Darren Bent

[dave.woodhall]

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.

If £2.5 million is still outstanding that would cover everything we could possibly achieve with him in the team including European qualification and trophies. Sunderland (or any other club selling their star player) would have covered every eventuality.

[tomd2103]

£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.

In the hundreds of posts I have read about Darren Bent, noone seems to have mentioned his record at international level. 

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Anyway. Assuming 'Arry is going to going to put £10-£12million up front, what add ons should we include in the deal?

1. Bent scores more goals than 'Arrys missus during the rest of the season - £2m.
2. Bent gets picked for the full Ukranian national side - £1m.
3. Bent becomes a doctor and discovers cure for facial twitches - £1m.
4. Bent doesn't get caught shagging any QPR wags - £1m.
5. Bent finds absolute concrete evidence that would stand up in any court of law that`Arrys been involved in dodgy dealings but Bent says nothing - £1m.
6. Someone throws 50p at `Arry at Villa Park,  Bent dashes half the length of the pitch and makes a diving header to deflect coin from hitting `Arry - £1m.
 

[tomd2103]

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.

There is definitely an air of "who do Villa think they are not playing our Darren" in most of the media reports which will only worsen now their mate 'Arry has stuck his nose in.  I wonder how many of those commenting on the situation actually saw the half-hearted displays Bent turned in earlier on in the season? 

[mr woo]

To put a slightly different slant on things, is it beyond the realms of possibility that this situation has arisen from a combination of finance AND a decision by PL (as opposed to Randy Lerner)?

What I mean is, suppose Lambert was given an agreed transfer fund at the start of the season, on the understanding all add-ons and clauses triggered must come from it. Now what if PL has identified a target, agreed a fee in principle yet is aware Bent could eat up (for arguments sake) a couple of million of the kitty simply by playing and put a potential squad addition in jeopardy?

In other words, PL must choose between one or the other, hence his 'for the best of Aston Villa' quotes.

Both the falling out and contract clause theories have been denied by the club now but we've all been following football a long time and something here just does not add up, no matter what they say.

[kipeye]

Anyway. Assuming 'Arry is going to going to put £10-£12million up front, what add ons should we include in the deal?

1. Bent scores more goals than 'Arrys missus during the rest of the season - £2m.
2. Bent gets picked for the full Ukranian national side - £1m.
3. Bent becomes a doctor and discovers cure for facial twitches - £1m.
4. Bent doesn't get caught shagging any QPR wags - £1m.
5. Bent finds absolute concrete evidence that would stand up in any court of law that`Arrys been involved in dodgy dealings but Bent says nothing - £1m.
6. Someone throws 50p at `Arry at Villa Park,  Bent dashes half the length of the pitch and makes a diving header to deflect coin from hitting `Arry - £1m.
 

v.g.

[Ron Manager]

This will run longer than The Mousetrap. Ive just caught up with this thread and nobody has mentioned the magic word (I think) which is Faulkner

He has had some input into this situation.

The whole thing has become a farce.

In which case we should sign Brian Rix!

or Arrys missus Sandra who not only can put away the goals Darren misses but is top notch on the old computer as Arry knows nuffin bout
them things but can open a bank account in Monaco in the name of his dog Rosie..which was

a hit in 1968 for Don Partridge!

[hilts_coolerking]

Hearing all this stuff about Bent's myriad limitations and the rumours about his attitude I'm left wondering why we shelled out so much for him in the first place.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Anyway. Assuming 'Arry is going to going to put £10-£12million up front, what add ons should we include in the deal?

1. Bent scores more goals than 'Arrys missus during the rest of the season - £2m.
2. Bent gets picked for the full Ukranian national side - £1m.
3. Bent becomes a doctor and discovers cure for facial twitches - £1m.
4. Bent doesn't get caught shagging any QPR wags - £1m.
5. Bent finds absolute concrete evidence that would stand up in any court of law that`Arrys been involved in dodgy dealings but Bent says nothing - £1m.
6. Someone throws 50p at `Arry at Villa Park,  Bent dashes half the length of the pitch and makes a diving header to deflect coin from hitting `Arry - £1m.
 

v.g.

The last bit about him running half the length of the pitch...I'm joking.

[Dave Clark Five]

There might be some appearance trigger. But it could be the case that Lambert has already decided that Bent isnt going to fit in with his plans, in which case why throw millions away giving Bent the odd cameo when he has somebody lined up in a month who will fit in? It could mean an extra player or two.

The one thing I don't understand about that is that it doesn't make financial sense. Apart from the 'more goals therefore higher up the table' argument, if he was playing we could say we want to keep him and drive the price higher. As it is, he's seen as surplus to requirements and it's now a buyer's market. 

However, we could be playing him and he could be playing badly, not scoring, rising his record to say, 2 in 15 this season. He's clearly not wanted so it's better this way IMO

He'd still be in the team and playing, though.

Somehow failed to make the point that if he was playing, and playing badly, then his value would drop. It would not benefit us and who is going to sign a striker who's scored 2 in 15 for decent money?

Just my take on things, I could be and probably am talking complete and utter b*llocks.

No. Very sensible view.

[Toronto Villa]

Hearing all this stuff about Bent's myriad limitations and the rumours about his attitude I'm left wondering why we shelled out so much for him in the first place.

to just score goals with a manager that had two very good wingers supplying him the ammunition. Both of those players are gone, the current wingers aren't at all close to that quality, and the new bloke isn't really a believer in wide players anyway.

[hilts_coolerking]

Hearing all this stuff about Bent's myriad limitations and the rumours about his attitude I'm left wondering why we shelled out so much for him in the first place.

to just score goals with a manager that had two very good wingers supplying him the ammunition. Both of those players are gone, the current wingers aren't at all close to that quality, and the new bloke isn't really a believer in wide players anyway.

Sounds like a race to the bottom to me.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Hearing all this stuff about Bent's myriad limitations and the rumours about his attitude I'm left wondering why we shelled out so much for him in the first place.

to just score goals with a manager that had two very good wingers supplying him the ammunition. Both of those players are gone, the current wingers aren't at all close to that quality, and the new bloke isn't really a believer in wide players anyway.

Young and Downing were only responsible for 5 assists. Neither were "very good wingers" in that short period after Bent joined. Ashley was like a headless chicken and Downing, whilst brilliant at breaking forward with the ball, actually produced very little.

One thing I will say, Houllier knew exactly how to get the type of service Bent thrives on.

[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.

In the hundreds of posts I have read about Darren Bent, noone seems to have mentioned his record at international level.

He's scored 4 in 13 appearances. Worse than his club record anywhere and you'd have to say that comparatively, England are better Internationally than any of his clubs have been in the competitions they've been in. He scored against Switzerland, Wales, Denmark and Montenegro.

[Chico Hamilton III]

In which case we should sign Brian Rix

Wasn't he jailed for scuttling under-aged girls when he was Vialli's asistant at Chelsea?

No thanks