Harry

This is now getting interesting. Who do we believe? My guess is that the answer lies somewhere between the two. My guess is that the meeting before the World Cup at which both Randy Lerner and Paul Faulkner were present along with MON, Milner and his agent was an attempt to get Milner to commit to Villa. Milner, quite rightly IMO, said he did not want to discuss it until after the World Cup. The attendees at that meeting tell us all we need to know about how serious Villa were to keep him. Post the World Cup Milner goes on holiday and MON hears nothing except tosspots like James Nursey in the Mirror making things up. He gets fed up and tries to force the situation. He maybe expected Milner to contact him or the club and he has not and maybe Milner expected the club to contact him. Either way its a cock up. The interview yesterday smacks to me of MON trying to force Milner's hand. Now if Milner has expressed a desire to go MON is spot on with what he has said. Conversely if Milner has not its another example of MON being a touch heavy handed with a player as its tantamount to putting the 'For Sale' sign over him. Either way I don't think it makes the club look too clever.

Good to that a lot of posters are now trying to convince themselves that Milner is not really that good so if goes it won't be a big loss. Just for the record I think that for this club to be up there competing we should be keeping and developing players like Milner otherwise we we always be seen as a stepping to stone to bigger things or a step down towards the end of a career. Easy to say but very hard to deliver in practice. If Milner does want to go and if the club agree to sell him we should screw every last pound out of Man City. Take it all in cash and then decide if they have any players that might interest us. As an aside I have mused on what I would think if Villa were the club that were owned by a bunch of Arabs with more money than sense who are intent on buying there way to success. I guess I would love it in the short term but in the long term you end up tearing the soul out of the club.

I would not put to much store on JM not saying either way whether he wants to stay or go. Remember if a club meets our valuation we could sell him even if he wanted to stay so saying nothing protects his position all ways. I suspect he would be offered around £90k pw by City if the papers are to be believed (a leap of faith I know) which we could match if money is the issue. My bet has always been that JM would be be more interested in a move to Chelsea or Man U as for all City's money and star players they have to build a side and also todays star signing can be tomorrows squad player - SWP anyone? I suspect that will be Barry's fate by next season. Thye are also not in the CL. City clearly think they can bully us here. Well what the Barry saga proved was that RL and MON won't be bullied. £24m is a joke offer which will be rejected. If they want him that much, and assuming he wants to go which is unclear, then they will meet our valuation.

Don't think we will sign many this summer, maybe one or two we clearly have no money Hum!! Not that old chestnut again. I think RL covered off that point weeks ago in terms of what he actually said not how the media reported it

News to me Another forum is saying something similar but not a whiff in the media. Sounds like bollox to me.

Have you forgotten who's manager? Very true. I don't think Petrov is a bad player. I just don't agree with him being captain and as a consequence I think he can be a blockage to picking the correct midfield for some games.

Luke Young wants to be in London closer to his family his mind wasn't on football last season which is understandable. Cuellar did a decent job in his place, no he wasn't a box to box Brazilian wing back but neither was Young. I would love MON to go out and buy a quality right back but if he doesn't Cuellar is fine in that position. Sorry but you don't know that. If his mind wasn't on football, why did he play around 10 games in a row very well and then when Collins returned was dropped? What because suddenly and co-incidently, the returns of Collins meant that Young weren't concentrating on his football? He simply isn't preferred to Cuellar. Simple. Precisely. Young did not put a foot wrong but MON simply prefers Cuellar. Why I don't know but its hadly surprising that LY apparently wants out when he is ousted from RB by a CB. I like Cuellar and I think he has a great attitude but he is not 'fine' at RB. He drifts infield to much, he has no pace to deal with attacking wingers, he can't overlap effectively and his passing can be wayward. Conversely I think he is a top class CB and better than Collins. As it is we now lose a fine RB and have to find another, probably a kid who will be happy to play second fiddle to Cuellar for a couple of seasons. Not ideal at all and an example of MON's very poor man management and I say that as a supporter of MON.

I have to say I doubt Milner is being offered the sort of deal Toure has reportedly been given. I suspect we can go to £100k p/w IF we see him as being that critical which is probably a thread in its own right. I suspect City would also not want to be seen to be overpaying for a still relatively unproven player as they appear (and I know its probably / certainly all media bollox) to be baulking at the possible price. Milner will get much better money if he stays or if he goes to any other club. I suspect the more difficult decision is what is right for him footballing wise and I'm not sure City is the right call. Chelsea would be IMO. Barry unashamedly went for the money for all his talk of Chmpions League football. I don't see Milner doing that.

Why do we have to put up with smug smart arse City fans coming on this forum giving it large? Just because a few oil rich arabs have decided that City is their latest muse they think they will be ruling the football world. Lets see.... As for Milner, I'd love him to stay but if he goes it will be for big big money and City for all their talk about not overpaying will do precisely that because they just won't be able to help themselves and every club on the planet knows that.

Personally, I believe that you should stop reading the papers for any sort of an insight into the transfer deals of two major businesses but hey, whatever. Usual Mirror bollox yet again. Its their typical anti-Villa stance as ever. The only difference is Numpty Nursey did not write this one. No one is saying Milner is definitely staying and no one is saying he is definitely going. If they have such an inside track how do they square the alleged comment that he "cannot ignore the kind of wages a move to Eastlands would guarantee" with his stated ambition of winning silverware which he said in a recent TV interview? The two may coincide at City but its very far from guaranteed.

I absolutely agree with all of that I would too. As for Ireland I think he could be a canny buy, at the right price, but certainly not as a direct replacement for Milner. I think its much more about having options and variation in the midfield.

How long before we realise that Villa without James Milner would be a poorer side? Too right. I'd like to see him stay as I can see him being critical to the next couple of seasons. But if he wants to go we should max out the price. Lets face it today's performance added a few quid and we can do things with £30m plus

Goal! And of course the People know that for a fact. If its true it sounds like common sense as he could be sold whether he likes it or not

I'm not sure I buy that. I would cut him some slack in that I think he is focused on the World Cup and will think about club matters after its over. As I have said a couple of times on this thread I think he is a pretty honourable bloke and will listen to Villa. I suspect also he would prefer someone like Chelsea or Man U rather than Man City were he to go. It does make me laugh that the media keep trying to stoke up this story. That clueness numpty James Nursey is up to his usual tricks again in the Mirror today.

Seriously? There can be no comparison whatsoever between the way Barry left and the eventual Milner departure. There's a reason why Mellberg is a Villa hero and Barry is a judas to most Villa fans. Agreed, Much as Barry was a great servant of the club he acted very poorly when he left unlike Mellberg. If Milner goes we do not yet know how he will behave but so far I, personally, have no problem with how he has conducted himself. He strikes me as someone who will not disrespect the club and its fans.

see now this is what gets me, so many people had different views on that statement, myself i read it that Randy wants us get rid of the players MoN doesn't want before we go out and buy again and anything made from them sales would be used in conjuction with the rest of the transfer kitty we have. I also read in that statement that no player would be sold that MoN doesnt want to sell, and i believe Milner comes into this, i believe that no matter what Man City or anyone offer if MoN and milner himself decide that Jimmy is to stay the i think all bid's will be rejected. I think that the GB saga proved that point and i think the way GB and Liverpool went about it, was why we were willing to sell for less a season later or even let himn go for nothing if he had stayed. With Milner i just can't see him going down the GB route for a transfer and if he made it clear to MoN and Randy he wanted to leave then aslong as we got the Price that MoN and Randy were happy with then he'd go. I know we dont have an endless pot of money and i wouldnt really want it either, but i'd never swap Randy Lerner for any other chairman out there. I think that sums up my thoughts entirely.

Did he have the scarf on in the beach? Zatman, I do so wish I could say yes to that! Scarf or no scarf Man City don't need Mancini around to sign a player. Their CEO Garry Cook is in charge of player recruitment. Maybe not but my point was that there are very mixed messages from the media.

Did he have the scarf on in the beach? Zatman, I do so wish I could say yes to that!

Interestingly the 'take it or leave offer' by Man City was reported as £25m in the Sunday Mirror and is now £27m according to the Star. Meanwhile Mancini is on the beach in Sardinia (pic in the Sunday Times). I love these in depth stoies!!

I really hope that is a bollox story. Jenas is one of the most overrated players in the PL and is totally not the sort of player we want. I like Bentley and he is the sort of player MON could get the best out of but unless we lose Milner, Downing or Young where would we play him? I, however, could see him in play making role in central midfield.

**** that. Your only saying that because he's Irish just like your location. Another player that looks good because he's playing around such talent. 4 Premier League medals, 1 Champions League and a regular for one of the top 3 teams in Europe in last 5 years. Im sure if it was due to the talent around him Fergie would have replaced him by now. John O'Shea is probably the most underrated player in the Premier League. Its very rare you see the guy have a bad game I would have to disagree with you on that. O'Shea for me is an average player in a very good squad. That's why he has never held down a regular starting berth. He's happy to be a bit part player at big club. I'd say the same is true of Jonny Evans and particularly Wes Brown.

And therein lies the problem of going to Man City. Hero to zero as the owners demand a new plaything every window. Judging by the players than City are being linked with (yes I know its media speculation) I would be pretty worried if I was Barry. Good player that he is how many other clubs will match £110k a week? I suspect none of that is wasted on Milner either. Its also pisses me off that the media are putting a bad spin on the meeting Milner had earlier this week. I don't think the club were expecting a commitment from him and the fact that Randy Lerner was there tells you all you need to know. I'm sure the message was we really want you to stay, you will get a much better contract, we will be bringing in the necessary players and we will sit down after the world cup. It strikes me its the usual rubbish from the media who really have no story on this. He's been interviewed a few times since this sepculation started, and he could have put it to bed, but he's chosen not to, it would have made everyones life a lot easier. He comes out and says he's staying before he discusses with Villa = Villa offer a slightly bigger pay packet. He doesn't say anything about his future = Villa try to compete with a potential pay packet from the likes of City and therefore more mney Milner is an honourable bloke IMO (and that's just my opinion based on his past behaviour). He will sit down with the club after the World Cup and see what is offered and the plans the club has. He has no need to discuss anything at the moment and like the model pro he is he is focusing on the World Cup. Its the nouveau rich of Man City and their scabby journo pals that are causing the problems.

And therein lies the problem of going to Man City. Hero to zero as the owners demand a new plaything every window. Judging by the players than City are being linked with (yes I know its media speculation) I would be pretty worried if I was Barry. Good player that he is how many other clubs will match £110k a week? I suspect none of that is wasted on Milner either. Its also pisses me off that the media are putting a bad spin on the meeting Milner had earlier this week. I don't think the club were expecting a commitment from him and the fact that Randy Lerner was there tells you all you need to know. I'm sure the message was we really want you to stay, you will get a much better contract, we will be bringing in the necessary players and we will sit down after the world cup. It strikes me its the usual rubbish from the media who really have no story on this.

You and me both

Villa every single time for me. I view the world cup as an exciting spectacle which I will thoroughly enjoy but I also enjoy the Rugby World Cup, the Ashes, etc. Great to see any England win but compare that to the side you sell your soul for. No comparison.