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.
Drama Call opening first-ever flagship shop in Manchester
Danny Jones
Streetwear superstars Drama Call are opening their new flagship store and first-ever permanent site in Manchester city centre this weekend.
Expect massive queues and lots turning up wearing the increasingly recognisable starry logo.
Already a much-loved brand not just here in 0161 but across the nation at large, the native independent business turned street-style favourites and UK fashion phenomenon are no strangers to HUGE pop-ups in their hometown.
However, they’ve never had a mainstay location anywhere in the country, let alone Greater Manchester – well, until now, that is…
Credit: Press shots (supplied)
Debuting in the Northern Quarter this Sunday, the venue located on Tib Street will effectively serve as Drama Call‘s new HQ.
The local label has done everything from popping up vans with Manc rapper Aitch to collaborating with Man United for multiple limited edition collections, so it only felt like a matter of time before they’d make a big brick-and-mortar splash in our fair city.
Most notably, they’re also taking over the same unit as the Sheep Shop, a former skate shop and legendary urban clothing tastemaker of the 90s; they were one of the first places in Britain to stock famous names like Stüssy, Supreme, Carhartt, The North Face and many more.
With that in mind, it feels only fitting that they carry on the trendsetting tradition from the same premises, and just spitting distance from the likes of Note, as well.
And that’s not all, either: before the full launch, they’ll also be holding an exclusive cash-only shirt swap event, where a limited number of certain collector’s items will be sold for as little as £10.
Other things to note are the additions of signed vinyls by homegrown artists such as the aforementioned Aitch and even The Smiths.
In fact, the store will also feature strictly Mancunian exclusives, too.
Everything from polo shirts and tees to branded mugs, matchboxes and other accessories will be available in-store only.
NQ is bound to be buzzing across launch weekend, with doors officially opening to the public on Sunday, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you see people camping outside the front well ahead of time.
What a moment the Manc shopping scene is having right now.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Pear)
News
Andy Burnham explains why Number 10 North is so important as it officially ‘opens for business’
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has explained his key reasons for launching Number 10 North as it officially ‘opens for business’ this week.
You may remember that earlier last month, Andy Burnham revealed he had intentions to create a Number 10 North if he was to become Prime Minister, with the new base expected to be a ‘dominant driver of the UK’s economy’ once it was officially up and running… and now, fast forward to today, Number 10 North is officially ‘open for business’.
Operating from Heron House in Manchester city centre, as previously reported on, Number 10 North will be the Government’s new ‘situation room for growth’.
It also brings the ‘levers’ of local economic growth and devolution together under one roof for the first time ever.
Number 10 North has officially ‘opened for business’ / Credit: gov.uk (via Wikimedia Commons)
With the Prime Minister expected to work from Number 10 North each week, so that decisions about the country’s economic future will no longer exclusively be made in Westminster, and with other ministers also working from there on a regular basis, the Government says the move underlines its determination to ‘do things differently’.
Now that Number 10 North has officially opened, Andy Burnham and his fellow ministers have explained why this move is so important for not just Manchester, but the north as a whole.
“For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve,” explained Andy Burnham.
“Number 10 North will change that by putting more power into every postcode across the entire country. It will be the situation room for making Britain better, the place we use to get power out of Westminster, into the hands of people at a local level, so that they can turn things around.
“The days of Whitehall resisting devolution are over, for good.”
First Secretary Louise Haigh added: “Today marks a fundamental re-balancing of where power sits in our country. Number 10 North has been set up to drive economic growth in every postcode and put power in the hands of every community.
Danny Jones -
2nd May 2023 
