Darren Bent

[Morpheus]

I imagine there will a huge stampede to sign him then, given that every other manager apart from Lambert so highly rates him.......but somehow I don't think so

Out of the top six which team currently needs a striker and out of the rest who could currently afford him?

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him going abroad although the two most likely candidates at home, Liverpool and QPR might come in for him depending of course on Liverpool's finances, what they still owe us on the Downing deal and if we want to strengthen a relegation rival?

[VillaCas]

And i'd add that several posters will be glad to see Bent go. I'd also add that i see Ireland is now surplus to requirements as well continuing the trait of selling our best players.

Bent and Ireland are not our future they're our past

I for one will be glad to see Bent go - He's never really developed the kind of relationship with the fans that other iconic CF had and there is always somrthing of the mercenary aspect about him. He won't start for us and the money he raises would be better spent elsewhere. It will also put an end to the current distracting sideshow

Also I'd dispute that Ireland is one of our best players - he certainly has the potential to be but has failed to deliver (not just for us but previous clubs too)

Lambert and Henke will unearth a few gems in the next few transfer windows and Bent & Ireland will be forgotten

[VillaCas]

Out of the top six which team currently needs a striker and out of the rest who could currently afford him?

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him going abroad although the two most likely candidates at home, Liverpool and QPR might come in for him depending of course on Liverpool's finances, what they still owe us on the Downing deal and if we want to strengthen a relegation rival?

I think Liverpool are most likely. Bent might have some success with Gerrard, Sterling and Suarez supplying him. My guess is that unless QPR pick up a couple of wins before January they will feel that they are adrift and will not want to spend to heavily

[Morpheus]

Bent and Ireland are not our future they're our past

I for one will be glad to see Bent go - He's never really developed the kind of relationship with the fans that other iconic CF had and there is always somrthing of the mercenary aspect about him. He won't start for us and the money he raises would be better spent elsewhere. It will also put an end to the current distracting sideshow

Also I'd dispute that Ireland is one of our best players - he certainly has the potential to be but has failed to deliver (not just for us but previous clubs too)

Lambert and Henke will unearth a few gems in the next few transfer windows and Bent & Ireland will be forgotten

Aren't all footballers mercenaries now though. You just can't single out Bent for that and if a top team came in for Benteke or Westwood what do you think they would do? The fact remains that played to his strengths, Bent is a goalscorer and thats why we paid 18m plus add ons for him and thats why if he does go to another team he will continue to score goals whether he is our future or not. I actually think its ludicrous to sell someone like that when you are struggling to score goals and in a relegation battle.

One further point. We need to be very careful in thinking that it is a given that our manager and new scout will keep unearthing 'gems' to replace the likes of Ireland and Bent. Our current position is precarious and we might very well regret selling Bent in particular.

Have Young, Downing, Barry and Milner been forgotten? You only have to look throughout the threads to see they have not and there is a very good reason for that.

I hope your arrogance is well founded?

[itdoesntmatterwhatthissay]

I believe there are players out there, I actually have a scout list on my other PC I'd be happy to hand them ha, but I understand the Bent scenario is a complicated one.

I think I am the only person I know who wants Bent to stay, everyone else thinks he is a waste of time.

I can see him being very successful at Liverpool, if that's where to goes, but only because they play the right sort of game with the ball constantly moving into the box, the Gerrard swung ball helps.

We don't do that, and haven't since consistently since MON, neither do we shoot from outside the box when the opportunity comes.

It is clear that Lambert prefers an influential midfield, demonstrated by Benteke holding the ball up/taking neat touches and Gabby charging down the wing and waiting for support. Bent doesn't give you this, he is a goal scorer and poacher.

Bent lacks the ability to play neat constructive football, and unlike Gabby isn't a hard worker, Benteke is the main man and has proved his worth and that leaves Lambert a headache. Does he revert to wingers throwing the ball in to a Bent/Benteke 442 or does he carry on developing the linked up pass and move play.

If Bent goes it's a tactical decision, you have to stand by managers for those, personally I'd have a go at combining Albrighton, Bent, Benteke and Carruthers but so far I think Lambert is doing the right thing and developing a team with tactical comprehension; it's the holy grail of successful football, that and a Michu.

[mikeyp102]

I for one will be glad to see Bent go - He's never really developed the kind of relationship with the fans that other iconic CF had

I'd completely disagree with that, from what I see the fans love him, on Saturday there were chants for him to come on and then when he did come on there was a massive roar..plus who cares if he isn't iconic... Salifou was iconic and he never played

[VillaCas]

Aren't all footballers mercenaries now though. You just can't single out Bent for that and if a top team came in for Benteke or Westwood what do you think they would do? The fact remains that played to his strengths, Bent is a goalscorer and thats why we paid 18m plus add ons for him and thats why if he does go to another team he will continue to score goals whether he is our future or not. I actually think its ludicrous to sell someone like that when you are struggling to score goals and in a relegation battle.

One further point. We need to be very careful in thinking that it is a given that our manager and new scout will keep unearthing 'gems' to replace the likes of Ireland and Bent. Our current position is precarious and we might very well regret selling Bent in particular.

Have Young, Downing, Barry and Milner been forgotten? You only have to look throughout the threads to see they have not and there is a very good reason for that.

I hope your arrogance is well founded?

This is Darren Bent we are talking about not Lionel Messi. Bent is not a 20m striker he's at best a £8m one now. His history is Ipswich, Charlton and Sunderland not Chelsea, Man United and Barcelona. When he played for a top half side (spurs) he was found wanting. If you told every premier league club they could have Benteke or Bent, I guarantee that all 19 would take Benteke.

Although 25 minutes of course is too little to properly judge what happened on Saturday is exactly why Bent can't work at Villa.

Arrogance? No mate, arrogance is thinking that you know better than a successful manager and ex-CL winner

[sne]

This is Darren Bent we are talking about not Lionel Messi. Bent is not a 20m striker he's at best a £8m one now. His history is Ipswich, Charlton and Sunderland not Chelsea, Man United and Barcelona. When he played for a top half side (spurs) he was found wanting. If you told every premier league club they could have Benteke or Bent, I guarantee that all 19 would take Benteke.

Although 25 minutes of course is too little to properly judge what happened on Saturday is exactly why Bent can't work at Villa.

Arrogance? No mate, arrogance is thinking that you know better than a successful manager and ex-CL winner

So all the people who criticised Alex McLeish last season ought to have shut up?

[VillaCas]

So all the people who criticised Alex McLeish last season ought to have shut up?

It was different with McLeish because he was shit

[VillanousOne]

His history is Ipswich, Charlton and Sunderland not

and Spurs?

my main issue with all the people who want Bent to leave is that weren't you the same people who were desperate for us to sign a selfish fox in the box style goal poacher, and when we get one some people were then saying 'he doesn't work hard enough, he doesn't contribute enough.'

yes i get the fact we sold his supply line, but surely aside from the recent spell out of the team and crappy attitude/ego aside - Bent has pretty much done what he was bought for and scored goals, even when we have lacked a creative line.

He may not be Messi, he may be not the best all round striker but aside from Defoe how many natural goal scorers are there in the league right now? Then drill that list down to ones that would play for us?

It's like the moment Lambert stopped rating Bent loads of Villa fans jumped on this weird 'Bent is not good enough' bandwagon, not even seeming to consider the fact that if Benteke got injured and we'd flogged Bent.... then what?

Maybe Bent isn't all that, maybe he has an attitude problem and needs to be sold, but i don't believe the way people are judging and rounding on him is fair. Look at Clark's comments today about Bent, paints him in pretty decent light, does that mean loads of you will now say Clark is wrong and by proxy 'not good enough.'

and yes people are entitled to not like or want Bent in the side, but i just don't see what concrete criteria there is for this. If Lambert played Bent and he started scoring again I think many would stop saying he should be sold.

[VillaCas]

and Spurs?

my main issue with all the people who want Bent to leave is that weren't you the same people who were desperate for us to sign a selfish fox in the box style goal poacher, and when we get one some people were then saying 'he doesn't work hard enough, he doesn't contribute enough.'

yes i get the fact we sold his supply line, but surely aside from the recent spell out of the team and crappy attitude/ego aside - Bent has pretty much done what he was bought for and scored goals, even when we have lacked a creative line.

He may not be Messi, he may be not the best all round striker but aside from Defoe how many natural goal scorers are there in the league right now? Then drill that list down to ones that would play for us?

It's like the moment Lambert stopped rating Bent loads of Villa fans jumped on this weird 'Bent is not good enough' bandwagon, not even seeming to consider the fact that if Benteke got injured and we'd flogged Bent.... then what?

Maybe Bent isn't all that, maybe he has an attitude problem and needs to be sold, but i don't believe the way people are judging and rounding on him is fair. Look at Clark's comments today about Bent, paints him in pretty decent light, does that mean loads of you will now say Clark is wrong and by proxy 'not good enough.'

and yes people are entitled to not like or want Bent in the side, but i just don't see what concrete criteria there is for this. If Lambert played Bent and he started scoring again I think many would stop saying he should be sold.

Some good points there

I did mention Spurs, but you'll remember that he left Spurs after being ridiculed by Redknapp ("my missus could have scored that....etc")

I welcomed Bent when he turned up, but now think it is the right time to leave - in a top half side, who win plenty of the ball and can supply Bent he makes some sense. In a bottom half side that struggle for possession he doesn't

It's not that Bent is a bad player, he's not, but tactics are changing in the game and teams are looking for a more rounded focus point for the attack. In an ideal world it would be nice to keep Bent on the bench (like Dzenko or Hernandez) but a. we cant afford that and b. its unlikely Bent would settle for that

I think if Benteke is injured Gabby, Bowery or Weimann would be the options - none of them ideal but we can't afford to keep a top class striker on ice, 'just in case'

I don't think Bent has shown any inclination to try and adapt his game to PL's style and I don't think that we should or that we could afford to build a team around Bent

Good luck to him - I hope he goes to a side abroad and is successful. If he goes to another team in the PL then I hope he is a dismal failure

[VillanousOne]

Some good points there

I did mention Spurs, but you'll remember that he left Spurs after being ridiculed by Redknapp ("my missus could have scored that....etc")

I welcomed Bent when he turned up, but now think it is the right time to leave - in a top half side, who win plenty of the ball and can supply Bent he makes some sense. In a bottom half side that struggle for possession he doesn't

It's not that Bent is a bad player, he's not, but tactics are changing in the game and teams are looking for a more rounded focus point for the attack. In an ideal world it would be nice to keep Bent on the bench (like Dzenko or Hernandez) but a. we cant afford that and b. its unlikely Bent would settle for that

I think if Benteke is injured Gabby, Bowery or Weimann would be the options - none of them ideal but we can't afford to keep a top class striker on ice, 'just in case'

I don't think Bent has shown any inclination to try and adapt his game to PL's style and I don't think that we should or that we could afford to build a team around Bent

Good luck to him - I hope he goes to a side abroad and is successful. If he goes to another team in the PL then I hope he is a dismal failure

yep that does make a lot of sense, just hope we can push on and adapt with Bent in the team - but the odds seem stacked against that

[TrentVilla]

I assume other people must have watched 'Goals on Sunday' but I've not seen it mentioned in this thread, they had Steve Bruce on and he was talking about Bent. It was fairly obvious that Bruce was being quite guarded and that the relationship between Bruce and Bent wasn't particularly good.

One thing he did say, which I think kind of fits with Bent, is that he needs a lot of love from a manager a point he really emphasised. The way he said it was almost as a criticism. He said that he thought the situation was odd but then commented that Bent doesn't seem to stay anywhere more than a couple of years, that he thought it was odd that he wasn't in the side but then I think it was him rather than Paul Jewel who went on to say that people should bare in mind that Lambert is the one who see's Bent in training everyday. A comment I thought was rather loaded.

None of this really adds much to what we know but it was quite interesting to hear one of his former managers talk about him in that way.

[Big_John_10]

I still think if you're not scoring goals and you have a proven goal scorer in the squad as the manager you have to make it work.

It's been mentioned before but bent has scored goals for different managers, in different formations with a range of quality around him.

[Ulver]

I'll paint the following scenario for those with short memories.

We'll sell Bent, Randy will pocket half and Lambert will probably spend the other half on 3 or 4 squad fillers.

Come January onwards we'll still be the Premiership's lowest goalscorers (because we wont have addressed the problem) and will still be stuck in the mire

Bent will be banging in the usual amount of goals for whoever he signs for

June 2013. After a fairly impressive campaign Benteke hands in a transfer request as he didn't want to join a struggling club.

Villa agree to sell and say they don't need to replace him as they have some kids coming through and already have Gabby, who by then will have scored approx 5 league goals in 1 and a half years ... and so on

Lambert tells the supporters, 'we'll be fine'

[Stevo985]

We'll sell Bent, Randy will pocket half

Yeah, all that money he's pocketed from previous transfers.

Just because he hasn't spent th emoney on transfer fees, doesn't mean he has pocketed the money.

I'd guess most, if not all, has gone towards wages.

[BOF]

So not having a short memory involves painting hypothetical future scenarios.

[TrentVilla]

I'd guess most, if not all, has gone towards wages.

Well that and paying the price for his idiotic managerial appointments

[Ulver]

the short memory reference was obviously to do with Bent being the goalscoring God we'd all been waiting ten odd years for, and is now (for no apparent reason) deemed not good enough for a piss poor, shot shy, relegation threatened side

but i guess you knew that already

[8pints]

This season Bent has played 12 times, scored three times.

Benteke has played 15 times and scored five times.

So Bent is 1 in 4, Benteke is 1 in 3.

So if we're focusing purely on the present, they're pretty much equal currently.