SPECULATION : Milner to City/Utd/Chelsea/Spurs

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

Analysing the events will not change the facts. I don't feel misled, I'm just angered it's taking so damn long to get sorted. Our entire summer spend is dependent on another club, it's pathetic. I thought we were bigger than this, very disappointing.

I agree and what is more for O'Neill to come out and tell the world this was stupid and self harming.

Best case is we hold on to Milner but we don't improve at all this summer which could easily leave the likes of Ashley Young doubting the ambition of the club and wanting to move himself.

Worst case though Man City take the attitude of 'well they need to sell' so this is our offer take or leave it. It will be on the table to the end of the window its up to you.

Because they may want Milner but they don't need him, if they don't get him they will get someone else or manage with what they have. The pressure is all on us and O'Neill's comments the other day have increased that pressure.

I've always been told what a smart guy O'Neill is but his comments on Milner seem nothing but stupid to me. They do nothing to help Aston Villa and only serve to weaken our position regardless of the out come with Milner.

Why couldn't he simply say something like "There has been interests and we've rejected a bid so he remains a Villa player and part of our plans. Unless the situtation changes we will continue to try and build and strengthen our team and unless Man City meet our valuation James Milner will be a part of that"

Why couldn't have said that? Ultimately the meaning is the same but the message is very very different.

Spot on.

[Woodytom]

Analysing the events will not change the facts. I don't feel misled, I'm just angered it's taking so damn long to get sorted. Our entire summer spend is dependent on another club, it's pathetic. I thought we were bigger than this, very disappointing.

I agree and what is more for O'Neill to come out and tell the world this was stupid and self harming.

Best case is we hold on to Milner but we don't improve at all this summer which could easily leave the likes of Ashley Young doubting the ambition of the club and wanting to move himself.

Worst case though Man City take the attitude of 'well they need to sell' so this is our offer take or leave it. It will be on the table to the end of the window its up to you.

Because they may want Milner but they don't need him, if they don't get him they will get someone else or manage with what they have. The pressure is all on us and O'Neill's comments the other day have increased that pressure.

I've always been told what a smart guy O'Neill is but his comments on Milner seem nothing but stupid to me. They do nothing to help Aston Villa and only serve to weaken our position regardless of the out come with Milner.

Why couldn't he simply say something like "There has been interests and we've rejected a bid so he remains a Villa player and part of our plans. Unless the situtation changes we will continue to try and build and strengthen our team and unless Man City meet our valuation James Milner will be a part of that"

Why couldn't have said that? Ultimately the meaning is the same but the message is very very different.

And yet you guys are always wanting honesty and integrity in football!

At least everyone knows where we stand now. Mind you, if you havent known for the past couple of years, watching decent but not great players like Luke Young and Stewart Downing sign - then your bloody stupid.

THIS POST IS NOT AIMED SOLELY AT YOU TRENT

[TrentVilla]

And yet you guys are always wanting honesty and integrity in football!

What? In 3 years on this site I don't recall ever seeing people calling for more honesty in football. Perhaps from players on the pitch, but from our manager? No I don't think so.

At least everyone knows where we stand now. Mind you, if you havent known for the past couple of years, watching decent but not great players like Luke Young and Stewart Downing sign - then your bloody stupid.

Yes everyone knows where we stand now, players know that we need to sell to buy, players like Young know that if Milner stays then we won't be improving this summer and Man City know that they hold all the cards.

As the dummy quote I posted said, it was possible for O'Neill to let everyone know where we stand without making a statement that does harm to the club and I honestly believe his comments the other day we harmful to the interests of the club.

THIS POST IS NOT AIMED SOLELY AT YOU TRENT

I don't care who it is aimed at, calling people stupid on here because they hold a different view to you isn't acceptable.

[Woodytom]

And yet you guys are always wanting honesty and integrity in football!

What? In 3 years on this site I don't recall ever seeing people calling for more honesty in football. Perhaps from players on the pitch, but from our manager? No I don't think so.

At least everyone knows where we stand now. Mind you, if you havent known for the past couple of years, watching decent but not great players like Luke Young and Stewart Downing sign - then your bloody stupid.

Yes everyone knows where we stand now, players know that we need to sell to buy, players like Young know that if Milner stays then we won't be improving this summer and Man City know that they hold all the cards.

THIS POST IS NOT AIMED SOLELY AT YOU TRENT

I don't care who it is aimed at, calling people stupid on here because they hold a different view to you isn't acceptable.

So nobodys ever said on here that they wish someone would just come out and tell us what is going on? Ive seen it about 50 times this week!

Also, how can we expect players to be honest if the person directly above them arent honest. The managers are a huge influence on the players. I have bno doubt about that!

Knowing that were not a big club that is going to struggle to crack the top 4 with the limited (compared to our rivals) funds is not having an opinion. Its knowing the facts.

Knowing that Everest is the highest mountain in the world is not an opinion its a fact. If you dont think that it is then your stupid. Obviously not saying you dont know.

But if your expecting (which your not, but some people are) that villa should becoming 4th on the funds weve got and that MON should be sacked (which I think you do to some extent), then in my opinion - thats stupid.

And its not as if my opinions and others have never not been called stupid or worse is it?

[Big_John_10]

MON made it clear that Barry could go to Liverpool for the right price and I don't remember that doing us any harm or making us weaker.

[Ponky]

Without knowing the full facts it's impossible to know what MON's motivations were in speaking out. It will all come out in the wash I guess but since then MON has also come out and acknowledged that he needs to sell to buy - so he's hardly going to deliberately go out and jeopardise his one chance to bring in some new faces - unless of course he is actually trying to paint Randy into a corner and get him to get the wallet out.

[Juju]

It seems very clear to me.

If Milner hands in a transfer request, he doesn't trigger loyalty payments.

So he says, in roundabout terms that he's not committing to Villa, and would be"interested" in leaving (via his agent), but thats not the same thing as a transfer request, it simply sends a message to the club that he is effectively for sale, and the outcome of not getting a move is an unhappy player who wants to leave, but safeguards his loyalty payment which is only triggered if the club, rather than the player, offer him for sale.

I am sure for the million pound + payments, Milner has not said he wants to go, just that he is open on his optnions.

The agent clearly wants a move, as he earns commission on this. Milner may not even be 100% aware of what the agent said, or that the agents oral statements, have been skewed slightly by the club, as both are negotiating to get their way.

I suspect the position is that on knowing the player wants to go, and to get as much as possible, MON's commments are evvectively an "invitation to treat" after a good world cup. Basically, MON and the club are well aware of Man City's interest, but would be as prepared to sell to Chelsea, manu, Arsenal or whoever, and is effectively saying "come and get him", without transfer listing him, both to save money in loyalty payments, and driving up the price by getting two or three offers.

With Barry, remember, Liverpool, the club that unsettled Barry, didn't get him.

As for Milner, I broadly echo the article earlier, I view it as a poor move for him, as it was for Barry, but it seems about the money and nothing else. However, given the behaviour of Milner at Newcastle, thats hardly surprising.

[villabromsgrove]

Mon's statement about Milners situation was ill judged and unprofessional. I am at a lost to understand why a supposedly intelligent man would reduce his negotiating room and close his options by allowing frustration to get the better of him.

I can imagine Randy sitting with his head in his hands once again as Mon sought to demonise Milner and create antagonism and ill feeling where none need exist. It's time for Martin to shut up and start treating his players in a less confrontational manner.

It's not big and it's not clever for him to satisfy his ego by causing conflicts that only (he) the manager can ever win.

[jon_c]

The last thing City's owners seem to want, is to look small time by quibbling over price. Everton stuck to there guns and got a ridiculous amount of money for Lescott. Man City could have easily had someone else there for cheaper. But they didn't.

[TrentVilla]

MON made it clear that Barry could go to Liverpool for the right price and I don't remember that doing us any harm or making us weaker.

Correct and if he has just said that about Milner it wouldn't have been so bad but he didn't.

His comments went further than that, much further and I believe were ill advised.

[TrentVilla]

The last thing City's owners seem to want, is to look small time by quibbling over price. Everton stuck to there guns and got a ridiculous amount of money for Lescott. Man City could have easily had someone else there for cheaper. But they didn't.

Correct but Everton never said their entire plans for the summer went hand in hand with Lescott's future either.

[jon_c]

The last thing City's owners seem to want, is to look small time by quibbling over price. Everton stuck to there guns and got a ridiculous amount of money for Lescott. Man City could have easily had someone else there for cheaper. But they didn't.

Correct but Everton never said their entire plans for the summer went hand in hand with Lescott's future either.

Ok I've been having a look but I can't find where we said that.

And now, their manager's come out and said they want him. A new player every five minutes comes out and says they want him. There's pressure on both sides to complete a deal.

Its all about who blinks first.

[villabromsgrove]

The last thing City's owners seem to want, is to look small time by quibbling over price. Everton stuck to there guns and got a ridiculous amount of money for Lescott. Man City could have easily had someone else there for cheaper. But they didn't.

Correct but Everton never said their entire plans for the summer went hand in hand with Lescott's future either.

Ok I've been having a look but I can't find where we said that.

And now, their manager's come out and said they want him. A new player every five minutes comes out and says they want him. There's pressure on both sides to complete a deal.

Its all about who blinks first.

I think blinking Mon had a fit of the blinking blinks forty eight hours ago. It was the blinking equivalent of showing your average blinking cards in a game of blinking poker and then staying in the blinking hand.

[GaztonVilla]

The last thing City's owners seem to want, is to look small time by quibbling over price. Everton stuck to there guns and got a ridiculous amount of money for Lescott. Man City could have easily had someone else there for cheaper. But they didn't.

Correct but Everton never said their entire plans for the summer went hand in hand with Lescott's future either.

Have Villa said that?

[TrentVilla]

The last thing City's owners seem to want, is to look small time by quibbling over price. Everton stuck to there guns and got a ridiculous amount of money for Lescott. Man City could have easily had someone else there for cheaper. But they didn't.

Correct but Everton never said their entire plans for the summer went hand in hand with Lescott's future either.

Have Villa said that?

Well the season starts 3 weeks today, we don't appear to be close to improving the squad and our manager has come out and said we need to sell to buy.

I would say so, yes.

[GaztonVilla]

Well the season starts 3 weeks today, we don't appear to be close to improving the squad and our manager has come out and said we need to sell to buy.

I would say so, yes.

Equally, the club has intimated that several other players are for sale at the right price. So, even if the club has to sell to buy, I don't think the entire transfer strategy is solely reliant on the future of James Milner.

Combine that with the General's comment that the club is more focussed on reducing the wage bill and that money is available for MON to spend regardless of transfer revenue and I would say that you're misreading the situation.

[Big_John_10]

MON has also said that we won't sell unless man city meet our valuation, thats hardly the comments of a desperate man.

Do you think city will get milner on the cheap because of these comments?

[dounavilla]

so here we are at the 300 page mark !!! can anyone remember hoe long the "barry" tread was ??? 600 plus If im not wrong ?

[dounavilla]

And ive thought long and hard about this one and in my conclusion this will only be a good sale providing we sign a star replacement otherwise this move could be the beggining of the end for our Martin !

[millbrook85]

Well the season starts 3 weeks today, we don't appear to be close to improving the squad and our manager has come out and said we need to sell to buy.

I would say so, yes.

Equally, the club has intimated that several other players are for sale at the right price. So, even if the club has to sell to buy, I don't think the entire transfer strategy is solely reliant on the future of James Milner.

Combine that with the General's comment that the club is more focussed on reducing the wage bill and that money is available for MON to spend regardless of transfer revenue and I would say that you're misreading the situation.

This is a good point, and one that I don't think Trent has considered yet. If, as the general has implied, it is true that we are concentrating more on reducing the wage bill than on transfer fees, surely selling a few of Sidwell, Davies, Shorey, Luke Young, Heskey, NRC, and Beye is worth more to us than selling one James Milner. Perhaps MON has just been told to clear the wage bill before he can spend his transfer kitty. In this case, we could keep Milner (if City don't meet our valuation), sell some of the squad players and still be allowed to buy.