Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Toronto Villa on April 16, 2011, 05:16:36 PM
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To the management of Aston Villa, thank you for Darren Bent. He has been worth every penny at a time when the club was being forced to check its spending.
Injuries withstanding, we now have a forward at the club that will bring us the magical 20 league goals in a season next year. Something no Villa player has managed in many, many years. Sunderland fans, who have watched their team sink like a stone since his departure must be in tears. Good for us.
And to the press and pundits, who suggested his purchase was lavish or a waste. You can fuck right off.
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Great feeling eh TV. Great result today, and fair play to Bent, 6 in 10 with 2 perfectly good ones chalked off too, is about as good as you can get from a centre forward.
Fair play to Houllier. Not a deal I could see many managers pulling off in the situation we were in, and his judgements was excellent.
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Well said. His goals have been so important. A brilliant buy at a crucial time. I would much rather spend the money we did on someone proven like that then £10 million on an unproven foreigner
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Here here TorontoVilla, without Bent i fear we would of gone. Great signing full credit Randy. Onwards and upwards!
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So far he's proving a bargain. But Torres is twice the player apparently.
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Totally agree. Thought he was outstanding today.
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6 goals in 11 games for Villa so far. Good start
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Yeah, the only accusation you can level at Dazza is that he hasn't scored enough goals at Villa Park. Mind you, the debut winner against Man City gave him a lot of credit in the bank.
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He's done great and he really should be on eight when you think he's had some perfectly legitimate goals disallowed.
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Great feeling eh TV. Great result today, and fair play to Bent, 6 in 10 with 2 perfectly good ones chalked off too, is about as good as you can get from a centre forward.
Fair play to Houllier. Not a deal I could see many managers pulling off in the situation we were in, and his judgements was excellent.
We needed Bent, or a Bent type player for ages. We create so many chances and eventually you know he's going to get on the end of one. What surprised me the most today was his pace. Almost Gabby like at times. His presence gives everyone the confidence that if you put it in the right spot (and our players are still figuring that out), that he'll score or be very close every time. If he can end up with 10 this season for us, that will be some return in a very short amount of time.
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Yeah and plenty more to come, finish on a flurry and he could become a hero if he carries on!
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Fine player, scored a hatful already and he's had two goals wrongly disallowed. His build up play is very underrated.
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Scores goals. Been thumping the drum to sign him since his Ipswich days. Dazzler will knock the magical twenty next season, I have no doubt about it.
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Fine player, scored a hatful already and he's had two goals wrongly disallowed. His build up play is very underrated.
hs movement is brilliant. It's something that a lot of fans don't get when they say alll he does is score goals (like that was ever a bad thing). His movement opens up lanes for others. Ash being back on the wing is also helping because now defences have two very mobile players attacking them in different ways.
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I think he's fantastic, but then so is Gabby as he proved today. If we can get those two gelling together over the course of a season we could have quite some strike force.
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I think he's fantastic, but then so is Gabby as he proved today. If we can get those two gelling together over the course of a season we could have quite some strike force.
agree Risso. Gabby gets the whole squad thing and just loves the club. I'm sure he wants to play every game, but you can also see his effectiveness off the bench. We still need another Bent type player in my opinion, because he is going to have dry spells. Gabby has been crushed by his injuries this year, and a good break will do him the world of good.
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If they were all in-form I'd be happy with Bent and Heskey and Gabby alternating, as it is I think Bent is the only one you can start all the time as he's always likely to get a goal regardless of form.
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Toronto - spot on mate.
Where have all the pinched faced moaners with their wankey banners and boos gone? Our support was again superb at Upton Park - even while our defence again looked jittery and old - but my God - when we attack? DB was denied a brace last week from some myopic official - and it was the same today. The lad is blossoming and is bringing out the best in AY and SD.
Darren is just what the club has been missing for so long - a world class centre forward. Let's hope that this summer our defence will be remodelled to be as strong as our attack and roll on next season.
Bloody Houllier - buying Bent - that's another thing to blame him for.
UTV
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Great signing. I must admit he's looked very limited and almost non existent in most of our home games but I think our style of play, away from home, definately suits him.
If we play to his strengths at home he'll get a sackfull.
Thanks Randy.
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We have needed a goal scorer for years. It is always the hardest position to fill.
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Let hope he can score 30 goals a season from next season :) 25 in the league.
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Excellent.
If only that nastly little fucker who used to manage us had signed him from Spurs.
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omg lmao must read:
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=585107
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I think he's fantastic, but then so is Gabby as he proved today. If we can get those two gelling together over the course of a season we could have quite some strike force.
I really hope so, I think I speak for everyone when I say, I hope Gabby doesn't end up leaving.
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omg lmao must read:
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=585107
Real quality!
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Already our top scorer and only had him since January. If anything he's highlighted how utterly shite we were pre-Bent.
'Pre-Bent' - what an odd phrase to use without referencing homosexuals.
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omg lmao must read:
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=585107
Real quality!
They also have a poster called The Situation...
Fucking Jersey (S)Whore
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omg lmao must read:
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=585107
Didn't realise you were a Sunderland fan Situ?
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He's a rich man's Marcus Allback
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Good post TV.
Another point to add, none of Bent's goals have been pens at Villa unlike at Sunderland.
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omg lmao must read:
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=585107
Didn't realise you were a Sunderland fan Situ?
I'm not lol.
Situation-fever has spread around like Bieber-fever!
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He was excellent again today, great goals
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thing is I think we got the wrong guy. We could have bought better
If you think about it
Bent £18m 6 goals thats only £3m a goal but when you think
Suarez £22.8m and 2 goals thats £11.4m per goal they must be much better goals than our Darren scored
Then theres Andy Carroll £35m and 2 goals, £17.5m per goal they must be brilliant goals
See the thing is I think we should have bought Torres, I cant wait to see a £50m goal it must be amazing
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Darren Bent is what we've been crying out for for years. When we actually have a proper pre season next year he will propel us massively.
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fairplay to GH. when you look at Torres and Carroll he looks a bargain. personally if he keeps us his current goal per game ratio he can be bobbins every game for 88 minutes
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He's the type of player we've missed for years,doesn't get involved with a lot of the play,but when theres a chance,he's there. Sure he'll break the Withe 20 goals barrier next season.
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Fine player, scored a hatful already and he's had two goals wrongly disallowed. His build up play is very underrated.
hs movement is brilliant. It's something that a lot of fans don't get when they say alll he does is score goals (like that was ever a bad thing). His movement opens up lanes for others. Ash being back on the wing is also helping because now defences have two very mobile players attacking them in different ways.
This is the key for me too-he opens up the defence with the runs he makes even when he is nowhere near the ball.
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Work colleagues partners' dad is a Premier Lge Lino (whose name escapes me at the mo). He says Bent is without doubt, the hardest striker in the lge to rule on due to his constant back and forwards runs off the line of defenders.
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He could quite easily be sitting on 9 goals already with us.
As well as the more recent ones today and v Newcastle, he also had one chalked off v Fulham at home that was borderline.
He'll always get in those situations, and I think he enjoys playing for a club where he knows he'll be seen regularly by Capello and co.
My one concern is that he's been very good in the past scoring for struggling sides when pretty much everything goes through him. When sides try to be a bit more expansive, he's often looked out of place.
The challenge for us is to give him the service he thrives on, particularly at home. There's things he can't do - things he's not so hot at- but that's the same for every player.
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He's the type of player we've missed for years,doesn't get involved with a lot of the play,but when theres a chance,he's there. Sure he'll break the Withe 20 goals barrier next season.
Yorke did that before he left. But I think he will get 20 league goals next season depending on how the team is changed for next season.
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He's the type of player we've missed for years,doesn't get involved with a lot of the play,but when theres a chance,he's there. Sure he'll break the Withe 20 goals barrier next season.
Yorke did that before he left. But I think he will get 20 league goals next season depending on how the team is changed for next season.
Sorry,i meant league goals,which hasn't neen done for nearly 30 years,which is shocking for a club like ours.
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I'm still not getting the Sunderland antipathy. The transfer was conducted in two days. There was no stomping about demanding to leave. It was a textbook transfer - buying club made an offer, the parent club accepted, the player agrees terms, the player moved. Yeah, it stinks when a player leaves, particularly if he was an important one, but I find their attitude incomprehensible. If it had taken all of Janaury I could perhaps understand.
But Darren Bent? Already a potential legend.
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Angel got something like 23 goals in his best season, although that was not all league goals. I think it was something like 16 in the league. He also got something like 16 goals in 30 games in his other good season, the one the anti Angel brigade tend to forget.
Going back to Bent though, all being well he will prove to be the best striker we have had since Yorke. He won't be quite that good but for overall impact he might not be far off.
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If we'd have had Bent all season, then even with some of the awful defending, we'd be finishing 6th again.
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I think this idea that he's not involved in play except when he has a chance is rubbish. Yesterday in particular he was everywhere, pressing their back-line relentlessly, coming deep to get the ball and link up play, even playing passes like that brilliant one to Ash early on. Quite apart from that, his movement is so good that he alone can occupy two defenders and create space for others. He's gone up a level from when he signed for Blunderland and is now without doubt a really terrific player, and we're reaping the rewards.
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I think the difference between brilliant Bent and lacklustre Bent is all to do with how we expect him to get the ball. He scored with his head yesterday - a class finish, btw - but really he's not that good in the air. His preparation to compete in the air is bizarre: he takes a huge run up and leap and ends up jumping under the ball, but because yesterday we had Heskey, most of the aerial ball was lumped up to him and anything chest height or lower came Bent's way. Bent's fast and loves the chase. That was his best game for us without a shadow of a doubt.
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Monty, I think 4-4-2 benefits him. In the past three games he's scored three (five!) and looks very dangerous.
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Great feeling eh TV. Great result today, and fair play to Bent, 6 in 10 with 2 perfectly good ones chalked off too, is about as good as you can get from a centre forward.
Not really. By the letter of the law the one against Newcastle was offside. And obviously, had yesterday's first goal stood, play would have resumed with a kick-off in the centre circle rather than a free-kick in their box, making the whole rest of the game different and he might not have got another (or he might have got another five of course). Nauses me a bit when someone misses three chances and people say he should have had a hat-trick, when of course if they'd scored the first one they might not have had another kick. Only true if they'd scored the first two and then missed.
Great signing though, panic or not - and we might well have been fucked without him.
He's done great and he really should be on eight when you think he's had some perfectly legitimate goals disallowed.
Sorry, Deano's was the post I meant to answer.
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Monty, I think 4-4-2 benefits him. In the past three games he's scored three (five!) and looks very dangerous.
He scored quite a few at Sunderland when they played him in a 4-5-1/4-3-3. To be honest, I think we've pretty much been playing the same system under GH almost every game, it's personnel that have changed the emphasis of it. Both Gabby and Heskey were playing very much 'off' Bent, though in Gabby's case there was a bit more running involved, whereas Heskey essentially stood there and tried to make the ball bounce off him to someone in a Villa shirt. It's pretty much where Young's been playing, except actually Young makes more pointless forward runs in that position, so you could argue that it's become even less 4-4-2.
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Monty, I think 4-4-2 benefits him. In the past three games he's scored three (five!) and looks very dangerous.
Yep.
We were all crying out for 4-4-2 on here, he's done it and it seems to be paying off.
Despite Gabbys goal, I'd be tempted to start with Heskey against Stoke, he'll come in handy for the physical stuff and unfeasibly long throws.
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I think 4-4-2 can and does work when you use the ball as inteligently as we did yesterday. Good movement from all the front players combined with a nice solid shape too.
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The cherry on the top for me is not only is Darren playing so well and doing exactly what we wanted but it must be making Oliver Holt grind his teeth to see all his anti Villa anti Bent pro O'Neill outpourings blown away by all the glowing praise for Bent's performances not what a shit he is for leaving Sunderland.
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Bent 6 Carroll 2 Torres 0.. Remind me who is over priced?
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Bent 6 Carroll 2 Torres 0.. Remind me who is over priced?
Nicked for facebook status. Ta.
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I think 4-4-2 can and does work when you use the ball as inteligently as we did yesterday. Good movement from all the front players combined with a nice solid shape too.
I still think we need better in central midfield for it to work. We need more mobility in there, a proper box to box player. Imagine Jimmy Milner in that side.
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(I think 4-4-2 can and does work when you use the ball as inteligently as we did yesterday. Good movement from all the front players combined with a nice solid shape too.
I still think we need better in central midfield for it to work. We need more mobility in there, a proper box to box player. Imagine Jimmy Milner in that side.
You're right, and Milner chipping in with his 10 goals a season would be great as well.
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There seems to be a ground swell of opinion about Milner coming back to B6.
To avoid any disappointment between the opening of the transfer window and the end of September, it is probably for the best if we all accept sooner rather than later that that isn't going to happen.
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There seems to be a ground swell of opinion about Milner coming back to B6.
It would certainly help negate the pissed off vibe that will emerge once Ashley goes.
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I think this idea that he's not involved in play except when he has a chance is rubbish. Yesterday in particular he was everywhere, pressing their back-line relentlessly, coming deep to get the ball and link up play, even playing passes like that brilliant one to Ash early on. Quite apart from that, his movement is so good that he alone can occupy two defenders and create space for others. He's gone up a level from when he signed for Blunderland and is now without doubt a really terrific player, and we're reaping the rewards.
Spot on.
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http://hastorresscoredforchelsea.com/
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There seems to be a ground swell of opinion about Milner coming back to B6.
To avoid any disappointment between the opening of the transfer window and the end of September, it is probably for the best if we all accept sooner rather than later that that isn't going to happen.
I don't think there's any chance of him coming back for what it's worth.
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He won't sadly, we need to be finding the next James Milner
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I think most people are pointing to Milner as the exact type of player who would massively improve us. A player who could tie it all together in midfield and attack, not that they think its likely he'll come back.
For what it's worth I think one of, if not both Delph and Gardner will do just as good a job eventually, if not better.
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I
I think most people are pointing to Milner as the exact type of player who would massively improve us. A player who could tie it all together in midfield and attack, not that they think its likely he'll come back.
For what it's worth I think one of, if not both Delph and Gardner will do just as good a job eventually, if not better.
I've yet to see Gary Gardner play, but I can see where your coming from with Delph Maz.
Is Gardner left or right footed or both?
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So far looks worth every penny. Really impressed with both his finishing (except the Blackburn game) and especially his movement to find space and lose his markers. Has also shown a fair bit of good link up play. Unlucky with disallowed goals in the last two games as well. I see Delph or Bannan as the players who could provide him with more chances from midfield.
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He's done great and he really should be on eight when you think he's had some perfectly legitimate goals disallowed.
Should his goal against Fulham have stood aswell? I can't remember if it was rightly ruled out or not. To answer the original point he's been worth every penny and if he stays injury free next season he will absolutely bang in 20 plus goals, now just for a goal in front of the Holte before the end of the season please.
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(I think 4-4-2 can and does work when you use the ball as inteligently as we did yesterday. Good movement from all the front players combined with a nice solid shape too.
I still think we need better in central midfield for it to work. We need more mobility in there, a proper box to box player. Imagine Jimmy Milner in that side.
You're right, and Milner chipping in with his 10 goals a season would be great as well.
Most of them were penalties though weren't they?
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In my opinion his impact on the team has kept us up, Not just the goals but the lift he gave when we were at a really low ebb. Hopefully he'll be the 20 goal a season man we have missed for a very long time!!
I do think we need to keep Downing though to help with the supply
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Can't see Downing going anywhere unless a crazy offer (25m+) comes in
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No reason why Benty can't get 25+ goals for us next season.
He got 20 for Charlton.
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Probably the best goalscorer i can recall in a Villa shirt
an absolute natural talent, brilliant signing
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I I think most people are pointing to Milner as the exact type of player who would massively improve us. A player who could tie it all together in midfield and attack, not that they think its likely he'll come back.
For what it's worth I think one of, if not both Delph and Gardner will do just as good a job eventually, if not better.
I've yet to see Gary Gardner play, but I can see where your coming from with Delph Maz.
Is Gardner left or right footed or both?
Right foot, mainly.
I'm not sure how good he is with his left but I dont recall it ever being a problem when watching him.
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In my opinion his impact on the team has kept us up, Not just the goals but the lift he gave when we were at a really low ebb. Hopefully he'll be the 20 goal a season man we have missed for a very long time!!
I do think we need to keep Downing though to help with the supply
That's a good point, Phil. It was so unexpected and did change the atmosphere around he club.
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Yes, it was expected Houllier might pull a rabbit out of the hat if we were lucky but then he went and shat a 24 karat golden egg out of his arse.
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Yes, it was expected Houllier might pull a rabbit out of the hat if we were lucky but then he went and shat a 24 karat golden egg out of his arse.
charming as ever Maz :)
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Probably the best goalscorer i can recall in a Villa shirt
an absolute natural talent, brilliant signing
You obviously didn't see Sammy Morgan ;)
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Sorry I forgot about David Geddis
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Not to mention Dave Simmons.
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Not to mention Dave Simmons.
worked with him a few years ago, nutcase
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Money VERY well spent, goalscorers are not ten a penny , he's a Villa legend I'm the making .
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Been superb and has brought a massive lift to the team. Scored more than Torres. Suerez and Caroll put together !!! bargain .....
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I think most people are pointing to Milner as the exact type of player who would massively improve us. A player who could tie it all together in midfield and attack, not that they think its likely he'll come back.
For what it's worth I think one of, if not both Delph and Gardner will do just as good a job eventually, if not better.
I would like to see them in Midfield for a match when we are safe. If Liverpool can play Spearing and Arsenal can play Wilshere I can't see any reason why we can't introduce Gary into the first team for the last two or three matches.
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I think most people are pointing to Milner as the exact type of player who would massively improve us. A player who could tie it all together in midfield and attack, not that they think its likely he'll come back.
For what it's worth I think one of, if not both Delph and Gardner will do just as good a job eventually, if not better.
I would like to see them in Midfield for a match when we are safe. If Liverpool can play Spearing and Arsenal can play Wilshere I can't see any reason why we can't introduce Gary into the first team for the last two or three matches.
Been saying it for a long time now but i think Gardner is going to be a massive player. Two feet, 6`1, pace, with a top engine who can score goals. Delph is waiting in the wings to become the new Milner .......
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I thought this thread needed to be revisited. What a fucking brilliant signing Darren Bent has been. We need to out the pieces around him now to ensure his goals don't go to waste next season. Top bloke by all accounts, and a top, top striker. Carroll and Torres? Give me Bent any day.
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He is absolutely superb, my favourite Villa player in absolute donkey's years and he's only been here for half a season. Well done Randy and Houllier.
If only we had him for the last three seasons, we'd have been in the Champions League.
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Think how many goals bent has scored in a dismall villa, team hopefully we can sign a couple high quality players that can feed bent in the box hes proper class best stricker ive seen at villa''in my time that is''
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won't see a better example of the striker's trade than Bent today. What we've been missing since we sold Yorke all those years ago.
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He's what we haev lacked for ages. We will be a threat next season so long as we haev soem creativity to feed him. Even with our crap defence I reckon we'd have had at least10 more points on the board now if we'd had him since August.
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I suggested him as my player of the season a few weeks back, and hardly anybody agreed with me. Anybody disagree now?
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I suggested him as my player of the season a few weeks back, and hardly anybody agreed with me. Anybody disagree now?
I voted Downing due to a complete body of work, but Bent's a bloody good suggestion.
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His first goal today was an absolutely brilliant finish.
I'm staggered the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool have never tried to sign him.
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More than worth every penny.
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I suggested him as my player of the season a few weeks back, and hardly anybody agreed with me. Anybody disagree now?
I said that he came a close second.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
I still think MON made the right decision in signing Heskey instead.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
The season he moved to Sunderland the goals for us really dried up after January. With the amount of chances we created that year we could have really threatened the upper echelons of the table. So short sighted of MON not to have seen him as the final piece in the jigsaw.
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Thank the Gods we've got him. He is invaluable as we look like we've always got a goal in us with him there, without him, we would be nothing as an attacking force.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
thats it though. MON would never have bought him. Not a MON type player
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Where would we be without him?
Need to concentrate on keeping him now.
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The first today was awesome. Would be second in my player of the season chart now.
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Whoever was responsible for getting that signature on the contract deserves the freedom of the city.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
Although I agree we should have bought him then, he was also sold by everyones "better then MON manager". Today showed him at his best and worse. One of the best natural finishers in the league and we need that. But one of the worst at holding the ball when the team are being stifled or penned back.
We need to build the team around him now though. Wingers or attacking fullbacks and CM's who can thread the ball though to him in the channels and someone who can get up the field to support him depending on the formation.
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Thank God we have Darren Bent.
We haven't had a goalscorer since Dwight Yorke.
I love Bent so much... both his goals today were sublime. Great finishes.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
The season he moved to Sunderland the goals for us really dried up after January. With the amount of chances we created that year we could have really threatened the upper echelons of the table. So short sighted of MON not to have seen him as the final piece in the jigsaw.
Was it his choice? Would the board have sanctioned the £10mil as apparently he had spent the over the seasons budget with his summer purchases of Milner, Young and Cueller IIRC.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
The season he moved to Sunderland the goals for us really dried up after January. With the amount of chances we created that year we could have really threatened the upper echelons of the table. So short sighted of MON not to have seen him as the final piece in the jigsaw.
Was it his choice? Would the board have sanctioned the £10mil as apparently he had spent the over the seasons budget with his summer purchases of Milner, Young and Cueller IIRC.
I am quite sure you have made this up.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
The season he moved to Sunderland the goals for us really dried up after January. With the amount of chances we created that year we could have really threatened the upper echelons of the table. So short sighted of MON not to have seen him as the final piece in the jigsaw.
Was it his choice? Would the board have sanctioned the £10mil as apparently he had spent the over the seasons budget with his summer purchases of Milner, Young and Cueller IIRC.
Had O'Neill pushed for it, it would have been madness not to follow his instruction.
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Whoever was responsible for getting that signature on the contract deserves the freedom of the city.
I think Gerard deserves much of the credit for selling a Villa in the bottom 3 to a 20 million pound striker. For all the bad things, the Bent signing is a masterpiece.
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Where would we be without him?
Need to concentrate on keeping him now.
Amen to that. It won't be good if he is the "best player to leave" the end of next season. Like I said, build the team with him as the focal point in playing down the channels and good balls through and and it would work with Gabby in his stead as although he hasn't got Bents instincts, his pace would help.
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He's shown himself to be a top class finisher but the funny thing is that he's also missed some proper sitters and if he'd finished last week like he did today he'd have stopped a lot of the jitters.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
I still think MON made the right decision in signing Heskey instead.
heh! aye. What was Bent doing for the 2nd, goal-hanging off their last defender? He should have been in front of the guy waiting for a punt in the air to him so he could head it down to no-one in particular. Bent's probably MON's idea of striker hell.:0)
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He's shown himself to be a top class finisher but the funny thing is that he's also missed some proper sitters and if he'd finished last week like he did today he'd have stopped a lot of the jitters.
You're right. Lets sell him!
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He's been fucking magic. A legend in the making.
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He's shown himself to be a top class finisher but the funny thing is that he's also missed some proper sitters and if he'd finished last week like he did today he'd have stopped a lot of the jitters.
Chris, I said this a few times myself. Bent will score 20-25 next season, yet we'll wonder at the end how he didn't score 40-50. He's that good at getting in the right spots that he's always going to get goals at any level if the service is there. But just like his miss against Wigan last week, he'll do that also on occasion. For me, as infuriating as it might be at times, the good stuff he does far outweighs those instances.
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I am quite sure you have made this up.
I'm sure I remember a General quote or a newspaper one that year which stated that they set a budget but they spent more then expected due to Milner being available, and getting Shorey last minute in and we wouldn't have much if anything to spend in January.
Admittedly my memory is shit and that situation was mostly MON's fault for spending £6 mil over the odds for Luke Young when he could have got him cheaper the season before and not getting squad cover for Bouma earlier.
But it has shown this season that the board do have some limits and TBF we were scoring well up to Feb when Carew's injury flared up and Gabby got tired. So even if MON did want him, persuading the board to spend another £10mil on someone who was in the papers more for his current managers persistence that his wife could have scored when Bent missed and was 3rd or 4th choice at Spurs might have been abit too much. (Not that I believe MON tried)
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Today showed him at his best and worse. One of the best natural finishers in the league and we need that. But one of the worst at holding the ball when the team are being stifled or penned back.
Intriguing that he gets most of goals (for us) away from home though.
He may not be great at HOLDING the ball up, but does give us an outlet that's very dangerous away from home.
Or (as you say) away from home the system is great for him and us. Clearly not the same at home....
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I big pat on the back to Randy for recognising we were struggling and having the balls to go out and do something about it. Bents goals have kept us up this season. How many years have we waited for a top class striker (no disrespect meant to gabby).
It's just a shame we couldn't have got Bent 3 seasons ago.
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he can miss 4-5 sitters per game for all i care as long as his goals per game ratio stays at the current level
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Time to bring out the inflatable beach balls next week?
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His transfer fee has more than paid itself, by staying in the Premier League.
Hat's off and kudos to Houllier on this and to Randy for sanctioning the move.
Bent top Premier League scorer next season? I'd like to see those odds now.
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His transfer fee has more than paid itself, by staying in the Premier League.
Hat's off and kudos to Houllier on this and to Randy for sanctioning the move.
Bent top Premier League scorer next season? I'd like to see those odds now.
I bet he'll be well down the charts despite all of the evidence to the contrary. I expect they'll have Torres, Suarez, Rooney, whoever Man City buy, Defoe, Carroll and one or two others to be expected to get more by the "pundits"
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I big pat on the back to Randy for recognising we were struggling and having the balls to go out and do something about it. Bents goals have kept us up this season. How many years have we waited for a top class striker (no disrespect meant to gabby).
It's just a shame we couldn't have got Bent 3 seasons ago.
If we had thou , we would be losing him this summer with Young..
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I big pat on the back to Randy for recognising we were struggling and having the balls to go out and do something about it. Bents goals have kept us up this season. How many years have we waited for a top class striker (no disrespect meant to gabby).
It's just a shame we couldn't have got Bent 3 seasons ago.
If we had thou , we would be losing him this summer with Young..
I assume that's a piss-take, since if you extrapolate his recent success and assume he would have been equally prolific, Villa would probably have won at least one trophy and got further in Europe.
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I big pat on the back to Randy for recognising we were struggling and having the balls to go out and do something about it. Bents goals have kept us up this season. How many years have we waited for a top class striker (no disrespect meant to gabby).
It's just a shame we couldn't have got Bent 3 seasons ago.
If we had thou , we would be losing him this summer with Young..
I assume that's a piss-take, since if you extrapolate his recent success and assume he would have been equally prolific, Villa would probably have won at least one trophy and got further in Europe.
we will never know , lets see If spurzz keep Bale for eg now they are not in chumps league.. Even thou Im pissed off we spent about 8 million on heskey and Haarewood , when MON really should have got Bent , I think its a great time for us to have him . We have got him at his peak.. Important we get some creativity in the team esp with Young going.
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The Bloke is top effing notch
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The hardest thing in football is scoring goals. We have one of the few players that are born to do so. Shit clubs and teams can have a good defence in this division (see Blues) and if we can get the simple things right this summer, it scares me to think of what we could do next year with a 25+ goal a season man up front. Darren Bent - a legend in the making!
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He saved our asses this season. Probably the most important signing we have made in years because we would be sobbing uncontrollably like West Ham fans if we hadn't signed him when we did.
Thank you Darren Bent.
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It's a shame we've lost some of our better players in recent years, and will lose AY this summer. I reckon the following side looks quite tasty:
Friedel - Walker, Cahill, Laursen, Young - NRC, Barry, Milner - Young, Bent, Downing
subs: Marshall, Cuellar, Clark, Petrov, Delph, Albrighton, Agbonlahor
I reckon that team could compete for a CL place.
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I wonder where we would be now had MON bought him when he went to Spuds or Sunderland?
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Well worth the money. I bet theres a few clubs kicking themselves that we got in there.
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Well worth the money. I bet theres a few clubs kicking themselves that we got in there.
Well out of all the big money striker moves in Jan only Suarez comes close to being as much of a success and that is more for his general effect on the rest of the strikers then his own goal scoring.
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The 3 he has had chalked off wrongly would put him on 20 league goals. Give him pens next season too, and he will be over that mark. 3rd top scorer in the league now.
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A quick check here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Aston_Villa_F.C._seasons) has shown that we've only had a striker with more than 20 goals in a season three times since Platty left 20 years ago!!!
I think the only striker I can ever remember getting truly excited about was JPA and for all the effort he put in, other than the one season, it never quite clicked for him.
If we can sort out the manager I'm seriously excited about what Benty could do next year!!!
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He is worth weight in gold, he saved our season and was one of the few highlights of it.
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just has to score up the holte end now. ;)
last minute winner please darren.
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Yeah, it's funny how his goals have largely come away. He's the one player who probably doesn't want the season to end. Worst-case scenario he gets tapped-up in the summer by one of the Sky four/five? and starts next season sluggishly, á la his form with Sunderland during his last few games there.
Not wanting to piss on parades but if Arsenal (who are crying out for a goal machine like him) were to come in for him for example and he knew about it...I don't have much faith in his loyalty to keep his head down here. Not that I think it will happen, but it's just another example of how important it is that we (a) sort out the management situation ASAP so the players aren't confused and discussing among them whether they'll be off or not and (b) We cut the chaff from the squad and bring in quality replacements, particularly N'Zogbia or whoever if and when Young leaves.
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As an aside, has anyone done a scout on Sunderland, Spurs and Arsenal forums today? Be interesting what they make of his display.
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Lee Dixon "heaped" praise on Bent by saying last night, "some sniffed at his price tag". Yeah, you and your fucking know nothing cronies in the media. Gone quiet hasn't it.
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Lee Dixon "heaped" praise on Bent by saying last night, "some sniffed at his price tag". Yeah, you and your fucking know nothing cronies in the media. Gone quiet hasn't it.
About two minutes after that, the commentator on the scouse game that followed picked out Suarez as "probably the pick of the big money January moves".
Twat.
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Remember Collymore's comments? He's already scored more than Stan did in his entire time at Villa.
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he can miss 4-5 sitters per game for all i care as long as his goals per game ratio stays at the current level
According to Mat Kendrick, he's scored 9 from 18 shots on target since joining us, so he doesn't miss too many.
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Lee Dixon "heaped" praise on Bent by saying last night, "some sniffed at his price tag". Yeah, you and your fucking know nothing cronies in the media. Gone quiet hasn't it.
About two minutes after that, the commentator on the scouse game that followed picked out Suarez as "probably the pick of the big money January moves".
Twat.
Yeah, that boiled my piss somewhat. But it's to be expected I suppose.
Bent: £18m - 9 goals in 14 games.
Suarez: £23m - 4 goals in 12 games.
Yeah, I think I know who the best deal was.
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Plus, if you factor in the cost of the carrots Suarez must get through.......
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As an aside I remember a certain MON stating that(and I quote) 'we don't need a marquee signing'.
That Mr o'neill is exactly what we needed at that time, and in those seasons when we were close to top 4 if we had had a 'bent' to convert our wing play would have seen us finish top 4.
And to think I used to be a big MON fan.
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If anyone did come in for him they would be looking at a minimum of £40m... no club, barring Man City have the power to do that.
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I dont even think its a case of a Marquee signing. We just needed a player to finish chances, whether he cost £50m or £500.000 and whether everybody or nobody had heard of him.
But Bent was always the obvious choice for me. It's so frustrating that we didn't get him sooner.
I am convinced we'd be in the champions league by now and maybe a trophy or two better off.
It's not like he wasn't gettable either.
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It would have ben great to have him two years ago but there's no doubt that he's a much better player now than he was then. You can see it when he plays for England, now he looks the part where previously he looked a bit out of his depth. We've got him in his prime.
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Bent: £18m - 9 goals in 14 games.
Suarez: £23m - 4 goals in 12 games.
To be fair, 1 in 3 for the 'support striker' isn't too bad.
But it's clear to anyone without their own biased agenda that that oour Darren has been the best of the big January moves.
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It would have ben great to have him two years ago but there's no doubt that he's a much better player now than he was then. You can see it when he plays for England, now he looks the part where previously he looked a bit out of his depth. We've got him in his prime.
Now I know MON spent a lot on poor players who didn't get much of a kick for us, as in truth all clubs/managers do, but he did build an excellent defence and a midfield containing Young, Milner and Downing. Presumably one of those components would have been sacrificed to buy Bent.
It's a shame with the timing as in previous years he'd have been that near legendary 'last piece of the jigsaw' and now I think he's the first piece of our new jigsaw.
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Bent is in his Prime but has always been a goalscorer. If we had him a couple of years ago (and it could have been easily funded buy not having to buy a defence twice over and not buying Heskey) the results would still have meant the goals to secure top 4 and perhaps silverware.
I think if MON had gone to Randy at the time Spurs were looking to offload and said "look, this guy will make the difference and take us where we need to go", it would have been funded regardless.
But that's all by the by now. We have to (re)build a team around this guy now and we can still trouble the top spots.
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Totally agree Maz.
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Darren Bent, Villa legend already in my opinion, he's kept us up and the control and finish for the first was world class.
Worth every penny
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We have to (re)build a team around this guy now and we can still trouble the top spots.
Totally agree, but I think attacking wise we're almost there already.
Presuming Ash leaves, I can see us therefore having Downing left and Marc right of him. Then it's a three man central midfield of Delph getting forward to support and Makoun playing that deeper creative roll. We'd then want a genuine holding player, which is part of the defensive sort out we badly need.
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We have to (re)build a team around this guy now and we can still trouble the top spots.
Totally agree, but I think attacking wise we're almost there already.
Presuming Ash leaves, I can see us therefore having Downing left and Marc right of him. Then it's a three man central midfield of Delph getting forward to support and Makoun playing that deeper creative roll. We'd then want a genuine holding player, which is part of the defensive sort out we badly need.
Indeed. Parker, Makoun and Delph sounds about right. And retaining NRC as back up (if his demands are reasonable).
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I would much rather have Bent than the other big money strikers transferred in Jan, ie Carroll and Torres but when I say this to some folks the old Sky 4 bias kicks in and they disagree. Well sod them I reckon we've got just about the best striker in the league and if the top teams aren't interested that suits us fine.
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We have to (re)build a team around this guy now and we can still trouble the top spots.
Totally agree, but I think attacking wise we're almost there already.
Presuming Ash leaves, I can see us therefore having Downing left and Marc right of him. Then it's a three man central midfield of Delph getting forward to support and Makoun playing that deeper creative roll. We'd then want a genuine holding player, which is part of the defensive sort out we badly need.
Indeed. Parker, Makoun and Delph sounds about right. And retaining NRC as back up (if his demands are reasonable).
Get Parker to replace Petrov, N'Zogbia to replace Young, Hangeland to replace Dunne, keep Walker and get a new keeper. That would be a good summer.
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We have to (re)build a team around this guy now and we can still trouble the top spots.
Totally agree, but I think attacking wise we're almost there already.
Presuming Ash leaves, I can see us therefore having Downing left and Marc right of him. Then it's a three man central midfield of Delph getting forward to support and Makoun playing that deeper creative roll. We'd then want a genuine holding player, which is part of the defensive sort out we badly need.
Indeed. Parker, Makoun and Delph sounds about right. And retaining NRC as back up (if his demands are reasonable).
Get Parker to replace Petrov, N'Zogbia to replace Young, Hangeland to replace Dunne, keep Walker and get a new keeper. That would be a good summer.
Apart from leftback, that would represent a comprehensive sort out of what we need.
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Two criticisms I kept hearing were - too much money (that one soon died down after Torres and Carroll) and he only scores penalties. Well, that's nine penalties in fifteen games that have made a huge difference to our season and the first one yesterday has to be the best penalty i've ever seen.
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Bent is in his Prime but has always been a goalscorer. If we had him a couple of years ago (and it could have been easily funded buy not having to buy a defence twice over and not buying Heskey) the results would still have meant the goals to secure top 4 and perhaps silverware.
I think if MON had gone to Randy at the time Spurs were looking to offload and said "look, this guy will make the difference and take us where we need to go", it would have been funded regardless.
But that's all by the by now. We have to (re)build a team around this guy now and we can still trouble the top spots.
Has I mentioned earlier, we had spent £41mill that summer (Dunne and Collins were signed the season after.) I doubt even Randy would have then spent another £10m at the time when we were scoring still (it dried up in Feb) and Heskey was brought in for cover for Carew. I'm not absolving MON on the money overspent but there were not many dissenters on signing Davies, Young, Carlos, Sidwell and Milner at the time apart from a couple of queries on the price.
I'm not saying MON asked and was rejected by Randy or I wouldn't have liked him myself then but I doubt the money was there to sign him at that point after he had already over spent in the summer.
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Depends what you mean by the money not being there. Randy being fabulously wealthy. Randy's also no fool when it comes to football, he would have had an idea what was needed. To that point MON had only bought Harewood as a striker, with Carew being a swap and Gabby coming through the ranks. So instead of buying Heskey, he should have gone for Bent. You can never know for sure but I think Randy would have justified it as he hadn't had to lay out for a forward to that point, Harewood aside.
You can slice it and dice it however you like but MON had something like £150m (guess) to spend over his tenure and failed to get the striker we needed and in my opinion, failed to get a top 4 finish as a result.
Two complete defences purchased and no prolific striker = big mistake.
Especially when one of the best finishers in the land becomes available for a very reasonable price.
But like I said. Its all done now. There's very little value in raking over the coals again. Onwards and upwards.
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I tell you what...bollox to £18m
He's worth every penny of the £24m.
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Depends what you mean by the money not being there. Randy being fabulously wealthy. Randy's also no fool when it comes to football, he would have had an idea what was needed.
There was no more money without selling as we found out the following January and last summer.
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We have to (re)build a team around this guy now and we can still trouble the top spots.
Totally agree, but I think attacking wise we're almost there already.
Presuming Ash leaves, I can see us therefore having Downing left and Marc right of him. Then it's a three man central midfield of Delph getting forward to support and Makoun playing that deeper creative roll. We'd then want a genuine holding player, which is part of the defensive sort out we badly need.
Indeed. Parker, Makoun and Delph sounds about right. And retaining NRC as back up (if his demands are reasonable).
Get Parker to replace Petrov, N'Zogbia to replace Young, Hangeland to replace Dunne, keep Walker and get a new keeper. That would be a good summer.
Apart from leftback, that would represent a comprehensive sort out of what we need.
Yep, sounds good to me. I'd be tempted to try for Shawcross too, although a Collins-Hangeland combination would suite just fine. Parker strikes me as a barry replacement, which is just what we need.
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Depends what you mean by the money not being there. Randy being fabulously wealthy. Randy's also no fool when it comes to football, he would have had an idea what was needed.
There was no more money without selling as we found out the following January and last summer.
We know that there was an issue with salaries, not transfer fees. In any case this was after MON had spent a lot of money already. Some of it poorly.
But my argument is that we should have bought Bent before Sunderland did. When he'd fallen out with Redknapp.
Instead of buying players we didn't desperately need, we should have bought Bent. Instead we bought Heskey. Big mistake. It cost us.
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I'm afraid it's just not that simple:-
1. We bought Heskey 6 months before Bent went to Sunderland - was he available then?
2. He left Spurs to play regularly, so would he have come to a club with an established partnership like Gabby and Carew?
3. Would the lack of defensive reinforcements we would presumably not have then bought have seen us leak enough goals to negate Bent's impact?
This isn't a defence of MON as much as it is saying that things aren't always as black and white as we try to make out. Plus, all clubs have similar regrets:-
1. Man Utd are relatively weak in central midfield, so do their fans think they should have bought Milner when he left Newcastle?
2. Liverpool have similar issues out wide, do should they have gone for Ash from Watford?
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I cringe every time a Villa player has a good game as he automatically becomes a transfer target for the mega rich clubs. Even last night on MOTD the talk was that Bent would be a good signing for Arsenal. It is a fact his goals have saved us from relegation but we need to look after him in the future and show improvement as well as commitment and ambition.
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Bent would be no use to Wenger. Wenger likes players who can walk the ball into the goal via 50 tippy tappy passes. Instinctive forward play such as instant control and shoot at goal would bore the Arsenal faithful rigid.
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I'm afraid it's just not that simple:-
1. We bought Heskey 6 months before Bent went to Sunderland - was he available then?
2. He left Spurs to play regularly, so would he have come to a club with an established partnership like Gabby and Carew?
3. Would the lack of defensive reinforcements we would presumably not have then bought have seen us leak enough goals to negate Bent's impact?
Why isnt it that simple? What's not simple about taking an opportunity to buy a player we needed?
In answer to your questions.
1- Yes, I believe he was.
2- He would have believed himself good enough to play regardless of those two and he'd have been right.
Certainly more than at Spurs. And we were in a better position than they were at the time.
3- Not really. What are we talking, £10m? So no Beye, dont spend so much on Warnock, spend some of the summer money sooner instead of £4m on Heskey or choose one of Delph or Downing not both and buy Bent. I believe he was far more important at that stage. Carew's form was patchy and he was often injured or despondent and a lot depended on Gabby.
Bent would have made the difference that season to getting that top 4 place or cup win or both.
In any case, I've already articulated as succintly as I can, I think.
You can slice it and dice it however you like but MON had something like £150m (guess) to spend over his tenure and failed to get the striker we needed and in my opinion, failed to get a top 4 finish as a result.
Two complete defences purchased and no prolific striker = big mistake.
Especially when one of the best finishers in the land becomes available for a very reasonable price.
I remember having the piss taken out of me because I kept suggesting buying him or some other striker and people would say, he's not going to buy a top striker. And I'd think, well of course he is. Why wouldnt he? But they were right somehow. MON either thought he had enough or had no idea how to go about signing a top striker, which I find amazing.
The goals dried up, we stuttered, we choked and we fell short of the final hurdle again. Frustrating.
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In any case, I've already articulated as succintly as I can, I think.
You wanted Bent, MON didn't, or did and was unable to get him. Of that there is no doubt. Where there is dount is what we would ahve had to sacrifice of our other squad/team building process in order to buy him at the time. It's OK to say 'well, he bought enough crap players that they would have payed for him', but in reality if we were 100% efficient in our purchases it would be a the first time in the history of football.
Would I have preferred Bent to Downing in summer 2009? Yes, but then I'm not capable of building a top 6 side and MON was, so that doesn't mean that I, or you, are right.
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I've never tried "building a top 6 side" or, more accurately, a 6th place side as MON managed and no better, but I know buying Bent was the right thing to do.
Then we might have been a top 4 side or something. He could have done better with what he had to spend. I know it's not easy but I feel comfortable saying that.
But you either accept not buying Bent was a mistake or you dont. There really isnt anything else to say.
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But you either accept not buying Bent was a mistake or you dont. There really isnt anything else to say.
It was a choice. If it's the wrong one then it's a mistake, as it looks like it was right now. But we can't know how we would have been weakened in other areas had we gone for him.
The other thing is that outside the top 4 and Spurs themselves, there must have been 10 clubs or so with the finances to buy him. Does that mean all 9 managers, other than Spud 'ead, made a mistake in not buying him?
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But you either accept not buying Bent was a mistake or you dont. There really isnt anything else to say.
It was a choice. If it's the wrong one then it's a mistake, as it looks like it was right now. But we can't know how we would have been weakened in other areas had we gone for him.
The other thing is that outside the top 4 and Spurs themselves, there must have been 10 clubs or so with the finances to buy him. Does that mean all 9 managers, other than Spud 'ead, made a mistake in not buying him?
How many of them both had the money to buy him, and could attract him to signing for them?
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I cringe every time a Villa player has a good game as he automatically becomes a transfer target for the mega rich clubs. Even last night on MOTD the talk was that Bent would be a good signing for Arsenal. It is a fact his goals have saved us from relegation but we need to look after him in the future and show improvement as well as commitment and ambition.
Are Arsenal a mega rich club? I'm not so sure. I think what was said on MOTD was meant in an "opportunity missed" for Arsenal kind of way. There's no way in a million years they could afford him. I think he's on a four year contract at Villa and to us now he is worth at least double what we shelled out for him.
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But you either accept not buying Bent was a mistake or you dont. There really isnt anything else to say.
It was a choice. If it's the wrong one then it's a mistake, as it looks like it was right now. But we can't know how we would have been weakened in other areas had we gone for him.
The other thing is that outside the top 4 and Spurs themselves, there must have been 10 clubs or so with the finances to buy him. Does that mean all 9 managers, other than Spud 'ead, made a mistake in not buying him?
How many of them both had the money to buy him, and could attract him to signing for them?
Bearing in mind who he eventually went to, I'd say quite a few!
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I remember having the piss taken out of me because I
am a short arse.
;)
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But you either accept not buying Bent was a mistake or you dont. There really isnt anything else to say.
It was a choice. If it's the wrong one then it's a mistake, as it looks like it was right now. But we can't know how we would have been weakened in other areas had we gone for him.
The other thing is that outside the top 4 and Spurs themselves, there must have been 10 clubs or so with the finances to buy him. Does that mean all 9 managers, other than Spud 'ead, made a mistake in not buying him?
Surely the most appropriate answer to this question is "who cares?" We're talking about what was best for Aston Villa, not anyone else.
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He went to Sunderland because that was his best option. It shouldn't have been.
Not by any stretch of the imagination.
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Bent would be no use to Wenger. Wenger likes players who can walk the ball into the goal via 50 tippy tappy passes. Instinctive forward play such as instant control and shoot at goal would bore the Arsenal faithful rigid.
If he is trying to be a poor mans Barca then he should realise that Villa is an instinctive finisher who makes runs off the last defender for Xavi. Iniesta or Messi to find. Darren Bent would have been ideal for that. Instead he decided Bendtner, an injured Van persie or a morrocan who can't play in the cold were better bets. His loss, our gain.
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Bent would be no use to Wenger. Wenger likes players who can walk the ball into the goal via 50 tippy tappy passes. Instinctive forward play such as instant control and shoot at goal would bore the Arsenal faithful rigid.
If he is trying to be a poor mans Barca then he should realise that Villa is an instinctive finisher who makes runs off the last defender for Xavi. Iniesta or Messi to find. Darren Bent would have been ideal for that. Instead he decided Bendtner, an injured Van persie or a morrocan who can't play in the cold were better bets. His loss, our gain.
Not sure I agree with that, for me Villa When playing for barca) starts on the left of an attacking three. They had that with Eto but - if it is possible to criticise Barca - I think they lack that sort of player now. On the flip side, one of their strengths (and uniqueness) is that the opposition centre back must find it really hard to find anyone to mark. Messi, playing in the centre is continually dropping deep with Iniesta and Xavi running beyond him.
Apologies for taking this off topic.
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I remember Maz banging on about Bent and disagreeing with him, eventually I came round.
My concern with Bent was that he is not a very good foootballer, but crikey does his instinct for goal make up for it. Maz was right MON was wrong
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Some stats from Opta Joe on twitter
1. Since August 2005, Darren Bent has scored 90 Premier League goals. Only Wayne Rooney (91) has more. Productive.
2. The three 2011 winter signings to score 7+ PL goals are D Bent, D Sturridge & D Ba. Congrats to the hundreds who got this one. Answer.
3. Without Darren Bent's goals this season Aston Villa would be second bottom with 36 points, three points from safety. Bargain.
4. Darren Bent has scored eight PL goals from just 17 shots on target since joining Aston Villa. Value.
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Your point 3 is too simplified. Without Bent, someone else would have been playing and no doubt contributed to the team. Yeah, probably a mixture of Fonz/Heskey/Gabby combined and they likely wouldn't have got as many goals between them but just saying.
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I have said it before often enough but I advocated the signing of Bent when he was still a nipper at Ipswich.
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I have said it before often enough but I advocated the signing of Bent when he was still a nipper at Ipswich.
Snap.
I wanted DOL to pair him with Yakubu.
Not in a footballing sense but a homoerotic experiment.
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Do you know, I wrote to the club about their scouting and inability to "keep up with the Charlton's of the world" at the time. Of four I recommended, Bent was to on the list at that time. Now two were shite but top of the tree, Tim Cahill. Phil Jagielka was four I might add. This scouting the lower leagues is piss easy!
p.s. Three was Michael Tonge at Sheff Utd but three from four aint bad!
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Did they reply?
I was amazed nobody snapped up Jagielka and Cahill before Everton eventually did.
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Did they reply?
I was amazed nobody snapped up Jagielka and Cahill before Everton eventually did.
Palace could have signed Cahill from Millwall when they were last in the PL - and Simon Jordan refused to deal with an agent - on principle.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
and played him at left back you mean, assuming he got on the pitch of course.
No player bought in the last seven seasons has contributed so much to the Villa cause, and to think some on here reckoned he didn't score consistently enough :)
Weird also that the man who bought Carew, Routledge, and of course Harewood, is still revered by many, yet the guy who persuaded Bent to join us has often been reviled.
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He's fucking brilliant. It really is as simple as that.
God only knows how things might had panned out, had O'Neill bought him when he went to Sunderland for a modest 10m.
and played him at left back you mean, assuming he got on the pitch of course.
No player bought in the last seven seasons has contributed so much to the Villa cause, and to think some on here reckoned he didn't score consistently enough :)
Ashley Young, Gareth Barry, Martin Laursen, Olof Mellberg! Even James Milner. Dont get me wrong, Bent is fantastic and im pleased to have him, but he has not been here six months.
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Some stats from Opta Joe on twitter
1. Since August 2005, Darren Bent has scored 90 Premier League goals. Only Wayne Rooney (91) has more. Productive.
2. The three 2011 winter signings to score 7+ PL goals are D Bent, D Sturridge & D Ba. Congrats to the hundreds who got this one. Answer.
3. Without Darren Bent's goals this season Aston Villa would be second bottom with 36 points, three points from safety. Bargain.
4. Darren Bent has scored eight PL goals from just 17 shots on target since joining Aston Villa. Value.
I've had a look on the BBC website and they say 9 goals from 15 starts for us in the league, which is phenomenal. Also he's hit 20 goals for the season.
I don't really care for the why's and wherefore's - he'll be brilliant for us. I'll go as far to say he'll probably score more than Torres next season.
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At the minute,Heskey looks like he's gonna score more than Torres.
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If anything indicates why we need Benty, it was his first goal against Arsenal. Absolute class. There's few players who can do what he did. It's almost like a 6th sense. Just like Wrighty in days gone by. He ghosted in and without hesitation he's controlled and finished it. Even if Bent isn't technically as cultured as some players, he still gets the ball to go where he wants it...in the back of the net. Pure class.
His 2nd goal was also excellent. No pause for breath, he just slipped in and finished it. We haven't had a player like this in ages. A pure goalscorer.
I expect 20 mininum next season.
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It was a seriously good finish, not easy at all but he took it beautifully. Bent has been superb. Nine league goals and it could have been even better - he's had a couple of marginal disallowed efforts which could just as easily have been given. And that very uncharacteristic miss v Wigan.
Watching MOTD2, the commentator at the Liverpool game made a remark about Luis Suarez along the lines of 'has there been a better signing in the January transfer window?' I thought, yes: yes, there definitely has.
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Weird also that the man who bought Carew, Routledge, and of course Harewood, is still revered by many, yet the guy who persuaded Bent to join us has often been reviled.
Carew was a good bit of business, and as for Houiller being reviled, we've lost 3 derbies, been in the bottom half of the table for most of the season and have in general, been pretty shit.
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i love darren bent...
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Did they reply?
I was amazed nobody snapped up Jagielka and Cahill before Everton eventually did.
I used to correspond with people at the club quite a bit but, even though I copied in Doug and the pig nosed shithead in charge, it is one of the few letters I didn't get a response to.
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Remember when we signed Bent, all that bleating from Sunderland fans about why oh why was he leaving "a top six club" (obviously, such things being decided in January) to go to a struggling club?
I can't help but notice we've finished above them and reflect back on that.
So, with this being a day for two-fingers gestures, as well as Holloway and Blues, they too can fuck right off.