Ireland puts the boot into City and Mancini

STEPHEN IRELAND has added reason to celebrate his 24th birthday tomorrow after finally escaping his miserable existence within the walls of Manchester City’s billionaire mansion at Eastlands and the suffocating silence of Italian Roberto Mancini.

He may well have banked £2m (€2.4m) as part of the severance of his nine years in Manchester – but he is just finally glad to escape the madness.

Departing players like Craig Bellamy queuing up to take pot-shots at City’s Italian manager is becoming something of a national sport, and Ireland became the latest to fasten on to the trend when he spoke with genuine relief at finally completing his £8m (€9.7m) move to Aston Villa, as part of the transfer that sees James Milner head in the opposite direction.