Stephen Ireland

[tetsujin1979]

Half brother isn't it? Same Ma, different Da's.

Sorry, you're right, half brother according to Joey Barton's wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Barton#Personal_life


Anyway, this is all well and good, but has very little to do with Stephen Ireland, back on topic I reckon City will miss him in their next three games. Elano is their main playmaker, but in the games I've seen, as soon as Elano gets on the ball, Ireland starts making runs into the inside-right channel to receive a pass, and either release the striker, or shoot himself. He was playing a similar position in the hole behind the strikers in the early part of the game against Spurs at the weekend, and Sven has commented he could play as a second striker. This could be the long term position Sven has him marked down for and I think it's something he could play well as it makes good use of his talents (passing, shooting) and removes his weaknesses (tackling and pace) from the game.

[Paddy Garcia]

I see he has been nominated for the FAI International Young Player of the Year award.

Then again, Tony Blair has also been appointed as a peace envoy for the middle east.