SPECULATION : Milner to City/Utd/Chelsea/Spurs

[Jas]

Have we been linked to Stephen Ireland atleast once this summer? If so, how far back was it? Serious question by the way.

Got linked today in both the Independent and Guardian.

Serious answer.

[snowychap]

Why keep an ungrateful shit in a team he quite clearly doesn't want to be apart of?

i agree with you, but what if as i have said its just his agent pushing this and he never refused a contract, very unlikely as we know.

but we all know that he sat down with MoN and Randy before then, so why not say to them there and then he wouldnt sign, as it seems to me its his agent has told our Ceo after that meeting.

but like i said tomorrow at BH is going to be intersting and no doubt him and MoN are going to sit down and talk face to face.

...you can't force a lad to stay if he is dead set against staying

[snowychap]

£30m for James Milner =

Stephen Ireland: £9m

Aiden McGeady: £9m

Robbie Keane: £6m

= £24m with £6m spare, or thereabouts.

And how much would not then be 'spare' in the wage bill? It is wages that seem to be the important thing.

(Also excluding that we'd still have £6m to take off the balance sheet for Milner, I'd guess, if he were on a 4 year contract).

[bickster]

Have we been linked to Stephen Ireland atleast once this summer? If so, how far back was it? Serious question by the way.

Got linked today in both the Independent and Guardian.

Serious answer.

Even more serious answer, see the Transfer Sticky, click the link, read the topic

[Jas]

£30m for James Milner =

Stephen Ireland: £9m

Aiden McGeady: £9m

Robbie Keane: £6m

= £24m with £6m spare, or thereabouts.

And how much would not then be 'spare' in the wage bill? It is wages that seem to be the important thing.

(Also excluding that we'd still have £6m to take off the balance sheet for Milner, I'd guess, if he were on a 4 year contract).

True, I did think of the wage bill - just couldn't be arsed factoring that in. That's something I have to do every other day in my own job. That's Randy's problem to solve!

[P3te]

lads, everyones focussing on the wage bill in the wrong way

yes, cutting it is imperitive... but i dont think its cutting it for first teamers that's the issue. its getting the players mon has signed and doesnt use off the wage bill, with a warning never to **** things up so badly again on the wage front. i cant see randy having issues paying guys who are ACTUALLY playing football

so far as i can see it hes just sick of paying for mons mistakes to sit on their arses

[snowychap]

True, I did think of the wage bill - just couldn't be arsed factoring that in. That's something I have to do every other day in my own job. That's Randy's problem to solve!

Ha. Fair enough, then. I think Randy knows it's his problem to solve, too.

[Jas]

Way I see it is that we're football fans.

We sell a player for £30m, surely we can sign a few players with that money?

Let the money men worry about the money!

Anyway, think the next couple of weeks will be busy. Especially on the James Milner front. (Stating the obvious).

[snowychap]

lads, everyones focussing on the wage bill in the wrong way

yes, cutting it is imperitive... but i dont think its cutting it for first teamers that's the issue. its getting the players mon has signed and doesnt use off the wage bill, with a warning never to **** things up so badly again on the wage front. i cant see randy having issues paying guys who are ACTUALLY playing football

so far as i can see it hes just sick of paying for mons mistakes to sit on their arses

Do they actually make different lines in accounts for 'players not used'?

Do they not count towards the costs?

Are they not part of the wage bill?

It appears to me that the club have an issue with how the present wages paid out fare in comparison to the business plan (in terms of their relation to the club's turnover).

So if you think that it's just about the money being spent on players who aren't playing (with the corollary being that it wouldn't be a problem if the wage bill were at the level it is if the majority were spent on the people on the pitch, ceteris paribus) then I think you're way wide of the mark.

I'd suggest that you are very much focussing on the wage bill the wrong way (though I wouldn't be surprised to see a directive out of the club suggesting otherwise) - you are looking at it in terms of (performance) return v outlay. I'd say the club and board are looking at it very much in terms of costs and ratio to turnover.

[snowychap]

Way I see it is that we're football fans.

We sell a player for £30m, surely we can sign a few players with that money?

That's half the battle that the board will be facing over the next year or two, I suggest, and I really don't mean to be rude to you, Jas, but no, surely we can't. It's not about transfer fees (as I think the Gen has suggested often including recently) so to look at it in those terms and ignore the rest is going to lead you up one hell of a bristly alley of frustration.

[Chindie]

I'd say the club and board are looking at it very much in terms of costs and ratio to turnover.

Bingo.

If we were making more money, this discussion wouldn't be being had.

[TRO]

lads, everyones focussing on the wage bill in the wrong way

yes, cutting it is imperitive... but i dont think its cutting it for first teamers that's the issue. its getting the players mon has signed and doesnt use off the wage bill, with a warning never to **** things up so badly again on the wage front. i cant see randy having issues paying guys who are ACTUALLY playing football

so far as i can see it hes just sick of paying for mons mistakes to sit on their arses

I don't think the issues at B6 ..are too much more than that.

[MYSTERYMAN]

lads, everyones focussing on the wage bill in the wrong way

yes, cutting it is imperitive... but i dont think its cutting it for first teamers that's the issue. its getting the players mon has signed and doesnt use off the wage bill, with a warning never to **** things up so badly again on the wage front. i cant see randy having issues paying guys who are ACTUALLY playing football

so far as i can see it hes just sick of paying for mons mistakes to sit on their arses

Think there is something in this personally ! Also Randy does have the money but wants to see the club get itself into a position where it can stand on it's own 2 feet .

[cheltenham_villa]

lads, everyones focussing on the wage bill in the wrong way

yes, cutting it is imperitive... but i dont think its cutting it for first teamers that's the issue. its getting the players mon has signed and doesnt use off the wage bill, with a warning never to **** things up so badly again on the wage front. i cant see randy having issues paying guys who are ACTUALLY playing football

so far as i can see it hes just sick of paying for mons mistakes to sit on their arses

while this may be true, were proposing selling one first team player, if we replace him with three as was proposed by OP then we will have two more people sat on the bench.

You have to have a squad and unfortunately you have to pay them.

[Jez]

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill wins backing as he prepares to meet James Milner

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has received firm support from defender Richard Dunne as he sets about resolving important squad issues.

By Sandy Macaskill

Published: 9:31PM BST 25 Jul 2010

O'Neill returned to England with his squad at the weekend amid continuing reports about James Milner's proposed transfer to Manchester City, and others now linking Ashley Young with a move away.

O'Neill will meet Milner face to face for the first time on Monday after his claims that the England player had asked to leave were dismissed by the player's friends.

Now Dunne has stressed that O'Neill remains the most important man in the dressing room, and promised that the issue will soon be resolved.

Speaking after Villa's 2-1 friendly defeat at Bohemians on Saturday night, Dunne said: "There's one boss at this football club and we believe we've got one of the best managers in the league and, regardless of players, the manager is the most important man at the football club. It won't affect us adversely, players leave and sign all the time."

O'Neill is not the only manager with player problems. It might have been a routine win for Everton over Preston, but David Moyes will have to respond to a £15 million offer from Arsenal for defender Phil Jagielka.

Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, has already played an opening hand of £10 million for the 27 year-old.

Clicky

[daft]

Think there is something in this personally ! Also Randy does have the money but wants to see the club get itself into a position where it can stand on it's own 2 feet .

We aren't even nearly there yet and he is pulling the funding? Strange way of accomplishing that goal. I had the impression that a large part of our high wage bill came from a rather large non-player staff contingent employed by the club? If this really is true I assume that Lerner is very much keeping his eyes open for a replacement for MON?

[Demitri_C]

well mon authorised stupid wage demands for lame average players like sidwell and heskey so therefore i dont blame randy completely.

[dudevillaisnice]

I'm actually really happy we've got Dunne, his a good player and has handled the press well plus we got him on the cheap too (i think? can anyone confirm a figure?).

that said hope all this is sorted once again it seems to be dragging other players down too.

[Harry]

lads, everyones focussing on the wage bill in the wrong way

yes, cutting it is imperitive... but i dont think its cutting it for first teamers that's the issue. its getting the players mon has signed and doesnt use off the wage bill, with a warning never to **** things up so badly again on the wage front. i cant see randy having issues paying guys who are ACTUALLY playing football

so far as i can see it hes just sick of paying for mons mistakes to sit on their arses

Think there is something in this personally ! Also Randy does have the money but wants to see the club get itself into a position where it can stand on it's own 2 feet .

I really hope that is the case. I think its all about the wage bill. We should not be paying players like Beye £40k per week and they are nowhere near the starting line up or often the bench. I'm not having a go at those players, its just common sense. Surely and particularly given MON's history of playing very few players to have a bench of genuine game changers or potential starters AND the up and coming young players.

So say we did sign Keane he could be on the bench (or Carew could be) and you have say Eric Lichaj as cover for RB or defence generally.

Someone did post an list of the player wages, which assuming they were accurate, could lead to a gross saving of around £200k per week assuming we shifted Sidwell, Beye, Shorey, Davies and Heskey. I have specifically not counted NRC and Luke Young as I think we should keep them (some hope!). Say Keane cost £60k per week and we doubled Milners wages we still save £100k per week. Sounds like sensible economics to me.

If you lost NRC and Young that would be another £80k per week which I'm sure iyou could get an up and coming RB, if needed, and a better midfielder (probably foreign) for less.

Regardless of whether Milner stays or goes I think the club needs to do those sums but my guess is they already have.

[kidlewis]

well I think Bannan and Delf can step up and Heskey and Sidders can go, that's a saving there already.