Darren Bent - so what now?

[OzVilla]

Brisbane Roar the new A League champions are looking for a striker now as their main man has just left and the manager is off to Europe this week to have face to face meetings with his top 3 targets.

Bent might follow in the footsteps of Yorke, Fowler, Bridges, Heskey, etc. He'd do alright out here too I reckon.

[Tayls_7]

Unless we get a manager in who fancies giving him a place in the team at Villa?

We can't afford to hire another calamitous, unambitious manager.

[supertom]

I'd rather play Bowery than Bent at this point in time. We're not set up to play a goal poacher and Bents physical attributes have all but diminished. No pace left.
I think Bent has to go. There's no place for him here and he'll struggle at this level now.

If someone like Leicester take him, then great. I wonder if we shouldn't just let him go on a free and just be shot.

[N'ZMAV]

I'd rather play Bowery than Bent at this point in time.

I agree. Bowery needs a chance.

[silhillvilla]

I suppose we will probably end up asking him to clear his locker and writing him a cheque out and he will be a free agent.

[N'ZMAV]

Then he'll be a free agent, and some other sucker will dish him a nice 2 year deal on a good deal.

[CT]

Shame though - if things had been a little different, he could still have been banging in goals for us and would have been nailed on for a World Cup spot. As it is, I agree he's done.

I wish him all the best and thank him for almost single-handedly keeping out of the Championship that season under Houllier / McAllister.

[Richie]

I was reading the reports in the paper of the Fulham fans singing he wasn't fit to wear the shirt as well.

On the basis that they've been relegated and the fans hate him, I think it's a safe bet to say he won't be signing for them permanently !

Such a shame what's happened to him since McLeish took over. He's just gone backwards.

I would cut our losses and get him over to America. Think he'd be a major success over there.

[PaulTheVillan]

I think we need to sell him, more than likely to a club coming up, Leicester? We've moved on, so should he.

[Damo70]

I was leaning towards keeping him until Benteke and Kozak were both fit but given that we have Helenius and Bowery (who looked the part on Saturday) I would sooner get him off the wage bill ASAP. But that might be easier said than done, especially after his spell at Fulham.

[PeterWithesShin]

The local Croydon paper trying to get a final boot in

STRIKER Darren Bent has been relegated for the third time in his career - months after refusing to join Crystal Palace because he reportedly wanted to avoid another relegation battle.

Bent, 29, was heavily linked with a move to Selhurst Park in the summer transfer window.

Then-boss Ian Holloway was confident of landing the striker from Aston Villa, but he decided to join Fulham at the 11th hour - reportedly suggesting he didn't fancy a relegation battle.

Nine months on, and Fulham are heading for the Championship - with Bent having done little this season to help their cause - while Palace are sitting in the comfort of mid-table.

[Allan C]

He's got to go  totally over rated and an awful purchase at the time.  The money blown on him and others is why we are where we are today. I can't believe he ever came close to playing for England

[PeterWithesShin]

One of those 'what if' players. If we'd signed him under MON we may well have made the Cheats league as he'd have thrived on service from Young/Milner/Downing. Was still worth what we paid for him by helping us to 9th rather than the Championship, and ensuring under McLeish, before his injury, that we stayed up.

Sadly I think he's done for now, he seems to have lost 'it'.

[ez]

He's not the same player that saved us from relegation for sure. Playing for struggling clubs won't help either.

[PeterWithesShin]

He's got to go  totally over rated and an awful purchase at the time.  The money blown on him and others is why we are where we are today. I can't believe he ever came close to playing for England

Sorry, but without him we'd quite possibly have gone down in 10/11 and 11/12. The Bent transfer is peanuts in comparison to what relegation would have cost us.