Concrete Ron

[OCD]

Why on earth are people getting so cross about this?  I think this reflects really well on the club, it's a decent thing to do.  It's the sort of thing that sets us apart.  So what if we help him get fit and he goes and signs for a rival club?  Doesn't make us mugs, or naive, or anything like that.  There are times when I'd love to see Villa be more hard-faced and ruthless as a club, but saying "fuck him" when our former captain simply needs the use of our gym is really not one of those times.     

I agree. You support your people as best as you can. It wouldn't go un-noticed by the rest of the squad, potential signings and possibly players who follow English football in general. It's how you show you're a cut above the rest.

[CT Villan]

You know maybe you guys are right and we should be more charitable to ex-players...can we get a Villa driver to take Judas up to Manchester, it is a long way and we'd hate for the poor little cherub to get lost on his own. Perhaps we can also crowd-fund a limo so Benteke can head up to Liverpool for his medical ?

[Risso]

Why on earth are people getting so cross about this?  I think this reflects really well on the club, it's a decent thing to do.  It's the sort of thing that sets us apart.  So what if we help him get fit and he goes and signs for a rival club?  Doesn't make us mugs, or naive, or anything like that.  There are times when I'd love to see Villa be more hard-faced and ruthless as a club, but saying "fuck him" when our former captain simply needs the use of our gym is really not one of those times.   

You're talking as if it's actually happening, which unless I've missed something being announced, it isn't is it?

[Herman]

Due mainly to the way that he let his contract run down and declined to sign another one, I don't have much time for him. He presumably believed that not signing was going to make it financially better for him (and worse for Villa) when another club came in for him. It was his decision and it hasn't worked out the way he envisaged.
However, I don't see much of a problem with offering him club facilities during his recuperation. Whether he takes us up on that offer is down to him. It is good PR and it would reflect positively on us as a club which looks after employees, even those who may no longer be contracted to us.
One issue I do have is with the possibility that it may set some kind of precedent. I'm sure that there are other ex-players who would benefit from assistance, be it health wise, finance wise or whatever. Their cases may be more deserving than Vlaar who, unless he is a total idiot, should be drowning in cash and should be well capable of taking care of himself.     

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

Why on earth are people getting so cross about this?  I think this reflects really well on the club, it's a decent thing to do.  It's the sort of thing that sets us apart.  So what if we help him get fit and he goes and signs for a rival club?  Doesn't make us mugs, or naive, or anything like that.  There are times when I'd love to see Villa be more hard-faced and ruthless as a club, but saying "fuck him" when our former captain simply needs the use of our gym is really not one of those times.   

You're talking as if it's actually happening, which unless I've missed something being announced, it isn't is it?

And yet people seem incredulous at the mere suggestion.

[john e]

no matter what any of us say on here having supported Villa for 40 years, I reckon I know what the clubs answer would be if Vlaar wanted any help with his rehabilitation

[pauliewalnuts]

Why on earth are people getting so cross about this?  I think this reflects really well on the club, it's a decent thing to do.  It's the sort of thing that sets us apart.  So what if we help him get fit and he goes and signs for a rival club?  Doesn't make us mugs, or naive, or anything like that.  There are times when I'd love to see Villa be more hard-faced and ruthless as a club, but saying "fuck him" when our former captain simply needs the use of our gym is really not one of those times.   

You're talking as if it's actually happening, which unless I've missed something being announced, it isn't is it?

He's got a point, though.

Whether we think he should be helped or not, it seems to be a pretty minor thing for people to get so wound up about.

I doubt he'd even want to - am assuming he's actually living back in Holland anyway - but I can't really see any great harm in extending him the courtesy if it turns out he is actually over here.

He wanted to make sure he got the right deal at the right club at this stage in his career. It's not like he's Delphed us or something.

[chrisw1]

I'm not sure I agree.  Players who run down their contracts generally do so out of greed.  It comes with a risk - Ron rolled the dice and lost.  Delph, for all his weasel words got us £8m.

Of course I'd let him use the gym, but frankly I've very little sympathy.

[The Villa Werewolf]

Can I just check - is Vlaar actually using Villa's facilities to recuperate, or have we just had four pages of arguing over a hypothetical scenario?

I honestly can't tell.

[chrisw1]

hypothetical

[john e]

Can I just check - is Vlaar actually using Villa's facilities to recuperate, or have we just had four pages of arguing over a hypothetical scenario?

I honestly can't tell.

ha ha, we are arguing about nothing, its the internet that's what we do

[pauliewalnuts]

Can I just check - is Vlaar actually using Villa's facilities to recuperate, or have we just had four pages of arguing over a hypothetical scenario?

I honestly can't tell.

I think if you're raising an eyebrow at arguments over a hypothetical situation, you might want to give the rest of the site a miss, as that's largely what it is - signings / departures etc, most of which are in the realm of the hypothetical!

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm not sure I agree.  Players who run down their contracts generally do so out of greed.

There's a thin line, though, between what we'd consider "greed" and what a player just sees as getting the best options he can.

If you look at Vlaar, one of the most noticeable players - certainly defenders - of the world cup, at a struggling club, last year of his contract about to start, nudging 30, lots of injury problems in the past - all of those things will have been going through his mind when deciding what to do.

You're right, a lot of players are driven by greed, but if you spin that out to mean all of them, then you don't really have much latitude to complain when they act accordingly.

I also think we used greed as a convenient excuse. Benteke leaving = greed. Delph changing his mind = greed. And so on.

It's too easy. When Milner left, there were people on here saying he was leaving through greed. Four years on, look at what he's won in the meantime, and look at the seasons we've had since he went.

[KevinGage]

Wouldn't be dead set against it, if the request came from him.

But I would hope he'd take up that kind of offer from Feyenood or a club closer to home.

As someone else pointed out, it never seemed like he had a great deal of affinity for the club, so why extend the relationship in any way.

[CJ]

He has chosen not to remain at the club so don't see why we should help him get fit to potentially play against us in the future. When I left my job, I didn't expect to be able to wander back and help myself to stationery, photocopying and a new laptop. I'm sure he can afford to pay for his recuperation elsewhere. Or maybe the club which represents the 'step up' he's after could help.