Stephen Ireland

[jmurphyc]

I remember the game away to San Marino was the first time I properly payed attention to him in an Ireland shirt. He was my MOTM (although there weren't exactly many candidates that night) and even though it was against a very poor team he really impressed me and I likened him to a raw version of Andy Reid. He's a player with plenty of creativity and if he could learn to improve his positioning and get himself into games more then he would be a huge asset to us. I'd love to see him back in an Ireland shirt but I fear if the media reports are true that he may well have blown his final chance. He'll probably regret it a lot more than we will.

[mypost]

Players like Ireland do. It comes natural to him and he'll release the ball as soon as it comes to him.

I just think we're not used to a player of S.Ireland's style in this country. He's too laid back on the pitch. We're used to players showing tremendous desire and even anger in their play.

Ireland's ~40 passes a game are effective. And chances and goals are bound to come with those players in the team.

Our team rarely had great players, but what we always had until recently, was great team spirit, which got the job done.

Holland have always had a team full of Stephen Ireland cry babies. Great players individually, but who failed to deliver when the chips were down. How many world-class players did Greece have 4 years ago? Look where it got them.

[youngirish]

Of course he is. I probably could have phrased that sentence better. Basically, 5 Stephen Ireland's could pass teams off the park (obviously ignoring what'd happen when they lose possession ). 5 yard passes is all that's needed. Those 5 yard passes will look a lot more effective if his teammates have the proper positional sense and decision making skills. I definitely think we have enough players now with excellent technique to compliment and get the best out of each other.

Ever the optimist eirebhoy. I personally think we're about 4 players short to rely on such a strategy. When you're playing the likes of Carsely, Kilbane and O'Shea in the same team who couldn't distribute the ball if their life depended on it you are always going to struggle to implement any short passing game because inevitably after all your hard work previously to create openings using precise short passes the ball will eventually find itself at the feet of one of the large proportion of donkeys in the team and they'll struggle to find a teammate to connect to the next link in the chain or just simply not even try and hoof it forward.

[eirebhoy]

Anyway, point being, you don't pass teams off the park with 20 yard passes. It's the short passes that do it and Ireland is being critisised on here for just keeping things simple and doing nothing spectacular.

[youngirish]

Anyway, point being, you don't pass teams off the park with 20 yard passes. It's the short passes that do it and Ireland is being critisised on here for just keeping things simple and doing nothing spectacular.

Not by me. His short passing is fine I just think he's fairly limited in all other aspects of his game (shooting, scoring goals, running with the ball, tackling, intercepting passes, heading, crossing - need I go on?).

[eirebhoy]

Thankfully none of those attributes are really needed to become a top playmaker. He just needs the games and he'll obviously become more intelligent and dominant.

What do you think of Niko Kranjcar btw? I think they're similar.

[jmurphyc]

Thankfully none of those attributes are really needed to become a top playmaker. He just needs the games and he'll obviously become more intelligent and dominant.

One thing which I think he desperately needs to improve is his positioning/off the ball. He is often too far away from the point of play to be able to make an impact. This is the one aspect which I think lets him down and could prevent him from fulfilling his potential.

[tetsujin1979]

A Reid is far more comfortable on the ball (including his passing) than Stephen Ireland. I'd rate Keane as having similar ability on the ball.

Reid is also far more experienced than Ireland, he doesn't have 3 full seasons under his belt yet, Reid is coming up on his eighth season in professional football

The problem with Ireland anyway is that other than his distribution he offers little to a team. A modern midfielder needs to rely on more than just a single attribute of his game.

4 goals in 5 games?

[dr_peepee]

Not by me. His short passing is fine I just think he's fairly limited in all other aspects of his game (shooting, scoring goals, running with the ball, tackling, intercepting passes, heading, crossing - need I go on?).

Nothing wrong with his shooting, scoring (Check his goals for city) or running with the ball. (He's not McGeady or Duff but check his goal v wales)

[youngirish]

Nothing wrong with his shooting, scoring (Check his goals for city) or running with the ball. (He's not McGeady or Duff but check his goal v wales)

6 goals in nearly 90 appearances is not a good goal tally for an offensive midfielder by any stretch of the imagination. Tets he played 6 games for Ireland btw.

[eirebhoy]

Nothing wrong with his shooting, scoring (Check his goals for city) or running with the ball. (He's not McGeady or Duff but check his goal v wales)

I think he's referring to the fact that he doesn't shoot, score or run with the ball enough?

[youngirish]

I think he's referring to the fact that he doesn't shoot, score or run with the ball enough?

Exactly we can all pull isolated incidents out of the hat for any player. I recollect Kilbane played a great 30 yard pass to Keane once in one of the WC qualifiers under Kerr. This doesn't mean he's Zidane.

[eekers]

I'd like to believe its all tabloid ****e. But last night on 'On the Ball' on Newstalk, they were talking to Daniel Taylor since he is a manchester based journalist. They asked since the last quotes from stephen ireland were mainly positive about coming back to play, were had the recent story come from? He said that Man City was briefing journalists that they had links to, that Ireland was not likely to be coming back.
So where is the story coming from? the man city press room and obviously second hand from Ireland himself.

[drinkfeckarse]

6 goals in nearly 90 appearances is not a good goal tally for an offensive midfielder by any stretch of the imagination. Tets he played 6 games for Ireland btw.

To be fair, Frank Lampard (a player who he has a lot of similarities with) wasn't exactly prolific when he first broke through with West Ham. It's only since he's been at Chelsea really that he added goals to his game so I would expect Irelands goal tally to improve as he gets more experience.

[youngirish]

Worth a look again just to remind everyone the level of intelligence and maturity we are dealing with:

http://bp2.blogger.com/_CBrg2cTGKFU/...ge_800x459.jpg

[dr_peepee]

Exactly we can all pull isolated incidents out of the hat for any player. I recollect Kilbane played a great 30 yard pass to Keane once in one of the WC qualifiers under Kerr. This doesn't mean he's Zidane.

It's like the few well constructed, informed posts from your good self in recent times.... Doesn't mean you're Stuttgart88 though.

[cavan_fan]

Worth a look again just to remind everyone the level of intelligence and maturity we are dealing with:

http://bp2.blogger.com/_CBrg2cTGKFU/...ge_800x459.jpg

I love the fact the licence plate has been obscured. This is in case anyone sees the car and realises it's his on the basis of the plates. Of course nothing else would give it away!

[Superhoops]

From todays (Thursday's) Sun:

MANCHESTER CITY are set to sell Stephen Ireland after a season of bizarre behaviour.

The club are ready to accept an offer of around £8million from Sunderland in the summer.

Ireland, 21, is contracted to City until the end of next season but there have been no talks about extending that.

Instead, Eastlands bigwigs want the midfielder out.

Last September, he quit the Republic of Ireland camp claiming his gran had died. But the FAI found out that was not the case.

Ireland then insisted it was a different grandmother but she too was alive.

The player finally admitted he went home because his girlfriend had suffered a miscarriage.

Then, after scoring the winner at home to Sunderland in November, he pulled down his shorts to reveal a pair of Superman underpants.

Black Cats boss Roy Keane has made no secret of his desire to land the Irishman.

Keane said: “Whatever problems he has, he is a very, very good player.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle1050956.ece

[tricky_colour]

From todays (Thursday's) Sun:

MANCHESTER CITY are set to sell Stephen Ireland after a season of bizarre behaviour.

The club are ready to accept an offer of around £8million from Sunderland in the summer.

Ireland, 21, is contracted to City until the end of next season but there have been no talks about extending that.

Instead, Eastlands bigwigs want the midfielder out.

Last September, he quit the Republic of Ireland camp claiming his gran had died. But the FAI found out that was not the case.

Ireland then insisted it was a different grandmother but she too was alive.

The player finally admitted he went home because his girlfriend had suffered a miscarriage.

Then, after scoring the winner at home to Sunderland in November, he pulled down his shorts to reveal a pair of Superman underpants.

Black Cats boss Roy Keane has made no secret of his desire to land the Irishman.

Keane said: “Whatever problems he has, he is a very, very good player.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...cle1050956.ece

Interesting news, one wonders what effect Roy Keane would have on him and particularly his attitude to playing for Ireland.

God alone knows

But I think Keane wears the Superman pants at Sunderland

Could be interesting.

I'd expect Roy would require him to bring any dead grandma's with him to training.

[Wolfie]

Interesting news, one wonders what effect Roy Keane would have on him and particularly his attitude to playing for Ireland.

God alone knows

Interesting to see if Reid and Ireland could be accomodated within the same team.