Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: CJ on March 23, 2013, 11:35:30 AM
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Great to see that Gardner junior returned to training (http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2013/03/20/3841309/aston-villa-midfielder-gary-gardner-returns-to-training?source=breakingnews&ICID=HP_BN_1) this week. Thought he was out for the whole season so really pleased for the lad he's recovered sooner than originally anticipated. From what little I've seen of him he looks to be quality in the making
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Gary has done a full weeks training and is feeling no reaction which is great - i believe he will be the cream of the crop as regards our young players- could be a really top player next season as long as he stays injury free.
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His physical size is a big plus in our not so giant midfield. Would like to see him in that 3 at some point. Good player.
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I worry that two such bad injuries so young will affect his career. I really hope i'm wrong but it does cause me concern. Fingers crossed for the lad, he's due some luck.
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I worry that two such bad injuries so young will affect his career. I really hope i'm wrong but it does cause me concern. Fingers crossed for the lad, he's due some luck.
My thoughts too, they came at just the wrong time for him. As you say, fingers crossed.
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I worry that two such bad injuries so young will affect his career. I really hope i'm wrong but it does cause me concern. Fingers crossed for the lad, he's due some luck.
He is lucky in many ways that he is playing now not 10 years ago, that he is so young and that it was not the same knee. Take it steady on the rehab, get strong and there is no reason to think he cannot still make it. Look at other players who have recovered from woeful injuries in the last few years as inspiration.
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I'd send Gary Gardner out on loan next season. Whilst he *might* be good enough for us next season - for say 10-20 games, largely as sub - I think it's more important for his development that he plays 40 odd games. He won't do that at Villa so he'd be better off at Wolves of somewhere.
In the long run I think it'd be better for the club and player.
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I'd send Gary Gardner out on loan next season. Whilst he *might* be good enough for us next season - for say 10-20 games, largely as sub - I think it's more important for his development that he plays 40 odd games. He won't do that at Villa so he'd be better off at Wolves of somewhere.
In the long run I think it'd be better for the club and player.
Maybe not for a season, but for a couple of months maybe once he's got through pre-season.
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I wouldn't be surprised if Gardner started as one of our first choice midfielders next season.
Any 3 from Delph, Westwood, Gardner, Sylla, Bannan, N'Zogbia
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I'd hope our roster in the midfield be stronger next season than the aboce.
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I worry that two such bad injuries so young will affect his career. I really hope i'm wrong but it does cause me concern. Fingers crossed for the lad, he's due some luck.
My thoughts too, they came at just the wrong time for him. As you say, fingers crossed.
Be nice if not just Gary but the club as a whole had a bit luck injury wise. We seem cursed over the last few years.
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I'd hope our roster in the midfield be stronger next season than the aboce.
Our roster?
You'll be talking about the locker room next.
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I'd hope our roster in the midfield be stronger next season than the aboce.
Our roster?
You'll be talking about the locker room next.
We need some new quarterbacks.
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I'd hope our roster in the midfield be stronger next season than the aboce.
Our roster?
You'll be talking about the locker room next.
We need some new quarterbacks.
I think it was JPA fanatic Ryu who once wrote of "players talking smack in the locker room", presumably about Juampi.
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I'd hope our roster in the midfield be stronger next season than the aboce.
Our roster?
You'll be talking about the locker room next.
We need some new quarterbacks.
Go Team Astons!
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Recovring from injuries like this (where the surgery can be 100% successful) is more mental than anything else. I've heard from a few sources that the coaches regard him as easily the best mentally prepared player to ever come through our academy. Getting back to training a couple of months early points to that mental strength as well.
I think he'll be fine so long as he can stay fit for a period now, I also think he could be the player we're been missing in midfield, a controlling presence who can dictate the tempo for us, slow it down when we're struggling and get us moving it quickly in attack. Getting gardner fit and ready to be involved next year could be more important than any signing we make in the summer.
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Seems like we've been talking about Gary Gardner for years now...
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I suckered myself into believing the myth that he was going to be our Stevie G. I hope I'm proved wrong in the end but I think his brother is better.
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Not sure you can compare at this stage.
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I've not seen anything either but I'm looking forward to being proved wrong.
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Kind of in agreement with those that haven't seenanything special in Gardner. Good luck with the recovery because managers have wanted to use him, so he deserves a chance.
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I suckered myself into believing the myth that he was going to be our Stevie G. I hope I'm proved wrong in the end but I think his brother is better.
Like you I'm no trained expert, but Sid rates him So does Kev Mac. I'll take their opinion over mine
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I'll wait until he's made more than about 10 starts before writing the kid off.
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I think I'll liken the writing off of gardner to the writing off of benteke in october.
From what I've seen he's a youngster with all the attributes you need to make it at the very top in his position, he just needs some game time and a bit of confidence and I'm certain it will come together.
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I too haven't seen all that much of him. A question for those that have - is he more of a defensive or attacking midfielder?
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I'd hope our roster in the midfield be stronger next season than the aboce.
Our roster?
You'll be talking about the locker room next.
Ha...I used it as a piss-take Americanism but couldn't find an appropriate word for midfield (centre-park? hyper-zone?) so it didn't scan.
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Recovring from injuries like this (where the surgery can be 100% successful) is more mental than anything else. I've heard from a few sources that the coaches regard him as easily the best mentally prepared player to ever come through our academy. Getting back to training a couple of months early points to that mental strength as well.
I think he'll be fine so long as he can stay fit for a period now, I also think he could be the player we're been missing in midfield, a controlling presence who can dictate the tempo for us, slow it down when we're struggling and get us moving it quickly in attack. Getting gardner fit and ready to be involved next year could be more important than any signing we make in the summer.
Totally agree.
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I too haven't seen all that much of him. A question for those that have - is he more of a defensive or attacking midfielder?
Both, an all rounder.
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I too haven't seen all that much of him. A question for those that have - is he more of a defensive or attacking midfielder?
Both, an all rounder.
Would certainly add goals to our shot shy midfield.
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I think I'll liken the writing off of gardner to the writing off of benteke in october.
From what I've seen he's a youngster with all the attributes you need to make it at the very top in his position, he just needs some game time and a bit of confidence and I'm certain it will come together.
Given that we've seen so little of him - and last season he wasn't really going to shine in a team set out by TSM - I can understand the caution in anointing him. After all, we've been here before with a few of our academy kids and (to paraphrase a quote from one of the all-time best films) he may not be "... the messiah; he's a very naughty boy".
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I think I'll liken the writing off of gardner to the writing off of benteke in october.
From what I've seen he's a youngster with all the attributes you need to make it at the very top in his position, he just needs some game time and a bit of confidence and I'm certain it will come together.
Given that we've seen so little of him - and last season he wasn't really going to shine in a team set out by TSM - I can understand the caution in anointing him. After all, we've been here before with a few of our academy kids and (to paraphrase a quote from one of the all-time best films) he may not be "... the messiah; he's a very naughty boy".
People who are still undecided I'm fine with, people saying 'his brother is better' are the ones I take exception with.
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Why are people so quick to write young players off before they have had a decent run of games. On the flip side, some people build young players up to be world beaters. It seems that the modern day fan does not believe there is anything in between.
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I think he will be a top top player in years to come let's just hope he stays injury free from now on.
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Gardner is Villa through and through and has been very unlucky with injuries. This summers pre season will be make or break for him. He has talent and if he could get back into the under 21`s this summer think he will be back on track to be succesful ......
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I think I'll liken the writing off of gardner to the writing off of benteke in october.
From what I've seen he's a youngster with all the attributes you need to make it at the very top in his position, he just needs some game time and a bit of confidence and I'm certain it will come together.
Given that we've seen so little of him - and last season he wasn't really going to shine in a team set out by TSM - I can understand the caution in anointing him. After all, we've been here before with a few of our academy kids and (to paraphrase a quote from one of the all-time best films) he may not be "... the messiah; he's a very naughty boy".
People who are still undecided I'm fine with, people saying 'his brother is better' are the ones I take exception with.
Agreed - he should be given every encouragement to fulfil his potential before anyone writes him off.
Regarding Craig, it took him a while - without any serious injury - to become a reasonable mid-table Premiership player.
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Just stay healthy, wear knee braces or something.
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Just stay healthy, wear knee braces or something.
I'd think it was a case of an underlying condition in both knees that led to it. Now they've both been operated on, so long as the recovery has gone as expected, he should be over the worst of it. He might get little niggles but he'd be really unlucky to have another serious knee problem, you'd be looking at a Laursen style early retirement if that happened I'd think.
I'm basing this on the fact that I've had a problem with both of my knees since I was about 15. About 7-8 years ago my left knee went and I had loads of problems for about 6 months before it was operated on, since then it's been stronger than I've ever known. My right knee still has some issues but was never as bad as my left. I guess it will need an op when I'm older though. In my case it was due to too much sport between about 7 and 15, a lot being athletics (sprints and triple jump mainly), which led to the medial ligaments being 'loose' and damaged. It's not something you can recover from naturally so surgery is the only long term fix.
Unfortunately it's hard to predict as a problem (for the player or the staff) because, certainly for me, I was able to play both football and rugby for years until I took a bit of a knock which I just couldn't shake off but I'd never have known there was a problem before. Even on the scans they couldn't see anything massively wrong, it was only when they did the exploratory surgery that they saw the problem fully and they fixed it there and then. With me because I'd had a bit of a knock but not enough to really damage it I was up and running again after 6 weeks and back to sport after about 10 but you can't assume there's an issue and do surgery on every player to check.
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Nice piece from matt kendrick-
Gary Gardner could be forgiven the tears that followed a 3-0 victory over Stoke City’s under-21s at Bodymoor Heath.
It was midway through the second-half of a routine win at Aston Villa’s training ground last August when a distraught Gardner felt a familiar feeling in his knee.
This time it was the right leg, not the left, but the instant agony that shot through his body was the signpost to a long road he knew only too well.
One cruciate ligament injury is unlucky, two in three years was downright devastating for a young man rated as one of the most promising prospects to roll off Villa’s famed production line.
When confirmation came from doctors that Gardner would need surgery to repair the severe tear, the 20-year-old was understandably overcome with emotion.
But not for long. As soon as Gardner had mentally processed that he faced another lengthy spell on the sidelines at a time when he was making the transition from youth-teamer to first teamer, there was no thought of feeling sorry for himself.
Months earlier he had been rubbing shoulders with Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick at Manchester United’s Theatre of Dreams. Now he was back rubbing shoulders with the surgeon in the theatre of knee ops.
It was nothing new. In December 2009, as a 17-year-old ‘boy wonder’, Gardner had suffered a similar shock to the system, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training at Bodymoor Heath.
Back then he was momentarily knocked out of his stride but the modest, yet highly- motivated midfielder used the setback to spur him on, returning with a fresh purpose in January 2011, a calendar year that would include his professional football debut during a loan spell in the Championship at Coventry City and would close with him making his senior Premier League bow for Villa at Stamford Bridge.
Gardner entered the field as a substitute in the December 31 win at Chelsea and went on to start five matches last season, as well as making 11 appearances from the bench, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and United also among his opponents.
His contribution so far this term has been limited to a 16-minute run-out in the opening day defeat at West Ham United, just days before he was carried off against Stoke’s under-21s.
But his return to training this month has raised hopes that he could still have a part to play in Villa’s attempts to preserve their Premier League status and the battle-hardened midfielder insists he is stronger for his experience.
“It’s not a good experience, it’s a bad one and it’s just the time length,” reflects Gardner. “Once it’s healed, you do that much leg strengthening and fitness work that you’re stronger than ever.
“Injuries make you stronger and this one has definitely. It’s been a hard time and there have been days when I’ve been coming home and it’s been tough.
“It brings back memories of when I was out with my left knee and what I did to help my mind. Being out for so long that frustrates you, but you’ve got to leave it all behind you – it’s a hazard of the game.
“I’m happy that I’m back in training now and hopefully I can kick on. It’s just about how I feel, taking it steady and then building it up.
“You train three times a week and then four times and then full training. I just have to see how I feel – I know my body. This knee feels brilliant so hopefully I can take it steady and get back in there.”
Read More http://www.birminghampost.net/midlands-birmingham-sport/west-midlands-sports/aston-villa-fc/2013/03/28/villa-s-gary-gardner-feeling-stronger-than-ever-after-injury-nightmare-