Filed under: Aston Villa, Fulham, Manchester City, Stoke City, West Brom, Premier League, Football, Transfer News
Stephen Ireland appears so out in the cold at Aston Villa he will probably turn up for training this week wearing a parka and thermals.And after the midfield misfit failed to even make the squad of 18 for Saturday's clash with West Brom, matters will reach a head later this week when he pleads with Gerard Houllier to leave in the January transfer window. Houllier is unlikely to argue.
It has been a miserable 2010 for Ireland, ever since he was frozen out at Manchester City and became one of the many players to suffer from Roberto Mancini's lavish recruitment policy.
The move to Villa, in part exchange for James Milner, appeared a step in the right direction. Indeed, some critics - myself included - believed that Villa would be getting the better part of the deal.
Ireland's short spell in the Midlands has been nothing short of a disaster and Houllier had already publically criticised the 24-year-old even before Saturday's bombshell.
Ireland needs an arm round his shoulder at this difficult time. He admitted before a ball had even been kicked this season that he was suffering from a lack of confidence after being discarded so brutally at Eastlands.
But Houllier has problems of his own and simply has not got the time to go around massaging ego's and putting arms around shoulders.
He said: "My job is to take decisions. Sometimes you have to take decisions. I'm not here to please the players, I'm here to please the fans and the club.
"Listen, this is a team thing. I mean, we are not playing tennis. And even in tennis you have to be collective now."
The situation has undoubtedly now reached a tie break. But footballers in this day and age usually have the advantage so it appears nigh on certain that Ireland will find himself another club in January.
His £65,000 a week wages will deter most clubs in the Premier League but the likes of Celtic, Fulham and Stoke are already understood to be lining up attempts to take him on loan.
A loan move appears the only option at the moment. He is one of the top earners at Villa Park and unlikely to take a pay cut from £3m-a-year.
But it's clear he needs to start again and show why he was once so highly-rated at Eastlands before the money rolled in. Houllier will surely cut his losses and has far bigger things to worry about than Ireland.
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