Ireland

He's in a poor run of form, but it doesn't help when he makes 40-yard runs off the ball to find his team mates are playing their 300th square pass in a row before passing it back to Given to hoof upfield. Keep faith with him. Lots of the same names slagging Stevie now were the ones calling Tevez a waste of money before Christmas
 
I wonder whether he is just exhausted as he looks like he doesn't have it in him recently?

But there was a guy behind me yesterday who was moaning about him the whole match and I think it's way OTT. Some people seem to get one idea in their head (i.e. "Irelands lazy") and think they have to go on about it endlessley to show how perceptive they are.

He is not having a great time at the moment, BUT we have all seen what an asset he can be, and imo the management need to somehow get his confidence and enthusiasm back up - which would be much easier to do if the supporters stuck with him rather than slagging him off.
 
bowdonblue said:
I wonder whether he is just exhausted as he looks like he doesn't have it in him recently?

But there was a guy behind me yesterday who was moaning about him the whole match and I think it's way OTT. Some people seem to get one idea in their head (i.e. "Irelands lazy") and think they have to go on about it endlessley to show how perceptive they are.

He is not having a great time at the moment, BUT we have all seen what an asset he can be, and imo the management need to somehow get his confidence and enthusiasm back up - which would be much easier to do if the supporters stuck with him rather than slagging him off.
Click to expand...

This is exactly right imo. People turn up to games with a preconceived idea of who they like and who they don't like. Certain players get away with murder (mentioning no names), whilst other players get their every mistake latched upon. It's been going on for years, and is kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ok, Ireland didn't have the best of games yesterday, but he's hardly going to improve when everyone's getting on his case is he? Rather than encouraging players when they're struggling for form we tend to kick them when they're down. Seems it's Ireland's turn to be whipping boy, but what people think they're achieving by this I fail to see.
 
i dont know what mancini was playing at since when has ireland been a second striker i couldnt believe what i was seeing.ireland is a good player but whether he is good enough to play in a side pushing for a champions league spot remains to be seen.the formation of the side didnt work at all ade tried his best up front but needed a lot more support liverpool were poor and were there for the taking if mancini had been more ambitious one forward on the team when your playing at home its not on.i know we didnt lose but it felt like a we did come back carlos and quickly we need you.i just hope for a better performance against stoke if not we will play into their hands we have got to be more of a threat going forward!!!!!
 
I'm not here to judge the lad and I'm certainly no body laguage expert but he just didn't seem right yesterday.

I'm not going to make excuses for him but I think there may be some truth in the fact that he is making runs and not getting the ball. However, that doesn't then mean that he should spend half the match going through the motions, jogging into space with no real conviction and then looking over at the the bench every other minute. That's how I saw it yesterday.

I think it's fair to say that this style of play does not suit him. He isn't a playmaker in the truest sense, he's an attacking midfielder with finishing ability who relies on a high tempo to flourish. The way we play at the moment is crying out for an Alonso type who will collect the balls off our centre halfs and defensive midfielders and pick out passes. The fact that Benitez saw Gareth Barry as a replacement for Alonso shows how clueless that fat Spanish c*nt really is! That's no slight on Barry by the way, they're just totally different players.

This season could be a right-off for Stevie because I just don't see Mancini changing his tactics to suit him and once Tevez is back Stevie will be back on the bench. Is it now time for Stevie to get his head down and work on adding another string to his bow so he can be that playmaker for us? He's proved a lot of people wrong before so you can't rule it out. At present though, it's not looking good for him.
 
My own observations, whether they be right or wrong.

Nobody will need to tell him, he had a shite game yesterday, his whole body language throughout the game, and as he was substituted spoke a thousand words.

He currently seems to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. I remember his comments about how disgusted he was following that shameful day at Boro, so accusations about a lack of professional pride are wide of the mark.

But, irrespective if where he plays, when he gets a chance, there are very few glimpses of the player we saw last season in any capacity.

I believe something happened the night of the Fulham cup game which mentally shook him to his very core. At one stage, there was a fear he had suffered a brain clot.

He was a tortured soul that particular night on the field and remember him going down on his knees and holding his head.

Thankfully, all the tests came back normal, however, sunconsciously, this must have been a huge shock to his own mortality, especially with his young family.

As a result, whether it was considered he was overtraining or not, his previous commitment outside of his regular workouts, were pretty much knocked on the head.

Coupled with his lack of opportunties, this, I believe, is the true problems of late.
 
tolmie's hairdoo said:
My own observations, whether they be right or wrong.

Nobody will need to tell him, he had a shite game yesterday, his whole body language throughout the game, and as he was substituted spoke a thousand words.

He currently seems to have the weight of the world on your shoulders. I remember his comments about how disgusted he was following that shameful day at Boro, so accusations about a lack of professional pride are wide of the mark.

But, irrespective if where he plays, when he gets a chance, there are very few glimpses of the player we saw last season in any capacity.

I believe something happened the night of the Fulham cup game which mentally shook him to his very core. At one stage, there was a fear he had suffered a brain clot.

He was a tortured soul that particular night on the field and remember him going down on his knees and holding his head.

Thankfully, all the tests came back normal, however, sunconsciously, this must have been a huge shock to his own mortality, especially with his young family.

As a result, whether it was considered he was overtraining or not, his previous commitment outside of his regular workouts, were pretty much knocked on the head.

Coupled with his lack of opportunties, this, I believe, is the true problems of late.
Click to expand...

An extremely preceptive observation.

This explains an awful lot about his mental state, which has been fragile for a few years now, if truth be told!

But I totally understand what you are getting at about how things no longer feel so important or relevant when you have had a shock to your system in terms of a medical condition.

I speak from experience that this sort of thing can change your views on just about everything, and suddenly football is not that important any more.

However, while it explains the situation, it does not resolve it.

While we may sympathise, management need to act appropriately and make decisions on the best way forward.

But we really can't afford to lose another midfielder at this moment in time.
 
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