SPECULATION : Milner to City/Utd/Chelsea/Spurs

[Rob182]

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.

[Rob182]

Ogen, see my previous post. It's not Milner's last chance to do anything. What's stopping him from staying at Villa, signing an extension and seeing where it goes? If he still wants to move on then I'm sure we wouldn't be as reluctant if he'd given us more than one year of decent football.

Also, yes he could move on to win a European Cup. Or Man City could do exactly what they did last year - they could spend £100m and still miss out on 4th. Milner would be trophy-less and will have made fewer appearances in the Prem.

[nedster]

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.

[bannedfromHandV]

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

[Maradona10]

He's looking at it as a Villa fan and every Villa fan would want Milner to think in that way.

[bannedfromHandV]

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.

[Maradona10]

Spot on and the same message i'm trying to get across, lets get away from this notion its about money, its about improving and playing in a better side with better players. Milner providing chances for Heskey or Tevez, even if he played in the Carling Cup he'd still be creating chances for Santa Cruz.

[Rob182]

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

Fair enough. If none of us had different views then it'd be a dull forum.

I just think that the possibilities of him being in a car crash or breaking a leg are, thankfully, slimmer than the possibilty that he could spend another 2 years at Villa and then move to an actual big club like Man Utd or Chelsea.

Anyway..

Before the mods block this thread off.. I vow to not post again in this thread until a new piece of "journalism" is produced :winkold:

EDIT - Maradona, I see your point but I don't understand people's certainty that Man City will be challenging for the title next year. They spent £200m last year and look where that got them. If Milner moves and they win the league then fine, I'll admit defeat and that Milner has moved for the good of his career. But I really can't see them doing much better than last year when they'll be starting a season with a midfield of players who probably haven't played together before and half who haven't even played in the Prem.

[TrentVilla]

Loyalty in football is a rare, rare thing. Loyalty in the face of massive financial gain and a likely increased possibility of success is almost unheard of in this day and age.

We had Barry 10 years, he went without second thought. We pick Dwight up in Trinidad as a kid and made him a star, he went with his arse in his hands in a manor many will never forget or forgive. We rescued Mark Bosnich from Australia after Man Utd gave up on trying to get him a permit, we made him a star then he pissed off back to Utd.

As much as we might all like to think otherwise none of the players love the club the way we do and just about every single one of them will take an opportunity to better their career and if they can bank balance. Its footballers nature and if we are all honest human nature.

Expecting Milner to turn down millions on offer from City and if we are honest a far better chance of success to stay with us is unrealistic, especially when he has already left his home town club and then left that club essentially as they weren't paying him what he thought he was worth.

I don't think Milner would move for money alone but City can offer a lot more than that and sadly a lot more than we can.

If they offer the right amount to Villa he will go its that simple and there is no point trying to kid ourselves otherwise. Its happened before and it will happen again just hopefully not to City for a 3rd time.

[nedster]

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.

[Maradona10]

How do you know Jimmy will be shit at Man City, how do we know he will play on the wing. So you basically know his criteria if he moves, no move is ever deemed a success.

[nedster]

I don't know Maradona he could be an instant sucess playing in the centre and lead them to the Prem crown. All I'm saying is the pros and cons have to be weighed up and at his age after only 7 months at the top of his game it is a risk moving to city and they have enough CM for about 2 teams already so it's just an educated guess. He would surely have his pick of Clubs next season with a year left on his contract and regardless of all the talk City have proved nothing yet, a few losses on the trot could see anything happen with them.

[Kiwivillan]

As much as we might all like to think otherwise none of the players love the club the way we do and just about every single one of them will take an opportunity to better their career and if they can bank balance. Its footballers nature and if we are all honest human nature.

Regardless of what people may think from my posts(not MONs biggest fan) I love Villa with every fibre in my body.

The "concept" of Milner leaving would upset me as much as any other leaving since I began following in 94' as he is the embodiment of where we should be heading(some credit to MON on this) and could be "our" Gerrard for the prime of his career.

It would hurt 1,000,000 times more than Barry leaving and as optimistic as I can possibly be I can't see anything but us floundering on any progress we've made since Randyarrived(the huge cash injection considered - not so much credit to MON).

[Maradona10]

Not a bigger loss than Dwight Yorke or Platt, I'd say he is on par with Southgate and Barry (replaceable) I don't believe he is in the same class as Gerrard and nor will he be, i know that may come back to bite me but its my opinion. We have a youngster in Gary Gardner who could be the next Gerrard.

[Dodgyknees]

I think its all go, think he is going to leave and it'll be before the middle of the month, just a feeling.

And it is not a bigger loss than Yorke or Platt, which would make this something that could work for us in the way it did for Everton with Rooney, Arsenal with Petit and Viera and of course, Spuds with Berbatov and Carrick.

[Adbo9]

also, at the end of the day loyalty is a two-way street as well............. id say across football there are a lot more players who are sold when they dont want to leave clubs as opposed players forcing moves........

Your comment regarding James Milner a few pages back is a disgrace imo

I thought it was fair. He has got a massive square jaw !!

You'll look pretty daft if he stays

How?? Look back through my posts, im not a fan of Milners and never will be - also, staying or going has no bearing on the squareness of his massive jaw

[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?

[bannedfromHandV]

also, at the end of the day loyalty is a two-way street as well............. id say across football there are a lot more players who are sold when they dont want to leave clubs as opposed players forcing moves........

Your comment regarding James Milner a few pages back is a disgrace imo

I thought it was fair. He has got a massive square jaw !!

You'll look pretty daft if he stays

How?? Look back through my posts, im not a fan of Milners and never will be - also, staying or going has no bearing on the squareness of his massive jaw

What?!?

This has to be a wind-up! (the not rating him bit, he does have one seriously square jaw thing going on)

[kidlewis]

to be fair many players have shown that money doesn't bring you to a club. You only need to look at Kaka and Man City to see that people would rather go somewhere with more success and history than earn more money.

It's why David Villa wouldn't even entertain a move to City.

Villa should offer milner £85k a week and leave it at that.

Quite funny how this season Barry will probably be a fringe player at City, considering their new signings.

Think you will find David Villa will be on a tasty whack at Barcelona.

key word being there is Barcelona. You think he would move to City for a million pounds a week? bet you he would stay at Barcelona

It depends how much Barcelona was offering but for a million quid a week? - David Villa would be at Eastlands in a flash

then why didn't Kaka go for a rumoured 500k a week or whatever those idiots offered him

[CannockVillan]

I think its fair to say that Man City will be challenging this coming season. Last year they spent big and gelled fairly well (getting 5th and just missing out on Champs League) depsite many of the players still having to bed in and get used to their colleagues.

New additions this year too but quality ones, and add to that the fact that the previous years signings will be going into their second campaign together. the big four (well three now Liverpool are shite) must be seriously looking at them as contenders for the top spot.

if they do get into the champt league next season then they have to deal with the home grown player issue and therefore what would a player like milner be worht to them then (especfially if he renegotiates his contract here and has another excellent season).

I suspect they will spend the money now rather than have to pay even more next summer when they might actually need him more althoug I can't remeber if the home grown player rule has also been introduced by the prem league for this coming season.