I said yeah why not but I was happy at Sunderland. I'm shocked his agent never mentioned money, discussion on increase in wages and signing on fee's. **** off Bent!
It's Sunderland's fault i left because they said they made it clear they were willing to let me leave when I made it clear I was willing to leave. **** off you tragic waste of a career.
I don’t often get attached to players but I was genuinely gutted when he left. I met him in HMV in the Metro Centre once and he was absolutely tripping over himself to say how much he loved the fans and club. Bastard.
Professional badge kisser. Loves the adulation without actually giving a **** about the club he plays for If he loved us that much, would he have celebrated like he did when he scored for Burton?
reckons it’s because we have him stick for 90 minutes. I can’t imagine why we’d do that… He should’ve just come out at the time and said Villa offered him a massive wage.
I think that by that stage, he was relieved to score at last. But, for me, he was very much a 'fox in the box' striker. Remember Harry and his, 'my missus would have scored that' comment, from his time at Spurs? And Harry had the rights of it. Bent missed more chances than any Prem Striker should have. BUT He had that knack of getting himself into the right place at the right time. The snag though was always going to be, 'what happens when he gets slower'. He didn't have a lot to fall back on. With the benefit of hindsight, the deal we did was a good one for SAFC.
I remember at the time the talk was all about him going there because he thought he would have more chance of an England call up there than whilst he was at Sunderland.
Yes thats what he said when he left. The horrible prick just changes his story everytime it comes up in a discussion or interview. He couldn't even do the decent thing and see the season out with us, we had a week to find a replacement for him which obviously we couldn't do. He was a forgotten man before we signed him from Spurs reserves and reignited his career. Thats how he repayed us
I'm a bit of a passive sort, but when Bent celebrated that goal for Burton, my son had to haul me back after I jumped over the row of seats in front. I haven't a ****ing clue what I was doing but the red mist had descended.
Meanwhile this old Grauniad report by Louise Taylor (Mon 17 Jan 2011) shows he submitted a transfer request the previous summer; "Significantly it has emerged that Bent, who has scored 32 goals in 58 Premier League appearances since joining the Wearside club from Tottenham Hotspur, first asked for a transfer last summer. This request – which shattered assumptions about his previously professed adoration for Sunderland – was rejected and hushed up but it was re-submitted two hours after the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light yesterday. By then Bent ... was aware of a Villa offer which had been on the table for nearly a week." https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/jan/17/darren-bent-sunderland-aston-villa
Why? I wasn’t happy he left, but I wouldn’t go as far as hating him or calling him scum. He owed us no loyalty and unfortunately that’s how football works. I was over it after about a week.
Cant blame him for his celebration that day tbf, he received stick from our fans all game, only natural to give it back.
The previous summer? I thought the story was he signed a deal on £50k a week and when we signed Gyan on £60k he asked for parity. The club refused so he orchestrated the move purely for money and nothing to do with Bruce's daughter, or so urban myth or the voices in my head led me to believe....