Aston Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland has said that he will play through the pain barrier in the match against Tottenham hoping that it will help his team get at least three points in the home match. Aston Villa are currently in a relegation battle along with the likes of QPR and Bolton.
Even though it is still a long shot that they might be relegated to the Championship, the fact that Alex McLeish has been part of a relegated side in the last couple of seasons has Aston Villa in the major pressure. Stephen Ireland recently revealed that he has been injured, but will play through the pain barrier against Tottenham.
Stephen Ireland has been criticised a lot by former Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier and calm manager Alex McLeish. However, it is extremely great to see him giving his all to help Aston Villa stay in the Premier league. The midfielder is currently suffering from his injury, which would have normally kept him out of the team for the remaining two matches. The former Manchester City midfielder also received a call up for the Euro 2012 in the Republic of Ireland squad, and he has said that helping Aston Villa stay in the division is the most important priority right now.
“I will play with injuries and I will try my hardest for him. I’m grateful for the opportunity he’s given me. We have two very important games left. A lot of players would (declare themselves unfit), but we know how hard it is. We have to make sure we get out of this and kick on. We should be nowhere near the bottom of the table. We have underachieved, everyone knows that,” said Stephen Ireland ahead of the match with Tottenham. Tottenham are fighting to stay in touch with Arsenal in the top four.