Are Newcastle after Stephen Ireland?

Posted on January 24th, 2011 | 146 Comments |

Stephen Ireland - possible Newcastle target.
Toon target?
Rumour has it that Alan Pardew is looking to bring Stephen Ireland to Newcastle United if problems with the player’s wage demands can be resolved.

It seems this rumour was started by The Journal, although there are no quotes and no official source is mentioned, so for the second article in succession I suggest caution.

The story has us looking to bring Stephen Ireland to Newcastle from Aston Villa. The midfielder transferred to Villa from Manchester City in part exchange for James Milner at the start of the season.

Ireland scored 16 goals in 138 first team appearances for Manchester City, but he is goalless in 10 starts for Villa and Gerard Houllier has publicly stated that the player ‘must work harder’.

Villa of course have recently splashed out on Darren Bent and it’s feasable that they might consider letting Ireland go in order to offset the cost, particulary if the player is unpopular with the manager.

According to The Journal, Ireland’s £70,000/week wage demands might be a sticking point, which is mildly amusing given that one of Ireland’s parting shots when he left City was that the club was full of money-obsessed players.

Ireland courted controversy a bit in 2007 when he missed Ireland’s international against the Czech Republic due to ‘compassionate leave’ after claiming, variously, that both his grandmothers and his second wife had died and that his uncle had divorced. It turned out that what had actually happened was that his girlfriend has miscarried and that the various deaths and divorces were lies to further justify the compassionate leave. Possibly. It’s all very confusing.

Anyway, as far as rumours go I give this one a bit more credit than many I’ve reported during this transfer window, although I’m still dubious.

What do you reckon anyway? Is Stephen Ireland a good target for the Toon?

NUFCBlog Author: Hugh de Payen I'm a baby-boomer of the punk rock persuasion, currently exiled in Somerset for crimes committed in a previous life where locals keep trying to poison me with something called 'scrumpy'. Hates sprouts, coat-hangers, Cilla Black, ornaments, Steven Seagull movies and 50 Cent (he's not worth 10). Hugh de Payen has written 634 articles on this blog.

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146 Responses

  3. If it’s a loan move then I suppose it can’t really hurt. Thing is though, if we were to sign him n the end, where would he fit??

  4. Well he’s young enough to recapture his form from his citeh days and IF he could do that then imo we have one hell of a player on our hands, it just didn’t work out for him at Villa, like Parker at Chelsea or Hodgson at Liverpool, sometimes it just doesn’t work out but that doesn’t make them bad players/managers.

  5. Please take him, he’s lazy and mad as a box of frogs. Not worth 70 quid a week in wages, let alone 70,000!

  6. Terrible choice if true, and I doubt that it is. Why the hell would we need another player in the same mould of all our other attacking midfielders?

    We need to replace Routledge, and quickly. We have no credible backup for Barton, and let’s face it – he ISN’T A WINGER!

    The last thing we need is another (allegedly) whining, unreliable, lazy, overpaid player – let alone in the position we’ve already overstocked!

  7. dont want him he had one good season likes to be the main man takes hissy fit if he isnt,tells more lies than ashley,not for me like,but just my view

  8. we need a winger! Wright Phillips on loan or Adel Taarbt or Seb Larsson or Keisuke Honda or Jerome Thomas! Great wingers that would fit in:)

  9. I can’t see this happening…although we are allegedly paying serious money to some of the deadwood in our squad as it is. ( Xisco/Smith…)

    60-70k a week would be better spent elsewhere, maybe spread over a couple of additions.

  10. I reckon we should still go for Krancjaer. we could get him on loan, or at a reasonable price even.

  11. we need pace..that what he said..unless the brat takes a pay cut..we wont have him..if bentley didnt come then he is not coming…are pay wont go over 50..000..when we got paying smith owen and the rest injury prone tw.ts who have bled this club..

  13. Listen to the Villa fans.
    This fella is trouble, and my god we have spent years trying to get rid or sort out trouble players.
    Let someone else have the problems and get in someone who wants to play for the Toon……Michael Carrick spings to mind???

  14. i do hope we don’t get this egghead.he’s greedy and our midfield is already too crowded.
    just thought i’d tell u guys,i read on goal.com that pardew is a big fan of tranquillo barnetta of bayer leverkusen.in fact pardew tried signing him in his west ham days.apparently he is still very interested and appears to be on the verge of signing him.
    could this be that ‘important’ player he was talking about?if it is,what do you think?
    as for me i think he’s a rather decent player who in my opinion would be much better than routledge,seeing that barnetta is a wide player.i’ve seen barnetta play a few times and he isn’t shoddy.he isn’t a traditional winger like gillespie was but plays like aaron lennon and such.
    i do think he would be a good option.we don’t have as many people to field wide in midfield,and though barton puts in absolute peaches of crosses and jonas keeps running at opponents,barnetta would bring something new.
    he has 18months left on his leverkusen contract if i’m correct.hopefully we can get him on the cheap.certainly a better signing that ireland.

  16. Doug, i think signing michael carrick would be great.i doubt where he’ll fit in our crowded midfield and in the clubs policy of young signings.also we have to keep in mind that even though his form has fallen in the last year or two,Fergie stills knows what he brings to Manutd and won’t sell him.still,i think carrick is one of the classiest players in england.i can’t remember seeing him panic on a ball.

  17. He’s not deserved to get 70K from us. If he take pay cut for sake of football, credit to him. but if not then stay grab money at Villa is better choice for him.

    But my opinion, I don’t think he will take pay cut and leave Villa. 70K/W is too much to deny.

  18. How old is Krancjaer now?
    I like the sound of Taarbt, and still cannot get my head around why the club let a player out of the door without another walking in. It seems mad; I’d love to hear the justification.

  19. Doug (13)
    A tad narrow minded there mate. A certain Joey Barton comes to mind. He made mistakes and has come through to his credit. Whats to say that Ireland wouldn,t do exactly the same once he,s tasted the atmosphere, the dressing room and all that goes with Newcastle United.

  20. sticking to bundesliga talents we could go after lewis holtby,an anglo-german winger who plays for mainz. incidentally mainz are second in the standings and lots of clubs are interested in the player.but if we do sign him,it’ll be a coup.
    i was wondering,if we’re packing our midfield and going after even more people,what happens when players like ben arfa come back?where do we play him?

  21. Also, the Carroll rumours about him being injured 2-3 more weeks or more suggest, in light of our recent lack of coverting chances/winning games, that we need a forward as well as R/wing.

    Add to this the loss of D/midfield cover ( Smith and Gosling ) and lack of L/back cover, we’d be daft to go and sign someone like Ireland.

    Give Vukic a chance, and spend Ireland’s pennies on some of the above issues. Should see us thru to end of season still in the right league, when we can then have a bit of a clear out of some of the squad players we need shot of.

  23. Let’s not forget that it’s all about the brinkmanship here. We’ve been turned down by players as they weigh up their options and try to start bidding wars. When we get towards the 31st and some of them are staring at another season on the bench, things could soon change.
    Truth is, though – you rarely land a goodun in January at this level. I had said we’re fine without, but with Routledge gone, that’s changed – we’re back to where we were a year ago, desperately needing a right winger. CH saw it and did a great deal to get Routledge, who did a job for us but wasn’t quite up to the next task along.
    I just hope to hell that there’s some clever stuff going on behind closed doors, or we could come seriously unstuck the next time Barton is suspended or crocked.

  25. No to carrick also.
    Another one of rudolph’s over priced failures, that he’d laugh at if we took him.
    He’s never cemented a place at manusa.
    We need pace & gulie, not cast off’s from teams that haven’t quite worked out, on fat wages.
    Ta, but no ta!

  27. Shola won’t go anywhere. Take his goals out this season and replace them with the equivalent you’d get with the strike rate of any of the other 4 and we’re in the relegation zone.

    Right now, I just want to replace Routledge; everywhere else we’ve got enough to get us over the line.

  28. Xisco on the bench Saturday must mean he is just about ready to step up and take over at wing.

    NIce to see Fulham will be playing 2 games while NUFC gets rested under the sunny Portugal sky.

  29. Goals aside, I think Shola’s stepped up in AC’s absence and led the line well. Mebbe’s need to give Ranger another start alongside Shola at Fulham.

  30. ant,
    not sure mate.
    But if i was gonna take a risk, it would be on someone young, with something to prove, that wanted to be here, on not massive wages. Quick & with skill.
    Our bench is starting to prove a few wrong after the last couple of games.
    With big players out, against the unwashed & spuds (the great pretenders), we’ve more than held our own.
    So, with that in mind, complimentary striker, quick.
    & creative player, quick also.
    ;)

  32. ice,
    exactly mate.
    It’s not enough, just being a Geordie boy, for me.
    & he’s nearing an age where he’s gonna be worth nowt too.

  34. CLINT doesnt look like we are going to get what we need imo,a nippy guy with guile up-front,tis a bad window to shop in like :(

  35. Yeah clint. Makes a lot of sense.

    More’s the pity about Ben Arfa’s injury, ‘cos he was looking like he was ticking all those boxes.

    We don’t have enough in the first team with a load of pace, that can take players on and get a shot away at the end of it.

  36. tiote ben arfa carrol and enrique is the one we need to get tied up..would walk into any side in the top 4..so we have got a base for a good side..we wouldnt have said that 6 months ago..

  38. ice,
    agreed mate, unless the player/deal was amazing, pointless window this, isn’t it?

    ant,
    mate,
    it’s a crying shame about HBA, cos he was ticking all the right boxes.
    Can’t wait for his come back like.
    We may have had another 10 points or more with him playing regularly. & flying high.

  39. The squad has done well – much better than I thought. Particularly pleased that Guthrie has shown his worth in place of Tiote. Tiote still the man when it comes to defending, but Guthrie’s attacking play looked very good to me on Saturday.

  41. Whumpie,
    Guthrie did well to come back from the debacle that was his last outing. Perch also did well. Best & PL & Shola have also put shifts in.

  42. The bigger picture suggest’s we’ve got enough about us this season for a top half finish, even though we’re obviously a bit thin on the ground/over stocked with similarities in certain areas.

    Ashley may remember this time last season where Routs/Williamson/Van Arnholt made a big difference when we seemed to have lost some of the initial momentum.

    If there are no obvious improvements available during this window, we’d be better of loaning in the short term just for back up, and get into the deadwood/replacements in the summer.

    It’s a fine line ‘cos a few bad results will register pretty quickly on the table this season, as it’s canny tight from 8th-16th.

  43. CLINT reading the notts/f fan site they all said perch played his best games for them when in c/m ?

  44. Lesh,
    let’s hope that andy gay & hairy palms get the boot by sly sports after their sexist behaviour at the weekend.
    Just like Rodney Marsh & Ron Atkinson did for their tsunami & racist vibes, respectively.
    I’m sure they’ll get round it somehow.

    She made the right call.
    Offside.
    Very like andy & hairy. OFFSIDE!

  50. Asim: I may be wrong, but I think all the players you’ve named there have already been given decent new contracts. Not sure about Bull, though.

    Let’s not underestimate the lure of this club for players now. Unless one of these guys could walk into a starting spot for one of the top 4 clubs, there’s not a lot luring them away – especially now these clubs can’t offer daft wages whenever they like.

  54. CLiNT@44, Glad she got that call right! If she’d got it wrong they would have had a field day, crucified her.

    But, those Grey and his oppo typify Murdoch’s media empire generally and that of its ssociated medium, TalkSport: Sexist, chauvanistic, homophobic, racist and right-wing!

  55. Clint flick… He won 130,000, put 100,000 in his casino account and kept the 30,000 in a bag. Within 10 mins he had lost the 30,000 and had to go back for more… final losses when he left at 4am were 970,000 quid

  56. Lesh,
    totally with ya’ all the way mate.
    Sack ’em, like they did with Marsh et al.

    Down with murdoch too, while we’re at it.
    :)

  57. Shanghai,
    i mean in general.
    The press always report the bad stuff. Do they ALWAYS report the good stuff, in this case, ALL his winnings?
    Doubt it.

  61. whumpie..enrique is more important then the rest..we need him signed up..all the top teams are waying up offers..so if we can get him tied up..we are looking at going rate..something only city can afford..and after this transfer market..wont be many big transfer fees paid..it will be swop deals for big players and small fees on top of that..with the new rules.

  62. What drives a billionair/millionair to gamble? Does he want MORE money? Or is it a deep unconscious guilt that urges him to throw it away?

  64. @60…..antmanbee….. and arrogant, bigoted oafs!

    Maybe they and their ilk should join the Sun which can then be nicely closed down?

  65. @62 antmanbee, if it was deep unconcious guilt, he’s be giving it to the needy.. handed to worthy causes in brown paper bags.

    As is, he’s just squandering it, passing his money to those who don’t need it.

  66. Aye, Lesh…that’s Grey and Hairy’s (as Clint calls him ;0)alter ego’s…Arrogant and Bigot. Both oafs. ;0)

    Clint-Ashley’s latest gambling hit could’ve paid for a very decent PR specialist who could help him learn the art of communication!

  67. Lesh @ 65. Good point, mate…suppose that just leaves the greedy, addicted to money/power alternative.

  68. ant,
    i’m sure he wins some, loses some.
    Doubt lose big if he couldn’t afford it.

    The stock market is the worlds biggest casino though.
    ;)

  70. Deffo on the stock market! ;00

    Not forgetting the banks role…all those bail outs and promises of regulation, yet they’re still short selling.

  71. Charlie Adam put in a transfer request. So he will be off to the scousers and blackpool will be relegated and holloway will explode in a keegan “love it” style flip out on national tv.

  73. best 2 replacementswould be James Richardson and the lovely Gabby Yorath (shes a mag by the way) :)

  76. Cheers Icedog…Blimey,eh?…it’ll be interesting. Sky have commented on it sayin it was unacceptable, and Karen Brady’s having a go at them today an’ all…

    Off topic…I’ve never been a fan of the Toon tune…Local Hero/Mark Knoppfler. How do you lads feel about that piece of music’s connection to match day?

  80. LMAO Clint ! Straight in there, mate !

    They play Blitzkreig Bop every game like, which I love…

    ” They’re bombin’ in a straight line…”

  82. John Shuttleworth’s stuff always stirs the blood, imo. Something like ‘Pigeons in Flight’ would get everyone up for it!

    Or Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries!

    ;0)

  83. ant,
    Well someone’s gotta do it mate.
    :)

    A bit of Carl Orff too.
    ;)

    ice,
    no clue mate, but i love ’em.
    :)

  88. antmanbee and why not local hero…… fingers crossed and we’ll have a some on park and behind the scenes come the season’s end!

    You’ll enjoy it when we win something tho!

  92. Clint.I will have to check on the Carl Orff later. Don’t know him…the soundcard on this is ferked, so I’ll need to go on the daughter’s laptop later.

    Lesh-we can all hope for some of that mate!

  96. ant,
    they always used to play it.
    Big orchestral no.
    Bit hard to describe in words, you’ll know it though mate.

  98. Ever Fallen In Love- Buzzcocks
    ;o)

    Ie, Newcastle. Always ends in heartbreak. I’ve never seen us win out…was too young for the Fairs Cup to remember. Sigh.

  100. antmanbee says:
    January 24, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    “John Shuttleworth’s stuff always stirs the blood, imo.”

    I’m one of his biggest ever fans, ant. The man’s a genius!

  101. Clint @ 96.

    What? Valkyrie…think it’s the one in Apocalypse where the helicopters attack the village.

  103. ant,
    me too mate.
    Only seen us lose finals, semi’s, quarters, runners up etc.
    Always a bridemaid, never a bride.
    :)

  110. antmanbee says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    “Worky @ 100.
    Nice one mate. I knew I was in good company on here !!”

    Music doesn’t really get any better than this, ant! :lol:

  113. Cheers Ice!

    1969.I vaguely remember the fuss at home from me dad and his mates but I wasn’t destined to go for a couple more seasons

  117. Clint @ 111

    What key’s that in, again…? Any links? Sayin that no soundcard = no further forward than :

    ” You know the one.
    Ba ba ba ba Boom, ba ba ba ba Boom, ba ba ba ba bah bah ba.”

    ;0) :0D

  118. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:12 pm

    “worky,
    no mate, what’s that?
    Pray tell.”

    Orff adapted his Carmina Burana from a long series of medieval Germanic folk songs ‘ poems from around the 11th / 12th Centuries which had a kind of reigious, but also very bawdy and sensual outlook on life, with lots of stuff about fertility and vital juices on there. As someone woth a very keen interest in music, you may find the story behind it very interesting, and appreciate Orrf’s piece even more.

  121. antmanbee says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:14 pm

    “Class. Pure class. Have you seen ‘It’s nicer Up North’?”

    Aye, ant. I’m addicted to Shuttleworth. Did you know that he was also “Jilted John” ?

  123. ant,
    all the best on that mate, later.
    ;)

    worky,
    was just listening to JJ there, excellent.
    :)

  125. Aye, Worky…Graham Fellows. Was still at school when JJ came out but thought that was hilarious even then.

  126. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:22 pm

    “BTW, i got the emails, did you get my replies?”

    Aye Clint, I was just gannin’ through that “Stick or Twist” when I got distracted.

  128. See they have put off deciding who should get the Olympic stadium when the Olympics are over. In other words the people they wanted to win didn’t put in a good enough bid (bribe)

  129. antmanbee says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    “Aye, Worky…Graham Fellows. Was still at school when JJ came out but thought that was hilarious even then.”

    So was I, ant.

  131. Micky,
    it’s all getting a bit shady.
    My mate lives gobbing distance from there, i was there just yesterday.
    Make spuds move there, for a laugh.
    ;)

  132. Micky Toon says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:28 pm

    “See they have put off deciding who should get the Olympic stadium when the Olympics are over. In other words the people they wanted to win didn’t put in a good enough bid (bribe)”

    Any football stadium with a running track in it is awful, Micky. It completely ruins the atmosphere. If West Ham go there and keep the running track, it will be like a morgue in there.

  134. CLiNT FLiCK says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:34 pm

    “worky,
    let us know if it’s applicable mate.”

    Aye I think so, Clint. I just think it need fleshing out a little so far. But that’s just after a quick look.

  135. I agree about the running track, but I’m not sure why spurs can’t just put seats there instead of knocking the whole thing down. Spurs fans don’t even want to move. Nice to know there is one other owner who has confirmed he doesn’t care about the fans of the club.

  136. Reading the site regarding Mr Ireland , just note how long it took for subject to take a new direction which is what i wish Ireland would do. cant do , wont do , dummy out of the pram , sulky waste of space , is there a good footballer in there somewhere ? who knows. 70k a week is simply a joke , he wont worry wiil his morals simply allow him to to do nothing and pick up his ill gotten gain.

  137. VBB,
    some Toon fans would have him in a shot mate.
    But the sensible ones say NO, for all the reasons you’ve stated man.

  138. Villa By Birth says:
    January 24, 2011 at 3:49 pm

    That’s more or less what I’ve heard about him so far, Villa By Birth. Incidentally, what do you think about Houllier?

  139. Worky

    Southern Softies not quite as good as Nicer Up North, imo.

    One of the funniest things I’ve seen is the concert at the old folks home in the first one. What a howl…

    ;0)

  142. Lesh

    Can’t say I’m too familiar, so had to check. I notice he keeps good company, from what I read, then saw he used to be in Kaleidoscope as well. I love psychedelic stuff, from the day especially, and like what I’ve heard of them.

    Mebbe’s I’ll check out more, mate…can’t say I have a Kaleidoscope LP.

  143. lesh says:
    January 24, 2011 at 4:44 pm

    “Antmanbee/CLiNT…… any David Lindley fans out there?”

    I’ve heard him, Lesh, but as an excellent session musician playing with other people like Curtis Mayfield, James Taylor and all over. He’s a top player.

  145. Antmanbef, worky. Re lindley. Your both right, mainly a session man, the musicians’ musician. He’s done most with jackson browne-they played the sage in june – and cooder. Ant, there’s a 3 disk kalidoscope out that’ll suit. All his epic tracks. Careful tho, there was a brit band of the same name. Look out 4 the browne-lindley ‘love is strange’ double. Live accoustic, released last year. A class, class act. Enjoy..- I hope.

  146. Villa By Birth says:

    “Reading the site regarding Mr Ireland , just note how long it took for subject to take a new direction which is what i wish Ireland would do”

    How often do you get fans from a current player’s club slagging him off when he’s due to leave ? OK we may get on Shirley’s case but if a bid came in I’d be happy to see him off the payroll. That’s because I know what he brings over a full season and his salary doesnt match his contribution. Ergo Villa by Birth’s comments.

    IMO Ireland has to get back to his roots before he can start claimimg £70k a week salaries from future employers so let’s hope to God its not our owners !