James Milner, Sean Scannell, Shaun Maloney and my uncle bob
Sunday, 01 June 08, 06:10 AM · Comments (54)
For some strange reason Shaun Maloney has never had a proper run in the team and it looks like he wants to leave. I say it's strange because he is a Martin O'Neill player and he has done okay when he has played.
He'll probably go back to Celtic, but the rumours this week are that Roy Keane may also be interested. Either way, if he does go, it would be nice if Martin O'Neill explained why he didn't give him a proper run in the team after pursuing him and bringing him down from Scotland - but he won't.
In other Sunday news, we're about to offer £7mn. for James Milner. In my opinion, that's about £5mn. too much and while I thought he did an okay job for us when he was here, I think there is better; Shaun Wright-Phillps for example.
Milner is one of those players who has been a prospect for too long and hasn't really kicked on to the next level, which is really about consistency. It may come, but for me, I'd prefer to see the club signing a player at the next level rather than a Milner type, where we're going to hope for it to happen and maybe only see it in a few games.
The last rumour today is Sean Scannell. He's a seventeen year old striker who is currently at Crystal Palace. The rumoured price is £3mn. and he can also play on the wing.
This isn't the first time we've heard this rumour and if you click here you'll get to read a little write up from a Crystal Palace fan. He doesn't sound too bad, but making the step up is usually where these players fall down.
That's it from me this morning. I've got a craving for a kebab so my mission is set.
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54 Comments · Add yours
but he did class for us when he was at villa and every1 said ashley young was 2 much but hes came good for us just as milner will but i would prefer bentley
i heard we had a £7mil bid rejected and newcastle want more. if we are going to pay over the odds, why not pay the £15mil that should get bentley?
Go for Bentley yes.. He is everything we need.. plz get Bentley
i disagree about milner. he would be a terrific signing and a perfect person to have on the other side to young. whereas young likes to have freedom to roam, milner very much likes to get the ball down the right hand side and pump balls into the box. also bearing in mind, he is 22 and has had quite a few years of prem experience which is more than most have at his age including young.
i think they should go for him and swp or lennon. we need to rotate and this would give us that chance.
please mon, get him!
Milner would be a great signing - and a realistic target! People should stop talking about Bently, that would be great but it aint gonna happen - especially with talk of Arsenal and Liverpool wanting him! Milner would give us the balance we desperately need and would take the pressure off Young, we would have a threat on both wings. Bring him on!
Milners a good player,but we got to go bigger!Bentley for example,or wright phillpes.Well i gotta go my dinner is ready. ;D ;D ;D
I have to say Milner is definately the sort of player we need. We need as many options as possible as a club and if Young moves in behind the front two for example, we still have options on the wing.
Bentley would be the ultimate signing for us, but there isn't a chance in hell he will join us, plus I can't even see us going for him. We need around ten players and I don't actually think we have as much money as people say we have!
james milner is a brlliant player. and for 7mill, BARGAIN !!! well done martin o' legend. i always had faith you would do it. now just brng the hammer back aswell and we will see more of those petrov goals. GARETH WHO? NEVER HEARD OF HIM.
I would love to see Milner playing for villa again, as for your valuation Damian, what are you thinking, he was Newcastles best player this season. Under MON management the player can only get better.
Forget Bentley as i dont believe he would join us, as for SWP i would much perfer if he joined us as he suits Villa's more direct style of play.
Yet again we are linked to boring players.
Yet again we hear from boring fans. would be a good signing giving us another dimension from a different kind of attaking threat
no taglor we are linked to team players thats the point!
The reason he has never had a proper run is that Martin O'Neill doesn't know what to do with a player in Maloney's position and never has.
He was the same with Lubo Moravcik, Juninho and another prospect he signed and rarely played, David Fernandez.
He can't stop signing player that he won't use though. Maloney was off his head to sign for O'Neill given the fact that he only really flourished at Celtic under Gordon Strachan.
Don't make me laugh - I'd take Milner over SWP any day. SWP has no first touch, no vision, can't cross a ball or find a pass, and is shorter than Ruel Fox. All he can do is run fast and occassionally hit a ball from distance - hence the fact he's played sod all football since joining Chelsea, and has dropped right out of the England pecking order.
Milner's got more Premiership experience and more full games under his belt than SWP, despite being four years younger. He's a more physical player, can pick a pass and at 22, he's also got far more time to reach his full potential.
I'd have him back at Villa Park in an instant.
I think Milner would be a great signing, the perfect player to run our attack down the right. Him down the right, Young down the left a nightmare for any defence plus the pace of Gabbi up top to, god that would be more that a challange for even the quickest defence.
Would be a good signing, easier for him to fit in as he knows the place, he is superior to SWP.
Damo: 'good prospect that hasn't really kicked on to the next level'
You could write that more convincingly about 26 year old SWP! Yes, 26, thats 4 years older than the stronger Milner.
Can anyone tell me who put in the cross for Newcastle goal at VP?
i'd rather 12 mil for swp plus sidwell than 15 for bentley ... we have to get one of the 3 bentley swp or milner ...
I would like villa to sign one or two of these wingers that we are constantly lionked with, and in this order..
Wright-Phillips
Bentley
Lennon
....
Milner
I know Milner did a decent job for us a few years back - but recently cant getinto the Newcastle team and he is slow. In fairness to Wright-Phillips he is being kept out by world class players....and a few years ago - when playing regular football - he looked a serious player
Would like Milner and/or SWP. Not fussed for Bentley, trouble in the making IMO and did sweet FA against USA. Taglor - me really thinks you need to get laid and get rid of all this pent up frustration you have. Perhaps you should book an appt. with Pamela Stephenson!!
Milner is proven at Villa, he was a good player for us and crosses a decent ball. Forget about Bentley, he's off to a bigger club and I am sure craves CL football, Blackburn are not far behind us and I am sure he'd see a move to VIlla as a side step. As for SWP, he plays one good game in 3, which is why he can't get in the Chelsea side on a regular basis. I don't think in the current market that 7 mil is too much for Milner, he is Newcastles best player and someone i'd love to see down the wing for us next season, come on Martin sign him up!!!
SWP & Lennon both have NO end product, running *fast* into defenders gets a little boring. Of the too go for Lennon he'd be cheaper and might get better at 26 SWP is not suddenly going to learn how to get his head up or or cross a ball.
Bentley is better than Milner but I don't think he would come and will either go to a 'top4' (phhh!) or to Spurs as he's a spurs fan (apparently)
Milner for me, less likely to sulk than any of the others too.
Sign him Milner. He'll make us better.
Milner was Newcastle's best player for the large majority of the season. He didn't do much toward the season's end because he was injured and because Keegan switched to a three-striker formation.
would rather milner than swp. bentley's a great player, not sure about how his ego would fit in. milner is the safer bet.
Scannell is a nifty little player. Fast, skillful and aware. He doesn't stop running either. Future England player for sure. We should look into Michael Mancienne too.
i wish there were some rumours to inspire us.... Being a villa fan in transfer window time is just agony. When the new owners took over and Martin hadn't signed anyone the rumours were genuinely of players A) of proven quality or B) of real potential. Now 2 years on, zat knight, wayne routledge, and marlon harewood later rumours are of second rate or knock down bargins. Even deadly doug bought some quality players! Look at the people totenham and portsmouth are being linked to of have gone out and bought, and look at us, makes you very jelous
Defo prefer Milner to SWP. Smarter player, younger, far far better final ball. And obviously very much in the MON mold. If SWP is valued at £8m, then Milner can't be worth much less than £7m. It's all relative. Milner just isn't overhyped.
If we had SWP and NRC in the same side, we'd never hold onto the ball.
I know MON can be a bit of a head-scratcher in the transfer dept., but he did have us 6th with a real shout at 5th doing things his way. I've given up trying to anticipate his signings, but am comfortable letting him run the show without advice from me.
That said, however, I would like to wake up and see a Diego, Queresma, Henry or some such holding up a Villa jersey and smiling.
Damian...someone the other day pointed out Villa's books, some £60m debt, and a net loss on wages vs revenue. Can you enlighten us a bit on that? If there are no blockbuster signings, does this have anything to do with it?
beastmix scannell is irish not english
I like Milner think he is a really good player. It was a shame we couldn't keep him after his spell at Villa park but he is a newcastle boy.
Whats wrong with you, damian? you would like to question martin o neill for buying maloney?
RIDICULOUS, you do know that we have to buy sum1 to be a sub? And you question a £1million signing not starting in our team?
come on...!
Josh C
when martin o'neill purchased marlon harewood he told us he was purchased for the squad
when maloney was purchased we were told he'll strengthen the team
its fair to ask, why he hasn't been given a proper run. but as i've said - we wont get told
woooooooooooooooooooo!!! bently!
woooooooooooooooooooo!!! wright-phillps!
err...woohoo! milner!
wooish! scannel
Milner, SWP, Scannel..........hardly anything worth getting excited about. Again, more rejects from other teams, but at least both are better than Pennant or Routledge.......
I think SWP has more skill with the ball and speed, but Milner's final ball is better.
Why not just sign both?
Myles, yes, my mistake. I was thinking of Mancienne when I typed that.
ill let you off, seeing as though he said that, but if i heard him say that a £1million player would strenghen the team i would cry :(
lol
Ronaldinho seen in bham
sorry its off topic but stewart fucking downing starting instead of ash? whats going on there?
i wasnt expecting gabby but i thought ash was a shoe in
is there nothing to be said for signing damien duff, i think he would be an excellent signing
bentley or SWP would be much better, but dont think it will happen. for all our supposed weath, we seem to be doing things on the cheap. if man city & tottenham can go for ronaldinho & dos santos, why are we not in there too? just think it will be another dissapointing summer
just to throw my hat in the ring what thoughts
are there about zoltan gera on the right wing
i think he is tidier than milner and swp and he gets
a few goals. would like him and milner.
any comments guys?
i thought gera was pretty much done and dusted going to benfica, not 100% sure though
Huddlestone lennon Djibril Cisse saviola is more like it well we should at least be trying for these sort of players they all could give us a massive boost and give us even more goals than last season
I think all of them would be worth trying for saviola only played 9 games for madrid and is set to leave i no he refused us once but that was then this is now a lot can change in a year
And ciise i was reading he would like another crack at the premership allways looked a threat for liverpool but didnt seem to get much luck
Huddlestone and Lennon i think will be leaving so spurs can earn the money to sign dos santos and others
Milner deal probably won't be happening anyway. Villa bid £7 million and Newcaslte say they want £9 million. MON says he will wait two weeks for them to accept £7 million and then look elsewhere. If that's really the case MON has set his stall out? Who's gonna be the first to back down King Kev or MON? Can't see MON backing down as he's stubborn bugger when it comes to paying for players.
On another point I don't think ASH did his self much favours last night. Poor passing and lost the ball going forward most times. Come on ASH, go round them, not through them, your quick enough! UTV
Milner would be a decent signing but to be honest, i'd much prefer Bentley or Aaron Lennon!
apparently, maloney's agent reckons he is not goin anywhere accordin to sky sports. hope ths is tru as he is a flair player an can offer somethin different. but on the milner, bentley, swp debate, i reckon a bid for bentley wud be tops. he is the best of the 3 options, quicker then milner, an more potential then swp
What about that Hugo Campawotsit we've been linked with? Any know anything aboout him!
And er. . . Giourkas Seitaridis of Athletico Madrid! I signed him on Football manager before and he turned out to be ok! but that was on football manager though
farfan to play right and striker, he's a great player, i don't know why we want millner, who plays left????
young plays left????
farfan would kill 2 birds with one stone ST RW...
The trouble is with Bentley is that his attitude stinks. MON doesn't like players with bad attitudes.
interestin, where did u hear that?
According to his agent John Halliwell, Villa won't be letting the 25-year-old Scotland star go even though he lost his first-team place at the end of the campaign. He said: "Martin O'Neill does rate him highly. The sooner Shaun settled down the better it was for all concerned and he is focused on winning his place back next season which I am sure he will. "He still has three years to go and there are no problems whatsoever with Shaun and Villa. "At this moment in time it is status quo, nothing has changed. When I tell you it is the truth I promise it is the truth
Farfan would be a great signing for us, id play him straight down the middle. Is anybody getting the impression that Martin O'Neils name has only got a pull on just British players. I can't see him being a big attraction outside of Britain, therefore we are never going to see world class players down Villa Park with Martin in charge. If you have a Ramos or Sven they can attract big name players,its more like Martin whO'Neill.If you are a Top European player and were linked to managers in the ilk of Sven or MON...who would you want to be managed by? Sven all the way, he's the bigger name regardless of what team he's managing so when the press go one about MON signing just English players maybe it because the man has no attraction power outside this country.
The Quandon, I agree completley with you and have mentioned him before on this site.
Farfan is the right man for the job, fast, good technical ability, can play striker, exciting prospect, cheaper than Bentley
we will go for milner, sidwell and aimar from zaragoza we will get all of these and we will then go for a right back likely nelson we will fail and have to go for chimbonda. we wil aslo go for dunne and nedum onouha as melberg is gone. this way we wud be a powerful fore in premier league and europe