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Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland has been marginalised at Eastlands by Roberto Mancini, who hasn’t given the Irishman many opportunities since his arrival at the club. Ireland is reportedly fed up an wishes to leave the club, could he be the bargain of the summer considering his talents?

The 23-year-old lost his way in the Citizens’ side since the arrival of the former Inter Milan boss after enjoying a great season under Mark Hughes at Eastlands the season before and was voted City’s player of the season 2008/09 for his efforts. The Welshman had so much faith in Ireland that he even allowed Elano to leave the club. But since the Italian arrived he has only made 11 appearances for the Manchester outfit.

Since then most of the talk about the player has been about him possibly moving on despite having four years left on a £60,000-a-week deal. It is also reported that he could be used as a possible makeweight in a deal for Aston Villa’s James Milner. Mancini also revealed that he thought the midfielder needed to “change his head” if he wishes to resurrect his career at Manchester City, but the comments probably just frustrated Ireland further as his manager chose to criticise him so publicly and in such an unprofessional manner.

Mancini has claimed that he will not allow the player to leave the club until City have concluded their inbound transfers this summer.

Ireland has seemed a shadow of the player who did so well in the 2008/09 season when he scored over a dozen goals from midfield and played 50 times under Hughes that season, since then perhaps he has struggled under Mancini’s new tactics and approach.

I believe that Ireland is a top quality player and some of his fellow team mates like Nedum Onuoha regards him as one of the best players at the club. If Mancini could have got the best out of the player last season then they may have got that fourth place that they craved as he should be the club’s answer to Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas or Steven Gerrard…he isn’t of the same quality yet, but he has plenty of potential.

However, he admittedly has an attitude problem after faking the deaths of grandmothers to escape international duty, so he does need to grow up, but he also needs a manager who has faith in him in order to thrive.

There are many clubs he could do a job for and with all due respect to Sunderland (who have been linked with him) Ireland could play for a top club. I think someone like Tottenham should take a punt on him and get rid of Jermaine Jenas, who is a perennial disappointment for many of the Tottenham fans.

Another side who could do with Ireland is Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal, who may still lose Fabregas to Barcelona and it is not certain whether or not they have signed Joe Cole on a free yet.

I’m sure that a player like Ireland has divided the opinions of many fans, but what are your opinions on the former Republic of Ireland international?

Follow me on Twitter:ajwilliams1987

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Click image below to see a gallery of the Brazilian babes at the World Cup

United picked up a point against their great rivals in a game where Fergie’s men were far from their best. Hernandez came off the bench to grab them a late point and keeps them within touching distance of the top of the table.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Manchester United blogs that includes Wayne Rooney let down; Phelan concedes interest in Dutchman, while Milan look to gazump United with bid.

We also look at the best Manchester United articles around the web this week

Little Scholes, a Crouch cameo and ex-Chelsea star shows himself to be a plank

Is Wayne Rooney really irreplaceable?

Man United stars have the skills – see for yourself!

The Top TEN Manchester United tattoos…well sort of!

Messi v Ronaldo: Who Would You Sign As a Premier League Manager?

United star falling victim to Man-management at its worst?

Phelan concedes United are keeping tabs on Dutchman

(Part 2) A tale of two cities – Manchester

Old Football Stadiums had a certain magic that is now lost

Fergie and Dalglish join the transfer battle for boy-wonder

Milan look to gazump Fergie with £21m bid

Best of WEB

Why I’m Not Laughing At Arsenal Football Club – Red Flag Flying High

Rooney will break Charlton’s record and here’s when… – United Rant

Bitter Rafa Benitez back at it – The Busby Way

Proof The Pendulum Has Swung In United’s Direction – The United Religion

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When will Fergie bring back the “old” guard? – 7Cantonas

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To see what all the fuss about Luli Fernandez make sure you open up the gallery below

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is confident Wayne Rooney will start scoring again – but he will not start him against Crawley Town.

Rooney netted a goal-of-the-season contender against Manchester City last week, a strike which could herald an upturn in form.

However, the England international is likely to be on the bench for Saturday’s FA Cup fifth round tie against the non leaguers.

Ferguson is trying to juggle resources ahead of a key 10 days for United, which includes trips to Marseille and Chelsea.

He will be without inured Michael Owen at the weekend, with Javier Hernandez pencilled in to start against Crawley.

Rooney is the man of the moment though, and Ferguson is hoping he can recapture the kind of form he was in until he was injured against Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League quarter-final.

“Up until last season Wayne used to go on these scoring bursts,” said Ferguson.

“He used to do it in five or six games in a row and then go missing in terms of goals for a few games and then come back again.”

“I would be quite happy for him to go on a burst now because we have some really important games coming up.”

On the subject of Hernandez, who has impressed during his first season at United, Ferguson said: “Javier’s training performances have improved tremendously in the last couple of months. His work-rate and practice ethic have been very good.”

“He comes in early and stays behind. He has done very well in that sense and is improving all the time.”

“He is a great impact player.”

Despite the absence of Rooney, Crawley will not relish facing the Mexican, who will be joined by some fringe players in a United side that will not be at full strength – but which should still win comfortably.

Rafael and Fabio da Silva are set to start, along with Wes Brown, John O’Shea, Darren Gibson, Michael Carrick, Anderson and Bebe.

Goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard made his debut for United in the last round away at Southampton, and will be recalled to the side for his Old Trafford debut.

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United will be without Rio Ferdinand, Park Ji-sung, Jonny Evans and Owen, and Ferguson has warned those who start will have to be at their best.

“They talk about the FA Cup dying but it won’t die as long as you’ve got giant-killing acts that Crawley have already produced,” he said.

“It will be brilliant for the Crawley fans but their team’s performances against Derby County, Swindon and Torquay tell you they deserve to be in this round.”

“We respect the fact that Crawley are the best non-league side for quite a while.”

Whether you love or loathe Daniel Levy there is no question that the man has done a fabulous job at Tottenham and has built on the strong foundations laid down by Lord Sugar. There have been mistakes made, no question, but there have certainly been more positives than negatives throughout his reign. The club has now reached the Promised Land of Champions League football and suddenly the short term aim, following the landing of silverware in 2008, has now been reached. Tottenham find themselves at a crossroads in where they go from here.

There has been a lot of speculation since Tottenham claimed that coveted Champions League spot as to what the club’s policy will be. Some have suggested that the club need to spend big this summer to ensure extra quality is added in order to maintain their place among the Premier League’s elite, while others (including Harry Redknapp) feel that not much is needed given the quality that already exists. In many ways it is a tough call for Levy to sanction a huge summer spend; given the need to allocate funds for the building of the proposed new stadium. Big decisions are needed and it promises to be a decisive summer for Tottenham.

Tottenham now find themselves in a privileged position, firstly in that they now have a carrot to entice the top end players in the transfer market, whilst also being in a position to maintain their impressive young squad. It is a position that they have never found themselves in one respect something that Dan Levy is clearly taking advantage of.

Levy decision to go all out and offer the impressive Luka Modric a six year deal is a real statement of intent carried out by the Tottenham chairman. With Manchester United and Chelsea all reportedly keen to bring in the impressive Croat, Levy has uncharacteristically moved quickly to quell such rumours and get him tied to a double your money deal before they were allowed to manifest themselves. It is a refreshing change for Tottenham fans, who have seen the likes of Carrick, Berbatov and Keane leave in big money deals, and finally it suggests that Harry Redknapp will be given the opportunity to build this football club and one that is now able to compete year on year with the upper echelons of the Premier League. Levy has set the club stall out in terms of maintaining the squads best players, having already tied down Dawson, Huddlestone and Bale to long term deals, and we will have to wait and see whether he is will be as quick to come forward with funds to bring in players that may take Redknapp’s fancy.

So what is the view of Tottenham fans this summer and should Levy sanction a big transfer splurge to complement the tying down of key players, or do you agree with Redknapp’s past view that the squad is in not great need of improvement?

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Written By Jim McKendry

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Neil Warnock will be cursing his sides luck after they missed a glut of first half chances in an entertaining 0-0 draw with Newcastle United at Loftus Road.

All eyes were on Joey Barton as he captained Rangers on his debut against the club he left only two weeks ago. A quiet performance from him was overshadowed by the wastefulness of his teammates who contrived to squander four excellent chances in the first half.

Despite only conceding one goal in their opening three games Newcastle looked shaky at the back and Shaun Wright-Phillips, also making his debut, was at his industrious best torturing Ryan Taylor down the left on several occasions.

He had the first clear cut chance of the game heading over Armand Traore’s cross who was also making his first appearance for QPR.

An entertaining first half saw the game flip from end to end and Leon Best was denied by Paddy Kenny in the QPR goal after turning smartly away from Danny Gabbidon and firing low towards the bottom corner.

Wright-Phillips then conjured another chance this time crossing for Jay Bothroyd who volleyed over from inside the six yard box when it looked easier to score.

The former Manchester City man was a constant terror and almost broke the deadlock only to see his lob over Tim Krul headed off the line by Steven Taylor.

A drop in tempo in the second half meant chances were few and far between although Wright-Phillips shot wide.

Magpies boss Alan Pardew will be disappointed with his attack who were toothless for 90 minutes but his defence shone through yet again with a third clean sheet of the season.

As for Warnock he will be buoyed by the performance of his new players as they began the new era under Tony Fernandes with a well earned point.

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Remember you can catch all the action from today’s action here courtesy of ESPN Goals.

Bayern Munich attacker Arjen Robben completed a training run on Tuesday as he nears a return to full fitness after his hamstring injury.

The Dutch international was left out of the Netherlands squad for Wednesday night’s friendly against Austria after manager Bert van Marwijk decided to rest him.

And after recovering from a bout of flu, Robben was back in training on Tuesday and being put through his paces by Bayern assistant coach Andries Jonker.

The 27-year-old made his return to Bayern’s first team on January 15, having not played since the 2010 World Cup. He was put through his paces in order to rebuild his fitness, with the aim of having him Robben fit for Bayern’s Bundesliga clash against Hoffenheim.

“Normally we would have had the day off, but Arjen has been ill, so we have to get him fit again. He needs a bit of extra work. This is a special exercise after his long-term injury,” Jonker said.

“He needs that extra bit (of training), because he wants to get back to full fitness as soon as possible. And Luis Gustavo tries to do what we want to him to do as well. He wants to do a little more, so that’s why we are doing extra work.”

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“Well you saw it, it is looking good, he (Robben) can do everything he wants. He will take part in the training session tomorrow as well, so everything should be fine.”

Arsenal are lining up a bid for Malaga playmaker Santi Cazorla, casting further doubt over the fitness of Jack Wilshere, according to the Daily Mirror.

Jack Wilshere has been out of action for a year following an ankle injury, and was expected back at the beginning of the upcoming season. However, a date has not yet been announced as to when he will return, meaning the Gunners are set to invest and buy Spaniard Cazorla to fill Wilshere’s void.

Cazorla’s current employees Malaga are willing to sell their 27 year old for £20 million as they face financial problems, and Arsenal will be hoping to raise such funds by selling Captain Robin van Persie, who has attracted interest from Juventus, Man City and Man United.

Arsene Wenger is also still looking to bring in Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila, as well as Caen’s M’Baye Niang, who has been the subject of attention from a number of Premier League clubs.

The signing of Cazorla, who took part in both of Spain’s successful European Championship campaigns in 2008 and 2012, will add experience and attacking prowess to the Arsenal ranks, in addition to the already done deals of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud.

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Manchester City have confirmed that they are conducting an internal investigation into claims that club chief executive Garry Cook sent an insulting e-mail to player Nedum Onuoha’s mother.

Dr Anthonia Onuoha has been diagnosed with cancer, but despite this acts as her son’s agent in all contractual talks.

The e-mail in question is believed to have been sent from Cook’s iPad, mocking the ill woman’s condition, with the message potentially being meant to be sent to football administrator Brian Marwood.

“Brian . . . Ravaged with it! I don’t know how you sleep at night. You used to be such a nice man when I worked with you at Nike,” Cook’s e-mail read.

Cook, currently in Portland in the United States, denies all claims of wrongdoing and has explained that his e-mail account was hacked into whilst he was on holidays.

Dr Onuoha is said to be deeply offended by the insult, has taken the issue to the FA and the Premier League, and explained her disbelief at receiving the mail.

“When I opened up my e-mails and saw the message, it was the worst day of my life, even worse than being diagnosed with cancer,” Dr Onuoha told The Sun.

“I couldn’t understand how anyone could behave like that. I’m critically ill. I cried and cried for hours.”

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The Eastlands club have released a statement confirming that the matter will be dealt with internally, and Cook will be questioned over the correspondence.

“Following allegations made to the football club by Dr Anthonia Onuoha, subsequently reported in today’s media, the club can confirm that a board-led review has been launched into the matter,” a club statement reads.

Avram Grant’s men are just 90 minutes away from a trip to Wembley and a chance for West Ham to take something positive for this season. While the Hammers are far from dead and buried in the Premier League, you feel a Carling Cup final would do them the world of good. Alex McLeish’s Birmingham of course have other ideas, but does Wembley beckon for West Ham?

Everything points towards the match tonight being extremely tight. When you take into account that Birmingham have only scored 10 goals at St Andrew’s in the Premier League this season, the same amount that West Ham have scored away from home, it’s likely that few goals will be scored. Thus it would be worth betting on…

Under 2.5 goals @ 4/5

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If there is to be a goal then with Frederic Piquionne suspended, West Ham will be largely relying on Carlton Cole to provide it. Cole scored in the first leg of the semi final and is well priced in the first goalscorer market…

Carlton Cole to score first @ 15/2

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As for Birmingham, they’ve scored 6 of their 21 goals this season in the last 15 minutes, and with West Ham conceding 8 goals this season in the same time period, you might want to put a bet on the Blues scoring near the end of the match…

Birmingham to win the second half @ 13/10

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In the last week Macron released images of Millwall’s upcoming home and away kits for the new season

I know Millwall aren’t exactly known for droves of fans in home kits, but this time it was different..

If you look at the new kit you might think you’ve seen it somewhere before, and you most likely have, this being due to it using the same template as Leeds and West Ham’s training kit from last season.

To be honest I do not see a problem with this, templates are often re-used by designers, just look at West Ham’s away kit. Take that claret and blue and it was the same kit Millwall had last season, this stuff happens,  but this hasn’t gone down well.

One fan saying on message board HOf  “Nice to see us get the vermin’s training kit, disgrace” with other comments such as “Possibly the worst kit we’ve ever had” and “Without doubt the worst kit in my lifetime, looks like the kids designed it!”

I think the club will be battling to see a few of these. That’s the main problem, getting a club’s throwback won’t go down well. From the kit being shown this also brought up the issue “why not let fans vote on what the kit will be?” This was done by Millwall to celebrate their 125th anniversary, letting the fans choose what will be the home colours, a kit was picked (one of the best in recent years) and this was a rousing success with apparently 15,000 being sold.

A great feat for such a club. But fans voting can also mean a turn for the worst.

If anyone has seen Crystal Palace’s badge choices, no matter what is voted in it will be bad after using a voting poll.

At least Lions fans picked a good one. Plus not matter what people think about the new kits its not as bad as the ghastly Barcelona wannabe kit from Palace.

I don’t mind the kits to be honest, but can see why Lions fans are disappointed, I mean, I’m sure Charlton fans would love a kit the same design as a Millwall kit from last season, but Millwall fans don’t usually buy shirts.

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In all honesty, the only way ‘Wall fans would buy a new shirt is if it came with a horse or crocodile on it, and came in a wide range of colours, but sadly that isn’t the case but it is defiantly not the worst kit we’ve ever had.

I’m sure the bright green and white striped kit from the 03/04 season may be close to claiming that prize. The kit is not that bad, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to wear it.

To be honest along as the team are winning, does it really matter what the kit their wearing is? On the bright side, less then 40 days to go till the first competitive game of the season.

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