Ulver Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 He's been crap yet hs is still our **** top goalscorer. Why the hell dont we play two up top with him and Gabby Any striker that only get 1 in 2 for a side like ours is obviously not good enough 15 in 32 by Bent is nowhere near Gabby standards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I dont think anyone is saying that Bent isn't good enough. And I don't think anyone genuinly thinks we'd actually benefit from us selling him. But I do think people have sensed a lack of commitment from Bent since the summer and have accepted that if his heart isnt in it, then there may be some consolation in re-investing the money into a couple of players to improve the overall quality of the first 11, rather than leaving it so top heavy in quality up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I dont see what good it will do to sell Bent. 15 in 32. In a struggling team! That's his job. Na **** it lets get Heskey up top and then we can defend set pieces better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabby Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I throught summer was depressing but this Jan looks to be even worse ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villan_007 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 He's been crap yet hs is still our **** top goalscorer. Why the hell dont we play two up top with him and Gabby Any striker that only get 1 in 2 for a side like ours is obviously not good enough 15 in 32 by Bent is nowhere near Gabby standards EDIT: sarcasm read :oops: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I think he was being sarcastic mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 there may be some consolation in re-investing the money into a couple of players to improve the overall quality of the first 11, rather than leaving it so top heavy in quality up front.Only if McLeish isn't our manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 So if bent goes there is little the board can do? My god the lerner love in from some gets worse. How about the board don't hire a useless manager, sell the best players and come up with a long term plan that shows some ambition? God, when southgate went because we had no ambition were people saying lay off doug theres nothing he could do? I take it that is aimed at me as I have said there is little they can do. Well just because I think this does not mean I have a love in with the board and I dont. How about the board dont hire a useless manager. Well as you'll note that has already been done so its not something they can now do. Should they sack McLeish then fine and get a new manager in then fine. But that doesnt make Liverpool a smaller club. They are much bigger than us and far more attractive and can pay him a similar wage. So no there is little the board can do at this point. If a player wants to leave then they will eventually leave and this goes for almost every club on the planet bar a handful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 So explain to me why he decided to go to Tottenham over West Ham? West Ham offered them more money, but he went to Tottenham because they had more promise. It was the same with us. With him in the side and 2 great wingers, we would have been able to compete again. The board have let him down big time. To answer you question I'd only be taking your word for it that West Ham offered him more money so you'll forgive me that I dont. It was said in the press conference when he became our player. You mean when he was defending the question he'd come here for money, convenient to mention something that would be incredibly difficult for anyone to disprove in order to divert the attention away that he only came here for the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyOne Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 So explain to me why he decided to go to Tottenham over West Ham? West Ham offered them more money, but he went to Tottenham because they had more promise. It was the same with us. With him in the side and 2 great wingers, we would have been able to compete again. The board have let him down big time. To answer you question I'd only be taking your word for it that West Ham offered him more money so you'll forgive me that I dont. It was said in the press conference when he became our player. You mean when he was defending the question he'd come here for money, convenient to mention something that would be incredibly difficult for anyone to disprove in order to divert the attention away that he only came here for the money. Yet you've done nothing to prove why he just came here for the money. I actually agree with you that he came here for the money, but I think it's a few other things as well. I've argued that it was the case of Young/Downing. Here's another one. Villa being bigger than Sunderland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I find the argument that goes "the board cant do anything about it" really infuriating and one that actually misses the point. It has been used before for other players and will no doubt be used again. But that is just acceptance of a board not doing anything surely? I mean what then are they there for if not to try and help the club be competitive against other clubs , to raise our profile? I mean certainly under Ellis we couldn't do anything about our better players wanting to leave, but I thought under Lerner it would be different? That he was a different owner? If you just accept that there is nothing we can do then that absolves the board of any responsibility of doing something about it in the first place, they will never do anything about it and we will always lose our best players. It is a bad excuse for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irreverentad Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Aston Villa have told talkSPORT Darren Bent is not for sale at any price. The England striker has been the subject of strong rumours about a possible move to Liverpool this month – but the club have told talkSPORT they have not had any contact with the Anfield outfit and that no bid will be entertained. There have been suggestion Bent was heading to Liverpool, with Andy Carroll returning on loan to Newcastle to replace Demba Ba, who will be away on African Cup of Nations duty with Senegal this month. Despite not enjoying the service he was used to last season when Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were at the club, Bent has weighed in with six Premier League goals in a Villa side that has struggled all season to create chances. http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/transfer-rumours/1434/26/aston-villa-insist-liverpool-target-bent-not-sale No quotes I know. But as plausalble as Lawro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted January 4, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted January 4, 2012 I find the argument that goes "the board cant do anything about it" really infuriating and one that actually misses the point. It has been used before for other players and will no doubt be used again. But that is just acceptance of a board not doing anything surely? I mean what then are they there for if not to try and help the club be competitive against other clubs , to raise our profile? I mean certainly under Ellis we couldn't do anything about our better players wanting to leave, but I thought under Lerner it would be different? That he was a different owner? If you just accept that there is nothing we can do then that absolves the board of any responsibility of doing something about it in the first place, they will never do anything about it and we will always lose our best players. So let's say Darren Bent wants to leave, in the same way Gareth Barry, Milner, Young and Downing wanted too. What would YOU do to stop them wanting to leave? Offer a bigger contract? They did that. Show "ambition"? They don't have the money to compete the same way the top 6 do. So, how would you convince players to stay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Yet you've done nothing to prove why he is just came here for the money. I actually agree with you that he came here for the money, but I think it's a few other things as well. I've argued that it was the case of Young/Downing. Here's another one. Villa being bigger than Sunderland. Because we all knew Young was leaving it was just a matter of January or the Summer and its highly likely he did. We all knew that wages needed to be balanced you telling me he didnt know what direction the club was at? Great we are a bigger club than Sunderland which pretty much counts as **** all if you arent challenging for anything which he knew we werent. But all of that is subjective but the one thing that is true is that he is on a minimum of 80k and even at the time of the transfer thats all that was banded around that he had moved for the money. Actually there was one another reason why he came here, his mum was getting abuse. So perhaps you are right it wasnt just the money it was his mum as well and that he's closer to Cambridgeshire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Aston Villa have told talkSPORT Darren Bent is not for sale at any price. We need to decipher this a bit methinks; we were (reportedly) informed that Downing "won't be sold for anything less than a mega offer" and he went for £20m. I suppose it's arguable whether that amount qualifies as "mega" or not; not for me, which leads me to say if we're told that Bent "won't be sold at any price" does that mean we'll probably sell for anything over £30m? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irreverentad Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Yet you've done nothing to prove why he is just came here for the money. I actually agree with you that he came here for the money, but I think it's a few other things as well. I've argued that it was the case of Young/Downing. Here's another one. Villa being bigger than Sunderland. Because we all knew Young was leaving it was just a matter of January or the Summer and its highly likely he did. We all knew that wages needed to be balanced you telling me he didnt know what direction the club was at? Great we are a bigger club than Sunderland which pretty much counts as **** all if you arent challenging for anything which he knew we werent. But all of that is subjective but the one thing that is true is that he is on a minimum of 80k and even at the time of the transfer thats all that was banded around that he had moved for the money. Actually there was one another reason why he came here, his mum was getting abuse. So perhaps you are right it wasnt just the money it was his mum as well and that he's closer to Cambridgeshire. I think it was racial wasn't it. If I recall the quotes, Bent took it VERY seriously and made sure the police were involved. Hmmm not sure he would consider Liverpool after all the t-shirts and headlines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 So, how would you convince players to stay? Aversion therapy. Stick Bent in a Liverpool shirt whilst repeatedly electrocuting him (non-lethal voltage, of course). Play "You'll Never Walk Alone" whilst his eyes are strapped open and he's forced to watch footage of World War II. Of course, this might mean he'll never be able to play against Liverpool for us again, but it'd at least be worth the entertainment to see the OS list Bent as "out with a funny gulliver-related injury". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I can see the headlines when Bent signs for Liverpool: 'We're not racist, we've just signed a black player' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I find the argument that goes "the board cant do anything about it" really infuriating and one that actually misses the point. It has been used before for other players and will no doubt be used again. But that is just acceptance of a board not doing anything surely? I mean what then are they there for if not to try and help the club be competitive against other clubs , to raise our profile? I mean certainly under Ellis we couldn't do anything about our better players wanting to leave, but I thought under Lerner it would be different? That he was a different owner? If you just accept that there is nothing we can do then that absolves the board of any responsibility of doing something about it in the first place, they will never do anything about it and we will always lose our best players. So let's say Darren Bent wants to leave, in the same way Gareth Barry, Milner, Young and Downing wanted too. What would YOU do to stop them wanting to leave? Offer a bigger contract? They did that. Show "ambition"? They don't have the money to compete the same way the top 6 do. So, how would you convince players to stay?Well this will sound like a cop out so apologies for that but, I am not running the club. However, that does not mean I will excuse them for our best players leaving as I did not excuse us when Ellis was in charge When Ugo and Southgate left to go to Boro citing lack of ambition, did I excuse the owner then? Same thing is happening today really and for me that does not mean I can say "well the board can do f eck all" when specifically this board and the way they run the club is supposed to be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted January 4, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted January 4, 2012 Bent has 3 1/2 years left on his contract, thats the difference, we dont need to sell.......However any figure over £30m, then (if i was the manager) would sell tbh, after tapping up/ signing another player. Thats what the manager/CEO jobs is IMO. After the decision is made I would phone Lerner and tell him its a good deal for the club. Robbie Keane would not be a replacement for him, Bellamy could be...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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