Aston Villa's Stephen Ireland hopes for fresh start in Alex McLeish reign

By Telegraph staff and agencies 12:21PM BST 10 Jul 2011 Comments The midfielder came to Villa last summer as part of the deal which saw James Milner head in the opposite direction to Manchester City. But he was urged by then manager Gerard Houllier to "work harder" and was eventually loaned out to Newcastle for the second half of the campaign. Now Ireland just wants to be judged on his performances and to play a full part under McLeish, who has said the slate is "wiped clean" for every player. Ireland said: "All pre-season I'm going to work really hard to try and get in the new gaffer's plans. Hopefully I can stay there. "I had a brief chat with him and he seemed really nice and determined and it seems as if he's going to be a good manager for the players and the club going forward. Related Articles