James Milner

[cream]

Our midfield, a bit like our attack, is in need of an overhaul. Milner would be a good addition, as long as we got a couple of real quality ones coming in as well.

[captainfog]

Well in terms of wide positions he has played at right midfield, left midfield, right and left winger as well as at right back for City, Villa, and Newcastle, so would imagine that he could play wingback and do well there.

RWB is where I would play him if we went with three CBs next season, assuming we do get him.

I was taking the piss re Rodgers obsession with playing everyone wingback.

[Darkon]

I agree that experience is needed, but there are good to very good players out there who by the age of 25 or 26 are very experienced and who know what it is like to win and maybe more importantly know what it is like to be part of a team that has to fight back from a run of bad form.

Think I would prefer more of that age group as they would have the potential to be with us for longer as well s having good levels of experience.

Milner would be a yes for me though, and like yourself I think he is a much better player than he often gets credit for. He has the engine to do the donkey work and pretty much everything Henderson does, but he is also a very clever player with the skills to link play and act as a foil for the more attacking players.

Aye, there are mid-20's players with experience, but they tend to be quite expensive as they are fairly hard to find. At least one that's been established a top level for more than 2-3 seasons. Then you are starting to look at Pogba, Hazard, Bender, Bellarabi, Hamsik kind of deals and they won't come as cheap as the ones that are a few years older. Otherwise you'd likely exhchange some top club experience for years.

At any rate experience is what we need to get injected in to the squad

Agreed. The two main areas for us this summer should be goals and/or experience. I wouldn't be looking to sign anyone under 24.

Must be our main priorities right now!

[captainfog]

Milner looks good and has value in a good side. He's going to look absolutely ****e in our team under Rodgers.

To be fair, I have an irrational hatred of Milner, so I'm never going to like him. If he signs then surely he's going to be a squaddie.

[Chris]

He'd be a good signing, he's impressed me in recent years, he's got quality and doesn't seem to have much quit in him on the pitch, on the weekend it felt like only Can and Gerrard were trying to haul us back in to the game while the rest sulked around the pitch.

He is absolutely one of the most boring personalities in sporting history (though the Christmas vid taking the piss out of himself was brilliant) but if does the job I couldnt care less.

[Fosterbloke]

People are bemoaning his lack of creativity yet want a DM player. Since when are they creative?

Seriously folks, if we have a very hard working, tactically astute and strong midfield doing the leg work then players like Sterling, Coutinho and Ibe can focus on doing their thing.

Allen was supposed to be that kind of player but he's just not strong enough.

[McDermotX]

I've never seen James Milner play centre mid? Has anyone seen James Milner play CM? When has he ever played CM?

Done it a few times this season for City, and the advanced central position, along with his usual versatility either side.....which is only natural in line with his diminishing 'pace' and when they needed tenacity in the middle of the park.

Nobody can question his workrate, but he's never had explosive pace and his crossing has never been first rate, so if he's been brought in its not impossible that it's with a view to offering choice everywhere in midfield with a squad-view rather than a locked down first XI position specialist. Average choice in most positions admittedly.

[Maxiedge]

Ok, so he's played CM a few times this season and now all of a sudden he's the answer to our midfield issues. I agree with his signing by the way but not particularly excited by it at all.

[McDermotX]

Ok, so he's played CM a few times this season and now all of a sudden he's the answer to our midfield issues. I agree with his signing by the way but not particularly excited by it at all.

If anyone thought that, especially the manager, we're going to have problems.

He's not the sort of lad to radically change our midfield - more the sort of lad you sit down with and have a cup of tea.

[Alex]

Who is saying he is the answer to all of our problems?

He will help and as Darkon pointed out, it wont hurt to have a bit of experience in the team/squad.

We cant sign Ronaldo and Messi every time. It wont always be a edge of the seat player.

[Maxiedge]

All I'm saying, is that there's a few posters saying he'll improve our CM but he's only played there a couple of times as far as I know. That's like someone signing Markovic to play RWB

Oh wait a minute...

[Doc_Piptorious]

Agreed. The two main areas for us this summer should be goals and/or experience. I wouldn't be looking to sign anyone under 24.

Would not be against getting players younger than 24, but they would have to be of the calibre that could step straight into our first team and be expected to perform.

[Gazzla]

I've never seen James Milner play centre mid? Has anyone seen James Milner play CM? When has he ever played CM?

Milner played cental midfield for Villa and it was on the back of that he got his £25m move to Man City

I'm not a Milner fan in the slightest, the politest I can be is Dirk Kuyt without the goal threat or creativity

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

Milner played cental midfield for Villa and it was on the back of that he got his £25m move to Man City

I'm not a Milner fan in the slightest, the politest I can be is Dirk Kuyt without the goal threat or creativity

Our Dirk was a goal threat alright but he certainly wasn't creative, Milner is streets ahead in that department.

[Slinky Skills]

So City fans are absolutely gutted Milner looks set to leave. I know loads and to a man they're well ****ed off.

Pellegrini wants him to stay. The club have made him a big offer to stay.

So everyone at Man City is desperate for him to stay. Should be quite telling for anyone who thinks Milner is some sort of Downing-esque ****house.

Which equates roughly to around 95% of this forum!