Ireland Injury

[eamonn]

18 months. 1 decent game. 1 goal. Umpteen presses of the self-des
truct button.

It'll take a while before I'm convinced.

Merry Christmas to you too.

[TimTheVillain]

18 months. 1 decent game. 1 goal. Umpteen presses of the self-des
truct button.

It'll take a while before I'm convinced.

Empty that half empty glass of whatever it is you're drinking.

The guy's never been given a chance to really show what he can do.

Well played Stevie...

[Dave Javu]

"never been given a chance to really show what he can do"? Chortle.

Remind me what it was that Aristotle said about Spring and swallows.

Once I see a flock of said swallows, I might change my mind. One decent game for an outlay of £8m plus at least £4m in wages is still looking like a shit piece of business.

[Dave Javu]

Sorry, did I say £4m in wages?

I meant £6m.

[SoccerHQ]

North African restaurants that offer shisha pipes to customers are a dime a dozen these days. Technically you're not smoking anything, though I haven't tried it. Isn't it just steam or something?

We've got one and you can 'smoke' anything from pot, to tobacco, to fruit flavoured concoctions and even others like chocolate.

Our favourite is the apple flavour, I'm fairly certain there is no tobacco in the fruit/chocolate flavoured varieties.

Yep that's right, had one at a music festival last summer, it's pretty harmless.

[Nev]

I have been against the signing of Ireland from day one. I still haven't changed my mind and despite a good game today, long term, I don't see him being a success.

But if he plays like that every week, ramming my words down my throat, I will be chuffed to fcuk.

[Somniloquism]

18 months. 1 decent game. 1 goal. Umpteen presses of the self-des
truct button.

It'll take a while before I'm convinced.

So you didn't rate him against Wigan and Arsenal (until he got injured) then?

[TheSandman]

Don't think it's been mentioned yet but a fan rang 606 earlier saying he had met Ireland a few weeks ago after the Arsenal game and they had a bit of a chat. After the game today Ireland saw the guy at the front of the away enclosure went over to him and handed him his match shirt. A nice touch.

[D.boy]

Thats a great gesture.

[Davey B]

Thats a better story to be reading about footballers! It makes a change from reading about the negative aspects of some of their behaviour!

[Archie]

18 months. 1 decent game. 1 goal. Umpteen presses of the self-des
truct button.

It'll take a while before I'm convinced.

Merry Christmas to you too.

Eamonn, legend as usual!

[Somniloquism]

It must be something about the supposed nutters in the game. Ballotelli is supposedly one of the most generous people outside of football as well.

As for Ireland. Watching the whole match tonight I noticed that Ireland was running and defending really well when we didn't have the ball and was showing himself for it when we did. Before he used to hide from the ball, and run about a yard behind the player with the ball without challenging when defending. Hopefully these last few performances are Ireland realising he needs us.

[Toronto Villa]

Thats a great gesture.

Yeh it is. Good for him. I really do hope he becomes the player we all hope he will be.

[KevinGage]

The biggest issue for him over the last 18 months -apart from being a bit of a head the ball  obviously- is his fitness.

Injured in the warm up for his home debut v Everton, injured after looking decent against Fulham away and Chelsea at home last season and injured this season too.

We can't change the weirdness -and I'm not entirely sure I'd want to-  but if he can put a run of games together and if Big Eck doesn't revert to type and somehow try to shoehorn Ivanhoe into the starting XI-  he can give us that zest and creativity we have been so desperately lacking since the departures of Young and Downing.

[JD]

If we get Ireland the footballer back then we will have one hell of a player on our hands.

Early days but hopefully the signs are promising.

If McLeish gets the best out of Ireland then he will surely prove himself.