Martin O'Neill

[1878]

I'll be honest and say that Milner never looked like a £12m player in his time here and I was astonished when O'Neill coughed up for him. He'd go for £15m+ now easily and is getting better every season.

 

...and that HAS to be down to the manager and coaches ; I reckon Robertson takes a lot of credit for Milner's progress, but NUFC have to accept responsibilty for either not playing him in the right position, or not developing his ability into the sort of player he now is.

Maybe KK would have moved him inside - he certainly didn't want to sell him.

 

Well, Keegan didn't want Smith or Owen to be sold either. By that stage, Milner was a pawn in the power struggle between him and Wise.

 

Credit to O'Neill because what he spotted in Milner was potential, not performance. I don't think any of the other big clubs were interested or prepared to pay anything like that money. And it's not like Milner slotted instantly into a regular first team place at Villa.

 

What Milner has got is a fantastic attitude to self-improvement. His physical fitness is now quite astonishing, for someone who doesn't look like the greatest natural athlete. He also thrives on responsibility, and while he wasn't ready for that central role while he was with us, he's got there with Villa.

 

iirc Moyes also wanted him when he joined Villa.

 

I was made up we never got him at the time because I thought £12m was a ridiculous price, not looking that way anymore though.

[johnnypd]

milner was pretty awful here and was never going to fulfil his potential at this club, so it was for the best that we sold him. the problem for us was not reinvesting that £12m.

 

i dont think anyone is saying oneill's failed at villa, btw, he's done a good job. it's more that he has hit a ceiling to his achievements. because it can really only play one way and has players to fit that system the current side can only go so far and would have to be comprehensively dismantled and rebuilt to consistently go any higher. i cant seeing o'neill doing that, or being more flexible in how he sets his sides up, or being more creative in the transfer market, which is what would be needed to kick on.

[Guest Phil K]

Milner did have his moments, but got very sulky at the end.

Incidentally, what does Brummie think of the whole "Booing Villa even tho' doing well" which seems to have permanently angered O'Neill ?

When we did it (while playing awful) we were pilloried in the press (and still are for THEN !) 

[TheGuv]

milner was pretty awful here and was never going to fulfil his potential at this club, so it was for the best that we sold him. the problem for us was not reinvesting that £12m. 

 

i dont think anyone is saying oneill's failed at villa, btw, he's done a good job. it's more that he has hit a ceiling to his achievements. because it can really only play one way and has players to fit that system the current side can only go so far and would have to be comprehensively dismantled and rebuilt to consistently go any higher. i cant seeing o'neill doing that, or being more flexible in how he sets his sides up, or being more creative in the transfer market, which is what would be needed to kick on.

 

We did 6 million on Xisco

[johnnypd]

milner was pretty awful here and was never going to fulfil his potential at this club, so it was for the best that we sold him. the problem for us was not reinvesting that £12m.  

 

i dont think anyone is saying oneill's failed at villa, btw, he's done a good job. it's more that he has hit a ceiling to his achievements. because it can really only play one way and has players to fit that system the current side can only go so far and would have to be comprehensively dismantled and rebuilt to consistently go any higher. i cant seeing o'neill doing that, or being more flexible in how he sets his sides up, or being more creative in the transfer market, which is what would be needed to kick on.

 

We did 6 million on Xisco

 

[brummie]

Milner did have his moments, but got very sulky at the end.

Incidentally, what does Brummie think of the whole "Booing Villa even tho' doing well" which seems to have permanently angered O'Neill ?

When we did it (while playing awful) we were pilloried in the press (and still are for THEN !) 

 

It's the biggest non-story ever.

 

We get booed a handful of times, when we've played really badly. It's no surprise anywhere in modern football these days.

 

Martin does seem to go on about it, and not let it go, though. He's never been one to take criticism lightly.

[brummie]

Brummie these stats were posted a few pages ago. The players in bold are the ones i feel have been a success at Villa Park. Tell me what you think...

 

FIRST SEASON 2006/2007

 

In

 

Stiliyan Petrov Celtic £6.5m

Didier Agathe Celtic Free

Chris Sutton Celtic Free

Phil Bardsley Manchester United Loan

Gabor Kiraly Crystal Palace Loan

John Carew Lyon Swap

Ashley Young Watford £9.65m

Shaun Maloney Celtic £1.1m

 

Maloney - good player, couldn't settle, sold him back for double what we paid.

Kiraly - emergency goalkeeper loan

Bardsley - bog standard right back

Sutton, Agathe - signed as unattached players as the takeover went through a couple of days before the window closed and we could only sign unattached players.

 

SECOND SEASON 2007/2008

 

In

 

Wayne Routledge Tottenham £1.5m

Moustapha Salifou FC Wil Undisc.

Curtis Davies West Brom Loan

Zat Knight Fulham £3.5m

Scott Carson Liverpool Loan

Harry Forrester Watford £250 000 initial fee rising on appearances

Eric Lichaj Unattached Free

Marlon Harewood West Ham Undisc (region of £3.5m?)

Nigel Reo-Coker West Ham £8.5m

 

Harewood, Routledge - shite

Forrester, Lichaj - promising kids

Davies - did very well until he injured his shoulder this season, played in some of our best performances this year (Liverpool away, eg) and was on the fringes of the England squad.

Knight - didn't rate, but did an OKish job, got our money back. Scored some important goals.

NRC - a limited footballer but plays the niggly, tenacious role in the middle well. Can't pass, mind.

 

THIRD SEASON 2008/2009

 

In:

 

Curtis Davies (WBA undisclosed but around £7.5million?)

Steve Sidwell (Chelsea £5.5million)

Brad Friedel (Blackburn, undisclosed but in the region of £2 - £2.5million)

Brad Guzan (Chivas US, undisclosed, starts at around £800k up to £2m on appearances etc?)

Nicky Shorey (Reading, around £4m?)

Luke Young (Middlesbrough, around £5m?)

Carlos Cuellar (Rangers £7.8million)

James Milner (Newcastle, around £12million?)

Arsenio Halfhuid from Excelsior (undisclosed)

Emile Heskey from Wigan Athletic (£3.5m)

 

Cuellar - truly excellent centre back, shoved out of position at right back where he struggles, Good signing.

Halfuid - promising kid

Milner - superb

Shorey - started awfully, did well tail end of last season, clearly on way out.

Sidwell, Heskey - crap.

 

Why, though, have you not included this season's signings

 

Dunne and Collins - 10m the pair. What a fantastic piece of business that was.

Downing - has done ok, but missed first half of season through injury, so is struggling a little

Delph - has incredible promise, has done exceptionally well when used. Good buy, will be an important player for us.

Warnock - been absolutely superb for us, great business

 

In short, the shit ones are Routledge, Harewood, Heskey and Sidwell.

 

The excellent ones: Dunne, Collins, Young, Carew, Young L, Delph, Warnock, Cuellar

 

[Village Idiot]

You skipped over Salifou, you cheat!

 

What was the deal with that guy?

[brummie]

You skipped over Salifou, you cheat!

 

What was the deal with that guy?

 

Cost a million (or less), did ok for us in the UEFA Cup, probably on his way this summer.

[brummie]

Villa really should have purchased Darren Bent when the opportunity was there.

 

Is the correct answer.

[Village Idiot]

To be honest doesn't look like a horrible signing list. No real big flops in there, all high-priced purchases have performed reasonably well at the very least. Of course, I don't know which wages they are in. Looks to me that what Villa needs is very good central midfielder to make stuff happen upfront, instead of just trusting your wingplay. Petrov and a central Milner don't strike me as very creative types, despite their other virtues.

 

Delph is a nice little player, but he's featured little. Wonder if he should have been loaned out for this season at least?

[brummie]

To be honest doesn't look like a horrible signing list. No real big flops in there, all high-priced purchases have performed reasonably well at the very least. Of course, I don't know which wages they are in. Looks to me that what Villa needs is very good central midfielder to make stuff happen upfront, instead of just trusting your wingplay. Petrov and a central Milner don't strike me as very creative types, despite their other virtues.

 

Delph is a nice little player, but he's featured little. Wonder if he should have been loaned out for this season at least?

 

Yep, that's about right. And a decent striker, too.

[Rob W]

Those prices aren't even high - any PL player of any talent goes for £ 7-£ 12 these days

 

you have to lay out £ 15-£ 20 mm for a top class player and if you Really want to challenge in Yurop you need a  couple of £ 30mm + players I reckon

 

That's Villa's problem - they've built a good top half PL side but they need to spend £ 50mm to make the top 4

 

I reckon it would cost some sugar daddy £ 200 -£ 250 mm to buy NUFC the players over 4 seasons to get us into serious yuopean contenders