The Milner Novela... Final episode page 296

[alan_clarke]

ever bid for an item on ebay that you dont really need, only to see the price go up a few pound? does your ego make you bid again since you can easily afford to or let some other schmuck get one over on you? of course you bid again.

[Mazrim]

the simple fact is that MON needs the money more than Mancini needs Milner

Says who?

Hang on, though, in this thread you've been telling us quite forthrightly how we absolutely do not need the money, but then revealed yourself that it's just stuff you've heard, and not really concrete

It seems a bit ironic then to go the "says who" route on hawkeye.

Maybe we really don't have a clue either way. Any of us.

Firstly, I havent claimed anything as a fact.
Secondly, I've backed up my reasoning with actual statements from people either very well connected to the club or who actually own it.

So I'm quite entitled to ask "says who". I am genuinely asking who has said we need to sell Milner to raise money. Just one even remotely tangible link to anybody connected to the club in any way shape or form saying we need to sell Milner to raise money.

[Hazz]

ever bid for an item on ebay that you dont really need, only to see the price go up a few pound? does your ego make you bid again since you can easily afford to or let some other schmuck get one over on you? of course you bid again.

You have too much money, sir.

[Chris Smith]

And they come back in a year and get him for £12m- Im sure if mon said let's take the £24m chris, you would be the first on here praising him saying how great a deal mon has got us.

If he doesn't sign a new contract take the money on offer now and move on!

What a stupid thing to say. Just because you change your mind more often than you wash it doesn't mean we're all like that.

I will be extremely annoyed if Randy (he's doing the negotiating remember) now backs down and does a cut price deal.

[eastie]

So if milner refuses to sign a new deal you would be prepared to let him go in a year for half the price or walk away on a free a year later?

Man city can turn their attention elsewhere, milner is not worth £24m which would be more than a decent fee-if he doesn't want to stay as mon has said then it's best to take tbe money now and get players who are committed to Aston villa.

Far better to be prepared to change your mind and opinions than be stuck in a one dimensional mindset where you believe you are always right and they are always wrong.

I know this will come as a shock to you but martin o neill does make mistakes and plenty of them !

[BannedUserIAT]

So if milner refuses to sign a new deal you would be prepared to let him go in a year for half the price or walk away on a free a year later?

You're assuming:
(a) Man City will still want him in a year having signed no-one else suitable.
(b) Milner wnats away from Villa Park nomatter what.

Neither of those I think are credible.

[pauliewalnuts]

the simple fact is that MON needs the money more than Mancini needs Milner

Says who?

Hang on, though, in this thread you've been telling us quite forthrightly how we absolutely do not need the money, but then revealed yourself that it's just stuff you've heard, and not really concrete

It seems a bit ironic then to go the "says who" route on hawkeye.

Maybe we really don't have a clue either way. Any of us.

Firstly, I havent claimed anything as a fact.

Secondly, I've backed up my reasoning with actual statements from people either very well connected to the club or who actually own it.

Well, you were making it sound like fact that we'd offered him the biggest contract ever offered to a player by Villa the other day, but I was referring to your exchange with Pete3206 a few pages back, which came down to you'd heard some stuff / read some stuff in the paper / interpreted what MON had said etc - ie exactly like the rest of us.

My point was that, ultimately, none of us know more than the other, so we're all largely engaging in guess work based on snippets in the press.

Does anyone really think that we really know what Villa's transfer position is this summer? Does anyone think that if we needed to sell Milner to raise money for signings we'd actually know about it? The club are far too canny for that.

So I'm quite entitled to ask "says who". I am genuinely asking who has said we need to sell Milner to raise money.

Of course you're entitled to ask "says who", I'm just pointing out that you shouldn't be surprised when people ask the same thing of you (as they did a few pages back).

Just one even remotely tangible link to anybody connected to the club in any way shape or form saying we need to sell Milner to raise money.

See above point. They're not going to tell us one way or the other, and even if they do make a statement on it, I would hope it would be mired in a haze of "well, it might be true, or they might be  lying".

To repeat, what on earth would be gained by us telling anyone what our transfer situation is? In the same way Milner stands to gain nothing by coming out and pledging his allegiance to the club, the club stands to gain nothing by saying any more on this situation than they have - which is very, very little.

[Chris Smith]

So if milner refuses to sign a new deal you would be prepared to let him go in a year for half the price or walk away on a free a year later?

Man city can turn their attention elsewhere, milner is not worth £24m which would be more than a decent fee-if he doesn't want to stay as mon has said then it's best to take tbe money now and get players who are committed to Aston villa.

Far better to be prepared to change your mind and opinions than be stuck in a one dimensional mindset where you believe you are always right and they are always wrong.

I know this will come as a shock to you but martin o neill does make mistakes and plenty of them !

It's nothing to do with O'Neill, my view (that's MINE, get it) is that we shouldn't back down. Who knows what the relative psoitions of the two clubs will be next year or if they'll still want him. For now, we stick to our guns and make them pay what we think he is worth.

[pauliewalnuts]

It's nothing to do with O'Neill, my view (that's MINE, get it) is that we shouldn't back down. Who knows what the relative psoitions of the two clubs will be next year or if they'll still want him. For now, we stick to our guns and make them pay what we think he is worth.

I agree.

Also, knowing that they seem to have a ten second attention span when it comes to transfers (a new target every day, record signings edging towards the door after one season, buying anyone so long as they're expensive), there is every chance they'll get bored and switch their attentions elsewhere.

I think they're unlikely to leave it till the last moment, for that reason.

[The Man With A Stick]

£11m for McGeady?!  Shouldn't there be a decimal point in there?

[Risso]

O'Neill can't really be prepared to spend £10m on McGeady can he?  I'm not one for owners interfering in the football side of business, but if I was Lerner there's no way I'd sanction that.  £22m on Downing and McGeady doesn't strike me as the best use of funds if I'm honest.

[Concrete John]

£11m for McGeady?!  Shouldn't there be a decimal point in there?

Yeah - £.11m!!

[Concrete John]

O'Neill can't really be prepared to spend £10m on McGeady can he?  I'm not one for owners interfering in the football side of business, but if I was Lerner there's no way I'd sanction that.  £22m on Downing and McGeady doesn't strike me as the best use of funds if I'm honest.

Although I agree with you about the relative merits of McGeady as a player, were we not saying similar things when about to sign Ash Young and Milner?  We can argue until we're blue in the face about his general transfer record, but when he's chosen to spend big he's gotten it right.

Someone can now throw Downing in my face.....

[pauliewalnuts]

O'Neill can't really be prepared to spend £10m on McGeady can he?  I'm not one for owners interfering in the football side of business, but if I was Lerner there's no way I'd sanction that.  £22m on Downing and McGeady doesn't strike me as the best use of funds if I'm honest.

Although I agree with you about the relative merits of McGeady as a player, were we not saying similar things when about to sign Ash Young and Milner?  We can argue until we're blue in the face about his general transfer record, but when he's chosen to spend big he's gotten it right.

Someone can now throw Downing in my face.....

Davies isn't looking like it was the best of deals now.

Regardless of the fee, Downing, Ash, McGeady, Albrighton - aren't these pretty much all the same type of player?

How many wingers do we need?

[Concrete John]

A genuine question for all those critical of MON over his handling of the situation - what would you have done differently?

Situation; world's richest club has bid for your star player and he's said he wants to go.  Althought the bid was rejected, the interest remains and it does have a bearing on the rest of your summer plans.  Do you:-
a) keep quiet and hope it goes away?
b) try to force the issue to a quick resolution?

If you go for A, you run the risk of it getting resolved (as in they meet the valuation) so late in the summer that you're screwed.  With B, it's sort of a 'call my bluff' gambit that can't make the situation too much worse, other than pissing off the player a bit.  Personally, I won't lose any sleep over a player who's said he doesn't want to play for us anymore getting all upset!