Summer 2010 Transfer Thread: B*llsh*t, Rumours & Wishes

[PaulTheVillan]

Jimmy doesn't strike me as the kind of bloke to have his head turned easily and he's only played half a season in the position were everyone has started noticing him.  I don't think he will or wants to go anywhere this summer.

In future years it depends on our progress.

That's it for me. If he wants to play every week in the middle of midfield then he's better off staying with us and I think he's sensible enough to appreciate that. Things might be different in a year or two but for now I'd be surprised if he leaves.

Anderson is shit, Hargreaves is crocked, Scholes won't go on forever and Carrick seems to be on his way out.

I could see him easily playing along side Fletcher in the middle of the midfield for Man Utd.

[Irish villain]

On another thread I suggested it'd be best for all if James Milner stayed here for at least another year and that we shouldn't sell for anything less than £30m.

However, if James wakes up each morning to see MON linked with the likes of Carlton Cole then I couldn't really blame him for wanting out.

I thought this was the summer that would prove MON has learned from his mistakes and that as others have said we need something different like passing ability, intelligence, eye for a goal to take us to the next level.

I hope some of those rumours are utterly false or it will be another very frustrating season under MON.

[Mazrim]

Jimmy doesn't strike me as the kind of bloke to have his head turned easily and he's only played half a season in the position were everyone has started noticing him.  I don't think he will or wants to go anywhere this summer.

In future years it depends on our progress.

That's it for me. If he wants to play every week in the middle of midfield then he's better off staying with us and I think he's sensible enough to appreciate that. Things might be different in a year or two but for now I'd be surprised if he leaves.

Anderson is shit, Hargreaves is crocked, Scholes won't go on forever and Carrick seems to be on his way out.

I could see him easily playing along side Fletcher in the middle of the midfield for Man Utd.

Poor Manchester United. A shame Milner will be playing for Aston Villa then because he'd really suit them.

[Mazrim]

On another thread I suggested it'd be best for all if James Milner stayed here for at least another year and that we shouldn't sell for anything less than £30m.

However, if James wakes up each morning to see MON linked with the likes of Carlton Cole then I couldn't really blame him for wanting out.

I thought this was the summer that would prove MON has learned from his mistakes and that as others have said we need something different like passing ability, intelligence, eye for a goal to take us to the next level.

I hope some of those rumours are utterly false or it will be another very frustrating season under MON.

So Milner should want to leave because the press are linking us with Carlton Cole?

[MoetVillan]

I would imagine Milner would be more interested in what the manager is telling him than what the press is telling him.  Yesterday City were buying Gerrard and Torres from Liverpool and trading Ireland and Adebayor with 40 million.  Today they are buying Milner.  He comes across as a level headed guy, so I think we dont need to worry about gossip

[Merv]

Interesting to see how Milner fits in to the City team with the other 15 players they've been linked with over the weekend. That will be up to 60 by the end of the week.

[Des Little]

As others have said, if Milner was to go I would expect it to be Man U and not Citeh...and if he does it's £30M, no less.  I hope he stays, mind.

[Hookeysmith]

The answer is as always

If the player wants to go then we must get the best deal for the ones that want to stay

I do fear that the first of the young uns to go (Ash, Milner, Gabby, Downing, Fonz et al) will start a bit of an exodus

As always it is down to what WE DO rather than anyone else - we have established ourselves as a contender for top flight football consistantly over the the last 3 years - if our plans are known to players and they like them then they will stay

If we want top football then we need top players

The likes of Carlton Cole is not in that catogory

[MoetVillan]

We finished 6th this season.  If we had had Carlton Cole or Bobby Zamora (very similar players IMO) on our bench this season, do we think we could have a) scored more goals and b) finished higher.

[Dave]

We finished 6th this season.  If we had had Carlton Cole or Bobby Zamora (very similar players IMO) on our bench this season, do we think we could have a) scored more goals and b) finished higher.

Yes to both.

New question. We finished 6th this season. If we have £15m to spend on a striker, would you want it to be spent on a) Carlton Cole b) Bobby Zamora c) as yet unidentified other?

[Mazrim]

c)

[pauliewalnuts]

We finished 6th this season.  If we had had Carlton Cole or Bobby Zamora (very similar players IMO) on our bench this season, do we think we could have a) scored more goals and b) finished higher.

That's an interesting question.

I've two concerns with that.

First is that I'm far from sure Cole or Zamora are of sufficient quality to improve on what we did this season, in any case.

Second is that part of me thinks it wouldn't make that big a difference to the goals scored column if we had a world class striker but continue to rely so heavily on crosses into the box and they are so frequently wayward.

Third is that we need to be looking to improve on our starting strikers, not assume we're buying for the bench. That's not going to be easy, but it'll be made easier by casting our net further and wider rather than the predictable UK based options.

Oops. Three concerns.

[Concrete John]

We finished 6th this season.  If we had had Carlton Cole or Bobby Zamora (very similar players IMO) on our bench this season, do we think we could have a) scored more goals and b) finished higher.

Quite possibly.

But we're not going to spend £10m+ on a bench warmer.  We need someone to come in and start with Gabby or Carew and leave to other the be that player from the bench.

[MoetVillan]

Dave, I would go for a.n.other.  But thats a bigger gamble.  We know now that Carlton cole can score in the premier leage, and hitting a ball towards him now results in him controlling it rather than a waste a-la-his last time in a Villa shirt.  We also know that Zamora can now (finally) score in the top league.  So, I do think we can spend 15 mil (Which is a lot of money) POTENTIALLY in a better manner, but I could see the arguments for going for players touted as England callups.  And Paulie, I agree with all of those concerns.  I just struggle to see where the alternatives will come from.  I dont think MON will spend big abroad.  He never has done, and his biggest successes have been his development of previously UK based players.  I do feel that as an opposing manager, I would have more to worry me about Villas squad if Zamora of Cole were in the mix with Gabby and Heskey/Carew/Fonz.  But is it a big enough step?

[PaulTheVillan]

If I was James Milner I'd be thinking....

Can MON take us any further?
Do I want to cement my place in the England team?
Do I want to be playing the highest level of football with and against some of the best players around?
How many times in a short career do Manchester United come sniffing around?

If Man United made a bid and Milner thought along those lines, then I'd imagine he'd be off.

Who knows.