Tom Cleverley - Loan Confirmed

[dave.woodhall]

Benteke came from a small team in Belgium did the business and wanted a move after 9 months. He's yet to replicate that form for us to be honest.

The way he signed a new contract last summer was surely proof positive that he hates being here.

[silhillvilla]

Benteke came from a small team in Belgium did the business and wanted a move after 9 months. He's yet to replicate that form for us to be honest.

He has. Unfortunately he has been unlucky with injuries. But if you remember Norwich at home he was on fire just getting back to full fitness and then he got injured again.

I don't think he's ever been fully fit again since the initial injury (was it Norwich away?). That goal at home that hauled us level v Norwich was ridiculously good. I'd love to think when he's back mid October he will go on to replicate the season1 form. I hope he does.

[danno]

I think if we do get him, it might see us play a diamond shape.

           Cleverly
Delph             Westwood
           Sanchez

[timeoutbigbar]

Benteke came from a small team in Belgium did the business and wanted a move after 9 months. He's yet to replicate that form for us to be honest.

The way he signed a new contract last summer was surely proof positive that he hates being here.

Or that he likes being paid more money.  Contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on.

[silhillvilla]

Benteke came from a small team in Belgium did the business and wanted a move after 9 months. He's yet to replicate that form for us to be honest.

The way he signed a new contract last summer was surely proof positive that he hates being here.

Or that he likes being paid more money.  Contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on.

He had 3 years left on his contract so we held the all the aces. There is no loyalty left in football anymore , a club like us exploit it and flounder at it's mercy. I grew up with football in the 70's. Yes I'm struggling with the transition to a superficial football world of greed, promiscuity and averageness.

[villan1975]

Benteke came from a small team in Belgium did the business and wanted a move after 9 months. He's yet to replicate that form for us to be honest.

The way he signed a new contract last summer was surely proof positive that he hates being here.

Or that he likes being paid more money.  Contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on.

He had 3 years left on his contract so we held the all the aces. There is no loyalty left in football anymore , a club like us exploit it and flounder at it's mercy. I grew up with football in the 70's. Yes I'm struggling with the transition to a superficial football world of greed, promiscuity and averageness.

Agree with a lot of the things in this but don't really remember professional footballers ever being chaste.

[bobdylan]

I think if we do get him, it might see us play a diamond shape.

           Cleverly
Delph             Westwood
           Sanchez

I'm hoping for a diamond of

            New signing (maybe Holtby)
Delph                     Cleverley
             Sanchez

Behind Benteke and Kozak

[Stu]

Benteke came from a small team in Belgium did the business and wanted a move after 9 months. He's yet to replicate that form for us to be honest.

The way he signed a new contract last summer was surely proof positive that he hates being here.

Or that he likes being paid more money.  Contracts aren't worth the paper they're written on.

He had 3 years left on his contract so we held the all the aces. There is no loyalty left in football anymore , a club like us exploit it and flounder at it's mercy. I grew up with football in the 70's. Yes I'm struggling with the transition to a superficial football world of greed, promiscuity and averageness.

Agree with a lot of the things in this but don't really remember professional footballers ever being chaste.

Is there any chance we can treat footballers like indentured servants again?

[lovejoy]

If Tom Cleverley does sign for us, why do I have this horrible gut feeling that he will be another that really doesn't want to be here? 

I made this point a few pages back and I don't think this dimension of the deal can be under-estimated. It's Stephen Ireland II. Virtually the same fee and wage no doubt, Manchester - Birmingham , Sky4 club - us, the similarities are scary.

I very much doubt that Cleverley, or anyone else on the planet for that matter, is as much of a wanker as Ireland.

Savage?

[olaftab]

If I had been good enough to play pro football and the club I was at no longer wanted me, should another club show that they do and offer me acceptable terms then, I would bust a gut to give that club everything I could for as long as I could.

Back in the real world, I was once made redundant and a man from another garage heard about it and rang me.  He said that he didn't have a job to give me but if I called in on Monday we could have a chat.  At that meeting he said I could come in each Monday and lend a hand.  I went in on that Monday and worked there every working day for nearly six years.  For that six years I gave everything I could for that man in total appreciation that he found a job for me that, in reality he didn't have.

My point is, the situation didn't really suit me but I appreciated it and it allowed me to move on when the time was right.

Different times and, I think different values.

Well said Dave.
 It's a shame that a very talented man like Ireland has wasted  his best years and that Jim Milner is happy to sit on a bench every week. His first appearance this season will be for England and that in itself is a scandal. As to why he doesn't go somewhere and do what he is good at on the pitch every week is behind my apprehension.

[dave.woodhall]

If I had been good enough to play pro football and the club I was at no longer wanted me, should another club show that they do and offer me acceptable terms then, I would bust a gut to give that club everything I could for as long as I could.

Back in the real world, I was once made redundant and a man from another garage heard about it and rang me.  He said that he didn't have a job to give me but if I called in on Monday we could have a chat.  At that meeting he said I could come in each Monday and lend a hand.  I went in on that Monday and worked there every working day for nearly six years.  For that six years I gave everything I could for that man in total appreciation that he found a job for me that, in reality he didn't have.

My point is, the situation didn't really suit me but I appreciated it and it allowed me to move on when the time was right.

Different times and, I think different values.

Well said Dave.
 It's a shame that a very talented man like Ireland has wasted  his best years and that Jim Milner is happy to sit on a bench every week. His first appearance this season will be for England and that in itself is a scandal. As to why he doesn't go somewhere and do what he is good at on the pitch every week is behind my apprehension.

I couldn't begin to gue$$.

[olaftab]

Yes I know but he wouldn't exactly be poor playing for any of the other established PL teams.

[dave.woodhall]

Yes I know but he wouldn't exactly be poor playing for any of the other established PL teams.

He gets paid a fortune, wins medals and plays for England. By any rational standards that's a successful career.

[kippaxvilla2]

£100k a week at his age.  Nice work if you can get it.

[ozzjim]

Who else is going to pay him 130k a week. As much as I would love to see him in the centre of our midfield, why would you give that up?