The Milner Novela... Final episode page 296

[Salsa Party Animal]

Man City will never sign the like of Zidanes, Kakas, Ronaldo, Maldinis, Xavi and co. They can only spend on B list stars players.

[saunders_heroes]

Yeah keep your gob shut and be a snide greedy bastard like James Milner.

Or mutter some unconvincing platitudes to the press and be a snide greedy bastard like Gareth Barry?

At least he had the balls to come out and say he wanted to leave, unlike that snide wanker Milner.

[john e]

Yeah keep your gob shut and be a snide greedy bastard like James Milner.

Or mutter some unconvincing platitudes to the press and be a snide greedy bastard like Gareth Barry?

i wasnt really taking sides,
for me both players served us well, Barry might have said things that people dont like,
 but my wifes said worse to me over the years and she's still with me, you do say things that with hindsight you regret later,
i have so have you.

most importantly its what they did on the pitch, and Barry did it for 10 years or more,
if you were picking out the great players over the last decade that played for Villa  Barry would be right up there with Melberg,
but not Milner because he wasnt around long enough,

that doesnt mean to say he didnt perform while he was here, he did, especially when in centre mid, but he will not be in the same league as Barry when the history books are written about Villa in the last decade

[Matt C]

Ozil for £12m or Milner for £28m?

[PaulWinch again]

Ozil for £12m or Milner for £28m?

He only had a year left on contract, but that is the value you get in Europe.

[pmk1981]

just seen the greedy shite on ssn coming out of medical,  all smiles and £££ in his eyes.  hope he enjoys sitting on the bench :-)

[mozza]

Comes out of hospital and signs a kid's BARRY shirt

Who next Citeh - Albrighton ? 

[Matt Collins]

Time to look forwards. How is Ireland going to slot into our team? And do we think we are getting a happy player?

He seems to have played his best football in the most advanced of a midfield 3, behind a lone striker. Can he play the more withdrawn role Milner played on Saturday? My guess is he could play in Young's position, with NRC or someone similar behind, or in Milner's position when we're playing weaker teams. But we'll need to see him in action to tell.

As to whether he's happy to come, I'd probably assume not. But hopefully he'll feel he has something to prove.

[atomicjam]

From the Guardian:-

James Milner £26m transfer completes Manchester City's bonanza summer

A remarkable day of transfer business, even by the modern-day standards of Manchester City, concluded tonight with James Milner finally checking in from Aston Villa, Stephen Ireland going in the opposite direction in return, and Craig Bellamy dropping down a division to join Cardiff City on a season-long loan.

On the day that English football's most powerful spenders paraded Mario Balotelli, the £22.5m signing from Internazionale, the manager, Roberto Mancini, said he would not stand in Shay Given's way if he wants to leave Eastlands now that Joe Hart has been established as City's first-choice goalkeeper.

Roque Santa Cruz has also been formally removed from the 25-man squad submitted to Uefa for Thursday's Europa League qualifier against Timisoara, his place going to Balotelli so that the 20-year-old Italian can make his debut.

Milner's first appearance in the most expensively assembled squad in the Premier League will come against Liverpool on Monday evening. The England international travelled to Manchester this afternoon after City finally reached a compromise over the payoff for Ireland that was holding up the deal.

Ireland will receive around half of the £2m he was holding out for. He was at Villa's training ground to meet his new team-mates as the £8m makeweight in a £26m player-plus-cash exchange. Both players have already agreed personal terms and an official announcement will be made tomorrow, on the condition that they both pass a routine medical examination.

The signing of Milner comes after a three-month pursuit, revealed by the Guardian in May, that has indirectly led to Martin O'Neill's resignation as Villa's manager because of his dissatisfaction about the amount of money the club's owner, Randy Lerner, was willing to free up for new players.

Milner, Villa's player of the year, is likely to be the final arrival of another summer of extensive incomings and outgoings at City, with Balotelli, Yaya Touré, Jérôme Boateng, Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva also being added to the squad at a total cost of £126m.

At the same time, Mancini seems intent on phasing out the players signed by his predecessor, Mark Hughes, with Santa Cruz and Given both in line to leave before the transfer window closes on 1 September.

City are negotiating with at least two clubs about a possible move for Robinho, with Besiktas established as one of the potential buyers even though reports in Turkey of a delegation flying to England are premature.

Robinho, citing fatigue after the World Cup and the conclusion of the domestic Brazilian season, has been training alone in City's gymnasium since returning from his six-month loan arrangement with Santos last week, and he, like Given, has informed the club he wants to leave.

Given, the Republic of Ireland international, confirmed as much during a brief meeting with Mancini yesterday and is a target for Hughes now the former City manager is in charge at Fulham.

The proposal is for Given to move to Craven Cottage on loan and, in turn, their goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, would be allowed to join Arsenal, where he is wanted to replace Manuel Almunia. Other clubs, however, are interested in Given, described by Mancini last season as being among the top five keepers in the world.

"I hope Shay can stay with us but I respect whatever his decision is," Mancini said this afternoon. "I hope he stays as we are involved in four competitions and we need a strong squad but we will respect it if he wants to leave, and I cannot change his decision."

Fulham, using agents as intermediaries, have also contacted City about Santa Cruz but it is a measure of how far the Paraguayan striker's stock has fallen on the back of an injury-wrecked first season in Manchester that, as yet, there have been no formal bids for the former Blackburn Rovers player.

As for Bellamy, he has been looking for a new club since the breakdown of his relationship with Mancini, but his move to Cardiff represents a considerable surprise given that the Wales international captain had the chance to join Celtic as well as several Premier League clubs, including Sunderland, Fulham and Everton. Tottenham Hotspur were also interested but City ruled that out on the grounds they did not want to sell to one of their competitors for the Champions League places.

City are waiting for the results of tests to ascertain the seriousness of the ankle injury that Kolarov aggravated during Saturday's goalless draw at Tottenham. He and Boateng, who missed the trip to White Hart Lane with a knee problem, were unable to train today, and that could mean a recall for Joleon Lescott, possibly as left-back.

[Apyadg]

Criticize him as much as you like but he gave everything every week even when he knew he was leaving. He is the best player we've had on the last decade and he'll go on to he the best england has.

[JJ-AV]

Good move all round. I think he could be to Citeh what Lampard was to Chelsea.

[midnite]

Mancini's comments were interesting. Being english is very important and that he can play in different positions... So Milner, how does it feel to only be there because they need the quota of english players and that you'll only be playing as a make shift fall back or sub for david silva?

Good luck, we'll see you back in a villa shirt next season when you've got bored.

[usav]

Greedy selfish modern footballer nothing more nothing less

Yeah, but he was our Greedy selfish modern footballer.

Sob.

[Dave]

Mancini's comments were interesting. Being english is very important and that he can play in different positions... So Milner, how does it feel to only be there because they need the quota of english players and that you'll only be playing as a make shift fall back or sub for david silva?

I'd have Milner in the team over Silva any day of the week.

[midnite]

Maybe so, but silva wont be sitting on the bench though