Luke Young admits he'll leave Villa Park this summer

[jonno_2004]

Disgraceful treatment by MON for at times a questionable choice of Cuellar at RB.

[DeepDish]

But not surprising

Why?

Because he's been frozen out all season so that one of our best defenders can be disappointing out wide.

Just one question: Has Heskey been frozen out too this season?

[ChrisVillan]

Heskey isn't our best player in his position by an absolute country mile.

[theboyangel]

Disgraceful treatment by MON for at times a questionable choice of Cuellar at RB.

I agree that Young is a better RB but our defensive unit of Warnock, Collins, Dunne and Cuellar were brilliant virtually all season - it's difficult to break up a defence that's working just to accomodate a player...

[carew_villa]

“It just seems that however hard I work in training or however well I do in games that I don’t get judged by the same standards as some players.”

This just sums up everything that is wrong with MON

Luke Young is the best RB I've seen at Villa for years but he plays Cuellar at RB instead who is probably the worst RB in the league. I cringe everytime he gets the ball at RB and just kicks the ball out of play or passes the ball straight to the opposition.

Sometimes I'm not sure if MON is good enough to manage a top 4 side anyway because he obviously can't control a squad and doesn't play his best players, just his favourites (Petrov, Downing, Cuellar, Warnock)

[Hanky]

We can't let both him and Beye go. Plus he is a very good right back.

[DeepDish]

True that, but I would think that a statement of players frozen out should be backed up by some facts. For example how many games they have started is one fact that can be used to determine if players have been frozen out.

L. Young has started 14 league games.

Heskey has started 16 league games.

Even though i rate Young and do not fancy Heskey, I see the similarities.

But at Villatalk, there hase actually been a misinformed group of posters that think Heskey has been O'Neill's chosen one and Young has been frozen out, even though Heskey has only started two more games than the "cold" Young.

I find it a bit strange.

[slowandlow]

poor stuff by MON, comfortably our best RB

whoever signs him will get a good player for a couple of years

[briny_ear]

Bah, I thought his brother was murdered for some bizzare reason.

I fail to see how the way his brother died has any bearing on this issue at all.

What a strange thread this is on the whole.

MON has to sell to buy, so we are told.

The defence hasn't been the problem this season.

So if he can, he will sell a peripheral defender who can raise a decent fee.

That is Luke Young and, to add to the case, he is 30, Cuellar is 28, so Young has less to offer us in the future.

Football issometimes quite a cold-blooded business and this looks like a straightforward business decision.

[slowandlow]

and i should add that he is the best RB we have had since i have been going down the villa (better than barrett, charles, nelson, grayson, watson, delaney etc etc, altho that probably isnt saying much lol)

[ChrisVillan]

So has Wilfred Bouma been frozen out?

There's a difference between facts and statistics. And here the fact is that you're trying to view two different players' fortunes in terms of numbers, when really the issue is man management and human relationships. Is Luke Young not being frozen out just because Heskey's only played a couple more games? Heskey's appearances record has bugger all to do with O'Neill's management of Young.

[claret75]

A professional footballer who gets paid as much in a week as most of us earn in a year and also gets more time off to mourn the loss of his brother than anyone would ever get in most other jobs hasn't been treated fairly? No he simply isn't first choice, thats got nothing to do with being treated unfairly.

If he goes, well he goes he won't be a huge loss, I'd prefer him to stay but its his choice really

Bicks the point is, whether you agree or not, he's a zillion times better than Cuellar at right back, and could have added so much to our team, even after mourning the loss of his brother, he has wanted to play and simply hasnt been, for a CB who is shit at RB.

I agree with Bickster. He hasnt been treated unfairly he just hasnt been picked. I never agreed with Cuellar being first choice, but its the managers decision.

I didnt hear anything from Youngs interview that made me think he was treated badly.

[The_Steve]

Well it's not clear by his quotes he's leaving, but he does feel he may be forced out. He's obviously frustrated at a lack of first team appearances but Cuellar was excellent at times in the right back position and deserved to keep his place in the side.

[barry'sboots]

This would be a real howler IMO. Young has a couple of good seasons left in him and should be our first choice RB with a young RB such as Clyne bought in as his understudy.

Can't understand the comparisons above - Young should start every time when fit whereas Heskey shouldn't be near the bench, IMO, if MON is going to use him as a third CM'er. If he wants to use him as a point striker then fair enough but I have rarely seen him played in this way during his stay at VP.

[Hanky]

MON has to sell to buy, so we are told.

The defence hasn't been the problem this season.

So if he can, he will sell a peripheral defender who can raise a decent fee.

Cuellar will not and should not be at right back next season plus we might have injuries and then what?

[YLN]

I thought it was his half-brother who died

[Designer1]

Really, really annoyed about this.

[TrentVilla]

Yes it was yillan.

As for Luke and his Villa career, this is the final nail in the coffin (sorry bad choice of phrase)

I think it simply all boils down to Luke Young not being happy being played LB and perhaps being a little vocal about that which O'Neill didn't like and its been down hill since then. I get the feeling Luke Young perhaps hasn't handled things very well but then again I'm not sure O'Neill has and its O'Neill's fault he was playing LB in the first place which is a decision I never liked.

The accusation that he hasn't been treated equally this season I would imagine has some substance because I think we can all agree O'Neill appears to have his favourites and once you are in his bad books its hard to find a way back.

Its a shame, Young is as good a RB as we will likely get and his certainly better than Carlos in that position but a parting of the ways is inevitable now and probably best for both parties, neither of whom are blameless but I do think personally O'Neill is more to blame than Luke.

[Hanky]

I think it simply all boils down to Luke Young not being happy being played LB and perhaps being a little vocal about that which O'Neill didn't like and its been down hill since then. I get the feeling Luke Young perhaps hasn't handled things very well but then again I'm not sure O'Neill has and its O'Neill's fault he was playing LB in the first place which is a decision I never liked.

I agree. He should of been playing right back. He is a bloody good left back as well which is why it will be a big loss.

[OutByEaster?]

From a practical standpoint this isn't actually going to have a big effect on the team - Luke hasn't really played so to an extent we won't really miss him.

From a squad point of view, we're selling a good player in a position where a good player would be welcome, we'll need a replacement who is good enough to be our number one right back, but flexible enough to sometimes back Cuellar up.

In essence, it's a strange decision to sell Luke Young so that we can go out and look for a player like Luke Young.

I'm guessing that at his age and with his experience he doesn't want to be a back up full back (even if he is back up on both sides) and I think that's fair enough.

Personally I don't agree that Cuellar is a better right back than Young, but that's a decision the manager has to make and he's made it. He'll live and die by that decision, it's what he gets paid for, he'll back his own judgement and I guess it's good that he's in a position where he's trusted to do that - we can only hope he's right and hope he has a plan for the space that Young leaves in the squad.

I would guess there are a number of mid-table Premiership sides who would take an interest, the likes of Fulham, West Ham etc. Hopefully there's enough interest out that to provide us with a good price.