Breaking News: Bent Signs

[Mazrim]

Cheers Pelty. Outstanding business this window.

Regards to the old man.

[El Hurricane]

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Where can I see how many goals Bent has got? 172 in 299 games is a superb record.

Not quite in agreement with the figures you quote, but still pretty good.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/shared/bsp/hi/football/statistics/players/b/bent_221712.stm

Thank-you

[saunders_heroes]

Bruce is a decent manager, Bent has looked off form and is unhappy, we are desperate.

Sounds like you are too

Care to explain?

Of for f#ck sake cheer up. We're about to sign a striker who can actually score goals.

[Jimbo]

And are we expecting significant departures this window, pelty, without mentioning names, of course?

[SoccerHQ]

Its theirs to lose? There's just over half a season to go. They can finish anywhere from 6th - 16th.

Bolton are starting to flag with their small squad and Liverpool and Everton's sole intention like us seemingly is to avoid relegation, so with Stoke and Newcastle their main challengers I'd suggest 6th is theirs to lose.

[hawkeye]

Bruce is a decent manager, Bent has looked off form and is unhappy, we are desperate.

Sounds like you are too

Care to explain?

Of for f#ck sake cheer up. We're about to sign a striker who can actually score goals.

I am totaly cheered up mate,

[eastie]

Pelty thanks for your input , please pass on best wishes to your father, maybe he will return now we have such a positive feelgood factor, and of course to gerard and randy- thank you all , you have us proud !

[Holtemeister]

Pelty, Was this your ITK you posted the other night?

Bloody hell fella ...... your a little bit greedy aint ya ..... if this aint knocked ya socks off then I don't know exactly what would

[saunders_heroes]

Bruce is a decent manager, Bent has looked off form and is unhappy, we are desperate.

Sounds like you are too

Care to explain?

Of for f#ck sake cheer up. We're about to sign a striker who can actually score goals.

I am totaly cheered up mate,

Good man! ;-)

[KevinGage]

I don't think many of us would have been doing cartwheels over Bent in the summer; many would have thought MON had lost the plot completely if he'd paid £18m, £19m or £24m back then. It shows how circumstances have changed and needs must and it suddenly looks a fantastic deal. I've always thought him a bit lazy but one thing he can do is score goals, and as long as we don't lose players who can create them (i.e. Ashley and Downing) then he could be exactly what we're missing and is the best we're likely to get. I'm also reassured Houllier seems to be looking home as well as abroad.

Disagree Steve.

Most felt we needed a top striker and a genuine CM in the summer. Bent's record can't be argued with. Even in the summer the prospect of Sunderland selling their talisman would have been remote, so had we pulled it off it would have been a coup.

I'm sure had it been MON who signed him he'd have taken stick for paying so much more for him than he would have done so 12 months previous, but the positivity from actually getting him would have far outweighed that.

Though I fully accept that if we continue to struggle people will look at his previous topflight clubs and point to what appears to be a recurring pattern. Charlton - struggled (and then went down). Tottenham struggled whilst he was there and Sunderland looked like they could go down at one point last year.

The challenge for us is to show we're better than the teams he was playing for in those previous occasions and that this year is just a glitch for us.

[pelty]

None of which I am currently aware, Jimbo (but I reserve the right to be wrong!). I have heard no word of Downing or Young (the two names I have seen flung around today) leaving for browner pastures...

[midnite]

It was, midnite (and damon). Sorry to have played the tart a bit, but you can see why I was pretty excited!

Cheers pelty. And no need to apologies. We understand you couldn't say anything that could then ruin the move but at the same time how big a piece of news it is for the club that you just need to say something!

[b23]

FYI, WRT some earlier posts, I feel fairly certain that Makoun will not be playing this weekend because of the visa issue. The Bent deal is tied up except for the transfer paperwork that needs to be signed by Sunderland and sent to the FA. It was too late in the evening for that to happen when all the other stuff - the physical, etc. was sorted out. When asked if this was viewed by his son as a good career move, Bent's father responded (paraphrasing a bit), "It is more than a good career move; he is proud to wear the shirt." That is where it all stands at the moment...

Thanks. Every player wearing a Villa shirt should be proud.

[midnite]

None of which I am currently aware, Jimbo (but I reserve the right to be wrong!). I have heard no word of Downing or Young (the two names I have seen flung around today) leaving for browner pastures...

Sorry, have I missed something? Who's your farther pelty? Or is that on a ITK level only?

[Jimbo]

Much appreciated, pelty. Real strength in depth is what we need, and could be what we're getting at long last, instead of a first eleven and a bunch of overpaid benchwarmers.