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Stephen Ireland?


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#31
JayDelight729

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If you watch the clips, the ball sticks to his foot like glue. Absurd control of the ball... which is refreshing in a league known for many bad touches and turnovers.

Plus, he can pick out a spot in the goal and hit it. If you watch his goal clips, seems like he knows exactly where he wants to put the ball.

He's an intriguing player. If it comes down to Ballack vs Ireland... it's Ireland in a heartbeat IMHO.

"Obviously, I want to make a living (in soccer), to say the least," he said. "There's so much you can accomplish in the soccer world, and right now I'm focused on having a good season with the Red Bulls. Ultimately, our goal is to win the MLS Cup, and I see no reason why we can't." - #4 Tyler Adams


#32
hackmeister

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He's an intriguing player. If it comes down to Ballack vs Ireland... it's Ireland in a heartbeat IMHO.


+1

#33
Rooney22

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I wonder how much we would have to pay him for him to come over here? Surley more than he is making now at Villa.

#34
UpstateFan

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I would go for this guy over ballack for sure....but I would worry about the attitude a bit. You already have Marquez screwing up chemistry. Henry has always been a bit of a peacock. Adding this to the mix could get toxic.

Still, i'f he has the skills, that's hard to pass on if available

#35
123NYwins

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It sounds like he's a direct player, can score goals, and take takes good free kicks and corners. Has anyone watched a ton of him? I'm curious what his work rate is like, how physical he is, how his tactical vision/creativity is, how his linkup play is, and if he has a good assist history.

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#36
Voice of Reason II

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Guys, what are you smoking? Never going to happen. I have it on good authority from The One Who Must Not Be Mentioned that we would never, ever splash that kind of cash on a player just to make the team better. Can't see his marketing appeal, so I think Goff is just trying to get a rise out of you.

:unsure: :lol:

Seriously, even if we don't get him, if they made real inquiries into a player like this for a DP slot, it means their thinking has really evolved. That is good to see if true.

If we get him it is ONLY because their is a non-field related blemish that has lowered his value. It would be a risk, but perhaps no more risk than an older, more established player where you have a different set of issues around the longevity of their production. Both approaches carry risk, just different risks.

The third path is to find a younger and less well known CM from South or Central America who might not have the attitude issues, but that is no guarantee either, and I'm not sure we have the infrastructure in action to find the right one.

#37
scheets973

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I hate to see everyone all excited when it is just a little, tiny rumor! I hope for the best though.

#38
Voice of Reason II

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I hate to see everyone all excited when it is just a little, tiny rumor! I hope for the best though.

Yes it's a rumor, but coming from Goff it has a level of authority that most rumors here don't given his track record of only mentioning us when he has something of value.

Getting excited (or depressed) in pre-season is half the fun.

#39
MetroFanatic

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Yes it's a rumor, but coming from Goff it has a level of authority that most rumors here don't given his track record of only mentioning us when he has something of value.

Getting excited (or depressed) in pre-season is half the fun.

The source of the Ireland rumor is Jack Bell, not Goff.
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#40
Voice of Reason II

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The source of the Ireland rumor is Jack Bell, not Goff.

Yes, my bad. Yeah, worthless rumor... :lol:

#41
AHighBlackman

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When he was with Man City before they started to buy everyone, I remember that I always heard his name when I watched a City match. He is a player who works hard and has a ton of ideas when he is on the ball. I remember it was him, Petrov and Elano who would string together attacks for Man City at the time. I haven't seen him since he was sold/loaned out though. I liked how creative he was when he played, he passed tidy and even went to ground for tackles when he was dispossessed . He needs to be involved though in the build up [even if it's just one or two knocks] or he gets a bit frustrated. His frustration could have been because he was getting forced out of Man City by the new gaffer though. He always made himself available for the ball, he enjoys one/two play alot. He switched play when he needed too, didn't force many passes. If RBNY was able to pick him up, it would be pretty sick on age alone, he hasn't even hit his prime.
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#42
MetroPolishFirm

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His cotract runs thru 2014 , so we would have to pay for him... Unless villa wants let's say Agudelo...I cant stand the fact that they mention ballack , but Ireland ohh boy is one of my fav players in epl ..for a while ...and if we look at the history of us getting players from villa , well that player did pretty good for us ...

#43
Rybka

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Any issue that could cause denial of a visa?

#44
Komba

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His cotract runs thru 2014 , so we would have to pay for him... Unless villa wants let's say Agudelo...I cant stand the fact that they mention ballack , but Ireland ohh boy is one of my fav players in epl ..for a while ...and if we look at the history of us getting players from villa , well that player did pretty good for us ...


I think one advantage that MLS has in terms of getting these players on transfer is that teams in the EPL know they never have to see the player again. They never have a chance of getting beat by that player in the Champions league or whatever other cup.

What gives these teams a lot of pause otherwise is the threat of having that player coming in and making him look bad. Even if Ireland came over here and totally dominated, nobody really would know about it and the manager of Villa doesn't get questioned.

#45
MetroTard

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The guy is quality, no doubt. If it could happen, I'd say you wanna do it. But I don't see how a 25 year old leaves the Premier League to come here. It makes zero sense to me.

As for the off the field issues. The grandma thing was funny, except that it wasn't. His lady had a miscarriage or "choice" issue, and he needed to be with her. Foolishly, he told the team his gran died (given the situation, he obviously wasn't thinking straight). Only problem was, as has been noted, she was very much alive, and learned of her own fate when reading about her grandson's pullout in the paper.

My concern with it if it would happen, is this guy's discretion coupled with his WAGs influence on him (celebrity life) coupled with temptation in New York. He could very well clean up his act a la Rodgers, or he could lose the plot altogether.

Still, would give you guys an excuse to sing Grandma got run over by a Reindeer in summer. And the ladies could dig on the Superman undies when he scores....

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