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Arsenal FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread
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AND he won't get injured on international duty (are you listening Mr. Van Persie?)
At least Mr Van Persie plays for his country
Good player but seems to be a bit of a basket case!
Who else would drive a car like this
He might do a 'Shiela's Wheels' commercial yetx PyRo wrote:
Don't like using that smiley but it's suitable here. That's such a stupid statement. Ireland would improve our team big time, And hopefully Mr. Wenger makes an attempt to sign him.
Ok whatever you think :rolleyes: While you've obviously been in a coma somewhere for some time, Ireland has come out with this
Source
By Gareth Maher
(Archive)
The debate is finally over. No more need for fans to ask when he might come back, or for journalists to write endless column inches suggesting that he could still change his mind. No, the chances of Stephen Ireland playing for his country again in the near future are dead.
GettyImagesA slightly less bald Ireland last played for his country in 2007.
After a lengthy pursuit by manager Giovanni Trapattoni and his backroom staff, the Manchester City midfielder opted not to be seduced by their advances and chose to remain wrapped up in his self-imposed international exile.
The 23-year-old gave an interview last week where he explained how a tough fitness regime is helping him to enjoy his football a lot more and that he doesn't see how international football can fit into his busy schedule. In fact, he sees no reason why he should squeeze it in.
"I'm not thinking about it [coming back for Ireland] at all," he said. "It's just my position and it feels like the best decision I ever made."
The supposed reasons why the player is reluctant to alter his decision range from the other squad members teasing him over a hairpiece he wore at the time, to the embarrassment of lying about the death of both his grandmothers in order to get back to his girlfriend, who had in fact gone through a miscarriage while he was away on international duty.
Added to that is the sour taste left by being involved in a squad that was managed poorly by Steve Staunton and heavily criticised by the media. So it is not that surprising that he does not have many fond memories of his six international caps.
Having not pulled on the green jersey since 2007, it is now highly unlikely that he will feature in the current World Cup qualifying campaign that sees Trapattoni's side occupy second place in Group 8 with three games remaining.
In many ways it is a good thing that Ireland has taken this stance. Not only will it bring an end to the speculation about a possible return, but it allows the current squad of players to focus on the last three qualifiers.
Murmurs from inside the Irish camp recently suggested that if Ireland did come back into the squad at this late stage it would upset some of those who have worked hard to put the team in a position of reaching South Africa next summer.
Then there is also the case of those who are on the fringes of the squad who feel that they would deserve a call-up ahead of someone that doesn't want to play for his country. Amongst them: Stephen McPhail (Cardiff City), Chris McCann (Burnley), Andy Reid (Sunderland) and Keith Fahey (Birmingham City).
Trapattoni, however, doesn't believe Ireland's return would cause such a fuss. He has said he would welcome the midfielder back at any time and, while he doesn't expect that to happen in the near future, he believes that the player will eventually have a change of heart on the issue.
"I know the moment I can call him and look for him and meet him, but not now, not now," stated Trapattoni. "Maybe in the future, if I continue this job with Ireland, I will try again. My door is not closed.
GettyImagesStephen Ireland: Still feeling unwell
"It's a pity because I am sure, when he is old, he can think about it and reflect upon it and say 'Why?' He will regret it. It's a pity. He is still young, but he won't know until the future, when he is an old man, what he is missing at this moment."
It is clear that Ireland would have added some much-needed creativity to the Irish midfield, although Trapattoni has created a system that works and even the Cork-born player would have had to fit into that.
Without him, the boys in green will look to the likes of Glenn Whelan, Keith Andrews, Darron Gibson and Liam Miller to fill the central midfield roles with Whelan and Andrews expected to keep their partnership intact for the Cyprus game.
There is still hope that Blackburn Rovers' Steven Reid will recover from a long-term injury in time to feature in the October double-header against Italy and Montenegro in Dublin, but he still has some way to go in his race to regain full fitness.
So, if the Irish team are to qualify for the 2010 World Cup it will be without one of their most talented midfielders. Although if Trapattoni's team achieve that feat, then few people will be asking "Where is Stephen Ireland?"0 -
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Wouldnt worry too much abourt Arsenal players playing poorly for France. After all tahts happened its hardly surprising. I bet they cant wait to put on the red n' white (or will it be yellow n' claret on day one?) again.
true but most of these players have been playing that poor for Arsenal too unfortunately
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I wouldn't say Sagna or Clichy played poorly this season. Maybe Gael at the start but after returning from his injury he was quite good I thought.
Clichy was hopeless for a lot of matches and I think if Gibbs didnt get injured we wouldve seen more of him. When Clichy came back from injury though ye your right he did play a lot better. Exclude Sagna though from my statement
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Clichy was hopeless for a lot of matches and I think if Gibbs didnt get injured we wouldve seen more of him. When Clichy came back from injury though ye your right he did play a lot better. Exclude Sagna though from my statement
Sagna - consistently good
Diaby - hot n' cold
Clichy - very good when fit (cant blame the guy for underperforming while injured)
Gallas - looks finished. Id say he's gone anyway.0 -
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As during his time at City hehas been nothing but the consumate professional. Training himself when other players were away on international duties and instead of taking summer holidays spending his days in intensive MMA training to improved his core strength and stamina.
Sure diaby done an Intense MMA course aswell last year 0 -
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