James Milner appreciation thread: The next Steven Gerrard?

KittyeeTrix

Raekwon wrote: »

But that's my point, money seems to be his number one motivation for this move. If he stays at Villa he will be paid more then any other player in the clubs history, be an integral part of the team, play every single game & possibly become club captain and an England regular (which will probably happen regardless). Can he be guaranteed at of that at City?



City are not traditionally a big club and they will always be in the shadow of Man Utd and for this reason they are doing everything they can to rectify this situation and that could be their down fall. Throwing money around and assembling a squad of world class players with massive egos and ridiculous salary expectations will only lead to one thing............and it won't be the Premier League of Champions League title. If Milner move to City then he is only buying into a dream of what they could be.........and IMO that is a huge gamble.

Love it:D:D


Anyhoo ignoring the obvious statement to rise City fans I would say that Milner has gone to City to perhaps be a player in a team which has aspirations to "not be in the shadow of Man Utd":rolleyes: not forgetting the other clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal by gaining and retaining Champions League football

It's clear by City's signings that they have a plan to come out fighting next season and become a dominant force in the league.......Whether this transpires or not is anyones guess as too are any statements regarding Milner's decision to go to City, my own included:)

Helix

event wrote: »

why would villa fans suddenly be annoyed with him?

its completely different to gerrard saying he may leave liverpool (why was that even brought up)

he has been with the club for a massive 2 years permanently. its not like he is born and bred, he's a leeds fan FFS.

no one could be annoyed with him. He sees the chance to go to a club that is on the up, instead of staying with a club that IMO, could go down this season(not relegated, but down the table). There is nothing wrong with trying to further yourself in your career when you have no real emotional ties with your club

hes being called a parasite and everything on villatalk

bloody pathetic

no issue with him wanting to go to the most ambitious club in the world from a team who'll be lucky to get top 7 next year

Raekwon

Ush1 wrote: »

Feck all. And? That's one season. They've spent heavily in their history and are the most successful club in the world.

And? You said money = success didn't you? I pointed out that £250m = 0 trophies? Would you call that successful? Plus throughout Madrid's history they have relied more on home grown talent to provide the nucleus of their team rather then expensive foreigner players (up until the late 90's when the Galácticos era began), kind of what Barcelona & Man Utd have done and the polar opposite to what Man City are doing.

Raekwon

fluffyorganic1 wrote: »

Anyhoo ignoring the obvious statement to rise City fans

I wasn't trying to get a rise out of anyone, its just a fact that is as plain as day.

As I said before, James Milner is not bigger then Aston Villa Football Club so if he leaves for City I won't begrudge him at all but I will lose some respect for him the same way Arsenal fans lost respect for Adebayor or Man Utd fans lost respect for Tevez.

What ever happens I hope it's in the best interests for Villa and we can sign players to strengthen the squad and put Milner to the back of ours minds like we did with Garth Barry.

KittyeeTrix

Raekwon wrote: »

I wasn't trying to get a rise out of anyone, its just a fact that is as plain as day.

As I said before, James Milner is not bigger then Aston Villa Football Club so if he leaves for City I won't begrudge him at all but I will lose some respect for him the same way Arsenal fans lost respect for Adebayor or Man Utd fans lost respect for Tevez.

What ever happens I hope it's in the best interests for Villa and we can sign players to strengthen the squad and put Milner to the back of ours minds like we did with Garth Barry.

:D

Raekwon, seriously I'd like to believe ya but for some reason I don't;)

Raekwon

fluffyorganic1 wrote: »

[/B]

:D

Raekwon, seriously I'd like to believe ya but for some reason I don't;)

I'm dead serious, I said City were in Utd shadow because it's true. It would be like a billionaire Arab buying the likes of Torino or Espanol, they would be able to attract world class players but they would still be in the shadow of Juventus & Barcelona for obvious reasons.

Ush1

Raekwon wrote: »

And? You said money = success didn't you? I pointed out that £250m = 0 trophies? Would you call that successful? Plus throughout Madrid's history they have relied more on home grown talent to provide the nucleus of their team rather then expensive foreigner players (up until the late 90's when the Galácticos era began), kind of what Barcelona & Man Utd have done and the polar opposite to what Man City are doing.

No they haven't, their original marquee Galactico was Alfredo Di Stefano. They have always spent big and the club has always been about the best players. In fact, they would be more famous for letting their best home grown talent go to other clubs. I do believe they won a couple of trophies in this awful Galactico era you speak of, and with 250 million they finished with a record points high in La Liga. If they aren't successful now, it will just be a matter of time.

Right, so Barca and Man.United don't spend heavily on foreign imports that have been absolutely instrumental in their success?

Yes, money does = success. Look at the most successful clubs in the world, they're all rich and can buy the best players.

Ush1

Raekwon wrote: »

I'm dead serious, I said City were in Utd shadow because it's true. It would be like a billionaire Arab buying the likes of Torino or Espanol, they would be able to attract world class players but they would still be in the shadow of Juventus & Barcelona for obvious reasons.

Indeed, like Chelsea are in the shadow of Man. United, Arsenal etc... and not winning the league and FA Cup and stuff.

Why exactly are you losing respect for Milner for wanting to move?

JPA

BTW, a Milner to City thread already exists, http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055916317

Raekwon

Ush1 wrote: »

Indeed, like Chelsea are in the shadow of Man. United, Arsenal etc... and not winning the league and FA Cup and stuff.

Why exactly are you losing respect for Milner for wanting to move?

lol You are just arguing for the sake of arguing now. What I said is quite clear and I have already mentioned why I would lose respect for Milner if/when he moves to City.

rossie1977

Esse85 wrote: »

He really seems to be enjoying life at Villa and he's not your typical footballer who's just motivated by money.

Esse85

rossie1977 wrote: »

Your a dumbass.

That was wrote in March, can you provide evidence to show he wasnt enjoying his time at the club, Villa were still chasing 4th spot at that stage, still in the FA cup and the previous month he scored in a cup final at Wembley.

He's not motivated by money, he wants to join the most ambitious team in the world, a team who will challenge for the title over the next number of years, he wants to play with better players, he will do all this at city. I bet if City matched the wage he's on at Villa he'd still want to leave, its football reasons.

Epic fail on your behalf.

parker kent

JPA wrote: »

I've seen this said from time to time and I believe anyone who says it has not watched Milner properly at all.

I have watched him since he was 16 (that sounds creepy btw ) and I stand by my assessment. He like most English players lacks the technique that top-class midfielders have. I seriously doubt his ability and intelligence to control a game from midfield, especially the way a £30m midfielder should.

In the hustle-bustle world of the just below the Champions League places in the Premiership for Aston Villa, what he does is fine. But for a team with league winning pretensions and the money to back that up, that is not enough. His showing at the World Cup (virus aside) showed up his lack of ability.

Boskowski

parker kent wrote: »

I have watched him since he was 16 (that sounds creepy btw ) and I stand by my assessment. He like most English players lacks the technique that top-class midfielders have. I seriously doubt his ability and intelligence to control a game from midfield, especially the way a £30m midfielder should.

second that. He's a decent player with good enough skills for a solid to good in places premiership player in midfield. sole reason why crazy money is being brought up for him is he's English. If he was from from Europe he'd be considered not more than a 'squad player' for any of the top teams. 30 million for him is nuts. Ffs Sneijder, Robben, Ribery were all bought for less buy astute buyers. He's nowhere near those guys. Milner appreciation thread lol. Why not have one for Titus Bramble?

Eire-Dearg

Just read that Milner is unhappy with MON's comments and denies him wanting to leave, while City will make a £24m "take it or leave it" offer.

JPA

parker kent wrote: »

I have watched him since he was 16 (that sounds creepy btw ) and I stand by my assessment. He like most English players lacks the technique that top-class midfielders have. I seriously doubt his ability and intelligence to control a game from midfield, especially the way a £30m midfielder should.

In the hustle-bustle world of the just below the Champions League places in the Premiership for Aston Villa, what he does is fine. But for a team with league winning pretensions and the money to back that up, that is not enough. His showing at the World Cup (virus aside) showed up his lack of ability.

1. Milner does not lack in technique in anyway. What he lacks is a bit of acceleration.
2. He is not a controlling the midfield kind of player, same as Gerrard and Lampard are not.
3. No player is worth £30 million, that is no the discussion here.
4. At the WC he started a game he shouldn't have. The next game he stated he got an assist and was MOTM to many including the BBC.

JimsAlterEgo

Prediction
If Milner goes to City he will be out of the team by Christmas and will leave next summer :pac:

parker kent

JPA wrote: »

1. Milner does not lack in technique in anyway. What he lacks is a bit of acceleration.
2. He is not a controlling the midfield kind of player, same as Gerrard and Lampard are not.
3. No player is worth £30 million, that is no the discussion here.
4. At the WC he started a game he shouldn't have. The next game he stated he got an assist and was MOTM to many including the BBC.

1: Yes he does lack technique. He has a decent cross but that is not overall technique. He is not comfortable on the ball in the way other midfielders are. Bar Scholes, England have not had such a midfielder in a long time.
2: In the football world, such valuations are allowed. If he were Bastian Schweinsteiger or somebody, I would say £30m was OK. But since City have launched their bids over the last few years, valuations have become ridiculous. Then add in the added premium for England internationals.
4: BBC talked a lot of bull after that Slovenia game.

JPA

parker kent wrote: »

1: Yes he does lack technique. He has a decent cross but that is not overall technique. He is not comfortable on the ball in the way other midfielders are. Bar Scholes, England have not had such a midfielder in a long time.

Well I'd just question how much you have watched Milner with comments like that, he is constantly demanding the ball and available to take possession and is completely comfortable on the ball. I suggest you take another look when you can.
I'm not comparing him to Scholes as he is not a player like that, you seem to be lumping midfielders all into one category though.

parker kent

JPA wrote: »

Well I'd just question how much you have watched Milner with comments like that, he is constantly demanding the ball and available to take possession and is completely comfortable on the ball. I suggest you take another look when you can.
I'm not comparing him to Scholes as he is not a player like that, you seem to be lumping midfielders all into one category though.

I am not lumping all midfielders into one category. I needed an example of English midfielder who could pass the ball so Scholes is the obvious choice. Obviously not all midfielders are the same.

Milner in no way justifies that fee. I do not need to watch him more often as I see him regularly. I have seen him regularly since he emerged at Leeds. I suggest you watch somebody other than Aston Villa if you think he is an elite midfielder. He does not have the footballing intelligence of the top midfielders (of any variety fro Makelele to Xavi to Scholes).Villa are not a team that can or even try to dominate possession so Milner does not have to do what he would need to at a top team.

Anyway, I highly doubt City will play him in central midfield. A hard working right sided player is more likely. But that is not worth £30m.

eagle eye

parker kent wrote: »

I am not lumping all midfielders into one category. I needed an example of English midfielder who could pass the ball so Scholes is the obvious choice. Obviously not all midfielders are the same.

Milner in no way justifies that fee. I do not need to watch him more often as I see him regularly. I have seen him regularly since he emerged at Leeds. I suggest you watch somebody other than Aston Villa if you think he is an elite midfielder. He does not have the footballing intelligence of the top midfielders (of any variety fro Makelele to Xavi to Scholes).Villa are not a team that can or even try to dominate possession so Milner does not have to do what he would need to at a top team.

Anyway, I highly doubt City will play him in central midfield. A hard working right sided player is more likely. But that is not worth £30m.

He is English and you have to accept that when discussing his price.

Now if you were buying an English midfielder for a big team and you had a £30 million to spend on one, what player would you buy? Lets just say that Gerard and Lampard are not available.

If you were making up a list, who would be top of it?

For me anyways Milner would be top of that list and by miles. He has improved every season, he is only 24 so you have a huge potential upside as well as guaranteeing a high quality proven Premier League player who can play at the very top level on the wing or inside.

parker kent

eagle eye wrote: »

He is English and you have to accept that when discussing his price.

Now if you were buying an English midfielder for a big team and you had a £30 million to spend on one, what player would you buy? Lets just say that Gerard and Lampard are not available.

If you were making up a list, who would be top of it?

For me anyways Milner would be top of that list and by miles. He has improved every season, he is only 24 so you have a huge potential upside as well as guaranteeing a high quality proven Premier League player who can play at the very top level on the wing or inside.

Why does he have to be English? I'd rather buy somebody better for less.

If they just want an English midfielder, play Barry. I'd rather take a punt on Rodwell than Milner.

eagle eye

parker kent wrote: »

Why does he have to be English? I'd rather buy somebody better for less.

If they just want an English midfielder, play Barry. I'd rather take a punt on Rodwell than Milner.

Reason for English players.

1. Homegrown rule
2. England Internationals are a huge commodity. If you have a couple on your team it makes the team more attractive for televised games, sponsorship etc.
3. England players rarely move abroad and as such any transfer is between rival Premier League clubs which makes the acquisition tougher and more expensive.

Lukker-

He has a square head.

HyperSkypeWiper

Dont go to City Jimmy Come home to Leeds

parker kent

eagle eye wrote: »

Reason for English players.

1. Homegrown rule
2. England Internationals are a huge commodity. If you have a couple on your team it makes the team more attractive for televised games, sponsorship etc.
3. England players rarely move abroad and as such any transfer is between rival Premier League clubs which makes the acquisition tougher and more expensive.

The homegrown rule can be easily fixed by adding in a few youth team players. There have not been proper moves made yet to sort out that situation. I also highly doubt that companies around the world are jizzing themselves over Milner and about to throw sponsorship money at them.

You could also say that English players rarely move abroad and as such, any transfer has less interested clubs. So the fee should be less.

Michael Johnson, Adam Johnson and Gareth Barry are 3 players competing for positions Milner can play in. They are all English and already at the club. Just play them instead of signing yet another midfielder.