Stiliyan Petrov - update

[Villafirst]

The club could've offered Stan a basic contract for 6 months to see how things go with maybe an appearance linked clause. After all, look what N'Zogbia was earning - £60k-a-week for fuck all for 5 years. The wasters prevail.

[markeeeebeeee2005]

The club could've offered Stan a basic contract for 6 months to see how things go with maybe an appearance linked clause. After all, look what N'Zogbia was earning - £60k-a-week for fuck all for 5 years. The wasters prevail.

Yes, they could have done. But the manager and coaches looked at him in training and in friendly games and could see that he would not be in a condition to play at the required level.

He's a grown man, not a pet. Stan will go on to have all sorts of successes, but fortunately a short sympathy contract won't be part of that.

[TheTimVilla]

I would have kept him as a benchwarmer, a wise old head to help protect leads in the last 15 minutes or so. But then, I haven't seen him play pre-season so can only go on opinions of people who have.

[AVH87]

Was always going to be very tough to go from playing Central Warwickshire Over 35s last season to Championship this.

He may look at a League 1 or League 2 club for a season.

[chrisw1]

Disappointing, but it was always going to be a long shot.  I certainly wouldn't have wanted him to be given a contract to be some sort of mascot, and I'm sure he would only have wanted to have been selected on merit.

It was great to see him in the shirt again and I hope he goes on to play for a year or so elsewhere. 

[CJ]

Was always going to be a tough call - not many outfield players still play in the upper echelons of football at 37 let alone someone who's gone through what Stan has. Hopefully the club will find him a role befitting his character - maybe club ambassador or even club captain, providing a better role model than that fat wastrel who was given the honour last season.

[Bottom Right 89]

I think this is a bad decision by RDM, surely he sees what a positive influence Stan is for the younger lads they respect him and even if he only gets 5 minutes of one game this season it would have been worth it. We need an experienced head in there, many of these lads have never been involved in a winning team and Stans experience would have been useful in the dressing room and on the pitch particularly in games where we needed to shut up shot or get back in a game late on. To be fair to Stan we've had far more talented players on long term contracts but what he gives you is a first rate attitude and desire to win both characteristics sadly lacking in our dressing room since he got ill.

I'm sad for him having come this far, they've crushed a mans dream, not only that but for other cancer patients who would see him playing and think well if he can achieve that then I can do similar. I'm sure he could go elsewhere maybe in the lower leagues and get a game but it wouldn't mean as much. Only Celtic giving him a trial would be a next best option. I hope the role they have offerred him is suitable and he stays but I don't think he will and for me personally I am always going to regret choosing the Telford game over Worcester City last week.

[Mortimer's Bear]

I'm sad for him having come this far, they've crushed a mans dream, not only that but for other cancer patients who would see him playing and think well if he can achieve that then I can do similar.

I am also a little saddened by this, however it was always going to be a long shot and we can't play him just to give other cancer patients a dream. I doubt Stan would want that anyway.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

hopefully a testimonial against celtic will be arranged, with a full house so that we can all show our love and appreciation of stan the player and stan the man

[OCD]

I would have loved to have seen Stan play a valuable role this season but you have to back the coaching team's judgment. They see him day-in-day-out, know what they're looking for, have all the data in the world to make the decision by and have made their decision. It shows how seriously they're taking things and that they don't have the fortune of being able to find room for sentimentality. For that reason I oddly find it re-assuring. I imagine Stan will be the first to understand the decision and now he has to decide whether to find another club or whether to retire and go into coaching.

[Leicester_Villian]

Firstly good luck to Stan and hope that his health is great for years to come ......
Having said that I am pleased the Club have not offered him a contract ........ firstly I honestly question if a 37 year old who has not played professional football for 4 years could succeed.
I want to remember Stan as the player he was and not someone who fans would soon turn on ...... I have sat in the Trinity Rd Middle for about last 15 years and I remember many times fans getting on his back
To me Stan made Villa tick and when he played well so did Villa ...poor game and Villa were poor
Thanks for what you have done Stan and hope whatever the role is that you accept it and are involved with Villa for years to come

[Singapore Villa]

Does anyone know what role he has been offered at Villa by RDM?

[N'ZMAV]

I think he'd make a good chauffeur, driving all the uselss pricks that need to be sold to their new destination. I'd trust Stan to deliver them and give them a slap as he leaves them.

[Olof's Beard]

It's really disappointing that this story isn't going to have a Hollywood ending. I wonder if we could have given him more time. In truth, and I think this has largely remained unsaid, if you look at photos of Stan playing four years ago and compare them to recent pictures, he doesn't yet have the same lean build that had back then.

As well as he has done, this is a high standard of football and the coaching team will have thought long and hard about this because I am sure a lot of the other players are disappointed too. Maybe Stan just needed a bit more time when time wasn't on his side.

[ldavfc4eva]

Would have liked just a 12 month deal offered to Stan, with a bit of coaching thrown in too. That way he would be in and around the first team squad and also if we were short on payers he could be in the match day squad.

You see other teams do similar or keep experienced players who never really play, Leicester had Schwarzer last season and Southampton kept kelvin Davis (I know they are both goalkeepers) and neither played very much if at all, but they were there for the experience they could offer.

I always wondered why we let the likes of McGrath and Taylor go in the 90's when we could have kept them for another year or two as back up players who could help nurture the youngsters.

With Stan it feels like a total anti climax if he doesn't stay on in some capacity.