It is pretty safe to say that since Mark Hughes left the management post at Manchester City, Stephen Ireland's career has descended into a severe downward spiral. However, he now appears to have the opportunity to make amends under the guidance of Alex McLeish at Aston Villa - but will he take it?

As someone who loved to watch his dynamic performances for Manchester City where he combined a casual arrogance with precision passing and deadly finishing, I feel somewhat letdown by his attitude and demeanour of recent seasons. There is no doubt that the Citizens' Player of the Year 2008/09 has real talent; but I just wished he had the mentality to accompany the moments of brilliance.

What Stephen Ireland Said...

• On his retirement from international football at the age of 23, having won six caps for the Republic of Ireland and scoring four goals (November 2009):

"Ireland's ridiculous. It's just ridiculous. They [the Irish media] can write for only a few days about a good result, but weeks on end about a bad result.

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