Reports today that Stephen Ireland’s Aston Villa future is uncertain at best, because the Midlands club want his £65K/week wages paid in full if he goes out on loan, though the end of the season.
Stephen Ireland – on £65K/week
Tottenham and Manchester City players, who are out on the fringes, have a problem of going to other clubs, because they are on huge wages and in general both clubs paid over the odds for their players.
We know Stephen is now at Aston Villa, but we assume Villa matched the wages he was getting at Manchester City, when they bought him for around £8M in a part exchange deal, that involved James Milner going the other way.
Ireland, who is still only 24, is said to be a target of both Newcastle and Celtic, and the news today is that both clubs have said they will pay up to £40K/week wages, to take him on loan for the rest of the season, but no more.
And if it’s a choice between Celtic and Newcastle, you have to think Newcastle will be in the driving seat, because if you take Rangers and Celtic out of the Scottish Premier League, the league is no better than England’s third division, and the pitches are just hopeless up there.
Stephen is now training with the Villa Reserves, as he is yet another player who has fallen out with the new French manager, Gerard Houllier.
We thought good managers were supposed to be able to get on with their players?
The news is that Stephen’s friends have said he would be more interested in joining Bolton Wanderers (why?), and if that’s the case maybe Newcastle shouldn’t be going after this player, after all.
And we expect that Fulham will sign Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips on loan, but we don’t think Shaun would be a good signing for Newcastle now, when there are younger players with more potential out there – like Max Gradel of Leeds United as one example.
Max looked really good for Leeds United against Arsenal in mid-week.
Comments welcome.
31 comments so far
Brutooon
Jan 23, 2011 at 10:43 AM
Comment #1pay half his wages and villa pay half of them, cant see us paying 100% tho
opportunity cost : go find a good championship player as a backup and we only spend 10k per week for his wages
spanishtoon
Jan 23, 2011 at 10:52 AM
Comment #2Well judging by Villa’s splurge on Bent they might want him off the wage bill
Steve Bruce – Pipe Down About The Taps http://wp.me/p1cykJ-56 good piece on footballs taboo topic of tapping up
Rotonda heights
Jan 23, 2011 at 10:54 AM
Comment #3Ed
Houllier tried to give the youngsters a go at Villa and to get them playing passing football instead of O’Neill’s long ball game. Give the guy a chance. He only allegedly fell out with Dunne the donkeyand OG specialist (now back in the team) and Ireland the total mercenary fruit loop.
davybtoon
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Comment #4according to lad on twitter the ireland deal is all agreed and done jus hasnt been annouced coz he is sorting stuff out with villa
Spuggy
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Comment #5I can’t wait til Tiote, Taylor, Arfa and Carroll are all back fit – it will be a different team with them in, but really proud of how we coped without them.
andyroo
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:04 AM
Comment #6wat do u guys think of ireland
Spuggy
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:04 AM
Comment #7Hmmm…
Certainly give this midfield a try although Irelands attitude is a worry, so loan is sensible…
Barton……Ireland…….Tiote……….Jonas (Arfa)
Ryan_NUFC88
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Comment #8Despite the fact tend to hoof the ball up sometimes we have started playing a really good passing game. One of the good things Pardew gas got the team doing. Also pleased with how the defence is becoming a lot tighter and if it hadn’t been for the lapses on the last minute against spuds and scum we should be sitting on 4 clean sheets in a row.
Actually really looking forward to the performances when Carroll, tiote and Ben arfa are in the team. I will still be happy with mid table but I think we genuinely have a chance of going for a Europe spot.
If Ireland doesn’t want to come leave him be and get players who want to be here, hopefully will have 2 decent signing next week…fingers crossed
HWTL
andyroo
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Comment #9why leave nolan out though spuggy
Mags
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Comment #10Quite the best signing in this window (now that we have Ben Arfa on board) would be to get Enrique tied down to a new long term deal.
andyroo
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:09 AM
Comment #11nufc when all fit have as good a midfield as any premiership team!! we need one qaulity striker someone small and fast that can play of carroll and a new left winger
jwheelie12
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:09 AM
Comment #12Bide our time we’ve got 8 days, every day we leave it the price of his wages will go down.
This was always going to happen with Ireland wasn’t it?
Spuggy
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Comment #13Looks like a poisoned challis mind….
The club’s manager Roberto Mancini said Ireland must change his head in order to play.”I don’t know what he is thinking about his future but, for me, Stephen is a fantastic player and if he can change his head I think he can start to play like last season [2008-09] again
Gerard Houllier publicly stating that he needs to work harder at his game.
The Leazus End
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:16 AM
Comment #14@ Ryan_NUFC88 // Jan 23, 2011 at 11:05 AM
we need to be concentrating on staying up not europe .
we can easily get ahead of our selves with the expectation thing again
The Leazus End
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:18 AM
Comment #15@ andyroo // Jan 23, 2011 at 11:09 AM
whats worrying is pardew and the team are going to portugal for a rest.
so where does that leave us with transfers
Ryan_NUFC88
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:32 AM
Comment #16Definatly leazus end! I just think we do have a chance of it, if you offered me 17th place id gladly tale it!
Fingers crossed mind 😀
andyroo
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:35 AM
Comment #17so do u not think we will sign any 1 or not..
repo
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:38 AM
Comment #18nope.
Ryan_NUFC88
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Comment #19Yeah we will someone on loan and one youngish.player permanently
andyroo
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:42 AM
Comment #20i would take no signings to get jose tied down f0r anothe 5 yrs
andyroo
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:47 AM
Comment #21@ryan
a hope your right mate
carrollsinger
Jan 23, 2011 at 11:55 AM
Comment #22Ireland is a very good technically minded midfielder but I can’t see him taking over from Barton Nolan or tiote to be honest he will just be a squad player that’s why he all prefer Bolton he will play most weeks
Ryan_NUFC88
Jan 23, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Comment #23Same Andy mate, I’d like to think so but the transfer window and the toon is stupidly unpredictable!
Jan Stavik
Jan 23, 2011 at 12:40 PM
Comment #24Nolan needs to work on his fitness. He looked like a Sunday league player the last 20 mins yesterday.
GeordieToon89
Jan 23, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Comment #25Nolans got a chest or throat infection and wasnt supposed to play full game he only stayed on cos Guthrie got injured.. thought nolan did well yday and whoever we sign will hav to really work hard to take his place in my opinion like hes got 10 league goals and he really motivates the team along with joey
gorskino10
Jan 23, 2011 at 1:09 PM
Comment #26Ireland is terrible even on a loan, do not want him at all for NUFC, doesnt work at all for the team and wasted everything i saw him do at Villa waste of space with a poor attitute. sooooooooooooooooo many better players out there on loan or to buy!!!
andyroo
Jan 23, 2011 at 1:22 PM
Comment #272 be fair a would take ireland on a loan and see how he performs
Phil K
Jan 23, 2011 at 1:30 PM
Comment #28Ireland has been a disaster at Villa, and he’s not worth a third of £60 grand.
He’s past his sell by date and should be left on the shelf.
Sav
Jan 23, 2011 at 2:15 PM
Comment #29Ireland would be a replacement for Nolan, but more creative and perhaps less inclined to get himself in the 6 yard box. If his career can be revived it would be a fantastic coup for Pards but he’s as daft as a broken rubik’s cube and the thoughts of Ben Arfa, Pal Joey and this bloke together would have you sending for the bomb disposal squad.
Antti
Jan 23, 2011 at 3:54 PM
Comment #30Ireland has got a knee injury and he won’t be playing until at the end of february.
Pigott93
Jan 23, 2011 at 9:59 PM
Comment #31I think max gradel wud be a great signing from leeds he has great skills and works hard and tracks back 2…..he is also a left sided midfielder which we need and wud be on fairly low wages