Villa put faith in Ireland

Stephen Ireland admitted last week that he is considering a return to the international fold, but first the Cork-born midfielder must prove to be a big character for Alex McLeish’s Aston Villa and ensure they do not get hauled into a relegation battle.

Ireland hinted that a return to the Republic of Ireland set-up after a five-year exodus could be on the cards after Euro 2012.

However, with Darren Bent out for the season with an ankle injury, experienced defender Richard Dunne out for two months with a shoulder problem and Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane now back in LA, Ireland is going to play a huge part in Villa’s run-in.

Manager McLeish called on the midfielder, who slotted comfortably back into the role behind the striker he had been shunted out of by loan signing Keane, to provide the creativity and goals needed to ensure they steer clear of the drop zone after they maintained the eight-point gap between them and the bottom three with a draw at Blackburn.

Charles N’Zogbia, who opened the scoring with a thumping 24th-minute strike, is also regarded as a crucial part of McLeish’s emergency plan in the absence of Bent, Dunne and Keane, and he certainly showed signs that he might finally settle down at Villa after his £9.5m summer move from Wigan.

“We said guys like Stevie and Charles have to take more responsibility now. It is a great opportunity for the boys to show they can be top players,” claimed McLeish whose side prepare to face Fulham on Saturday at Villa Park without a home win since early November.

“We lost Robbie Keane and he was a goalscorer and could link midfield to attack. Now Charles and Stevie have to score goals. That is going to be one of the differences.”

And now with the chance to finally make a big impact at Villa Park, midfielder Stiliyan Petrov has backed Ireland to fulfil McLeish’s wishes.

“He had it very tough, Keane came in and he [Ireland] had outstanding games before but today he was back again and he was brilliant. We keep looking to the end of the season and Stephen will be a massive player for us,” claimed the Bulgarian.

Most of Ireland’s work at Ewood Park was subtle, but he provided the link between the midfield and lone striker Gabriel Agbonlahor that ensured Rovers were on the back foot for most of the opening half and looks likely to be the tactical ploy McLeish will use for the remainder of the season.

Villa may have hope of finding goals and creativity from midfield with N’Zogbia and Ireland, but they need to maintain performances for 90 minutes as they faded fast against Blackburn and that allowed Steve Kean’s side back into the game to nick a draw — the sixth time this season McLeish’s side dropped points from winning positions.

After somehow making it to the break only a goal behind, Blackburn improved dramatically in the second period and half-time substitute David Dunn’s headed goal from Bradley Orr’s cross in the 85th minute was probably just about deserved.

However, with fans still protesting before the game against club owners Venky’s, Kean knows supporters will turn on him again soon if they don’t pick up positive results in their next three outings — two away trips to Wolves and Bolton, either side of a tricky home tie with Sunderland.

“I would agree that we look at the fixtures coming up now and think it’s about time that we put some points on the board,” said Kean. “If we play like we did in the second half, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t. If we play like we did in the first half then we are going to struggle. That’s just the facts.”