When the name Stephen Ireland is mentioned in a conversation, what are your initial thoughts? A 'professional' footballer who plys his trade with Premier League side, Manchester City? A cheeky prankster? A good, technical, player? These would all be pretty acurate descriptions of Ireland, but I have another one to add to that list: a liar.

As most of you will no doubt remember, Stephen Ireland was involved in quite a bit of controversy back in September 2007. A few days prior to the Euro 2008 qualification game against the Czech Republic, Ireland requested to speak to Steve Staunton to ask for leave as his maternal grandmother had died. However, the media quickly discovered that Ireland's grandmother was not dead. At this point, he should have told the truth and stopped lying to the nation. Instead, he announced that it was paternal grandmother who had died but once again, the media discovered that she was not dead.

The Republic Of Ireland's new assitant manager and former player, Liam Brady, has been anxious to get Ireland back into the fold again because he believes that he could bring a lot to the party. I would agree with Brady for the most part, but Ireland has proved to me that he doesn't seem all that comitted to representing his country and there are plenty of other players out there, who may not be as technically skilled as Ireland is, but are willing to give their all for their country - these are the guys I want to see playing.