Stephen Ireland

[ozzjim]

Collymore gave me 2-3 of my favourite memories at VP despite how poor he was for us for the money we paid. Ireland for significantly more money, just makes me want to close my eyes and wish him out of our club.

[Mortimer's Bear]

Collymore gave me 2-3 of my favourite memories at VP despite how poor he was for us for the money we paid. Ireland for significantly more money, just makes me want to close my eyes and wish him out of our club.

Was one of them his goal against Madrid? I've never known the Holte celebrate a goal like that one.

[ozzjim]

Collymore gave me 2-3 of my favourite memories at VP despite how poor he was for us for the money we paid. Ireland for significantly more money, just makes me want to close my eyes and wish him out of our club.

Was one of them his goal against Madrid? I've never known the Holte celebrate a goal like that one.

Madrid, Arsenal home when he totally changed the game and Liverpool home in JG's first game.

[brian green]

Funny how your memory plays tricks with the passing of time.   The clearest recollection I have of Stan Collymore was the hat trick he scored against us before he came to us.

As for the subject of this thread, I also just want rid of Ireland he has been, either passively or actively I don't know or care which, a bad influence on the team since his obviously reluctant arrival.

[rob_bridge]

Yes. We have had some low points this season but for me Wigan was the lowest.

The Life Force drained out of me that day. I thought I had died and gone to a mixture of purgatory and hell

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Ireland (like Bannan) should score more goals than he does, bearing in mind he's supposed to be a creative/attacking midfielder.
One goal in 47 appearances is a bit pathetic.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Yes. We have had some low points this season but for me Wigan was the lowest.

The Life Force drained out of me that day. I thought I had died and gone to a mixture of purgatory and hell

I just sat throughout it in shock, thinking 'Fucking hell, how fall we've fallen.'

[adrenachrome]

Collymore gave me 2-3 of my favourite memories at VP despite how poor he was for us for the money we paid. Ireland for significantly more money, just makes me want to close my eyes and wish him out of our club.

Was one of them his goal against Madrid? I've never known the Holte celebrate a goal like that one.

Madrid, Arsenal home when he totally changed theo game and Liverpool home in JG's first game.

He was very good against Bordeaux ay VP as well.

[saunders_heroes]

Collymore gave me 2-3 of my favourite memories at VP despite how poor he was for us for the money we paid. Ireland for significantly more money, just makes me want to close my eyes and wish him out of our club.

I'm assuming the one was the Athletico Madrid goal but what were the other two?

[eastie]

Collymore gave me 2-3 of my favourite memories at VP despite how poor he was for us for the money we paid. Ireland for significantly more money, just makes me want to close my eyes and wish him out of our club.

I'm assuming the one was the Athletico Madrid goal but what were the other two?

Liverpool at home in gregorys 1st game?

[eastie]

From the birmingham mail-

Behind the loud clothes, loud cars and loud decor hides a quietly-spoken, shy and polite young man.

Through the shisha pipe smoke lurks a likeable lad who talks a good game but has forgotten what it takes to play one.

Never mind the first name, he is not even the last name on Paul Lambert’s team-sheet now after being excluded from the first-team squad in recent weeks.

But he remains at the front of the queue for the club’s community duties, such is his rapport with children, through his previous experiences of being a single dad, and only yesterday he was meeting young fans at a centre for the deaf.

There is more to the off-field Ireland than his public perception would suggest and, believe it or not, he prides himself most on being a family man. He’s just never really seemed like part of Villa’s footballing family.

In terms of substance over style, it is on the football field, the place he is paid handsomely to entertain, where he is fighting a losing battle.

Stephen Ireland
Or not fighting much of a battle at all, if Lambert’s recent exclusion of the midfielder is anything to go by. It’s just as well Ireland gets on with kids, because reportedly his latest fate is getting the Alan Hutton and Stephen Warnock treatment and being banished to train with the academy hopefuls.

Where Lambert is concerned, that is the modern-day equivalent of being transfer-listed, but it is nothing new as Ireland has essentially been up for sale since his first six months at the club, although suitors willing to match his wage demands have been in short supply.

He is out of contract at the end of next season, but Ireland’s current isolation is the clearest sign yet that the club are prepared to cut their losses and try to move him out this summer instead. He is unlikely to put up too much resistance.

Ireland has never truly felt wanted at Villa Park, nor has he ever truly deserved to. Since arriving when Villa were managerless in July 2010 – it never was clear exactly who sanctioned his signing – his form has been patchy. Kevin MacDonald, Gerard Houllier, Alex McLeish and now Lambert have failed to consistently coax the best out of him.

Ireland must take most of the responsibility, because only fleetingly has the playmaking brilliance which made him such a fans’ favourite at Manchester City been in evidence at Villa. He clearly forgot to pack those Superman pants.

I recall him outclassing Villa’s Champions League challengers in a 2-0 defeat at City in March 2009 and it is tempting to ponder what impact he might have made in Martin O’Neill’s team rather than today’s pale claret and blue imitation.

The Cork-born midfielder is a thoughtful interviewee, but behind the determined words lives an underlying sense that he is here under duress and would rather be at the club who casually cast him aside when they broke the big-time.

Highlights from the game between Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic at Villa Park
They wanted James Milner more and a glance at Milner’s top-flight stats in his final full season at Villa in 2009-10 – seven goals and 12 assists – compared to Ireland’s two goals and four assists in two-and-three-quarter seasons at Villa – is the reason why.

In hindsight it is not difficult to imagine why deal maker Milner (£24 million) was valued at three times the value of makeweight Ireland (£8 million) in the transfer, even though Villa fans initially had high hopes for ‘Stevie’.

Seeing his former Republic of Ireland mentor Kevin MacDonald quickly replaced by Houllier got things off on the wrong foot. Ireland and Houllier mixed together as well as Baileys and Champagne and, after his attitude and commitment was questioned publicly by the boss, the player was sent for a nondescript loan spell at Newcastle.

Ireland fared better under McLeish, whose open-armed policy welcomed all of the misfits back into the fold and there were hints of the acceptance Ireland craved from the Villa Park faithful.

However, even the brightest contribution of his claret and blue career, a goalscoring starring role in the New Year’s Eve win at Chelsea, was blighted by the pipe-smoking photographs which preceded it.

Somehow, in one of the greatest mysteries of modern times, Ireland was named fans’ player of the year last season, which was more an indictment of his team-mates’ failings than any Ireland successes.

The reality is that Ireland’s love affair with the Holte End is about as flimsy, meaningless and long-lasting as a pound shop Valentine’s Day card, while his relationship with his current boss is no better.

Lambert needs a creative force to add some genuine guile and graft to his struggling team and with Ireland all he gets is a trick and flick merchant whose impact has been minimal. With the exception of a productive performance in the Capital One Cup win at Swindon, it is hard to recall too many Ireland highlights this season.

 

Highlights from the game between Aston Villa and Wigan Athletic at Villa Park
So where does this leave Ireland? He spoke earlier in the season about earning a contract extension when his current deal expires but even then that notion was as fanciful as the pink trims on his WAG’s 4 x 4.

Rumours of a move to New York Red Bulls have persisted over the past year or so, which seem particularly odd given his arch nemesis Houllier is now the sporting director of the global franchise.

It is debatable whether a Premier League club will take a gamble on him based on memory or whether he will have to kickstart his career in the Championship or overseas, most probably taking a significant pay cut in the process.

Ireland is frustrated with the current state of play and annoyed with himself and the club for allowing the situation to deteriorate to the stage where his place in the first team squad is no longer assured.

But until he wins the battle of substance over style on the football field, his affable off-pitch persona will also be sidelined.

[rob_bridge]

How does he get on with Bell(end)amy

Maybe we can ship him off to Cardiff when they get promoted. Tell the owners his favourite colour is Red

[saunders_heroes]

Ireland is more or less just a one season wonder. Man City couldn't wait to get rid.  No one would touch apart from manager-less Villa. A massive mistake, but one of many we have made over the last few years.

[richardhubbard]

That problem with Ireland we know there a good player in there but he does not want to show it.

His performance at home v Bradford was appalling

[saunders_heroes]

That problem with Ireland we know there a good player in there but he does not want to show it.

His performance at home v Bradford was appalling

Ireland is hopeless but he's been turned into a bit of a scapegoat for the Bradford game which is wrong because the blame should be aimed at no one other than Lambert and his appalling tactics.
Anyway, that's a bit off topic for here.