De Jong is a defensive midfielder, Ireland an attacking one. Its that simple KIB. One is expected to break up play, the other is to create. Doesn’t mean that Ireland is not the superior player.
Like anyone, he may need to adapt.
Think you are initially correct there. Ireland and De Jong are very different players. Ireland is the more talented footballer certainly but De Jong is far more effective centrally in the 442 Mancini wants to employ. Therefore it is hard to see where Ireland is going to fit. City have options as fliers out wide though surprisingly Mancini opted to play Barry wide left tonight possibly with an eye on protecting Bridge. Ireland is not a flyer though a decent player out wide in his own right. Seems certain that Mancini wants two up top also. Ideally Ireland would be very comfortable in a central 3 or even wide of the centre forward as part of a 433. However at the moment it doesnt look good for him.
I don’t think we can be judging Man City, Mancini or any of that set up till end of the season. They are a bit all over the shop, incosistancy will be there till the end this season. Then i expect he’ll buy big in the summer, and offload a few. I expect he’ll (he seems like a smart manager) set the team up to play in a european way, and also be ready for the EPL way, with a view to the long term. I believe he will hold onto Ireland for this reason, and i could see him causing serious damage in europe. Ireland needs to adapt, but i think he has the talent to do so, and despite his nutness, is a very hard worker.
Mancini as far as I know won his titles at Inter playing a very strict 442 type of system one of which Ireland will never be suited. His signings thus far - Johnson (fast tricky winger), Vieira (strong holding midfielder) certainly indicate he will return to what he knows best after the summer. Unless there is a change of formation Stevie Ireland is expendable.
Well if he keeps Viera and looses Ireland he’s going to loose his job fairly quickly with those kinda decisions.
I think you’ve overestimating Ireland massively here, Kevin. I agree with KIB man, Farmer and Rocko and I’m pretty sure I mentioned right back at the start of this thread about his struggles in a 4-4-2. He’s not defensively disciplined and he’s not a playmaking, passing midfielder so he doesn’t really fit into either the holding or the more creative role. He thrives on making runs forward and getting into the box, which he’s licence to do in a 3-man midfield with 2 others covering for him. He’s basically had one good season so far and, while he can certainly improve on his weak points and become more tactically aware, there’s no guarantee that will materialise.
All that matters for a manager is points. If he gets City into Champions League he will have earned the right to do what he likes come Summer time which could spell trouble for Stevie.
not surprised the EPL fans have not mentioned fans battering another fan to death at the villa game on saturday
It was the Blackburn V Stoke game.
Report I read - one Blackburn fan threw a bin into the air where a fellow Blackburn went to head it. Slipped and cracked his head. Drink was a factor.
blackburn stoke villa burnley - you honeslty expect us to differenciate between those teams?
posted on a Blackburn forum
I knew Him, he was the boyfriend of my family member, i can’t bring myself to ring my family member because i’m too cut up about it and wouldn’t know what to say to her.
He leaves a young son and has 3 brothers
He was a passionate rovers supporter and loved going down to ewood with his brothers when they could all get together
Can we have some respect and stop the squabbling about whats right and wrong on this thread and keep the messages to wishing his family well
R.I.P xx
"'tragic. apparently, well not apparently as several fans have video evidence, the idiots amongst our supporters thought it would be a good idea to throw full bottles around, which was then followed by trashing the whole concourse. from here, they ripped bins from the wall, threw them up in the air and some guy has taken a full bin to the face, fallen, cracked his head and hit the floor. he apparently died in the concourse, but some fan managed to revive him with cpr, and then the whole concourse was sealed off whilst he was taken to hospital. if any fans needed the toilet, they had to get an escort from our section to the nearest stoke section. we then had to leave by walking pitchside, premusably so they can preserve what could become a crime scene.
today was horrible in terms of our supporters. two guys behind me repeatedly called any black player ‘jungle boy’, ‘elephant washer’ or ‘soap dodger’, swore at 60+ old men who asked them to sit down, and then began to snap their seats. massive *****."
brings it home…
R.I.P MATE , I WAS TALKING TO ONE OF STOKES SECURITY MEN AFTER THE GAME AND HE SAID BLACKBURN FANS WERE ALL FIGHTING AMONGST THEMSELVES AT HALFTIME , AND THAT SOMEONE THREW A BIN AND THAT IT HIT ANOTHER BLOKE AT THE BACK OF HIS HEAD AND AFTERWARDS HAD TROUBLE BREATHING . THOUGHTS GO OUT TO HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY .
Not for you buddy. You have trouble differentiating between great, good and average players never mind teams… 
Yes, most intelligent people would.
I must be thinking of the other Stevie Ireland so, the guy from Cobh who plays for Man City. :rolleyes:
What sort of money would City get for Steven Ireland?
£10m plus I’d be thinking.
If Liverpool went with two holding midfielders again next season he would be worth a punt for them. He is more of a continental type player but there aint much chance of him moving Jessica and his entourage far from Manchester I’d say.
Yea I was thinking 8 because if City dont want him they wont give a fuck what price they get.
Sir Alex is a known admirer, he would suit the Man Utd midfield at present if you had Fletcher and Carrick with him in a central 3.
However the bitters would never sell him to United.
Scraps from the rich mans table.