It is probably going to be one of the bigger talking points over the next week or so for Villans as to whether or not Paul Lambert should allow Stephen Ireland to leave the club and, if so, for how much.
Its a tricky one that really does polarise fans. I can see both sides. I can appreciate Ireland’s ability to pick a pass but I can also see the glaring weakness to his game that, in my opinion, have considerable reprecussions to the team.
He is a real Marmite player though – fans either think the team should be built around him or they don’t want him anywhere near the Villa team. Now I’m not sure if this is anything to do with his first wasted 12 – 18 months at Villa but for the purposes of this conversation I want to look at what Ireland brings to a team, or not, rather than trying to pick holes in his past.
So lets have a look at his stats:
2011/12 STATISTICS
TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
Aston Villa FAC 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
Aston Villa Prem 19 5 1 3 19 6 24 17 2 0
Aston Villa CC 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 0 0
Season Totals 23 5 1 4 21 7 25 19 2
0
GS: Games Started, SB: Used as Substitute, G: Goals, A: Assists, SH: Shots, SG: Shots on goal, YC: Yellow Cards, RC: Red Cards, FC: Fouls Committed, FS: Fouls Suffered, SV: Saves, OF: Offsides, W: Wins, D: Draws, L: Losses
Four assists and one goal in a season that he was supposed to be the closest man to the striker? Admittedly that still meant he was 50 yards away from him, but these stats don’t look great.
Ireland’s work rate has improved, but that doesn’t mean he wins any more tackles. He may get to the player but then never really goes in to the tackle 100%. How many tackles do you honestly remember him winning?
People compare him to Andres Iniesta, and I can see the comparison on the ball, always looking forward with good technique and and eye for a pass. But it is his off the ball movement that worries me.
Iniesta, if you watch him play, is one of the hardest working midfielders you’ll see. He may not go in to lunging tackles, but he doesn’t shy away if putting his body on the line when it is needed.
Ireland though you can question on this front. As you can with his goal scoring and shooting. With respect I think I had a more powerful shot at age 16. It seems he struggles to kick it over 25 yards without it bouncing.
I do feel with Ireland its a case of taking the rough with the smooth and as a manager you will have to sacrifice other areas to justify playing Ireland.
Ireland offers more composure and ability on the ball than almost anyone else in the squad, however on the other hand he is probably the most defensively weak player in the squad 0 maybe on a par with Darren Bent.
I really do think if Ireland is to start the manager has to sacrifice a striker, but Ireland’s statistics do not justify this with his scoring and assists record so far. I think Ireland does need a five in midfield to be effective, so the question of if Ireland stays or goes maybe down to the system Lambert plays. If it is a 442, Ireland should start packing his bags now, as he isn’t blessed with the pace to play out wide or the physical and mental attributes to play as a proper central midfielder in my eyes.
Then you must also consider Ireland’s wages. Reported to be anywhere from £65-75k a week, he is effectively two players wages tied up in half a player. Is this sound financial management?
Consider that we have players like Gary Gardner and Samir Carruthers who could push and flourish in a similar roles.
Consider Gardner has extra elements to his game, but we are talking about potential not proven ability, but then until you give him a chance, we’ll never know.
Give Gardner the role and I think fans will be pleasantly surprised although I’ve seen how good this kid is since he was 16 year old and have been nothing but impressed with him. Add into this that Gordon Cowans, an uncle of a friend of mine rates Gary Gardner as the best to come through the academy in his time.
So for me, an offer of around £5M would see Ireland gone – not because he is a bad player, but because it is impossible to judge his value when he is paid so much and offers little for a lot of the time.
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