FOOTBALL
IRELAND IS EMERALD IN CITY TEAM
IRELAND: Starring role for Hughes
Wednesday October 29,2008
By Richard Tanner
Robinho is being outshone by Stephen Ireland as player of the season at Manchester City, according to Mark Hughes.
Manager Hughes believes Ireland is setting an example to other home-grown players about why they should take the arrival of world-class talents such as Robinho as a challenge rather than bad news.
With Sunderland boss Roy Keane having shown strong interest in the summer, Ireland’s future was perceived to be in doubt as Manchester City manager Hughes rebuilt his side with backing from the club’s fabulously wealthy owners from Abu Dhabi.
But since City persuaded midfielder Ireland that he was part of their plans, he has responded with a string of impressive performances that have left Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni regretting Ireland’s decision to call time on his international career.
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Brazilian Robinho might have grabbed the limelight thanks to the best strike-rate in the league – he has averaged a goal every 88 minutes he has been on the pitch since his British-record £32.5million move from Real Madrid – and has been set a 30-goal target for the season.
But Hughes reckons Ireland has shown the greater consistency and is urging other Academy graduates, such as Daniel Sturridge and Ched Evans, not to be discouraged by the club’s financial muscle.
Portsmouth’s Lassana Diarra is likely to be a target, but Hughes said: “Prospects of good players coming to City should stimulate the ones already here.
“The prime example is Stephen Ireland. People assumed that if new players were arriving, he would be one that would make way. But I never thought in those terms and certainly Stephen never did.
“If he had thought that would be the case maybe his performances would have been at a lower level. As it is, he has really grasped the opportunity he has been given and has been our best player from the start of the season.
“If you are the sort of player who is discouraged by a challenge then maybe you shouldn’t be here in the first place.”
But City’s gain is Dublin’s loss because 22-year-old Ireland remains unwilling to end his year-long international exile.
Hughes, meanwhile, told tonight’s opponents, Middlesbrough, that City are “a different team and a different club” to the rudderless outfit who crashed to a humiliating 8-1 defeat at the Riverside in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s final game back in May.
Richard Dunne – sent off that day – and Evans could shrug off knocks and be fit but Pablo Zabaleta is suspended while Jo has tonsillitis.
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