Club that cannot stop scoring lets yesterday's man go forth.

[lovejoy]

Who in their right mind seriously thinks that Bent should be starting for us? What on earth has he shown post Wigan 2012 that has convinced you of this? Was it is form with us or his form with Fulham? So what if he is scoring goals in the second division, it doesn't mean he is up to it in the top flight.

There are plenty of things to criticise the club on, but shipping Bent out clearly isn't one.

We've scored 11 league goals going into February. Don't be surprised if some fans pick up the fact that one of our strikers is knocking in the goals at the top of the Championship.

Exactly. Plus the irritation of seeing Bent not get a chance, while Agbonlahor not only gets a free passage into the team, but also given the captaincy despite offering bugger all the the cause for months.

I think the "Is Gabby good enough" discussion is entirely separate to "will Bent score loads of goals in the premier league?"

Bent cant play with Benteke, Benteke is better and will play all available games. Bent is too expensive to be a non-playing sub hence loan him out.

[Tom_Mc9?]

I agree that Gabby isn't pulling up any trees, but I think that we could say that about Weimann too. If all of our strikers were fit and ready to play, I'd only keep Kozak and Benteke in an ideal world. The rest need replacing ASAP.

[pauliewalnuts]

Who in their right mind seriously thinks that Bent should be starting for us? What on earth has he shown post Wigan 2012 that has convinced you of this? Was it is form with us or his form with Fulham? So what if he is scoring goals in the second division, it doesn't mean he is up to it in the top flight.

There are plenty of things to criticise the club on, but shipping Bent out clearly isn't one.

We've scored 11 league goals going into February. Don't be surprised if some fans pick up the fact that one of our strikers is knocking in the goals at the top of the Championship.

Exactly. Plus the irritation of seeing Bent not get a chance, while Agbonlahor not only gets a free passage into the team, but also given the captaincy despite offering bugger all the the cause for months.

Our problem isn't converting chances, it is creating them.

If we were supplying a plethora of balls into the box from out wide, then yes, Darren Bent would be worth considering, but the fact is, we are not, and we haven't for a long time.

I am as convinced as the next man of our tendency to mix up our arses and elbows in terms of the way the club is run, but the fact a striker who has been demonstrated pretty clearly to have been left behind by change in the Premier League is playing for a team at the top end of the second flight and has managed to score against a League One side and a mid table championship side isn't really worth wailing about.

Bent is a busted flush.

[pauliewalnuts]

Bent cant play with Benteke, Benteke is better and will play all available games. Bent is too expensive to be a non-playing sub hence loan him out.

Precisely.

[richardhubbard]

My point is Bent was a plan B, as he can score.

Yes he may be a spent force but


This season he scored 4 in 7 games in the division below . So off the bench he may have done a job

We don't use Callum Robinson as a plan B

Gabby looks a spent force with 7 in 41 games in 2 seasons

[Tom_Mc9?]

I'd forgotten about Robinson. Yes, him. That's who I'd use instead of Bent.

[paul_e]

My point is Bent was a plan B, as he can score.

Yes he may be a spent force but


This season he scored 4 in 7 games in the division below . So off the bench he may have done a job

We don't use Callum Robinson as a plan B

Gabby looks a spent force with 7 in 41 games in 2 seasons

The simple counter argument is that in 7 subs appearances he's managed 1 shot, which suggest he wouldn't have 'done a job' from the bench, as he clearly didn't when given the chance.

[silhillvilla]

I hope we haven't dropped a major bollock here

[Tom_Mc9?]

Don't worry, we haven't.

[Dave Cooper please]

I hope we haven't dropped a major bollock here

We have, and then we let it go on loan to Fulham and Derby.

[Damo70]

My point is Bent was a plan B, as he can score.

Yes he may be a spent force but


This season he scored 4 in 7 games in the division below . So off the bench he may have done a job

We don't use Callum Robinson as a plan B

Gabby looks a spent force with 7 in 41 games in 2 seasons

The simple counter argument is that in 7 subs appearances he's managed 1 shot, which suggest he wouldn't have 'done a job' from the bench, as he clearly didn't when given the chance.

That sums it up for me. In theory he is ideal to have on the bench as a plan B. In practice it has never worked.

[Chico Hamilton III]

If Bent wasn't already a Villa player and we brought him in on loan now, people would be up in arms in a Grant Holt kind of way.

[cdbearsfan]

Grant Holt, you say? Worth a sneaky bid?

[MoetVillan]

I have seen Bent play every home game since he signed for us.  After that impressive first season he tailed off, and had plenty of chances to prove otherwise.  He gambled less and got slower.  And even on his good days he would miss more than he should have.  It reminds me of the Richard Dunne scenario when he was injured.  Every week he didn't play he got "better".  Bent doesn't and wont fit into our team.  Our gaffer is not a complete lunatic and knows he needs goals.  If he thought Bent was going to supply them, he wouldn't have farmed him out.

[Ron Manager]

Grant Holt, you say? Worth a sneaky bid?

Thank god he's on the long term injury list.