Ireland & his shackles

[Nickyboy]

Some nice little touches but really needs to take a game by the scruff of the neck and disctate our play. Really looks low on confidence.

However, the number of times he made excellant runs only to be ignored was criminal, shame that NDJ or Barry don't have the awareness to pick a pass.

Bringing on Ibrahim for him was a joke, he couldn't trap a bag of cement and his passing was woeful

[Mike J]

he is playing badly at the moment and im sure nobody is as pissed off about it as himself at the moment. the lad is a winner who is short on confidence. anyone who plays the game at any level knows how shit it feels to go through a bad patch.

we need to play him through this patch though, its no good him sitting on the bench, he is still one of our very best players imo.

[Ted Hughes]

he is playing badly at the moment and im sure nobody is as pissed off about it as himself at the moment. the lad is a winner who is short on confidence. anyone who plays the game at any level knows how shit it feels to go through a bad patch.

we need to play him through this patch though, its no good him sitting on the bench, he is still one of our very best players imo.

I want him back to his best but we're not a Stevie Ireland rehab charity, we're a team trying to get in the chump's league. If the best 11 we can put out includes him then fair enough but that's the only way he should get a game between now & the end of the season imo.

[john@staustell]

Bobby has identified our midfield options as particularly weak. Hence the desperate Vierra signing, the Johnson signing and the last-day farce over forward-driving midfielders. This will surely be addressed in the summer and unless Stevie gets to grips with his mentality and/or starts running up hills with a pack on his back again, he may fade away.

[Im_Spartacus]

he is playing badly at the moment and im sure nobody is as pissed off about it as himself at the moment. the lad is a winner who is short on confidence. anyone who plays the game at any level knows how shit it feels to go through a bad patch.

we need to play him through this patch though, its no good him sitting on the bench, he is still one of our very best players imo.

If you think back to last year, Irelands best play was his ability to see a pass and link up with Robinho when the team was on the offensive.

Sven - defensive style, very poor
Hughes - attacking style, player of the year
Hughes - less attacking style, very poor
Mancini - defensive style, very poor

Its all well and good allowing him time to "come good", but is it feasible given his record under 3 different managers playing a defensive style have been equally poor that he simply cannot play in a role which involves him receiving the ball with his back to goal. As much as I like the guy, if this is the problem, I have to ask why persevere when he has never, ever shown his ability in this type of system.

What we have seen that if the team are not rampaging forwards constantly during a game, he is pretty much a spare part. When we have seen him play excellent through balls on the odd occasion recently, it has been from a starting position of receiving the ball facing goal - exactly how it was last year with the interplay between him and Robbie.

I could live with him not bothering to track back if he simply worked out how to get around this problem, but he seems either unwilling or unable to adapt his game to this style.

[Colin the King]

Fabregas goes to Barcelona for £40million in June. After having a shocking season at City, Mr. Wenger spots an opportunity and picks Stevie up for £6million, and slowly develops him into a better player than bloody Fabregas with £34million in his back pocket. City go on to buy Fabregas for £58million but upon his arrival, forgets how to pass a football.

Dig this up in five years!

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Fabregas goes to Barcelona for £40million in June. After having a shocking season at City, Mr. Wenger spots an opportunity and picks Stevie up for £6million, and slowly develops him into a better player than bloody Fabregas with £34million in his back pocket. City go on to buy Fabregas for £58million but upon his arrival, forgets how to pass a football.

Dig this up in five years!

You know what mate, it may not be far from truth.

I'm not going to get involved in this Ireland lambasting. I think he is overly sensitive lad who needs to feel comfortable with his football. For whatever reasons that is not the case right now and haven't been during this season. But with right coaching he'll be back to his sublime best.

[Michael Brookes]

I actually really do believe its a case of "Form is temporary, Class is permanent" here.....

He had a one good season but has been largely mediocre/ineffective for most of his career.

[btajim]

Fabregas goes to Barcelona for £40million in June. After having a shocking season at City, Mr. Wenger spots an opportunity and picks Stevie up for £6million, and slowly develops him into a better player than bloody Fabregas with £34million in his back pocket. City go on to buy Fabregas for £58million but upon his arrival, forgets how to pass a football.

Dig this up in five years!

You know what mate, it may not be far from truth.

I'm not going to get involved in this Ireland lambasting. I think he is overly sensitive lad who needs to feel comfortable with his football. For whatever reasons that is not the case right now and haven't been during this season. But with right coaching he'll be back to his sublime best.

City sell Ireland for 6 Million? No chance.

How much do we read in to Ireland only being absolutely brilliant under the Coaching of Hughes? Established Managers like Sven and Keegan didn't get as much out of him. I know we've also got to think of the other 9 outfield players, but we have little or no creativity in the middle of the field now.

[dazby]

Last season he was brilliant because he had Robbie to work with and weave his magic. Who has he got this season? He needs to develop the rainbow connection with Ade and Tevez. That will take a bit of time.

[btajim]

Last season he was brilliant because he had Robbie to work with and weave his magic. Who has he got this season? He needs to develop the rainbow connection with Ade and Tevez. That will take a bit of time.

Adebayor and Tevez must have worked with creative players before. Ireland's always lacked something upstairs - but his Football comes so naturally that it's sad to see him struggling this season. It's almost like he's stuck out on the wing again.

[Fidel Castro]

I actually really do believe its a case of "Form is temporary, Class is permanent" here.....

He had a one good season but has been largely mediocre/ineffective for most of his career.

That is actually true but the talent IS there. I haven't given up hope yet

[Im_Spartacus]

I actually really do believe its a case of "Form is temporary, Class is permanent" here.....

He had a one good season but has been largely mediocre/ineffective for most of his career.

That is actually true but the talent IS there. I haven't given up hope yet

The talent is doubtless there, but form would suggest that under 3 different managers he has been abject, unless the team is setup to his strengths - when the team was setup to his strengths we couldnt win away and leaked goals like a seive. Hughes was right to look at a different setup to last season, and Ireland found it extremely difficult to adapt.

CTK is spot on about Arsenal, he would be bloody brilliant in that sort of side, as he was under Hughes last season as I feel he is a great player to have in a side bombarding forwards, but largely ineffective in a side trying to build patiently, so if he did go to an arsenal or god forbid a united, we would see him go onto better things and we would have to stomach it, but if he doesnt fit into what 4 successive managers have tried to do here he surely has a limited future with us - whether that be under Mourinho or Mancini, the style of football isnt going to change drastically.

[Original Dub]

Fabregas goes to Barcelona for £40million in June. After having a shocking season at City, Mr. Wenger spots an opportunity and picks Stevie up for £6million, and slowly develops him into a better player than bloody Fabregas with £34million in his back pocket. City go on to buy Fabregas for £58million but upon his arrival, forgets how to pass a football.

Dig this up in five years!

Its not completely unrealistic at all... Ireland would be fantastic in an attack minded team like Arsenal or united. It looks like he's the icing on the cake for such teams, but at the moment our cake is only half baked and a bit bland. Whether it bakes in time to see Ireland sitting proudly on the top of it again, remains to be seen, but there's other cakes in the bakery waiting for a bit of icing ....

Fuck the other cakes.

In fact, fuck all cakes and fuck analogies.


Fuck.