The end is nigh.

[SoccerHQ]

Milner was one of the most promising youngsters in the country when we signed him. Martin must take some of the credit for the player he is now, but this isn't a Dwight Yorke transformation we're talking about.

True but he had the foresight to switch him centrally once Downing got fit and his performances in the second half of the season have I'd say added another 10m to his valuation.

It was the same with Barry. Decent left sided midfielder but only attracting 5m bids from clubs like Pompey, MON then switched him to central midfield and the valuation increased.

MON has many faults but he does deserve a bit of credit for shifting decent wide midfielders into central midfield and making it work for them and increasing their value.

[Mac]

I'm not so sure about Milner playing as a winger at City, but anyway.

Credit where it's due - you can't slate the manager for signing players who haven't worked out, and also deny him credit for the ones who have.

Moving Milner into the centre of midfield was the catalyst for him not only going to the World Cup, but also becoming a real contender for a starting place. There was a huge fuss about the size of the fee we paid Newcastle for Milner... look at what he's worth now. Same with Ashley Young - he's helped him to develop into a really good player, perhaps not great, but still with plenty to go.

He's done well with Gabby. With Carew, previously a 'journeyman' striker with an iffy reputation.

Dunne and Collins were nowhere on anyone's shopping list last summer. Nowhere. Dunne was dismissed as slow and past it, surplus at City; Collins just wasn't on anyone's radar. They had a great season.

Consider what he did with Gareth Barry.... the guy's become an England regular because of working with O'Neill. And Petrov.... the manager has reinvented him as a deeper-lying midfielder and it's worked well.

What he hasn't done, so far, is sign a real unknown and developed him into a star, I agree with that, but he has had a positive effect on several players.

This is all very true.  Which makes all the failures seem even more spectacular.

[Mac]

Oh come off it, would anyone have considered paying £25m for Milner 2 yaers ago? You were probably one of the ones saying we'd overspent at £12m.

And who apart from Man City would consider paying that?

[peter w]

I don't agree that moving Milner inside was the catalyst for him going to the World Cup as he was still a wide player when Capello said that he was the future. You don't say that and then leave him at home.

[Mac]

1.   Was MoN the right man for the job at the time of his appointment?  YES

2.   Are we in a better position now than what we were in when MoN took over? YES

3.   Were you initially excited about the style of football we would play? YES

4.   Did you expect that we would be able to attract a better quality of player to the club given the fact that we had the new owners and MoN as our manager? YES

5.   Has MoN had the funds and enough time to build a squad? YES

6.   Would you say that we have a healthier and stronger squad now than at many other times in our clubs modern history?
YES

7.   Should Mon have any complaints about the levels of trust and autonomy that has been handed to him by Randy and the board? NO

8.   During Mon’s tenure, has the football improved? NO, not at home

9.   Do you get excited about the future transfer dealings that Mon will conduct? NO NO NO

10.   Does MoN utilise his squad? NO

11.   Did you expect to be in an even better position than what we presently find ourselves? YES

[peter w]

1.   Was MoN the right man for the job at the time of his appointment?  YES

2.   Are we in a better position now than what we were in when MoN took over? YES

3.   Were you initially excited about the style of football we would play? Not necessarily

4.   Did you expect that we would be able to attract a better quality of player to the club given the fact that we had the new owners and MoN as our manager? YES - by now.

5.   Has MoN had the funds and enough time to build a squad? YES

6.   Would you say that we have a healthier and stronger squad now than at many other times in our clubs modern history?
YES

7.   Should Mon have any complaints about the levels of trust and autonomy that has been handed to him by Randy and the board? NO

8.   During Mon’s tenure, has the football improved? NO. Initially yes, but I'm starting to think that was in spite of the manager not because of him.

9.   Do you get excited about the future transfer dealings that Mon will conduct? YES. I get excited and full of anticipation for every transfer window. Although this is no different I no longer wait hopefully for that bums on seats player.

10.   Does MoN utilise his squad? NO. But there again, that's only for the league and I'm not really sure that we should utilise it too much. The starting 11 are that because they are the best 11 at the time. I'm no great fan of chopping and changing during a game just because you have many players on the bench.

11.   Did you expect to be in an even better position than what we presently find ourselves? YES

[eastie]

Mon has done an ok job- not great but not bad but we are not going to any further under him- if we find ourselves fighting for 7th next season as I think we will then we will run the risk of again having our best players cherry picked by others.

He is too stubborn to admit when he Is wrong and more likely to cut off his nose to spite his face, I really feel this will be end of his tenure this season, in a way I'm sad he didn't walk away in may as I feel things could turn very sour in the coming months.

[sfx412]

Milner was one of the most promising youngsters in the country when we signed him. Martin must take some of the credit for the player he is now, but this isn't a Dwight Yorke transformation we're talking about.

Who was the bloke who first bought him to Villa and put him on the radar, not O'Neill

Who played him first in midfield, for England, not O'Neill.

When did his great improvement start, when Mon signed him or years later when Capello picked him and played him ?

[olaftab]

I can't believe this has run to 14 pages in less than 24 hours!

[Karl Bridges]

With a title like this it can't go on forever.

[Uncle Junior]

Milner was one of the most promising youngsters in the country when we signed him. Martin must take some of the credit for the player he is now, but this isn't a Dwight Yorke transformation we're talking about.

Who was the bloke who first bought him to Villa and put him on the radar, not O'Neill

Who played him first in midfield, for England, not O'Neill.

When did his great improvement start, when Mon signed him or years later when Capello picked him and played him ?

Eh? What are you taking?! Milner was a winger who couldn't cross cum makeshift centre forward until MON saw his potential and put him in for Barry in the left side of midfield. It was only after this happened that he started to get chosen for England.

[eastie]

Milner was one of the most promising youngsters in the country when we signed him. Martin must take some of the credit for the player he is now, but this isn't a Dwight Yorke transformation we're talking about.

Who was the bloke who first bought him to Villa and put him on the radar, not O'Neill

Who played him first in midfield, for England, not O'Neill.

When did his great improvement start, when Mon signed him or years later when Capello picked him and played him ?

Eh? What are you taking?! Milner was a winger who couldn't cross cum makeshift centre forward until MON saw his potential and put him in for Barry in the left side of midfield. It was only after this happened that he started to get chosen for England.

Milner played in several roles at newcastle including centre midfield .

[PaulTheVillan]

Who first signed Milner for Villa?

DOL?!

;)

[Leighton]

With a title like this it can't go on forever.

Are you referring to Harmigedun? Just because I cannot spell it, it doesn’t mean it is the end of the world you know…

[smudger]

I think what it boils down to is that we all expected far more than a replay of the John Gregory years when Randy and MON took over. We maybe even hoped that we might do a smaller scale version of Chelsea. 4 years on and no trophies, shite football, no players of any entertainment value with the exception of Young and Carew when they can be arsed, and just as likely if not more so of going backwards than forwards next season. It's not all MON's fault though and he has given us a cup final (albeit a meek performance like the one previous) and a win at old trafford + 100% against Blues. Randy is a far better owner than Doug, but ultimately is not massively well off in Premier League terms nowadays. This makes it hard to really compete at the top level. MON is doing his best, but i just wish he would give us more entertainment and a few less baffling decisions (like the right back debacle and playing Heskey).