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Just spotted this on the back of one of the early edition Sunday papers being trawled through on SSN:

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/St ... 33927.html

Stephen Ireland has told Manchester City he wants to leave the club.

The Irish midfielder asked to be put on the transfer list when he met City officials during the week to discuss his future after a nightmare season at Eastlands.

City now expect Ireland to put his request in writing after he explained that he feels that only a move away from the Blues will enable him to resurrect his career.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is a big admirer of the 23-year-old, while Liverpool have also been monitoring him.

But his lack of form may force the Cork-born midfielder to lower his sights.

City may offer Aston Villa the chance to include ­Ireland as a £12million makeweight in a deal for James Milner after having a £20m bid for the England star rejected.

Sunderland will also be interested after coming close to signing the ex-Republic of Ireland international two years ago.

A City source confirmed: “It has been a difficult year for Stephen and he feels that he needs a move to refresh his career.”

Twelve months ago, ­Ireland was voted City’s player of the year by the supporters after an outstanding season under Mark Hughes.

Hughes had blocked his departure to Sunderland on the eve of the campaign, and Ireland responded by playing a starring role alongside ­Robinho and Elano.

But after scoring at Blackburn on the opening day of this season he struggled to recapture top form.

Ireland’s slump continued when Hughes was replaced by Roberto Mancini in December. Injury sidelined him during the run-in, when City failed to secure a top-four place.

But it was unlikely Mancini would have picked Ireland anyway after hinting that his lack of form was down to his mental attitude.

City are hoping Villa will show an interest after signing fellow Irishman Richard Dunne last season.

Martin O’Neill is loath to allow Milner to make the same journey up the M6 taken by Gareth Barry last summer, but he may regard Ireland as an unpolished diamond.

City will wait until Milner has spoken to Villa this week before making a second bid.

Villa are ready to offer him a contract worth £70,000 a week, but if Milner gives them any encouragement to make a second bid it will be pitched at £23m.

A straight swap for Milner seems more appropriate than giving Villa one of our best ever Academy Graduates AND 20+ Million for a reliable Premiership player. If Ireland was being courted at the end of the 08/09 season then think how much he'd have been rated at! Let him go if he genuinely wants out. No point keeping an unhappy Lad at the Club.

I think Ireland deserves next season to prove himself under the new Manager - but Milner is evidently more intelligent and professional off the field than Ireland is. Personally, I'd have both in the Squad next season for our dual attack on both the Premiership and the Europa League.

Although this is The Mirror that's reported it...

Im guessing "A City source" is probably ireland's agent. Looks like he's being touted to clubs via the press to me.

A fucking shame it has come to this. Wish Ireland would stay for another season and fight for his spot.

If we give Villa 20m and Ireland this is SO going to bite us in the ass... what an absolutely terrible piece of business that would be.

Nah fook him off. We cant be doin with these sorts of player. We need proper pros .Not guys that go on whole season slups just because they ent gettin a hug from the manage every 5 mins.

No, fuck that.

So many players through the years have needed "hugs" and reassurance to truely make them great players and I will stick my neck on the line here and say he will be a truely great player that we will cry over if he leaves.

Don't do this. On the back of a season where Milner has not reached the heights Ireland did last year? Fuck that.

Original Dub wrote:No, fuck that.

So many players through the years have needed "hugs" and reassurance to truely make them great players and I will stick my neck on the line here and say he will be a truely great player that we will cry over if he leaves.

Don't do this. On the back of a season where Milner has not reached the heights Ireland did last year? Fuck that.

Hang on, I'm a fan of Stevie's but that's a bit far-fetched. This season Milner's chipped in with 12 goals in all competitions, 12 assists in the Premier League, got to Wembley twice and contributed to his team finishing 6th. Compare that with Ireland last season (he was exceptional, no doubt) who contributed 13 goals in all competitions, and 9 assists in the league. I know it's a fairly elementary way of looking at it but I'd say Ireland of last season vs. Milner of this are about level.

Ireland's situation is tricky- he's potentially a world-class creative midfielder, worth his weight in gold, and we saw more than a few glimpses of that potential last season (and the season before when I thought he was brilliant at times), it's just a question of how to utilise him properly, and how much time are we willing to allocate to his development. Supposing we entrust him with being our creative force next season and buy nobody, and he has a shocker again- it's a huge gamble.

I suppose what I'm advocating is, get Milner in, but keep Steve too. Maybe Milner would be crap and Ireland would rediscover his form, maybe Milner would step it up and become our Gerrard, or maybe they'd both fit into the side along with Barry in a midfield three and we'd all be happy forever.

It's just that in our position, we don't need to make sacrifices. We don't need to sell to buy, so why not capitalise on that. Keep our best and potentially best players, compliment them with others. And don't fucking go strengthening our rivals.

Looks like the Mancini cull has started.(IMO) I can think of a few players that might have been told that they have no future at the club. Explains the outbursts to the media from _______etc

Colin the King wrote:I suppose what I'm advocating is, get Milner in, but keep Steve too. Maybe Milner would be crap and Ireland would rediscover his form, maybe Milner would step it up and become our Gerrard, or maybe they'd both fit into the side along with Barry in a midfield three and we'd all be happy forever.

It's just that in our position, we don't need to make sacrifices. We don't need to sell to buy, so why not capitalise on that. Keep our best and potentially best players, compliment them with others. And don't fucking go strengthening our rivals.

Yes, on all counts.

I will be highly pissed off with our management team and for the first time our owners if Ireland leaves. I seriously worry for us if our best young players like Hart, Ireland, Johnson, Onouha, Richards, move out this season. They may not be world beaters but neither to be fair are anyone who's moved in (for huge fees). They are all decent players. (Even Tevez is far from world class IMO - or in other terms if it was a choice between Tevez or Ireland I honestly wouldn't find it an easy decision. A choice between Onouha and Toure would be easier - Onouha obviously)

Is Mancini incapable of motivating players (in fairness some may be near on impossible to keep happy but somehow you manage -don't you)?

Ireland and Robinho are players of immense ability. IMO a great manager would be able to keep their chin up. I'm starting to doubt Mancini big time. at least for longer than 6 months of arriving on the scene.

Why oh why can we not ever seem to get everything and everyone going in the same direction at the same time? (But then again maybe thi is all just more media BS and Ireland will stay)

TonyM wrote:I will be highly pissed off with our management team and for the first time our owners if Ireland leaves. I seriously worry for us if our best young players like Hart, Ireland, Johnson, Onouha, Richards, move out this season. They may not be world beaters but neither to be fair are anyone who's moved in (for huge fees). They are all decent players. (Even Tevez is far from world class IMO - or in other terms if it was a choice between Tevez or Ireland I honestly wouldn't find it an easy decision. A choice between Onouha and Toure would be easier - Onouha obviously)

Is Mancini incapable of motivating players (in fairness some may be near on impossible to keep happy but somehow you manage -don't you)?

Ireland and Robinho are players of immense ability. IMO a great manager would be able to keep their chin up. I'm starting to doubt Mancini big time. at least for longer than 6 months of arriving on the scene.

Why oh why can we not ever seem to get everything and everyone going in the same direction at the same time? (But then again maybe thi is all just more media BS and Ireland will stay)

What a load of crap.Both Robinho and Ireland went shit before Mancini arrived!! and you cant blame the owners and management if a player wants to leave .Even if such players are bein pushed out, it is after they were given many chances to prove themselves .Ireland was shocking last season when we really needed him to turn it on. I also think people give Ned more credit than he deserves.

If true then Stevie needs to stop wasting his money on cars and fish tanks and buy one of these

http://www.fallingpixel.com/products/11 ... t%2001.jpg

Then once he has purchased one of those, he needs some Determination and Hunger pills instead of wimping out when the going gets tough.

Amazing talent but we can't be doing with any players that don't have any fight in them.

He wants to be City's Paul Scholes and be here for years to come and have a stand named after him but all of a sudden he has a bad time and he wants to quit.

He should be out there showcasing the hunger, the fight and determination to be the player he was in 08/09 and then he will be playing all the time as Mancini is no fool and will see this, unfortunatley what Mancini is seeing at the moment is a talented player who has no winning mentality or hunger for the game.

Maybe that point in the City project that many feared would arrive has been reached. The time when we as fans say goodbye to many of those who we have taken to our hearts and realise that sentimentality has no place in our project.

We have to put our emotions on the back burner and accept that no matter how much we may love some of our heroes, if they ain't good enough, they'll have to go. Micah, Stevie and Ned may be the 1st batch as we seek to upgrade our squad with better players. Some of whom will be very talented mercenaries.

I am drawn to Mourinho. Massively successful but quite happy drop his new CL champions and pursue his career at Real.

I'd rather that he stayed & fought for a place (although that's only after I've calmed down from his derby performance) but if it's true that he wants to go, then we've seen from his previous personality flaws, that he's unlikely to raise his game & start performing to the level required if we force him to stay.

His cameo performance v rags was, to me, an example of someone who couldn't be arsed & if that's not changed then imo there'd be no point in keeping him. This whole thing may of course be lies but it does fit in with his performances. He's not looked like someone desperate to hang on to a 1st team place when he's played.

No doubt we'll find out the truth soon. If he does want to go we need to get true value for him.

Mancini went on record as saying that if a player isn't happy at a club it us best for both that he leaves, for someone with as fragile a mental state as Ireland that is probably as good as pushing him through the door.

Of the home grown lads that are reported to be on their way, Richards wouldn't worry me too much as he has never made the step up to be a truly class defender, Neddy upsets me as I think if he can ever stay clear of injury that he'll be a top CB. Ireland though makes me fucking livid, he proved last season that he has the ability to be world class and for City to just give up trying to Bring that out of him is poor.

One thing's for sure. If he does go, no matter how many mistakes he makes for his next club, they'll be overlooked & only the bits he gets right will be highlighted. We're going to have to listen to constant bleating both here & in the press about how we made a mistake letting him go, even if we didn't.

To be honest I am tired of carrying players who seemingly do not have the necessary bottle to fight for and nail down a place or whine on poxy Saturday morning TV about how unfair everything is. Just go if you don't like it. I have simply stopped caring and if we can replace with players who not only have the talent but the ability to get on with it without sulking every 5 minutes that would be great.

john68 wrote:Maybe that point in the City project that many feared would arrive has been reached. The time when we as fans say goodbye to many of those who we have taken to our hearts and realise that sentimentality has no place in our project.

We have to put our emotions on the back burner and accept that no matter how much we may love some of our heroes, if they ain't good enough, they'll have to go. Micah, Stevie and Ned may be the 1st batch as we seek to upgrade our squad with better players. Some of whom will be very talented mercenaries.

I am drawn to Mourinho. Massively successful but quite happy drop his new CL champions and pursue his career at Real.

Agreed mate I think this too I don't think we can put all our hopes on Ireland who lets be fair here has only had 1 good season in his whole City career. Sure he is is still young but he had a few bad seasons before last and then this season he was bad too. Santa Cruz was exactly the same at Blackburn. I hate to say it but it seems like he was a one season wonder for us and can we really afford to gamble on him for another season when we have the opportunity to get a consistent player like Milner? (Even if he wasn't as good as Ireland was last season he is at least consistent)

Like with Dunne who I was sad to see leave we are changing as a team and players who we love are gonna go we gotta get used to it as we need to goto the top. If they were good enough for a top 4 side while we were struggling at the bottom of the league we would have had trouble hanging onto them.

Crossie: "tough shit sit down and shut up"

Mancini would have played him if he was fit and ready, indeed he did play him in the later part of the season. Its not anyones fault if Ireland is constantly injured.

He fucked himself up last summer by thinking he needed to go fell running again, he didnt have a big enough rest, and by the time the new season started he was physically and mentally drained. Took on too much.

He needs put his feet up for 2 months and watch the world cup, then come back after a good long rest and start putting the effort in again. He needs to sort his personal shit out whatever that might be, and clear his conscience.

I feel like finding him and bitch slapping him, and telling him "your going no where son, look at this quote about the club naming stands after you, do you remember the state of mind you were in back then? fine it again and we will take on the world together."

If he ends up at scum or arse, ill be really really FUCKING PISSED OFF IN A HOWARD KENDALL MARRYING EVERTON STYLIEEE

Lets put this in a nutshell

Ireland 1 good season in 4

Millner consistantly good for those 4 seasons

Given the choice I'd sign milner, but would'nt use Ireland as a bargaining chip, Stevie still has a future at City if he can raise, himself to the levels of the previous season.