AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Selling Gabby would be a disaster in terms of the message it would send to a lot of Villa fans.

We've got a manager that nobody really wants - and that some people hate because of his links to the dog shit - selling a player who is clearly Villa through and through. We'd be getting rid of the wrong person

I wouldn't want McLeish to sell him, although I think he's probably daft enough to consider it.

Only speculation though   

[Merv]

I can handle selling Dunne to Sunderland - £3m please.

Reluctant to see Gabby go. If there's genuine desire from Sunderland and the player himself though, I'd be looking for cash plus Frazier Campbell......

[Concrete John]

The question is can we afford to keep our two most expensive assets, Gabby and Bent, when we struggle to play them together?

If we sell Gabby and his fee and wages are used to sign a genuine winger to support Bent, we'd probably be a better side for it.

The other option is to restructure the midfield so that we can go 4-4-2, which would then probably mean Ireland missing out.  Holman may be the first step towards this given his reported work ethic.

[N'ZMAV]

I can handle selling Dunne to Sunderland - £3m please.

Reluctant to see Gabby go. If there's genuine desire from Sunderland and the player himself though, I'd be looking for cash plus Frazier Campbell......

Cash plus players may be the answer. Campbell would probably score the same amount of goals as Gabby given a whole season uninterupted playing up front. Probably around the dozen mark, maybe.

[pauliewalnuts]

It's a hallmark of MON's transfer laziness - going back to sign players he's worked with before.

[Rick_avfc]

I personally will not be disappointed if gabby goes as for me, he will not be getting any better. Sorry to all GA fans on here

[Villanation]

Selling Gabby would be a disaster in terms of the message it would send to a lot of Villa fans.

We've got a manager that nobody really wants - and that some people hate because of his links to the dog shit - selling a player who is clearly Villa through and through. We'd be getting rid of the wrong person

I wouldn't want McLeish to sell him, although I think he's probably daft enough to consider it.

Only speculation though

It would be a disaster full stop, Gabby is Aston Villa, he represents the personification and character of stability, you know when Gabbs steps on the pitch you are looking at a true stalwart, but doesn't surprise me, mate of mine that is a Spurs fan say's he is convinced Spurs are after him and will get him and Gabby is known to frequent around that area and a few months ago was looking for a place there. (rumor)

Fact is though, its the way its all going, I can't see anyway we will keep Gabby Agbonlahor and even far less, Darren Bent has already booked the removal van.

Lerner to take the funds, use them elsewhere, and McLiesh to sign some half baked freebie which is why he's here IMO.

[Greg N'Ash]

In the mirror today that he wants Dunne and Gabby. 15 million for the pair and I would sell.

me too.

I don't have a problem with selling players as such, but you know that at best, any cash received is going to go on substandard replacements, with the majority of the money going towards the enormous black hole in the accounts.

Think thats spot on unfortunately - How much would we get to spend?  10m? 7m?

any transfer involving MON should involve a 35% surcharge on top to make it worth our while and claw back the money he wasted - and lets face it he'll probably pay it if someone's dumb enough to finance him. In Dunne's case we could follow the government's lead and say anyone who's purchased a hot pasty eater from our club has to pay extra.

[Rick_avfc]

Just because a player is "villa through and through" doesn't mean that they untouchable and cannot be sold.  Gabby has potential but how long are we keep using that excuse before he deliveres week in week out?  Sometimes players like him need a move to test themselves to prove if he is good enough.  At villa, he will never be classed as "great" like Ian Taylor & Paul McGarth was IMO.

[PaulWinch again]

Gabby's recent outings in the press have annoyed me, but saying we should keep Heskey is the equivalent of treason!

[N'ZMAV]

Just because a player is "villa through and through" doesn't mean that they untouchable and cannot be sold.  Gabby has potential but how long are we keep using that excuse before he deliveres week in week out?  Sometimes players like him need a move to test themselves to prove if he is good enough.  At villa, he will never be classed as "great" like Ian Taylor & Paul McGarth was IMO.

Spot on. IMO.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Just because a player is "villa through and through" doesn't mean that they untouchable and cannot be sold.

That's not what I said. Nobody should be untouchable

I said that if McLeish does try and sell Gabby, he will make the problem that he's got with a lot of fans at the moment a whole lot worse.

We're shit at the moment and Gabby is probably the only common link between our team and a lot of our fans. McLeish can only dream of the kind of respect that Gabby enjoys from much of the Holte and I think it would be a mistake to sell him.

[andyh]

The question is can we afford to keep our two most expensive assets, Gabby and Bent, when we struggle to play them together?

If we sell Gabby and his fee and wages are used to sign a genuine winger to support Bent, we'd probably be a better side for it.

The other option is to restructure the midfield so that we can go 4-4-2, which would then probably mean Ireland missing out.  Holman may be the first step towards this given his reported work ethic.

Or, find a way of them being able to play together.
Maybe a decent manager could do that ?

[Risso]

The question is can we afford to keep our two most expensive assets, Gabby and Bent, when we struggle to play them together?

If we sell Gabby and his fee and wages are used to sign a genuine winger to support Bent, we'd probably be a better side for it.

The other option is to restructure the midfield so that we can go 4-4-2, which would then probably mean Ireland missing out.  Holman may be the first step towards this given his reported work ethic.

Or, find a way of them being able to play together.
Maybe a decent manager could do that ?

The thing is with Bent, is that his career is based on getting the ball in the box, and sticking away a proportion of his chances.  He's never been a team player really, so finding an effective partner for him is always going to be tricky, but you need a manager to at least try.  Gabby has always put in a shift and with his pace can beat people, so I'm no sure what the big problem is really.

[Concrete John]

The question is can we afford to keep our two most expensive assets, Gabby and Bent, when we struggle to play them together?

If we sell Gabby and his fee and wages are used to sign a genuine winger to support Bent, we'd probably be a better side for it.

The other option is to restructure the midfield so that we can go 4-4-2, which would then probably mean Ireland missing out.  Holman may be the first step towards this given his reported work ethic.

Or, find a way of them being able to play together.
Maybe a decent manager could do that ?

The thing is with Bent, is that his career is based on getting the ball in the box, and sticking away a proportion of his chances.  He's never been a team player really, so finding an effective partner for him is always going to be tricky, but you need a manager to at least try.  Gabby has always put in a shift and with his pace can beat people, so I'm no sure what the big problem is really.

I think the problem is that we're not strong enough in midfield to play with a 4 and not get overrun by any decent side.  Hence some combination of 4-5-1/4-2-3-1 we've seen most of this season.  I have no issue with that, but it does mean Gabby playing wide, where he's not at his best.  We could do it under MON due to the work rate of players like Ash and Milner, who we don't have now.

So as I said, we either develop a midfield that can support two strikers or just play one of them, which is a waste of our limited resources.