Stephen Ireland

[Razors left peg]

Last chance for him should be the end of season friendlies, if he doesnt want to play in those then O'Neill should forget about him

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Yeah. We can't let this saga protract into the Autumn when the undivided focus should be on the European Championships. He has to realise that it has got to be the summer. He should come back or else he is always going to have this black mark hanging over his career. He should let things come full circle and get this weight off his shoulders.

[Stuttgart88]

I really hope there are no lingering controversies involving anyone and that the new management get a firm grip on all the things that dogged Trap's tenure: fragile egos, dodgy injuries, miscommunications and so on. I also hope that everyone makes the USA trip to show their commitment. No b/s about weddings (you can get married in late June), needing to rest injuries or whatever. Even if I was injured Id still ask to make the trip just to bed into the new set up and show solidarity. That's just me though. Every squad member and candidate needs to be absolutely pumped about the qualification campaign, and it effectively starts in late-May.

[Stuttgart88]

Stephen has signed a three year deal at Stoke.

No more excuses now.Mark Hughes is saying Ireland can't play against Villa due to his loan terms. Odd given that he is now signed up. I suspect the loan is still in place and his new contract begins at the end of the loan agreement.

[tricky_colour]

Bit weird I was reading about the loan terms, and even odder if he is signed now.
Are we going to get to the situation were a player can't play against particular clubs?
That seems an unfair contract IMO.
Such contracts should be banned.
Mind you these contracts are a modern day slave trade.

[SkStu]

It's obviously part of his loan agreement from AV to Stoke which expires at the end of the season, at which point his permanent deal with Stoke kicks in and he can play against whomever his manager so desires. Restrictions against playing for your "permanent" team are standard practice in loan deals, especially when the loan deals are within the same division.

[paul_oshea]

They did alright without him!

[SkStu]

Watched it and they were great. Also without Walters.

Wilson was solid. Whelan has a great range of passing but he is runs slower than treacle!

[DeLorean]

Strangers On A Plane (http://balls.ie/football/roy-keane-met-stephen-irelands-grandmother-on-a-plane/)

[geysir]

Such a close encounter of the bizarre kind is run of the mill in Cork.

[Crosby87]

Yup. Check out this youtube of UFOs in Cork.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyqzk8eAmJk

[Stuttgart88]

So, Martin has had a chat with him? I hope Martin turned his mobile phone off.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

So, Martin has had a chat with him? I hope Martin turned his mobile phone off.

I hope Martin actually wants to have a conversation with him and isn't coerced into meeting by the FAI and I hope he shows a bit more courtesy than his predecessor but then that is a given.

[BonnieShels]

The way this guy is talked about you would swear he was Ronaldo, Messi and Ibra rolled into one.

I don't care about his talent or ability anymore. It should be a privilege and an honour to pull on the green shirt. His return will sully it.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/excited-ireland-closing-on-irish-recall-263759.html

I have had more patience with Stephen than anyone else but this is getting ridiculous.

[peadar1987]

It shouldn't be a negotiation, it should be Stephen Ireland saying he is available for selection.

[DannyInvincible]

What does he want to discuss exactly? I can't fathom what it is he needs to talk about. If he wants to come back, why doesn't he just say he's available? If he's available for selection, Martin will select him if he sees fit.

[Junior]

Its a pity he's only 27. I wish the little ****** was nearing 35 and at the end of his wasted career and all this self indulgent crap could be taken off the pages of the irish tabloids / sports media and put in whatever rag of a biography he will no doubt launch at some point and I can then more easily ignore it.

[DeLorean]

Yeah it's beyond ridiculous the fuss that's made over a 27 year old with 6 caps and a pretty much non-existent club career between Man City and recently. His biggest achievement to date has been racking up 202 pages on foot.ie.

[Charlie Darwin]

Yeah it's beyond ridiculous the fuss that's made over a 27 year old with 6 caps and a pretty much non-existent club career between Man City and recently. His biggest achievement to date has been racking up 202 pages on foot.ie.
Hey, don't knock the page count, it worked out pretty well for James McCarthy's career.

[DeLorean]

If ever there were two opposites! (although the Scots might not agree!)

I never realised all 202 pages are actually since SI's exile! Presume there must be another thread somewhere.

[Stuttgart88]

His last appearance for us predated the internet

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Yeah it's beyond ridiculous the fuss that's made over a 27 year old with 6 caps and a pretty much non-existent club career between Man City and recently. His biggest achievement to date has been racking up 202 pages on foot.ie.

He did win Player of the Year at Villa (I know) and his performances at Stoke have garnered praise. He has also scored more goals over 6 games than Whelan has over 50 so International football clearly suited him. He would easily be our seventh highest scorer by now if he never upped and left.

[DeLorean]

I still think 202 pages on Foot.ie is better.

[Stuttgart88]

Very good. But as someone famous once said, if you've got standards, lower them. I'd have him back be a use he's a good player. We need good players to get better.

[mark12345]

Very good. But as someone famous once said, if you've got standards, lower them. I'd have him back be a use he's a good player. We need good players to get better.

I agree. SI has his warped way of thinking and so be it. But when you see the likes of Cyprus, Slovakia and Lithuania killing us with a thousand passes at the Aviva, then I would take Stephen Ireland, Steven Tyler or even Stephen King if it would fix the problem.

[Crosby87]

Stephen Hawking could possibly be the manager.

[Stuttgart88]

I agree. SI has his warped way of thinking and so be it. But when you see the likes of Cyprus, Slovakia and Lithuania killing us with a thousand passes at the Aviva, then I would take Stephen Ireland, Steven Tyler or even Stephen King if it would fix the problem.
Eh, Stephen Ireland played in Cyprus. Look what happened then! Point taken though, despite me having no recollection of playing Cyprus or Lithuania at the Aviva :)

[DeLorean]

Very good. But as someone famous once said, if you've got standards, lower them. I'd have him back be a use he's a good player. We need good players to get better.

Yeah, I'm just not overly concerned one way or the other. If he comes back, fine. He if comes back and plays well, better still. He's just not worth all the attention (to which I have contributed).

[Greenbod]

Very good. But as someone famous once said, if you've got standards, lower them. I'd have him back be a use he's a good player. We need good players to get better.


I really hope he doesn't come back.

If he does make himself available for selection and O'Neill picks him, I'll support that. What I hate is that he seems to be "courted" to return. He should just be left alone until he announces he's available. At that point it's up to the manager to pick or drop him just like everyone else. But I hope it doesn't happen. He's shown too much disrespect to team, fans and country.

[Stuttgart88]

Sky Sports News about to interview him shortly in what they say is an extraordinary interview or something hyperbolic.
I can't watch it though, I' e had to head out. They just interviewed Stewart Thompson(?) of Dundee United. I think he's the most eloquent footballer I've ever heard. He's doing a law degree while playing pro footy. Not many do that. Maybe Ireland is about to reveal he has just started learning his times tables.

[Crosby87]

He's discovered a cure for baldness.

[back of the net]

Sky Sports News about to interview him shortly in what they say is an extraordinary interview or something hyperbolic.
I can't watch it though, I' e had to head out. They just interviewed Stewart Thompson(?) of Dundee United. I think he's the most eloquent footballer I've ever heard. He's doing a law degree while playing pro footy. Not many do that. Maybe Ireland is about to reveal he has just started learning his times tables.

Just saw it.......basically said , there is alot of pressure on o neill and roy to pick him and that really it comes down to a conversation he has to have with them, but that he feels thst conversation will happen pretty soon. He said he also gets alot of pressure from his immediate family to go back and that is one of the many reasons why it maybe wud be good for him to go back to the international fold.

[Charlie Darwin]

I fear Sky may have over-hyped that one slightly. Or was it Stutts?

[back of the net]

I fear Sky may have over-hyped that one slightly. Or was it Stutts?

Nope Stutts was on the ball - it was all Sky and their sports news presenter

[CraftyToePoke]

Id like that conversation to be along the lines of 'Stephen, we rate you massively, we want you back, no strings. If you do we will back you publicly and privately and on the playing side of if, although no one is a guaranteed starter, we think enough of you creatively that we will, in certain types of game, largely, set the side up around you, you can have your prime in green and become a hero, a key asset in a side we believe will qualify for a couple of major finals and the past will be forgotten by all, let us know by the end of the day please'

If he starts any carry on after that make it clear what was offered, very publicly and nip his crap firmly in the bud. And no harm adding that by the time MONROY are done in this role he will be an international irrelevance anyway, so no point in anyone giving any further coverage to his international career.

[Greenbod]

Id like that conversation to be along the lines of 'Stephen, we rate you massively, we want you back, no strings. If you do we will back you publicly and privately and on the playing side of if, although no one is a guaranteed starter, we think enough of you creatively that we will, in certain types of game, largely, set the side up around you, you can have your prime in green and become a hero, a key asset in a side we believe will qualify for a couple of major finals and the past will be forgotten by all, let us know by the end of the day please'



......conversation should be initiated by Stephen....eh, I'd like to be considered for selection again. To which the reply should be along the lines of "Ok..don't call us, we'll call you"

[geysir]

I hope CTP was just being ..... surreal.

[Crosby87]

Can I ask a serious question I have? Are they (MOL and Roy) going to ask him to comeback or not? Like, who is instigating this.

[CraftyToePoke]

Can I ask a serious question I have? Are they (MOL and Roy) going to ask him to comeback or not? Like, who is instigating this.

Broken down to lay mans terms Crosby, my dear fellow, its little akin to the mating ritual of the red assed baboon, with Stephen presently presenting. Teasingly. Does he want it, or just the attention ? Who knows. MonRoy can now either display and risk rejection, or ignore, and if they chose this, none of us will ever really know what was in young Ireland's heart.

But the dance has begun, of that I assure you.

[Fixer82]

Broken down to lay mans terms Crosby, my dear fellow, its little akin to the mating ritual of the red assed baboon, with Stephen presently presenting. Teasingly. Does he want it, or just the attention ? Who knows. MonRoy can now either display and risk rejection, or ignore, and if they chose this, none of us will ever really know what was in young Ireland's heart.

But the dance has begun, of that I assure you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN79JrEcjCU

[DannyInvincible]

Ireland misses out today at Stamford Bridge after having fallen ill, according to Sky.

[Stuttgart88]

Stephen Ireland: me going to have a conversation with Monkeano soon cos me 9 y/o and my (live) granny want me to.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/family-want-ireland-recall-264801.html

[ifk101]

Yawn .... He needs to have a conversation with a psychiatrist. Talk about delusions of grandeur.

[Stuttgart88]

I think we can take as granted he'll be back.

[ifk101]

Not sure about that. Why the need for a conversation unless he is looking for (selection? special treatment?) assurances?

[geysir]

I'd say say Stutts is referring to that O'Neill is so desperate and insecure about his own managerial acumen, that he'll do anything, say anything to get SI back. O'Neill won't just lower the bar, he'll just remove it altogether and lay down the red carpet.

[Fixer82]

Not sure about that. Why the need for a conversation unless he is looking for (selection? special treatment?) assurances?

Maybe SI feels he needs to talk to the management to see do they want him back

[brine3]

All the best players are nuts. Deal with it. Move on.

[tetsujin1979]

signed a new three year deal at Stoke: http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article/ireland-commits-to-city-1488270.aspx