James Milner

[BlueAnorak]

Very close

Really? Great news if so.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/11288839/James-Milner-and-Joe-Hart-closing-in-on-new-deals-at-Manchester-City.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... -City.html</a>

I noted that this article was up on the Telegraph site at 18:58 and then pulled an hour or so later. I wonder why?

 

[Pezzer2]

Milner chuffed to bits his neighbour remembered to put his recycling bin out after returning back to Manchester #boringmilner

[URL=http://s968.photobucket.com/us...m/albums/ae161/Leighpez/Jamesmilner.jpg[/img][/url]

 

[gouldybob]

Really? Great news if so.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/11288839/James-Milner-and-Joe-Hart-closing-in-on-new-deals-at-Manchester-City.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/footba ... -City.html</a>

I noted that this article was up on the Telegraph site at 18:58 and then pulled an hour or so later. I wonder why?

According the The Sun (trust at your peril) he's stepped back from signing and is being linked with Inter on a free.

 

[gouldybob]

.

 

[J_Bow]

pmsl

 

[hihosilva]

pmsl

Yeah, I can see that. Milner has the footballing brain and skill to play any position.

 

[BlueAnorak]

It was back up on the Telegraph site an hour later so just editorial problems at the Telegraph.

I see the Maily Dail have Peelers trying out Jimmy as a False number 9 next week...
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2873827/James-Milner-striker-Manuel-Pellegrini-says-deploy-Manchester-City-s-Mr-Versatile-No-9-role-solve-injury-crisis.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... paign=1490</a>

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini will trial James Milner as a deep-lying centre forward in training this week as he attempts to solve his club’s chronic injury crisis.
City face three matches this month without a fit striker after Edin Dzeko injured his calf before kick-off at Leicester and joined Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic on the casualty list.
Frank Lampard’s goal gave City their seventh straight win to keep them on Chelsea’s tail at the top of the table but Aguero is out until mid-January with a knee injury, Dzeko is unlikely to return until the new year and there are similar fears about Jovetic, who strained a hamstring against Roma last week.
James Milner will be trialed up front in Manchester City training this week by Manuel Pellegrini

Pellegrini says Milner is a very useful player for the squad and may play as a deep-lying forward
Pellegrini will assess whether David Silva, Samir Nasri or Milner can cope with playing as a false No 9 and also ask Patrick Vieira if anyone from his development squad can step up. Jose Angel Pozo, the 18-year-old who replaced Dzeko on Saturday, prefers to play in midfield while four City forwards — Alvaro Negredo, Jordy Hiwula, Marcos Lopes and Andy Cole’s son Devante — are out on loan.

The possibility of a new role for Milner is intriguing. ‘We will work this week with the players to see who can play best in that position. It can be Silva, it can be Nasri, it can be Milner,’ said Pellegrini.
‘We must decide which is the best one. I always said James is a very useful player for the squad. At some moments he wants to play more but wherever he plays he is important. That is why we've kept him here.
‘Pozo is not a striker. We must try to find another way to play because our strikers will be out for at least one month more.’ Pozo replaced Edin Dzeko against Leicester- the Bosnian injured himself in the warm-up

The mounting injury list could not have come at a worse time for City. Centre back Vincent Kompany also pulled up with a recurrence of a hamstring injury, meaning more pressure will be put on veteran defender Martin Demichelis alongside £32million summer signing Eliaquim Mangala.
Pellegrini believes it is a consequence of top players being worked too hard. ‘Last year I remember playing nine games in December and nine games in January. It is difficult for the players to keep the high pace, because of the intensity of every game in the Premier League.’ The City boss would like to see the festive season reduced rather than ended.
‘I understand Boxing Day is important for English football but if we play on the 26th, I don’t know why we have to play on the 28th and January 1,’ he said.
Pellegrini will fight for reinforcements in January but at least he has Lampard. The 36-year-old, on loan from City’s parent club New York City FC, settled a dour match at Leicester with a 40th-minute finish from Nasri’s cross for his 175th Premier League goal.
Vincent Kompany is expected to miss the rest of 2014 after being taken off injured at the King Power Stadium

Frank Lampard and City want his contract with the club extended until March but they need MLS permission Both player and club want his loan spell extended until March but it will need permission from the MLS, who have promoted Lampard as one of their biggest stars.
Leicester remain bottom of the table and yesterday sacked director of football Terry Robinson. He was informed of the decision by chief executive Susan Whelan. There are no suggestions that manager Nigel Pearson’s job is in danger. The 51-year-old would not confirm interest in Jermain Defoe, who plays for Toronto in the MLS, but indicated he would like a goal poacher similar to the ex-Spurs man.

 

[TFC]

Perfectly boring hat trick for Jimmy coming up then....tap in with the left, tap in with the right, tap in header....

In seriousness, you know he could do a job up front. The lad could do a job anywhere, the personification of versatility.

 

[wattle]

Suggested this on shadow striker thread.
Me and Pellers eh? Great minds and all that. Makes perfect sence to me (oh yeh, and my appretice Manuel)

 

[Dribble]

pmsl

You do realise that he started life at Leeds as an out and out striker?

Considering our options, he's the one I'd start with up front in the absence of any recognised strikers.