Two papers tonight (on Xmas Night, so must have kept back the quotes) have the same story.
In the stories the Mirror and Mail headlines are different. The Mail’s is
Bent stays! We won’t sacrifice striker says McLeish despite having no money in January
And the Mirror’s is totally different
McLeish admits: I could sell Bent
Of course with these delayed the stories were designed to make max impact before a major game but in neither article with quotes does Mcleish give a categorical denial that Bent will not be sold. So when Mcleish says in the positive Mail article can any Villa fan really say it would not happen ?
I’m not willing to sell anybody but you can never say never because you just don’t know what might happen.
In the more negative Mirror piece then you can see that in fact the words are pretty much the same
McLeish said: “I wouldn’t think anybody can afford Darren. I wouldn’t think so.
“It is very much a kind of juggling of the balls at the moment.
“We have got to trade carefully so that means I can’t just go into the market without there being a kind of balance.
“But losing a striker of Darren’s ability would be difficult to replace.
I personally think in many ways both articles are right, he would not want to sell but at Villa every player has his price and we should not be naive to think otherwise. With the links to Fernandes and QPR he could have flatly denied he would sell Bent at any price, he has not done so. I think we will see continual links for Bent and Gabby all transfer window.
This is the killer quote for me and it screams out SELL TO BUY
That means I cannot go into the market without there being some kind of balance.
However in this situation we are in, with the wage situation and all that it is not surprising at all is it ? I do wonder if Mcleish is playing a danergous public game here with Randy and making clear if anyone else goes for big money it is NOT the manager’s fault ?
UPDATE : The Sun carry the same quotes as well – LINK
Aston Villa News 24/7
It just gets worse and worse. Can’t see the point anymore. We either have crap mediocre players that no one wants (not even us really) but got no choice but to play them. Or when we get a decent player it is only a matter of time before we willingly sell to the highest bidder. Wev become like a selling club like west ham. Think how gud they would be if they had rio
Sorry pressed publish by mistake before i finished!!
It just gets worse and worse. Can’t see the point anymore. We either have crap mediocre players that no one wants (not even us really) but got no choice but to play them. Or when we get a decent player it is only a matter of time before we willingly sell to the highest bidder. Wev become like a selling club like west ham. Think how gud they would of been if they had rio, cole, lampard, car rich and tevez. We are declining fast Lerner out.
If Bent wants to go also, thats another matter.
Tbh, I don’t rate Bent that Highly, he needs far too many chances to score and doesn’t work nearly as hard enough.
Andy Cole was a poor striker but scored so many as thre service he got compared to his chances, made up for it.
Bent had the service last season, so he scored alot from it.
Yeah I can understand selling him, we get his huge wages off and we get some cash to spend on buying some other players.
The needs of the many, out weigh the needs of the few.
Sell him, take a gamble on Rhoades form Huddersfields for 3-4 mil and a fraction of the wages. If we continue to play the way we did v arsenal, any striker willing to work his socks off will score for us.
Sorry to say this because i love villa but we will go down within two seasons if the top brass at the club keep doing this i think Lerner as to go fast big time or we are fucked simple. oh and if Bent does not go in jan he will in the summer we have seen this before Barry,Milner,Young, its the same this time Bent as been put in the shope window.
Erm,… We KNOW all our players are openly for sale. I don’t have to list the greats who’ve jumped ship since Lerner came on board. AM is just another shit Lerner appointment like those at the Browns.
LERNER OUT!!!!
the thing is Dave in the current economic situation it is the case for 90% of the clubs
Unfortunately Ian we support a club that is run by people that haven’t got a clue when it comes to pleasing it’s customers, have a manager that isn’t fit for purpose and a very average 1st 10…the other player the one that plays right back is just not fit to to be anywhere near a football pitch……I wouldn’t say 90% of the other clubs are in a dire position like that would you really if you took those Villa tinted specs off?
Ian, would you say Lerner’s tenure has been a success so far? I’d say no, far from it, simply for the fact we are no further forward as a club and over £100M in debt with the worst manager since Venglos, and most disliked since DOL.
I harp on about his treatment of the Cleveland Browns, but it’s turning out to be identical to his running of the Villa.
We find ourselves whoring our players out whilst showing zero ambition. The FFP and economic situation I find a smokescreen for running a club into the ground and stripping its assets.
all that could be true Dave but look at the piece linked and see there is little alternative if any
…And also a smokescreen for simply poor managment.
really ?? look at the transfer market and notice the clubs who spent a lot net ? who qare not cutting wages, who are being free with money … Not a lot is it ?
Isn’t that the point of football being fucked. If the majority of fans protested en mass by staying away then the game would have no chance but to listen. Spurs, with their structure, ambition, sustainable spending, style of football are the only club worthy of respect today compared to what Lerner is doing to us. And the fact they have a decent manager.
but Spurs are helped by the fact they can charge £1000 plus for ST’s !!! It is not like they have not spent, look back over the time but they sold big when they had to.
They made a point a million miles away from ours when they insisted on keeping Modric. We just sold.
if bent goes how many fans wont renew so mcginger fuck off b4 its to late for this once super club
I don´t rate Bent very highly, because he doesn´t suit in our current team. We need a target man who is strong in the air and combines with Gabby. Very difficult to find somebody – maybe Kenwyne Jones, who doesn´t score regularly but is strong in air on good on the ground. And with additional money I would go for a midfielder and a left back. Warnock is simply not good enough. If AM would deal so, he would get my applause but he would be killed by most fans.
The problem is of we got say £20M for Bent do you trust the manager to get good replacements in ?
I wouldn’t give this loser a penny we’ve seen what he does in the transfer market…Replaces Young with Hutton & Makoun with Janus…..The bloke is a serial failure….
ian, thats a good question but it doesn´t count. If we sell Bent in Jan, there will be money to spend for AM.
In the summer AM bought N´Zog and Hutton. First started very slowly but shows improvement over the last couple of games. And he was a prime target for all of us fans in the summer. He hadn´t a good pre-season and thats the reason behind is bad form in the beginning. Hutton is heavily discussed, but for me he is quite doing a good job. He is one who can defend (many will disagree) and is going forward too and supplies good crosses. If Bent would be sold, it would be interesting how we would get in at least. And then it would be more AM´s team than of the previous Managers.
What has everybody got against warnock? He’s been quality this year, more so recently, you all seem to refuse to open your bloody eyes to it!
Plus, Mcleish has already bought a left back in for january, so that’s some of your applause earned already
Can´t understand your judgement. Houllier knew why he turned to a other left back. AM brought a new left back for Jan? Who?
Ashley Cole. Sorry, it’s actually Nat King Cole…
What Houllier did to him was pathetic, he’s always been a decent player.
Enda stevens, the irish one…
Its true amc isnt a great manager and the season so far has been shit , but for me the problem lies with lerner , we could fuck amc off tomorrow and the next manager that comes in will have exactly the same problems . Cuts cuts cuts , where will it end ?
Darren bent will be sold it is just a matter of time , which saddens me as its taken the clud so long to get a quality striker , when we finally get one and see what he can do for our club ….. what happens lerner sells his supply line .
Surely that sheik mohamed has a brother or son , plz come and buy the once great aston villa !!!!!! utv sotc
Its very simple in the modern game.. No Cash, No Gains..!
Manager wise i agree with ‘markham’ amc is not the greatest manager we could have but any manager would stuggle without good players or money to buy some. Lets be honest, who would want to manage the Villa at this very time when its so clear we are a selling club.
Hope 2012 is a better year than the last with GH surprisingly finishing in the top half of the table after making us being the laughing stock in the PL..
Fingers crossed Hutton pulls his socks up and Bent stays a bit longer, cos we really need to stay away frm the bottom half of the table.. it just pisses me off too much!
UTV!