Darren Bent

[dave.woodhall]

"the 3 games" thing has been denied

by Villa Sunderland and Paul Lambert

the general hasn't been a director

for about 18 months

and I really do think

you should lay off the enter key

[Karl Bridges]

So we can all see that Bent is not ahead of Benteke and the formation would have to change to accomodate him. That's not going to happen.

 He allegedly earns more than Vlaar, KEA, Lowton & Westwood combined. He would probably see the sale of Bent as an opportunity to bolster the squad with funds and extra space on the wage bill. He may not want one player earning so much and causing possible unrest in the squad.

With Bent getting over a major injury in the summer and then picking up niggly injuries since coming back, PL may have decided he doesn't want to risk any potential deal with an injury.

[Risso]

Risso, as a moderator, do you have access to some sort of software that automatically predicts relegation every fifteenth post? If so, can you turn it off? It's been wrong every time but we are getting shitter. It might be the case that it does work but just isn't that good.

Anyway, do you like chatting and DVDs?

I'm not a moderator, sorry.  And I don't believe that I predicted relegation above, just opined that it might be an unwanted side effect of not scoring enough goals. 

I thought you were a moderator, apols.

What DVDs do you like?

Hmmm, mainly British gritty dramas I'd say.

[Risso]

"the 3 games" thing has been denied

by Villa Sunderland and Paul Lambert

the general hasn't been a director

for about 18 months

and I really do think

you should lay off the enter key

I still don't think he's actually resigned has he?

[nornironvillain]

/quote]

"the 3 games" thing has been denied

by Villa Sunderland and Paul Lambert

the general hasn't been a director

for about 18 months

and I really do think

you should lay off the enter key

and thats it "you should lay off the enter key"

fair enough Dave. i expect Bent to be here after January then?

[ozzjim]

The other way to look at it might be that having won 2 and drawn 1 of our last 5, only losing against the current top 2 that are clear by a distance, we might be turning a corner, and upsetting that balance right now for the sake of Bent is not worth it.

[seanthevillan]

so a guy who has played football

has a lot of contacts in football

and would know a lot more than anybody on this site, is being dismissed because  people on here say so?


okay


is the generals thread still going on here?

I hate to quote the entire post again, but Lawro said he'd read about it - I'd say that puts him in about the same position as us.

[Risso]

So we can all see that Bent is not ahead of Benteke and the formation would have to change to accomodate him. That's not going to happen.

 He allegedly earns more than Vlaar, KEA, Lowton & Westwood combined. He would probably see the sale of Bent as an opportunity to bolster the squad with funds and extra space on the wage bill. He may not want one player earning so much and causing possible unrest in the squad.

With Bent getting over a major injury in the summer and then picking up niggly injuries since coming back, PL may have decided he doesn't want to risk any potential deal with an injury.

I bet players like Given, Gabby, Dunne and N'Zogbia all earn a heck of a lot more than the lower league recruits as well.  Not having Bent in the squad isn't going to stop him earning that money. 

[Risso]

The other way to look at it might be that having won 2 and drawn 1 of our last 5, only losing against the current top 2 that are clear by a distance, we might be turning a corner, and upsetting that balance right now for the sake of Bent is not worth it.

And having him in the squad; not replacing Benteke who is deservedly ahead of him in the lone striker pecking order; but merely on the bench ahead of the likes of Bowery (completely unproven lower league youth player), Albrighton (completely shit former footballer) or Delph (completely shit headless chicken) would upset that balance?

[nornironvillain]

The other way to look at it might be that having won 2 and drawn 1 of our last 5, only losing against the current top 2 that are clear by a distance, we might be turning a corner, and upsetting that balance right now for the sake of Bent is not worth it.

no offence ozzjim or anybody on this site

but a guy has put up something on the BBC website - an ex-footballer,who earns a living talking to footballlers..... who has a lot more contacts than anybody on here


and has said "It is interesting to read about Aston Villa supposedly having to pay Sunderland a big lump of money if their striker Darren Bent plays three more games for them. "

and the way we have got rid of the big earners in the last year or so

it dosent worry anybody on here?

[Louzie0]

I wonder which three PL is saving him for?

[Karl Bridges]

I bet players like Given, Gabby, Dunne and N'Zogbia all earn a heck of a lot more than the lower league recruits as well.  Not having Bent in the squad isn't going to stop him earning that money. 

It would if he's sold in Jan. I suggested that he wasn't in the squad to avoid injury and the potential breakdown of a move.

[Risso]

Norn, we've worked out between us that the maximum we probably still owe Sunderland is between £1m and £2m.  I looked at the accounts, Dave W seems to have talked to somebody at the club.  It's not a small amount but probably not worth leaving him out over.

[Risso]

I bet players like Given, Gabby, Dunne and N'Zogbia all earn a heck of a lot more than the lower league recruits as well.  Not having Bent in the squad isn't going to stop him earning that money. 

It would if he's sold in Jan. I suggested that he wasn't in the squad to avoid injury and the potential breakdown of a move.

But players' salaries are all relative and there are big differentials at all clubs.  Having a big earning player isn't a good or likely reason to drop him.  Bent can rightly point to his scoring record and England caps.  Why would that concern somebody like Westwood?  It'd be like a first year audit trainee at PwC moaning about a partner taking home ten times his salary.

[dave.woodhall]

Norn, we've worked out between us that the maximum we probably still owe Sunderland is between £1m and £2m.  I looked at the accounts, Dave W seems to have talked to somebody at the club.  It's not a small amount but probably not worth leaving him out over.

And that's the total potentially owing. I don't think it's all for fifty appearances - some of it will be tied up in stuff like European qualification and winning trophies.