Ireland Determined to Make Villa Impact

Stephen Ireland says he is 'really determined' to make an impact at Aston Villa this season after revealing he was sent to Newcastle United against his will.

Injury restricted Ireland to just two substitute outings for the Magpies after he had failed to find favour with former Villa boss Gerard Houllier.

The midfielder joined Villa from Manchester City last summer, but made just 12 appearances prior to a January loan move to Newcastle.

With Alex McLeish now in charge in the Midlands, Ireland is hoping that he will be given an opportunity to prove why he became a fans' favourite at City."I've come back this year really determined and really ready to give it a good shot, and hopefully this manager gives me a fair go, which I haven't had in a while," Ireland told Sky Sports News.

"That's all I'm asking for, is a fair shot. I'm not asking for special treatment, I'm just asking for a fair crack at playing.

"It's very difficult for confidence. Like you say I was a fans' favourite (at City), and that's what I wanted to become here, have that same support of the fans.

"I haven't played five games in a row since Mark Hughes (was City manager), so it's not as if I've played in 20 or 30 games and not done anything.

"I haven't had the opportunity to perform to even be in that situation. I came in for training and went home. My job was just training, that was it."

Regarding his winter move to St James' Park, Ireland said: "I got sent to Newcastle basically against my own will.

"I came here as a new signing, and I was here to play every second of every game. I came here really determined and wanted to kick on.

"I came here under Kevin MacDonald and everything seemed fine and was going in the right direction.

"Gerard came in, and everyone has their own opinions, and I wasn't for him I guess."

Hola Mr Lerner...I Will Follow Houllier

"Hola? Hellooo...Mr Lerner I'am available?"

Rafa Benitez was the chosen replacement at Anfield in 2004 following the departure of Gerard Houllier from Liverpool when the Frenchman was unable to satisfy the club’s ambitions in the Premier league or Champions League. The arrival of Benitez form Valencia came with some hope that in Europe the club would make progress as the Spanish coach had taken Valencia to the quarter -finals, where they lost to Inter Milan. For Houllier, even qualifying for the Champions League had started to become a problem in the last two years at Liverpool. Yet within twelve months of Rafa’s arrival they had the trophy in their possession - a dream start for the partnership. 

In the wake of Houllier’s departure from Aston Villa there is a sense of deja-vu a Benitez would fit well into the set up at the midlands club, given his knowledge of the Premier league, his pedigree in the champions league. The win in 2005 with Liverpool, runners up the following, reaching the last 16 in 2007, with a loss to Chelsea in the 2008 semi-final and in quarter-final the season after. In his last year it was a loss to the eventual winners of the Europa Cup, when Atletico Madrid dispatched Liverpool. The CV is all supported also by a victory in the UEFA Cup in 2004, which again brings valuable prize money. 

The Champions League too can become a valuable annual source of income - delightful news for any owner.

For the Aston Villa owner, Randy Lerner, such pedigree may be enough to secure his services, assuming the wage demands of Carlo Ancelotti are as excessive as has been reported, and the resignation from Fulham manager, Mark Hughes, is totally unrelated to the current recruitment drive at Villa Park. One has to believe that the added pedigree of Benitez at the Real Madrid youth set up in his early career also stands to him as Villa need to continue developing players in-house and not be dependent on the vagaries of the transfer window – where they will always be trying to punch above their weight without regular Champions League success. 

However there maybe misgivings about Rafa's the spendthrift nature at Liverpool where cheques in excess of £229M were written over the five years, albeit reports suggest there were few losses by the time the players had been sold. In terms of quality though, for every Reina, Mascherano, Alonso, Torres, Luis Garcia, Arbeloa and Kuyt he signed – there was a Robbie Keane, Kromkamp, Nunez (Legend!), Dossena, Bellamy, Morientes or Josemi. 

The major buys all big change; Aquilani (£17m), Johnson (£17.5m), Keane (£19m), Torres (£20m) and Mascherano (£19m). Whether the US dollar stretches that far these days remains to be seen. 

The Spaniard has been unemployed since losing his at Italian champions Internazionale last December, and claims to have had offers from both club and international sides. However, Rafa Benitez has stated he is keen to return to England after spending those five years at Liverpool after being asked about his future on BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme in April 

Benitez said: "The priority is the Premier League, because the style is better for me.” 

"You can't say we will build something and spend three, four or five years waiting for trophies. You have to find the right balance, a club that can win or try to win right now but at the same time prepare for the future. 

"At this moment in time I don't have any offer. Before I did, but now I don't have any offers. I have had some offers abroad and some national teams, but I needed to stay with the family ... relax a little bit and be ready for the next challenge." 

Interestingly his family continued to live in Wirral during his seven month stint at Inter Milan.

Decisions for Randy Lerner at Villa

Randy Lerner

Aston Villa are currently drawing up a short-list to replace Gerard Houllier after he parted company with the Midlands club on Wednesday.

Former Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti,  is expected to feature on the list that also includes Fulham's Mark Hughes and Everton's David Moyes.

Villa are hoping to appoint Houllier's successor before the end of June to give the new man time to assess the current squad and bring in new signings before the 2011-12 campaign begins.

There has been intense speculation that Hughes is bound for Villa Park and he is the current favourite with the bookmakers - even before he resigned this afternoon. 

His two-year deal last summer included a get-out clause for the final 12 months.

Ancelotti is understood to be impressing Lerner given his outstanding track record. He led Chelsea to the Double in his first season at Stamford Bridge before being sacked by Chelsea last month having ended the season trophyless.

Lerner would have to convince Ancelotti that Villa match his own ambitions and can mount a serious challenge for Champions League football, but may also find that Ancelotti's wage demands could be a stumbling block after reportedly earning around £5 million last season at Chelsea.

He has been linked with a move to newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers should they dispense with Neil Warnock.

Ultimately, Hughes may turn out to be a more realistic proposition for Villa should he decide to seek fresh pastures.

He led Fulham to eighth spot in the Premier League and a Europa League spot via the Fair Play League in his first season.

But Moyes, the No 1 choice of fans in a local newspaper poll, former England coach Steve McClaren, Martin Jol and current Wigan manager Roberto Martinez are also in the frame.

A source close to Villa said: "The club are aware of the need to bring in the right man with the right pedigree.

"But they are also aware of the important of giving him time to make his mark before the new season after last summer."

That is a reference to Villa having to start looking for a new manager just five days before the start of the last campaign after Martin O'Neill decided to end his four-year reign, and former Villa manager Graham Taylor agreed that it was important to give the new man time.

"It is important that [chief executive] Paul Faulkner and Randy Lerner, if they decide to get rid of Gerard as they have done, that they follow that up soon," said Taylor.

"If they decide they want a manager who is under contract with a club that might take some time with compensation to be agreed.

"Each manager has a certain viewpoint on players when they come into a role and if they come in too late, as happened last year, they will have to wait until December when Gerard was able to bring in Bent and Jean Makoun."

Houllier did not take charge until mid-September and was left to play catch-up in trying to make his mark on the club with the transfer window closed.

The former Liverpool manager has left Villa after nine months in charge to allow him more time to recuperate after his heart problem.

Houllier Departure Confirmed by Villa

Gerard Houllier

Aston Villa have confirmed the departure of Gerard Houllier as manager after nine months in charge of the midlands club.

Houllier is parting company with Villa because of concerns over his health after his recent heart problems. It has been common knowledge for 24 hours that Houllier's reign was coming to an end after he underwent further medical tests before the weekend.

Villa will now step up their search to find a replacement for Houllier, with Fulham's Mark Hughes one of the early names to be linked with the post. 

Gerard Houllier was unable to take charge of team affairs for the final five games of the season and doctors have advised that he will require further time to recuperate.

Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner said: "I would like to thank Gerard for his considerable efforts over the past nine months and for the dedication, commitment and work ethic he has demonstrated as Villa manager.

"We regret the circumstances of Gerard's departure and, naturally, we wish him well in his continued recovery. I know I speak for everyone associated with Aston Villa in expressing our hope that Gerard will return to full health as quickly as possible and we wish him all the best for the future."

"As a board we are very conscious of the need to ensure that the club is prepared fully to meet the demands of the new season," Faulkner said. "To that end, we have already embarked upon the process which will lead to the appointment of a new manager.

"We will update when appropriate and until such time as we can make an announcement there will be no further comment from the club on this matter."

Houllier has hinted he may eventually return to football. "I am extremely disappointed that I will not have the opportunity to manage Aston Villa next season," he said. "My health has improved considerably since I was taken ill on 20 April. I now intend to take the next few months to concentrate on recuperating fully before I may return to football.

"I was very much looking forward to the prospect of my first full season as Villa manager and returning for pre-season training to prepare for the campaign ahead, a luxury that I did not have last season.

"I have been extremely touched by all of the messages I have received and by the reaction of people throughout the world of football. I am very grateful to the Villa fans for their genuine concern and encouragement and to the fans of clubs up and down the country for their kind sentiments.

"I would especially like to thank my assistant manager, Gary McAllister, my staff, the players and all at Aston Villa for their support and, of course, for their efforts in securing a very positive end to last season. It has been an honour to manage this great club and I wish everyone connected with Aston Villa every success for the future."

Aston Villa Release Ten Players

Robert Pires

Nigel Reo-Coker, John Carew and Robert Pires head  a list of ten players to have been let go by Aston Villa after the club decided to ring the changes following a disappointing campaign.

Reo-Coker has been at the club since joining from West Ham in 2007 and had established himself as a senior figure this term.

The former England Under 21 captain regularly took the armband when Stiliyan Petrov was unavailable and made 24 starts in total this season.

Carew arrived at Villa with a big reputation in the same year as Reo-Coker and enjoyed success as he ended the season as leading scorer on three occasions.

But he has spent the past few months on loan with Stoke and recently declared that he would not be returning to Villa, instead setting his sights on a permanent contract with the Potters.

Pires' exit also appeared inevitable after he accused Villa this week of lacking respect, following a frustrating spell with the club stretching back to November when he joined on a free transfer.

Squad players Moustapha Salifou and Isaiah Osbourne will also be leaving Villa Park along with youngsters Harry Forrester, Arsenio Halfhuid, Durrell Berry, Ellis Deeney and Calum Flanagan.

Meanwhile the Aston Villa manager, Gerard Houllier, has dropped a strong hint that he plans to resume managerial duties after making his first public appearance since his heart problems.

The 63-year-old made a surprise visit this week to Villa Park with family and friends to watch a charity game involving shirt sponsors FxPro and the Acorns hospice.

Houllier signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans, telling them he was “feeling fine” and “hoped to be back soon.”

The Frenchman has been resting at his Worcestershire home, having been initially admitted to hospital on April 21st suffering from a dissection of the lower aorta.

But Houllier has made good progress over the past month and appears confident he will be able to return to the dug-out, although it is understood he may be excused Villa’s pre-season trip to Hong Kong for the Barclays Asia Trophy.

A final decision on his return has yet to be made by the Villa board, who will listen to the advice of medical experts on whether he will be allowed to come back with a reduced workload.

Owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner are acutely aware of the need to avoid a repeat of last summer, which was characterised by uncertainty over Martin O’Neill’s future and ultimately led to his departure five days before the season started.

Houllier implores Villa players to avoid alcohol

Gerard Houllier implores Aston Villa players to avoid alcohol and nightclubs - Telegraph