Stephen Ireland

[tetsujin1979]

Claudio Reyna has injured his ankle and should be out for up to 8 weeks, the last time he was out was when Stephen Ireland got a run earlier in the season, so heshould be back in the starting line up again after coming on as a sub in recent games.

[JimmyP]

Looks like Reyna didn't play last night and still Ireland only came on in the 89th minute.

[drinkfeckarse]

Stephen didn't seem to do a lot wrong when I have seen him, it's probably a case of Pearce not wanting to overexpose him so soon into his career.

[feo123]

When I seen him he looked like a very good player! With a few more games under his belt he shoulf=d be in the next Ireland squad.

[gustavo]

i imagine he will be in the next squad along with doyle and possibly o brien . it all depends on who takes over of course ....

[as_i_say]

I'm sure MON will give them all a run out

[jambo08]

i know stevie well. ive played with em recently. hes amazing player.no doubt he shud be in irish squad

[Stuttgart88]

Didn't nobhead Givens say he'd be in the next U21 squad? Like that'll be of any use to him, or us. Meanwhile Kevin Kilbane will pick up his 322nd consecutive cap. Ireland is still a fair bit off being in our ideal starting XI in a competitive match but he and a few others are well worth giving pitch time to in the next 8 months and should make up places 17-23.

[twoenz]

Now's the time to start a fresh. If we are to get anywhere we need to give some players a better run out in case we ever do need them. Paddy Kenny for example. Complete fresh slate is needed, give the youngsters a chance. Look at what Van Basten is doing with the Dutch. There's players he's capped that haven't made a mark with their teams yet.

[as_i_say]

yep thats what mccarthy did when he took over and O'neill will have to do the same and why not. the cream will rise to the top (gary breen) and the crap will surely erm not.

[skbio_toronto]

From what I've seen of Stephen Ireland in his displays for Man City . I would wholeheartedly agree, that yes, it would be a good idea for the new manager to give him a run out in the upcoming friendlies.

The potential?
Well, there's a succession of through balls that I can remember him slipping through for teamates leading up to goals this Premiership season. His playing style is not too dissimilar to Stephen McPhail at his age. (I'm making a blithe observation there) Potentially he could be just the kind of 'touch' player we need in central midfield. In fairness, I don't think the Irish squad has had a player with that as the outstanding quality since Ronnie Whelan.

In addition, I really do hope that Stephen Reid gets his chance to establish himself in the central midfield role. As the weeks go by, Reid has sustained a period of good form, injury free (touch wood). As a Blackburn follower myself, I coul'nt help noticing that in recent games, his name is regularly been cheered by supporters home and away. Most recently in the game against Porstmouth, Reid, on various occasions, demonstrated his agility making backtracking tackles to stave off Pompey counter attacks. I for one see Stephen Reid as the kind of dynamic mifielder who, could in theory, establish a fine central midfield partnership with the likes of Stephen Ireland.

Its just an idea. But whoevers going to be in charge, the centre of midfield could do with some enhancing.

[tricky_colour]

He started against Spurs today, I don't know how he played just that he
appears to have taken all the corners, anyway he was subbed after 70
mins, Robbie Keane went on to score on 83 which is nice as Ireland was off.
Robbie seems to be in a good vein of form.

[tetsujin1979]

Ireland played ok, but the whole City team seemed to be off, bar Dunne and Barton who both played well. Ireland was substituted for Lee Croft, a winger so I think Pearce was just trying something new.
I know Andy Reid is injured, but why didn't Stephen Kelly make the Spurs' squad at all? Is he injured or just really out of favor?

[eirebhoy]

I saw the first half and Ireland took some excellent corners. He did as well as he could have on the ball.

[tricky_colour]

Don't think he is injured or out of favour so to speak, just that competition
for places is tough (I believe Spurs has a very large number of international
players, I forget the number but I think its over 11.).
He wants to stay and fight for his place which shows confidence, I hope he gets a run out soon.
Anyway there is a good article here
http://hamhighbroadway.london24.net/broadway/sport/story.aspx?brand=NorthLondon24&category=Sportspurs&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=sport&itemid=WeED22%20Dec%202005%2016%3A08%3A18%3A577

It's not clear to me if he has a new contract or not if he is a free agent in 6
months time he could command a big salary if thats what he wants.
I sure he would easilly get a place in a lot of 'lesser' Premiership team.

[as_i_say]

I saw the first half and Ireland took some excellent corners. He did as well as he could have on the ball.

agreed-city just looked jaded-ireland is a terrific prospect and stonger than he looks. Has the same build as willo flood but a stiff breeze seemed to knock that lad off the ball

[Stuttgart88]

How did Dunne play? Bar the Swiss game, he's been disappointing in any game I've seen him play this year. As paul o'shea always points out, even when playing well, he always seems to have one error per game in him. I'd like to see Dunne raise his performances to someone like Jamie Carragher's. No-nonsense, aggressive & error free defending.

Was Robbie's goal any good? Typical, he finds his form when there isn't an international in sight! He seems to be responding well to his situation though.

[livehead1]

pamarot is back to fitness and was preferred on the bench to kelly, pamarot also came on.

[drummerboy]

Stephen Kelly put in a written transfer request just before Christmas. However with the Spurs left full Lee injured last night, it may present Kelly with a return at left back.

[tetsujin1979]

I thought Dunne did ok, certainly better than Distin, although the poll on manchesteronline.co.uk has him way behind Distin for MOTM. Some crucial interventions in the first half and a nice tackle on Mido in a similar position to where he lost the ball against Wigan. For the opening goal, he could have stopped it after getting his boot to the ball, but just deflected the ball into the corner. Looked good from set pieces as well, but at 6"4 you'd expect that. For me he was the most consistent of the Man City players behind Barton. Sinclair certainly had a better first half, but faded a lot in the second.

[NeilMcD]

Keanes goal last night was sublime great first touch as he took the ball from Mido's flick beautifully, Pity he was not been played by Jol in October as I think an on form Keane could have made the difference. But if my my aunty was a man she would be my uncle

[pete]

pamarot is back to fitness and was preferred on the bench to kelly, pamarot also came on.

I'd be surprised if Parmarot not choosen for the bench as could cover centre back position too? Kelly would have good chance of few games while lee is injured as would suit Spurs attacking fullback tactic.

[eirebhoy]

Yeah, Kelly is definitely ahead of Pamarot for full back positions.

[Fergie's Son]

Some nice scenes in that match. In the tunnel before the match Keane walked back and shook Ireland's hand. He also had a nice long talk with Dunne on the pitch after the match. Nice to see the camaraderie amongst the Irish.

[tetsujin1979]

Some nice scenes in that match. In the tunnel before the match Keane walked back and shook Ireland's hand. He also had a nice long talk with Dunne on the pitch after the match. Nice to see the camaraderie amongst the Irish.
Dunne and Keane are from the same area, more or less, and usually room together when they're on Ireland duty, at least Keane said that in an interview a while back. Good to see him acknowledging Stephen Ireland as well.

[Fergie's Son]

Keane seems to be turning the corner at the moment. Jol threw down a challenge and Keane appears to be responding. This might help mold Keane into a leadership role which would be great for Ireland. The Keane/Mido partnership is clearly working. I would have been one of the posters who would have put Dafoe ahead of Keane but on current form Keane is on a roll.

[eirebhoy]

I've never lost faith in Keane. He is more effective than the £20m rated Defoe imo.

[co. down green]

Keane seems to be turning the corner at the moment. Jol threw down a challenge and Keane appears to be responding. This might help mold Keane into a leadership role which would be great for Ireland. The Keane/Mido partnership is clearly working. I would have been one of the posters who would have put Dafoe ahead of Keane but on current form Keane is on a roll.

Robbie Keane has no desire to leave Tottenham

The Ireland striker has fought back from being left out of the team earlier this season to forge a partnership up front with Mido, and the 25-year-old is delighted with the way things are going.

"Full credit to the gaffer, he has given me a chance in the last couple of games and I am happy with that," said Keane. "We've got such a young squad and it looks so bright for the future of Tottenham."

Everton were known to be monitoring the situation with Keane, as manager David Moyes pondered a bid when the January transfer window opens.

http://oneteaminireland.bravehost.com/

[Stuttgart88]

STEPHEN WANTS IRELAND CALL
By Ken Gaunt, PA Sport Stephen Ireland believes that while he may not be good enough for the Republic of Ireland first-team squad he is ready to come in from the cold and play for the under-21s.

The 19-year-old midfielder is making great strides at Manchester City after
signing an extension to his contract in October.

Ireland looks likely to be involved in the derby against Manchester United at
Old Trafford on Saturday.

However he has been out of the picture at international level for a couple of
years after a row with the coaching staff.

Ireland is hoping a new year will bring a new start for him and the nation
with the Republic searching for a successor to Brian Kerr.

``We had a problem a few years ago, which has never been solved,'' he told PA Sport.

``I would love to play for Ireland. It is one of my dreams.

``I am not sure if I am ready for the first team yet but maybe the under-21s.

``It would be great to get involved at some stage. I have not given up on
Ireland, not at all.''

Under-21 coach Don Givens has already indicated that Ireland could feature in
a youth tournament in Madeira next month providing it does not clash with his
City commitments.

[nismo]

playin in manchester derby now.

[FarBeag]

He played a blinder,near enough to man of the match i would say. Good vision,strong in the tackle and a good engine.He has to be called into the senior squad.He should go no where near Givens u21. Poor Richie Dunne played well too but went off with a knee injury,hope its not too serious.

[Dodge]

Fist time I've seen him in a full game. Thought he had a cracking game

[Fergie's Son]

First time I've had a chance to watch him as well. He played very well. A few stray balls here and there but otherwise fine. He's not a bad tackler either. O'Shea wasn't that bad either. Silvestre was utter muck. Dunne had a fine game as well.

[co. down green]

perseverance - and now the rewards for Stephen Ireland (http://oneteaminireland.bravehost.com/ireland.html)

[tricky_colour]

I watched the highlights on Match of The Day, I didn't see Ireland put
a foot wrong, he played a decisive part in two of the goals and also
helped create some other good goal scoring oppertunities so I was rather
baffled to see him get a rating of 5 (gave the ball away) on Sky Sports!!!!
However a quick look at some of the Man City forums shows what a poor
guide Sky Sports is. This is the typical sort of comment I saw there:-
"Special mentions however go to Trevor Sinclair (Shaun Wright-who?) and
the impressive Steven Ireland."

[ken foree]

he was a little wasteful (who wasn't in them midfields yesterday) but his overall contribution deserved a 7 if you want to do a number thing. how united could use a player of his vision! seems composed and able to do simple, creative things in an unhurried fashion. he could be a beautiful player, reminds me of some clever little argie. he is lightweight as has been mentioned ad nauseum and, while he did make some interventions in his own box, he doesn't seem the type of player to physically stamp out a piece of ground for himself.. perhaps the other stephen could help him out with that for ireland.

[shakermaker1982]

nice article in the guardian yesterday on Mr Ireland.

He played well yesterday and he has a good little engine on him.

[Reality Bites]

Skys rating is a fook up in my opinion, he made the team of the weekend in alot of the papers, and he is in the squad (not quiet team) of the weekend with BBC, all the man city forums rated his performance too..

[Reality Bites]

The Scum gave both Richie Dunne and Ireland a rating of 9 , towering display by Dunne and Ireland was excellent.. i am used to Irish players getting 6 out of 10 but 9 is odd but good even for the scum..
On another note Ireland should not be called into Givens underage set-up, what a waste we need to start moulding himself and joey O'Brien ASAP for the senior squad and European qualifiers, I for one will be outraged if these two are not included in Stans first squad against Sweden, but stranger things have happened..

[Plastic Paddy]

On another note Ireland should not be called into Givens underage set-up, what a waste we need to start moulding himself and joey O'Brien ASAP for the senior squad and European qualifiers

Bang on. We need to integrate these players into the senior set-up as soon as possible in order that they hit the ground running for the European qualifiers. If they continue their development apace, these guys should be on around 20 caps each when we start qualifying for WC2010. It was good enough for Robbie and Damien and look what happened on the pitch in WC2002. We can do it again.

:ball: PP

[gustavo]

stick them in now PP and who knows maybe even Euro08 could be promising for us .

[concanta]

Exactly
and most teams will look to th efact we have been so poor in last 2 tournamanet qualifiers so there will be an element of surprise...and if we get teams that are at the world cup - play them early ....... teams who play in world cup are always slow starters...ie croatia in euro 2000 qulaifiers and us after last world cup

[macdermesser]

I think in the coming weeks we will see a concerted effort to get Kevin Nolan on board. Note how Staunton mentioned the grandparent rule, quite pointedly, yesterday.
If we can get the likes of Nolan, Ireland and O'Brien in for the Sweden game, we will be more than a match for teams come the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
If I was from a different country and we drew Ireland as the 4th seed I would not be happy.
for a guy with over 1000 posts, I thought you might have read on this board that Nolan is not eligible to play for Ireland (nor does he want to)

[SaucyJack]

and the 11 a side Irish site, stated it again about Nolan the other day , let it die....

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrossthewater/irish_soccer_detail.asp?newsid=20740

[tetsujin1979]

Back on topic, from http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/sport/football/manchestercity/s/199/199237_ireland_set_for_republic_call.html

Ireland set for Republic call


ON THE UP: Stephen Ireland
CITY midfielder Stephen Ireland could be on the brink of making a senior international breakthrough as part of the new regime under Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton.

Ireland's progress at City has been remarkable, and although boss Stuart Pearce has been carefully nurturing the 19-year-old, it is difficult to hold back such rare talent.

Ireland has already made 18 appearances this season, including 11 starts, notably producing a stand-out performance in Saturday's 3-1 local derby victory over Manchester United in the Premiership.

Bolton's Joey O'Brien has also caught the eye of Staunton.

It is clear these are two of the players that represent the future of Ireland, with the prospect of a call-up for Staunton's first game in charge, the friendly against Sweden at Lansdowne Road on March 1.

"We want to blood new talent, get them through, and we have got some young talent coming through as we have seen with young Ireland and Joey O'Brien, and people like that," confirmed Staunton.

"Friendlies are there for a purpose. Yes, we want to win and we'd love to win, but we will be trying to bring in one or two newcomers.

Forward

"It might be a bit early for that and maybe we will just bring the squad in, who knows. But we're looking at getting a squad together that can move us forward.

"What happened in the last campaign is gone. We are now looking to the future. That's what I will say.

Under-21 manager Don Givens is happy to accept he may never have the pleasure of Ireland under his wing as there is every prospect he will bypass that level and go straight into the seniors.

There is still a chance of the teenager being called into the squad for next month's four-team Madeira Tournament that sees them play three matches in four days against the hosts, Finland and Portugal.

But Givens said: "He is a great talent, no two ways about it.

"Both he and Joey O'Brien are performing well at the moment, and playing regularly which is important.

"If they do get their chance then it will be great, and it will show the other boys coming through just what can be achieved."

[colster]

I think in the coming weeks we will see a concerted effort to get Kevin Nolan on board. Note how Staunton mentioned the grandparent rule, quite pointedly, yesterday.
If we can get the likes of Nolan, Ireland and O'Brien in for the Sweden game, we will be more than a match for teams come the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
If I was from a different country and we drew Ireland as the 4th seed I would not be happy.

AFAIK Nolan isn't qualified. He's played U-21 for England and the rule allowinng players to change ran out in 2004.

[tetsujin1979]

from http://www.mcfc.co.uk/default.sps?syndicatorguid={7EB24EFC-E397-48B3-977A-BC40E4795300}&rmasiteinstanceguid={5B147D34-2BCF-448D-976C-AE1944ED09F5}&pagegid={DBD12D53-8346-431D-A04F-5D0F8664DE80}&newsid=296910


Stephen Ireland came through the biggest test of his short career so far last Saturday, and Stuart Pearce is backing him to carry on in the same vein in this weekend's clash with Bolton.

The introduction of the Irish teenager has been one of the successes of the season, and he came through the heated atmosphere of the Manchester derby with flying colours.

His manager is clearly delighted with the progress the midfielder has made, with the derby display probably his best for the senior side.

"He played with a great maturity, and personally I thought he handled it well. He was arguably our best player in everything that he did, and when you consider his age and lack of experience, I was very pleased for him. That will give him a big lift."

The trip to the Reebok Stadium will provide another stern test for Stephen, but Pearce thinks it's the less-experienced players like him that do not get overawed by such crucial occasions.

"I think he showed a real maturity in his game," says Pearce. "Whenever you play the big boys you could worry a bit, but with the young lads they can be the ones with nothing to lose."

[co. down green]

http://oneteaminireland.bravehost.com/

Manchester City youngster Stephen Ireland is named in the Ireland under-21 squad for next month’s Madeira Tournament. It is the first call-up the Cork midfielder has received at this level.

Ireland (19) has made dramatic progress at club level in recent months - so much so the club has tied him to a 2009 contract - and he is tipped to step up to senior level in the near future.

Indeed, both Ireland and his Bolton counterpart, Joey O’Brien, were singled out for particular attention by new manager Steve Staunton at his unveiling last week.

Today’s call-up from under-21 boss Don Givens is then a progressive step towards that ultimate objective.

Ireland has been out of the international picture since falling out with Brian Kerr a few years ago when the Dubliner was the Republic of Ireland’s underage manager.

"We had a problem a few years ago, which has never been solved," Ireland admitted.

"I would love to play for Ireland. It is one of my dreams. I am not sure if I am ready for the first team yet but maybe the under-21s. It would be great to get involved. I have not given up on Ireland, not at all."

But, Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce could still block Ireland’s involvement in the tournament as the FA Cup fifth round - should City get that far - is scheduled for February 19th.

The Republic of Ireland play hosts Madeira in their opening game on Valentines Day. They then play Finland on February 15th and Portugal two days later - just 48 hours before a potential City cup game.

Pearce will not want one of his best performers this season risked so close to a potentially crucial game.

Nevertheless, Ireland is joined in Givens’s 20-man squad by his Manchester City team-mate Willo Flood - who is currently on loan at Coventry City - and Celtic’s Aiden McGeady.

McGeady made weekend headlines by coming off the bench to score in the win over Motherwell but despite those heroics has resigned himself to more substitutes roles.

"I am sure it has got me a little closer to a starting place but I am probably still not starting," he said. "Unless someone gets injured, I really can't see the manager changing the midfield."

There are five eircom League players in the Madeira squad. UCD duo Darren Quigley and Gary Dicker are selected as are Drogheda’s Stephen Bradley, Stephen Ward from Bohemians and Cork City’s Roy O’Donovan.

Givens today welcomed the new players to the squad and hopes the experience will stand his players in good stead ahead of Friday’s Uefa under-21 European Championship draw in Montreux, Switzerland.

Ireland U21: Colin Doyle (Birmingham), Darren Quigley (UCD), Keith Keane (Luton), Gerard Nash (Ipswich), Paul McShane (Brighton), Marcos Painter (Birmingham), James Hand (Huddersfield), Shane McFaul (Notts County), Gary Dicker (UCD), Michael Collins (Huddersfield), Michael Timlin (Fulham), Willo Flood (Manchester City), Stephen Ireland (Manchester City), Stephen Foley (Bournemouth), Stephen Bradley (Drogheda United), Aiden McGeady (Celtic), Stephen Ward (Bohemians), Andy Keogh (S****horpe) Mark Yeates (Colchester), Roy O’Donovan (Cork City)

[eirebhoy]

It looks like O'Brien will be getting a senior callup so.

[Dodge]

LOL @ s****horpe