I rate Ireland very highly but he is probably the kind of player who needs an arm round his shoulder and to be told he is good. He hasn’t had that for a while at City, but under both Sven-Goran Eriksson and Mark Hughes he played very, very well. If he can reach those heights again for Villa, it could be one of the deals of the summer, especially If they can spend some of that money on a new striker before the close of the transfer window - as even with Heskey, Agbonlahor, Carew and Delfouneso they need another one who can score 20 goals a season.

When Roberto Mancini arrived at City you wonder if he had the time to really look at what Ireland could offer. You get the impression the remit was to buy big, and not to keep the young players from the academy. Mancini is under so much pressure to buy all the time, and it is more tempting to twist than stick, but it is a real shame that Ireland has not played to his full potential over the past 12 months as he is definitely one of the best midfielders in the Premier League on his day.

As for Milner, I thought there might have been someone from his camp who would say ‘Are you 100% sure?’ You look at the situation at City and wonder where he will fit in, and if Mancini leaves and another manager comes in, where does he stand? At Villa he was one of the senior players, in terms of his first-team status, and has enjoyed chances with England. He has gone for the hope of Champions League football, but it is not as though they are in the Champions League this season, so from the outside it does look like he has gone for the money, which is a bit disappointing.

Milner’s departure does give more of a chance to young winger Marc Albrighton, though, who was very impressive in the 3-0 win over West Ham on the opening day of the season. I have also seen him play for England Under-21s and he came on against Uzbekistan recently and showed he is a really good player. He is highly thought of by the Under-21 camp and has come through the ranks and established himself quickly at Villa. He looks a really good prospect.

The next big issue for Villa is who will be managing the club in the wake of Martin O’Neill’s departure, and I think caretaker Kevin MacDonald has got a good chance of taking the job. From what I read and hear, Randy Lerner is not interested in egos and Big Time Charlies and I think MacDonald deserves a chance.

His opponent on Sunday, Chris Hughton, has shown that a caretaker can come in and do wonders for a club, and I could not be happier for him. He is one of the most genuine, hardworking and approachable guys in football. He has done so much time as an assistant - at Newcastle, Tottenham and elsewhere - and he took a lot of stick when he first took the job because he is not a big name, but you just have to be given a chance. He is now finally getting the credit he deserves.

I think it will be a long season for Newcastle, but while they may flirt with relegation, they should finish in the middle of the bottom half - 14th or 15th. There are worse teams than Newcastle around, but only time will tell if they can keep their head above water.

I think it was daft of Milner to seek a big money move to City. At Villa he would be one of the first names on the team sheet, at City he will have to accept a rotational policy. This could potentially effect his England career if he doesn't get enough games at City as he would have to compete with the likes of Robinho, Barry, Silva etc who are far better accomplished players than Milner. Good move for Stephen Ireland though he will be a starter and Aston Villa have made a cool GBP 10MM profit as I don't value Milner above either Sammy Khadeira or Mehut Ozil....

this article is very spot on,well written..

i bet milner wage is doubled at least at man city... maybe 100k pound a week or more..

milner transfer to moneycity will affect england future as milner might not be able to develop his game when not playing regularly..

as the sayings goes,another door closed,another door open,i'm really glad to see albrighton playing,where the hell has this guy been hiding,he's really impressive,i watched last night aston villa europa liga game,this guy definately has footballing brain tat players like walcott doesnt...

i also hope macdonald would take the job as he know the club inside out and would do well to rotate and keep the squad fresh and give chance to youngsters who has potential..

overall,i think villa got good chance to finish top 4 provided they stay injury free and consistent.. but they need to sell heskey and get another striker.. heskey sucks..

Going to Manchester City is not a bad move for Milner,as city seem to be more ambitous than Aston Villa.Yes,money played a big move in his transfer but we have to understand that money is now part of the game.
I cant understand how Man City could pay that much for Milner as he isnt as good as Oezil or Khedira..Probably because he is English and its hard to find top English talent..
Villa have got the best deal as they have got a talented midfield player in Stephen Ireland,who will definitely grow in stature.He has all the attributes of a world beater,but has to be more consistent in his performances.He was a consistent performer in the 2008-2009 season, and he comes up with his own share of goals..
Milner has got to come to terms with being rotated at City...

I also heard that we sold Heskey to Leicester City for 50lbs of gatorade powder mix, an old hot tub, 4 bags of grass seed, the pusher to dispense the seeds, but because LC are such the crafty negotiators, we had to go to LC and pick it up ourselves... they wouldn’t throw in delivery.

I think this is a great opportunity for Stephen Ireland, who I think is one of the best players in the league. I got so much enjoyment from watching his play during the 2008/09 season. And it was such a disappointment seeing him left on the bench last season. Starting regularly he'll hopefully return to that earlier form.

Alright Rebecca,

I'd like to point out poliely:

Mancini is under no pressure to buy big. Nobody likes spending ridiculously. As mega rich as the owners are, I feel the owners have actually provided full backing to Mancini, than any owners would've in EPL. I'm talking about "support". In life, to give emotional support is easy, but to provide it fiscally, that's where the test comes in.

I believe Mancini took the risk, the day he started spending this summer. It is Mancini who doesn't favour developing from within. That's why I've always admired Sven, because he actually favors to build from within (michael johnson / ireland etc). But back then, Sven doesn't seem to have the sort of buying power and ability to attract such players. I always imagined if just a quarter of these stars are in Sven's disposal, what might have happened. As under his helm City fell in the 2nd half of the season, after a magnificent 1st half of the season.

Mancini probably gave an assurance to the owners,that he will deliver it, if they open him a 100mil pound cheque. The owners did, and I believe it's all down to Mancini to provide the "immediate success". It's like selling your soul to the devil aye!

As for Milner, money can be a factor for anybody in life. You move to another job for higher pay; most of the time. Unless where you are going is awful. If not, 99% of the population will go. That's reality, and sad.

But I believe there's more to that in Milner. He has a lot of determination that he can achieve more than playing for Villa. He can win the title in his lifetime. Play in the CL when he's getting to the peak. City's public declaration and actions speak very clearly how far they are willing to go. To be the new Chelsea "in the making".

Whether he might struggle to hold a place in City, the problem will also occur if he joins any of the big 4 team. But he is a fighter, as much as I feel sorry to see him leave. He's determin

let's not forget that ireland was city's player of the year in 08/09

I love Rebecca Lowe's articles, they come completely from the heart and are of good spirit.
Milner might not live up to expectation at City, he should have stayed at Villa and he would have done wonders. But I think City will restrict his abilities so much that we wouldnt see the brilliant side to his game

why is everyone bad mouthing newcastle for . saying they will flirt with relegation . aston villa arnt that good a side. i think theyve roe there luck the last few seasons. and i beleive they will struggle to make top 10

Article must be written by a MU supporter and a Man City hater.
Villa have become a selling club and making money from selling good players at their prime and Milner realised that Villa have no ambitions. By going to City, there's every chance of honours and you see the likes of Yaya Toure, David Silva, Balotelli, Kolarov, Tevez amongst others everyday in training and playing beside them.
How can Villa go far except being in 6th place every season or even worse.
Ireland has gotten complacent after that one season wonder in 2009 and will take at least 3 more seasons to maybe get back his form and also that must be in the right environment. Looks like he will probably rot on the bench at Villa and plays in the Championship.
Come on, be realistic and give City the blessing.

there's nothing wrong with Milner for pushing for that move - he's moving to a club where he has a much greater chance of winning trophies, playing on a bigger stage AND earning much more money. He can also expect to be a key player there in the old Gerrard/new Schweinsteiger mould as he usurps Barry/De Jong/Vieira in central midfield and provides City with the driving force that they've been lacking. That makes it a win-win situation for him!

In regards to Ozil and Khedira, they both had one year remaining on their contracts yet still cost a significant fee (despite being relative nobodies before having 3 or 4 good games at the WC). If they'd had longer term contracts like Milner, it's reasonable to believe that they would've commanded similar or greater transfer fees to his