9 Years Ago Today - Darren Bent’s Transfer Request



Shame how it all ended.

There was some great craic on here at times back then. Remember the night he was pictured in the airport and his mate signed up on here to post.

Good times.
 
I’m sure Capello said he needed to move to a bigger club to get more time for England, or something similar.
I've always found that hard to believe to be honest. Bent said it as a throwaway comment in the press conference when he signed for Villa to justify leaving. One of the reporters asked if he really said it and he said yes but sounded nervous as fuck and quickly changed the subject. The rest of the press conference was just bullshit to justify him going and he'd been picked in every squad since the World Cup with us and scored for England in the last game.

He should have gone to the World Cup like but I can understand why he didn't. Rooney had his best ever season and had a good partnership with Heskey for England. Crouch went as backup for Heskey so he was competing with Defoe who had his best ever season. I would have took 5 strikers but Bent was f***ing shite in the friendlies he played in before the World Cup.
 
I remember when the poster hoyed it up on here that he'd asked for a transfer in writing and has nashed off to Birmingham on a Saturday after a home match.

He got absolute pelters until the story broke a day or two later.

Was it magcatcher Hutch?

Pretty sure the same poster also said a couple of month beforehand that Bent had been on a night out in Newcastle and was telling people that he'd had enough and intended to leave the club in the January window. Also that his 'injury' after the 5-1 was total bullshit and he was simply refusing to play.
 
Pretty sure the same poster also said a couple of month beforehand that Bent had been on a night out in Newcastle and was telling people that he'd had enough and intended to leave the club in the January window. Also that his 'injury' after the 5-1 was total bullshit and he was simply refusing to play.

May well have been mate.

It smacked of the Don Hutchison farago.
Both their agents went to the press saying that their clients wanted to sign extended deals - Hutchinson because there was apparently a verbal agreement and Bent allegedly because his nose was out of joint because his striking partner had just had a pay rise and he was being paid less.

Then when neither get the extended deal and pay rise the unhappy rumours end up in the press.

I also remember there was a poster on here who was friends with one of Bent's inner circle who used to post information from her now and again.

There was a rumour that he'd burned through so many friendships he was looking for a way out of the north east.

Mind you ALL of that is nothing but rumour and hearsay from this board from a memory of 9 years ago, so it could be that none of that is actually true!
 

Feels like a lifetime ago now.

36 goals in 63 games during his season and a half with us.

Doesn't seem that long ago...almost 10 years. Remember shedding a tear and then swearing never to emotionally invest in another player ever again...then came Defoe.
I’m sure Capello said he needed to move to a bigger club to get more time for England, or something similar.

Yup.
 
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Think he did pretty well in his first 12 month or so at Villa but think he knacked his ankle ligaments and he was never the same player after that.

21 in 61 at villa.
3 in 24 at fulham.
2 in 5 at brighton.
22 in 70 at derby.
2 in 15 burton (1 had to be v us didnt it ffs).
 

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