Martin O'Neill - Whopper!
Discussion
Before I begin it's only fair to point out that I'm a Liverpool fan.
I used to have a lot of respect for MON, ever since his early days at Leicester I've enjoyed his boisterous touchline antics, and sharp whit in dealing with players and interviewers alike.
That respect has all but evaporated recently over the Barry saga; being in the relatively fortuitous position of having a friend closely associated with LFC, I've come to see that MON isn't the guy I thought him to be.
I can't go into specifics, but he's been caught with his pants down in his dealings on this deal; has constantly changed his asking price, and has basically acted like a prize idiot. He had the gall to accuse Liverpool of playing out the dealings through the press, but almost every single day for the last few weeks he's been blabbing to the press, dressing LFC as the devil incarnate.
Well, bo**ocks! Todays backdown over the 'deadline' is cringeworthy, and makes him look like a small time chancer: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7539228.s...
The way he's acted is thoroughly embarrassing, and a good club like Villa are deserving of better actions IMO.
I used to have a lot of respect for MON, ever since his early days at Leicester I've enjoyed his boisterous touchline antics, and sharp whit in dealing with players and interviewers alike.
That respect has all but evaporated recently over the Barry saga; being in the relatively fortuitous position of having a friend closely associated with LFC, I've come to see that MON isn't the guy I thought him to be.
I can't go into specifics, but he's been caught with his pants down in his dealings on this deal; has constantly changed his asking price, and has basically acted like a prize idiot. He had the gall to accuse Liverpool of playing out the dealings through the press, but almost every single day for the last few weeks he's been blabbing to the press, dressing LFC as the devil incarnate.
Well, bo**ocks! Todays backdown over the 'deadline' is cringeworthy, and makes him look like a small time chancer: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7539228.s...
The way he's acted is thoroughly embarrassing, and a good club like Villa are deserving of better actions IMO.
Also a Liverpool fan and agree that MON seems to have acted the arse over the whole deal, accusing us of going to the press when the releases have actually come from their side.
However, you can't blame the guy for a) trying to keep their captain and best player, and b) if accepting the inevitable, getting us gobs
tes to come up with 18 million for him.
Personally given he has 2 years left on his current deal, 12 million seems about 'right' - although its difficult to quantify these days. Don't get me wrong, I do rate him as a player but he's no spring chicken and seems a natural replacement for Xabi... who is very very good and will cost us nothing cos... he's our player. A bit of a puzzling transfer summer if you ask me. Keane is a good signing but is he a 20 mill signing? I guess only time will tell. I have a feeling we'll create more for him than Spurs did.
However, you can't blame the guy for a) trying to keep their captain and best player, and b) if accepting the inevitable, getting us gobs
tes to come up with 18 million for him. Personally given he has 2 years left on his current deal, 12 million seems about 'right' - although its difficult to quantify these days. Don't get me wrong, I do rate him as a player but he's no spring chicken and seems a natural replacement for Xabi... who is very very good and will cost us nothing cos... he's our player. A bit of a puzzling transfer summer if you ask me. Keane is a good signing but is he a 20 mill signing? I guess only time will tell. I have a feeling we'll create more for him than Spurs did.
What a load of crap!
This all started when Stephen Gerrard came out in the press saying he wanted to play with Barry at Liverpool.
Since then Liverpool have made a number of bids, which Villa turned down as they are entitled to do. Liverpool have refused to deny they are still interested in the player, preferring to let both Barry and Villa sweat on the deal.
Tell me exactly what MON has done wrong? I'll tell yer, fk all!!!!
This all started when Stephen Gerrard came out in the press saying he wanted to play with Barry at Liverpool.
Since then Liverpool have made a number of bids, which Villa turned down as they are entitled to do. Liverpool have refused to deny they are still interested in the player, preferring to let both Barry and Villa sweat on the deal.
Tell me exactly what MON has done wrong? I'll tell yer, f
k all!!!!I think the fiasco started with Carson. MON wanted him but did not want the price that Liverpool put up.
Yes the price was inflated but what club puts their "International" players up for sale that are a bargain?
So that got MON back up because he did not get his own way and he has adopted the firm stance since.
Shame because prior to Spring I had a lot of respect for MON and his petty comments and exasperating comments throughout this debacle seem to have made the media soak up the story. Imposing a deadline, banning players, stupid really.
That said Barry has been the biggest problem. He wants CL football but does not want to lose his loyalty bonus which he will do when submits a transfer request. Personally I would rather Villa keep him and we plump the cash on wingers. Lucas, Gerrard, Mascha and Alonso are all the midfield you need.
Yes the price was inflated but what club puts their "International" players up for sale that are a bargain?
So that got MON back up because he did not get his own way and he has adopted the firm stance since.
Shame because prior to Spring I had a lot of respect for MON and his petty comments and exasperating comments throughout this debacle seem to have made the media soak up the story. Imposing a deadline, banning players, stupid really.
That said Barry has been the biggest problem. He wants CL football but does not want to lose his loyalty bonus which he will do when submits a transfer request. Personally I would rather Villa keep him and we plump the cash on wingers. Lucas, Gerrard, Mascha and Alonso are all the midfield you need.
Alfahorn said:
What a load of crap!
This all started when Stephen Gerrard came out in the press saying he wanted to play with Barry at Liverpool.
Since then Liverpool have made a number of bids, which Villa turned down as they are entitled to do. Liverpool have refused to deny they are still interested in the player, preferring to let both Barry and Villa sweat on the deal.
Tell me exactly what MON has done wrong? I'll tell yer, fk all!!!!
Sorry, but that's not correct.This all started when Stephen Gerrard came out in the press saying he wanted to play with Barry at Liverpool.
Since then Liverpool have made a number of bids, which Villa turned down as they are entitled to do. Liverpool have refused to deny they are still interested in the player, preferring to let both Barry and Villa sweat on the deal.
Tell me exactly what MON has done wrong? I'll tell yer, f
k all!!!!It started way before Gerrard spoke of his admiration, and it was actually the Brum press who released the story, supposedly after seeing a faxed bid from LFC. Until that point, the only people who knew of the deal were those high up at Villa and Liverpool respectively.
You're correct, Liverpool have made a number of bids (as they're well within their rights to do), and Villa have turned down each of the early bids (again, as they're well within their rights to do so), but where Villa have acted incorrectly is in their changing of the price, and the method with which they want Liverpool to pay. Though the £18m price has been bandied in the press, O'Neill has continually altered this figure in his communications with LFC, and it is he who has been blabbing to the press, not Liverpool.
Liverpool are interested in the player, so why would they ever say they weren't? They only made it known once they had been given an indication that there was a deal to be had, but O'Neill appears to have got scared that he would be found out attempting to sell his captain, and has come out with a pile of garbage in the press.
In trying to get the best price for their asset Villa have done no wrong, but the constant moving of the goal posts is a pi55 take IMO. As sad as it may be for Villa, Barry will end up at LFC, we're the only team who are looking to buy him and by all reports he wants to come to us. £18mish by anybody's measure is a lot to play for a player of Barry's current standing, so why don't Villa should stop playing the victim, sell him for a set price, and move on?
Alfahorn said:
How do you know Villa have changed their price, the only price I've heard is £18m.
Liverpool have developed a track record in unsettling players going back to Christian Ziege, they even upset Spurs in their dealings with the Keane transfer.
A coincidence? I think not.
The figure quoted in the media is £18m, but the figures placed on Barry's head by Villa have varied almost daily. LFC and Villa had an agreement, then Villa reneged on it.Liverpool have developed a track record in unsettling players going back to Christian Ziege, they even upset Spurs in their dealings with the Keane transfer.
A coincidence? I think not.
Liverpool are no better, nor any worse, than any other top football side. I'm sure they've done things which they're not necessarily proud of (the Ziege transfer was a good example), just the same as any successful football club (or most top businesses?).
I think everybody knows that a certain Villa manager supposedly wasn't/isn't adverse to 'tapping up' a player or two...
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