Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert denies rift with Darren Bent

[villa `cross the mersey]

Darren - if you are so precious about being rested or not starting then I suggest you take your £80K a week or whatever and F*** off somewhere else - the money we get for you would bring in 3 or 4 lads who may just care more about this club than you -  I believe your ego got the better of you at Spurs and Sunderland - you will not be allowed to get away with it here !

If however, you decide to knuckle down and help us climb the table then fair play to you- but don`t forget - this is a team game and we are all in it together.

[Monty]

Darren Bent has always had teams built around him to suit his needs, often to the overall team's detriment. He's not good enough for that to be justified and he has to realise this - that he has to work hard and do other things to stay in the team.

[Richard Richard]

Lambert likes to use his squad, he rotated his strikers reguarly at Norwich too including Holt on more than a few occasions.

[dave.woodhall]

Whilst no player has a divine right to start every game, I can see Bent's point when PL never said a word to him - come on, they're grown men, a simple: ''I'm starting with Gabby and Benteke today'' but, this silent treatment is childish. FFS talk to one another!!

Did Lambert talk to anyone else? Especially anyone else who wasn't in the team for the last match the club played, the superb performance at Man City? Seems to me that he felt a bit like he should have special treatment. He shouldn't.

If you were one of the most senior people at your place of work, considered to be one of the most talented, and were always involved in all the major projects, would you just accept it if your boss decided to not involve you in the latest one and not even speak to you about why?  I can understand why he's a bit pissed off.  The bottom line is how he deals with it.  Spouting off to the press is generally not the best approach though.

I do wish we wouldn't have these pointless workplace comparisons. Nobody on here would be told to have a week off because the next project can be done better by someone else or have them come in midway through Thursday afternoon to take over from us because we were tired after doing long hours earlier in the week. Neither would we walk out of the office and have an interviewer asking us what we thought of the decision. It's not a normal business, it's a football club.   

[damon loves JT]

Sadly I don't think we've heard the last of this. And every time Bent doesn't start, or is subbed, it will get mentioned.

Brilliant. Nice one, Darren.

[Percy McCarthy]

Exactly.

[Dave Clark Five]

Whilst no player has a divine right to start every game, I can see Bent's point when PL never said a word to him - come on, they're grown men, a simple: ''I'm starting with Gabby and Benteke today'' but, this silent treatment is childish. FFS talk to one another!!

I don't believe for a minute that Lambert acted childishly. Bent should realise that he has been taking a lot of money off the club while rarely drawing sweat. All the statements about 'no service' are bollocks. If he isn't getting the ball, he should go and get it instead of merely lumbering about. If h e found it so easy to prove his point on Sunday then there will be plenty more opportunities, starting on Sunday. I'm looking forward to seeing the new Bent and don't expect to see the Manager hiding away as if he is at fault. Of course, the media have stirred the shit, but Bent had no need to play along with it. If he doesn't like it, we will manage without him.

[Matt C]

Seems to me Lambert has played it perfectly and Bent has illustrated perfectly why he's not captain.

[Dave Clark Five]

Seems to me Lambert has played it perfectly and Bent has illustrated perfectly why he's not captain.

Got it in one!

[adrenachrome]

I think most fans who pay close attention have realised that Darren Bent's normal way of playing firmly places him as a luxury player in PL's scheme of things. Giving him the captaincy was a sign that more was required in terms of contribution to the team. I don't think that Darren has cottoned on, or else he doesn't think he needs to.

Unfortunately for DB, and us, he is not quite good enough to be a luxury player in a CL side, and not hard working enough to hack it in the type of team PL is building.

[Pete3206]

Storm. Tea Cup. Move on

[ozzjim]

Storm. Tea Cup. Move on

Lambert was right with both the captain, and not putting him back in the side for the Albion game after the City game where they deserved to keep their places.

BUT.... you are Darren Bent. You have had an awful summer, where you have had to battle back from injury, a slow start to the season, finally got yourself scoring at Southampton, and then find yourself out the side. If then the manager does not come over, put his arm round you and let you know you are not starting, you will sit, probably very annoyed and wait to come on. He did the right thing, came on, scored the goal, looked a threat and we got the point. After the game a journalist then shoves a microphone in his face and asks how he is feeling. What would you say? His comments were innocuous in reality - that he and the manager would have chat this week. The press then report this as "crunch", "showdown" etc....... In the same interview he said the players are 100% with the manager. It is, as Pete said, a storm in a teacup. Hopefully they can have a chat, Bent can understand a few words that mumble out of Lambert's mouth and Bent can understand that he can't expect to start every week but has a vital role to play. Neither is right in the way it has been handled, but it is not the massive story as is being made out.

[amfy]

Storm. Tea Cup. Move on

His comments were innocuous in reality - that he and the manager would have chat this week. The press then report this as "crunch", "showdown" etc....... In the same interview he said the players are 100% with the manager.

This - it amazes me how a quote can be taken and made to read as something else. Saying "We'll speak in the week" is not the same as "Darren Bent is to hold talks with Paul Lambert". If, with the microphone in his face after the game he'd said something neutral along the lines of "It's the boss's decision" then some on here would soon be claiming he's happy to pick up a fat paycheck whilst getting splinters...

[oldtimernow]

First shots in the battle to get DB's next money making move?

Hope I'm wrong but if not hope we end up getting back what we paid for him unlike Liverpool and their over-rated whinger..sorry winger

[eastie]

Storm. Tea Cup. Move on

His comments were innocuous in reality - that he and the manager would have chat this week. The press then report this as "crunch", "showdown" etc....... In the same interview he said the players are 100% with the manager.

This - it amazes me how a quote can be taken and made to read as something else. Saying "We'll speak in the week" is not the same as "Darren Bent is to hold talks with Paul Lambert". If, with the microphone in his face after the game he'd said something neutral along the lines of "It's the boss's decision" then some on here would soon be claiming he's happy to pick up a fat paycheck whilst getting splinters...

Absolutely true- cannot believe so many are making such a big deal out of fuck all.