Stiliyan Petrov - update

[KevinGage]

Milner wanted to leave because Pubehead was playing half fit players in that Chelsea game.  As he had done in others.  That's what was meant by prehistoric, ie play the first XI come what may.   The football was dire too, mind.

[eastie]

Milner wanted to leave because Pubehead was playing half fit players in that Chelsea game.  As he had done in others.  That's what was meant by prehistoric, ie play the first XI come what may.   The football was dire too, mind.

I don't buy that story .
If he wanted to leave he would have put in a transfer request , if city hadn't come calling i think he would have stayed.

The money and potential trophies were more the reason he left .
He was an England regular and we had a good season that year , the 7-1 was a freak result .

[KevinGage]

Milner wanted to leave after the Chelsea 7-1 game,  though this only became known during the summer - whist MON was still here.  This didn't oocur back in the deep mists of time, so I'm surprised you're so sketchy on the details. 

But O'Neill had walked before Milner left, so what was his excuse for leaving then? More money. Chances of silverware etc etc? Ahh yeah, the same old shit.

The deal was in the latter stages then. 

I'm sure the pay increase and the chance to play with better players didn't hurt either.  But he might not have decided to leave in the first place had he not been made to play whilst injured at Chelsea.  That was the root cause of the issue.

Once a player decides his future needs to be elsewhere, it's very hard to convince them otherwise. 

What you then hope for in that situation is that any deal is done as quick as possible, with no mud slinging (lack of ambition) talk of 'dream moves' or any other bobbins.   Southgate dragged the clubs name through the mud for at least a year, he never rescinded that transfer request -even outside of the transfer window.  Barry used the gutter press to try and force a move.  So yes, in a lesser of two evils way, I prefer Milner's approach -the approach that causes less damage to the clubs overall image and reputation.  But maybe I'm funny that way.

[KevinGage]

Milner wanted to leave because Pubehead was playing half fit players in that Chelsea game.  As he had done in others.  That's what was meant by prehistoric, ie play the first XI come what may.   The football was dire too, mind.

I don't buy that story .
If he wanted to leave he would have put in a transfer request , if city hadn't come calling i think he would have stayed.

The money and potential trophies were more the reason he left .
He was an England regular and we had a good season that year , the 7-1 was a freak result .

Buy it, don't buy it. 

It came out on here a few days after that game, from someone who knows the family.  He had the choice of two moves, but as a Leeds fan, he wouldn't move to Man U.

[Toronto Villa]

Bloody hell what thread is this? I must be lost.

[pauliewalnuts]

Where as I thought he was being honest. He wanted a move and he told us, unlike Milner who engineered a move on the quiet. Milner gets the hero treatment and I don't understand it.

I love the way you just pass that off as fact, when there's absolutely no evidence he did anything of the sort.

And the interpretation of Barry's "please let me fulfil my dread of CL football" (which was actually when he wanted a move to Liverpool, the year before, not when he went to Man City) you have decided is "honesty"?

I don't particularly give a shit for either of those players now they no longer play for, and I don't really blame either of them for going, but really don't see how one player moving in a manner which appeared to be a text book case of a transfer taking place (it is rumoured, we hear nothing, it happens)  is a deceptive act whereas another player engaging in humiliating front page newspaper nonsense like that, you see as honesty.

I appreciate you think it wrong that Barry gets more stick than other players we've sold, you've maybe got a point on that, but the above just sounds like you're twisting what actually happened to suit your argument.

[pauliewalnuts]

If he wanted to leave he would have put in a transfer request , if city hadn't come calling i think he would have stayed.

Footballers need to be at the absolute point of desperation to get away before they'll put in a transfer request these days, as they lose their loyalty bonus. The lack of a transfer request means nothing.

Look how many transfers go through without that happening.

[eastie]

If he wanted to leave he would have put in a transfer request , if city hadn't come calling i think he would have stayed.

Footballers need to be at the absolute point of desperation to get away before they'll put in a transfer request these days, as they lose their loyalty bonus. The lack of a transfer request means nothing.

Look how many transfers go through without that happening.

Yes but the point made was that he was desperate to leave because of mon to which I find a load of bollocks - he wasnt at that point of desperation to get away.

[Stu]

I appreciate you think it wrong that Barry gets more stick than other players we've sold, you've maybe got a point on that, but the above just sounds like you're twisting what actually happened to suit your argument.

Barry deserves any stick he gets, IMO. There's a difference between wanting to move on because it feels like its time for a change, I can understand that, but dragging my club's name through the mud and blubbing about it in the national press was bang out of order. I don't begrudge him leaving, but the way he went about things when Liverpool were after him were the actions of a ******. For that alone, he can fuck right off.

[PeterWithesShin]

When you agree the Milner stuff is all guesswork

Compare that to James Milner who never said a word in public and engineered a move on the quiet yet is treated as some kind of hero to many Villa fans even though he couldn't wait to get out of the place. Never understood that one.

As for the Milner stuff, that is purely guess work.

As for Milner, well you're right, we'll never know for sure but the fact remains he left the club without a word of explanation as soon as he found some consistent form

Why do you continue posting it as though is is fact?

I don't remember Barry aiming any pot shots at the Villa ever, and how is engineering a move from the club on the quiet showing more respect than Barry who had at least had the honesty to tell Villa fans the reasons he wanted to leave? Milner's move was snide and just everything you'd expect from a mercenary footballer, yet Barry's honestly is met with derision from fans. I'll never understand the modern day football fan. They want honesty from a football player and yet when they get it they're still not happy.

[TheSandman]

I think of our four big recent departures Young is the only one who handled his departure well. Whilst I don't feel quite as strongly as s_h about it I'm not really a Milner fan and find the way he is talked about on here difficult to understand. As a footballer he's overrated and he got on his bike after six months good form. I wouldn't have him back because I genuinely believe he wouldn't bring about enough of an improvement to our side. Barry botched his exit and had made other attempts to leave but he did manage to stick it out for a long time and didn't leave at the first opportunity like Milner did. I imagine Barry stuck it out through more than one manager he had a disagreement with. He attempted to leave but changed his mind eventually which should stand for something. I'm not holding Barry up as a beacon of loyalty either. I agree with many of those commenting on this thread about him letting himself down. At the end of the day though, I do agree that Barry and Southgate let themselves down badly with their attempts to leave. That said, they are far from alone in that. See for example Gerrard's attempt to join Chelsea. Loyalty seems difficult to come by in football these days.

[Pete3206]

Milner overrated? I don't think so.

[saunders_heroes]

Where as I thought he was being honest. He wanted a move and he told us, unlike Milner who engineered a move on the quiet. Milner gets the hero treatment and I don't understand it.

I love the way you just pass that off as fact, when there's absolutely no evidence he did anything of the sort.

And the interpretation of Barry's "please let me fulfil my dread of CL football" (which was actually when he wanted a move to Liverpool, the year before, not when he went to Man City) you have decided is "honesty"?

I don't particularly give a shit for either of those players now they no longer play for, and I don't really blame either of them for going, but really don't see how one player moving in a manner which appeared to be a text book case of a transfer taking place (it is rumoured, we hear nothing, it happens)  is a deceptive act whereas another player engaging in humiliating front page newspaper nonsense like that, you see as honesty.

I appreciate you think it wrong that Barry gets more stick than other players we've sold, you've maybe got a point on that, but the above just sounds like you're twisting what actually happened to suit your argument.

Barry wanted out and we know because he told us so. That's being honest. Milner kept his mouth shut and organised a move as soon as he could and yet he's treated like a hero whenever he returns while the player who gave us 11 years service is treated like a leper. That's hardly me twisting words now is it.

[Mister E]

TBH, compared to the scroteness of Ireland, the arrogance of Bannan, the idiocy of Hutton and the ennui of N'Zogbia, Barry and Milner compare favourably with many modern footballers.

I think we got pretty good service out of both and also got good sell-on fees for them.

Are they worth more endless discussion? - probably not. But feel free to carry on if you wish.

[Dante Lavelli]

Weren't the ITK rumours at the time that MON pushed Milner out of the club?