Ash won't sign a new contract till the summer.

[villa for life]

not bad, but we haven't seen Delph post injury, NRC can leave if he wants, Ireland is not playing well and Cuellar might soon fancy a move if he isn't getting played- other than that, pretty good

[ROBBO]

It really is a problem for team like us where the better players are continually having their heads turned. If they are in the England squad they mix with players that are year in year out playing in Europe and getting top money. How much better would the Villa side look with Milner in it and Barry come to that, these players have not been replaced so surely we can expect the performance to drop. If Ash goes i expect all the money from Milner and him to be made availeable for team strengthening.

[Mr Diggles]

As posted in numerous posts above, I think its a clear indication he wants to leave. One game in an England shirt and his arrogance finally outgrows the club. How much distraction is it really going to be to sign an improved contract that secures his future at a club he recently declared himself to be happy at? His agent will do most of the negotiating anyway, all he has to do is turn up and sign. So his excuse is clearly bollocks.

Feck him, sell him in January, give Houllier the Milner cash, the Young cash and a little bit more from the sales of other squad players no longer required, and build his own team over the next year. Its not like Young is the player he was 2 or 3 seasons ago anyway, and his antics on the pitch (feiging injury, diving, mouthing off, blaming other players if they can't get on the end of his 20-foot high crosses) are frankly embarassing.

[Irish villain]

I'm fed up of the creeping inevitability that our best players will always want to leave us. As others have said what makes us any different from say an Everton yet they, for the most part, manage to keep their best players and compete at the top level.

The worst thing is, it's now almost a self fulfilling prophesy. Players will come to villa as a step to bigger things. They will play well, get into the England squad and then want to leave. It's a pattern we have seen time and time again over the past 20 odd years. How are we expected to progress or deliver for our huge fan base if we keep on doing this..... I think we should do whatever we can, break the wage structure, anything just to keep Ash. We have got to break this stranglehold the champions league mentality has over us. Otherwise we have a grim future ahead of us.

[Mister E]

I'm fed up of the creeping inevitability that our best players will always want to leave us. As others have said what makes us any different from say an Everton yet they, for the most part, manage to keep their best players and compete at the top level.

I take it as a form of flattery - Villa have become a very good breeding ground for young players, which results in the sale of those that make it in our first team. Add to that the fact that many are English and therefore seen as a good purchase for clubs looking to balance their ethnicity-ratio. I believe it will remain so until we start winning stuff and getting into European competitions on a regular basis.
Everton have retained their players thus far, but Gosling left, Rodwell will get poached and Pienaar will eventually go if he continues to play as he has been doing.
I'm afraid it's just the way it is (with thanks to Bruce Hornsby) for the time being.
What we need to do is get the best possible fee and re-invest wisely.

[Mister E]

---Young---Cuellar---Collins---Warnock---
---Albrighton---NRC---Delph---Downing---
----------------Ireland---------------------------
--------------------------Gabby------------------

Personally I don't think that looks too bad.

I think it looks pretty good (assuming FD comes back stronger) - the challenge is what strength we have on the bench to back it up.

[Dante Lavelli]

---Young---Cuellar---Collins---Warnock---
---Albrighton---NRC---Delph---Downing---
----------------Ireland---------------------------
--------------------------Gabby------------------

Personally I don't think that looks too bad.

I think it looks pretty good (assuming FD comes back stronger) - the challenge is what strength we have on the bench to back it up.

Well there is (hypothetically) £30m burning a hole in our pocket from the sales of Young and Milner to supplement the squad/bench.

I too see it as a sign of progress that our best players are being tapped up by the "top 4".  It's evolution.
Milner signed for £12m sold for close to £30m.  Young = £10m sold for close to £20m?

Randy just has to ensure that we re-invest the money.  Houllier has to ensure that it is spent wisely.
The higher we get the better players we can buy.  Right now, we're probably the best team any youngster could sign for in the UK outside the Top 4.

Yes it sucks that Young may want to leave but it is also an opportunity to grow again.

We cannot rely on Randy constantly putting his hand in his own pocket.  We - as a club - have to become sustainable.  Selling and re-investing is the simplest way in the immediate future that I can see that happening.

[Stu]

I take it as a form of flattery - Villa have become a very good breeding ground for young players, which results in the sale of those that make it in our first team. Add to that the fact that many are English and therefore seen as a good purchase for clubs looking to balance their ethnicity-ratio. I believe it will remain so until we start winning stuff and getting into European competitions on a regular basis.

Brilliant. So we're basically an expensive Watford then? We won't be seeing any trophies if our best players keep leaving either. Ho-hum.

[SoccerHQ]

Pompey and Spurs both managed it in 07/08.

It's been the case really for as long as I've supported the club. Yorkie leaving in 1998 was the first and only time I got cut up over a player leaving this club.

They'll all go eventually, the club will remain.

[Californian Villain]

It's been the case really for as long as I've supported the club. Yorkie leaving in 1998 was the first and only time I got cut up over a player leaving this club.

They'll all go eventually, the club will remain.

Same here. I was very disappointed when Dwight left, but at the same time I understood why, and I'll sympathize with Ash if he leaves in the summer; the plan he was sold by MON has been ripped up and our best players have either left or started to decline. If he signed for another 4-5 years, truthfully you'd have to question his ambition.

[KevinGage]

---Young---Cuellar---Collins---Warnock---
---Albrighton---NRC---Delph---Downing---
----------------Ireland---------------------------
--------------------------Gabby------------------

Personally I don't think that looks too bad.

I think it looks pretty good (assuming FD comes back stronger) - the challenge is what strength we have on the bench to back it up.

Well there is (hypothetically) £30m burning a hole in our pocket from the sales of Young and Milner to supplement the squad/bench.

I too see it as a sign of progress that our best players are being tapped up by the "top 4".  It's evolution.
Milner signed for £12m sold for close to £30m.  Young = £10m sold for close to £20m?

Randy just has to ensure that we re-invest the money.  Houllier has to ensure that it is spent wisely.
The higher we get the better players we can buy.  Right now, we're probably the best team any youngster could sign for in the UK outside the Top 4.

Yes it sucks that Young may want to leave but it is also an opportunity to grow again.

We cannot rely on Randy constantly putting his hand in his own pocket.  We - as a club - have to become sustainable.  Selling and re-investing is the simplest way in the immediate future that I can see that happening.

A decent way of looking at it.

Tottenham lost two of their best players to Man U twice in the space of two years.

They were able to re-invest and kick on again.

It doesn't automatically have to scupper our chances (painful as it is in the short-term)  but that depends wholly on who we get to replace any outgoing players.

The job was that bit harder when we would pretty much just restrict ourselves to the domestic market in the past. Casting the net a bit wider will hopefully make it easier.

[Reality]

It was only 2 months ago, if even that he was going on and saying to Sky Sports News that he was desperate to sign a new contract and to get it sorted out asap, now he wants it left until January. Certainly doesn't smell right.