Manc Slag Scoles-eh puts the boot in

[Chris Smith]

He does come across as a decent bloke, I've seen him a few times on TV at non PL games with his son which makes me think he's trying to bring him up to realise that there's more to football than Manu.

He's spot on with his comments too.

[Rigadon]

I think his comments stem from the recent behaviour of the likes of Milner and Downing as much as the players he played with for England. I respect him as an individual for his character (off the pitch) but I detest him for the number of straight red cards he should have received but never did.

Agree with the fist part.  Like it or not, we are a stepping stone and have been since the mid nineties.  Every single time one of our players performs for England, the very next transfer window the either leave or intense rumours of them leaving start followed by them leaving during the next window. 

[Billy Walker]

I'm not so sure he picked our name at random.  I  remember Ferguson referring to Villa as "a good little side" back in the mid-nineties.  I think Fergie has instilled an air of disdain in his players about Aston Villa - it's part of the reason why they have developed this great winning record against us these past fifteen years.   

The problem here is that we  haven't had a manager or leadership at the club these past fifteen years with the balls and winning mentality to tell Fergie and Man Utd where to go.  It's time for us to give them a good, old-fashioned Villa Park hiding - the natural order needs to be restored.

uh-huh..................and this hiding.......how exactly is that going to happen pray tell......................maybe if we can persuade Messi to partner Bent and have Milner back.

That's the spirit!

[eamonn]

Did alright for himself considering he couldn't tackle a fish supper.

[KRS]

Clappy thing for Scholes.
I wonder which player he had in mind when he specifically named us?
Barry? Vassell? Southgate?

More like Barry, Milner, Young and Downing...absolutely no coincidence that as soon as AY and SD start getting involved in the England squad that they start manufacturing a move to increase their wages. In all honesty, you cant really blame them either.

[DeKuip]

Typical of most of the arrogant comments that tend to come from anyone associated with ManU.
I suppose the Utd players in the England team think that everyone else is beneath them and should keep passing the ball to them, not try and show that they can play too. How dare these lowly Villa types get ideas above their station!

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

it's funny because neither barry or southgate ended up at the 'top' clubs they were attempting to engineer a move to.

Probably because Southgate (just like Downing), wasn't good enough. He thought he was, but everyone else knew otherwise.

[mal]

How does he know? Has he been hacking their phones?

[Dave]

Clappy thing for Scholes.
I wonder which player he had in mind when he specifically named us?
Barry? Vassell? Southgate?

More like Barry, Milner, Young and Downing...

None of whom will have ever been in an England squad with Paul Scholes. So they're obviously not the players that he's talking about.

[Pete3206]

This would be the Paul Scholes that retired from international football. No one put a gun to his head, he decided to call it a day. He did so at the time with the precise explanation that he wanted to extend his club career.

In 2006, he was also offered a place in the England squad for the World Cup finals. Not the drudge of qualifiers, but the finals themselves. He said no.

Fuck off Scholes.

[Louzie0]

I was stuck in traffic on the M1 tonight going south from brum to London.  I was listening to an interview with John Barnes on TS (I know, but it was a long journey) and he was very good.

At the end, Paul Scholes' quote was brought up.  John Barnes said, 'Actually, this is true, not for the other 'Aston Villa' clubs but for Man Utd. players and for other 'big' club players for England.'  (He was talking about Liverpool but the same thing applies to Chelsea and whoever else in that position, after 1993.)

He continued, 'They are so elitist that they think all the England players should think that way and react that way.'

 Scholes is not describing anybody else but the 'big clubs players' when he says that 'England players' try harder and pass longer and wilder, and by doing so, screw everything up, because they are trying to impress. 'They play for the very biggest clubs and so they think that they are the best - therefore they will go for the impossible pass.  The England team will not improve until everybody in it thinks he is equal.'

[Toronto Villa]

I don't think he used our name by accident because even though he didn't play alongside the likes of Barry, Milner, Ash or Downing, he's still close enough to the set up to know that those players (and others from similar sized clubs) use the England get togethers to get a move. I say it wasn't an accident because it's pretty common knowledge that of all of the clubs in the past few years we've been done the most.

You just know during England get togethers the agents for these players are all rubbing shoulders with representatives of the "bigger teams" angling for that next big deal. And we wonder why England will forever onwards win fuck all because the players are talking money, cars, big clubs instead concentrating on being the best they can be for their country.

[Louzie0]

I have some agreement with that because I saw how many times Capello turned up at VP last season. Althoug I'm very pleased for one of our players when they get named as a full international, the other part of my mind is thinking, 'Great, and what happens when they get tapped up by the big-club room mate?'  AAArgh!

[ktvillan]

He may be right about some players using England as a means to engineer a big money move, but to imply that it was only the players from the more powerful clubs like Man Yoo that genuinely cared about playing for England simply doesn't wash. The core of "undroppables" that have represented England over the last 10 to 15 years are Gerrard, Lampard, Campbell, Ferdinand, Rooney, Beckham, Terry, Owen,  Neville, the two Coles, Shearer and Scholes himself.  All bar Shearer from the SKy 4 clubs.  It is them that have consistently failed to perform at major tournaments.  To blame it on the wannabes is feeble revisionism and utter bollocks.

[Mortimer's Bear]

it's funny because neither barry or southgate ended up at the 'top' clubs they were attempting to engineer a move to.

Probably because Southgate (just like Downing), wasn't good enough. He thought he was, but everyone else knew otherwise.

Didn't Southgate miss out on a move to Chelsea due to him playing for us in the Intertoto and thus becoming cup-tied in Europe?