The Milner Novela... Final episode page 296

[Villa'Zawg]

So has anyone else noticed that Randy that has gone back on his word? Or is it just me?

I have a different view to the generally accepted one but I'm not aware of Randy having gone back on his word. What are you referring to?

[KevinGage]

The current strategy is our only strategy and we only have that because we have such a good owner..... get used to losing our best players while football is in this self destruct mode ..... appreciate Young, Albrighton and Clarke while you can because as sure as eggs are eggs they will be gone as soon as a stupid bid comes in.

There comes a point where its just plain daft to say no !!!!

Unless we use the Milner money to reinvest cleverly long term and improve and then get to the stage where we don't have to sell anymore?

Spurs did it, they lost Carrick, Berbatov and Keane for £70million. Now they've the likes of Modric signing 5 year deals despite interest from Man Utd.

We've brought in £40million for Barry and Milner. And reinvested £12m of it back in on Dunne and Ireland.

That's the sort of business that will get us into the top 4 long term, IMO. Knowing when to let go.

Spot on.

If you can't do it the Man Citeh way (and there is no guarantee that their method will prove successful) you have to re-evaluate and come back with a fresh approach. It's not just about selling the family silver for the sake of it.

Trading at profit as per Spurs and a whole host of other similar sized clubs across Europe manage is the most practical way forward.

[Russ aka Big Nose]

Greedy selfish modern footballer nothing more nothing less

Not having a pop, but we regularly (me included) moan about the lack of loyalty shown by current pros, but would it have been different in the past if the same circumstances applied?

In the past the power was with the clubs and they (often) gave players a poor deal.

Power in the modern game has shifted to players, so (perhaps) they do what most of us would do and look out for ourselves - which of us would turn down twice the money for doing the same job in a location 100 miles away? (especially during a 10-15 year career).

The common thread is the mis-management of football clubs by people with money who are often poorly qualified to run football clubs. In the past they gave a poor deal to players (and fans), now fans are still getting a poor deal but at the top end the players are taking some/all of the riches football generates.

I don't like where football is right now - concentration of riches in the hands of a few, serving SKY, but I don't blame the players (collectively) - even if some of their number are as individuals are scumbags.

[dave.woodhall]

Greedy selfish modern footballer nothing more nothing less

Not having a pop, but we regularly (me included) moan about the lack of loyalty shown by current pros, but would it have been different in the past if the same circumstances applied?

In the past the power was with the clubs and they (often) gave players a poor deal.

Power in the modern game has shifted to players, so (perhaps) they do what most of us would do and look out for ourselves - which of us would turn down twice the money for doing the same job in a location 100 miles away? (especially during a 10-15 year career).

The common thread is the mis-management of football clubs by people with money who are often poorly qualified to run football clubs. In the past they gave a poor deal to players (and fans), now fans are still getting a poor deal but at the top end the players are taking some/all of the riches football generates.

I don't like where football is right now - concentration of riches in the hands of a few, serving SKY, but I don't blame the players (collectively) - even if some of their number are as individuals are scumbags.

Good point. I remember Eric Houghton, possibly our greatest-ever servant, saying that if he was a player at the time he was speaking he'd move every couple of years. And this was in the eighties, when a good wage was measured in hundreds rather than tens of thousands.

[alan_clarke]

I could accept it if Milner were going to Man Utd for a nice pay increase and a real chance to play champions league football this season.

As it is, he is going to Man City for a large pay increase and no other immediate benefits as far as I can see. Probably at the detriment of his career.

[Mellin]

The current strategy is our only strategy and we only have that because we have such a good owner..... get used to losing our best players while football is in this self destruct mode ..... appreciate Young, Albrighton and Clarke while you can because as sure as eggs are eggs they will be gone as soon as a stupid bid comes in.

There comes a point where its just plain daft to say no !!!!

Unless we use the Milner money to reinvest cleverly long term and improve and then get to the stage where we don't have to sell anymore?

Spurs did it, they lost Carrick, Berbatov and Keane for £70million. Now they've the likes of Modric signing 5 year deals despite interest from Man Utd.

We've brought in £40million for Barry and Milner. And reinvested £12m of it back in on Dunne and Ireland.

That's the sort of business that will get us into the top 4 long term, IMO. Knowing when to let go.

Was thinking exactly this earlier today, with Spurs as the example. As long as we keep replacing quality with quality, which I reckon we've managed in one transfer here, we'll be getting stronger all the time.

Odd.

[DANNYG]

jog on James....Money talks again I seriously dont think we will miss him with Stephen ireland in the team the boys pure class on his day ask any city supporter and ill bet there quite sad hes gone even with the influx of stars arriving at eastlands my citeh mates think he should have been given a fair crack of the whip, player of the season the other year, fans favourite and only 24........saying all this he could be another stanley victor collymore but should be interesting anyway........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdRThyK4G7k

[Brend'Watkins]

Greedy selfish modern footballer nothing more nothing less

Not having a pop, but we regularly (me included) moan about the lack of loyalty shown by current pros, but would it have been different in the past if the same circumstances applied?

In the past the power was with the clubs and they (often) gave players a poor deal.

Power in the modern game has shifted to players, so (perhaps) they do what most of us would do and look out for ourselves - which of us would turn down twice the money for doing the same job in a location 100 miles away? (especially during a 10-15 year career).

The common thread is the mis-management of football clubs by people with money who are often poorly qualified to run football clubs. In the past they gave a poor deal to players (and fans), now fans are still getting a poor deal but at the top end the players are taking some/all of the riches football generates.

I don't like where football is right now - concentration of riches in the hands of a few, serving SKY, but I don't blame the players (collectively) - even if some of their number are as individuals are scumbags.

Good point. I remember Eric Houghton, possibly our greatest-ever servant, saying that if he was a player at the time he was speaking he'd move every couple of years. And this was in the eighties, when a good wage was measured in hundreds rather than tens of thousands.

Makes less sense now though.  How many Aston martins can James Milner drive at any one time? 

[BannedUserIAT]

Thinking about it on the way home from taking the kids to school and I've realised that, although you do get attached to certain players - and Milner moreso than most because he just gave his all every game, like you or I would - they are not the heart and soul of the club. The fans, the history, the culture, the environs in which we support our club are the heart and soul.

If players so willingly ditch one club for another in the chase for further fortunes, then why should we, as fans, give them any kind of emotional buy in? It's hard not to, for sure, when you see home-grown talent like Albrighton coming through but, as sure as night follows day, he'll be off too when brighter lights (and bigger dollars) turn his head.

Perhaps it's time that we became more like Arsenal....use players like they use us - as a stepping stone to something better. Get 'em in young, make the most of their talent for as long as we can, sell them on and pump a much larger percentage of the profits than what we are now into much a better scouting arrangement and, can you imagine, an even better youth set-up.

Perhaps it's time that we stop giving our love to the person in the shirt as much as the shirt itself. Players come and go. They always have, they always will. The shirt, however, remains.

Yes, good luck, James. I hope you get what you want out of Man City. And I hope we get what we bargained for out of Stephen Ireland. In a short time, he'll be moving on as well, hopefully replaced by someone even better. The wheel turns. We've all been saying for some time that that wheel will eventually come off it's hinges. Might be next season, might be in 100 seasons. Who knows? So maybe it's time we stopped trying to push against that wheel and go with it. Embrace that, on one hand, we've lost a great player, but on the other we've gained so much more.

I have faith in our owner that he can find this delicate balance between nurturing the heart and soul of our club and running a competitive business. I suspect that much of the reason that why Man City fans have become so obnoxious in regard to their new found wealth is to hide the sadness that oil money is, indeed, washing the soul of their club away.

And what remains when this money runs out?

[Caiphus]

Thinking about it on the way home from taking the kids to school and I've realised that, although you do get attached to certain players - and Milner moreso than most because he just gave his all every game, like you or I would - they are not the heart and soul of the club. The fans, the history, the culture, the environs in which we support our club are the heart and soul.

If players so willingly ditch one club for another in the chase for further fortunes, then why should we, as fans, give them any kind of emotional buy in? It's hard not to, for sure, when you see home-grown talent like Albrighton coming through but, as sure as night follows day, he'll be off too when bigger lights (and bigger dollars) turn his head.

Perhaps it's time that we became more like Arsenal....use players like they use us - as a stepping stone to something better. Get 'em in young, make the most of their talent for as long as we can, sell them on and pump a much larger percentage of the profits than what we are now into much a better scouting arrangement and, can you imagine, an even better youth set-up.

Perhaps it's time that we stop giving our love to the person in the shirt as much as the shirt itself. Players come and go. They always have, they always will. The shirt, however, remains.

Yes, good luck, James. I hope you get what you want out of Man City. And I hope we get what we bargained for out of Stephen Ireland. In a short time, he'll be moving on as well, hopefully replaced by someone even better. The wheel turns. We've all been saying for some time that that wheel will eventually come off it's hinges. Might be next season, might be in 100 seasons. Who knows? So maybe it's time we stopped trying to push against that wheel and go with it. Embrace that, on one hand, we've lost a great player, but on the other we've gained so much more.

I have faith in our owner that he can find this delicate balance between nurturing the heart and soul of our club and running a competitive business. I suspect that much of the reason that why Man City fans have become so obnoxious in regard to their new found wealth is to hide the sadness that oil money is, indeed, washing the soul of their club away.

And what remains when this money runs out?

Makes too much sense, unfortunately fans' passion for football is emotional not logical.  Still I have rarely heard it put better.

[BannedUserIAT]

That's only because you live in some backwater that lacks any kind of culture, my friend.

[griffo104s]

Milner ended last season on a high, ended up as the PFA young player of the year, went to a world cup and actually came away with his head held high unlike so many others.

He's been an excellent player for us and we've been good for his career no doubt about that. there's too much money at Man city and his head has been turned.  There are much better football experts than myself stating this isn't the best football move for him but he'll be on silly money at a club who don't seem to actually know what direction they are going in, unlike Chelsea when Mourinho turned up.

I watched spurs completely outplay them on Saturday and sat there wondering where exactly does Milner fit in to this shambolic mess, which with Hart and Kompany on the day they would have been given a good hiding by a team who play far better football.

Barry played 11 years for us and deserved his chance to move on, very few players outside on the Man Utd old guys stay that long at a club that has been trophyless for that amount of time.

Milner has had one very good season, we've doubled our money on him and in return we get a player, who if he finds the form he had two seasons ago, we'll be an excellent addition to our squad.

Let's get on with it and push forward, one player doesn't make a team and our final memories of Milner will of him having an excellent final game and proved he didn't need to do a Yorke and soil his time at the club.

Good luck to him at Man City (he will need it), and good luck to Ireland who can maybe enjoy playing a bit of football now.

[Percy McCarthy]

Let's get on with it and push forward,

Spot on.

[willywombat]

Bang on the money for me there Troy. My love for Aston Villa FC has very little to do with the players anymore, the old adage that no-one is bigger than the club has never been more true.

[Countryside Villain]

I was thinking about my dislike for City when I recalled this article from a few weeks back.  Part of the usual pre-season ramblings about how the teams will do.  I found the City entry to epitomise the arrogance that I despise in them

Manchester City

The problem for City this season is that we are fast becoming the club everyone wants to hate, rather than everyone's second team. Well I've got news for you, we don't want to be underperforming lovable old City. The only reason for disliking us is because we have money. Well sorry, but we don't care what you think. Nobody will ever win the league without money. How much did Man United pay for Berbatov? QED. Realistically, who can finish above us? Chelsea are struggling with the new Uefa rules on homegrown players, Man United haven't improved their ageing squad, while Arsenal and Liverpool would both struggle to finish in the top half if the league were slightly stronger. Last season 5th Prediction 1st

The new boys We've bought the best attacking left midfielder in Europe – David Silva; the best young defender in Germany – Boateng; the best box-to-box midfielder in the world – Yaya Touré; and the best left-back in Europe, bar Ashley Cole, in Kolarov. What's not to be excited about?

Men to watch Everyone. The only problem will be keeping them all happy. It remains to be seen whether we field different Premier League and Europa League teams.

Best youngsters Anga Dedryck Boyata should carry on from last season and put pressure on Kolo Touré, Kompany, Lescott and Boateng – or not.

Target for the boo-boys City fans have long grown out of booing their own players . We leave that to Arsenal to boo all their former favourites – who play for us.

Hate figure Man United and Spurs generally. Hopefully, this year we'll rise above the irrational hatred of other clubs and just support our own team.

Title winner Manchester City

Going down Blackpool, West Brom, Newcastle

From The Observer