Darren Bent

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

If he wants to play him, but can't due to clause trigger/transfer request/transfer agreed/refusal to play, then he has to fend off 22 questions asking him why Bent wasn't playing, even after winning a match.

Please, please,please. Can we stop going on about him playing triggering payments? That is all complete and utter bollox.
That stuff might be good enough for stupid wanky TalkSport pundits and lazy London hacks, but surely we can do better than that here? 

Well I haven't categorically said that, have I? I've tried to list a number of reasons which may mean Lambert's hands are tied. I don't think they are, but speculation is rife at the moment

I have no problems about speculation but the speculation about triggering payments has continued days after being absolutely and categorically denied by the club, and also re-iterated by the likes of reliable sources such as Kendrick. As I said, lazy journalists.

[eastie]

If he wants to play him, but can't due to clause trigger/transfer request/transfer agreed/refusal to play, then he has to fend off 22 questions asking him why Bent wasn't playing, even after winning a match.

Please, please,please. Can we stop going on about him playing triggering payments? That is all complete and utter bollox.
That stuff might be good enough for stupid wanky TalkSport pundits and lazy London hacks, but surely we can do better than that here? 

Well I haven't categorically said that, have I? I've tried to list a number of reasons which may mean Lambert's hands are tied. I don't think they are, but speculation is rife at the moment

I have no problems about speculation but the speculation about triggering payments has continued days after being absolutely and categorically denied by the club, and also re-iterated by the likes of reliable sources such as Kendrick. As I said, lazy journalists.

I think all these theories ,contract  rumours etc keep being bandied about because most people find it quite astonishing bent cannot even make the bench in such a low scoring struggling side.

[dave.woodhall]

And also because anyone who doesn't like conspiracy theories should really keep away from the internet.

[Mister E]

I think all these theories ,contract  rumours etc keep being bandied about because most people find it quite astonishing bent cannot even make the bench in such a low scoring struggling side.

True, but if you look at his career, he has some form in terms of his transfers: apart from his youth spell at Ipswich (4 seasons), he has been moved on after 2-3 seasons at each of his subsequent  clubs.
Whether that is his agent's doing, whether it's DB getting bored / jaded; or whether it's some other factor - I don't know.

Lambert may have decided he's not prepared to put up with either Bent doing things that he shouldn't have been doing (the "shagging" theory) or Bent's agent agitating for a move / improved deal for his client.

Whatrever it is, he's a goner 'ere.

[N'ZMAV]

And also because anyone who doesn't like conspiracy theories should really keep away from the internet.

Isn't everything on the Internet true?

[dave.woodhall]

And also because anyone who doesn't like conspiracy theories should really keep away from the internet.

Isn't everything on the Internet true?

You'd better ask danlanza.

[Risso]

On the trigger payments, this is the info from the accounts.  At the end of 2010, we had £3m of payments that we might have had to make to other clubs dependent on various factors.  In 2009 and 2008 it was bettwen £2m and £3m.  There is no indication of who the players are or what the triggers would be.  We then bought Darren Bent in January 2011, there were £6m of possible liabilities, yet the total reported that we might have to pay at May 2011 was £4.5m.  If we have an informed guess that £2m seems an average level for previous years for all other players' additional payments, then the maximum additional payment that we'd owe Sunderland at the end of the 2010/11 season was £2.5m.  When the May 2012 accounts are out early next year, we'll have a better idea.  The £6m being bandied about is impossible though.  If we had no other contingent liabilities for any other player (highly unlikely) then the most it could possibly be is £4.5m, but a £2m - £3m payment based on us staying up under Houllier was probably quite likely.

[Drummond]

£6m could have been the total of add-ons payable should everything in the contract become payable.

The first payment, £1.5m-£3m, would have been paid when we stayed up, the remainder at 30 games?



Whatever, when you look at the clubs he's played for, which are mostly not that good, he has a good strike rate but the team was poor. At Spurs it was a lower ratio, but they were a better team.

I'd say this points to him being selfish and banging them in but that the overall team performance suffers as a result.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

And also because anyone who doesn't like conspiracy theories should really keep away from the internet.

Hey, who doesn't like conspiracy theories? Come on, if it wasn't for conspiracy theories what other reason is there to use the internet?

[Clampy]

And also because anyone who doesn't like conspiracy theories should really keep away from the internet.

Hey, who doesn't like conspiracy theories? Come on, if it wasn't for conspiracy theories what other reason is there to use the internet?

Porn?

[supertom]

And also because anyone who doesn't like conspiracy theories should really keep away from the internet.

Hey, who doesn't like conspiracy theories? Come on, if it wasn't for conspiracy theories what other reason is there to use the internet?

A man with perfect 20/20 vision ladies and gentlemen!

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Clampy. SuperTom.

I'll set 'em, you knock 'em down.

[Michel Sibble]

WHAT a bunch of shit-stirring, know-nothing hack bastards.

...our bwest-fwiend Darren cannot get a game of football, for a team we generally consider lower than whale shit and which we would ignore if we could if it wasn't for our bwest fwiend...

Is "work hard, play for each other, get into the team on merit" difficult to comprehend for these journalists? Darren Bent only plays for himself, hence his enforced Siberian holiday.

[Michel Sibble]

...having said that, from the comments:

Q24. Is Barry Bannan actually a footballer or just a small scottish child you found outside Villa Park one day?

[Percy McCarthy]

Well, it's too difficult to comprehend for a lot of us on here, and has been for ages, so I don't see why the hacks should be any better.

They might as well write 'but he guarantees goals, FACT, END OF, etc.