vreitti

No it means someone has put down a large bet and they dont want anyone else betting incase someone somewhere has inside info. That might be the case too. Still the likelihood of us appointing anyone else is getting smaller by the hour. FWIW I am not overly confident about this guy.

They've suspended betting on Bradley so it's quite likely he'll be appointed soon.

While i am quite happy that the club is keeping us informed regarding this situation, what does this new statement really tell us? Could it be any more ambiguous? So he's returned to training and will travel to Portugal. What else should they have done? Should he have been frozen out and left to train on his own? And what does 'amicable' talks imply? From my point of view as a supporter i think the entire statement is totally pointless, obviously. Why not just say, he'll be with us until we receive enough money, then he'll be gone. I don't fault the club, i sincerely believe MON & Co. have done everything possible to keep him and surely have offered him a very lucrative contract etc. Seems to me they are trying to salvage some of Milners reputation or something. Because I don't believe for a second there is any genuine change he'll remain at Villa, regardless of what Citeh eventually do.

The guy is pure class, out of our league, will probably end up at Citeh as well.

I am actually quite happy now that we know where we stand and that this issue will be resolved, and even better if we get the kind of money we want for one of our most prized assets. Having said that, I don't think it will easy to replace him and I don't necessarily believe we can do a lot more with +£20m, than we can with Milner. Finally MON will have to prove his worth where it counts. Sadly my thrust in him isn't as good as it used to be. Time will tell I guess.

Surely if he where to stay now, they'd 'make' him sign a long term contract. Anything else would be just plain stupid from the clubs point of view.

Possibly because it's been dragged out for ages and Man City could back out. Man City are used to getting who they want. If it goes on much longer they might just change their mind and go for someone else, leaving an unsettled Milner here. They get a new player and they've disrupted one of their rivals. This might be true. But somehow i think (hope) it wont affect Milner in the same way as it affected Barry. At the end of the day i'd like to think Milner will realize he has it pretty good at Villa, he'll get to play plenty of football and in a position best suited for him. And if our team spirit is as good as most players say, one would think he would be firing on all cylinders, come the start of the season.

Well it seems to be the way we do business nowadays, leaving it late. I don't mind it as long as we eventually sign some quality players.

Messi, Xavi, Sneijder, Lamps, Fabregas, etc. are brilliant, Petrov is a decent performer, but never brilliant. Brilliant for us. Massive difference, if you are only going to compare our players to the worlds best then you will be disappointed. I am disappointed. But i'd like to think that the likes of Milner, Young and even Gabby can become brilliant players (and not just brilliant for us).

Messi, Xavi, Sneijder, Lamps, Fabregas, etc. are brilliant, Petrov is a decent performer, but never brilliant.

so it's more likely he will be leaving, right? My thoughts exactly, then why do some seem certain he is staying? This entire matter is very confusing and irritating. Preferably the club would come out with a genuine statement regarding the situation, so we could finally move on.

been said a billion times before, he performs adequately in a 4-5-1 but not so in a 4-4-2 (which i presume we will be playing most of the time).

Has Milner come out an said he is staying put? Have we heard anything official regarding this matter from the our club, Citeh or his representatives? Bloody good news if it's true. Because we need to improve, instead of selling our best players.

Yeah those stats from before any of us were born are really relevant nowadays.

I don't think this is true. What exactly are you basing that on? Do they have better technical and/or tactical coaches at United? Do they have better training programmes? Do they have superior training facilities? Is SAF better than MON at getting the most out of a young English player? Sure United have a slightly better overall squad than we do and they challenge for honors every year. But to suggest he would improve more there is by no means certain. It is common knowledge that players get better by playing regulary. If it was a case of playing for United versus playing for example for Hull, I'd agree he would probably be better off at United. But since the difference between our and Uniteds squad isn't that great, I reckon Milner will be fine here and improve just as much as he would at any top club. Besides here he doesn't have to think about being a victim of squad rotation and things like that, although there really isn't any way of knowing for certain what that would do to him. Playing with experienced players like Giggs and Scholes can hardly do an already accomplished player any harm but it isn't either by no means a given that he'll greatly benefit from this. And we too are most likely able to offer him European football next season so even though the CL is tougher and better than the Europa League, the difference is negligible.

This is BS. No player is ever too good for ASTON VILLA!

As I see it it's all down to attitude and effort. When we are at our best we have a chance against anyone and teams like Pompey, Hull, Burnley, Bolton, etc. are nothing more then a walk in the park. Yesterday our attitude wasn't the best, still we managed to conjure up a victory. And at this point i don't care whether we play like Barca or some lousy pub team, as long as we win. The Premier League is indeed a tough league (if not the toughest in the world) and I do respect the fact that there are no easy games. Still at this point of the season, when we've fought so hard all season and have given ourselves this great opportunity to finish in the top4-6 (which by the way, in case we do, will be a very fine achievement, all things considered), only a win over Hull will suffice. So I'll reiterate, we really should beat Hull, mainly because we're the better team. Maybe it's just wishful thinking but what else do we fans really have besides hope and belief in our team?

I respect the fact Hull will try to put up a fight but regardless, they are a team we SHOULD beat any given sunday, simple as that. We are simply far more superior in every department and if we fail to win, I just cannot accept the same excuses, that we seem tired, knackered and it's been a long season, etc. In case we do loose or draw, we're simply not good enough and do not deserve 4th spot or even 6th spot. Doesn't mean this season has been a failure though and that MON needs to resign or get sacked.

This was a terrible performance, but we won so can't complain too much. Anyone else think Downing needs a rest? Don't think i've ever seen him play that bad. His attempts at getting past defenders were just pathetic and not one decent cross today. Nice to see The Fonz score though. Hopefully he'll get the chance to impress against Hull aswell.

We can win tonight, but in order for that to happen we will have to put in a massive effort, Everton are certainly no pushovers and they are on a good run now. The center of midfield will surely be the key tonight, if we can withstand the pressure there, we have a real chance. Although i fear Petrov will be overrun as usual. And please MON, for the love of god, no unfit players anymore, if the likes of Dunne and Milner aren't 100% they should not start the game. I think a five-man midfield is the way to go against Everton, perhaps give Delph a chance to show his worth, with Gabby upfront on his own. I am hoping we'll win this, but to be fair i see a draw as the most likely outcome. 0-0. UTV!

If rumors are correct they have indeed somewhat of defensive crisis, but what are the chances MON will be able to use this to our advantage? Given Maloudas recent form, this is a match where we MUST play L.Young as RB, otherwise he'll tear us completely apart and there is a big chance of this happening regardless. Somehow I can still see us winning this. Much depends upon A.Young, Milner and Carew. Can't see the goals coming from elsewhere. The Fonz is certainly not ready to start this one. If the lump isn't fit I hope MON will play a 5-man midfield from start. Sidwell or maybe Delph in.

Ahhh... but he was moving at least! Thats an improvement on Heskey already! The Fonz played his part in the goal if you watch it back, nice direct run forward and then pass to Young and I thought he was bright for the rest of the first half. Second half yeah he faded. Sunderland's CBs got tighter to him and he hasn't got the strength just yet or the intelligence that he'll get from playing more games of when to hold up and release the ball. I don't question his effort. I think he worked as hard as he possibly could. But like i said, don't think he is ready for these games yet. But then again, I don't want to see Heskey up there either. Perhaps a 5-man midfield would be a better option at present. Especially towards the end, when Petrov runs out of steam.

Very disappointing result. Had plenty of chances, should have won it. Some nice stuff from Carew and Young. Yet another woeful performance from a defensive viewpoint. CC was his usual self, as uncomfortable with the ball as always, just blindly floating the balls upstream with zero idea or thought. Not that the rest of the defense was any better. Nevertheless i feel compelled to say it again, he should never ever play a game as a full back. He offers absolutely nothing going forward and never has. Also people can moan all day long about how useless Heskey is (which I'll agree, he really is), but the Fonz offered very little tonight and I don't think he is ready for these games yet. Most of the time he was just running around like a headless chicken, at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

I would love it if MON could bring in the right striker, no matter what the price is. Obviously MON is never going to pay silly money for anyone, let alone for a foreign player. So we can pretty much forget about the top foreign strikers that may or may not be available in the summer. Personally I think MON will take the easy way and (try to) sign a secure option, someone like Keane, Bent, C.Cole or maybe even K. Davies. Sturridge could be a good back-up striker and could very well develop into a great player someday. On the other hand, why sign him when we've already got the Fonz who may also become a great player in time. Still i do think we need to sign at least 2 strikers in the summer. I guess most fans would love it if we'd sign a high profile, proven striker from a top club, as would I. Who that would be, i haven't got the faintest of ideas. Players like Edin Dzeko, Mirko Vucinic, Lisandro Lopez or Kader Keita spring to mind.

THAT IS **** BRILLIANT, JUST BRILLIANT!