Ireland Speaks Out

[Dameerto]

im glad he has come out and said this stuff as it will now put to bed the lingering idea that it was a bad move to get rid.

I still wish him well at Villa it is probably his right level. My take is that he basically didn't like the changes going on at City and the, for once, real push for success and all that goes with that.. more professional and to some extent ruthless culture.. oh and the superstar bling. Joke. He probably wished it would have stayed as it was.. and as they say you have to be careful what you wish for.

That one line about him not caring really summed up his last season AND preseason - if we paid him a 'loyalty' payment when he fucked off I hope karma bites his backside.

[Buffalo Soldier]

Looks like Stevie has spent his first 3 days at his new club doing nothing but flapping his gums...

Ireland: Villa's family feel was key to move
By Paul Brown

Stephen Ireland said joining a "family club" was absolutely key to his Villa move.

Ireland was glowing in his praise of Villa - a "friendly" organisation he has admired from afar for many years.

He also said he was looking forward to a successful spell on the pitch, insisting he would be giving his all for both team-mates and fans alike.

He said: "I did a lot of research into Aston Villa before I came. I spoke to Darius Vassell, Richard Dunne - I spoke to a lot of people.

"I knew this was exactly where I wanted to go. I think Aston Villa is a very good family club - a club that will get the best out of me.

"With it being a family club, I know I'm going to see the same faces day-in and day-out.

"I spoke to some of the staff and they have been here for 16 or 17 years.I definitely want to be part of that.

"I have actually been shocked at how good it is - even though I have only been here for two or three days.

"I have settled in so well and so fast - they are really nice people. The chairman is really good here. I am really impressed with him. I really like him. I'm really fond of him.
"The club has really impressed me - the full package and that family feel. I feel I am going to be very comfortable in those surroundings.

"Even the young lads are just so polite. I am quite shocked with that too. I can really see myself having a good time here.

"I speak to Richard Dunne regularly - even last season I did - and he spoke so highly of the club.

"I have always liked Aston Villa, always liked coming here and playing. They were always a team I was wary of too.

"I feel the style of play, the fans - it's just really exciting. For me I can definitely push on and get back to playing the way I can.

"I am really looking forward to working with Kevin too.

"A lot of players will be wondering who it's going to be [the manager] but at the moment Kevin is calling the shots. We're all more than happy to be working with him now so until then we're just going to knuckle down and get as many points as we can.

"We might not have the same finances [as Manchester City] but we definitely have team spirit.

"We have a good bunch of lads who really want to achieve something. We are all a good age group as well and we have good ability at a young age so it could be a good journey for us all to do something together and achieve something big.

"I am impressed with the play on the pitch. Villa always play at a high intensity and that's the way I like to play as well.

"I like to attack and I like to defend - be involved as much as I can. With my first training session today, I haven't worked that hard in months.
"I was shocked at how hard it was and what high intensity it was too. For me I feel I can fit in quite easily and obviously bring something to the table. I think we can do something good together.

"I want to work hard for my team-mates and for the fans. When that whistle blows the least I can offer is hard work. I want to get assists and goals too, of course.

"But the very least I am going to bring to the game is hard work.

"I am extremely determined and really fired and ready to go. I want to start playing again because I have been missing it a lot. I want to play - and play regularly."

Looks like Stephen is a little too fond of Mr Lerner...

[MARKMAKAVELI]

I don't begrudge him, he just isnt that bright. He doesnt realise how he looks, poor self awareness.

Good luck at Villa lad.

[Ted Hughes]

If he'd put in hard work for us, like he did 2 seasons ago, there's no way we would have got rid of him. Now all of a sudden he's talking about running around & defending, exactly what he wouldn't do for us. What an absolute twat.

[Kladze]

Bye Stevie.

You were shite most of the time son.

[Chopper]

I don't begrudge him, he just isnt that bright. He doesnt realise how he looks, poor self awareness.

Good luck at Villa lad.

Exactly what Mark said. He has to big up his new club, it must be hard for him, he did spend a lot of time with us.

[carl_feedthegoat]

"From here to Zero"

I think that about sums him up.

[rabbit]

Some of Ireland's best football was played at half time when he was sub. Great touch player, fantastic body shape when passing a ball and linked up wonderfully with Elano and Johnson in Sven's Pre Christmas team.

Apart from that he was a useless cunt.

2 particular games which spring to mind were Derby and Bolton away ( not sure of the dates) where he was simply a fucking useless liability. On his day he could be utter fucking shite and very frustrating.

He didn't live up to the hype or his obvious potential and the tick fucker.... who has probably earned more at the age of 24 than most people will earn in their lives...has the fucking disrespect to have a pop.

Fuck off Ireland for that. When his fish see him walking past their tank I bet they say " that's an unusual one, looks like a fucking human pixie"

Thanks

[Lee_R]

Bald bastard he is! Oi Stevie you're going bald mate!

[blues-clues]

Ireland played his best football with Robinho and for me at times it was fucking wonderful what those two achieved together in City shirts on a footie pitch. That both have turned out to be complete pillocks is very sad, you really want your heroes to be good guys as well. Bellamy has gone with sour grapes, Robinho as well as now Ireland turns out to be a cunt as well. I have some sympathy with Crossan's thread. With a new ownership, management and team it is harder to see the soul in the club and when players like Ireland turn out to be total piss takers as well it does start to grate. I hope they like your Ireland gates in Brum son and if City did give you a pay off, dont let your wife spend it on the house, there are people with style and taste who can actually add value to your house when you spend money on it.

[city72]

Bald bastard he is! Oi Stevie you're going bald mate!

No need for abuse like that, fukin hell its not long ago he was the dogs bollocks on here,
GOOD LUCK STEVE

[BlueMoonAwoken]

I am really dissapointed with what he said, i was thinking he would have a pop at mancini but NOT THE CLUB!

It confirms for me what ive been thinking ever since the take over that the players that was here like dunne, ireland even nedum to some degree was making it hard for new managers coming in trying to stamp their authority on the team. I remember when all that stuff with elano and some of the long serving players..

But nedum for me is a true blue and watched city when he was a kid and got on the bus to come and watch us so for me he wouldnt pull the stunt ireland has pulled because he is a true blue in my eyes!

I thought ireland was a true blue but now i see he never has been i will be coming to the city v villa game and booing your ass!

[Ted Hughes]

I won't boo him even though I think he's a wanker. I'll give him a polite round of applause & then watch our team take his to the cleaners, whilst he tries much harder to stop us than he did to stop Paul Scholes.

[BlueMoonAwoken]

I won't boo him even though I think he's a wanker. I'll give him a polite round of applause & then watch our team take his to the cleaners, whilst he tries much harder to stop us than he did to stop Paul Scholes.

Ok ill wait till i see what type of reception the fans give him and then join in with what ever they are doing hehe :P

[Rag_hater]

What stand are we naming after him.
I want to get a seat in it when I come over later this year.

[Blue2]

First class wanker, hope he breaks his fuclin leg tomorrow.

[Goaters 103]

I bet he doesnt actually see the irony in him "lifting the lid" on things with his version of the truth and slating a bling culture.

Coming from him with his daft cars/fish tanks etc and his Grannygate past, it hardly has much credibility. I'd bet that interview scares the $hit out of Villa.

[Mase]

I thought people were saying he's a 'true blue' ?? Where are you now?

The fact is, this cunt doesn't realise what comes out of his mouth. And did you expect any better? Is it really that much of a surprise that he's come out with this shite after he's left? He did it with evey manager he's played under when they left so why change now?

If there was ever proof that we're better off without this pea headed mental case I think that video is it!!

[blootoof]

[smurfsdabomb]

His point about bling was kids with tons of it acting like they've made it when they've never played a senior game. In fairness to him he didn't splash out until he had made it, though its an odd thing to bring up.

On the rest of his interview, didn't really surprise me. Stevie's a lad that needs to be the centre of attention, he needs to be playing 90 minutes every game, he needs the fans behind him, the headlines talking about him. He thrives on that and he'll get that at Villa, he won't at City. No player will.
The whole bench thing, well I guess Stephen Ireland only cares about one thing. Stephen Ireland. He only cared about Man City when he was Man City.