Retired footballer and former Manchester City man Stephen Ireland is currently being roasted for what people online are calling an “incredibly deluded” interview as he reflected on his career and the players he believed he got the better of.
Stephen Ireland spent five years at Man City and was still part of the first squads that played under Sheikh Mansour following the 2008 takeover, but ultimately left the club in 2010 before they won their first Premier League title and began to hit the heights we know them for today.
The one-time Irish international was a good servant for the club and by no means a bad player at all, winning City’s Player of the Year award in 2008/09 after registering 13 goals, the same number of assists and even earning a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination at the age of 22.
However, now 36 and mentoring young footballing talents in his home country, it seems the ex-pro may have overestimated his abilities in many football fans’ eyes, as he made quite a few bold claims in a recent interview about the best players he played against.
As you can see, the same man who was once exiled from playing for the Republic of Ireland for over a decade claimed that despite playing against “a lot of huge names”, he believed that they “never really got the better of [him]”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Explaining himself further, he admitted that while he’d come across some “incredible players” in his 245 English top-flight appearances, there wasn’t a single time he faced an opponent and “thought ‘Wow, these are incredible’.”
When the interviewer obviously asks for names, Ireland barely blinks before answering, “Steven Gerrard, for example; Frank Lampard — every time I played against them I’ve got the better of them… even Paul Scholes… I’ve never had a game where I thought ‘God, I’m out of my depth’, that was never the case.”
ADVERTISEMENT
So, you know, just some of the greatest-ever midfielders to grace the game. No biggie.
Naturally, the interview has received quite the reaction, with people commenting, “Who knew the answer to the Scholes/Lampard/Gerrard debate would have been Stephen Ireland”, “what planet is he living on?” and “the world remembers Stephen Ireland very different to how [he] remembers himself then”.
As well as being called “deluded” by several, one person also noted how Ireland “was also subbed after an hour in Chelsea’s 6-0 drubbing of Man City at the Bridge in 2007, in which Frank Lampard got 2 assists.”
Ireland went on to praise his former teammates Shaun Wright-Phillips, Robinho and Vincent Kompany as some of the best he ever shared the pitch but judging by his comments, there’s only one player who ever lived up to Stephen Ireland’s extremely high standards… Stephen Ireland.
Altrincham named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2026 in The Sunday Times’ annual ranking
Emily Sergeant
A popular Greater Manchester town has been named among the UK’s best places to live by the Sunday Times in its annual ranking.
That’s right… it’s that time of year, once again.
The Sunday Times is known for pulling together a list of what it considers to be the most sought-after places to live in the UK every year, and 2026’s ranking has officially been published today – with dozens of locations across the country making up the comprehensive guide, and six of those coveted locations being right here in the North West.
The Sunday Times’s expert judges have visited all locations on the list, and assessed factors such as schools, transport, culture, broadband speeds, access to green spaces, the health of the high streets, and much more to devise the always-talked-about annual ranking.
Macclesfield in Cheshire, Eden Valley in Cumbria, Lancaster in Lancashire, and Aigburth in Liverpool are just some of the North West areas named by the publication in the 2026 list.
Altrincham has been named one of the best places to live in the UK / Credit: The Manc Group
A spotlight has also been shone on two Greater Manchester towns, and one of two has even been given the regional North West title… but which are they?
Where has taken the top spot as the best place to live in the North West for 2026, and is therefore one of the best places to live in the whole of the country? Well, that honour has been given to none other than Greater Manchester’s very-own Altrincham.
The publication described the Trafford town as ‘classy, cool and effortlessly comfortable’.
“Altrincham is a top-notch town brimming with independent businesses and big brands, and now it’s flying even higher,” The Sunday Times said.
The fact that co-working has now arrived on the high street thanks to the conversion of the old Rackhams department store, and that the town’s cultural and creative ‘cachet’ is also on the rise, have been highlighted as reasons as to why Altrincham has been chosen as the North West’s winner, as well its newly-flourishing fitness scene.
Of course, the town has also been praised for its transport links into Manchester city centre and across the region, as well as it being a great place for families thanks to the excellent local schools on offer.
Didsbury was the other Greater Manchester town chosen to represent the best of the North West – with the Manchester suburb described as being ‘stylish, solid, safe, and, yes, a little bit smug in parts… but that’s okay’.
You can read the full Altrincham feature here, and see where else The Sunday Times included in its list for 2026 here.
Featured Image – Geograph
News
11 arrested and £70k cash seized during early-morning police drug raids across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
11 people have been arrested, as well as a large amount of cash and drugs seized, during early-morning raids across Greater Manchester.
The raids took place during the early hours of the morning yesterday (Thursday 19 March 2026), where Greater Manchester Police (GMP) successfully executed eight warrants simultaneously across Tameside, Oldham, and Rochdale to tackle a ‘suspected criminal network’ involved in the distribution of class A drugs and firearms.
Officers from Tameside Programme Challenger team, the District Intelligence Unit (DIU), and GMP’s Tactical Aid Unit (TAU) were deployed to each of the addresses.
Following weeks of intelligence gathering and preparation, a total of 11 people – each aged between 24 and 77 – were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences during the raids.
Eight men and three women were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences, including conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, being part of an organised crime group, possession with intent to supply, money laundering, and possession of an offensive weapon.
They all remain in police custody for questioning at this time, GMP confirmed.
During searches of the addresses, various class A, B and C drugs – including crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis, and nitrous oxide – were seized, while further recoveries of £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun, and four vehicles were also made at the same time.
Speaking following the success of the raids yesterday, Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said: “[This] operation has been a powerful example of our continued, determined effort to dismantle organised crime in our district and Greater Manchester.
“We have 11 people in custody being questioned by our investigation teams in relation to an organised crime group (OCG) that have been causing widespread harm across our communities.
“This action caused significant disruption of an organised crime group (OCG) and has prevented drugs and weapons from reaching the streets, as well as the associated harms that come hand in hand with organised crime.
“Organised criminals exploit vulnerable people and blight our communities; we will take robust action to catch offenders, keep our communities safe, and protect vulnerable people across Greater Manchester.”
Danny Jones -
2nd May 2023 
