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Pink my ride
By Robert Brennan
 Stephen
Ireland exhibits his ludicrous new car.
Before we get into the serious football news this week, we couldn’t
let this one pass. One would think after the granny ordeal that Stephen
Ireland would be doing everything possible to stay out of the headlines.
On the pitch the Cobh youngster has excelled under the guidance of Sven
Goran Eriksson who has gone out of his way to help him with his off-the-field
problems.
However Ireland’s recent off-the-field antics cannot be defended.
This time he really has gone too far!
The skilful midfielder recently took delivery of a £90,000 Range
Rover customised with pink wheels, grille, seats and accessories.
If he thought the stick he received about his sudden growth in hair was
harsh, the stick flying around the City dressing room about his recent
purchase is well-deserved. Words fail me…
Mick up for the fight
MICK McCarthy’s Wolves side have come in for fierce criticism recently
from the fans at Molineux.With a squad containing 10 Irish players I decided
to make the journey to Selhurst Park to see if the boys from the Black
Country could take some pressure off their manager when they took on Neil
Warnock’s revitalised Crystal Palace side.
To put it politely, the game was shocking, Wolves grabbed all three points
with a 2-0 win but aside from two fantastic strikes from Michael Gray
and Kevin Kyle the match was not a good advertisement for the Championship
with passes constantly going astray and long balls being pumped from one
end to the other.
From an Irish viewpoint it was also a poor showing. Kevin Foley was named
on the Wolves bench alongside Graham Stack; Andy Keogh and Darron Gibson
were not part of the Wolves squad and Stephen Gleeson has been shipped
out on a month’s loan to Hereford having found first-team opportunities
limited this season.
I was surprised to see Clinton Morrison and Sean Scannell relegated to
the Palace bench.
Morrison stated that he was disappointed at being left out of the squad
for the Brazil game having found his shooting boots this season and he
was clearly unhappy with having to play second fiddle to Shefki Kuqi who
responded to the jeers from his home fans by signalling towards them as
he was substituted. A hefty club fine and a place on the transfer list
the reward for the big striker who produced a performance more fitting
to Hackney Marshes rather than the second tier.
Morrison couldn’t get off the pitch quickly enough, his contract
is up at the end of the season and Reading are rumoured to be interested
in bolstering the number of Irishmen at the Madejski.
The position of the tunnel at Selhurst Park allows fans to get within
earshot of players and officials as they leave the pitch and some of the
Burberry clan went all Danny Dyer when Mick was heading off: “You’re
a **** McCarthy.’ Obviously some of these neanderthals have watched
the football factory one too many times but they hadn’t planned
for the tongue lashing dished out by big Mick!
McCarthy is always very good in press conferences, he is always very accommodating
with my usual questioning on matters Irish but having to deal with the
incident before plus a concussed goalkeeper he was not too pleased when
asked about his position at the club or the reaction of the fans towards
him.
“It’s great, there were one or two boos around the place last
week. I am happy for the players, not me, I don’t give a fiddler’s
fart about what they say, home or away, it’s for the players.”
Trapattoni heading for Stoke!
Stoke City are currently one point clear at the top of the Championship
and their form midfielder Liam Lawrence is hoping new Ireland boss Giovanni
Trapattoni will make a trip to the Potteries to check out the side’s
three Irish players.
Lawrence was called up two years ago by Steve Staunton but never capped.
The former Sunderland midfielder was sent packing by Roy Keane after taking
part in a sex tape but the attacking midfielder is aiming to cap a superb
season by returning to the top flight and making the Italian’s first
squad.
“I don’t know if Mr Trapattoni knows where Stoke is but we’ll
have to get him down here. If I carry on playing well then I’ve
got every chance. All I can do is keep doing what I’m doing and
hope someone will have a look,” he said.
Irish fans in London can check out the promotion hopefuls when Stoke take
on QPR at Loftus Road on Sunday, March 2, kick-off 1.15pm. |
