Stephen Ireland

[Rip Van We Go Again]

He really does look like he doesn't give a shit anymore.

He clearly doesn't want to be here.

The galling thing is that he'll be eventually be rewarded with a lucrative transfer elsewhere, possibly in this window.

A great shame as he's possibly the most skilful player at the club, certainly nobody could match him for slide rule passing.

[markeeeebeeee2005]

I felt like I had Tourette's whenever I caught a glimpse of Stephen Ireland's bubble headed bonce trotting about as Wigan player's cruised past him. He did some great clapping before taking part in each kick off after we had let in each goal, he did a good pass and the square root of fuck all else. A lazier bastard I have never seen. On the whole I am behind the other players who are currently in the team as they are either doing their best and aren't quite good enough or are young talents who are developing. But Stephen Ireland can do one.

[SoccerHQ]

I felt like I had Tourette's whenever I caught a glimpse of Stephen Ireland's bubble headed bonce trotting about as Wigan player's cruised past him. He did some great clapping before taking part in each kick off after we had let in each goal, he did a good pass and the square root of fuck all else. A lazier bastard I have never seen. On the whole I am behind the other players who are currently in the team as they are either doing their best and aren't quite good enough or are young talents who are developing. But Stephen Ireland can do one.

The thing is when on form and motivated, his work rate is really good imo. Take the 0-0 against Sunderland, he tracked back and cleared Bendtner's shot off the goalline when he didn't have to and that saved us a point.

Compare that to his effort against Wigan and he's been someone to have in a relegation scrap.

[OzVilla]

Absolutely staggered that 34% believe he's "Doing the business".

Unless it's the same business my dogs do in the garden.

[Fernando Partridge]

I felt like I had Tourette's whenever I caught a glimpse of Stephen Ireland's bubble headed bonce trotting about as Wigan player's cruised past him. He did some great clapping before taking part in each kick off after we had let in each goal, he did a good pass and the square root of fuck all else. A lazier bastard I have never seen. On the whole I am behind the other players who are currently in the team as they are either doing their best and aren't quite good enough or are young talents who are developing. But Stephen Ireland can do one.

The thing is when on form and motivated, his work rate is really good imo. Take the 0-0 against Sunderland, he tracked back and cleared Bendtner's shot off the goalline when he didn't have to and that saved us a point.

Compare that to his effort against Wigan and he's been someone to have in a relegation scrap.

quite rite when on form though that seems few and far between. Hence egs of the sunderland match efforts which wasn't even this season. i do remember that and it was good to see but its not current form. 2009 was Ireland peak at there's no chance of that being recreated at villa. The conditions were set up just right for him under Hughes in that city team. Here PL wont allow for such an attitude and team play and work ethic is a must. This guy is more inconsistent than torres and that saying something. The faint hope he will be the player he was when he has a good game is just delusion. Just as ba has come in to show torres how its done we need an adequate replacement. 

[supertom]

I don't want him to play again. We really need to continue the revolution in double quick time. He's not a part of our future. Any experienced players we sign, and indeed need, must be reliable. Have a proven track record at a top level. Ireland does not.
He had half a good season at Man City where he looked a class act because he had Robinho to play with and Hughes to molly coddle him. There's few players who have quite so spectacularly gained a reputation as being talented from doing so little. I don't even count him as a one season wonder like say Santa Cruz.

N'Zogbia is on last chance saloon and should really go anyway. The desire clearly isn't there. Ireland never wanted to join. He sounded totally unenthused from day one. He's run his mouth off in the past whilst here and got his mug in the papers, and it's just not on.

The sooner we ship at the last of the dross brigade and replace them with hungrier, better players, the better we'll be.

[sonlyme]

Absolutely staggered that 34% believe he's "Doing the business".

Unless it's the same business my dogs do in the garden.

I salute you Ozboy for you have seen the hidden truth behind these numbers.

Either that - or 34% of 'Villa fans' are morons.

Mmm?

[PeterWithe]

He gets a tincy wincy bit of a raw deal if you were to completely, and madly, disregard his wages, he is being asked to do a job not suited to his talents but we are not in a position to accomodate him and what he does best. I still reckon we'd do well with a couple of industrious midfielders and Ireland picking our Bents runs but sell him or get him off the payroll ASAP.

[paul_e]

He gets a tincy wincy bit of a raw deal if you were to completely, and madly, disregard his wages, he is being asked to do a job not suited to his talents but we are not in a position to accomodate him and what he does best. I still reckon we'd do well with a couple of industrious midfielders and Ireland picking our Bents runs but sell him or get him off the payroll ASAP.

I'd agree with this if it wasn't for the fact that he has 1 goal and about 4 assists in 45 games.  I could live with him being a lazy bugger having 2 others do all the running for him if his record wasn't that he's had an effect on 1 game in 9 for us.  That's really poor for a supposedly creative player.

What makes it worse is that, if you take out the half a season where he scored a hatful at citeh, that's pretty much his record for his career.

His value is based on a run of about 20 games 4 years ago.  Albrighton is one of ours who had an equally superb purple patch that lasted a similar amount of time and yet half the fans think he's shit and would sell him for peanuts without a second thought.

[PeterWithe]

But with the talent of the players we've had over the last few years he passes the ball, moves forward and then the others lose it before he has the chance to get it back and make the goalscoring pass we all know he's capable of.

Like Bent, a fantastic player but the wrong one for us at this point.

[paul_e]

I just don't see it, even when he gets into space around the end of the box he doesn't create chances, As I've said, as frustrating as I find Holman for giving the ball away he has far more end product playing in the advanced 1 of 3 role that Ireland should have made his own this year.

[PeterWithe]

He's a busted flush and I'd get rid but I cant help but thinking we've got a fantastic player who can make darting runs and score goals and a player capable of finding those runs and both will soon be gone without ever having much of a run together.

Hey ho.

[Risso]

I still think he's a quality player.  OK, I can see that in certain games he doesn't exactly always appear to be pulling his tripe out, but I do think he's our best midfielder, and our current system just isn't getting the best out of him.  But then you could say the same for Bent and Gabby as well this season.

[ozzjim]

Gabby has played up front, in a 2, on his own, out wide etc over the last 3 seasons. He has not performed in any of the roles, so the system can't be blamed.

Likewise, Ireland has not performed in the advanced role of a 3 man central midfield unit in a 4-3-3- and a 5-3-2 this season. No creation, no goals, just arm waving and poor tackling. The system can be blamed for some things, but for those 2 not performing I don't think so. Weimann and Benteke have got on just fine, so why Bent and Gabby have not is a mystery. Effort from Ireland and Bent might be part of it. Gabby - just not consistent enough.

[PeterWithe]

I agree but as others have said, can he be trusted to be the player you build a midfield around. Probably not.