Stephen Ireland

[Closed Account]

What a complete tosser. I've played with guys who spout that line "sure I was the best player at training" and they are generally tossers.

I found this bit interesting

I saw Shay Given the other day, Arsenal want him but he can't go as City don't want to strengthen a rival.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3445385/Stephen-Ireland-tears-into-Aston-Villa-boss-Gerard-Houllier.html

[geysir]

No!

And anyway, he's from Cobh.
So, he's not ruling out living in Cobh, but a shot in the foot is preferable to Cork.

[amaccann]

If he dislikes Ireland / Cork so much perhaps a suggestion to the Dept of Foreign Affairs that his passport be removed from him. In any case, I will watch his career slide into mediocrity with interest.

[tetsujin1979]

some of the responses on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/search/%40StephenIreland

[geysir]

That link is tweet.

[rebelmusic]

I won't quote it here (too much swearing) but check out the tweet from 'needlesnugget'. Couldn't have put it better myself.

[strangeirish]

'When you’re Irish, you know very well that you’re never going to win the World Cup, and even when I was in the youth teams, it used to **** me off to have to go. Everyone came from Dublin and I was the only one from Cork. I had to take the train on my own, pay for a taxi, there was no hotel, no food, and it was run in a very amateurish way.' He's such a good role model for young lads! I don't know about the rest of you, but I would have walked a mile barefoot over broken glass just for the opportunity to represent my country, at any level.

@3%*!$^%#!

[tommy_c12000]

All a big misunderstanding. All is forgiven Stephen . . . . . . . .

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11677_6794112,00.html

[shaneker]

He's already a proven liar. I don't believe a word of it, his agent probably told him to clean up the mess he made. Rhymes with shunt.

[IsMiseSean]

I hate this so called 'man' more than Bertie now.... I really hope someone ends his career, where's Roy when you need him!!

[Paulie]

Sure even if he was misquoted, this was apparantly only with regard to Cork and Birmingham, and not Ireland (the country).

[ifk101]

What's the story with our Stephen's hair?

When he played for us you could see he was going bald, but then he popped up with a great head of hair for Man City. But now looking at the picture on the Sky Sports link with the Newcastle gear on, he's bald again?

Did he wear a wig at City?

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, some kind of weave I think. Rumours were that he quit the Slovakia camp because of excessive slagging. Stephen Hunt involved. Even if not true, they deserve to be.

[ifk101]

Pretty impressive wig all the same. I thought footballers would be well able to afford some sort of laser treatment but maybe that's why he was bitching about Micah Richards earning more than him and why he was forced to go the wig route instead of surgery. If he had been able to afford the surgery, Stephen Hunt would never have been able to pull off the wig and Stephen's grannies would still be alive. He wouldn't have left the Irish camp and Trapattoni won't be arrogant for not begging him back.

I think Stephen is misunderstood. It's all Micah Richards' fault.

[geysir]

I don't know about LA but he'd settle fine in Carolina.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4v0BauwSV4k1LvKdnr3tu1qSDm5xP2 4VncYUPe8w_Xh0z-ZyuLw

[Sullivinho]

What's the story with our Stephen's hair?

It didn't want to be seen with him. Can you blame it?

[sixesandsevens]

"Live in Cork? I rather shoot myself"

Can someone just drag him back to Cork, chain him to a pole on Grand Parade so he can do the honorable thing for us all?

[tetsujin1979]

Interview with him on NewsTalk Saturday Sport tomorrow to clear some of this up

[Closed Account]

Interview with him on NewsTalk Saturday Sport tomorrow to clear some of this up
Nearly felt sorry for him, after the bit they played earlier. Nearly.

[tetsujin1979]

I missed it, what did he say?

[gastric]

He now claims he was misquoted! Usually a misquote involves one sentence. The amount of vile he came out was totally insulting and no defence of being misquoted can be used as an excuse. This is the same prat who a couple of monthe ago mentioned rejoining Ireland so he would get himself back in the shop window to engineer a move away from Villa. He is a self serving prat with delusional tendencies. I hope Pardew learns quickly what he has bought and exiles him to the reserves. Either that or we start a collection to get Leon to sort him out!

[Charlie Darwin]

From what I've heard he says he was joking around and not taking the interview seriously and didn't expect them to print what he said. Profound misunderstanding of the media there.

[kennedmc]

but isn't that what makes him such a complete c**t?

He has been a pro footballer at the worlds biggest clubs (top 50 clubs) in the league with the highest media profile in the world and he does a 2 hour interview where he says all this stuff only to be misconstrued? Who would have thought a journalist would have done such a thing?

complete ******. The interview was to get him back where he loves... IE in the limelight He is using the misinterpretation angle from the reporter simply as an excuse to muddy the waters now that he has got some coverage out of it.

Which footballer does an 2 hour interview saying some crazy stuff as a joke and doesn't expect it to be crafted into some story for release? He knew well what he was doing.

I have lost all respect for the Off the ball guys on Newstalk the way they were fawning over this tonight on Newstalk and Setanta as if he is a genuine individual.


Stephen Ireland is unhinged. End of. I can't believe how easily some people fall into his games.

[Charlie Darwin]

I think you are overestimating his intellect and ability to play games (other than football). He is definitely in love with himself but he does seem to stumble into these situations rather than mastermind them.

[kennedmc]

I think you are overestimating his intellect and ability to play games (other than football). He is definitely in love with himself but he does seem to stumble into these situations rather than mastermind them.

I am not. As was pointed out above the full interview apparently lasted a couple of hours. He is easily exposed as was proven with granny gate.

I am not saying he is anyway intelligent. I am saying he loves the limelight and will then try and reverse his way out of it no matter how ridiculous his situation.

Those newstalk guys said tonight they didn't press him on certain parts of his interview!! Why not? Lost what repsect I had for those guys.

[Charlie Darwin]

I'm watching Talk Sport on Setanta now. Ger Gilroy seems quite taken aback by how upset he was by it.

[Torn-Ado]

Fu*k him.

He's sh!te.

[Closed Account]

The full interview is at 3 today isn't it? Maybe he was misquoted/misinterpreted, he's still an idiot.
There's something wrong if you can be attributed to quotes about shooting yourself and nobody bats an eyelid.

But big deal, lets not massage his ego.

[Pauro 76]

http://twitter.com/#!/StephenIreland

He doesn't seem to update his tweets much....

[EastTerracer]

Very soft interview from Newstalk. It seems clear that Stephen Ireland thought he was "off-the -record" with some of his interview with the French magazine but he didn't deny saying any of it. On the Trapattoni meeting Ger Gilroy set up his question by mentioning how Trap had been disrespectful to SI - no questioning of whether that was really the case.

[Closed Account]

What's becoming apparent is that Stephen is very naive. I don't have a lot of time for him.

Pardew, who only knows him about a month puts it very well,

I wouldn't say he's complicated, I would say he's emotional, he perhaps wears his heart on his sleeve more than most players.
http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/8889081.Ireland_s_Newcastle_start_is_on_hold/

[TrapAPony]

What did Stephen say re playing for Ireland as a matter of interest? Is he standing by his words that Trapattoni is arrogant?

[AlaskaFox]

What did Stephen say re playing for Ireland as a matter of interest?

He wouldn't rule it out down the line, as football is a funny old game or somesuch nonsense.

[Closed Account]

What did Stephen say re playing for Ireland as a matter of interest? Is he standing by his words that Trapattoni is arrogant?
Dodged it a little, said it was a few weeks after Trap got the job and that Trap seemed more preoccupied than interested. The way Stevie saw it was that Trap was only meeting him as lip service and might not of even seen Stephen ever play. Its believable but at the same time, why should Trapattoni have to go meet a player to
convince them to play for your country. Grow up.

When the podcast up is up, it's worth a listen, you might interpret it differently.

[EastTerracer]

What did Stephen say re playing for Ireland as a matter of interest? Is he standing by his words that Trapattoni is arrogant?

Very contradictory to be honest. He seems to think Trap was only going through the motions and didn't really want him. Then he says that Trap is a vey busy man so maybe he was just distracted. He said he spoke to Brady quite a lot.

He said he'd never rule anything out and that when he gets himself fit he'd see what happens. He is friends with McShane and Keogh and says every Irish player he knows would welcome him back. He did sound more defensive about the Cork quotes than the Ireland ones. Neil O'Riordan and Daniel McDonnell both suggesting that his family may have pushed him to do the interview to tone down the Cork comments.

[tetsujin1979]

just that he'd never say never about coming back, and that he almost did come back under Staunton after he met him a lot

[Yard of Pace]

As Joe says above, the fact that he sees it as acceptable behaviour to have a series of meetings with a manager to discuss possibly going back playing football for his country is just ridiculous. I don't think he'll ever come back and we're better off, sure you'd never know what he might do, not turn up for games or walk out at crucial moments etc.

[Closed Account]

Incidentally
http://media.newstalk.ie/podcast/22934/

[Colbert Report]

Incidentally
http://media.newstalk.ie/podcast/22934/

You guys should listen to this before judging him. The poor guy is almost crying in the interview. I feel sorry for him.

[AlaskaFox]

You guys should listen to this before judging him. The poor guy is almost crying in the interview. I feel sorry for him.

:rolleyes:

[back of the net]

Thanks Joe for posting the link

Just listened to it there - dont believe a word that comes out of his mouth

How can a french journalist misquote " Id sooner shoot myself"

According to him - he was misquoted on everything!!!

Think the only reason he is not ruling out a return to the international career is to revive his rapidly failing club career

If he comes back I will support him of course as I would of any man that represents me and my country but I dont want him back

[CraftyToePoke]

If he comes back I will support him of course as I would of any man that represents me and my country but I dont want him back

Very noble of you B.O.T.N. I would be hard pushed not to boo him hard in the hope he might go away again. Hopefully I wont ever have to face this choice.

[paul_oshea]

Stephen, hello? is that you son?
ya, Mam its me!
do you remember so and so
oh ya down near ....
well he's dead
ok thanks thats great news mam, thanks.

the average immigrant call from the mammy, save the thanks at the end from stephen.

[Thunderblaster]

Pity Michael Collins, De Valera, the 1916 Leaders, etc weren't still alive to read that interview. They would have banged him up in jail if he set foot back in Ireland. The interview must be bordering on sedition against the State. His Irish passport, in my opinion, should be revoked. The only acceptable apology would be for Stephen Ireland to read out the Easter Proclaimation, recite the Irish Constitution, pledge that he represents his country when asked and swear the Oath of Allegiance to the State. Other than that, check out our sedition laws to see whether he caused an offence against the state, though it would be hard to prosecute given the interview was outside the jurisdiction.

[Colbert Report]

Pity Michael Collins, De Valera, the 1916 Leaders, etc weren't still alive to read that interview. They would have banged him up in jail if he set foot back in Ireland. The interview must be bordering on sedition against the State. His Irish passport, in my opinion, should be revoked. The only acceptable apology would be for Stephen Ireland to read out the Easter Proclaimation, recite the Irish Constitution, pledge that he represents his country when asked and swear the Oath of Allegiance to the State. Other than that, check out our sedition laws to see whether he caused an offence against the state, though it would be hard to prosecute given the interview was outside the jurisdiction.

wtf? the lad clearly has mental issues, cut him a break

[Charlie Darwin]

Holy ****, Thunderblaster just single-handedly broke my hyperbole metre! Where am I going to find another one of those?

[SwanVsDalton]

Thunderblaster is clearly a Norse God of some sort so he's just demanding justice the only way he knows how.

[Closed Account]

Holy ****, Thunderblaster just single-handedly broke my hyperbole metre! Where am I going to find another one of those?

Where did you buy the first one? The greatest shop in the world I imagine.

[DannyInvincible]

Obviously, as we all know, newspapers, magazines and such can very often stretch or put a spin on the meaning of quotes or latch onto careless statements outside of their context in order to build a story to suit their own agenda, but they don't make the bloody things up. Otherwise, they'd leave themselves open to a libel action. It would be interesting if the full interview - including questions posed - was published from start to finish so we could better gauge the context, but I still fear that what Ireland says would read as very distasteful, disrespectful and arrogant. Without getting too carried away by the weasel, I reckon the Newstalk interview is an agent/family-advised clean-up operation. I can't quite tell for sure if he's a truly repugnant individual, a lunatic with emotional issues or just an extremely naïve idiot who is prone to rather crass hyperbole. I originally found myself in the 'maybe have him back after an apology' camp, having faith in people's ability to learn from their mistakes, but my sympathy for this mouthpiece has seriously waned over time to the point where it is now virtually non-existent. I think I'd find it difficult to watch him in an Ireland jersey ever again. A re-run of the poll would be interesting indeed.

[The Fly]

Holy ****, Thunderblaster just single-handedly broke my hyperbole metre! Where am I going to find another one of those?

By how many centimetres?