nik986

If Cleverley or Canales don't come off, it'll be someone down our priority list surely? Plus, Lambert has shown he does like to wait and wait for the players he wants doesn't he? Maybe there is a twist yet.

SSN 13th with the breaking news Sky sources tell us.... You mean you have read news articles on http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/Football/Premier+League saves me reading them i guess.

Shame, he would have been a good addition.

I'm not defending the policy, that is an altogether different debate. What I've said is that I don't think Bent has been treated badly there is a big difference. A minute ago you were saying the world and his dog were picked frequently ahead of Bent, now you've downgraded that to him being omitted at times I see. He was regularly on the bench (when fit) behind Benteke, Gabby and Weimann and few were complaining about that at the time given our form at the end of the season. That isn't Bent being treated badly that is him being treated like a professional footballer. As for Newcastle, yes. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8874470/newcastle-manager-alan-pardew-claims-darren-bent-took-safe-choice-by-joining-fulham You can repeat the Bomb squad thing as much as you want but the fact is Bent was never in it and was always in the first team squad (sometimes not a match day squad) when fit. I think we'd agree on most of this but somethings we probably just won't agree. However, I'd say being stripped of the number 9 (which was given to Helenius) and given 39 was being placed into the bomb squad....

Benteke and Kozak back soon and worried than Lambert will go back to his preferred diamond formation? Benteke and Kozak back soon and worried that Lambert will go back to his preferred diamond formation?

In reference to your first point? So what? Seriously so what? As I said he has been treated as professional footballer, they are told all the time that they aren't wanted by clubs and that they can find a new club or that they are being sold. I'm not sure that Bent has been badly treated because he was told he wasn't first choice or because other players were picked ahead of him. As for what he was told, I'm not quite sure how you know what he was told but unlike Hutton, Bent was never completely omitted from the squad to suggest he was is simply inaccurate. While I'm on the topic of inaccurate, Bent seemingly turned down Newcastle to go to London sorry Fulham. As for any man and his dog being picked ahead of Bent at the end of Lambert's first season that simply isn't true. So what? It seems like a poor policy to put in place. Marginalise and not play footballers so their value dwindles and they become a £250k+ a week millstone around your neck. That's not clever. Not how most 'businesses' would treat valuable assets. And how has this policy worked for us? We still have them, but haven't used them for a number of seasons. Bent was completely omitted at times - leading to the newspapers suggesting that we 'owed money on the deal so refused to play him in any more games'. Do we know Bent turned down Newcastle? Reports at the time stated we couldn't agree a financial package with Newcastle for him - Fulham paid quite handsomely for him I believe? Players of the ilk of Jordan Bowery were picked ahead of him - that is true. Lambert's judgement of Benteke instead of Bent was proven to be a cracking decision - but i'll repeat again, creating the bomb squad is not a way to treat any professional, and weakened our hand when we were trying to sell them.

It seems this deal may well be off, at the very least, will go down to wire. Maybe will get a golden payment from United, so at least they get some cash for him?

Absolutely no chance. There is still a good striker there. Having looked at him a bit over pre-season and since, he clearly needs to find the treadmill though.

Bent is an easy target right now. Just feel its unnecessary, we are playing well, lets enjoy and get behind the players. If someone was willing to pay Bents wages for the final year, I'd snap their hand off, but they aren't so we have him for the season. Best to build his confidence, get him playing as the 20 goal a season man (in all comps) he could be.

I haven't slated any of the players.

In fact - The way Given, Hutton, N'Zogbia and Bent were treated was not as a professional footballer. They had something to add a squad which really struggled last year, but Lambert had made his bed by giving them squad numbers in the 30's. A very public embarrassment. Not a way to treat someone in any line of work.

No offence to you intended but I'm so so tired of reading this sort of thing, the 'way Lambert treated him' seriously how exactly was he treated by Lambert? Because I'd argue he was treated as a professional footballer nothing more and nothing less. When Lambert arrived he made him captain and picked him but he didn't really perform and yes in part that was because we no longer had the wingers who's service he previously thrived on. But Lambert didn't sell them so it wasn't Lambert that cut that supply line. Neither did Lambert have the budget to go and buy wingers of the quality of those that left. Under O'Neill and those who followed him before Lambert we had some excellent wingers but we sold them and we simply can't afford players like Young, Milner and Downing these days. But even back then our 442 system with wingers had some issues so if we were to go and buy cheaper wingers it would be even more flawed. Next to nobody is playing 442 with wingers these days, the game has changed and as a result a poacher like Bent is always going to have to adapt or find themselves vulnerable. Anyway, I digress. That is more about how the game has changed and moved away from Bent than how Bent has been treated by Lambert. So Lambert initially picked Bent, in fact he even made him captain but following the signing of Benteke decided the two couldn't play together and that he wanted to go with more of a 451 formation. In such a formation Benteke was the better choice, I'm not sure anyone would disagree, Over the course of that season Bent found himself out of the team as Benteke found his feet and the net with increasing regularity. Meanwhile Bent struggled with form and fitness due to injuries. Yes at times he was behind other players, lesser players in terms of the squad but that was due to Bent's inflexibility as a player. Last summer Bent was on the fringe of the side and seemingly eager to get more football so Lambert loaned him to Fulham and said he thought it unlikely that he would return. Only Bent had a stinker of a season, Fulham went down and he is back here. So with Bent back at B6 Lambert has brought him back into the squad, picked him in pre-season, given him game time once the season started including a start the other night. So I'm really struggling here to comprehend just what it is that Lambert has done that is so unfair to Bent, that is anything other than the actions of a professional football manager doing his job and managing a club employee. I'm sick and tired of excuse after excuse being made for Bent. His form and fitness haven't been good enough, he looks every bit like a player that has got his 100 PL goals and reached the end of his international career and is now coasting on large wages to retirement. Irrespective of if people agree with that or not, I find it almost impossible to comprehend this notion that he is in some way a victim, that he has been badly treated. If he is a victim of anything he is a victim of Lerner's coast cutting due to the sale of players before Lambert's arrival and a victim of his age and loss of his own ambition and drive. one word for you Jordan Bowery It was either Lambert's policy, or one he bought in to, to marginalise all the high earners. He has done this with a number of players, Bent included. Bent was told he just wouldn't play - so sought game time at, first Newcastle and when no one else came in for him, went to Fulham at the end of the window, as he had been told he'd be nowhere near a match day squad. We could question this chain of events, but being as any man and his dog (Bowery) were picked ahead of him frequently at the end of Lambert's first season - I know where partial blame lies.

They are trying to get rid of 2 of their english players in sinclair and richards.... Even more reason for not letting Milner leave then? They can't shift them, so there shouldn't be an issue with lack of 'english' players should there? Oh right I see what you're saying. But still, Milner isn't coming back. He's a good squad player for City, I really can't see them wanting to let him go out on loan or sale. Mainly just a hope, but if they are signing Falcao, they need to recoup as much money as possible.

They are trying to get rid of 2 of their english players in sinclair and richards.... Even more reason for not letting Milner leave then? They can't shift them, so there shouldn't be an issue with lack of 'english' players should there?

At this stage, I won't accept anything less than 2nd - and only then if we lose it on the last day, on goal difference.

I've always liked him. The worry I had last season was how far backwards the quality of football had gone. At the end of his first season we were looking pretty decent. Hopefully with a fully fit squad, he can take us back to that.

They are trying to get rid of 2 of their english players in sinclair and richards....

I'd be disappointed not to see Cleverley, however, if he isn't keen, lets not break our backs convincing the lad; lets find a player who wants to play for Villa.

United's business will be done for the summer with the signing of Daley Blind, so hopefully, we can breathe again.

He's a striker who has always been a confidence player. He has had that knocked out of him by the way Lambert treated him, it will take some time for him to get back up to speed.

A Milner loan deal and a permanent Cleverley deal isn't that unlikely is it?

Cleverley and Milner please.

Cleverley would be a nice addition. If we could get one more, a winger, I would be delighted. I'd add, with El-Ahmadi on his way, as confirmed by Lambert, we must have one coming in. I highly doubt he'd have let him go otherwise.

LOL no chance in hell Walcott will ever play for this club. And Townsend had that good run of form last season which makes me think spurs would inflate his price. Would definitely have him though. No chance of either. Move on, nothing to see here.

Diame had a good first few months when he signed for West Ham, since them he's been pretty crap. Like he was at Wigan. Got quite a few WH friends and they don't really rate him, very inconsistent. Also if he was up to scratch, they wouldn't have signed Kouyate to do his job in the team. Yeh I could see how they think he is inconsistent. He got a bad injury though which I'm sure didn't help his form afterwards. But when he's on form he's an absolute powerhouse of a midfielder. And I'm not just championing him because he's a different option to Cleverley. My post history will clearly show I was praising him when west ham bought him. I see your point about Diame - I just feel for the investment that we would have to make in him (£3.5m transfer fee plus £50k+ per week wages), given his age, he wouldn't be the wisest investment, due to his injury record and inconsistency.