Ireland!!!

[leighton]

Gone at the end of the season in my books. Mancini won't put up with this standard of performance. End of the day I support him at the stadium, but anyone who says the lad's undeserving of the criticism he is currently receiving needs to take off their blue tinted glasses and wake up and smell the coffee.

Those who say he has not had a run of games need to realise the reason why he has not had a run of games. Injuries yes, but more significantly lack of form and his inability to be in the team on merit. If you don't play well, you get benched. It's as simple as that.

If he stays, knuckles down and is better next season fair enough but I can't see it right now.

To be honest you can say that about all of our midfield not just Stevie. Barry and De Jong have all had mares during the season but yet 9 times out of 10 they get in the team. Barry hasnt proved himself this season at the club and I think his role at the club will be under the spotlight more than Irelands at the club. He came with the big price tag and honestly hasnt lived up to it and doesnt seem to be the long term solution. Vieria wont be here past the summer as well so that will be were we try and sign a major player there to replace both Barry and Vieria.

 

[Freestyler]

First 5 minutes last night he was nervous, then after that he settled in and played well IMO,

just a shame one of the dirty scouse twats injured him, when he went off the middle was empty all night.

 

[sniff]

Gone at the end of the season in my books. Mancini won't put up with this standard of performance. End of the day I support him at the stadium, but anyone who says the lad's undeserving of the criticism he is currently receiving needs to take off their blue tinted glasses and wake up and smell the coffee.

Those who say he has not had a run of games need to realise the reason why he has not had a run of games. Injuries yes, but more significantly lack of form and his inability to be in the team on merit. If you don't play well, you get benched. It's as simple as that.

If he stays, knuckles down and is better next season fair enough but I can't see it right now.

To be honest you can say that about all of our midfield not just Stevie. Barry and De Jong have all had mares during the season but yet 9 times out of 10 they get in the team. Barry hasnt proved himself this season at the club and I think his role at the club will be under the spotlight more than Irelands at the club. He came with the big price tag and honestly hasnt lived up to it and doesnt seem to be the long term solution. Vieria wont be here past the summer as well so that will be were we try and sign a major player there to replace both Barry and Vieria.

Barry must have a caluse in his contract that means he has to play in every game. But Barry and DeJong together, i dont think you will see that next year after Mancini has brought his own players in. No mobility or pace what so ever from barry.

 

[samy]

To be honest you can say that about all of our midfield not just Stevie. Barry and De Jong have all had mares during the season but yet 9 times out of 10 they get in the team. Barry hasnt proved himself this season at the club and I think his role at the club will be under the spotlight more than Irelands at the club. He came with the big price tag and honestly hasnt lived up to it and doesnt seem to be the long term solution. Vieria wont be here past the summer as well so that will be were we try and sign a major player there to replace both Barry and Vieria.

Barry must have a caluse in his contract that means he has to play in every game. But Barry and DeJong together, i dont think you will see that next year after Mancini has brought his own players in. No mobility or pace what so ever from barry.

I agree with Barry looking slow but De Jong for me is one of the best signings made breaks up play simple balls always availble for a pass great player in my view!!!

 

[leighton]

Barry must have a caluse in his contract that means he has to play in every game. But Barry and DeJong together, i dont think you will see that next year after Mancini has brought his own players in. No mobility or pace what so ever from barry.

I agree with Barry looking slow but De Jong for me is one of the best signings made breaks up play simple balls always availble for a pass great player in my view!!!

I like De Jong myself but both him and Barry along with Ireland have looked poor this season. I wouldnt get rid of him and Ireland because they can offer more mobility to the team and creative play than Barry does in either role he plays. De Jong is a great ball winner and in that defensive role in the league there are not too many players better than him.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

First 5 minutes last night he was nervous, then after that he settled in and played well IMO,

just a shame one of the dirty scouse twats injured him, when he went off the middle was empty all night.

I'm not getting sucked into this thread because it irks me how many Blues have negative opinions on Ireland, but that's how I saw it too.

Our best period of play was when he was in "the hole".

 

[robbieh]

I suspect if we had more options at the back Vincent may have had more run outs in midfield. He is a bit more mobile than the other two.

 

[stockholm blue syndrome]

First 5 minutes last night he was nervous, then after that he settled in and played well IMO,

just a shame one of the dirty scouse twats injured him, when he went off the middle was empty all night.

I'm not getting sucked into this thread because it irks me how many Blues have negative opinions on Ireland, but that's how I saw it too.

Our best period of play was when he was in "the hole".

thought he did well his thru balls were quite telling and he was quite effective he definitely needs to play in a 5 man midfield

 

[Neil McNab]

Gone at the end of the season in my books. Mancini won't put up with this standard of performance. End of the day I support him at the stadium, but anyone who says the lad's undeserving of the criticism he is currently receiving needs to take off their blue tinted glasses and wake up and smell the coffee.

Those who say he has not had a run of games need to realise the reason why he has not had a run of games. Injuries yes, but more significantly lack of form and his inability to be in the team on merit. If you don't play well, you get benched. It's as simple as that.

If he stays, knuckles down and is better next season fair enough but I can't see it right now.

To be honest you can say that about all of our midfield not just Stevie. Barry and De Jong have all had mares during the season but yet 9 times out of 10 they get in the team. Barry hasnt proved himself this season at the club and I think his role at the club will be under the spotlight more than Irelands at the club. He came with the big price tag and honestly hasnt lived up to it and doesnt seem to be the long term solution. Vieria wont be here past the summer as well so that will be were we try and sign a major player there to replace both Barry and Vieria.

De Jong is worst midfielder at the club but it's ok because he's a defensive midfielder, bullshit!
He's crap, Barry is the best midfielder at the club but he looks awful when he has to play next to the terracotta warrior!
The key to Ireland is between his ears, if someone can sort his head out we'll have a player on our hands again but it doesn't help playing with teracotta warrior or never getting a run of games.
We need to add some pace, vision and passing to Ireland and Barry and send Viera and the Teracotta one packing!

 

[Le Havre Oswald]

he has not played well since he put all that muscle on IMO

 

[schumey04]

Did anyone else notice the size of the belly on him last night when he lifted his shirt walking off the pitch. Lack of Kung Fu training this year i think

 

[Didsbury Dave]

he has not played well since he put all that muscle on IMO

Pile of arse mate. He was player of the year and scored over 10 goals in the season after he bulked up.

 

[franksinatra]

I really hope he stays but on current form he is not worthy of a place in the side. He played his preferred position last night in the space behind the main striker and still could not influence the game significantly.

If we play with a target man such as Adebayor then obviously Tevez must get the position floating behind. Twenty goals plus, 100 per effort dictates this.

For Ireland he has to convince in the role of central midfield, that he can provide the defensive cover and take responsibility, allowing the team to play with two wide men such as Bellamy or Johnson otherwise the options are limited for him.

Great talent but hasnt kicked on from last season, seems to disapear during a game and as a central midfielder, it's one position you can least afford for that to happen.

Still he has the talent, no more blaming managers, or positions, he has had the opportunities and now needs to prove himself. again. Still rate him highly and would be gutted if he was to leave.

 

[Neil McNab]

If Adebayor is a target man then I am the jolly green giant and I've just won the lottery

HO HO HO Green .......

 

[franksinatra]

If Adebayor is a target man then I am the jolly green giant and I've just won the lottery

HO HO HO Green .......

Ok lead striker if that suits better green giant. I think you get the point though.

 

[LongsightM13]

Stevie was just settling into the game nicely when he was kicked out of it by the thug Heitinga. His chip through for Tevez was sublime and we had nobody else to pick a pass through a compact and well drilled Everton defence. The haters would do well to remember that the only time we have beaten them recently, last season away, was with a team containing Elano, Stevie and Robinho, the latter pair getting the goals and the former creating the first

 

[franksinatra]

Stevie was just settling into the game nicely when he was kicked out of it by the thug Heitinga. His chip through for Tevez was sublime and we had nobody else to pick a pass through a compact and well drilled Everton defence. The haters would do well to remember that the only time we have beaten them recently, last season away, was with a team containing Elano, Stevie and Robinho, the latter pair getting the goals and the former creating the first

So where would you play him? Play one upfront and behind the striker, in a midfield two in a 4-4-2.

Im certainly not a hater of Ireland just not sure where he fits into an eleven at the minute. I prefer two wingers to enable us to stretch a side, and two strikers as we often when we braek lack players in the box. In an ideal world Ireland for his passing would play, just think its doubtful the way Mancini sets his side out.

 

[LongsightM13]

It's a conundrum for sure. The problem is, none of our other central midfielders can create anything, get forward quickly to support the forwards or even break beyond the strikers. And our delivery from wide areas, Adam excepted, has been pisspoor all season. Modric does nothing defensively at Spurs, but he plays beside Palacios, who is on a different planet to De Jong and Barry in terms of mobility and dynamism

 

[franksinatra]

Maybe if we had signed Mariga as by all accounts he is this type of player. Ireland could of dropped into a midfield two. Its so frustrating to watch us build up a bit of a head of steam and then the two midfielders retreat to two very defensive positions rather than win the ball back higher up the pitch. Losing us momentum and losing the support of the crowd. I would be surprised is this is a mancini tactic rather than forced on him by the personnel he has. Im sure it would be different if we had a Palacios, Fellaini box to box type midfielder.

 

[samharris]

Seems like Stevies lost his touch, he doesn't go into tackles like he used to or pass like he used to. I don't believe a player can just go shit so it must be a confidence thing, maybe us the fans can bring Ireland back to life if we show like we did last season that we love him and he is our superman maybe it will spark him back into life and city will only benefit from this!!

Thoughts ??

Blatantly taken out from behind and had to go off because of it..

good move smeagol.