Darren Bent

[Villafirst]

Lerner lost interest last summer by selling Young and Downing and pocketing 90% of the proceeds and not re-investing in the team to the extent needed. I can't see the point of Lerner's tenure anymore - he won't back the Manager with money unless AM sells first. So if Bent goes we will have an even weaker team which will only go one way. Lerner barely attends games anymore - his interest is only in what he can now salvage from his initial input. I know it's easier said than done, but I wish a proper investor would take over and put some enthusiasm back into the club - I get pissed off with his silence all the time. Bright future???....

I just had a thought about Lerner.  Could he be preparing to sell?  I know this has been mentioned somewhere else before but with everything thats going on - selling players and not re-investing, reducing wage bill, talk of getting the books in order for FFP (yeh right), could these be the tell tale signs that he is looking to sell up to a potential buyer?  He wants the books in order right? could mean that potential buyers might see very little debt as a good investment.  just a thought.  The likelihood is that he wont sell and let us hover above relegation for the foreseeable future

Surely having some decent players already at the club would help in a sale ?

I think Bent will go before the end of the month - Lerner probably thinks the team can avoid relegation without Bent so he'll recoup another £25M of his outlay.....there's a term for this - asset stripping!

[Rick_avfc]

I think Bent will go before the end of the month - Lerner probably thinks the team can avoid relegation without Bent so he'll recoup another £25M of his outlay.....there's a term for this - asset stripping!

Is Lerner becoming the new Mike Ashley?

[Mazrim]

I can vouch for Karl. He knew McLeish was coming in well before it happened.
And now I fear Paulie and I are going to be violently ill.

Villa, you really are making loving you difficult lately.

[themossman]

Re Carroll and failed big money moves. Maybe should have said many not any. Either way once you've been spat out of the system at a "big" club it takes an unusual amount of resilience and talent to get the momentum going again. Evidenced by the fact that the players mentioned above are unusually good ones.

[not3bad]

I think Bent will go before the end of the month - Lerner probably thinks the team can avoid relegation without Bent so he'll recoup another £25M of his outlay.....there's a term for this - asset stripping!

Is Lerner becoming the new Mike Ashley?

Looks like it.

[Karl Bridges]

Just to add this hasn't come from the same source as the Mcleish thing but it's come from a couple of sources and I've no reason to disbelieve it.

[KevinGage]

Is the suggestion that Bent may have requested this Karl?

Never trust a managers quotes during transfer window time, but McLeish seemed pretty bullish when asked about the prospect of Bent leaving the other day.

[Villafirst]

From what I've heard Bent is going to Liverpool without fail.

I think you're totally right - because Faulkner recently said we wouldn't be selling Bent in January. The people in charge of the club are a joke!

[KRS]

PF said exactly the same thing about SD, so that was the first sign that Bent was half way out the door. AM said he's not for sale, but if that latest quote is true and not taken out of content then it can only mean he's for sale at the right price. Just make matters worse, we dont need to strengthen our forward options right now so the only reason we're being linked with Cole and Keane must suggest that one of our current forwards is about to be sold.

Bent isnt the best player in the world by a long stretch of the imagination and I certainly wont lose any sleep if he does go as he is very much over rated, but what it does do is speak volumes about the current state of the club on and off the pitch. If he is sold and replaced with the likes of Cole or Zamora, then I'll have lost all faith and be so disgusted with whats happening at the club that I wont be visiting VP until both Randy and AM have departed.

[Legion]

Not for sale

[Rigadon]

Not for sale

Good. 

[old man villa fan]

I would like us to try something new and radical and play without the wide players, having a sitting midfield player (Clark), 2 in the middle (Petrov and Bannan/N'Zogbia) and an advanced player (Ireland).  This does not mean we do not use the wide areas but move into them rather than have players already in them.  I think this would get the best out of Gabby and Bent playing together as twin strikers and allowing them to move all across the front line and interchange.

That pretty much amounts to a diamond in midfield, which we played against Wigan and worked quite well.  As I'd see it, the bottom of the diamond would be Petrov, Clark or Herd, the middle two would be from Bannan, Albrighton or Delph and the top of the diamond would be Ireland or N'Zogbia.  The way it seemed to work was Gabby had a bit of freedom to use the width, with Bent staying central.  Bannan played that day and did very well, IMO.

I've said before that CNZ may be better more central for us, so if super Marc can adjust to it then it may be a winning formation for us.  And it also allows Clark to move back to CB.

Presuming everyone is fit:-

                   Given
Hutton - Clark - Dunne - Warnock
                  Petrov
      Albrighton - Bannan
                N'Zogbia
             Bent - Gabby

Not needing Clark in midfield also allows us to switch the back around a bit, as he could play LB with Carlos in the centre if he doesn't take Hutton's RB slot.  Could keep them on their toes back there at least!

Sorry but that midlfield would get walked over by any decent team and the defence would have to HOOF to get any kind of release from the pressure. Ooh...

You clearly do not understand the formation and why you set up this way.

The deep lying midfield player is there to take the ball from the defence or goalkeeper to build play from the back or to drop into the central defence if one of the central defenders brings the ball out.

The exact reason for playing this system is so that you do not 'Hoof' it in your terms. 

[VillaAlways]

Not for sale

I hate to be cynical but they came out with much the same when askedt if the weasel was for sale

[KRS]

Unfortunately I no longer trust a word that comes out of the club these days so I'll take that with a pinch of salt. I imagine this is what it must feel like if your Mrs is cheating on you! lol

[JJ-AV]

If Liverpool offer £25m he'll be off, I think.