The Centre Cannot Hold

[Lee]

Is 3rd of June a new record for writing off the season?

I'm quite excited by the thought of a new manager with money to spend.

I'll take untempered optimism over baseless negativity disguised as "reality" any day of the week.

You're still here?

You don't miss a trick do you.

Do you still think we forced Reo Coker out?

Never said we forced him out. I don't think we offered him an adequate deal.

Adequate is a very subjective term, but asking for his salary to be doubled is beyond adequate in any sane meaning of the word.

Adequate wages would have been right for an adequate player. If we had doubled his wages, then I would have agreed that the Board had lost the plot completely

[Concrete John]

The other thing about players being released is that signing them again is almost like signing a new player.  In both instances it would mean the new manager coming in and having a player on a long contract he might not fancy.  With the issue of controlling wages, might not the new guy want to see the £50k a week spent on someone he DOES want?   

[dave.woodhall]

I'll bet you anything you like that by August Reo Coker will been earning more than any of us could ever imagine.

[AsTallAsLions]

God you're all so bloody cynical, is this what football does to its supporters? What's the bloody point if you can't admire any of them?

Regardless of what any of you say I think Nigel is a top guy, a good player, and I think over the course of his career at Villa he was shafted one too many times and deserved a new deal. If you disagree, fine, but for the love of God try not to be so witheringly cynical about it.

[dave.woodhall]

'Shafted' is a word I hesitate to use about someone on £50k a week.

[AsTallAsLions]

'Shafted' is a word I hesitate to use about someone on £50k a week.

Predictable.

[dicedlam]

Most players are on holiday as well, Not a lot is going to happen transfer wise

Most players may very well be on holiday, but I would be suprised if their agents were?

[Concrete John]

God you're all so bloody cynical, is this what football does to its supporters? What's the bloody point if you can't admire any of them?

Regardless of what any of you say I think Nigel is a top guy, a good player, and I think over the course of his career at Villa he was shafted one too many times and deserved a new deal. If you disagree, fine, but for the love of God try not to be so witheringly cynical about it.

It's being practical, not cynical.  Yes, he deserved a new contract, and was offered one, but his wage demands were excessive so wouldn't sign it.

We move on.

[TopDeck113]

Aside from letting those players who are out of contract make their arrangements for next season, I hope that if we've learnt anything from the Milner-Ireland PX, it is not to do deals during managerial interregnums. 

If we get the appointment right, Downing will stay and, who knows, it might even give Ashley pause for thought before he heads off up the M6.

[dave.woodhall]

'Shafted' is a word I hesitate to use about someone on £50k a week.

Predictable.

I'd use the word 'tedious' myself. Why don't you take up a collection for him if you think he's been that hard done by?

[Clampy]

Leeds went through a phrase of paying players what they wanted and look where it got them. I don't think NRC is going to be moving back in with his mom and dad anytime soon.

[Chris Smith]

Is 3rd of June a new record for writing off the season?

I'm quite excited by the thought of a new manager with money to spend.

I'll take untempered optimism over baseless negativity disguised as "reality" any day of the week.

You're still here?

You don't miss a trick do you.

Do you still think we forced Reo Coker out?

Never said we forced him out. I don't think we offered him an adequate deal.

Now you're telling fibs.

What you said was "wasn't offered a deal at a club and now has to look elsewhere with no guarantee of employment." Then continued to argue the toss despite people providing evidence to the contrary.

[Chris Smith]

God you're all so bloody cynical, is this what football does to its supporters? What's the bloody point if you can't admire any of them?

Regardless of what any of you say I think Nigel is a top guy, a good player, and I think over the course of his career at Villa he was shafted one too many times and deserved a new deal. If you disagree, fine, but for the love of God try not to be so witheringly cynical about it.

Fucking he'll, that really takes the biscuit. You start a thread basically saying everything is shit then accuse others of cynicism.

[pauliewalnuts]

God you're all so bloody cynical, is this what football does to its supporters? What's the bloody point if you can't admire any of them?

Regardless of what any of you say I think Nigel is a top guy, a good player, and I think over the course of his career at Villa he was shafted one too many times and deserved a new deal. If you disagree, fine, but for the love of God try not to be so witheringly cynical about it.

Nobody has said he's not a nice guy.

You keep making it sound like he wasn't offered a new deal, rather than not liking the terms on offer and rejecting it.

As for "if you disagree, fine", you're clearly not fine with it as you're using rather emotive words like "cynical" and "shafted" and adopting a generally holier than thou stance.

We haven't forced him into penury. He's a footballer, his contract ran down, he's going to go somewhere else and earn large sums of money. Good luck to the guy, but to suggest we're somehow particularly cynical about it all just seems a little over emotional

[ktvillan]

I think you're worrying unnecessarilly and way too soon ATAL. GH would have been a gamble due to his health situation,  and we'll have a new boss in due course, hopefully a better one.  Carew wasn't interested any more and was therefore no use and a drain on the finances.  NRC and Friedel are far from irreplaceable, the former is decent but not fantastic and the latter is way past his best.  Young was always going to go, so the only real downer is Downng - but since he has two years left we can at least play hardball on that one and keep him if we choose to.  Bent can be as unsettled as he wants but he's on a long contract.  I can't see the board not offering any new manager some funds to put his own stamp on the squad, they'll have to promise something to get anyone decent in, and they'll be sensible enough to realise that without investment we would again be risking our PL place and the money that entails.  So I'd suggest just seeing how it pans out for a few weeks.