If Ireland stands accused of anything it should merely be immaturity and stupidity, not malevolence and calculated malice.
He is a young man struggling to grow up in a world where the huge financial rewards come attached to a giant goldfish bowl.
That he wanted to be at home with his girlfriend who had just suffered a miscarriage is perfectly understandable, though quite why he and his partner chose to lie about a grandmother's death can again only be put down to sheer panic and almost adolescent inexperience.
The FAI and Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton have already said that had they known the truth the player would still have been excused duty and have privately indicated that his career will not suffer.
They will not hang the player out to dry for his folly and neither will City, who have already wrapped a protective arm around the midfielder, who may well need professional assistance to clear his mind.
Father-of-two Ireland is a delicate character with a complicated home life and the quiet chats he had this week with boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and chief executive Alistair Mackintosh should have reassured him that he has a loving football family at City.
Contract
The Blues could not have proved their faith in the 21-year-old in any stronger terms than the new five-year contract they offered him less than a week after his fibs created so much comment.
Now, hopefully, he can get on with what he is best at - playing football at the highest level.
Forget the personal internet web page in which Ireland jokingly said "football is `s**t" and instead dissect his own words printed in the programme for the Villa match.
"I have put a lot of effort into football," he declared, almost baring his soul. "It is football or nothing for me. I haven't had a lot of schooling and have nothing to fall back on, so I have to put everything into football. When I go home I do not go and sit down and rest, I am out playing football.
"I want to add more to my game, tricks and skills and really become myself on the pitch."
It would be a crying shame if a young man, clearly struggling with the enormity of his craft and its importance to his secure future is made to feel an outcast because of one silly lie that he didn't even instigate.
With Eriksson at the helm, Richard Dunne as his captain and the board so sympathetic - he will get all the help he needs to settle back into football.
He should and must take advantage of it.
Are City right to forgive and forget? Have your say
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how stupid can a man get? couldnt believe it when he had written that stuff on that personal web page...is he back for more? the perfect time for the club to reward him...oh my god!
For once, i well thought, positively written article... Nice one Stevie, were all behind you, hope things are going ok? Good lad
Compared to what Dunney had to do he has nothing to turn around...
what he did was naive and foolish but not the end of the world ! If any one has the right to be disapointed with him it surley must be his grandparents who i am sure have forgiven him !
In a word 'yes'.
Seems to me that in printing this article the MUEN is deliberately doing what they claim they are trying to prevent. Never occurred to me Ireland was anything other than misguided. Muppets.
maybe he should add more to his personality as well...not just footballing skills get you through in life...i know that city have got the new players learning english, how about ireland joining school also?
I believe the club are right to forgive him not because he has the makings of a very good footballer but because he did what a lot of people have done in the past to protect a loved one, he compounded a lie when the truth would have been better. Hopefully he will learn from this and become a more mature person. Let's let him be, draw a line and show him some compassion and our support as football fans of the best club in the world. CTID.
Personally I'm proud that Stephen did whatever he felt was necessary to get back home to be with his girlfriend. In an era of selfish footballers who only seem to care about the money lining their pockets this is refreshing to see actions led so strongly by the heart. Good luck Stevie.
WE HAVE 2 4GIVE HIM HE A GOOD PLAYER AND HE HARDLY DID ANYTHING WRONG AND U SCUM WE R POPULAR ROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE I WAS IN SYDNEY AND LOADS OF PEOPLE WENT HEY MAN CITY AND ASKED ME WHERE WE ARE IN THE LEAGUE AND SED WE R DOIN WELL THIS YEAR RNT WE SO CITY 4 WEMBLEY
Isn't this over and done now? Slow news day at the MUEN!
Life is about ups and downs and learning by your mistakes ! I trust this will be a rapid learning curve for Stephen who at the end of the day is a "true blue" and will continue to play for the forseeable future and become one of the players who see City rise under the leadership of SGE to the top flight of the premiership. CTID and some.
Nasty
east stand
Anyone whom have never made a stupid mistake, can you please cast the first stone?
Chapter closed and let's get on with life!!!
Still 32 games to go before the season ends (not counting the Cup games)
Isn't there anything else more interesting news to report?
I think there is a over reaction to the Ireland business, the lad was just foolish, nothing else so lets drop it. More worrying in my opinion is Svens obsession with the guy as a player having only seen him in Premiership action four times and shown zip.
and shown nothing
What's all this nonesence on his personal website ?. Will the lad never learn ?. The sooner he grows up & face's the fact that, he has certain responsibilities as a MAN in the public eye the better for all !.
Call it immaturity or foolishness. I'm sure there have been plenty of buddy buddy chats with SI this week, telling him 'its OK to mess up etc ...It is time for the real world to come crashing in to his cotton wool, 'everything is all right' world.
Now he needs to shape up or ship out !!
City have handed him a 5 year deal on a fantastic wage for doing a job every young male his age can only dream about. His millionaire lifestyle is guaranteed for the forseable future.
Grow up qiuckly Stephen, and start to repay the club where it matters, on the pitch. In my opinion you still have plenty to prove.
Squad player for now please Sven - Giovanni to start ahead of him. He shows promise but needs to make the leap forward from the pack that Johnson has made.
For heavens sake there are self righteous people out there. Anyone would think they were perfect. Give the lad a chance. It isn't too much for some of you snipers to show a little humanity is it? Ireland is young, has acted foolishly at a difficult time.
Phil, Sheffield - Giles is perfect, but I notice he hasn't commented. Maybe we should follow his example...
One thing that I'm not prepared to do to 'ONE OF OUR OWN' is hang him out to dry for making a mistake and telling a porkie.
It's not as if he jumped into the crowd and kung fu kicked someone is it for gwads sake.
He's City and that's that.
Get yer head down Stevie and keep showing us what you can do son. That'll do for us.
Another player with serious problems at city. How do we attract them. There was an article in last weeks match programme, about the reasoning behind Ireland's withdrawal from the Manchester derby. Was that a lie aswell?. I don't think his mind is on the job. Would be a risk to play him on saturday.
He was clearly naive in his actions, but should not be condemned for them. He was understandably shocked at the news & acted stupidly. Having said that, his comments on his Blog are a bit worrying & indicate he may need some sort of councelling.
Lets hope he gets himself sorted out soon.
So what the lad told a porkie!He is getting more bad press at the moment than Joey Barton at his most infamous
Top prospect, and I'm delighted he's signed for 5 years, as for the other stuff, give the lad a break, he made a mistake and will learn from it...and best wishes to both Stevie and his family at what must be a difficult time for them.
There is nothing to forgive,he lost his kid and with it some of his head,HE does NOT need to apolagise.