Houllier confirms Ireland wants to leave!

[WikiVilla]

Did Ireland even move home to Brum ? Seems like he never wanted to join us

same as Pires really

and Friedel, Luke Young, Warnock and Heskey

Luke Young is living in Solihull, seen him walking his dog a few times

[Clark W Griswold]

Eventually Mancini will play JM as a CM
We will then see him at his best again, a £50M player who will only get better and be England Captain soon
We sold him cheaply, we should have made him see out his contract for the sake of £18M

He's really isn't as good as you are making out you know. He is a big loss for us though I will admit.

[spangley1812]

Did Ireland even move home to Brum ? Seems like he never wanted to join us

same as Pires really

and Friedel, Luke Young, Warnock and Heskey

Luke Young is living in Solihull, seen him walking his dog a few times

He may have a house up here but his home is in the South

[Whiney MacWhineface]

It's a hoot. As soon as Mancini rotates his squad (remember the concept?) and either Barry or Milner get bumped to the bench, the Schadenfreude Set get all moist in the gusset area.  Milner the failure at City is a ways off I think.

Milner is not a world-class player, but an incredibly effective one in this league. We miss him badly, and I'd have him back like a shot.

Rotating the squad is one thing. Being sat on the bench and not performaing the level that the fans expect because your manager is playing you consistently out of position is quite something else. Go on the Man City boards and see what they think of him. He's hardly getting praised like he was with us last year.

My point is not that he's being played out of his best position or that City's instant success bridage (their equivalent of ours) don't rate him, it's that there are some here who are too quick to claim his move is a failure. Witness, him playing tonight and guess what? Playing in midfield.

[WikiVilla]

Well Milners playing CM tonight along with lard arse, so lets see

[Toronto Villa]

It's a hoot. As soon as Mancini rotates his squad (remember the concept?) and either Barry or Milner get bumped to the bench, the Schadenfreude Set get all moist in the gusset area.  Milner the failure at City is a ways off I think.

Milner is not a world-class player, but an incredibly effective one in this league. We miss him badly, and I'd have him back like a shot.

Rotating the squad is one thing. Being sat on the bench and not performaing the level that the fans expect because your manager is playing you consistently out of position is quite something else. Go on the Man City boards and see what they think of him. He's hardly getting praised like he was with us last year.

My point is not that he's being played out of his best position or that City's instant success bridage (their equivalent of ours) don't rate him, it's that there are some here who are too quick to claim his move is a failure. Witness, him playing tonight and guess what? Playing in midfield.

I'm not saying his move has been a failure at all. He was bought for a lot of money and hasn't been played in his best position. If he has a blinder tonight then all it goes to prove is that he should have been playing there for the start. I'm pretty sure that had he played as a right winger for us last season, he wouldn't have won Young Player of the Year, and he likely wouldn't be at Man City right now.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

I'm not saying his move has been a failure at all. He was bought for a lot of money and hasn't been played in his best position. If he has a blinder tonight then all it goes to prove is that he should have been playing there for the start. I'm pretty sure that had he played as a right winger for us last season, he wouldn't have won Young Player of the Year, and he likely wouldn't be at Man City right now.

What's that got to do with th e price of cheese? My original post was that it was too soon to write off Milner's move to City when he sits one game out.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

And just to prove just how right I am they've taken him off. I thought he'd had a really good game too! :-)

[peter w]

Just as the cost price of Stilton has shot through the roof as well.

[Toronto Villa]

I'm not saying his move has been a failure at all. He was bought for a lot of money and hasn't been played in his best position. If he has a blinder tonight then all it goes to prove is that he should have been playing there for the start. I'm pretty sure that had he played as a right winger for us last season, he wouldn't have won Young Player of the Year, and he likely wouldn't be at Man City right now.

What's that got to do with th e price of cheese? My original post was that it was too soon to write off Milner's move to City when he sits one game out.

really? I expect his stock to drop even further now that his team are 2-0 down at HT and he's been taken off. My response to your original post was to suggest that if he was to play on the wing as he has done mostly it would be a waste of his talents. Clearly, the fact that he hasn't played in central midfield much is also now beginning to show.

[damon loves JT]

I've gone long on Camembert

[peter w]

10 minutes to go. The smart money's moving into Gouda.

[VillaZogmariner]

It was a shit a deal.

It was shit because Milner was our best player last season
It was shit because it weakened us and strengthened the team that finished 3 points ahead of us
It was shit because Milner was less than half way through his contract
It was shit because it included Stephen "Football Is SHIT Why Did I get Stuck Doin It ..." Ireland
It was shit because of what it said about our ambitions
It was great because the board banked £16,000,000(ish)

By board, you mean the football club banked that money to be re-invested in new players to improve us. You make it sound like they've pocketed the cash, never to be seen again, based on your penultimate statement, and one which I disagree with. Like Berbatov at Spurs, Milner wanted out. Yet, Spurs are infinitely better than they were with Berbatov. It's not who you sell, or for who much. It's what you do with the money that determines whether you get better. Houllier now has receive the backing of the board and improve the playing squad with the Milner money and whatever else he receives/generates.

Spurs spent £120m on new players during the season they sold Berbatov, it isn't the same thing at all.

And recouped around £75m, so their net outlay was approx. £45m

Which is around about the same as we spent that season. (Net)

[mike]

It was a shit a deal.

It was shit because Milner was our best player last season
It was shit because it weakened us and strengthened the team that finished 3 points ahead of us
It was shit because Milner was less than half way through his contract
It was shit because it included Stephen "Football Is SHIT Why Did I get Stuck Doin It ..." Ireland
It was shit because of what it said about our ambitions
It was great because the board banked £16,000,000(ish)

By board, you mean the football club banked that money to be re-invested in new players to improve us. You make it sound like they've pocketed the cash, never to be seen again, based on your penultimate statement, and one which I disagree with. Like Berbatov at Spurs, Milner wanted out. Yet, Spurs are infinitely better than they were with Berbatov. It's not who you sell, or for who much. It's what you do with the money that determines whether you get better. Houllier now has receive the backing of the board and improve the playing squad with the Milner money and whatever else he receives/generates.

Spurs spent £120m on new players during the season they sold Berbatov, it isn't the same thing at all.

And recouped around £75m, so their net outlay was approx. £45m

Which is around about the same as we spent that season. (Net)

But ours was principally spent on tat.

[VillaZogmariner]

GERARD HOULLIER took another swipe at Stephen Ireland, insisting he would not be 'stupid enough' to pick him in Ashley Young's position.
Aston Villa boss Houllier is facing up to being without star man Young for Christmas with a knee injury.

But the Frenchman is not about to pick 24-year-old Ireland — who has cost the club a huge £2,000 A MINUTE since signing in August — in the attacking-midfield role.

Houllier said: "He won't be playing in Ashley's position. I've done that before and it didn't work.

"So I'm not stupid, I'm not doing it again."

Ireland an £8million makeweight in the £24m deal that saw James Milner join Manchester City, has been told he can leave.

But Villa are desperate to recoup most of that cash.

Better news for Villa is that crocked midfielders Nigel Reo-Coker, Stiliyan Petrov and Fabian Delph have all resumed training.

Soar Away Sun