Manchester City Forums

From MUEN

Hughes: Ireland not leaving City
Chris Bailey
10/ 8/2008


MARK HUGHES insists that Stevie Ireland in not on his way to Sunderland or anywhere else.

The Blues boss was forced into his statement after a televison broacast featuring Ireland’s team-mate Danny Mills told the Milan game audience that the midfielder had been pulled out of the Thomas Cook Trophy match because he was about to be sold.

In fact, Ireland did report late for the match having been told by an unnamed third party that he was off to the north east, but the manager picked him amongst the substitutes and the player came on for the last five minutes of the 1-0 win.

“I am not quite sure what all the Stephen Ireland rumour is about. There was a bit of confusion about Stephen before the game against Milan but I had a word with him before the game and explained my interpretation of it. It has been sorted out and I explained my understanding of it,” said the manager.

“At this time of the year a lot of agents are flying around and at times some are of a view that they can start to exercise some interest in their clients. Anything we have said in regards of Stephen has been misinterpreted and people have run away with it.

“He is staying. Absolutely he is staying. Sunderland has been mentioned but there has been no contact in that respect. I am not sure where that came from.”

As for the other player currently mooted to be leaving, Vedran Corluka, Hughes is adamant that no deal has been finalised for the Croatian international, though the player has been in London talking terms after the Blues initially agreed a £7m deal.

“I’d rather comment that if and when any business is done and at the moment that is not the case; nothing is finalised. The situation is that Spurs are interested but the deal has not been done,” Hughes declared. “If the deal does not feel right then it will not be done."

_________________
And put on that wig I bought you. No, no, no, no. The reddish-brown one.

Good, Ireland is handy, he stays.

_________________
KYPU

yeah but so is 6 million.

As long as the offer is right, I say get rid.

_________________
It's a whopper indeed. It's probably really meaningful and probably quite profound yet still, somehow, nonsense! No offence, Shimmer. - Buffbill

no no no, i like the foreigners. it's those c nts in white football shirts that get on my tits. - GA (on England)

Me too. For a goodly amount he's expendable.

As long as their is a better replacement available. £6m in the bank is no good if we're losing football matches.

_________________
KYPU

I'm not sure that Ireland is any more than bench fodder anyway. I'd sooner see us spend the cash on a recognised right sided player, although I'm beginning to come around to the idea of Studger as a right sided player. Not sure he'd cross the ball, but cutting inside from the right he could cause some havoc.

It won't be £6m in our bank to buy new players, it'll be £6m to prop up Frank & his fmaily's living expenses for the next 6 months. Keep Stevie.

_________________
The only pureness left is preached by Tintin (apres Tintin in The Congo).

Yeah I like the idea of a left-footed, right wing, would cause many a left back all sorts of problems. Sturridge is friggin quick and intelligent, seems to have a rocket on him too when he releases.

And with Castillo playing understudy it may not be as bad as we thought.

_________________
KYPU

Keep him. Won us matches last year and he's only going to get better.

_________________
I raped myself once. My mind was telling me no but my body, my body was telling me yes.

That's it, we really need to bolster squad numbers not cash in.

_________________
KYPU

Yesterday wants its news back :P

I agree with the general consensus, we shouldn't be cashing in.. we need to build up the squad.

If we sell him we wont be able to replace him with better. We are looking light in the centre of midfield as it is.

Given the events of the last week I'd settle for keeping the squad as it is for the coming season. We ain't too shabby.

_________________
Bellamy - "an unmitigated disaster". You heard it here first.

Baggies, Baggies, Boing, Boing.

Keep him, if he loses the superman pants !!

If we do well in the next few weeks, we will need a bigger sqaud for Europe too!!

_________________
Venga City, Venga city !

I'm just glad that we seem to have got through the window without losing any important squad members. Ireland may not be perfect but he is a good player and we should keep him.

_________________
And put on that wig I bought you. No, no, no, no. The reddish-brown one.

That's exactly it, we've got rid of some dead wood and improved the squad with the signings of TBH and Jo, Bojinov is like a new signing aswell.

Fair point, though if it isn't to be Stevie, is it going to have to be someone else instead?

_________________
[color="Red"]Keeper of the heretic's fork of doom [/color]

These are the cries of the carrots.

There's still time left yet though I agree on the Ireland front, if we sold him we wouldn't be able to replace him with anyone better atm.

Well that's it Lab, nobody really knows.. I'm just trying to stay relatively positive until we get official confirmation on anything.. Can Thaksin really afford to support the club financially now? What's his estimated wealth now? 200m? Without the frozen assets..

i don't care if hughes doesn't get anyone else this year...............he can atleast work with the squad he has......but please don't sell players behind his back.............i really appreciate what hughes is doing for us............he's doing so hard to keep the players together..........if it weren't for hughes, i think we wud have lost all are good players...........i seriously won't blame him if he quits the job..........