bannedfromHandV

How do you know they will be competing for the league and that Jimmy will play 40-50 games, that is speculation at it's best. Jimmy has 2 years left on his contract so if he stays 1 more season than his transfer fee will not be as large and that will bring more sucessful clubs like United and Arsenal into the equation so yes for the sake of his career I think he would be better off continuing to grow at the Villa playing in his preferred position and getting a move which would guarantee him as a CM than going to probably play on the wing at city.

Because they proved last season, despite finishing 5th that they could mix it with the big boys both over the course of a season and on the day.

Because they have already and will continue to spend masses of money on players such as David Silva and Carlos Tevez.

They would have been close the top few if not for a few ridiculous draws early in the season (when Hughes was there incidentally) against the likes of Burnley etc.

Even if they don't challenge strongly for the league this season they are going to be challenging strongly for the league before we will do, the sad fact is that for all know we might never strongly challenge for the league again.

You cannot ask someone who has no geographical, cultural or historical attachment to Villa to turn down the chance to further himself by leaving.

As for his position, I would say that it's fair to assume that Citeh's/Mancini's interest in Milner grew substantially once he had been switched into central midfield, if they bring him in it will be as a CM who can play on the wing if shit hits the fan. It's not as though they're short of wingers afterall is it?

I would like to see us having a look at Annan from Rosenborg. I thought he was immense in the World Cup. We really could do with a 'makalele' player in our team who works effectively. Does the simple things well and keeps us ticking over by just sitting infront of the back 4.

Congratulations! You've just described Stilian Petrov.

I understand all the points being put forward but would tend to side with rob on this one, Milner has had 7 great months of football which was fantastic but at 24 years old surely his career should be more important at this stage than money. I can understand Barry moving on more as he was getting close to 30 and wanted a big pay packet and regardless what happens at city the reprecusions will not matter, Jimmy however only has had 7 months of top quality football and I'm not convinced moving to a volatile ship like city is the correct move for him at 24 years old. What if City change their manager again and he is frozen out and takes a step back in his career. If Milner were to stay at Villa he would have a midfield rvolve around him and will be worth his big pay packet next year when he is a more complete midfielder. As it stands if Chelsea, United or Arsenal came in for him I would understand the move but to move to city now does not make sense just for the money.

For christs sake, better for his career!

He has the very real chance to win the league. Citeh I would expect are looking at playing what, 60+ games this season?

Milner would feature in around say 40, 45 of them so roughly about the same amount of game time as he's had this season with us.

This theory that moving to City is purely for money is delusional! If he were moving to Al-Ittihad of Dubai then I would agree, but he isn't, he's looking at moving to a club that will compete for the Premier League title next season.

bannedfromHandV. I know what exists in football. So move please onwards. Just because I disagree with it doesn't mean I don't know it.

I'm sick of this discussion now.

Milner could lose his England place and go downhill, but surely for the sake of ambition you'd rather know if you could have made it rather than spend the rest of your life wondering about what could have been....

You'd be right if it was his last chance to win something in his career. I'm sure he'll have another chance to move on in the next 10 years of his career if he wants to. We're not talking about Gareth Barry.

Risso, true it is naive but I'd rather be naive than not enjoy playing my music. I'd hope my kids wouldn't begrudge me that either.

And if he breaks his leg and has his career ended before he's 28?

If, heaven forbid, he is involved in a serious car crash?

There are too many variables Rob, life is for living and in the here and now, you can plan until the cows come home but it won't necessarily help.

I'm not doubting your intelligence Rob but I think you're looking at this from the wrong angle

bannedfromHandV, I really can't be bothered to continue this. But it's not the same, as much as you say I'm "changing the situation to suit my opinion", so are you.

Milner won't be going to a club that gives him all that Villa do. So it's not the same.

As I've probably mentioned a million times in this thread. Milner could win titles and trophies, he could have lots more money. On the downside he could also be a benchwarmer, lose his England place and need to move on in 2 years time when he's gotten fat and slow.

Let's just end it now because it's getting old.

I get it. You don't believe that there are people in the world who will change job/ position for more money. I think there is and I know that I'm one of them, given the right situation and existing lifestyle.

End.

No you're right, he'd be going to a club that offer all that we do plus more, which is the whole point Rob. If you can't see/accept that then you're going to have a real problem in enjoying football for the next x amount of years......

Milner could lose his England place and go downhill, but surely for the sake of ambition you'd rather know if you could have made it rather than spend the rest of your life wondering about what could have been....

I fancy your efforts to END this discussion stems from the fact that you know on this occasion that you're wrong, I'm not looking to get 'one up' on anyone but the sooner we all accept the things that exist in football the sooner we'll all be able to move onwards and upwards.

I believe you and I'm sure there are lots of people who want more money even though they have enough for 10 lifetimes.

But I honestly wouldn't care about an extra £30k a week if I was already earning £50k a week. I'm sure I'm in the minority and I'm sure people will think I'm lying or say "if you ever earn XXX amount then you'll still want more".. but I wouldn't want the extra money.

Money isn't everything and it doesn't equal happiness. But these footballers (and other people who you've mentioned) seem to think it does.

I think that's an extremely bold comment from someone who knows they will never be faced with such a situation.

Hell, I'd love to say that had I made it as a pro footballer that I would have been loyal, particularly to the Villa but by the time these guys make it to being professional they've already lost pretty much any allegiance they had to any one club at least, from a supporters point of view anyway.

I find it embarrassing to question their desire to move for the sake of money, it really is a very simple equation. Whether you're a factory worker, office manager or professional sportsman if you receive a call asking you if you want to do the exact same thing somewhere else (and lets face it, somewhere ultimately nicer with better facilities and more opportunity of earning bonus commission) you would be unambitious and/or stubborn to not accept it.

It's amazing how high some people's horses reach during summer transfer windows.

How the hell would you know if I would never be faced with a similar situation?

This is the exact type of reply I knew I would get from someone so small-minded that they can't consider that there are people in the world who don't value money above everything else.

For your information, I play in a band and it'd be my dream if I could live off my band and nothing else. If I got paid £50k for an album deal - that'd do me fine for 3 years of living. I'd be happy to stay with a label that I was comfortable with, and let me play music how I wanted to, for years and years.

If a bigger label came and offered me more money to do a more mainstream album. I WOULD NOT ACCEPT IT. I would prefer to be paid money that I knew I could live off - even if it meant I couldn't buy amazing cars etc.

Now can you understand how people could reject money???

Or are you going to come out with another "High horse" comment??

The most important thing to me is my friends, my band and my family. If I was offered more money but it effected my band then I wouldn't accept it.

I'd like to think that there are a few footballers out there who could feel the same in slightly similar situations.

What if Milner is really happy at Villa, his girlfriend likes it in Birmingham? He's happy that he could have a team built around him and that he'll be playing in his favoured position - and playing over 40 games a season.

Now if he moves then he'll be moving for more money, possibly fewer games, possibly playing on the right midfield - where he isn't as effective, and an ever changing squad that could be unsettled. Yes, he might have the chance to win a few medals - but that's not a certainty. Man City could easily finish 5th and fail in the cups, again.

Is it really that difficult to think that some people are motivated by something other than money?

Again Rob, really easy to say when you're on an internet forum........

You're taking things out of context to suit your opinion too. The point is simple and being as you're "in a band" I'll make it easy for you:

Tomorrow you receive a call from a music label or Producer or whoever makes the calls, they say they like your style, so much so that they're prepared to treble whatever it is you're currently earning to continue doing the exact same thing you're doing now. they also offer you much better recording studio access and the possibility of being able to play at large festivals and maybe even your own tour, all without having to compromise who you are which as we all now know is the be-all-and-end-all to you.

True, I may have exagerrated a bit :winkold:.. My main annoyance is people comparing footballers to normal workers because even if the comparison is made fairly, it's still a completely different kettle of fish.

If I was offered a years wages then yes, I'd change jobs. But the fact is that I need those wages to pay my rent, car insurance, food and to fuel my car & season ticket.

Unless a footballer is planning to buy an island - they really don't need the extra money.

I've met an awful lot of millionaires, and even a couple of billionaires in my working life, and not one of them would turn down an extra £1m-£2m a year just because you might consider that they have enough already. £5m+ extra a five year contract is a huge amount of money, and I'm sorry, but expecting them to turn it down because you think that Milner has some cozy sense of loyalty just isn't going to happen.

If I was earning £50K a week at Villa, and Blues offered me £100K a week, I'd be off down the road so quick I'd make Craig Gardner's loyalty seem like Shep in comparison.

I believe you and I'm sure there are lots of people who want more money even though they have enough for 10 lifetimes.

But I honestly wouldn't care about an extra £30k a week if I was already earning £50k a week. I'm sure I'm in the minority and I'm sure people will think I'm lying or say "if you ever earn XXX amount then you'll still want more".. but I wouldn't want the extra money.

Money isn't everything and it doesn't equal happiness. But these footballers (and other people who you've mentioned) seem to think it does.

I think that's an extremely bold comment from someone who knows they will never be faced with such a situation.

Hell, I'd love to say that had I made it as a pro footballer that I would have been loyal, particularly to the Villa but by the time these guys make it to being professional they've already lost pretty much any allegiance they had to any one club at least, from a supporters point of view anyway.

I find it embarrassing to question their desire to move for the sake of money, it really is a very simple equation. Whether you're a factory worker, office manager or professional sportsman if you receive a call asking you if you want to do the exact same thing somewhere else (and lets face it, somewhere ultimately nicer with better facilities and more opportunity of earning bonus commission) you would be unambitious and/or stubborn to not accept it.

It's amazing how high some people's horses reach during summer transfer windows.

We are always quiet around transfer windows, do we never learn?

Summer 2008 - 7 players in, 5 out

Summer 2009 - 6 in, 4 out

Yes, we're well quiet around transfer windows, god i wish we'd sign a player now and again....

There hasn't been a major premier league transfer yet....I think we can keep the finger away from the panic

button for a while yet....

^^^^

maybe they've fallen upon hard times suddenly.....

Too dependent on who leaves to comment...

he lacks cojones

I was saying this and took a friend to the everton game toward the end of the season, spent most of the journey to VP berating Downing for being a bit of a pussy, he then proceeded to put in a solid display of tackling and marking!! Egg on face!

However, in general I do think he bottles a challenge every now and again, guess lots of players do tho....

None of them......which incidentally should have been a poll option...

I haven't said it before but i've had a feeling joe cole might come to us, not so much a genuine belief but just an odd feeling, some comments he's made about wanting to feel 'loved' etc, can well imagine MoN giving him a cuddle.....

Plus he might fancy a change from the London lifestyle. Wanting to be loved as well could be interpreted as wanting to be the main man, he wouldn't be at Spurs or Arsenal so we might be the next logical choice for him....probably all bollox but could you imagine the immediate shift in attitude on here toward O Neill and his transfer policy/dealings!

Replace him with a world class creative playmaker style midfielder for £20m and a couple of young up and coming talents and I'd be more than happy ...

Easy isn't it this football lark.....just replace him with one of the many world class creative playmaker style midfielders that are on the market right now and are interested in a move to the Villa.......I hear Sneijder's had a half decent World Cup....might as well bring him in now..... :oops:

D'oh, sorry I spoke !

Of course the above would probably mean looking beyond our shores which I accept isn't probably going to happen. But don't be fooled into thinking there aren't any of these type of players out there that would jump at a chance to join Villa, there are ...

Are there..........good luck with that one MoN........

Replace him with a world class creative playmaker style midfielder for £20m and a couple of young up and coming talents and I'd be more than happy ...

Easy isn't it this football lark.....just replace him with one of the many world class creative playmaker style midfielders that are on the market right now and are interested in a move to the Villa.......I hear Sneijder's had a half decent World Cup....might as well bring him in now..... :oops:

.... But again it’s based on no more facts than the earlier articles!

I doubt even the clubs know what is going to happen, definitely not from our side anyway.

I doubt if there's any evidence at all that Man City (or anybody else) have ever even considered buying him.

Man City actually did bid for him, it was formally announced by Villa after they turned it down....

If we can't get shot of NRC I hope we can do something interesting with him... like get shot of him in another way, a literal way. Using a cannon.

Why? I think NRC still has a future at the club, MON needs to use him more and make his ability count.

NRC is an athlete, but not much of a footballer.

I don't agree with that myth which originated on VT; I believe he has the athletic ability and the footballing talent also to improve our first eleven. And he hasn't grumbled about his situation at the club which is a credit to his character.

He did spark O Neill clean out though :winkold:

If we can't get shot of NRC I hope we can do something interesting with him... like get shot of him in another way, a literal way. Using a cannon.

Why? I think NRC still has a future at the club, MON needs to use him more and make his ability count.

NRC is an athlete, but not much of a footballer.

I don't agree with that myth which originated on VT; I believe he has the athletic ability and the footballing talent also to improve our first eleven. And he hasn't grumbled about his situation at the club which is a credit to his character.

He did spark O Neill clean out though :winkold:

why does everything on VT have to become some great philosophical debate!?!

We have a promising youngster, all that was required was to reply as such.

To criticise the club for not procuding a Wayne Rooney is farcical.

Now that we're the sort of club that sells our best players, we need to get in some youngsters to fatten them up for selling on in 2-3 years time.

On that basis then every club other than Real Madrid should adopt the same attitude.

Being hounded into selling one of your top players each summer isn't a sign that you're a feeder club! It's a sign that you're competing.

So negative always.

^^^nothing on there right now.....thankfully

Stephen Ireland reminds me of Lee Hendrie.

This, and I said it a while ago too to be fair.......

Stephen Ireland has problems beyond our comprehension I believe.

Yes, I know he does woodytom. I did say he is constantly good, but he also has days where he can't get a shot on target. Just because someone has offered us £20m for a player - it doesn't automatically make him worth that much when it comes to footballing ability.

Naming times when he has pulled off a great pass doesn't mean that every pass he has ever done is excellent.

and if we sign stephen ireland, youll see all the crap passes he does. There is nothing that ireland can do that milner cant. but there is plenty milner can do that ireland cant

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I've seen Ireland score goals that I can't image Milner scoring. Ireland get's into positions that Milner doesn't because he's too busy helping the wingers or the defenders.

And I've seen Milner score goals Ireland can only dream of:

away V Sunderland

home V Everton 2008/90 (free kick)

away v Blackburn (CC Semi final)

So what's your point?

Ireland is a decent player with a troubled past and an almost certain troubled future, to sign him would be footballing suicide.

The last sentence is nonsense.

Is it?

You may wish to brush up on your general knowledge of young Stephen Ireland then.

Yes, I know he does woodytom. I did say he is constantly good, but he also has days where he can't get a shot on target. Just because someone has offered us £20m for a player - it doesn't automatically make him worth that much when it comes to footballing ability.

Naming times when he has pulled off a great pass doesn't mean that every pass he has ever done is excellent.

and if we sign stephen ireland, youll see all the crap passes he does. There is nothing that ireland can do that milner cant. but there is plenty milner can do that ireland cant

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I've seen Ireland score goals that I can't image Milner scoring. Ireland get's into positions that Milner doesn't because he's too busy helping the wingers or the defenders.

And I've seen Milner score goals Ireland can only dream of:

away V Sunderland

home V Everton 2008/90 (free kick)

away v Blackburn (CC Semi final)

So what's your point?

Ireland is a decent player with a troubled past and an almost certain troubled future, to sign him would be footballing suicide.