Stephen Ireland

[David-Copenhagen]

Best post you have made in a long time :-)

[jim]

Best post you have made in a long time :-)

This

[beasley14]

Doesnt say much for your posting that AVFC-POB

[beasley14]

edit double post.

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

I know, either I post shite things or that's really funny. I've got an idea which as it wasn't meant to be funny just what I first thought!

[beasley14]

We i'll leave it out there.

[dudevillaisnice]

Is he fit for tommorow's match? does anyone know?

[beasley14]

I think he is, he was on the bench for the Wolves game wasnt he?

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

Yeah. You'd have to guess on the bench vs Wolves too. Good. I think he's a good player but don't deserve to be in the team yet.

[beasley14]

No not the way people are playing atm. Much better back up than we have had though. Shame we cant get away with him in the CM position tbh. I wonder whether he could play next to NRC.

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

Should try it in the cup match against Burnley.

[steve-67]

At the minute it's Ashley Young keeping him out of the side. Young's playing so well in behind Heskey. I'd love to see Ireland in there with Young back on the wing but at the moment it's working well.

[beasley14]

We could try it then although i guess NRC will be rested for that if hes a regular in the main team. It might be Sidders and Ireland, that might be ok for the Burnley game with Bannan behind Gabby whens hes back.

[TheTransferWindow]

At the minute it's Ashley Young keeping him out of the side. Young's playing so well in behind Heskey. I'd love to see Ireland in there with Young back on the wing but at the moment it's working well.

I could see that happening tomorrow since Bale is such a key player for them. Albrighton has done well but he's not as good defensively as Ashley and Luke will need help. There were indications against Vienna that Heskey and Ireland could work well together, if Ireland played a more advanced role than he was asked to in that game.

[dudevillaisnice]

STEPHEN Ireland has revealed how his claret and blues colleagues have advised him not to try so hard to force his best form in a Villa shirt.

Ireland has endured a frustrating start at his new club since arriving as an

£8 million makeweight in James Milner’s Manchester City move.

But the midfielder has been told by his Villa team-mates to play his natural game rather than putting pressure on himself to impress.

Ireland has shown glimpses of his potential during his limited run-outs at Villa but believes there is plenty more to come from him.

“When I came here, I put pressure on myself to go out and show what I can do,” said Ireland.

“But the players and the staff have told me I don’t have to be like that, I don’t have to prove it all in one game or one training session.

“The goals, the assists, they will come for me. What matters is that I focus on helping Aston Villa get good results – and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Ireland’s time at Villa got off to a difficult start when his new team were hammered at Newcastle on his debut and knocked out of Europe in his second game.

Since then a combination of hamstring and dead-leg injuries have kept him on the sidelines during the early days of the Gerard Houllier era.

But the 24-year-old is excited about the arrival of the new boss and hopes to help Houllier’s Villa achieve success during the four years of his contract.

Ireland has been impressed with the uncomplicated nature of the Frenchman’s management with just a handful of rules to follow.

“It will take me up to the age of 28, so I want to develop here, get into good habits, enjoy myself and be part of something big,” said Ireland.

“I have looked forward to Gerard coming. Under him, training has been really good, high intensity, and everything is match-related.

“He’s come in and said ‘look, I’ve got just three or four rules, you live by them’.

“I think with Gary McAllister and Gordon Cowans he has excellent back-up.”

http://tinyurl.com/3yvqf5g

[dudevillaisnice]

STEPHEN Ireland has opened his heart to reveal the caring family man behind his flash image as a Premier League primadonna.

Ireland is renowned for his outlandish cars and the Cheshire home he shares with girlfriend Jessica Lawlor was recenty dubbed the “tackiest house in Britain”.

In his days at Manchester City, Ireland was spotted driving round in a souped up Range Rover with pink wheels while his partner had a customised Bentley.

But Villa’s latest signing insists his public perception is far removed from his actual life, which included him being a doting single dad as a teenager.

Ireland was a 19-year-old earning £200 per week at Manchester City when he split with the Irish mother of his children, Joshua and Jessica, and won custody.

“I couldn’t bear the thought my kids would be raised in a different house, in a different country, without me being involved,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have kids and not raise them so I fought for custody. The kids stayed with me. There was no way I was letting them go.

“I was 19 when this was going on, Joshua was two, Jessica was 10 months and I was a single father.

“I didn’t drive then and had to get taxis everywhere. I would drop them off to the nursery in the morning, do my training, get home, clean the house, get everything prepared, cook, pick them up from the nursery, feed them, play with them, put them to bed and start again the next morning.

“It was the time I was trying to break into the first team at Man City. I don’t want anyone saying ‘Well done, you were prepared to raise the kids on your own’.

“But what I would say is that I don’t see that many men who become fathers at 17, have two kids at 19, and then start to bring them up as a single parent.

“Any footballer would have thought ‘I’m single, let me party for a bit and live my single life, I’ll pay whatever maintenance is necessary’.

‘‘I did the opposite. For a year or so I wouldn’t allow any girl near the kids. I couldn’t afford to have different girls in my kids’ lives.

“After about a year, Jess came along and I just knew she was right for me and for my two kids. It’s been the best decision I’ve made.”

Ireland is now settled with Jess, the mother of his youngest son Jacob, and their family residence was recently criticised in a tabloid paper.

The writer produced a sneering piece about the supposedly garish decor of the mansion, which includes a fairytale princess room, a personalised pool table and a shark-sized acquarium.

“It’s easy to look at some photos in a magazine and make a judgment,” said the 24-year-old. “But if the girl or the guy or whoever wrote that came to my house and had a look round, they would write totally the opposite.

“Many people have been in our home and they are all gobsmacked by how nice it is. Me and Jess built this house and we’re totally happy with it.”

http://tinyurl.com/35erbqb

[harris21]

Fair play to him, hope he get's a good few games soon so we can start seeing what he can do!

[beasley14]

I quite like him tbh.

[GasGasGas]

It seems like we've been really conned by Mercenary City.

Stephen Ireland? Attacking midfielder? Really?

What kind of an attacking midfielder (one who wears the No. 9 shirt at that) spends most of the time sitting right in front of the back four?

Some here have placed the blame on MacDonald's tactical naiveity and not knowing how to play Ireland properly but it seems like this is far from being the case actually.

[Mr_Dogg]

It seems like we've been really conned by Mercenary City.

Stephen Ireland? Attacking midfielder? Really?

What kind of an attacking midfielder (one who wears the No. 9 shirt at that) spends most of the time sitting right in front of the back four?

Some here have placed the blame on MacDonald's tactical naiveity and not knowing how to play Ireland properly but it seems like this is far from being the case actually.

Well he has yet to be deployed properly. He just wants to be involved when he gets the chance, as the article above says he is trying too hard and as he showed today he is still trying too hard.