The Milner Novela... Final episode page 296

[pauliewalnuts]

I honestly wouldn't trust MON to spend the proceeds wisely.

Yes, it's not like he could find a young player at a struggling club and within two years change his position, get him to be a certainty for the World Cup and at least double his transfer value.

For every Milner theres two or three duffers though, I agree with you Mark.

2 or 3? For example?

By the manager's admission (today) you could list Luke Young, Sidwell, NRC, Davies, Shorey, and Beye.

You could say that.

You could also say that Reo-Coker and Davies are victims of the side improving around them, and have become surplus as a result.

And then you would also have to count the 'non-duds', namely Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Young, Delph (given time) and the boy Milner himself.

And then you would have to say that 2-3 duds for every one good 'un was a load of cock.

That's all well and good, but you asked for an example of duffers, so I gave you a few.

According to the press, those are the players the manager himself has referred to today as having not been up to it. He certainly didn't make it sound like the side improving around them being the reason they were on the way out.

[boboonthecorner]

Talking shite am I? We've just reeled off 14 players he's signed and has either got rid of or rumoured to be getting rid of.

Sky reporting a bid for Milner has been lodged...

[PhilGibson]

After what Lerner said about not selling Jimmy, he would have a lot of egg on his face, if we did sell him and it was for a fee which is less than £30 million+

I just cannot see us considering selling him before the world cup, it would make no business sense.

[Concrete John]

then you'd have to  add salifou, knight, Heskey,  Downing, Maloney, Routledge, Carson, Harewood to the above and you think no maybe its not..

The original discussion started around whether or not we should trust Martin to spend any fee we (hopefully do not!) get for Milner.  We made money on Knight and Maloney, Routledge and Salifou were only nominal fees and Carson was a loan signing.  We can argue about Downing all day, but the only definite 'waste' was Harewood.

[Woofles The Wonder Dog]

I find the very thought of selling Milner, for whatever amount of money, unutterably depressing.

Whatever doubts some of O'Neill's transfers might engender I think this is one of his triumphs. Milner will only get better as he is surrounded by better players. I want that to be with us.

[Brend'Watkins]

We haven't got to sell anybody so Milner is going nowhere for now, that is, of course until should someone come in with a bid that we absolutely couldn't refuse.  Every player has a price, every player has a higher price that could take him to another club.  I can't see Man City or Chelsea offering the sort of money that would tempt us to sell....we're talking £30 million +, it isn't going to happen.

[Woofles The Wonder Dog]

I'm sorry but that's incredibly naive - Everton didn't want to sell Lescott until it became apparent that Lescott wanted out. Yes the money was tempting, and yes they needed it more than us but in the end it was the player who wanted to go and at that point you're on the losing end of the battle.

All depends on Milner really. Don't forget that he handed in a transfer request at Newcastle when they didn't want to sell to us.

[KevinGage]

I just find it very hard to get worked up about player departures any more.

For us, the game is a passion. For the players, its a career.

Jimmy does seem more grounded than some of the simpletons and bling merchants in the game, but if he has a chance to progress his career he's got to take it.

For that to happen though, we have to get maximum value. I can understand those who would be pissed off at any bid being accepted, but until we actually crack the CL ourselves it's the danger we'll always face. Don't want to go the route of harping back to the past too much, but this link and GB's eventual departure last year does illustrate the folly of not pushing on from a position of strength in Jan 09. A better forward than Ivanhoe at that point and who knows where we would be now. But that's a different argument for a different day.

At least we're in a position where our better players are assets again. It might take us longer to get back in contention when just 18 months ago it looked well within our grasp, but the hope would be that any money generated would go straight back on the side. As with the Tottenham example given earlier, it doesn't have to signal the end of our CL ambitions.

[Concrete John]

I'm sorry but that's incredibly naive - Everton didn't want to sell Lescott until it became apparent that Lescott wanted out. Yes the money was tempting, and yes they needed it more than us but in the end it was the player who wanted to go and at that point you're on the losing end of the battle.

All depends on Milner really. Don't forget that he handed in a transfer request at Newcastle when they didn't want to sell to us.

I think there's a difference between Milner and Lescott.  The Klingon wanted to go and was playing his face to try and engineer a move.  Jimmy also wanted to go, as he had had enough of the Geordie circus, but did it in the right and professional way by handing in a request.

You're right that it's up to him really, but I just don't see a Lescott/Barry situation developing - he has more integrity than that!

[Brend'Watkins]

He did Nick but Newcastle did muck him about somewhat. Milner has only been with us a short while and I don't think he's the kind of person to use us as a stepping stone at this stage of his career.  Even if Milner did want to go he goes on our terms as he's contracted to us, just like Barry went on our terms as he was contracted to us that's why we should not entertain anything less than £30 million.

[LeeB]

I honestly wouldn't trust MON to spend the proceeds wisely.

Yes, it's not like he could find a young player at a struggling club and within two years change his position, get him to be a certainty for the World Cup and at least double his transfer value.

For every Milner theres two or three duffers though, I agree with you Mark.

2 or 3? For example?

By the manager's admission (today) you could list Luke Young, Sidwell, NRC, Davies, Shorey, and Beye.

You could say that.

You could also say that Reo-Coker and Davies are victims of the side improving around them, and have become surplus as a result.

And then you would also have to count the 'non-duds', namely Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Young, Delph (given time) and the boy Milner himself.

And then you would have to say that 2-3 duds for every one good 'un was a load of cock.

That's all well and good, but you asked for an example of duffers, so I gave you a few.

According to the press, those are the players the manager himself has referred to today as having not been up to it. He certainly didn't make it sound like the side improving around them being the reason they were on the way out.

Well, if you look again paulie, I was actually suggesting bob's ratio was a load of cock, not the fact that the manager signed some players who weren't good enough.

[LeeB]

then you'd have to  add salifou, knight, Heskey,  Downing, Maloney, Routledge, Carson, Harewood to the above and you think no maybe its not..

The original discussion started around whether or not we should trust Martin to spend any fee we (hopefully do not!) get for Milner.  We made money on Knight and Maloney, Routledge and Salifou were only nominal fees and Carson was a loan signing.  We can argue about Downing all day, but the only definite 'waste' was Harewood.

Thanks John, for saving me the bother of typing that. It's a royal pain with IE8 scrollbar problem.

[LeeB]

Talking shite am I? We've just reeled off 14 players he's signed and has either got rid of or rumoured to be getting rid of.

Sky reporting a bid for Milner has been lodged...

And since he's arrived we've gone up 10 places in the league. Some of those players have helped us get there but are no longer up to it.

It wouldn't have been a problem if we'd have stayed shit. It's all O'Neill's fault.

[Woofles The Wonder Dog]

he has more integrity than that!

I don't think he's the kind of person

I think so too and I fervently hope so. You never can tell though. Sigh.

[Shrek]

Discussing on talksport now.

Andy townsend really wants milner too stay at Villa!