As any good man manager would, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has talked to new boy Stephen Ireland, to try to get to the bottom of the problems he’s had over the last 12 months or so, both at Manchester City and Aston Villa.
Stephen Ireland – a very angry young man
All players suffer through their careers from various problems they have (don’t we all?), and it seems to us that Alan is so much better at man-management than we had thought when he arrived on Tyneside in December.
Stephen Ireland comes across as rather a complex character, and of course his International career came to an end after he withdrew Euro 2008 qualifier after his girlfriend rang manager Steve Staunton to report the death of his grandmother.
However that story turned out to be false, and what really happened is that his girlfriend had suffered a miscarriage.
And even today Stephen Ireland has come out and announced to the world, he is an angry man with a massive chip on his shoulder.
But that has put a big damper on his International career and he has so far refused to play for Ireland again, even though Italian manager Trapattoni wants him back, but Stephen will not return to the national set-up, which he criticizes along with hos country Ireland Trapattoni in the above article today – he calls the Italian manager arrogant. We’ll not even say what he calls Mancini, but it’s not better.
Alan Pardew believes in the player’s ability but we wonder what he will think when he sees the tirade from Stephen this morning.
This is what Alan said:
“He’s a player who’s got a lot of talent, and if I can harness it, he’ll be very important for us,” “I have talked to him about what’s happened to him at City and Villa but I don’t think it’s for me to say. He has privately talked about it and I understand where he is.”
“I’ve got a good connection with him and I feel that’s growing as I work with him.” “Technically he’s a very, very good player and therefore it’s about getting him right.”
“I wouldn’t say he’s complicated, I would say he’s emotional, he perhaps wears his heart on his sleeve more than most players. Most professional footballers have got a hardness to them, a kind of, ‘I’m brilliant, let me get on with it’ attitude. He’s not quite like that.”
“He’s a little bit more about the emotion of the place, the emotion of him, how he feels. He’s not the only one, I know a lot of players like that. He’s somebody you have to think about when you manage him.”
“I don’t think it’s even so much a case of putting your arm around his shoulder. He likes to feel he’s important. He’s very important for us if he starts playing well.”
“We brought him to try and see if we can get some of that magic he showed at City two years ago.”
It seems that this interview came before Alan knew of Ireland’s angry tirade today.
Certainly, his comments have put us off this player, and maybe the best thing for him to do, after he’s gone and talked to his manager Alan Pardew in a private meeting this morning – is to try to explain where the bombs came from.
Just think, down the line, what he could have to say about the Newcastle United club, and I wouldn’t even give him the chance, unless he can mature up and act more like a man – and very quickly too.
But if these comments are indeed true, then he’s put himself into a difficult position at Newcastle, and anywhere else for that matter.
The last thing we need at the Newcastle club right now are immature and selfish players, who could cause problems in the squad.
We’ve had enough of those already.
Comments welcome.
26 comments so far
supermacnumber9
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:36 AM
Comment #1a loose cannon – I wouldn’t have him on a free!
steburnip
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:36 AM
Comment #2LISTEN!!
GET OFF HIS BACK!!
WHO CARES WHAT HE HAS SAID ABOUT OTHER CLUBS?
THIS IS HIS NEW CLUB, HE IS ONLY SPEAKING THE TRUTH AND HIS MIND, HE WOULD BE 2 FACED OTHERWISE.
HE IS A QUALITY PLAYER WITH ALOT OF CONFIDENCE ABOUT HIS OWN ABILITY,, GREAT
WE ARE NUFC SO BACK OUR PLAYERS NOT TURN AGAINST HIM,
ED YOUR NO DIFFERENT TO THE REST OF THE MEDIA.
ALWAYS POINT TO THE BAD POINTS
supermacnumber9
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Comment #3Pardew was on the radio this morning promising 4-5 will come in and have already been identified – so why risk Ireland!
If Pardew lives up to this promise then he will have won my trust & support.
HWTL
G
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Comment #4steburnip, get off your high horse son, and turn off your caps lock.
Ciaran Thomas
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:43 AM
Comment #5Case of the Charlie Sheen has gone to Stephen Ireland,Unlucky bastard must have tiger blood in him.
spanishtoon
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:44 AM
Comment #6what a prize tool, seriously he just seems objectionable…check out his “tasteful” side, interesting choice in house too… http://www.nufcnews.com/?p=164
spanishtoon
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Comment #7steburnip – stop shouting!! the point is that we will one day (possibly soon) be one of his ‘old’ clubs and you just cant have these types of character around
Ciaran Thomas
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:47 AM
Comment #8Spanishtoon stop posting shit.
Ciaran Thomas
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:48 AM
Comment #9Some people’s idea of [free speech] is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back, that is an outrage.
Magforlife
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Comment #10Dont think we even need him, let him go. We have had enough of this type of player in the past.
Misquoted misunderstood whatever !!!
wynsleap
Mar 4, 2011 at 10:57 AM
Comment #11The value to the Toon of Ireland is what he does on the pitch. Nothing else.
Verbals are all part and parcel of the game.
He won’t be the first or the last to slag off past clubs and individuals.
It’s happened here before – we have to be big enough to take it and ignore it if it were to happen again.
valle
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Comment #12Stay well clear imo… Some people are just disruptive charecters who are stuck up their own a*se.
andye162
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:06 AM
Comment #13Personally I don’t have a problem with his comments. He isn’t being two faced about it, maybe he could be a bit more tactful but at least he isn’t bullsh*tting anybody. ie Andy Carroll…yes I’ll stay, oh no, wait, no I won’t.
Markaccus
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:08 AM
Comment #14He hasn’t even kicked a ball for us yet. He has been mistreated by his other clubs and his country, he has a right to come out and say he’s peed off. He’s already said how much nicer it is being involved with newcastle and how he likes the people.
Are newcastle fans going to become paranoid about every player who is outspoken on any subject? Get off his back, before newcastle fans start getting a reputation of being moaning minnies.
andye162
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:17 AM
Comment #15How about we let his football do the talking before ee jump down his throat and demand he leaves before he even gets started.
cupiddstunt
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:20 AM
Comment #16I fail to see what all the hoo haa is about, the doom mongers pre-empting the trouble Ireland is going to cause a at the club, and the doom and gloom posters on this blog slagging the lad off before he had done a thing.
I see it as quite simple really Pardew has already talked to the player and obviously thinks he has a handle on him so brought him to the club as he thinks he can be an asset.
If it all goes tits up then it is Pardew’s fault not Ireland’s for failing to control what he thought he could control.
If the loan goes well and we offer him a permanent deal then MA and co should have clauses in place to cover the fact that the lad is somewhat emotionally volatile and if he spits the dummy out then the club has to be in a position to deal with it.
We have had bellends at the club before and we will have them again deal with it
Most if not all really gifted players come with ego problems so accept it.
lewman
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:22 AM
Comment #17he has a few mwntal issues and has for some time but he hasne bad mouthed us so who cares, im not irish so couldnt give a toss about ireland either or man city and villa
Davies
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:23 AM
Comment #18Spanish Toon. Good link, if only for the picture of his missus. She can call in sick for me anytime.
Stuart
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:25 AM
Comment #19In Irelands defence though, he was treated like shit at both Man City and Villa.
Aslong as we don’t treat him badly we’ve got nowt to worry about IMO.
The mans free to say what he wants. It makes a change like because footballers are usually so media trained you never get more than the same 5 sentences from them.
supervil
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:31 AM
Comment #20Are you sure it wasn’t Ashley Cole that shot ‘im?
BAHAHAHAHAAHha. Hmm.
Either way… who gives a french connection? Like Ciaran said… he’s got tiiiiiger blood in his veins.
If he plays well, and works hard, he’ll be great for us. Regardless as to how weird he is. Here man, we had Tino and Beardsley in the same team. They’re weird as shhhhhhht.
traceline
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:36 AM
Comment #21my comment from the previous article which was overreacting to this:
sounds like a brutally honest assesment of two managers and organisations that he has little regard for – good on him for being honest…
ok – so his communication skills need a little refining, but I don’t have a problem with any of this.. at least you know exactly where you stand with him.
keep in mind that the emotion works the other way too – I’ve said this before: treat him well, make him feel important and wanted, and he’ll pull up trees (which is oddly exactly what pardew’s just said about him… great minds!)
he’s just gone +1 in my book – good lad.
tynesidetommo
Mar 4, 2011 at 12:19 PM
Comment #22Dead any to criticise when we don’t have the full facts. Mark my words – he’ll have been misquoted.
And if he hasn’t? Well, I can’t fault his honesty. He’s a footballer for christ sake not a member of the diplomatic corps. I’ll judge him by what he does on the pitch not what he’s allegedly told a French hack.
jimmymagpie
Mar 4, 2011 at 12:20 PM
Comment #23Steburnip – he isn’t our player, he’s only here on loan, and hasn’t kicked a ball in anger since beginning of December. If his body was as strong as his gob, he might play more often. Pardew describing him as ‘complex’, is polite speak for ‘wanker’.
Magforlife
Mar 4, 2011 at 1:52 PM
Comment #24Didn’t take long , I was misquoted !!!!!
Pathetic
chuck
Mar 4, 2011 at 2:55 PM
Comment #25So not happy doing one hatchet job on the guy, eh?
Ed. give it a rest nobody wants to hear you !
Perhaps you should take a closesr look at your hero Pardew ?
Tell you what, if given the choice of keeping either Pardew or Ireland @ the club, Ireland`s a no brainer, ok !
Give it a rest !
mightymag
Mar 4, 2011 at 11:26 PM
Comment #26ireland has every right to be annoyed, citys best player 2 seasons in a row, mancini comes and f##ks him off, goes to villa and had no run of games!