Ireland for Ireland!

loyatemu

seems to have gone unnoticed here, but Stephen Ireland was sh!t hot at the weekend - probably man of the match in a game in which there were a lot of contenders for that title (ok - Portsmouth's backline was abysmal, but still).

Now that he's gone for the chrome-dome look, there's no danger of anyone taking the piss out of his "wig". Yes, he's a muppet, but we could really do with him back in the Ireland side...

leninbenjamin

meh... he doesn't want to play for us. no point dwelling on it.

I've heard a few suggestions in different places as well that Hughes is actively discouraging him from returning to the fold; dunno if there's any truth to that.

Vokes

You must have missed the Premier League thread then - we were all loving his performance.

Anyway, I don't think Il Trap should go crawling to him or automatically insert him into the first eleven at the expense of the guys who have done well thus far.

We should leave the door open for him tho nonetheless.

CHD

Good Luck to him.

Stupid child.

Fed up of these threads

Johnny Utah

I'd love to see him back, very talented player. Think he got man of the match as well v portsmouth. That says a lot when you've got the likes of Robinho, Jo, Wright-Phillips etc on the pitch as well.

stovelid

loyatemu wrote: »

Now that he's gone for the chrome-dome look, there's no danger of anyone taking the piss out of his "wig".

Came across this today:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A27986034

I'm sure it was only a fringe element in the squad, and that Trap could easily get to the root of it.

Johnny Utah

That's not funny. A bit of banter is one thing, but blatent bullying is not on. Very unprofessional, but then what do you expect from the FAI.:rolleyes:

LuckyLloyd

I don't care how good he plays. If there is doubt in his mind over representing the national team then I'd rather we struggle on with players like Hunt, Whelan, Kilbahne and McGeady in his stead. **** you if you're a footballer in your early twenties and international dates are an inconvenience for you. I'll be happier watching lessor players play with a bit of pride.

And yeah - it's lol that this matter is constantly redebated on this forum.

loyatemu

SofaK wrote: »

You must have missed the Premier League thread then - we were all loving his performance.

sorry for the repetition then. TBH I find the mega-threads unreadable and I think they make this forum fairly useless. But, that's just my opinion.

JimiTime

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

And yeah - it's lol that this matter is constantly redebated on this forum.

With the lack of Irish football talent about these days, its bound to get some debate reguarly though. Especially when you see him put in great performances.

leninbenjamin

stovelid wrote: »

I'm sure it was only a fringe element in the squad, and that Trap could easily get to the root of it.

i remember reading about this at the time, but more worryingly people were saying it was supposed to have been some of the more senior members who did it. I know Robbie Keane's name was mentioned in relation to this.

Vic Vinegar

CHD wrote: »

Fed up of these threads

Stay out of them then....

Mr Alan

loyatemu wrote: »

sorry for the repetition then. TBH I find the mega-threads unreadable and I think they make this forum fairly useless. But, that's just my opinion.

this has been discussed many times, not only in mega threads, its also had its own threads i am sure.

anyway, that doesnt matter.

Ireland should ask to come back if he wants to play. Otherwise he shoudl just do watever he wants and leave Trap and the squad to go about their business. They shouldnt have to waste any time and effort on Ireland.

enda1

leninbenjamin wrote: »

i remember reading about this at the time, but more worryingly people were saying it was supposed to have been some of the more senior members who did it. I know Robbie Keane's name was mentioned in relation to this.

Well then maybe Keane should have left the squad and not Ireland.

Mr Alan

it was rubbished by the squad with Hunt actually coming out and saying it was nonsense. that if they were going to slag anyone about their hair, it would have been him but that it never happened.

Stephen Ireland is a weirdo, plain and simple.

(wonder how long it'll take till the pics of his jeep appear )

Johnny Utah

Mr Alan wrote: »

it was rubbished by the squad with Hunt actually coming out and saying it was nonsense. that if they were going to slag anyone about their hair, it would have been him but that it never happened.

Stephen Ireland is a weirdo, plain and simple.

(wonder how long it'll take till the pics of his jeep appear )

Of course the squad were going to deny anything happened.

Stephen Ireland played for us, and even scored in some qualifiers, and then he suddenly disappears and doesn't want to play again. I'm sorry, but there must have been something that sparked that sort of reaction. You know what they say- there's no smoke without fire.

Pigman II

He should probably be allowed back in again. After all, he's demonstrated that he's got the monkey off his back (and the dead ferret off his head).

Mr Alan

Johnny Utah wrote: »

I'm sorry, but there must have been something that sparked that sort of reaction. You know what they say- there's no smoke without fire.

like him lying about two deceased Grannys to get out of international duty?
or his bebo surfacing in which he admits he doesnt like playing football at all?
or his manager admitting that he has serious "issues"?

Xavi6

CHD wrote: »

Good Luck to him.

Stupid child.

Fed up of these threads

Really? Why? For putting his club career ahead of a country career that for him was becoming more hassle than it was worth?

Look at how his City career as prospered since he hasn't had the extra baggage of international football. It was clearly the right decision for him and fair play.

All this 'he's a weirdo and more hassle than he's worth' bollox is pissing me off. He's never had an ounce of trouble at City and is enjoying his football now.

Nalz

How do either of yee know if he's a weirdo or not? The granny thing was wierd but he probably had his reasons...after that I dont know much about him to call him strange or not

Xavi6

Trilla wrote: »

How do either of yee know if he's a weirdo or not? The granny thing was wierd but he probably had his reasons...after that I dont know much about him to call him strange or not

That's basically my point.

Apart from the granny incident, he has never done anything negative of note, i.e. that would be newspaper worthy.

Mr Alan

weirdo



weirdo



and lying to get out of internation duty by saying your granny has died is pretty weird.

to make it even weirder again, getting caught out and saying your other granny died is even weirder.

i have never used the word weird so many times in a post. He deserves it though.

(xavi, i am not taking away from him as a player, he is excellent, and if he doesnt wanna play for Ireland thats fair enough)

Xavi6

:rolleyes:

You've posted a goal celebration, a car he bought for his missus, and a story which is gave a plausible explanation for.

The evidence is compelling.

Johnny Utah

Mr Alan wrote: »

like him lying about two deceased Grannys to get out of international duty?
or his bebo surfacing in which he admits he doesnt like playing football at all?
or his manager admitting that he has serious "issues"?

(1) His girlfriend suffered a miscarriage at the time- clearly his head wasn't in the right place at the time.

(2) The bebo thing was pretty stupid. Being a well-known footballer, he shouldn't have had a bebo account in the first place because sooner or later it would be disclosed to the press, even if it was on private. Having said that though, football players aren't renowned for having great intelligence.

If he actually said that he didn't like playing football, then that's tough luck for him because it's probably the only thing he could do to earn a decent living. Furthermore, he seems to be enjoying his football at the moment, so maybe some of his friends got some pictures of him and set up the bebo account.

(3) So what if he has "issues", lots of people have issues. He seems to be more accomdated by Man City management, and as a result is performing well this season.






If the rumours about bullying are true, then it's a sad reflection on the Irish squad, and tbh we don't deserve him back. What would you think if some players held down Andy Reid, and started poking his belly, saying 'hey fatty, who ate all the pies fatty?'. Wouldn't be funny, would it?

mikemac

Newspaper reports in Dublin at the weekend claimed that the reason that Ireland put his international career on hold was that he had been mocked by his Ireland colleagues over an alleged hair transplant or his wearing of a hairpiece.

This taunting, it was said, degenerated into two teammates pinning him to the floor and attempting to remove the “evidence”. It is understood that Ireland’s distress at the reports could shatter his recovery. “If this goes on, there’s now a great fear that Stephen will retire from Ireland for good,” a source said. Another source told The Times that it was “more basic ribbing but he took it really badly”. The FAI denied that any bullying took place.

From the bbc link on Page 1.
That's going too far tbh. If the guy reckons there was bullying going on then it needs to stamped out

stovelid

Mr Alan wrote: »

Dead cert for a future caption of the week photo, surely.

The BBC article alleges that City were paying for counseling, so if true, I wouldn't call him a weirdo or a bad professional, but it would suggest all is not well.

Mr Alan

i dont believe for a second that his missus had a miscarraige.

And Xavi, is pulling down you shorts a normal goal celebration? or is buying a jeep like that "normal"?

Dun laoire

CHD wrote: »

Good Luck to him.

Stupid child.

Fed up of these threads

Spot on. As much as i and the majority of people want him back we can't keep making threads everytime he has a good game for Manchester City. The bottom line is he aint in the Irish fold and we cant keep wanting him back. Anyway we are gonna qualify for 2010 world cup with or without him :pac:

Xavi6

Mr Alan wrote: »

i dont believe for a second that his missus had a miscarraige.

And Xavi, is pulling down you shorts a normal goal celebration? or is buying a jeep like that "normal"?

I don't see the problem with the jeep. All footballers have 'pimped rides'. It's different, but it's what his missus wanted.

As for the celebration, no it's not a normal goal celebration. Then again, neither is lifting your shirt over your head or donning a spiderman mask, both of which barely raise an eyebrow.

estebancambias

I have to laugh at that Xavi. The 'baggage of playing for Ireland'

What baggage? The lad played 6 games, and was just pushing into the side when he went off like a little child.

He then said he would come back at the FAI ceremony, but when Trap asks him to come back he's not ready.

monkey9

I don't really know whether Stephen Ireland is an arrogant little to$$er or has certain issues. Nobody here knows. All i do know is that he's a superb footballer who, if he wanted to play for Ireland again, i for one would be delighted!

estebancambias

I doubt Trapattoni would even play him if he came back. Rightly or wrongly(I think wrongly) I don't see Trap making big changes and he seems to like the players he has in the starting 11.

Xavi6

estebancambias wrote: »

I have to laugh at that Xavi. The 'baggage of playing for Ireland'

What baggage? The lad played 6 games, and was just pushing into the side when he went off like a little child.

He then said he would come back at the FAI ceremony, but when Trap asks him to come back he's not ready.

Have you even read the feckin thread?

Maybe go back and check the bit about him being bullied and pinned down by his supposed teammates for a cheap laugh. Yes, he's the child :rolleyes:

Pigman II

I think if Ireland won't take him back then Advanced Hair Studio should take him under their wing. They're the people who magically grow your hair back "strand by strand" using a special secret ingredient found in the Amazon rainforest called "glue".

Mr Alan

has their been even a single confirmation from Ireland (the player) or anyone in the Ireland camp that ANY bullying went on?

if not Xavi, thats just silly gossip tbh.

Xavi6

Pigman II wrote: »

I think if Ireland won't take him back then Advanced Hair Studio should take him under their wing. They're the people who magically grow your hair back "strand by strand" using a special secret ingredient found in the Amazon rainforest called "glue".

This is probably the sort of crap that made him quit

Mr Alan wrote: »

has their been even a single confirmation from Ireland (the player) or anyone in the Ireland camp that ANY bullying went on?

if not Xavi, thats just silly gossip tbh.

The players are hardly gonna hold a press conference and say "Yeah we pinned him down, ruffled his hair and called him names. Twas great craic."

There's no smoke without fire etc.

Dun laoire

Mr Alan wrote: »

has their been even a single confirmation from Ireland (the player) or anyone in the Ireland camp that ANY bullying went on?

if not Xavi, thats just silly gossip tbh.

True. It is all gossip and rumours etc.. sure i read only recently that there was never a miscarriage. Apparently his missus was babysitting his child and she couldnt handle it and made him come home? Haha. Bloody hell

Mr Alan

of course there is smoke without fire, wat a ****ing ridiculous thing to say in this day and age. Fowler being a smackhead one prime example.

The players accused might not have a press conference, but one would imagine that Stephen himself would make a statement saying that he was bullied into his early retirement. but there has been nothing except in a couple of gossip pages.

even if he was "slagged" about his hair, wat age is he? cop the **** on.

*if he was held down etc-thats bang out of order, but i ****ing doubt it.

Charlie

Xavi6 wrote: »

As for the celebration, no it's not a normal goal celebration. Then again, neither is lifting your shirt over your head or donning a spiderman mask, both of which barely raise an eyebrow.

Wow wow wow, don't compare Spidey's celebration with that bald creeps attempt at jocking himself.

The chap is clearly an attention whore, his actions scream look at me. Threads like this only serve that purpose. Let the chap get on with his City carear, and stop begging with him to do us all a wonderful favour, and actually turn out for us.

I can promise you though, if we get qualification, or are on the verge of qualifying, and he then decides to have a 'change of heart', or 'is ready' to come back, I will go ape sh/t if is allowed back into the team.

pickarooney

Mr Alan wrote: »

i dont believe for a second that his missus had a miscarraige.

has their been even a single confirmation from Ireland (the player) or anyone in the Ireland camp that ANY bullying went on?

if not Xavi, thats just silly gossip tbh.

Any particular reason why you don't believe him, or is it just easier to dismiss his reasons because you don't like him?

And Xavi, is pulling down you shorts a normal goal celebration?

It was mildly amusing, hardly the actions of a psychopath in fairness.

or is buying a jeep like that "normal"?

Big whoop-di-do, it's got pink wheels. You give a kid a million quid, he's going to spend it on silly toys.

It's at least as "normal" as your obsession with Fernando Torres, IMO, although I doubt you have the footballing talent to outweigh that.

stovelid

Maybe the FAI could hire Neil Ruddock, Denis Wise and Steve McMahon as changing room bully consultants? Few weeks of them setting fire to Stephen's keks, and slicing his suits up with razors, and he'll be well acclimatized and begging Trap to include him in the squad.

Xavi6

Mr Alan wrote: »

of course there is smoke without fire, wat a ****ing ridiculous thing to say in this day and age. Fowler being a smackhead one prime example.

The players accused might not have a press conference, but one would imagine that Stephen himself would make a statement saying that he was bullied into his early retirement. but there has been nothing except in a couple of gossip pages.

even if he was "slagged" about his hair, wat age is he? cop the **** on.

*if he was held down etc-thats bang out of order, but i ****ing doubt it.

All I'm saying is he quit playing for Ireland but has never had any real problems at City. There must be a reason for that.

charlie mchugh wrote: »

Wow wow wow, don't compare Spidey's celebration with that bald creeps attempt at jocking himself.

The chap is clearly an attention whore, his actions scream look at me. Threads like this only serve that purpose. Let the chap get on with his City carear, and stop begging with him to do us all a wonderful favour, and actually turn out for us.

I can promise you though, if we get qualification, or are on the verge of qualifying, and he then decides to have a 'change of heart', or 'is ready' to come back, I will go ape sht if is allowed back into the team.

Ah now come on out of that. 'Attention whore' my left one.

You'd swear he was in the papers every week commenting on the Irish set up and criticising those playing instead of him. He said he wanted out, he's out. The only people bringing attention to it are the likes of us. Not Stephen Ireland.

Mr Alan

hold on xavi, Stephen Ireland doesnt bring attention to himself?

do you want me to post those pics again?!!??!!

zAbbo

Twat or not, if he came back - he'd easily be our best player.

He's on the kind of form, journeymen like Stephen Hunt can only dream of.

He's a genuinely talented player, a match winner and someone who we badly need back in the national team.

BUT, so much has gone on, that he clearly has issues, and the country has more or less turned their back on him, and not for the first time he's had a fallout with the FAI.

If I was him, and after everything that had happened, I'd be giving the two fingers to the national team as well, what exactly does he owe them?

Get the head down, concentrate on his game and see what happens, right now he needs some stability, and certainly better advice.

I don't think he's made any official comment since, there just seems to be lots of BS tabloid trash written about him.

Mr Alan

Xavi6 wrote: »

All I'm saying is he quit playing for Ireland but has never had any real problems at City. There must be a reason for that.

well, he doesnt get paid over a 100k a month to play for Ireland, maybe thats why he hasnt had any issues there?

although come to think of it, wasnt Sven very vocal about his issues and that City were trying to help him through it, sending him to a shrink and giving him a few weeks off last season?

Xavi6

Mr Alan wrote: »

hold on xavi, Stephen Ireland doesnt bring attention to himself?

do you want me to post those pics again?!!??!!

I think you're dwelling on the celebration just a little bit. It was more funny than anything else.

And once again, the car was for his missus. Big deal.

Mr Alan

wat about the sparkling gold baseball cap he was wearing at the weekend?

look i know its just his horrid taste, but lets not try paint him out as some sort of wallflower.

this is a man who reefed down his jocks in front of millions of people for no apparent reason afterall.

*i agree it is a little funny, but by doing it, he kind of gives up any right for people to defend him as the shy retiring type.

zAbbo

Xavi6 wrote: »

I think you're dwelling on the celebration just a little bit. It was more funny than anything else.

And once again, the car was for his missus. Big deal.

I think himself and Micah had bought the same jocks, and had agreed whoever scored would bare them with the superman pose.

Kinda funny in a way.

Xavi6

zAbbo wrote: »

I think himself and Micah had bought the same jocks, and had agreed whoever scored would bare them with the superman pose.

Kinda funny in a way.

Completely forgot about that bet but yes you're 100% right.

Charlie

Xavi6 wrote: »

Ah now come on out of that. 'Attention whore' my left one.

If it looks like a duck sounds like a duck etc. etc.

Xavi6 wrote: »

Completely forgot about that bet but yes you're 100% right.

And this disproves that he isn't a attn. whore? It only proves Micah is probably one also. Sure wasn't he poking some young one out of it in a handicapped jax, only to then video it and send it to all his mates.

Xavi6

No it just proves he's a young footballer havin craic with his mate. No harm in that