Player thread: James Milner (2014/15)

Zin 'messiah' Zimmer said:
rnblade said:
His work rate is phenomenal. If Yaya had Milners work rate can you imagine what he would be like.
Milner just wants to be on the field all the time, understandably. Looks like he will leave in the summer. Pity.

Work rate you say? Steve lomas had phenomenal work rate

His problem, as has always been the case, is his touch and awareness in congested spaces....
He has been 100% given assurances from dippers that he'll play centrally, and frankly, not arsed, he believes in himself that this is his best position and has the bargaining chips to boot, however, does he make the scousers stronger?? les Dennis moment......:::.

Oh and yaya seems to of got this far on his 'limited' work rate...... Here's a suggestion, rather than watching headless chickens who ignite flames in your loins because they run 11k per match, try watching what players like yaya actually do!!!

That'll be the lazy arsed Yaya that makes more passes per game than any player in the league and in his last outing had 131 touches on the ball; what a waster.
 
OB1 said:
Zin 'messiah' Zimmer said:
rnblade said:
His work rate is phenomenal. If Yaya had Milners work rate can you imagine what he would be like.
Milner just wants to be on the field all the time, understandably. Looks like he will leave in the summer. Pity.

Work rate you say? Steve lomas had phenomenal work rate

His problem, as has always been the case, is his touch and awareness in congested spaces....
He has been 100% given assurances from dippers that he'll play centrally, and frankly, not arsed, he believes in himself that this is his best position and has the bargaining chips to boot, however, does he make the scousers stronger?? les Dennis moment......:::.

Oh and yaya seems to of got this far on his 'limited' work rate...... Here's a suggestion, rather than watching headless chickens who ignite flames in your loins because they run 11k per match, try watching what players like yaya actually do!!!

That'll be the lazy arsed Yaya that makes more passes per game than any player in the league and in his last outing had 131 touches on the ball; what a waster.

Watch what he does to the dippers depleted midfied tomorrow... All aboard.....
 
The Last Boy Scout (James Milner)

Will Smith recently let slip the secret to his success:

The only thing I see that is distinctly different about me is I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period. You might have more talent than me. You might be smarter than me. You might be sexier than me. You might be all of those things. But if we get on the treadmill together, one of two things will happen: either you’re getting off first, or I’m going to die. It’s really that simple.

I couldn’t agree more with the Fresh Prince. Nobody ever got anywhere without a little stoney-nosed perseverance. Whether it’s voice recognition helplines, triple clasp bra straps or novels over 300 pages. Endeavour is why we grit our teeth and plough on in the face of all manner of adversity.

————

Endeavour is why Jamie Milner plays for the Premier League champions. Often ahead of Jesus Navas – a World Cup and European Championship winner, no less. Most paths to the top are muddled and obscure, with various developmental leaps and the odd fortunate break paving the way. Jamie’s story is a much simpler one. He is where he is because he’s the poster boy for giving 210%. A Boy Scout marathon runner. In a league full of incredibly fit athletes, Milner is the patron saint of the extra mile.

————

Milner’s career resembles the weak batch of industrial glue that went on to become the Post-it Note. Every passage of play evolves into an inadvertent success. That heavy first touch turns into a possession-winning tackle. Chasing down his own over-hit pass becomes a makeshift through ball. You might have more talent than Jamie. You might be smarter than Jamie. Hell, you might even be sexier than him. But when you’re both going after a loose ball near the corner flag, one of two things will happen: either you don’t come away with the ball, or Jamie dies. It’s really that simple.

————

It’s a wonderful attitude to have. Give me the hungry man, keen to prove his muster, any day of the week. Life isn’t an ice cream; if you accidentally lick the top off and it falls on the floor, you can’t simply ask for another one. You just have to get down on all fours and battle the neighbour’s dog for the best bits of what’s salvageable. I really feel this is a lesson Jesus Navas has yet to learn.

Milner wouldn’t even need asking. He’d be straight down there on his knees, hunting down the scraps – just like he does on the field of play. There are 99 reasons why Navas should be a better footballer than Jamie Milner, and there’s only one why he isn’t. That treadmill.

————

Milner might look more Neanderthal than right-sided midfielder, with those impossibly widthy forearms and jawbone three sizes up from his skull. But there’s more to the Humbersider than being a perennial contender for “Footballer who looks most like he wipes his arse with moss”. He has a heart that’s also three sizes up from the rest of him, and a desire that can only be measured using interplanetary equipment.

When Manchester City ran out of anything resembling a striker in early November, they held trials to see who could play up top. Despite being one of City’s least skilful outfield players, there was only one winner. Pellegrini turned Milner into his big number nine and City promptly embarked on a 14-game unbeaten run.

————

Football the Milner Way isn’t without its own unique pressures. The only direction can be down for the man banging on the glass ceiling of talent with both fists. A ceiling that’s never going to be breached unless and until Milner significantly reduces the number of times he dribbles directly out of play. What must this do to a chap’s psyche? All that’s left is nervous contemplation of those more talented further down the order. Fretful glances at the Abdel Taraabts of this world, operating at 60% of their potential, who could shoot past Jamie at any moment. There are, after all, inherent limitations to Milner’s game.

For instance, it is impossible to tell which team has the ball when Milner goes on a run. Milner in possession is football’s dark matter. We’re fairly confident it exists, but even the cleverest minds can’t definitively prove it. It must be hell for those totting up possession statistics. They presumably just split the difference as a succession of heavy touch – tackle – heavy touch – tackle sees Milner propel the ball in gauntlet-like fashion towards the opponent’s byline. Never in control, never out of control, Milner doesn’t so much beat a man as he does engage him in a series of hostile encounters. Meeker footballers are also available.

But it’s this desire, coupled with lungs the size of hot water bottles, that gives Jamie his fighting chance; his toe-hold at the top table. Each week Milner solves the footballing riddle with the blunt tenacity of an angry man trying to kick down a small tree. It can never be a beautiful process. But it is a process. One that put Bayern Munich to the sword in their own back yard in 2013.

————

This season Milner has raged against his own mediocrity. In a team full of polished diamonds, it is Milner who has carried the fight. With the forward line arranged head-to-metatarsal on the physio table, and Yaya brooding over half-forgotten grievances, Milner has stood up and been counted. In a side better known for its balletic dismantling of opponents, Milner has thrashed, cajoled and bullied teams into submission.

There’s something noble in Milner’s toil. Almost knowingly sacrificial. His very luminescence in a team of superstars will undoubtedly lead to the conclusion that reinforcements are necessary. Duly leaving him with more competition than ever before. The reality is that Milner shouldn’t be good enough for a starting place in the Manchester City Project. And yet, somehow, he is.

By definition, Milner is the last man on the team-sheet. Never a solution in himself, simply a question put to others. He’s the Gaffer’s Gambit in five or six different positions; Option B in a probing managerial game of “Would You Rather?”. In a very real sense, he is every footballer’s acid test. Because, if all else fails, Milner will do a job. If needs be, he’ll do it in your position.

————

Such wedded commitment to scorching every blade of grass is admirable. What worries me is whether it has become a handicap to Milner’s creative development. Whether skill and guile have become bartered properties in return for an unnerving omnipresence on the heat map. In a game invariably won and lost through the brilliance of thought, fans go home happy because Milner gives them 110% of his legs and lungs. If he would give them perhaps just 80%, we might find we have the English Iniesta on our hands.

As it is, we’ve got the Rino Gattuso of wide midfield, block-tackling his way into dangerous areas. He just keeps on rushing around. Either, like Bruce Forsyth’s career, he point blank refuses to slow down. Or, like the bus in Speed, he simply can’t.

Rest of article <a class="postlink" href="http://toogoodfortheenglishgame.com/2015/02/23/the-last-boy-scout/%20%20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://toogoodfortheenglishgame.com/201 ... out/%20%20</a>
 
Re: Is Milner given the recognition he deserves?

mat said:
Can't help but think if he played for Stretford he'd be wanked over like the ginger pig.

Gets on with the job almost stealthly and has changed many matches for the better yet get ridiculed by fans especially Engerland ones for being shit.

I like him and think he's an important cog in our squad.
Not even from our own fanbase. If he was called Juan Milnér he'd be lauded as a cracking player.

His contributions to our team over every season is huge. Maybe not so much in goals or assists, or any statistical evidence, but in his work rate/closing down space/covering for others/playing multiple positions/just doing the right things for the team week-in-week-out.

I love James Milner!
 
Re: Is Milner given the recognition he deserves?

Huge fan of Milner's, he does such a valuable job in the squad.

Really hope he extends his contract here, I really don't know how we'd replace that type of player.
 
it is impossible to tell which team has the ball when Milner goes on a run. Milner in possession is football’s dark matter. We’re fairly confident it exists, but even the cleverest minds can’t definitively prove it. It must be hell for those totting up possession statistics. They presumably just split the difference as a succession of heavy touch – tackle – heavy touch – tackle sees Milner propel the ball in gauntlet-like fashion towards the opponent’s byline. Never in control, never out of control, Milner doesn’t so much beat a man as he does engage him in a series of hostile encounters.

Rest of article <a class="postlink" href="http://toogoodfortheenglishgame.com/2015/02/23/the-last-boy-scout/%20%20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://toogoodfortheenglishgame.com/201 ... out/%20%20</a>[/quote]

Best description of milner I've seen.
 
Intelligent run that led to him scoring tonight, took it well too.
Another impressive display from the bench.
 
Teams need players like Jimmy. Their effort and energy rubs off on team mates. He's not the most skilful but he tries to put in a shift every time he plays. And those clowns holding the purse strings should stop pussy footing around and give him the four year contract he wants even though he is 29.
 
City Watch @City_Watch · 1h 1 hour ago
Gazzetta: Roma chief Walter Sabatini was in England 10 days ago to convince James Milner to join them. Strong competition from Liverpool.

James is definitely not going to be a City player next season in my opinion.

Personally I think he is playing for a move.
 
sam-caddick said:
City Watch @City_Watch · 1h 1 hour ago
Gazzetta: Roma chief Walter Sabatini was in England 10 days ago to convince James Milner to join them. Strong competition from Liverpool.

James is definitely not going to be a City player next season in my opinion.

Personally I think he is playing for a move.

I think he'll end up at the dippers,doesn't strike me as the type of person who would go abroad,especially Italy.
 

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