Gingerlad

I dunno how long its been like it but Hughes in Evens now on the SkyBet Site

Tom Ross - Blues confirm Seb Larsson, Kevin Phillips, Lee Bowyer, Maik Taylor, Martin Jiranek & Stuart Parnaby have all left at the end of their contracts

He's got 2 years left on his contract so the club still hold the aces.

If he wants out, slap a £30m price tag on him, see if theres any takers, if not he stays another year then we sell for 15m next summer.

What a greedy little cock, still we shouldn'y be surprised

This is my view, if we sell it will be on our terms, like with Milner. We had no reason to sell other than the plater seemingly wanted out. IF Downing is sold this summer, it'll be for over £20m. Every player has their price.

£70m for Bent.

but these aren't quotes from the agent, they're quotes from the players themselves, aren't they?

one thing i would say, is that whether you loved MON or not, this nonsense of talking to the press all the time, just didn't happen...

the club should stamp it out again... and hard...

So Barry didnt have a double page spread in the NOTW?!

The ambition is there for all to see, darren bent proves we have ambition, but what players like Downing fail to realise is it doesnt come instantly, even witht he billions of Man City they have only just broke the top4, so the chances are the first round of players they bought like Lescott etc wont play any part in that CL they went there for.

Basically they want what they want and they want it now. No club will break the top4 now without heavy investment like City. Sad fact.

I'd certainly trust Houllier to replace them and more with £40m.

If anything this manager situation needs to be sorted now or we could well be in the shit if both Young and Downing leave.

Not really, cause if they both leave this summer we'll have about £40m just from them to re invest.

Lets not forget people, he has 2 years left on his contract. WE arent skint.

If we do sell him it will be for hell of alot. £20m+ I'd say.

so IF he does go, which I dont think he will this summer, we are very much in the driving seat with regards to price.

It's going to be a BIG summer.

One thing's for sure, the managerial situation needs to be settled immediately so that we can resolve issues like this and move on.

They'll be on the phone to Sparky Hughes right now.

I think we will know by the end of the weekend whats what with GH.

Gutted, absolutely gutted, feel like my worlds falling apart around me.

A few weeks back I genuinally believed he wanted to stay, his press statement then contrasts from black to white...wanting to repay the faith villa shown in him and all...to now.

I havnt felt this gutted since Milner, we really cannot afford to lose Downing hes intergral...and now hes just opened the flood gates with that "come and get me" plead.

Gutted, simply gutted.

Read the one from a few weeks back again, its not that different, just different words.

Would you sign a contract extension without knowing who the manager was going to be or how we were going to replace Ashley Young?

Exactlt, if people read the statment he made a few weeks ago its no different. He's waiting to see who we buy before comitting the better years of his career to us. Whats so bad about that?!

this is why i dont go to VP anymore, im not going to help fund greedy footballers wages for them to **** off at the first opportunity to another club, i barely even feel emotionally attached to villa anymore, its just a hobby for me now.

You should've picked Man U.

We are a feeder club to the top 4/5. The sooner you accept it, the easier it is.

Then we will always stay 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, which is the frustrating part. I don't want to accept that part.

But thats the fact mate. I support Villa wheteher we win or lose.

Not being happy unless we win the league or whatever is glory hunting. You picked the wrong club in that case...

The problem is near impossible to break the top 4 and getting harder every season.

The more a team stays up, the more money they have the easier it is to pick the best players. Is that the fault of AVFC? The board?

Its just facts, We wont win the league again, players want to win so will go to the clubs that give them a chance of doing it.

I dont know why people worry about these things so much, if he goes he goes, so what, we'll buy a replacement and start again.

Its 99% certain that we will never win the league again with the amount of money it takes these days and I think people shold probably come to terms with that.

I support AVFC whether we're champions of Europe or in the blue square premier, people moan abuot glory hunters but are those threatening not to renew and moaning cause players want to move on not doing the same thing?

How is he available?

Jesus christ anyone would think he out a transfer request in.

He's said nothing but I want to see ambition from the club. Whats so bad about that? Isn't that what we all want?

Put yourself in his shoes, he signes a new 2 yr extension and then we get some shite manager and sign Barton.

Would you be happy?

Its funny how one statement is no total bollocks because another one seems to contradict it even though they actually both say the same thing.

Theres a whole thread for Downing.

I think him saying 2 weeks ago that he owes the club a great deal is more important to think about than a player with 2 years left not signing a new contract until he see's the ambition.

Perhaps he's seen the supposed turnaround in the deal offered for NRC? Wants big money, we say no. Now suddenly people say he will stay....

He's just setting himself up for contract negotiations. Nothing more.

I think its more a come and get me hint

Being A Villa fan we would think that, but this kind of thing happens at most clubs with most of their bigger players before contract time.

Rooney is a prime example.

May 11th, Downing said this - There’s terrific players. I’m confident, despite this season, we’re going in the right direction and if we get the right players in then I’m happy".

The last 10 words are the most important and for me shows that nothing has really changed, he's just saying it in a different way.

He's just setting himself up for contract negotiations. Nothing more.

The manager will walk, he's far better than he can ever prove at that tiny club. I expect if the rumours about Hughes to villa are correct then Alex could go to Fulham?

Tom Ross - Blues goalkeeper Colin Doyle has signed a one-year extension option keeping him at the club until the summer of 2012. Marcus Bent, Mitch McPike, Jay O'Shea, Robin Shroot, Dan Preston & Luke Rowe have all been released. Loanees Alexander Hleb, Obafemi Martins, David Bentley and Matt Derbyshire have all returned to their respective parent clubs.