Marvin said:
I hope Ireland agrees to join Villa and City get Milner.
But if Ireland stays I like I am sure the vast majority of City fans will be get fully behind him. I was bemused and confused by his performances last season, particularly the home League Derby, but if he applies himself like he has done before we know what a good player he can be.
It's too simplistic to say that if Ireland doesn't do what Mancini/Marwood would like he is acting against City. Who's to say Mancini is acting in the best interests of the club? He might think he is, but he might well be wrong. I am usually blinkered by loyalty to always back the manager, but in hindsight when the blinkers are off I think how stupid I have been. Before now I've defended Alan Ball and Joe Royle to the hilt.
We don't really know what goes on behind the scenes with players and the manager so we shouldn't be so quick to condemn and write players off.
I'd love to see Milner at City, but I am very confident that if Ireland decides to stay he will still have the goodwill of 99% of City fans, and he like every other player will always have that while they put the effort in.
At the end of the day, Stevie Ireland will do what is in his own self interest, and I hope that coincides with City. I have no idea if City would be able to buy Milner for a straight cash deal.
In short lets not condemn players just because it seems to be getting in the way of what City's management want to do. The players are human beings with families and affinity to City as well and not pieces of meat. I am sure City's management recognise this as well.
I also hope that there we can maintain a good relationship with Villa and their fans through this saga. The fact that we're been after their players is a back-handed compliment to them.
Pretty sure our chairman is none too impressed by the way your side have dealt with things. He's not one to usually speak to the media but has said that.
I think i can pretty much guarantee that the vast majority of Villa fans will welcome Milner staying if this proves to be the case. You seem to think that O'neill left because of lack of ambition/funds available. That seems not to be the case as he has been given plenty of funds to spend on players. The problem is his lack of rotation and actually using the players within the squad that he has amassed. We have players that total some 300K a week that just barely make the bench. This is what the chairman had beef with. The same 11 players playing irrelevant to if they are tired or out of form. He asked O'neill to clear the players that were not playing. O'neill refused. He then spat his dummy out at the chairman because he wanted 10M to waste on Mcgeady of Celtic.
The good thing about O'neill leaving is that we may actually use our squad of players and all the players that he fell out with will actually start with a fresh slate. Our squad is actually a fairly strong one with perhaps missing a Striker and a creative central midfielder. Clearing out of the shite still needs to happen the likes of Beye, Sidwell and Heskey plus with the players that have already gone we have some movement within our wage structure to buy those missing players.
Time will tell if Milner is a Villan by September the 1st but i think with the reception he got from us on Saturday it shows he is still wanted at the club. The same can't be said with players that you seem to cast off with little regard, players with years of service to the club too, such as Dunne last year. I'm kind of hopeful that the lack of speed to which this deal has had plus with players such as Dunne in the ear of Milner so to speak may persuade him to stay.