Toxic atmosphere at city revealed by insiders?

[karennina]

Namely, Ireland this year and Dunne last year. It's difficult to assess how absent team spirit might be over there, or how dominant might be some less edifying ethics. But these two interviews are on the high / positive end of what you might hope would be coming out of there in terms of disaffection and venom, I think. Maybe, with the level of pressure they have, it would only take them slipping down to 11th for a bit mid season for disasters to begin occuring.

In the video...

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6326048,00.html

...Ireland appears to claim Mancini is methodically cultivating tension amongst his squad to get the best out of them. Perhaps it's just that he can't speak-a de english, or perhaps he just can't understand Ireland's mutterings.

"I was prepared almost a year ago for City wanting me to go.

"I've been there eight or nine years - a lot of the staff who have come in haven't been there long so it's hard for them to show loyalty to me.

"I'm not really a very highly self-confident person but I can honestly say City have tried to replace me for the last three or four seasons and it's never happened.

"They brought in Elano and other players like that and it never happened."

Mega-bucks City have spent more than £130m on players such as David Silva, Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli this summer.

But Ireland, who joined City aged 15, was not too impressed with the new intake. He said: "I can easily say I've got as much, if not more, ability as any player they have signed this year.

"And that's a benefit to Aston Villa now so hopefully I can show that for them.

"I guess James Milner must think the grass is greener the other side. He's going to get a shock soon because it is definitely not that way.

"James sees the attraction of going to Man City. He obviously sees the players going there and he wants to be one of those so-called superstars and then nail down his place in the England team.

"I can tell him I'm very happy to leave there and to come over here."

Ireland is often viewed as eccentric and with his flash cars and his earrings, is what many would describe as the stereotypical footballer.

But he insisted the new way of living at City became over the top and that the younger players lacked respect.

Ireland said: "I did a lot of research on Aston Villa before I came. I spoke to Darius Vassell, Richard Dunne and Gareth Barry and they all spoke highly of the club.

"It's a family club and it's one that will get the best out of me. I am actually shocked at how good it is.

"Even the young lads are so polite. I'm actually quite shocked. At City they're not like that. They're coming in with £10,000 watches on their wrists and walking around as if they have played 200 Premier League games."

Ireland was a favourite with many fans at Eastlands and will no doubt be just as popular at Villa Park if he produces a similar level to that which won him City's Player of the Year award in 2009.

And the hard-working, exciting, box-to-box midfielder insists he now wants to concentrate on performing well for a club that actually wants him.

Ireland said: "There is definitely pressure at City. They're on a journey to try to be champions and they want it overnight.

"It is heartbreaking the way it finished. I went from being City's player of the year one year and playing 67 games to playing 16 the following season.

"I'm nearly 24 now and needed to kick on and contribute more. I wanted to build and improve my reputation as a Premier League footballer and it was going well until the changes at the club."

Villa were paid £16m and signed £8m-rated Ireland for England midfielder Milner.

There is no doubting the quality of Milner but Villa feel they have done very well out of the deal. Ireland said: "I think they got a really good deal. Yeah, I felt unwanted at City.

"It was like banging my head up against a concrete wall. It didn't matter what I did in training I was not going to get anywhere.

"There is sadness but for me, after the last year, it has been easy to let go - if it had been a year or two earlier, it would have been a lot harder for me. Mancini doesn't really build relationships with players.

"There are a lot of high-profile players at City now and I'm not sure they are going to be happy with just a place in the squad and not being in the team but that's the way they want to do things.

"I really don't know if they can win the league. At Villa we might not have the finances of City but I think we've definitely got team spirit, a good bunch of lads who really want to achieve something."

For now, Ireland can concentrate on tomorrow's match at St James' Park and getting back to full fitness having not played 90 minutes for eight months.

He said: "It will be nice to get some action, especially on my birthday. I know what the Premier League is about and I've got to work hard for my new team-mates."

Dunne, who began the season as captain at Eastlands but was sold to Aston Villa for £5million this week, says he was forced out by the club's executive chairman Garry Cook, who he claims 'doesn't understand football'.

Dunne said: 'All he wants is big-money players. He doesn't understand the core loyalty of the club and where it begins.

'For him I was probably a bit of a nuisance. I found out things that were going on behind my back and I wouldn't speak to him. Every time I came around he probably felt a bit uncomfortable.

'The manager (Mark Hughes) is very quiet, he does his own thing and I spoke with him a few times through the summer about what was going on. He was of the opinion that City needed two players for every position and that was the way the squad was going to work.

'The last time I spoke to him was in Africa after I had found out some other stuff. I said, "Where do I lie in the whole thing?" and he said they were trying to sign players and I would be part of his squad and I could fight for my place.

'He said I was still the captain and even last week he said to me he would rather I stayed but he was told we needed to get money in. I don't think it was his decision.

'They told me they have a certain amount of money they have to recoup each season to make things look better on the books. I could understand if I was being sold for £200m, it might make sense, but it was a bit strange really.

'It just needed people to be honest with me. I was getting phone calls from people saying Garry Cook (pictured) was trying to sell me behind my back, two months after me going to him and saying if he has any problems to come and deal with me. I'm disappointed with people who say one thing and then do the other.

'I'm not going to cry just because the club wanted to sell me - just don't do it behind my back.'

City spent £120m in their summer spree, adding centre backs Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure to replace Dunne, as well as Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry.


Tough call: Richard Dunne will make his Villa debut in the Birmingham derby on his return from Ireland duty

Dunne, now preparing for Ireland'sWorld Cup qualifier in Cyprus on Saturday, added: 'City have just signed Joleon Lescott and he's getting dog's abuse for being disloyal and breaking a contract he signed at Everton a year ago. But City have just done the exact same to me. It's not me who asked to leave.

'I would quite happily have stayed there and been part of the squad and fought for my place. I have been loyal to them for a long time but it was their decision to cancel a four-year contract.

'It seems to me the contract they gave me last year was just pointless. Twelve months down the line, when it doesn't suit them anymore, they just put it in the bin and say, "Off you go".'

At least Dunne is convinced Villa will be competing with City for a place in the top four and that their stability under Martin O'Neill will give his new club the edge.

The 29-year-old Dubliner, who will make his Villa debut in the Birmingham derby on his return from Ireland duty, added: 'It softens the blow. I'm moving to a club which has similar ambitions. Obviously, they don't have the financial backing of Man City but we have a squad as good as most in the league.

'It is difficult at City because of the amount of players that have come in. So far everything has gelled really well and the results have been really good, but when it gets difficult there's not really the bonding in the dressing room.

'Villa's squad is young and have been together a while and they have the confidence of last year, when they were fourth for a long time.'

Dunne's point about the City superstar culture was highlighted yesterday as Robinho admitted he put country before club by asking to sit out Sunday's 1-0 win at Portsmouth.

Robinho was desperate to be fit for Brazil's trip to Argentina tomorrow, when his country can put their great rivals in serious danger of missing next summer's World Cup. 'I asked to not play because I had pains in the ankle, but especially because Brazil v Argentina is more important,' he said.

 

[Rackybear]

Feel a bit sorry for Ireland, clearly a very talented player on the wrong end of treatment from a club he has shown such loyalty towards. For me, the buck lies with Gary Cook rather then Mancini and his coaching team. Thats utterly disrespectful.

I hope man city burn!