed by the club to do a job. And they are rewarded handsomely for doing so.

[CJ]

I was never keen on us signing him and feel that the board should have pulled out of the deal when MOn walked. I think they went through with it as they wanted a bit of positive publicity at a difficult time. You can't really blame them but I'd hope that on reflection they see it as a mistake.....

From what Pelty was saying earlier in the thread it looks as though they couldn't have pulled out of the deal even if they wanted to - all was signed and sealed (but not yet delivered) when MON walked

[sfx412]

yet a certain group of fans fail to accept that CJ, why is it do u think.

Simple logic says that once an agreement is drawn up its hard for either party to pull out, especially if one party sees no advantage is so doing and Man City surely would not. They didn't want Ireland either.

The situation could not have been helped by one of the main parties to the deal running off into oblivion either.

[Chris Smith]

I was never keen on us signing him and feel that the board should have pulled out of the deal when MOn walked. I think they went through with it as they wanted a bit of positive publicity at a difficult time. You can't really blame them but I'd hope that on reflection they see it as a mistake.....

From what Pelty was saying earlier in the thread it looks as though they couldn't have pulled out of the deal even if they wanted to - all was signed and sealed (but not yet delivered) when MON walked

Until each player signs on the dotted line the deal isn't done. Losing a manger gave us the perfect opportunity to withdraw from it. Our first aborted attempt to buy Milner shows that deals can still be scuppered at the 11th hour. As I say I don't blame them for trying to salvage something from the mess at the time but hindsight has shown it to have been the wrong decision.