Bent out for rest of season

[Lobsterboy]

Terrible news.

You can dress it up any way you want but Bent is our main source of goals and will be sorely missed.

I guess we go with Gabby up front in a 4-5-1 with Heskey and Weimann as back up and keep our fingers crossed that a) he stays injury free and b) can start to score a few goals

Bollocks!

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

Doubt he will make the euro's now

Felt really sorry for him when he missed out on the 2010 World Cup while Heskey was there injuring our captain 

So I really hope he can get to play at Euro 2012.

[Percy McCarthy]

I think it's pretty obvious that Gabby won't score as many goals as Bent. I also think it's pretty obvious that we are a better team that would have more points and scored more than 29 goals as a team had Gabby been playing instead of Bent.

We'd spend a lot more time in popssession of the ball in the opponents half for a start.

[PeterWithe]

Its a sad reflection on the creativity of the side that we probably wont miss the best English goalscorer around.

[olaftab]

It could be a blessing as Eck's style suits Gabby than Bent. For Bent to be effective you have to have more possession and create chances by dominating teams. We are unlikey to see that whilst McLeish is here.

[aShawthing]

Like Dave McClark Five said, this may not be as bad as it seems for us as a team. Very sorry for Benty but he has been pretty poor for weeks now and would have been dropped IMO if it hadnt been for Gabby's injury.
We can now play to our strengths and go 442 Nzogbia and Albrighton wide Petrov and Bannan / Gardner or Ireland in Midfield and then Gabby and either Ireland / Weimann / Delfonso or Heskey (if we have to) up front.

Big Eck a bit like Houllier will be forced to do what he should have done weeks ago.

The future seems a lot brighter, as you all know Bent will go in the summer if he gets fit.

[olaftab]

Darren good luck with recovery. I do hope you make it to the Euro's. You deserve it more than most who are going to be in that squad.

[Villanation]

Hard to say and hope Benty gets up and running as soon as possible, but this could actually be a blessing in disguise.

Get Gabby up front, his threat and domination has been badly missed for a long time now, get some shape about the team but above all get opposition defenses realizing they have something unruly to deal with and not the old fashioned front man where its simply is a question of pushing the back line up higher and catching him offside, which happens a lot for Benty.

Ironic really, this could actually save McLiesh's skin.

[Chipsticks]

It could be a blessing as Eck's style suits Gabby than Bent. For Bent to be effective you have to have more possession and create chances by dominating teams. We are unlikey to see that whilst McLeish is here.

This is what I'm banking on.

[Jimmy Smash]

I think we were all the poorer recently for having Bent and Keane in the side. It'll be interesting to see how Ireland and Gabby do in their positions. On a bright note we couldn't be any worse. It might bring NZog out of his stupor too, assuming he gets the nod in front of Eeyore.

[aShawthing]

Jimmy Shack you mention Zoggy being in a stupor! I dont blame him after big Eck says how he will want to show his form against his old side and plays him for 11 minutes!

Shame we dont play Sunderland every week we may have seen a lot more of Gabby and a lot less of Bent.

Get well soon Darren we need a decent price for you in the summer.

Now who should we buy? 

[PaulWinch again]

Get well soon Benty, I hope we have a manager more adept at exploiting your talents next season assuming you're still here.

[dutchvilla]

Delfouneso's stats for Villa, if I've totalled it right are 13 starts, 34 sub appearances, 9 goals

http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=49704

[myf]

^you are only concerned about bents value? he effectively kept us last year FFS. Twats like you that get us labelled as fickle

[Greg N'Ash]

awful news but i'm not surprised. You could tell it was bad. Don't think it will effect us too badly as long as Gabby stays fit and could work in our favour if Mcleish chooses to go one up front. another body in midfield to protect the defence, plus lard arse being on the sidelines.... could be the turning point for our season ironically.