brummie

That's the thing. That's exactly it. And that's why Lambert wants to move him on, the game has moved on, and strikers of the type of Bent are old hat. But, as I said, if you play to his strengths, he's one of the best around. If you don't, then he's a waste of space.

That's unfair. He hasn't bitched or moaned whilst here, not at all.

I'm not questioning Lambert's decision with the team, he's got it right and you play good football, a little naive maybe at times but still great stuff to watch. And it's only going to get better imo. I just think Bent doesn't deserve that kind of treatment, moving clubs or not. agree with that, also doesn't help Villa's position in getting the best fee possible as clubs will laugh at the £8m asking price when he's been told to train with the kids and that he wouldn't play at all. Very strange move That's my point. He'll be about to move somewhere, as in imminently. I don't imagine this was sprung on Bent when he arrived at training.

I have not heard a bad word said about Bent at the club, amongst the fans, or in the media by the management team, absolutely not a peep. If he is training with the kids, I would say that is more likely to be due to an impending move than anything else. Alan Hutton was told to do the same thing, and was pretty good about it, said it wasn't malicious from Lambert, but he'd told him he wasn't going to be playing for us this season, so it made sense. Shortly after, we sent him on loan. 99 percent of Villa fans will wish Bent well when he moves on, it isn't that he's a bad player, far from it - it was only two years ago that we bought him in January and he without a doubt kept us up - it is just that the type of player he is does not fit in with what Lambert wants. Anyone who has watched us last season for more than ten minutes can spot that. I have to say, though, it's funny that six and a bit months ago, Lambert was being practically ridiculed by the likes of Lawrenson, Hansen, Lineker et al for playing Benteke instead of Bent. Look how that turned out.

It won't be about money. The problem is that Bent is the total opposite to a Lambert player - Lambert prefers the more modern type of striker who does much more than stick it in the net. That was always going to be problematic. Having said that, though, Lambert did give him a chance. He actually made him captain for a short while in the early stages of last season, so he was prepared to try him. He's a ruthless fucker, though. That training with the kids thing, he did it with Warnock and Hutton, too.

I can't believe anyone - even Kinnear - would be stupid enough to not spot the potential issues with playing Cisse with Bent.

We've gone through a total change in our purchasing policy. We're now actually doing some proper scouting, and buying young, promising players, and not just from the UK. At the same time, we're moving out massive waged dross and players who don't really contribute what they cost (Stephen Ireland, Bent, Given, Dunne etc etc). Something had got very wrong when, shortly after MON left, our wage bill was £10m more than Spurs, and about £20m more than Everton's. OK spill the beans on our big summer signing See the Bent thread.

Of course he's not shit, and anyone who thinks he is clearly needs to take off their doom-tinted specs. At what he does, he's amongst the best. The question is, whether what he does is what you need.

This. I almost think he'd be better off going somewhere like Hull, where they'd probably be willing to do that. As said above, he's a quality finisher, and a good professional, but unless you are happy to put up with the fact he won't do anything else, and you're relatively confident of getting the ball to him, he's not going to produce.

Someone is going to get a bargain with Bent. He's a brilliant finisher, and I can't really remember seeing many strikers so good at reading the offside rule - that's something Benteke could learn from him on, he's so good at it. There are two issues, though. Firstly, if you don't give him the ball where he wants it, he's not going to score. So, with Ashley Young and Downing whipping balls in for him, he scored lots of goals. Under McLeish, where there was not enough attacking intent, he was a waste of space. Secondly, he applies the finish, but that is quite literally all he does. Benteke, by comparison, is a totally different kettle of fish - he offers so much for the team, he works hard, he is an intelligent player who knows how to use space. Bent doesn't do anything like that, and it is anathema to what Lambert wants from his players. There aren't that many strikers of Bent's type around these days, and it's for a reason. If he goes to a team who can guarantee getting the ball to him a fair bit, and who are willing to work around the fact that he doesn't do anything else, someone will get a bargain.

Nor me. I can only think it means he's very close to an exit.

We've gone through a total change in our purchasing policy. We're now actually doing some proper scouting, and buying young, promising players, and not just from the UK. At the same time, we're moving out massive waged dross and players who don't really contribute what they cost (Stephen Ireland, Bent, Given, Dunne etc etc). Something had got very wrong when, shortly after MON left, our wage bill was £10m more than Spurs, and about £20m more than Everton's.

I've never heard of him, either. Or any of them, to be honest. In fact, I'd never heard of any of our signings before, bar Okore.

German media saying we've agreed a fee with Nuremburg for Hiroshi Kiyotake, French media saying we've agreed a fee with Bordeaux for Henri Saivet. No idea about either of them, but they are apparently both young. Also, some rumours about a Bulgarian player called Milanov, or something, and that Belgian dude. Whose name I can't remember. Yes, him.

I followed him for about a week before I realised I could take no more. Most of his activity is taken up by arguing with people doubting his credentials. He's clearly some 14 year old sat in a bedroom somewhere, having the time of his life.

The more I hear Kinnear spouting nonsense like this, the less I think you have to worry about. He's made himself to be a joke figure six weeks before the season even begins. He's now sounding like a Joe Kinnear tribute act. He's clearly fucking mental, and as a result, won't last very long. It's not going to be fun for you, but on the bright side, it won't go on for too long.

Leeds are a warning to lots of clubs.

The press down here have been stressing - for a few weeks now - that we're not interested in Belhanda, and have never bid, and won't be.

I think you are spot on. It is sickening, and that is indeed the way it always happens.

I think he's actually a pretty promising player.

Fairwell, then, Bret Holman. You ran around a fair amount, but you weren't very good.

There is no need, Joe Kinnear created that database on his commodore 64 . . . .after creating the commodore 64. Of course, his greatest achievement was his invention of the BASIC programming language.

The only job I'd trust that self serving cunt to do in a pub I run would be to wash out the piss-flooded bogs every morning. With his stupid fucking tongue.

I must say, I too raised an eyebrow at that. If he was angry at not keeping the fanbase onside, what on earth did he think appointing Kinnear to this role was going to do?

This lad. Top blerk. This Am in tears of laughter. For the right reasons, though, he really does sum up the utter fucking frustration people feel from being football fans.