Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: JJ-AV on April 16, 2011, 05:19:14 PM
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All the fellow Gabby lovers get in here.
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Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
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Another one here.Is there a joining fee?
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He does have a knack of scoring very important goals for us!!
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Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
yep. He lived not far from where I grew up. Big player for the big moment. He's one of us and you can tell it means such a lot to him.
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He's fast as fuck and loves the big games. If theres ever a player you wanted to be in your team on the big occasion, he's your man, I love you Mr. Agbonlahor!
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A tip of the titfer from me, Gab.
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Love him!
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Count me in! Good player who always seems to 'turn it on' in the big games! A very important member of our squad for the future, in my view.
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Give him the service and he'll do the business.
All hail Gabby the Great!
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I've never understood why so many slate him. I'd be gutted if he left.
P.s. Marry me Gabby!
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I love Gabby, works hard and has a tendency to score in derby matches. Two winners at the Sty, another in the 5-1. Then you have goals vs the Baggies, home and away two seasons ago.
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Love him. Good striker; and a local lad.
That the most consistent of players but I'd follow him into the depths of hell.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/EnglishPride2004/221844_1992073685936_1366208451_3508976_5518704_n.jpg)
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He'll always do a job for us.
Hope he stays beyond his current contract.
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I'll never stop saying it, he's claret and blue through, one of us. Get in son
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He'll always do a job for us.
Hope he stays beyond his current contract.
Same, I bloody love him. He'll never be a world beater but I hope he spends the rest of his career with us.
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Whet's the line from last season when he beat the Noses? The one about all being well with the world?
He gets so much undeserved stick from a few idiots but he so often delivers when it really matters.
Good on yer, Gabby.
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There were murmurs that the new management were less than impressed with his application in training as early into the job as Oct/ Nov.
There was also that Daily Mail article that had him down as one of eight players considering his future a few weeks back.
I hope he's here the summer and beyond. We know his weaknesses, but he's the kind of player that if he went to another club would come back to haunt us. I want to see the best years of his career in C&B.
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Great stuff today, he loves us and we love him
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I think he's growing into the role Houllier wants him to play - and he'll always pop up with an important goal like this. Get in Gabby my son!!
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Great lad , I was at school with him. So proud of what he has achieved. Never want him to leave. Same goes for Ash.
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I think he's excellent, and if he'd played the majority of the season up front, we'd have been safe a lot sooner than now in my opinion.
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nice one Gabby lad----truly is one of us bleeds Claret & Blue,has scored some vital goals for us,i hope he sees out his career in the Claret & Blue-----well done son,
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top, top man
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Brilliant effort Gabby.
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Seems always to have been a little underrated by some; a trooper and some flashes of real quality.
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cheers Gabby,Villa ledgend!
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Legend, one of us and very good
Long Live Gabby x
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Hes had a rough season with injury and all, and finnally seems to be gaining confidence in his favoured position again,
he'll be here for a long time and will have many more chances to do all of us proud.
GABBY GABBY GABBY AGBONLAHOR!!!!!!!!!
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Cometh the hour, cometh the man. As usual.
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lets forget about 2010 for him, he has got 3 in how many appearances in 2011? Still time to get a few more before the end of the season...
He is pretty damn good with his head as well, doesn't miss many when the cross is put on his noggin...
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Gabby alongside Bent next season, hopefully it will be like Dalian & Deano.
Good one Gabby, now let's hope you and Bent go and score a few more between you before the end of the season.
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Love him. One of us
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Massively underrated by some. I suspect the list of players who have scored more Premier League goals by he time they reached his age at the start of this season is a short and illustrious list.
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Current club totals
Apps As sub Goals Yellow Red
Total (Club) 212 (18) 56 18 0
League 179 (16) 49 15 0
FA Cup 9 (0) 1 1 0
League Cup 14 (1) 4 2 0
European/Others 10 (1) 2 0 0
Off the BBC squad profiles. He may even be on 50 league goals depending or not whether the BBC have given him his goal in the 2-1 home with with WBA two seasons ago, which was on SKY. i've seen various stuff like the Rothmans Yearbook or other stat books that either credit the goal to him or put it down as a Carson own goal. For what its worth i defo think it was Gabby's.
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He's far from the best player on the pitch & this season its been frustrating for him.
He's been injured or out wide but he delivered when it mattered and it was my favorite moment of the season I went absolutely mental
Good on yer son, He won't be leaving despite what the papers say
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Hopefully the idiots will get off his back now
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Hopefully the idiots will get off his back now
I don't think he's been under fire this season
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I can only echo Percy when I say: "eat shit, knobheads".
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One of my favourite players of the current squad. Extra special when he scores for us as it's like one of us doing it.
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I was delighted by his winner today, and by his other important goals, and he is a decent lad who puts the effort in. However I stick by my opinion that he is a limited footballer who doesn't score enough, or consistently enough, to be a really top striker and doesn't appear adaptable or clever enough to offer much else. It was one goal, it doesn't suddenly turn him into Messi. Sorry if that pisses on anyone's bonfire but it's my opinion based on watching him over the last 4-5 years, not on one goal, however vital it may have been.
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When Gabby is on top form he is up there with the best. This season has been a write-off for him but he still has the class and instinct to score vital goals when coming off the bench. If he can get a positive pre-season behind him, next season could be very special. I think/hope there are many more important goals to come from our Gabby.
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No , it doesn't piss on my bonfire. As you say it is your opinion but you are wrong, no two ways about it.
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I think he's actually improved as a player.
Yes, for the first couple of seasons it was just his shear pace that played its part in games, but now he is more skilful on the ball and has played some delightful passes this season that I thought he was not capable of.
I dont think playing out wide is the right position for him. He needs to be up top along side Bent to get the best out of him.
You cant knock someone who always produces when its needed. Thats a skill in itself.
Nice one Gabby son.
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No , it doesn't piss on my bonfire. As you say it is your opinion but you are wrong, no two ways about it.
Ah the famous Chris Smith "you are just wrong" argument again. You can't really argue with it, unless you are 5 years old.
Billy Walker, I disagree, he's a decent instinctive finisher at times and he has pace, but the best strikers have movement and intelligence - just look at how Bent loses his marker and makes clever runs into space. Gabby doesn't really have that to his game.
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Well done Gabby. Although i don't see him as a real 'key player' for us in the future, he should still be an important part of the squad, getting plenty of game time every year. I just wouldn't use him for every minute of every game as MON pretty much used to do.
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Not sure how to put this into an image format, but anybody who does can they please do it.
Thanks.
http://youtu.be/7w4kyclcMxM
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The thing I like about Gabby is that when things haven't been going his way, in and out of the team, playing out of position etc is the fact he never complains, he loves this club.
I hope GH has learnt that Gabby is a striker and we'll get the best out of him in that role.
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I was delighted by his winner today, and by his other important goals, and he is a decent lad who puts the effort in. However I stick by my opinion that he is a limited footballer who doesn't score enough, or consistently enough, to be a really top striker and doesn't appear adaptable or clever enough to offer much else. It was one goal, it doesn't suddenly turn him into Messi. Sorry if that pisses on anyone's bonfire but it's my opinion based on watching him over the last 4-5 years, not on one goal, however vital it may have been.
He scored 45 goals in his first 4 full PL seasons. That is absolutely top class for a player at the start of his career. He scores with his left, his right and his head and is a nightmare for defenders. He scores vital goals and scores against the very best teams. I can forgive him the fact he isn't Lionel Messi.
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Not playing him on the wing is the key.
Gabby is a centre forward through and through.
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I was delighted by his winner today, and by his other important goals, and he is a decent lad who puts the effort in. However I stick by my opinion that he is a limited footballer who doesn't score enough, or consistently enough, to be a really top striker and doesn't appear adaptable or clever enough to offer much else. It was one goal, it doesn't suddenly turn him into Messi. Sorry if that pisses on anyone's bonfire but it's my opinion based on watching him over the last 4-5 years, not on one goal, however vital it may have been.
He scored 45 goals in his first 4 full PL seasons. That is absolutely top class for a player at the start of his career. He scores with his left, his right and his head and is a nightmare for defenders. He scores vital goals and scores against the very best teams. I can forgive him the fact he isn't Lionel Messi.
He does absolutely sod all except consistently make the most vital contributions in the most important games.
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Get in Gabby!! Keep him fit and he'll score goals and cause any team problems with his pace. Not necessarily the most natural footballer but willing to learn and put the work in - an absolute star!!
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Gabby is not a great goal scorer. He'll never score as many as Bent. But he is a scorer of important goals.
He's contributed massively to our recent good seasons with his solid goal contribution. He'll continue to do so in the future. A hard working player who improves year on year. He's suffered through injury and being played out wide this campaign, but he'll be back next year with 12-14 goals.
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He's played through injury for us, scored goals that we still celebrate today and more than anything, he's one of us. That's not sympathy, it's the icing on the cake.
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No , it doesn't piss on my bonfire. As you say it is your opinion but you are wrong, no two ways about it.
Ah the famous Chris Smith "you are just wrong" argument again. You can't really argue with it, unless you are 5 years old.
Billy Walker, I disagree, he's a decent instinctive finisher at times and he has pace, but the best strikers have movement and intelligence - just look at how Bent loses his marker and makes clever runs into space. Gabby doesn't really have that to his game.
I think your judgement of the player is wrong but it's just my opinion, sorry if that pisses on your bonfire.
I could repeat all the good points put forward elsewhere in the thread but what would be the point? He's a good player with a record of delivering when it really matters. As a young man blessed with a Brummie accent he's had to put up with the inane lack of intelligence criticism all through his career but he keep ramming the words down the throats of his detractors. Long may it continue.
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Where the F... is the like button??????
Get IN!!!!! :)
My topic after the goal was about how he scores important goals - and Curbishley and Wilkins said that he is now second top scorer for Villa in the prem (i know football was born then). I am guessing he surpassed Angel - but what the f..... difference his goals have made? He scores in important games - Angel just scored.
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Oh - and playing him as a striker (i asked Shaun Teale about this, he agreed) ties up 2 denfenders from the oposite, leaves room for Young Downing and Bent . If he just does that, it opens the game.
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Love him Gabby your the man.
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He's suffered through injury and being played out wide this campaign, but he'll be back next year with 12-14 goals.
And as a 12-14 goal striker who has a habit of scoring important goals, is this not the striker to play alongside Bent that everyone has just been scratching their heads about?
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No , it doesn't piss on my bonfire. As you say it is your opinion but you are wrong, no two ways about it.
Ah the famous Chris Smith "you are just wrong" argument again. You can't really argue with it, unless you are 5 years old.
Billy Walker, I disagree, he's a decent instinctive finisher at times and he has pace, but the best strikers have movement and intelligence - just look at how Bent loses his marker and makes clever runs into space. Gabby doesn't really have that to his game.
I think your judgement of the player is wrong but it's just my opinion, sorry if that pisses on your bonfire.
I could repeat all the good points put forward elsewhere in the thread but what would be the point? He's a good player with a record of delivering when it really matters. As a young man blessed with a Brummie accent he's had to put up with the inane lack of intelligence criticism all through his career but he keep ramming the words down the throats of his detractors. Long may it continue.
Yes following it up with "no two ways about it" really emphasizes the fact it's just an opinion. Opinion or not, you do yourself no favours by choosing to express it in a manner that would embarrass a 5 year old.
The lack of intelligence comment refers to his football not his accent, as I'm sure you well know. I'm a Brummie myself so I'd hardly be calling him thick because of his accent.
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No , it doesn't piss on my bonfire. As you say it is your opinion but you are wrong, no two ways about it.
Ah the famous Chris Smith "you are just wrong" argument again. You can't really argue with it, unless you are 5 years old.
Billy Walker, I disagree, he's a decent instinctive finisher at times and he has pace, but the best strikers have movement and intelligence - just look at how Bent loses his marker and makes clever runs into space. Gabby doesn't really have that to his game.
I think your judgement of the player is wrong but it's just my opinion, sorry if that pisses on your bonfire.
I could repeat all the good points put forward elsewhere in the thread but what would be the point? He's a good player with a record of delivering when it really matters. As a young man blessed with a Brummie accent he's had to put up with the inane lack of intelligence criticism all through his career but he keep ramming the words down the throats of his detractors. Long may it continue.
Yes following it up with "no two ways about it" really emphasizes the fact it's just an opinion. Opinion or not, you do yourself no favours by choosing to express it in a manner that would embarrass a 5 year old.
The lack of intelligence comment refers to his football not his accent, as I'm sure you well know. I'm a Brummie myself so I'd hardly be calling him thick because of his accent.
Not trying to pick sides - but I don't think you are reading what he says, just what you like to feel. Especially when you comment about his brummy accent. He is saying he has leverage because of his local roots...not thick because his accent.
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Sorry Edvard not sure what you are getting at. It was Chris, not me, that made the link between Gabby's Brummie accent and criticisms of his intelligence. I merely pointed out my perception of the lack of intelligence and movement in Gabby's game, which has zero to do with his roots and accent. So I don't think I've misread anything.
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Sorry Edvard not sure what you are getting at. It was Chris, not me, that made the link between Gabby's Brummie accent and criticisms of his intelligence. I merely pointed out my perception of the lack of intelligence and movement in Gabby's game, which has zero to do with his roots and accent. So I don't think I've misread anything.
I said he's had to put up with it all through his career and most of that is down to him being a Brummy . Anyone who watches him regularly will have noticed how he has developed his understanding of the game and adapted to the different roles asked of him. That's a sign of an intelligent player.
The 5 year old dig I'll treat with the contempt it deserves.
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He's suffered through injury and being played out wide this campaign, but he'll be back next year with 12-14 goals.
And as a 12-14 goal striker who has a habit of scoring important goals, is this not the striker to play alongside Bent that everyone has just been scratching their heads about?
he's in his mid 20's and he's never scored 14 league goals in a single season yet.
think he's got 3 in this injury ridden season
i dont see why every time he scores for Villa which isnt very often we all have to think he's fantastic when he clearly isnt,
we bought Bent to score the goals the other strikers couldnt,
he has scored some important goals over the last 5 years, great, he's a local lad great, but he hasnt developed into the top class striker many people thought he would be,
he will be around for a few years yet, as there is no bigger team than Villa will come in to buy him,
but for me we need someone with a bit more skill, ball control and awarness to go alongside Bent, then we might have a really dangerous forward line to compete at a higher levelin the league
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You do know it's Gabby this thread is about, not Darren Byfield?
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Maybe if he was given a run of games with Bent, we might see an improved goals ratio. As it is, his goalscoring figures are not that shabby.
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Villa man, part of our future!
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Love Gabby. :)
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You do know it's Gabby this thread is about, not Darren Byfield?
I'll say one thing for Byfield over Gabby.
Whilst Gabby was chucking his mess up three trolls, Byfield was bumping uglies with the gorgeous Jamelia.
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I have always liked Gabby, but I have also said that he has limitations, and have subscribed to the "football intelligence" theory: I maintained that he would improve in any areas which could be coached, but not in areas which came naturally, usually at an age when Gabby was allegedly not even interested in football.
So: football intelligence is probably the wrong term, and is certainly open to misinterpretation. If you watch young kids playing a match, even jumpers for goalposts at your local park, you can soon see certain players have an instinct about passing and movement, and some don't. In my opinion, this has something to do with the way their brain works and cannot be coached.
The conflation of this argument with Gabby being "thick" is specious. Paul Merson is a living example of someone who possesses whatever it is in spades, but is otherwise not too bright.
The real question is: what fantasy world are we living in if our players have to be perfect in all respects. All of our players are flawed in one way or another, if they were not, then they would be playing for somebody else.
Gabby is great for us and we love him, and the noise we made when he came onto the pitch on Saturday is proof that most of the fans agree.
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Sorry Edvard not sure what you are getting at. It was Chris, not me, that made the link between Gabby's Brummie accent and criticisms of his intelligence. I merely pointed out my perception of the lack of intelligence and movement in Gabby's game, which has zero to do with his roots and accent. So I don't think I've misread anything.
I said he's had to put up with it all through his career and most of that is down to him being a Brummy . Anyone who watches him regularly will have noticed how he has developed his understanding of the game and adapted to the different roles asked of him. That's a sign of an intelligent player.
The 5 year old dig I'll treat with the contempt it deserves.
No doubt you have the survey results to back up your claims that most of the criticism about Gabby's intelligence is due to his being a Brummie. Of course the fact that a fair proportion of the questioning of his football nous comes from Villa fans, many of them fellow Brummies, doesn't really support your argument. I've watched him regularly for five years or so now and I don't see a great deal of development of his understanding of the game. He has improved his upper body strength and he holds the ball up with his back to goal better than he used to but he's still way too static, chooses the wrong options too often, and when he's not playing as the main striker he looks like a fish out of water. As others have said , where he needed to improve to be a really top striker was in his awareness and movement. I'm afraid I really don't see much improvement in those aspects and maybe Adrenachrome is right and it's something you either have or you don't. Adrenachrome also makes a good point about the misinterpretation of the word "intelligence" and the example of Merson is a good one. Rooney would be another, far from clever in the academic sense but a very sharp football brain. I don't dislike Gabby, he's got his good points, but if we want to compete at the very top end we need better than Gabby, such as Bent.
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You do know it's Gabby this thread is about, not Darren Byfield?
Saw him play at the Bescot yesterday. As shit as ever.
He has frustrated me this season. I do probably expect too much from him sometimes leading him to frustrate me but I really cannot see what the people who do not rate him are driving at.
He scores a decent if not massive number of goals (Not every striker gets 12 goals per season), works really hard, helps the other attacking player and whilst he may lack that final veneer on his footballing intelligence but even some top strikers lack that (including our very own £20million worth of Darren Bent) so you can't really criticise him for that.
He might not start every game for me but he 100% has a significant role to play.
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Any goodwill Houllier may build up between now and the end of the season will be lost if he sells Gabby in the summer.
Just been injury hit and played out wide too often but used properly and he'll get double figures next season as usual.
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Any goodwill Houllier may build up between now and the end of the season will be lost if he sells Gabby in the summer.
Just been injury hit and played out wide too often but used properly and he'll get double figures next season as usual.
Hear, hear. He's not the most intelligent player but he's good enough; played in the right role. I like his commitment and sense of occasion.
KTV and Chris S can argue all they want ... the boy's alright for us.
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I have always liked Gabby, but I have also said that he has limitations, and have subscribed to the "football intelligence" theory: I maintained that he would improve in any areas which could be coached, but not in areas which came naturally, usually at an age when Gabby was allegedly not even interested in football.
So: football intelligence is probably the wrong term, and is certainly open to misinterpretation. If you watch young kids playing a match, even jumpers for goalposts at your local park, you can soon see certain players have an instinct about passing and movement, and some don't. In my opinion, this has something to do with the way their brain works and cannot be coached.
The conflation of this argument with Gabby being "thick" is specious. Paul Merson is a living example of someone who possesses whatever it is in spades, but is otherwise not too bright.
The real question is: what fantasy world are we living in if our players have to be perfect in all respects. All of our players are flawed in one way or another, if they were not, then they would be playing for somebody else.
Gabby is great for us and we love him, and the noise we made when he came onto the pitch on Saturday is proof that most of the fans agree.
Tend to agree.
If you look at the goal average of most forwards, a good percentage have 1 in 3 or even 1 in 4 - it's only the very best in any division that consistently have closer to 1 in 2.
I won't go as far as to say Gabby will never be a 1 in 2 striker, some of his finishes over the years have been instinctive and would indicate there's a bit to work with there. But even if he doesn't make that transition it's not necessarily the end of the world, providing he's still bringing other things to the side.
Most of the arguments would centre around the fact that he often doesn't look like a natural footballer -made rather than born- and even now he often still looks quite raw.
But he does have a worth ethic and -this season apart- has improved most seasons since his debut.
Loath as I am to go the route of criticising our own fans, but I do recall making my way into VP for the Bolton game last season and hearing some moron booing as Gabby's name was read out, before he really made a fool of himself by signing that charming B-lose ditty about the lad. On his own, thankfully. It would be nice to think that supporting Aston Villa automatically indicates a certain level of intelligence, but we're not insulated from having fuckwits following the club.
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Oooooooh, 'conflation'
That was a really good headed goal by Gabby. Having to put his brow on it while falling backwards, but still placing it perfectly in the corner.
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That was ace.
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Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
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How is he getting on with linking up with Bent yesterday as I haven't watched MOTD yet due to doing assignment. I mean working together and passing to each other
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Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
Do you mean Neychelles
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You do know it's Gabby this thread is about, not Darren Byfield?
I'll say one thing for Byfield over Gabby.
Whilst Gabby was chucking his mess up three trolls, Byfield was bumping uglies with the gorgeous Jamelia.
Ouch! Jamelia's a Villa fan too!
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Play him up front with Bent till the end of the season, see if it works out, what have we got to lose? Think what we could have if it worked out.
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I don't think they'll ever be a natural partnership, playing each other in with throughballs or having a telepathic understanding of where the other will run et.c.
But JC and Gabby -even close to their best- were never a partnership in the true sense of the word. If they're both contributing in their own individual way in the starting XI sometimes that's all you can ask.
As mentioned last week, if we have a scenario where Gabby's runs out wide free up more space in the box for Bent, that might be the best solution all round.
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Is conflation what happens when shops push-up their prices to the extent that it takes the piss?
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seems to me many underestimate the ability Gabby has and his contribution to the side when he's not scoring.
I'd also suggestion some need to reassess their view on Merson. He is far brighter than many give him credit for.
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Merson is about as bright as a shit after 15 pints of Guinness.
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Yes, Merse was a genius on the pitch and that's where any claim to that description should stay.
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Big up the Erdington massive!
[/quote]
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
[/quote]
Slade road is in erdington and that is his manor.Fact.
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Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
He's from Erdington.
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Well I thought it was a lucky goal as the ball hit him on the head while he was trying to get out of the way of it. Like the one at Old trafford last season. He's shite that boy, utter shite!
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In fact he tried to clear it over the bar by bending his neck to an almost impossible position but got it completely wrong and it ended up in the net ..well there we are!
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Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
[/quote]
Slade road is in erdington and that is his manor.Fact.
[/quote]Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
He's from Erdington.
Don't care what you lot say ..he is from Nechells always was and always will be ...SO THERE!
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As long as Houllier plays to his strengths like O Neill did, we'll see the best of Gabby, and he's still a game-changer on his day. Well, well worth keeping for life, because he works his bollocks off and loves the club. I feel he'll be the loyal sort, like Le Tiss at Southampton was.
On his best form he'll be ideal foil for Benty. I look forward to them both striking a proper partnership together next season. Hopefully Houllier has learnt that we look better when everyone plays in their correct position. We also look better with 2 up top. If you play one up, Gabby has to stay on the bench. I would say he's still one of our most dangerous attacking players, so should start most games. You aint gonna drop Bent, so logically, we're better with two up.
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Up front he is worth keeping but I still wont shed a tear if he was sold for stupid money. If he is playing on the wing, then he may as well not be on the pitch at all.
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Count me in on the Gabby love in.
Has shown to his credit this season to have the right attitude. It's obvious he doesn't relish playing wide, but he has got on with it, and played wherever he has been told. Committed himself to the club, when he signed up to a 5 year contract, unlike others (cough Ashley).
Livin' the dream, just like Paul Birch, and Ian Taylor, local boy gets to play for his local team, and the sheer enjoyment at scoring the winner at the sty could only be enjoyed by one of our own, oh yes and he is from Erdington.
In my opinion he is still improving, only concern would be when the pace goes, but that is a while yet.
That goal will do him good, and i reckon he will score a few more before the season finishes.
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Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
Slade road is in erdington and that is his manor.Fact.
[/quote]Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
He's from Erdington.
Don't care what you lot say ..he is from Nechells always was and always will be ...SO THERE!
[/quote]
This is going to get nasty.
B7 and B23 at war.
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Gabby only has one position And that is striker. He has no technical ability but brought on as a supporting striker to Bent he can change games with tired defenders. Love him for his loyalty but a clever striker who has vision and can take away attention from Bent would be more effective .......
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50 league goals now. Where's that list?
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Gabby always delivers when he's needed.... Hope he has a good season as he's usually worth a good 13 or 14 league golas if on form.
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Gabby only has one position And that is striker. He has no technical ability but brought on as a supporting striker to Bent he can change games with tired defenders. Love him for his loyalty but a clever striker who has vision and can take away attention from Bent would be more effective .......
Agree
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Villa, Villa, Gabby is Aston Villa, He is probably one of the most underrated front men in the Premiership, look at any Villa side without him in and then compare the same side with Gabby in there and on form and that's in spite of Darren Bent or Ashley Young, Stuart Downing or pretty much anybody else over the past 3/4 seasons.
All this business about him looking awkward, not having a football brain, crap first touch and all the rest of that b*ll*ks is simply not understanding the player, as one of the pundits said about Armero for Udinese last night, "some of these players now move that fast, that its almost impossible for them to slow it down and do the simple things, they look of balance". That's the nature of Gabbs, and that's the price you pay for pace and power and he's faster than Armero and a better player altogether.
Said this a million times, if Gabby was fronting and Arsenal or Liverpool side ( and if Carrol is worth 34ML Gabby is worth a lot more) in front of midfielder's that can supply him right Gabby would be on auto for England and recognized and feared throughout the game. seriously believe that.
All that said he needs this season, no question because Houllier and injuries knocked his career of course last season, could have done a lot of damage, so we wait and see, but looking at that marvellous goal v Blackburn say's to me there is a lot more in Gabby's locker for all of us to wonder at.
&feature=related
Somebody tell me in this next one some of his moves here aren't utter skill, awareness and great first touch, its been a hard day I need a good laugh.
&NR=1&feature=fvwp
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I love him, if only he had better composure when in a one on one he'd be a real superstar. Still, he is one of the best headers of a ball in the Prem for me. How many headed goals has he scored for us? Most of them away from home too. Blues away twice, Man U away, West Ham away, there's a bit of a theme here.
EDIT: In fact I can't think of a headed goal at Villa Park, many away but at home........? :-\
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Just another little point to this....
Could anybody ever imagine a situation where there you are sitting in front of the box on a Saturday night, getting settled in for MOTD, feet up, can of your finest and then you see Gabby scoring for another team, in another clubs colours, running over to the crowd as he does, doing all that business he does.......................can you imagine, its like the most impossible vision in the history of football.
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Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
Slade road is in erdington and that is his manor.Fact.
Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
Sorry bro heez frum Nechells my end of the woods!
He's from Erdington.
Don't care what you lot say ..he is from Nechells always was and always will be ...SO THERE!
[/quote]
This is going to get nasty.
B7 and B23 at war.
[/quote]
I can just see kebabs drawn at the ready. I spoke to him a couple of years back on the US tour and he told me he was from Erdington.
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
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He's closing in on Yorkie's Premier League record.
I'd love him to be a 1 club man and see his days out here.
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
What do you expect them to do?
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
Apparently they marked the occasion by putting an obscene amount of money into his bank account. As they do every week.
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Well we fookin' love him in this house!
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
What do you expect them to do?
The fact Randy failed to organise a civic reception to celebrate it is just further proof he has no money and wants out.
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Could you say Gabby's performances are a barometer? It's no coincidence our form was patchy last year when he was unfit and out of form too.
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I think the loss of Young/Downing will have a positive effect on Gabby and I expect him to shine this season.
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Is he fit for tomorrow?
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He'll play.
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He'll play.
Sweet.
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Could you say Gabby's performances are a barometer? It's no coincidence our form was patchy last year when he was unfit and out of form too.
Personally I think this is a very realistic suggestion, if you look at the impact Gabby has on the side over the past 4 seasons, then look at last season and the way Houllier handled him, his injuries, its pretty obvious that Gabby's influence is either all encompassing or at least highly influential on the teams success. Last season Gabby looked deflated, out of position, lacking energy, his pace looked down, to me, that's exactly how Villa looked.
Compare that with the first 45mins v Blackburn, Gabby looked totally different and so did the team, I was at the game, the minute Gabby went of, the shape of the side and its impact changed and Blackburn started to come at us.
Gabby is massive for Aston Villa and I certainly hope he is fit for tomorrow, that's for sure.
Another point to consider in terms of past seasons, when you consider the success that Villa have had under MON, then you equate that with the fact that MON always had this insistence that Gabby was one of the first names on the team sheet, he barely missed a fixture, then you consider how many of those performances was based upon Gabby up front on his own, scoring consistently pretty much every season and you realise what a huge job he as done for the club.
IMO, Gabby is already a Villa legend and still playing for the club and still a relatively young player.
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IMO Gabby is not a Villa legend. He could be if he plays very well for the next 10 years.
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I'd hate to see Gabby ever leave us as he is one of us. He might not be the best player at the club but he's far and away my favourite.
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Villanation, either you are Gabby in disguise or you have some serious man-love for him going on there.
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
There is so much shite written about Gabby.
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
He really isn't on them though is he? Why post that kind of shit unless you have indisputable facts?
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
He really isn't on them though is he? Why post that kind of shit unless you have indisputable facts?
Bleeding Christ!!! I was joking, I didn't even know there was a rumour he was on them. Of course he isn't a roid head, he's a Whey head...but where has everyones humour disappeared to this week eh!?
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Bladdy hell. Blatently a joke.
This board is far too uptight for it's own good.
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Yea, Gabby's brother's best buddy told me he's running a cycle of D-Bol and Clen...
But yea, superb goal from him on Saturday. He can annoy me at times because he can show he has good finishing ability... he just often doesn't show it.
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
He really isn't on them though is he? Why post that kind of shit unless you have indisputable facts?
Bleeding Christ!!! I was joking, I didn't even know there was a rumour he was on them. Of course he isn't a roid head, he's a Whey head...but where has everyones humour disappeared to this week eh!?
Only one problem, jokes are supposed to be funny.
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
What do you expect them to do?
A flypast and a brass band at the very minimum, I'd have thought.
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
What do you expect them to do?
Acknowledge it! If Darren Bent had reached that milestone you can guarantee there would e endless stuff on the official site about it. Its a week now and only today ahs Petrov mentioned it.
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact Gabby won't ditch his agent and join Randy's pal's company though....
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
What do you expect them to do?
Acknowledge it! If Darren Bent had reached that milestone you can guarantee there would e endless stuff on the official site about it. Its a week now and only today ahs Petrov mentioned it.
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact Gabby won't ditch his agent and join Randy's pal's company though....
there's a small article about it on the OS, but it's 50 goals. We've got a lot of players that have scored many more than that. Don't you think it would be a bit small time to make a big deal out of it? 100 goals sure. But not 50.
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There's more hype around Dazza, so although I agree 50 goals isn't that much of a milestone, if/when Bent gets to it I reckon there'll be some sort of a song and dance.
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
What do you expect them to do?
Acknowledge it! If Darren Bent had reached that milestone you can guarantee there would e endless stuff on the official site about it. Its a week now and only today ahs Petrov mentioned it.
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact Gabby won't ditch his agent and join Randy's pal's company though....
Like your post has nothing to do with the fact you can't stop moaning about Randy?
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
He really isn't on them though is he? Why post that kind of shit unless you have indisputable facts?
Bleeding Christ!!! I was joking, I didn't even know there was a rumour he was on them. Of course he isn't a roid head, he's a Whey head...but where has everyones humour disappeared to this week eh!?
Only one problem, jokes are supposed to be funny.
Oh there's some serious problems with this place today, what is it...still angry over the appointment of Mcleish, the lack of transfer activity...what!?
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Bladdy hell. Blatently a joke.
This board is far too uptight for it's own good.
touche
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I notice the club did f'all to acknowledge him getting 50 PL goals
What do you expect them to do?
Acknowledge it! If Darren Bent had reached that milestone you can guarantee there would e endless stuff on the official site about it. Its a week now and only today ahs Petrov mentioned it.
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact Gabby won't ditch his agent and join Randy's pal's company though....
Like your post has nothing to do with the fact you can't stop moaning about Randy?
No Dave, it is how a player who wants to be with the club for his whole career, and who if he played for another team I am sure he would be admired far more than he is by his own fans, has got to a milestone that if it was Darren Bent would have been celebrated for weeks by the OS.
As for Randy, my view is slightly tainted on this subject due to what I have heard from Gabby's brother, which if true could point to why there has been so little mention of his achievement.
Oh and if I want to make a point about how the club is being run I will, or is an opinion you don't share not allowed?
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
He really isn't on them though is he? Why post that kind of shit unless you have indisputable facts?
Bleeding Christ!!! I was joking, I didn't even know there was a rumour he was on them. Of course he isn't a roid head, he's a Whey head...but where has everyones humour disappeared to this week eh!?
Only one problem, jokes are supposed to be funny.
Oh there's some serious problems with this place today, what is it...still angry over the appointment of Mcleish, the lack of transfer activity...what!?
No, none of that. I realise it's probably difficult for you to accept but your Jim Davidson routine just isn't funny.
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Villanation, either you are Gabby in disguise or you have some serious man-love for him going on there.
;) Hold me hands up to it, I'm Gabby.............cough. 8)
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I preferred him when he wasn't on the roids
He really isn't on them though is he? Why post that kind of shit unless you have indisputable facts?
Bleeding Christ!!! I was joking, I didn't even know there was a rumour he was on them. Of course he isn't a roid head, he's a Whey head...but where has everyones humour disappeared to this week eh!?
Only one problem, jokes are supposed to be funny.
Oh there's some serious problems with this place today, what is it...still angry over the appointment of Mcleish, the lack of transfer activity...what!?
No, none of that. I realise it's probably difficult for you to accept but your Jim Davidson routine just isn't funny.
You sound like you have roid rage!
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No Dave, it is how a player who wants to be with the club for his whole career, and who if he played for another team I am sure he would be admired far more than he is by his own fans, has got to a milestone that if it was Darren Bent would have been celebrated for weeks by the OS.
As for Randy, my view is slightly tainted on this subject due to what I have heard from Gabby's brother, which if true could point to why there has been so little mention of his achievement.
Oh and if I want to make a point about how the club is being run I will, or is an opinion you don't share not allowed?
If Darren Bent had scored fifty goals already then that would be worthy of celebration. When it's a striker who made his debut more than five years ago, less so.
Oh, and nobody's stopping you from making your point. Nobody's being stopped from telling you how daft it is, either.
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Gabby surely won't go. He better not anyway.
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And again
(http://i51.tinypic.com/2dlrsas.jpg)
(http://i52.tinypic.com/ddm9a8.jpg)
(http://i51.tinypic.com/11sys7l.jpg)
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That could be one of the most important goas of the season. He may just have saved us from relegation just like he did last year.
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The lad loves his important goals.
Another thing I've always noticed about him is that when you think "Gabby has been shit today." He always scores.
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Can you get relegated in September by losing your first game of the season?
Anyway, I love Gabby and never understand all the stick he gets.
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Gotta love a last gasp Gabby goal.
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51 Premier League goals now, closing in on Yorkie...
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Gabby, we can always depend on you!
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Sign me up. Do I get a lapel badge ?
I love Gabby.
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Sign me up. Do I get a lapel badge ?
I love Gabby.
Me too. As I may have mentioned before, I can't remember.
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Surprised he got his shirt back!
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Surprised he got his shirt back!
He threw it to the away supporters.
Well, I am allowed one stereotype joke per decade.
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just love his attitude. When he took his shirt off today and threw it into the crowd, showed his love for the cause. Fu*k the yellow card, I've just scored what maybe a match saving goal for the Villa.
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51 Premier League goals now, closing in on Yorkie...
That's quite a surprising statistic, until you think that Yorke spent the first five years of his career in and out of the team.
Gab will always be good for 10-15 league goals a season, as long as he gets a run in the team. Long may that continue.
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Said it once say it a million times, this player has for 4/5 seasons now been crucial beyond belief to Aston Villa, yes at times he looks awkward, yes at times he's like a bull at a gate, yes at times he's going that fast that the end product is not about skill and application its about getting the job done, but that's the nature of Gabby Agbonlahor.
He may not be everybody's idea of the classic old style centre forward that's there to nod it home as in poacher style and he does make everything look like a full on attempt but ffs, how many times as this bloke done this for Villa, whether it be Birmingham City in the dying embers of the game to get us 3pts and a fantastic victory, or Manchester Utd to tap in for another 3pts, to run ragged world class defenders like Gallas (as he was) Vidic in a Cup final, rapping a Man City defence with the most perfect hat trick ever, I could go on and on..
He is simply Aston Villa for me, in the same way that Rooney is beyond reproach for Man Utd as they put it Gabby is for us, said on here just a few days ago, Darren Bent, bless, could fall flat on his face this season at Villa, but one thing you could bet your roof on, Gabby will still be popping them in, another point i was trying to make to one log head was yes Darren Bent has got a proven record but so has Gabby, and to those that think Gabby is only good for half a dozen goals a season, tell you what sticj Gabby in front of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City getting the kind of service from that quality of midfield and playing in his rightful position and his tally will be up there with the best.
First on the team sheet for Villa and him and Rooney would be devastating as England's front 2 if Capello can get his head out the UEFA guide to coaching manual.
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Gabby is simply the best natural goalscorer we have. Bent is good, but does f**k all when not in the mood.
Gabby - We love you.....
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Gabby is simply the best natural goalscorer we have. Bent is good, but does f**k all when not in the mood.
Gabby - We love you.....
With you on Gabby I would say Bent is a great goal scorer though and if McLiesh could get his act together and play them both up top instead of sticking Gabby in the wilderness they could be a great combo and it could help get Bent focused
Him and Gabby.....................pretty dam good stuff IMO.
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I love Gabby.
He's just bloody great.
I think we may see Bent and Gabby up top in the next game.
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I think he's great wide too though, he gets through so much work defensively.
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He is one of us. Should play in the middle with Bent. I would then have Marco AND Bazza putting in the service. The other 6 out field players just chop the opposition down. Clark needs to play as chopping midfielder. Easy this tactics bollocks.
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I posted yesterday that Gabby was playing crap, then he scored. I previously tried this tactic with Heskey but he just fell over.
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Said it once say it a million times, this player has for 4/5 seasons now been crucial beyond belief to Aston Villa, yes at times he looks awkward, yes at times he's like a bull at a gate, yes at times he's going that fast that the end product is not about skill and application its about getting the job done, but that's the nature of Gabby Agbonlahor.
He may not be everybody's idea of the classic old style centre forward that's there to nod it home as in poacher style and he does make everything look like a full on attempt but ffs, how many times as this bloke done this for Villa, whether it be Birmingham City in the dying embers of the game to get us 3pts and a fantastic victory, or Manchester Utd to tap in for another 3pts, to run ragged world class defenders like Gallas (as he was) Vidic in a Cup final, rapping a Man City defence with the most perfect hat trick ever, I could go on and on..
He is simply Aston Villa for me, in the same way that Rooney is beyond reproach for Man Utd as they put it Gabby is for us, said on here just a few days ago, Darren Bent, bless, could fall flat on his face this season at Villa, but one thing you could bet your roof on, Gabby will still be popping them in, another point i was trying to make to one log head was yes Darren Bent has got a proven record but so has Gabby, and to those that think Gabby is only good for half a dozen goals a season, tell you what sticj Gabby in front of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City getting the kind of service from that quality of midfield and playing in his rightful position and his tally will be up there with the best.
First on the team sheet for Villa and him and Rooney would be devastating as England's front 2 if Capello can get his head out the UEFA guide to coaching manual.
100% this!
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What on earth do you mean by the UEFA Guide to Coaching Manual?
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That Dante is code for pick the team the media want you to play. If the team (ever) wins anything the media claim the credit, if they don't the manager carries the can.
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What on earth do you mean by the UEFA Guide to Coaching Manual?
Meaning McLiesh has got to start thinking outside the box, has got to realise that he does have a few decent players, needs to realise if he don't use these players right in the right positions and start putting a game plan together, he'll lose them.
In terms of the points made, Gabby is out of position and I would remind people of where Gabby's goal came from and what Gabby was doing to get that, follow it through and you'll see exactly what I mean...................................Gabby picks up ball, centre midfield, makes headway towards goal, where does he lay the ball of having beaten a couple of players, where he is usually supposed to be out wide left to Albrighton, what does Albrighton do? crosses the ball in!!!! and who is there to head home having run the centre channel, Gabby Agbonlahor, and how many times have you seen Gabby get results from doing just that.
Hence....McLiesh get your head out the manual and use players where you'll get the best from them and not try to slot players into positions where they will only be 80% effective just in order to make up a team sheet.
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Quite an underrated player in a lot of ways. I guess seeing players with pace like Joachim and Vassell fade with age has always made me sceptical and he doesn't strike me as someone who naturally reads the game well, but he is a good finisher and he has a solid work ethic which has meant he has continued to learn about the game and develop as a player.
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Quite an underrated player in a lot of ways. I guess seeing players with pace like Joachim and Vassell fade with age has always made me sceptical and he doesn't strike me as someone who naturally reads the game well, but he is a good finisher and he has a solid work ethic which has meant he has continued to learn about the game and develop as a player.
I think that's a good point and almost certainly Gabby will eventually in his career, fade, but then who doesn't, personally I think the difference between Gabby and Vassell and Joachim is that Gabby brings real fear with him, have you ever been in a game where you playing against a team that posses a particular player that can run at you, jig the ball around you and leave you not only looking like a dick head but groping fresh air, you spend the rest of the game thinking "please god don't let me have to chase him down again"
If I get the chance when Gabby picks up the ball and he's running at defender I love to try and look at the other blokes body language and face, brilliant, often comical, worth having a look at the opposition player next time just for the laugh.
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Villanation - agree whole heartedly with your posts
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Said it once say it a million times, this player has for 4/5 seasons now been crucial beyond belief to Aston Villa, yes at times he looks awkward, yes at times he's like a bull at a gate, yes at times he's going that fast that the end product is not about skill and application its about getting the job done, but that's the nature of Gabby Agbonlahor.
He may not be everybody's idea of the classic old style centre forward that's there to nod it home as in poacher style and he does make everything look like a full on attempt but ffs, how many times as this bloke done this for Villa, whether it be Birmingham City in the dying embers of the game to get us 3pts and a fantastic victory, or Manchester Utd to tap in for another 3pts, to run ragged world class defenders like Gallas (as he was) Vidic in a Cup final, rapping a Man City defence with the most perfect hat trick ever, I could go on and on..
He is simply Aston Villa for me, in the same way that Rooney is beyond reproach for Man Utd as they put it Gabby is for us, said on here just a few days ago, Darren Bent, bless, could fall flat on his face this season at Villa, but one thing you could bet your roof on, Gabby will still be popping them in, another point i was trying to make to one log head was yes Darren Bent has got a proven record but so has Gabby, and to those that think Gabby is only good for half a dozen goals a season, tell you what sticj Gabby in front of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City getting the kind of service from that quality of midfield and playing in his rightful position and his tally will be up there with the best.
First on the team sheet for Villa and him and Rooney would be devastating as England's front 2 if Capello can get his head out the UEFA guide to coaching manual.
100% this!
Hear hear!
Bloody love him!
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Quite an underrated player in a lot of ways. I guess seeing players with pace like Joachim and Vassell fade with age has always made me sceptical and he doesn't strike me as someone who naturally reads the game well, but he is a good finisher and he has a solid work ethic which has meant he has continued to learn about the game and develop as a player.
I think he unfairly gets labelled as a fast player but there's so much more to his game than just pace, I think he's probably scored more headed goals than what he has with his feet, he has a habit of being in the rite place at the rite time and as he gets older and his pace desserts him then this should become even better.
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Let's hope the message has got thru'. Heskey out...
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I spent a lot of last season bawling that Gabby cant play out on the wing.
It's starting to look like I don't know what I'm talking about but I'm o.k with that now.
I'm still bawling that Heskey is a waste of time. If I'm proved wrong on this one I'll eat my own head, mot to mind my own hat.
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I am with the pro- Gabby guys. He gets played out of position and still gets on with it and how many times has he saved us? His goal on Saturday shows he can link up with Bent.
Nothing wrong with being a fan of a Villa player that is one of us.
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I still think Gabby will keep getting better and better, and in 2 years time he will have the composure to overcome his greatest weakness, his one-on-ones. His work ethic is giving him the technical and tactical ability to overcome his previous lack of a football brain and if he can start putting one-on-ones in the net he will be a 20 goal striker.
He has a better all round game than most give him credit for and scores with both feet and his head. He plays about 4 inches taller than what he is and creates goals by making space and the occasional lay off/driven cross. What more can you ask from a striker that cost nothing?
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Just as an aside, what does our all time goal scorers list look like? I can't seem to find much online.
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He's looking sharp at the moment which is great. He can't be dropped and Bent, when fit, will always start. We lose something when Gabby is on the wing but I can't see us pairing him and Dazza together, though they linked well for the goal yesterday.
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I still think Gabby will keep getting better and better, and in 2 years time he will have the composure to overcome his greatest weakness, his one-on-ones. His work ethic is giving him the technical and tactical ability to overcome his previous lack of a football brain and if he can start putting one-on-ones in the net he will be a 20 goal striker.
He has a better all round game than most give him credit for and scores with both feet and his head. He plays about 4 inches taller than what he is and creates goals by making space and the occasional lay off/driven cross. What more can you ask from a striker that cost nothing?
The most oft-repeated bag of bollocks on this site I reckon.
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Gabby played well in the second half yesterday and certainly seem a better player than the uninterested, out of position, overweight effort he was last season. Good to see him back playing well and he was always a good player in the air so no surprise to see him head in the equaliser yesterday from the cross of another Villa homegrown player, Albrighton. Both players were perhaps written off a little too quick by many. But saying he should be partnered with Rooney for England is an over reaction also.
Still dont know how Bent and himself will work together. Bent seemed to be getting in his way yesterday, nearly even for the goal but Gabby was so much better down the middle and showed great leadership for us in the second half yesterday I felt. Playing the two of them up top, leaves us light in midfield though. Even at the end yesterday we had a midfield 4 of Bannan, Ireland, Petrov, Albrighton. There isnt much in line of physical presence there. Decisions, decisions.
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I still think Gabby will keep getting better and better, and in 2 years time he will have the composure to overcome his greatest weakness, his one-on-ones. His work ethic is giving him the technical and tactical ability to overcome his previous lack of a football brain and if he can start putting one-on-ones in the net he will be a 20 goal striker.
He has a better all round game than most give him credit for and scores with both feet and his head. He plays about 4 inches taller than what he is and creates goals by making space and the occasional lay off/driven cross. What more can you ask from a striker that cost nothing?
The most oft-repeated bag of bollocks on this site I reckon.
I really should of put the part you highlighted in inverted commas.
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I still think Gabby will keep getting better and better, and in 2 years time he will have the composure to overcome his greatest weakness, his one-on-ones. His work ethic is giving him the technical and tactical ability to overcome his previous lack of a football brain and if he can start putting one-on-ones in the net he will be a 20 goal striker.
He has a better all round game than most give him credit for and scores with both feet and his head. He plays about 4 inches taller than what he is and creates goals by making space and the occasional lay off/driven cross. What more can you ask from a striker that cost nothing?
The most oft-repeated bag of bollocks on this site I reckon.
Except it's not bollocks. He's a decent enough hard working lad with a good finish on him,but football brain? Do me a favour.
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Percy is right, as usual. It's just a tired, lazy cliche to drone on about the football brain thing. It's meaningless; he's a good player who keeps improving and has once again adapted to a new system and being asked to perform a different role and he's been our most dangerous attacking threat while playing from the left.
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I thought that aside from the goal, he was completely anonymous on the wing again. His best work is done down the middle, which is where'd like to see him play.
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I'm getting fucked off with him being stuck out on the wing.
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Good goal Saturday should do his confidence the world of good.
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Ah Mr Smith, the voice of reason. Perhaps our best attacking threat because he doesn't have the nous to set anything up for Bent, and Heskey would struggle to be dangerous if he had a hand grenade with the pin missing. I never said he wasn't a good player (in some ways) or that he isn't improving, I just don't think he's that clever a footballer. It's not lazy, it's an opinion based on having watched him for 5 years. BTW when are we going to see AM's horses for courses that you were so right about Chris?
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This on going he has no football brain, I find so curious, its like someone has said it and then everybody gets on the label bandwagon, problem is there any basis for it, I just can't see it, simply can't, he may not be the brightest star in the firmament but you only have to look at his work on the park to actually see how much thinking power there is there.
So, Football brain, well unless it means he wasn't born with a synthetic ball between his ears then the classic definition for this statement is the classic Chris Waddle description of Theo Walcott before the last world cup, saying Theo will never be a complete footballer because he has no football brain, so what does he mean and does this label get stuck on Gabby.
My understanding of this is when someone is labelled in a similar way it usually means they have no understanding or awareness of positional play, don't know where to be to receive, don't understand there next move once they have laid the ball of, have no natural instinct, strange thing is I can't stick any of this on Gabby, how weird is that, latest example of many as to what a complete load of rubbish that is would be his goal on Saturday, the player shows 100% intelligence, when he lays the ball of the Albrighton he does it with pin prick care and attention in order that he can get into the box and possibly get on the end of anything else happening, his marker No15 is Sylvain Distan who his about....6ft 3/4 and Gabby is about 5.11, that's a massive difference in football, and yet Gabby positional play was excellent, he drifted in at exactly the right pace and he got up above Distan to head home, pure instinct.
Another thing that's worth mentioning is how Gabby is finding more and more time on the ball watch in the clip ( bottom clip) how he works the ball in the box, how he dominates his possession, looks up for the next player, side foots the perfect pass to enable Albrighton to deal with it easily onto his best foot for the cross.
Yes I agree a world class player would have got ball side and in front of Distan but then again Distan is nobody's mug as a defender, big powerful bloke to deal with.
Yes Gabby may have had a quiet game, but didn't they all.........................................................
Clip...
http://www.eplmatches.com/2011/09/10/everton-vs-aston-villa-highlights-4/
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I think the problem with Gabby (well, not his problem, really) is that some people expect him to have everything, and to be everything. It's not realistic. He has most of the tools needed to be an effective striker in the Premier League, and he's proved that season after season: for me, he looks like he's bounced back after a disappointing campaign last season and really looks confident and 'up for it' again. I don't like seeing him wide left, but Gabby's showing versatility and movement to make the most of the position, and he's able to come inside, switch flanks, and get into the box.
I'll bet defenders hate playing against him. His goal on Saturday was excellent - running with the ball first, passing it on to Albrighton and then getting into the area to outjump a bigger defender thanks to his timing.
The goal against Blackburn was pretty smart too, quick feet, balance and the presence of mind and skill to curl his shot into the top corner. Very composed.
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You can't teach someone to be fast, strong and athletic. A lot of those attributes are natural, that are excelled trough coaching.
You can however teach someone how to play football.
Gabby is becoming a better player each season, I wouldn't be surprised if he bagged 20 goals this season.
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I still think Gabby will keep getting better and better, and in 2 years time he will have the composure to overcome his greatest weakness, his one-on-ones. His work ethic is giving him the technical and tactical ability to overcome his previous lack of a football brain and if he can start putting one-on-ones in the net he will be a 20 goal striker.
He has a better all round game than most give him credit for and scores with both feet and his head. He plays about 4 inches taller than what he is and creates goals by making space and the occasional lay off/driven cross. What more can you ask from a striker that cost nothing?
The most oft-repeated bag of bollocks on this site I reckon.
Except it's not bollocks. He's a decent enough hard working lad with a good finish on him,but football brain? Do me a favour.
He's not really what I would describe as a good finisher. Put him one on one and his technique sometimes lets him down. Many of his goals rely on him getting into good positions, getting on the end of a cross, and getting something on the ball to divert it in, all things that are down to intelligence. In summary, I'd say the fact that he struggles with one-on-ones points to poor technique, while the fact that (when played centrally) he finds himself in those positions so often, points to intelligent runs from an intelligent footballer.
Not accusing you of this kt, but I think a lot of people assume he's thick in football terms because he's not the brightest in interviews.
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He was bloody intelligent enough to create from start to finish his goal on Saturday. Another typical Gabby goal.
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Petrov 'keeps things ticking over'
Heskey 'holds the ball up well'
Gabby 'not got a football brain'
I'm sure there are more cliches about other players, but God, they get tiresome.
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He was bloody intelligent enough to create from start to finish his goal on Saturday. Another typical Gabby goal.
Excellent post, and what a goal this was v Blackburn for a no brainer so to speak, if Rooney had have score this it would be goal of the season.
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It's not lazy, it's an opinion based on having watched him for 5 years. BTW when are we going to see AM's horses for courses that you were so right about Chris?
We are seeing it. He picked Heskey on Saturday as we were going to be bullied. And guess what, we were bullied nigh on the entire game by Fellani without a physical presence in the side.
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Ah Mr Smith, the voice of reason. Perhaps our best attacking threat because he doesn't have the nous to set anything up for Bent, and Heskey would struggle to be dangerous if he had a hand grenade with the pin missing. I never said he wasn't a good player (in some ways) or that he isn't improving, I just don't think he's that clever a footballer. It's not lazy, it's an opinion based on having watched him for 5 years. BTW when are we going to see AM's horses for courses that you were so right about Chris?
Except you haven't been watching him for 5 years because you rarely go to games. So you don't see the work he does off the ball, the runs he makes to create space for others etc. All you get is what the TV producer decides to show you and that is never going to give you the full picture.
I imagine we'll see the horses for courses, that the manager promised not me, when he's got more used to the players. At the moment they're all still getting to know each other and he's, understandably, opted for experience which has given s a solid unbeaten start to the season. Quite what that's got to do with this thread though I have no idea. Or were you trying to be a clever dick?
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Not accusing you of this kt, but I think a lot of people assume he's thick in football terms because he's not the brightest in interviews.
Curse of the Brummie accent I'm afraid.
Anyway, I think Gabby is a great footballer. He's got a lot more to his all round game than Bent, but isn't such an instinctive finisher. And I really do think he's wasted being player out wide. It's not lazy, it's an opinion based on having watched him for 5 years. BTW when are we going to see AM's horses for courses that you were so right about Chris?
We are seeing it. He picked Heskey on Saturday as we were going to be bullied. And guess what, we were bullied nigh on the entire game by Fellani without a physical presence in the side.
So playing Heskey out wide was going to stop Everton's physical attacking midfielder was it? We weren't so much outmuscled, as just plain and simple outplayed.
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There midfield moved the ball a lot better than we did, but then we were bullied off the ball on far too many occasions and could not compete in the aerially.
Heskey was there to mix it up as much as anything, as he's about the only beast we have in the squad.
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"We weren't so much outmuscled, as just plain and simple outplayed."
We were both. And I didn't see things improve when Heskey went off. But as Chris said this is a thread about Gabby.
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Gabby and N'Zogbia were out wide, Heskey was playing in a floating role behind Bent. Bannan, for all his ability, was just brushed aside by Side Show Bob. Heskey "might" have given them something different to worry about and would have helped greatly on defending corners where we struggled all day due to the height in their side.
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Percy that's been put to me before, possibly by you, and I'll give you the same answer - it's nothing to do with his Brummie accent, which would be a bit hypocritical as I'm a Brummie myself. Your point about questionable technique rather than not making intelligent runs or taking up intelligent positions is reasonable enough.
Ads - AM has payed the same team in all games so far, except for Hutton /Young. Unless we've played against the same team at the same venue in the last four PL games, how does that equate to horses for courses?
Chris, your "considerably better fan than yow" card. Again. Nice one.
Glasses, some cliches become cliches because they happen to be rooted in truth, although I take your point about Petrov who barely seems able to keep his ticker ticking over after 60 minutes.
Anyway I sincerely hope we have this Gabby love-in every week because it will mean Gabby is scoring a hatload of goals. If he does, I'll join in.
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Chris, your "considerably better fan than yow" card. Again. Nice one.
Bollocks it was nothing of the kind. That's just another of your boring cliches, you really do have quite a collection.
It was explaining to you in terms that I hoped you might be able to understand that you don't see as much of the game watching on TV or the Internet as you do if you see it live. It's just an unarguable fact as you're limited by what the producer decides to show or the pundit decides to analyse.
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Chris, your "considerably better fan than yow" card. Again. Nice one.
Bollocks it was nothing of the kind. That's just another of your boring cliches, you really do have quite a collection.
It was explaining to you in terms that I hoped you might be able to understand that you don't see as much of the game watching on TV or the Internet as you do if you see it live. It's just an unarguable fact as you're limited by what the producer decides to show or the pundit decides to analyse.
that's how I read it too. There is no doubt whatsoever that being at a game, in the flesh, gives you an entirely different perspective than it does on TV. In the few times that I've been fortunate enought to get back to Villa Park I try and watch a lot more than the obvious on the ball action. Players like Gabby are a defenders nightmare for his off the ball running. The best players are very intelligent with those runs, something Gabby still needs to work on, but he doesn't half put in a shift. It's a very unappreciated part of his game.
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I personally think Gabby was playing at his best as a lone striker under MON.
His movement and overall play were superb and he seemed to relish in the responsibility.
Something you wouldn't expet to see from a player without a footballing brain.
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Chris, your "considerably better fan than yow" card. Again. Nice one.
Bollocks it was nothing of the kind. That's just another of your boring cliches, you really do have quite a collection.
It was explaining to you in terms that I hoped you might be able to understand that you don't see as much of the game watching on TV or the Internet as you do if you see it live. It's just an unarguable fact as you're limited by what the producer decides to show or the pundit decides to analyse.
Oh no you got me good Chris, with the "unarguable fact" (nice variation on the "you're just wrong so there" gambit, see page 3 of this thread for a prime example). How can I possbly argue with an unarguable fact. Curses, woe is me.
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Chris, your "considerably better fan than yow" card. Again. Nice one.
Bollocks it was nothing of the kind. That's just another of your boring cliches, you really do have quite a collection.
It was explaining to you in terms that I hoped you might be able to understand that you don't see as much of the game watching on TV or the Internet as you do if you see it live. It's just an unarguable fact as you're limited by what the producer decides to show or the pundit decides to analyse.
Oh no you got me good Chris, with the "unarguable fact" (nice variation on the "you're just wrong so there" gambit, see page 3 of this thread for a prime example). How can I possbly argue with an unarguable fact. Curses, woe is me.
Instead of trying, and failing, to be clever just try arguing with it so see if I'm right or not. Please enlighten us as to why you don't get a better overall view of the game at the ground compared to hunched over your PC screen?
This should be good.
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So you're saying you get a better perspective on a game watching it on the telly?
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Remember the last time you were trying to have a little dig and dropped the "considerably better fan than you" "can't see it properly on TV " line on me? Then I pointed out I'd actually been at the game in question. At which point you STFU. In the posts that followed quite a few posters, quite reasonably, agreed there were some things you pick up better live at the game, some things you pick up better with the benefit of TV with close ups, slo-mos, different angles, commentators etc. Not a peep from you. And that is my view. But in your world it's still an unarguable fact, so why bother arguing?
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I'm sorry you just don't get a better overall picture of a game and who is or isn't playing well on the tv as compared to watching it at the ground. You might get a clearer idea of what happened in a specific incident or if a ref's decision is correct. But this is often weighted with the bias of commentators and pundits.
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On tele the camera follows the ball, so runs off the ball, positional play and general work ethic can easily be missed. At the game you don't get to see the numerous angles and slow motion replays, so might think a foul/goal was or wasn't right and be wrong. If you want to judge a player it's better at the game, but judging an incident is better on TV.
Horses for courses.
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To say Gabby lacks a footballing brain is a fallacy IMO. He may not be the brightest bulb on the tree in interviews but you need a different kind of intellect on the pitch and as far as I can see he has it. He makes the runs he needs to and his movement is excellent.
What he lacks is less down to footballing intelligence and rather other things. He sometimes is poor one on one and sometimes even finishing. Neither of these weaknesses are to do with a lack of a footballing brain as far as I'm concerned.
On tele the camera follows the ball, so runs off the ball, positional play and general work ethic can easily be missed. At the game you don't get to see the numerous angles and slow motion replays, so might think a foul/goal was or wasn't right and be wrong. If you want to judge a player it's better at the game, but judging an incident is better on TV.
Horses for courses.
I'd agree with that. I've been to games where I've missed big incidents and have not had the replay that would enable me to determine my view on it but I definitely get an impression of individual players.
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Remember the last time you were trying to have a little dig and dropped the "considerably better fan than you" "can't see it properly on TV " line on me? Then I pointed out I'd actually been at the game in question. At which point you STFU. In the posts that followed quite a few posters, quite reasonably, agreed there were some things you pick up better live at the game, some things you pick up better with the benefit of TV with close ups, slo-mos, different angles, commentators etc. Not a peep from you. And that is my view. But in your world it's still an unarguable fact, so why bother arguing?
Yet more obfuscation, you're not arguing because you're wrong but don't have the bottle to admit it. In this case, where we're talking about the intelligence of a player, the work off the ball is crucial and not something the TV viewer will normally be aware of unless the broadcaster decides to focus on it.
Back to the point in question. Can you give specifics to support your regurgitation of the "no footballing brain" cliche?
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Percy that's been put to me before, possibly by you, and I'll give you the same answer - it's nothing to do with his Brummie accent, which would be a bit hypocritical as I'm a Brummie myself. Your point about questionable technique rather than not making intelligent runs or taking up intelligent positions is reasonable enough.
Ads - AM has payed the same team in all games so far, except for Hutton /Young. Unless we've played against the same team at the same venue in the last four PL games, how does that equate to horses for courses?
Chris, your "considerably better fan than yow" card. Again. Nice one.
Glasses, some cliches become cliches because they happen to be rooted in truth, although I take your point about Petrov who barely seems able to keep his ticker ticking over after 60 minutes.
Anyway I sincerely hope we have this Gabby love-in every week because it will mean Gabby is scoring a hatload of goals. If he does, I'll join in.
I respectfully disagree. They don't happen to be rooted in truth at all, they are opinion. Often wheeled out by people who want to sound like they know what they are talking about.
I agree with Percy with the technique, rather than the intelligence deficiancy, but he has more than enough technique to get by.
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Fuckin' star!
Big up the Erdington massive!
Gabby is a top boy and he is the pride of Nechells. About time people living outside B7 started appreciating him properly! ;)
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Remember the last time you were trying to have a little dig and dropped the "considerably better fan than you" "can't see it properly on TV " line on me? Then I pointed out I'd actually been at the game in question. At which point you STFU. In the posts that followed quite a few posters, quite reasonably, agreed there were some things you pick up better live at the game, some things you pick up better with the benefit of TV with close ups, slo-mos, different angles, commentators etc. Not a peep from you. And that is my view. But in your world it's still an unarguable fact, so why bother arguing?
Yet more obfuscation, you're not arguing because you're wrong but don't have the bottle to admit it. In this case, where we're talking about the intelligence of a player, the work off the ball is crucial and not something the TV viewer will normally be aware of unless the broadcaster decides to focus on it.
Back to the point in question. Can you give specifics to support your regurgitation of the "no footballing brain" cliche?
There you go again. "You're wrong". But this time you also know what I'm thinking. It's an opinion, and it isn't wrong, it's just different to yours.
How many independent pundits, reporters, or commentators have ever picked up on these marvellous, intelligent off the ball runs that you say Gabby makes that create space for others. How many times has it been mentioned in 5 years ?. Surely he has a reputation for such things if what you say is true? He's not noted for it as far as I know. But he must make them because you go to the games and you say so. Yet they are apparently invisible in TV world, and to newspaper reporters.
The very absence of such runs is what prompts me to think he isn't the most switched on of players. So how about you list them all for us. Since you obviously watch him closely, up close and personal and all that, I'm sure you must have seen every one and have them all noted. Over 5 years let's say there must have been at least 10 a season if it's one of his fortes. So that's 50. Over to you.
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What a pathetic post, truly plumming the depths of inanity.
It's something that happens in every game, he moves off the ball makes runs to take defenders away, drops back in to cover his full back etc. He's played a number if different roles and systems and has shown himself adaptable each time. Not the sign of a player lacking intelligence.
However, it's you who has made the specific claim that, amongst all of our players, he lacks this so called "football brain" but have offered nothing in support other than " it's my opinion".
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Ktvillan: Name me a Villa player or Villa team that's lorded by the press, its never happened and it never will, how many times do you see on MOTD when the so called pundits discuss the match just screened spend 10 sec's on Villa and the rest of the time on the opposition, in fact after the Everton game Hanson, Lineker and Shearer didn't even mention Villa at tall.
The other night the commentator commented that Ashley Young's career had just begun, like he'd never been at Villa, and in fact it seems now with this amazing ascendency to an England shirt after just a few games a Man U when he barely got a run out whilst he was at Villa.
One thing is for sure I take very little notice of what these very biased dead head pundits comment but I do listen to what the players think and mangers and coaches because they are worth listening to, so if it helps John Terry rates Gabby as one of the best and most fearsome front men in the Premiership to play against, his words " A Nightmare to mark" Whilst Gabby was playing at U21 when they played and beat Portugal in the final with Gabby scoring the winner (if I remember) the Portuguese coach highly respected in the world of football and has been the source of spotting some of the worlds top players described Gabby at that time as being Incredible and a future world talent.
So its a question of reading the crap in the tabloids which I have to be honest I thought everybody was now aware is pure rubbish, thought that was a given, or to people actually in the game including the likes of Arsene Wenger who tried to buy him a couple of season back describing Gabby as a new and powerful kind of player that he wanted.
If you going to wait for the media to give anything to do with Villa the kind of recognition we sometimes deserve your going to wait a very long time.
And just another point, if you can't see world class talent in this next clip, then there is nothing I can say that will ever convince you, in media terms this is one of the most viewed clips across the planet.......so there, and enjoy because you can't look at this and not love the guy, ffs he is Aston Villa born and breed in the shadows of the very walls of the stadium, he supports the club...just like you.
&NR=1
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Added to that, I can't see Sky selling many subscriptions if they take the time to point out when a player makes a great run off the ball, only for the move to break down at left-back due to a dog pissing on Warnock.
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Percy that's been put to me before, possibly by you, and I'll give you the same answer - it's nothing to do with his Brummie accent, which would be a bit hypocritical as I'm a Brummie myself. Your point about questionable technique rather than not making intelligent runs or taking up intelligent positions is reasonable enough.
I didn't mention his Brummie accent. You're right - my point about his intelligent runs and intelligent positioning is reasonable; but more than that, I'd say it quite conclusively shows he's an intelligent player.
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Percy that's been put to me before, possibly by you, and I'll give you the same answer - it's nothing to do with his Brummie accent, which would be a bit hypocritical as I'm a Brummie myself. Your point about questionable technique rather than not making intelligent runs or taking up intelligent positions is reasonable enough.
I didn't mention his Brummie accent. You're right - my point about his intelligent runs and intelligent positioning is reasonable; but more than that, I'd say it quite conclusively shows he's an intelligent player.
Not really, it just shows that a further limitation is his lack of good technique in certain situations.
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What a pathetic post, truly plumming the depths of inanity.
It's something that happens in every game, he moves off the ball makes runs to take defenders away, drops back in to cover his full back etc. He's played a number if different roles and systems and has shown himself adaptable each time. Not the sign of a player lacking intelligence.
However, it's you who has made the specific claim that, amongst all of our players, he lacks this so called "football brain" but have offered nothing in support other than " it's my opinion".
I guess you mean Plumbing. What you are effectively asking me to do is to list all the intelligent runs that Gabby hasn't made. Which is absurd. However if you can explain the methodology for doing so I'll gladly try to oblige, but to me they are conspicuous by their very absence.
Whereas, if it happens every game, as you claim, it should be a relatively straightforward matter to draw up a lengthy list of positive examples. Like when I asked you to provide a few examples of all the forward passes you claimed Petrov had made in a particular game (although that time you came up with nothing).
On the subject of TV coverage, I can regularly see the clever movement and defence fooling runs of players like Rooney, Owen, Giggs, Drogba, Owen, Kuyt, Van der Vaart, etc. even our own Darren Bent's good movement is obvious. I was able to clearly see Heskey's excellent movement a couple of seasons ago against Hull that dragged three defenders away from Dunne leaving him with a free run on goal when Milner played him in. All this on the TV. And the pundits picked up on it and replayed it. Yet Gabby's runs are somehow invisible to the TV camera. Perhaps you can explain that particular conundrum?
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I'd agree that Gabby's best position is up front and probably on his own. I do not agree that he would play well with Bent as I think Bent is also better playing on his own and therefore Bent/gabby could get in each others way.
Secondly I think defences would defend deeper if Gabby was playing 'on the last man' and therefore this would reduce the space for bent to run into for any #cough# slide rule passes between defenders.
My biggest reason for not wanting Gabby down the middle (at the moment) is that having two up front would weaken the midfield.
I do think however, that the formation we are playing 4231 (and 433) should be more flexible in the forward positions and therefore Gabby should be able to play narrower and also interchange with Heskey/Bannan/Nzogbia/Albrighton more often. This would hopefully mean he can find himself in central positions unmarked. I hope a more mobile Bannan will facilitate that as long as AMc gives them license to play with freedom.
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KT you're right. Now I think about it I realise that every time I glance at Gabby during a game he is just stood there, looking a bit confused and scratching his arse. This explains why I've never seen him get behind the defence or on the end of a cross or through ball in his whole career and why good defenders like Vidic have no problem dealing with him. Now, if you wouldn't mind compiling a list of every time Marlon Harewood controlled the ball with his let foot whilst facing away from goal I'd appreciate it. Have it on my desk by Thursday, thanks.
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What a ridiculous post Ryu. I've never questioned Gabby's pace (which is what Vidic seems to struggle with against him) and his ability to get on the end of things, and to tuck them away occasionally, is on record. I've never denied his obvious attributes of pace, power and instinctive finishing. But for me it's those things rather than intelligent movement or clever play that make him a decent player. But don't let missing the point completely put you off. And WTF has Marlon Harewood got to do with anything? Just let me know which primary school your desk is in and I'll send you something not sharp to play with.
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Being a member of the Society I do look for Gabby movement off the ball, and he does suffer in comparison to Bent who is spectacularly good off the ball but his 'lay off and go sprint' is definately above average PL class and I would say only Defoe of the English strikers does it better.
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Tucking things away occasionally is a bit unfair on gabby who has always scored regularly with the exception of last season. I'm sorry, I obviously don't understand football as well as you because I always thought getting away from a defender and on to the end of a pass from a team mate and then scoring a goal was about the most clever thing you do in a game of football. I now realise that making a run that lee dixon can be bothered to talk about on a sunday night is what it is really about.
The marlon harewood joke was about your desire to have people you're arguing with come up with all sorts of examples for their points even when it's not really feasible. But I probably didn't do a very good job because I'm young innit?
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Oh it was a joke was it? Aren't they meant to be funny?
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Jokes are meant to be funny? That's chris smith's line!
Are you really the same person?
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I've got to be honest KTvillan, In amongst all this arguing I have forgotten what you even said about Gabby. Therefore I'm out.
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They're not getting any funnier.
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Ok then, I'm off to tell my mom she failed at raising me.
Back to Gabby, is regularly getting on the end of things and scoring goals not, in an attacking player, a sign that they possess some degree of this 'football intelligence'? Or is that just far to obvious to be intelligent?
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Fair question. Depends on how you define football intelligence or how/if you diferentiate intelligence from instinct. With Gabby I always get the feeling he is working on pure instinct than intelligence, which for me is different, but I suppose some might define that instinctiveness as a form of football intelligence. With other players, I think Owen, Kuyt or Van Der Vaart are good examples, I always get the impression they are constantly weighing things up in their minds and looking for ways to fool the defenders, and often finding them.
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You see this is where we differ. When people say football intelligence I take this to pretty much mean instinct. You're of course correct to say there are players who have a more subtle and refined decision making process than Gabby but I think even the best strikers rely on instinct and experience to get in goal scoring positions. I don't think it denigrates gabby to say he works on instinct.
However one sign of intelligence he does have is that he clearly has applied himself to developing areas of his game, such as holding the ball up and coming deep when playing on his own up front and adapting himself to play out wide and the work defensively he does there.
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The goal he scored on Saturday was a planned, organised, practiced piece of work. Therefore, Gabby by definition, is an organised accomplished footballer. He has acquired these attributes by good coaching and then practicing along with players who he has become familiar with and who too have similar attributes to Gabby.
Dean Saunders on 'Goals on Sunday' talked about forwards having an eye for goal and used one he put away against Sheff Wed to describe what having an eye for goal was about. Deano knew from training with Ian Taylor that when Taylor was in a position to shoot for goal he invariably dragged his shot across the goal so thought it a good idea to be in the place where the ball might possibly finish up and if it did a tap in was on the cards, sure enough that's what happened.
In both scenarios there is very little intelligence require except the ability to memorize. There is no 'instinctive' reaction to the play that has gone before. It's just a case of.... if I do this, he might or should do that and I might end up with a chance to score.
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The reson people struggle to define football intelligence is that it just a cliched piece of nonsense. It's one of those things that people say to make it look as though they are experts. I enjoy watching Gabby keep ramming their words back down their throats and them then scrabble around for a new way to run him down.
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It's not a new way to run him down. I've been saying it for ages, while acknowledgng his good points. So have quite a few others. You just dismiss everything you disagree with as a cliche, or say it's silly, or put it down to lack of knowledge. Change the record for fuck's sake. And, as with Petrov's forward passes, you still haven't provided any examples of his clever runs to create space for others.
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Gabby is an intelligent footballer, he's got an eye for goal and a knack of being in the right place at the right time.
Granted, he's not a poacher of Bent standards or an effortless technician, but Gabby plays the percentages and gets his rewards. He's also fantastic at reading situations defensively, I've lost count of the amount of times in the two away games we've had where he's covered Warnock and ushered the ball out for the goal kick.
He does have his flaws, but most of it is down to consistency as opposed to being limited. Infact I'd say he's quite rounded, he can play on the shoulder, or coming onto the ball from deeper in wide areas, he gets a shedload of assist, scores with his right, left, head. Scores six yard box goals outside of the box. He'll score a wider variety of goals than any other striker we've got or had in recent years, perhaps since Yorkie.
Quality player. Hope he keeps it up and sees out his career with us. I'd hate to see him anywhere else.
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I like Gabby, he just looks dumb.
I would like us to use his pace more.
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ktvillan: Spent a fair bit of time around football, have to say the notion of football intelligence is a whole new concept for me, most football is instinct its how players use that instinct and the awareness that kicks in that makes them different or better, you could say that is intelligence, the cliché Football brain or the lacking of as mentioned in an earlier post was born out of a statement Chris Waddle Waddle used to describe Theo Walcot, this was based on his opinion that Walcott and little or no awareness, didn't no how to run the channels, didn't know how to lay a pass of and be in box 2 to receive it back, and route 1 was is only option.
Gabby....how can anybody say that of Gabby Agbonlahor, he's played up front, he's played wide, he's more than capable of playing defensively, he can pass a ball, lay of a ball, from what i can see his shielding of ball to my memory has only ever been bettered by Kenny Dalgliesh in his playing days at Liverpool, he can head a ball, more often than not knows where he should be in the box instinctively, lets not even get into pace.
I would agree with you on the point that he works on instinct rather than thinking about his next move, but prey do tell when you have an athlete who's complete set up is based on pace and power, then that in itself determines what the end product will be, Villa benefit from that massively.
&feature=related
Pretty good if you ask me.
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Said it all really villanation. Gabby doesn't roam about in between the midfield and defence causing problems with his movement like rooney or someone because he's a different sort of player doing a different job. You've pointed out the things he does do very well. If this means he lacks 'football intelligence' then either I don't understand it or it hasn't been explained to me properly.
That or its a meaningless phrase used by unimaginative 'experts' to make themselves sound knowledgeable.
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He's instinctive and sometimes explosive. His positional play is good but not sure how much of that is down to sheer pace enabling him to find space. Anyway, he's one of my favourite players in the team.
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Instinctiveness vs Footballing brain, it's just semantics.
He's a good player, sometimes great when he gets on one of his purple patches, but as a striker he could improve on his movement in the box in my opinion. If he is to become a winger then he'll need to learn a trick other than pace to get round players. His crossing is good but I have to admit I don't remember too many subtle or visionary passes.
But as others have commented, for nothing he is one helluva player.
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He's been announced as the clubs official ambassador for Acorns. Info on the OS. That gents is fucking ace when you consider how much time it would take and how much he must value the relationship. Top bloke.
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Well said toronto villa:
Just for good measure
http://www.acorns.org.uk/astonvilla
That picture in itself speaks volumes for me.
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It's not a new way to run him down. I've been saying it for ages, while acknowledgng his good points. So have quite a few others. You just dismiss everything you disagree with as a cliche, or say it's silly, or put it down to lack of knowledge. Change the record for fuck's sake. And, as with Petrov's forward passes, you still haven't provided any examples of his clever runs to create space for others.
There are people with far more patience than me who have provided you with plenty of examples. The problem is you refuse to acknowledge it. You've backed yourself into a corner and so you're trying to make it personal (again).
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It's not a new way to run him down. I've been saying it for ages, while acknowledgng his good points. So have quite a few others. You just dismiss everything you disagree with as a cliche, or say it's silly, or put it down to lack of knowledge. Change the record for fuck's sake. And, as with Petrov's forward passes, you still haven't provided any examples of his clever runs to create space for others.
There are people with far more patience than me who have provided you with plenty of examples. The problem is you refuse to acknowledge it. You've backed yourself into a corner and so you're trying to make it personal (again).
I think the expression is when your in a hole stop digging......hey ho!!!! ;)
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Top man (http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2449569,00.html)
Villa are delighted to announce star striker Gabby Agbonlahor as the official player ambassador for Acorns.
Agbonlahor has already been a big hit on the pitch this season with a dynamic double - including his 50th top-flight goal which puts him second on the all-time Villa list behind Dwight Yorke.
But he's now impressing off the pitch too after agreeing to take on the influential position for the 2011-12 season.
The role, which was previously entrusted to Martin Laursen, will see Gabby being proactive in encouraging team-mates and fans to help out the worthwhile children's charity.
Acorns provides care and support for children and young people who have life-limiting or life threatening conditions - meaning they are unlikely to reach adulthood.
It currently costs over £8m a year to support Acorns - and Gabby is calling on everyone to dig deep to support the networkof hospices, which has bases in Walsall, Selly Oak and Worcester, alongside a team out and about in the community.
Gabby will be getting more closely involved in activities with the children and families and fundraising initiatives, throwing himself fully into the enormous efforts of the charity.
The first activity is to ask supporters to get behind the charity's attempt to set a record for the most amount of money ever raised by football fans during a Barclays Premier League match.
At the Villa v Newcastle game on September 17, legend Paul McGrath will return to Villa Park to ask the fans to donate directly from their mobile phones throughout the game.
Gabby won't be pitchside because he'll be preparing for the big top-flight tussle but he's eager to support Paul by asking fans to get involved in the ace activity.
Gabby said: "I have met several of the children and families supported by Acorns and heard stories of the fantastic work the charity does to help them cope.
"I'm really proud to be the player ambassador for Acorns.
"I'll be taking the responsibility seriously and want to do all I can to help the charity continue with its very important work.
"I'm excited that the first thing I can do is welcome a childhood hero back to Villa Park at the Newcastle game this Saturday.
"Paul McGrath will be asking fans to help set a record using text to donate to Acorns and I am encouraging them to help make it a huge success."
David Strudley, chief executive of Acorns Children's Hospice, added: "The strong relationship between Villa and Acorns is well known but people aren't as aware of the involvement of the players with the charity, behind-the-scenes as well as in the public eye.
"Gabby is a local lad and has visited the hospice on several occasions, and as a father he can really relate to the needs of our children and families.
"Announcing him as ambassador is an exciting next step in Villa's support for Acorns of which we are hugely appreciative. We so look forward to working with him even closer."
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Didn't he make a donation to the Children's Hospital quite recently?
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Didn't he make a donation to the Children's Hospital quite recently?
I think it was described as a "sizeable six figure donation", or words to that effect. All of this is something he really doesn't have to do, but he seems to be very, very down to earth and appreciative of what he has in life.
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I love Gabby - there, I've said it.
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There are people with far more patience than me who have provided you with plenty of examples. The problem is you refuse to acknowledge it. You've backed yourself into a corner and so you're trying to make it personal (again).
Where are these examples? Just to be clear, as in previous posts, I'm referring specifically to the claim you made that Gabby makes runs to drag defenders away and create space for others, which you claimed he does every game. I've had a scan through the posts and I can't see any examples that back up that particular claim. But tell me which posters and which page and I'll check the posts. If I find examples of such runs, I will certainly acknowledge that examples have been provided, I've no problem with that. Then I might ask the question, where's the proof? And since, by your own admission, these runs can't be seen on television, there can't possibly be any video evidence of them. Now with all due respect to posters who may have provided such examples (yet to be established) most on this thread are clearly not impartial, being self-confessed huge fans of Gabby. So without the possibility of hard, independent, verifiable evidence to back up their claims, why should anyone believe them?
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KT, you are a really mature, fully grown up adult, unlike me. You would never lower yourself to childish personal jibes, no matter how light hearted.
Edited to avoid offence to the sensitive.
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Christ, KT, you're one boring fucker.
This isn't a court of law where you can win your case. Like the majority on this thread I disagree with your hackneyed line about Gabby being thick. We've talked about why but you, seemingly on your own, won't accept it and are demanding we produce evidence as though we had access to all the Sky TV gizmos.
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Chris, can you find every time KT has demanded examples on other threads and quote them here. Otherwise your point won't count.
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Good lad Gabby.
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Christ, KT, you're one boring fucker.
This isn't a court of law where you can win your case. Like the majority on this thread I disagree with your hackneyed line about Gabby being thick. We've talked about why but you, seemingly on your own, won't accept it and are demanding we produce evidence as though we had access to all the Sky TV gizmos.
I see I've got you resorting to personal insults. Again. Just out of interest though, what use would the SKy gizmos be, since the "evidence" can't be picked up by TV?
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KT, you sound a bit mental.
Mods, is that considered acceptable?
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If it's not everybody who has ever posted anything about Steven Ireland on this board needs to be banned!
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Rooney is like Pele, natch http://tinyurl.com/6gp9nj9
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Let me see if I can explain to you. When you watch on TV you get the views they choose to show in following the ball. Analysts with their gizmos have access to every camera angle most of which are not broadcast during the game. Therefore if I had access to this and could be arsed to waste more of my time I could answer your silly questions by showing you how on 62 minutes against Wolves Gabby made a run taking the right back away to make space for Warnock, for example. If I just posted the same you'd just call me a liar and carry on stereotyping the player.
Only you could take a thread started to celebrate one of our favourite players and turn into something so dull. You must feel very proud. So, can we please just drop it because I think most people are losing the will to live having to wade through this.
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Chris, can you find every time KT has demanded examples on other threads and quote them here. Otherwise your point won't count.
If you think the above makes any sense, or is remotely amusing, or even minutely relevant to anything that has gone before, then it's little wonder normal people seem mental to you.
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We call them 'norms'.
Can you clear something up for me, oh normal one? How is me saying you "sound a bit mental" different to you just implying I am abnormal, or comparing me to someone who cannot be trusted with sharp objects as if I have learning difficulties?
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I appreciate Gabby for being loyal to Villa and always trying to give his best.
He has an eye for goal and has scored some crucial ones for us, and don't forget how fast he is !
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We call them 'norms'.
Can you clear something up for me, oh normal one? How is me saying you "sound a bit mental" different to you just implying I am abnormal, or comparing me to someone who cannot be trusted with sharp objects as if I have learning difficulties?
I didn't really need to imply anything, your posts speak (so to speak, as they appear to be mostly irrelevant and incomprehensible) for themselves. Still trying to work out what Marlon Harewood has got to do with anything.
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So you were flat out calling me an abnormal person who suffers with learning difficulties for a laugh? Shall I call the mods? ;)
I think Harewood is as relevant to this thread as Petrov is. And you've mentioned him more than I've mentioned Marlon.
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Let me see if I can explain to you. When you watch on TV you get the views they choose to show in following the ball. Analysts with their gizmos have access to every camera angle most of which are not broadcast during the game. Therefore if I had access to this and could be arsed to waste more of my time I could answer your silly questions by showing you how on 62 minutes against Wolves Gabby made a run taking the right back away to make space for Warnock, for example. If I just posted the same you'd just call me a liar and carry on stereotyping the player.
Only you could take a thread started to celebrate one of our favourite players and turn into something so dull. You must feel very proud. So, can we please just drop it because I think most people are losing the will to live having to wade through this.
Sure we can drop it now we're agreed, it is possible to see Gabby's runs on TV.
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So you were flat out calling me an abnormal person who suffers with learning difficulties for a laugh? Shall I call the mods? ;)
I think Harewood is as relevant to this thread as Petrov is. And you've mentioned him more than I've mentioned Marlon.
I think the word you're looking for, Ryu, is hypocrite.
Yes, KT, I agree that if the post match analyst decides to focus on it with is fancy gizmo you will be able to see it on TV.
You really have sucked all of the joy out of what was a good thread.
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Even if Gabby isn't as good or in some cases is as poor as a few Villa supporters might think I bet there are fans of other prem teams and management of other Prem teams who would love to have him in their team/squad. The noteable ones being Arsenal and Everton.
We should be grateful to have him. He isn't the best striker in the world but he also isn't the worst. I'd much rather have him than, Owen, Berbatov, Zamora, Crouch, Bendtner, Torres, Carroll (as he is now), Doyle and lots of others.
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So you were flat out calling me an abnormal person who suffers with learning difficulties for a laugh? Shall I call the mods? ;)
I think Harewood is as relevant to this thread as Petrov is. And you've mentioned him more than I've mentioned Marlon.
Ryu, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
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Yes time out and get back to thread topic. This is a Gabby appreciation thread nothing else!
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So you were flat out calling me an abnormal person who suffers with learning difficulties for a laugh? Shall I call the mods? ;)
I think Harewood is as relevant to this thread as Petrov is. And you've mentioned him more than I've mentioned Marlon.
Ryu, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
You really are one cowardly little man. You pretend that you're leaving it there but taking the opportunity to have another dig shortly after trying to tell tales to the mods.
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Gabby has something to say to you all
(http://i53.tinypic.com/oazsph.jpg)
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So you were flat out calling me an abnormal person who suffers with learning difficulties for a laugh? Shall I call the mods? ;)
I think Harewood is as relevant to this thread as Petrov is. And you've mentioned him more than I've mentioned Marlon.
Ryu, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
You really are one cowardly little man. You pretend that you're leaving it there but taking the opportunity to have another dig shortly after trying to tell tales to the mods.
Chris, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
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Yes time out and get back to thread topic. This is a Gabby appreciation thread nothing else!
Here here!
I for one think we're lucky to have Gabby. He's a real threat. Last season we should call a write off. Unfer O Neill he hit double figures every season, and this year I expect the same. He's Villa to the core so he'll be unlikely to ever want out. He's also still got plenty of years ahead to offer good service, and also improve. IMO he improved a lot during O Neills reign. His overall play compared to the raw youngster we first saw, is plain to see. His touch isn't as bad as some people think, more perhaps a case of being a little sloppy at times. He's also most certainly not totally lacking in a football brain. He's no number 10, but he offers entirely different, and very useful threats.
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For all the arguments for and against Gabby, who was the last player to come through our ranks that was better? Although it's comparing apples and pears, I would personally but the Bolton Defender on more or less a par with him. He's better than Vassell, Moore and Hendrie. I suppose Barry is the only one during anything like recent times, if you count him as a youth product.
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Yes time out and get back to thread topic. This is a Gabby appreciation thread nothing else!
Here here!
I think this would be a good idea.
I like a tedious bit of over-analysis as much as the next man, but I think this bit of fun has run its course.
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Chris, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
That's twice - once more and you owe me royalties! 8)
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Its a good job you're here to take the high road, KT. Otherwise we'd all aend up looking silly!
Anyway, back to the thread. I really rate Gabby as a player and it makes it all the better that he's a Birmingham boy. And you're completely wrong about him lacking the thing you call football intelligence.
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@ktvillan.
You asked Chris Smith and Ryu for proof, i tell you how easy it was to get these few examples, I Google'd and asked the question "Gabby Agbonlahor" stretches defenders and works the channels" there are dozens of reports and quotes on the very subject, so not to bore you with this I just quickly lifted a few.
Here goes with snapshot headlines:
West Brom 2-1 Aston Villa
A pivotal game at the Hawthorns saw a revitalised West Bromwich Albion side under Roy Hodgson take on an equally resurgent Aston Villa under caretaker manager Gary McAllister (on that note, get well soon Gerard Houllier. All Villans wish you the best in your recovery). The home side set out in a defensive-minded 4-2-3-1, with Carlos Vela hugging the line on the right and James Morrison given license to drift across the pitch in support of the lone striker Peter Odemwingie. Villa played their customary 4-4-2 (though the 4-2-2-2 it morphed into in its attacking stages against Stoke was conspicuous by its absence, perhaps due to the more box-to-box roles the midfield took) with Gabriel Agbonlahor playing around Darren Bent and stretching the West Brom defenders, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, as ever, drifting inside off the wings.
Villa press
Villa began well, pressing high and looking to bring their dangerous wingers into play whenever they could, as well as test the Albion defence through their pace-heavy frontline. The first goal came from nothing; Gabriel Agbonlahor surged into the box before intelligently moving the ball back to Downing. Downing crossed it in low towards Bent, and Abdoulaye Meite’s outstretched leg diverted it in past the stranded Scott Carson. Within the first five minutes Villa were ahead, and continued to threaten as they simply overpowered and outclassed a shaky West Brom midfield. Quite apart from anything, the differences in work rate was noticeable, with Nigel Reo-Coker buzzing around in midfield and Agbonlahor closing down defenders and deep midfielders alike. West Brom most promising route of attack looked to be long balls over the top of the away side’s defence for Odemwingie to run onto, not such a bad strategy considering Villa’s high line and less than mobile defenders.
Blackpool 1-1 Aston Villa
Despite the free-flowing attack from both teams, this match was not a fun one to watch, mostly due to the frustration of Aston Villa fans. Blackpool supporters have more reason to be frustrated, however, as the Seasiders failed to capitalize in the last twenty minutes, even with the visitors down a man after Jean Makoun was sent off. Gabriel Agbonlahor scored in the 10th minute, Elliott Grandin equalized four minutes later, and there the scoring ended, 1-1.
The majority of Villa fans are hitting out at Ashley Young, perhaps because his last-minute shot from a Stewart Downing cross went just wide, denying Villa all three points. Also in injury time, Howard Webb failed to award a penalty to Young, although the call would have been soft, and we all know Webb doesn't do soft. Captain Ash might not deserve such vitriol today, however. He got himself into space quite often (it's not his fault Kyle Walker and Stewart Downing often dallied on the ball) and kept the attack flowing after Emile Heskey replaced Darren Bent.
This match gave glimpses of what Gerard Houllier is aiming for with his formation. This is a manager who has certain tactics in mind, and since he has yet to form his team to his mindset, is attempting to squish the team into his tactics, with varying results. But when the attackers switch places, it certainly does trouble the opposing defense, and that's what Houllier is seeking. Agbonlahor's wing play resulted in the Villa goal, with the speedster showing glimpses of his old self when beating two Blackpool defenders and easily slipping around keeper Richard Kingson. After that, though, the majority of the play went down the right, where Downing finally seems comfortable. Is it perfect? No, of course not. Do I think we'd be better served to have Gabby behind Bent and Ash on the wing? Sometimes, but Gabby moves defenders out of position and causes confusion, then I see the interplay in the England game and think that maybe Young can, in fact, play in the hole.
I don't know how many times you get down the Villa but most people I know that watch these games will tell you more than anything else the thing that Gabby does is work defenders, stretch defenders, cause mayhem in the box purely because as he moves into the box defenders can't track him properly, you witnessed that v Everton with Sylvan Distan who clearly was trying to mark Gabby but simply couldn't track him and focus on jumping for the ball at the same time, Gabby knows he can do this because of his pace and he uses it intelligently, during the League Cup Final v Man Utd, Gabby receives the ball, he keeps his body between the ball and Vidic, in the box, Vidic world class defender has 1 choice, bring him down and try and get away with it, the rest his history.
I think the problem for you is because Gabby comes over as this thick Brummie local lad you imagine it just can't possibly be true that Villa have a real gem playing for them, but let me add to this, i know a former Villa player from the squad of the eighties, you would instantly know who I was talking about, good friend I play golf with and live by, he knows Gabby well and he say's to me the fella doesn't come over like the thick kid whatsoever.
Gabby is Ok IMO and England have an asset they really should develop.
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So you were flat out calling me an abnormal person who suffers with learning difficulties for a laugh? Shall I call the mods? ;)
I think Harewood is as relevant to this thread as Petrov is. And you've mentioned him more than I've mentioned Marlon.
Ryu, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
You really are one cowardly little man. You pretend that you're leaving it there but taking the opportunity to have another dig shortly after trying to tell tales to the mods.
Chris, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
If I was making as big a tit of myself as you are I'd quit too.
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So you were flat out calling me an abnormal person who suffers with learning difficulties for a laugh? Shall I call the mods? ;)
I think Harewood is as relevant to this thread as Petrov is. And you've mentioned him more than I've mentioned Marlon.
Ryu, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
You really are one cowardly little man. You pretend that you're leaving it there but taking the opportunity to have another dig shortly after trying to tell tales to the mods.
Chris, would love to argue further but I'm going to invoke John M's signature quote and leave it there.
If I was making as big a tit of myself as you are I'd quit too.
Chris, would love to argue further but ... you know the rest, and I don't want to have to pay John M any royalties.
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Bloody hell villanation you've got more time on your hands than I have!
Great post though.
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This is a wind up......................
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Chris and KT, that really is enough now.
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Bloody hell villanation you've got more time on your hands than I have!
Great post though.
That's how easy it was, i found and pasted that in about 4 mins, that how easy it was to find the proof........ ;)
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Well then columbo, if you could turn your attentions to the mystery of Petrov's invisible forward passes we'd all very much appreciate it!
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Well then columbo, if you could turn your attentions to the mystery of Petrov's forward passes we'd all very much appreciate it!
Ryu:
Can we all take another thread like this one Chris and you must be knackered :)
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When it comes to a pointless argument my thumbs energy knows no bounds ;)
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Gabby Agbonlahor wants to take another step towards a historic scoring record this weekend - and knock Dwight Yorke off top spot in the goal charts.
Agbonlahor currently lies second in the all-time Villa Premier League chart with 51 goals, nine behind the Calypso King.
Villa's speed demon is eager to surpass Yorkie as the best netbuster - and thinks he could even break the record this season.
There's another historic moment on the horizon, too.
If he starts against the Geordies on Saturday, it will represent his 200th top-flight start.
Agbonlahor admits he's proud to be achieving so much in claret and blue.
He said: "Yorkie was a great striker. He has nine more than me. It would be a tremendous achievement to beat that, it would mean a lot to me.
"It would be nice to catch his record and overtake him.
"These 200 games have come around quick too. I remember when I was a 19-year-old making my way in the game at Goodison Park. I want to continue getting these games in.
"If I can keep myself fit and playing for the club for many years to come, hopefully I can beat that record.
"It would be nice to break the record this season but I don't make targets for myself. You'll have to wait and see.
"He was some player. I don't remember him too much from Villa. Because of my age, I remember watching him playing at Manchester United. But I know he was a hero here during his time in claret and blue.
"My memories of him were as a quality striker who had a fantastic career."
Despite an eagerness to have a good season in front of goal, Agbonlahor is naturally cautious about making any bold predictions, instead focusing on staying fit and earning as many maximums for his team as possible.
He added: "It was frustrating with injuries last season but I feel fit now and hopefully that can continue.
"The whole team have been on it. There's been a reaction from the whole team. Everyone has been at the races and it's been a good start to the season. Hopefully we can keep that going and get the three points this Saturday.
"It would be nice to score and get closer to the record but the key is the points and the results.
"It doesn't matter who's getting the goals, it's all about how the team do in each game. That's the only thing that's important."
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For him to become our top Premier League goal scorer would be a fantastic acheivement, and he has plenty of time to get into the group of players who have scored 100+ Premier League goals.
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The winner for getting the most stock phrases and football cliches into a 6 min interview without saying anything is....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14950040.stm
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I totally appreciate Gabby. He's just got one (our first) against Newcastle. Yay!
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He is in lethal form. Going on form, he's currently more of a threat than Bent.
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The great thing is that he is scoring all types of goals. He was brilliant today.
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He looked great today, long may it continue.
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He looks very hungry and very strong. A fully fit Gabby is a real handful. We all knew this going in, but we are missing Ash's ammo, and I though N'Zogbia would have got up to speed already to take over from Downing. He hasn't yet which is affecting Bent's form. Gabby though is scoring in different ways which bodes very well indeed for the season ahead.
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Gabby is back to his best ! no he's not, i've never seen him play as good as he has this season.
i've always been a stern critic of Gabby along with others ie NRC, Downing, and still believe the latter are overated players who dont deliver an awfull lot, as bolton and Liverpool are now finding out.
but Gabby, well i am seeing a different player altogether,
nothing like what he used to be like when he scored a few goals, this is a player who is taking people on and actually beating them, he looks fitter and in better shape, he's making intelegent runs and causing lots of problems for the oposition, he's looking more dangerous than ever before,
i dont know who should get the credit, whether its gabby himself, AM or the backroom staff, but 5 games in and he's starting to look like a proper player.
he's been our best outfield player so far this season, i dont think he's had a bad game, whereas he used to have one decent game followed by 6 rubbish ones, so he's becoming consistant as well,
keep it up Gabbs, i might even start to like you
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very impressed with the form of gabby, petrov and dunne this season who along with given have been the star men so far.
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Me too. Gabby seems to have more to his game now and is showing his best ever form.
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This needs to brought back to the first page again. What a top, top performance today. Healthy again, and he just looks so very up for it. Brilliant stuff.
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This needs to brought back to the first page again. What a top, top performance today. Healthy again, and he just looks so very up for it. Brilliant stuff.
Agree.
Gabby is without doubt the important factor with Villa that Rooney is with Man Utd.
In fact i'd be perfectly honest and say if Capello has half a brain he should be fashioning an England team around those 2 players IMO.
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I fucking love Gabby.
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I fucking love Gabby.
Second that....
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http://youtu.be/7w4kyclcMxM
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Been a bit disappointed with Bent so far this season, I know he's had a few knocks to deal with but he really hasn't picked up from where he left off last season.
The positive spin from that is that it's given Gabby the chance to step up to the plate and bang in the goals.
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http://youtu.be/7w4kyclcMxM
brilliant ;)
Always like this to boot...
&feature=related
&feature=related
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Really think we forgot how to use Gabby. Last couple of managers have messed him about with sill positions and not giving him the right service. We stopped playing balls in behind or down the sides of defenders and it limited his potency. At least AMc has the nouse to use him properly. His goal and assist today was a result of a pass that isolated him against a defender who knew what was coming. We haven't done that since Barry left, long may it continue.
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Not good enough for England, not good enough for a top 4 side, but good enough to go down in our history as player that gave his all for the club, and played some great matches along the way.
We're as good as it gets for Gabby, and he knows it, and appreciates that fact. That's not a criticism, being as good as it gets at Villa means you're a very good player (despite what others may think). I think it's because he appreciates he won't play for a bigger club than us, he gives it all that he's got.
He'll have his bad periods, but at the moment he's looking really good, and long may it continue.
He'll achieve at Villa what Barry could've had.
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Based on his current form, he is good enough for England allright.
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Not good enough for England, not good enough for a top 4 side, but good enough to go down in our history as player that gave his all for the club, and played some great matches along the way.
There were many similar comments on this site about Ashley Young.
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Yet again, thanks Gabby.
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Gabby Agbonlahor wants to take another step towards a historic scoring record this weekend - and knock Dwight Yorke off top spot in the goal charts.
Agbonlahor currently lies second in the all-time Villa Premier League chart with 51 goals, nine behind the Calypso King."
Make that now seven.
It would be great if we had on the Holte a 'counter' banner, showing the number of goals Gabby has scored until he breaks Yorke's record.
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Gabby Agbonlahor wants to take another step towards a historic scoring record this weekend - and knock Dwight Yorke off top spot in the goal charts.
Agbonlahor currently lies second in the all-time Villa Premier League chart with 51 goals, nine behind the Calypso King."
Make that now seven.
It would be great if we had on the Holte a 'counter' banner, showing the number of goals Gabby has scored until he breaks Yorke's record.
I'd prefer to have one that has his total goals scored, and just add one each time he scores. Then again, i'm a miserable old bastard who generally hates any "Premier League record".
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Delighted for him today, he looked like a worldbeater. He's giving it his all and you cant ask for more than that
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Gabby Agbonlahor wants to take another step towards a historic scoring record this weekend - and knock Dwight Yorke off top spot in the goal charts.
Agbonlahor currently lies second in the all-time Villa Premier League chart with 51 goals, nine behind the Calypso King."
Make that now seven.
It would be great if we had on the Holte a 'counter' banner, showing the number of goals Gabby has scored until he breaks Yorke's record.
I'd prefer to have one that has his total goals scored, and just add one each time he scores. Then again, i'm a miserable old bastard who generally hates any "Premier League record".
Premier League first, Total Goals after, yer miserable old bastard! (winky)
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The Calypso King? Sounds like a Billy Ocean record. Has anyone ever previously called him that?
I agree with PeterWithesShin on the PL record thing. Especially as Yorkie scored a few goals before the PL started.
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Ok, I see your point Zogman, never realised football existed before the Premier League, at least in Yorke's case.
Who is our all time top goalscorer, Billy Walker?
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Not good enough for England
Yeah, England is all about the Peter Crouchs and Andy Carrolls.
How a genuinely good player like Gabby hope to compete with lumbering oafs like them?
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He's more than good enough to be playing for England and a top four club - and he can/will do both with Aston Villa F.C.
I've been thinking for a while what would it do for Villa and Gabby to make him club captain at some point in the future. I have a hunch, deep down, that he has the qualities and maturity required.
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I've been surprised at how skillful Gabby has looked this season. His touch looks better too. I think he's obviously been working very hard on his game, particularly after his first bad season.
But yeah right now he'd be my first name on the teamsheet (alongside Given). He's playing with confidence and with determination. I think if anything he's realised he has to pick up the mantle left behind by Ash Young. He's done so brilliantly. He's scoring goals and making them.
I love Gabby. Villa to the core and works his bollocks off. No football brain? On the evidence of this season, that doesn't seem to be the case. I think he's always had it in his locker, he's just needed more consistency in his decision making and better concentration.
I'd make him skipper too, or at least deputy to Stan.
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He was bloody good yesterday.
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A true legend. Thank you Gabby. Thank you. ;)
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I appreciate.
He's back to his best now, and thank God for that.
Well played Gabby, this could be a great great season for you.
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Yesterday was a masterclass in forward play. I know it was 'only' Wigan, but we already know he terrorises the 'big' teams and scores in all the derbies. If he lacks anything to improve his stats, it's flat-track bullying.
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Yesterday was a masterclass in forward play. I know it was 'only' Wigan, but we already know he terrorises the 'big' teams and scores in all the derbies. If he lacks anything to improve his stats, it's flat-track bullying.
Absolutely. A proper old fashioned 10/10 display. Superb. Actually, make it 9/10 for that piss poor bumfluff moustache.
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Tom you've said what I was going to say about his control, its a lot better and he's better at takin people on than he was
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He's more than good enough to be playing for England and a top four club -
Ssssshhhhhhhhh
;)
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He's more than good enough to be playing for England and a top four club -
Ssssshhhhhhhhh
;)
Hasn't he said previously, he sees no reason to move from Villa, he enjoys it here and he gets well paid.
Quotes are:
Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has signed a new deal running until June 2015 with the Midlands outfit.
The 24-year-old is one of Villa's most highly rated players and has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract extension to show his commitment to the side.
"I can't see myself playing for any other club," Villa academy product Agbonlahor told the club's website.
"I am happy and I just want to keep on playing for Villa. It's my childhood club and the one I support and love."
"I am happy to commit to the club, " added Agbonlahor, who has scored 52 goals in nearly 200 games for Villa. "Hopefully, I can progress and keep improving on what I've done so far.
"It's important nowadays to not move from club to club. If you're happy at a club stay there."
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He was very good yesterday, the goal he scored looked better on the tellybox than it did at the time. He's playing well, but it would'nt bother me if he did'nt get picked for England. Selfish i know and it's what he wants but i'd rather he keep doing the business for us.
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With Gabbs and Bent we've got the makings of a potent strike force like Deano and Dalien or Withe and Shaw.
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Been arguing all morning at work with a b-loser who says Gabby's shit. Unsurprisingly given their usual insight, every Villa fan he's asked has agreed with him. Other gems from the knowledgable Villains at work (who have never seen Gabby live incidentally), are that he's constantly coked off it, heavily dependent on steroids, and acts like a ****** when he goes in the Halifax.
Oh, and he hasn't got a footbal brain, obviously.
A West Brom fan on the other hand, who's been on a plane with the Gabster and seen him in Nandos a couple of times, reckons he's friendly, approachable and down to earth. A most annoying argument, which only calmed down when I told the b-lose that he should shut up as I would have to either start smoking again or put a big dent in his head.
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Please forgive the typos and spelling, posting from a Blackberry.
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Been arguing all morning at work with a b-loser who says Gabby's shit.
If he reckons Gabby's shit, god knows what he thought of Cameron Jerome.
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Small heath fans don't like him because he's scored a few goals against them.
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Small heath fans don't like him because he's scored a few goals against them.
They must hate a lot of people..
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Been arguing all morning at work with a b-loser who says Gabby's shit. Unsurprisingly given their usual insight, every Villa fan he's asked has agreed with him.
He knows BlackCountry Villa?
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He's more than good enough to be playing for England and a top four club -
Ssssshhhhhhhhh
;)
Hasn't he said previously, he sees no reason to move from Villa, he enjoys it here and he gets well paid.
Quotes are:
Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has signed a new deal running until June 2015 with the Midlands outfit.
The 24-year-old is one of Villa's most highly rated players and has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract extension to show his commitment to the side.
"I can't see myself playing for any other club," Villa academy product Agbonlahor told the club's website.
"I am happy and I just want to keep on playing for Villa. It's my childhood club and the one I support and love."
"I am happy to commit to the club, " added Agbonlahor, who has scored 52 goals in nearly 200 games for Villa. "Hopefully, I can progress and keep improving on what I've done so far.
"It's important nowadays to not move from club to club. If you're happy at a club stay there."
As much as I doubt he will leave, we have heard all this before.......
Not doubting HIS loyalty, just pointing out that quotes from a footballer mean sod all.
Anyway, I love the man.
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Not good enough for England
Yeah, England is all about the Peter Crouchs and Andy Carrolls.
Pwned!
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Not good enough for England, not good enough for a top 4 side, but good enough to go down in our history as player that gave his all for the club, and played some great matches along the way.
There were many similar comments on this site about Ashley Young.
If Gabby goes the way Ashley Young has, I will pay the transfer fee myself for a player to replace him.
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Not good enough for England
Yeah, England is all about the Peter Crouchs and Andy Carrolls.
How a genuinely good player like Gabby hope to compete with lumbering oafs like them?
Is that the Peter Crouch who has a goal every other game for England? As for Carroll, totally different player, but he's shit.
Gabby goes through phases of playing really well, then not so well. This is one of the really good moments. I didn't hear anyone calling for him to play for England last season and people seemed to criticise him quite often under MON.
I don't want to knock Gabby because he's playing really well for us. But he's not good enough for Internationl football, in my opinion.
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This is the same Gabby who did play for England and had a good game right?
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The way he's playing this season he has been incredible playing really well I would love him to carry it on for the rest of the season the man is a top player I hope Gabby stay's at Villa for life.
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Not good enough for England
Yeah, England is all about the Peter Crouchs and Andy Carrolls.
How a genuinely good player like Gabby hope to compete with lumbering oafs like them?
Is that the Peter Crouch who has a goal every other game for England? As for Carroll, totally different player, but he's shit.
Gabby goes through phases of playing really well, then not so well. This is one of the really good moments. I didn't hear anyone calling for him to play for England last season and people seemed to criticise him quite often under MON.
I don't want to knock Gabby because he's playing really well for us. But he's not good enough for Internationl football, in my opinion.
Crouch also goes through bad patches which is one reason he's played for a lot of different clubs.....
Gabby not good enough for England!!!! Gabby was a regular at U21, scoring against Portugal in the Finals a couple of seasons ago the Portuguese coach, rated to be one of the best spotters of talent in the game declared, Gabby was a rare talent and future World Class potential.
The only reason that top 4 clubs have been muted where Gabby is concerned is because the fella keeps opening his mouth about this undying loyalty to Aston Villa, there isn't a manager out there that will want a player so devoted to his club because the chances are that if you force it you end up with a Tevez style situation, its happened many times, you'll notice i say muted because, some of the top clubs where interested in Gabby before they where interested in Ashley Young, its a known and excepted fact that Arsene Wenger tabled a 15ML bid for Gabby when MON was at the club and MON knocked it back, and that was when Arsenal was at the top of its form as a club, Spurs have also been in for him.
1 point i do agree with is Andy Carrol, i just don't get how this player overnight was elevated to World Class meriting a 35ML price tag, the guy is marginally average and nowhere near Gabby's standard.
I f Capello has anything about him as a coach Gabby will be included for the Montenegro game, to ignore such a powerful player is 1 very good reason why England will never win naf all.
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Yesterday was a masterclass in forward play. I know it was 'only' Wigan, but we already know he terrorises the 'big' teams and scores in all the derbies. If he lacks anything to improve his stats, it's flat-track bullying.
Absolutely. A proper old fashioned 10/10 display. Superb. Actually, make it 9/10 for that piss poor bumfluff moustache.
No way Risso, I'm loving that 'Kid Creole'.
Even last season, despite his general poor-ish form (and I think a lot of that comes down to him feeling as though the last manager basically didn't rate him), I felt his game had come on.
There we're a few games, I think Stoke away first half and the rags in the cup, where he had a real swagger to him and he was chipping and curling passes crossfield like a central midfielder.
The downside was that he looked like he'd slowed up a bit, something that happily seems rectified completely. Gabby with that pace, his now considerable frame and added extra subtlety and awareness is potentially lethal.
Long live the King of Villa Park.
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Yesterday was a masterclass in forward play. I know it was 'only' Wigan, but we already know he terrorises the 'big' teams and scores in all the derbies. If he lacks anything to improve his stats, it's flat-track bullying.
Absolutely. A proper old fashioned 10/10 display. Superb. Actually, make it 9/10 for that piss poor bumfluff moustache.
No way Risso, I'm loving that 'Kid Creole'.
Even last season, despite his general poor-ish form (and I think a lot of that comes down to him feeling as though the last manager basically didn't rate him), I felt his game had come on.
There we're a few games, I think Stoke away first half and the rags in the cup, where he had a real swagger to him and he was chipping and curling passes crossfield like a central midfielder.
The downside was that he looked like he'd slowed up a bit, something that happily seems rectified completely. Gabby with that pace, his now considerable frame and added extra subtlety and awareness is potentially lethal.
Long live the King of Villa Park.
Totally agree, the move he made yesterday ripping up the Wigan defence one after another, even the commentator on MOTD said "he's beaten half the team" (OTT) however, he yet again pulled something completely new and unexpected out the hat.
Said it before, if that had been Defoe or Torres, Carrol or Rooney we would have been having it for breakfast dinner and tea for the next week....
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Well it seems Capello has named the England squad, Gabby is not included, he has included Kevin Davies...(phucking laughable) and Peter Crouch,,ffs.....
Lost for words....
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Well it seems Capello has named the England squad, Gabby is not included, he has included Kevin Davies...(phucking laughable) and Peter Crouch,,ffs.....
Lost for words....
Good stuff, as long as Gabby's as far away from that freak show as possible then its a great thing for us.
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Well it seems Capello has named the England squad, Gabby is not included, he has included Kevin Davies...(phucking laughable) and Peter Crouch,,ffs.....
Lost for words....
Good stuff, as long as Gabby's as far away from that freak show as possible then its a great thing for us.
Well said Luke......Capello is and as always been a t*at, and the last thing Villa need is any possible injury that may occur with the Manc's coming up, and in any case we know what the format is going to be, thrash Montenegro of to the Championships and then embarrass ourselves on a World scale.
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It's all well and good Gabby not being picked and we as fans not minding. But does Gabby want to play for England? Will he be thinking "fuck me, i'm playing well for Villa and don't get a sniff of the England squad, do I need to move?"
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It's quite possible that he was called up and decided not to go to sort his back out.
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Well it seems Capello has named the England squad, Gabby is not included, he has included Kevin Davies...(phucking laughable) and Peter Crouch,,ffs.....
Lost for words....
OK - I still don't believe he's good enough for to be playing for England, but Gabby shits all over Kevin Davies as a player. Laughable that such a player is in an international squad.
He'd struggle to make Scotland, Wales and Irelands squad!
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Not good enough for England
Yeah, England is all about the Peter Crouchs and Andy Carrolls.
How a genuinely good player like Gabby hope to compete with lumbering oafs like them?
Is that the Peter Crouch who has a goal every other game for England?
That's the one.
Presumably as you obviously think that Crouch is good enough for England, can we assume that you think Crouch is a better player than Gabby?
As obviously that would be a bit crazy.
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Crouch has an excellent record at International level, regardless of how he compares to Gabby in terms of ability. So Rodney deserves to be in on that basis and also his start at Stoke.
As for Davies, well Fabio is a hoof merchant and likes a target man option. That doesn't leave him much choice. Davies isn't Pele, but for what he does, he's effective and works his bollocks off.
Do I care Gabby isn't called up? No. The fresher he is for us, the better.
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Gabby has returned to be the player that can break the equilibrium of the game with a trick of his own.
I'm particularly proud for receiving his autographed shoes as a gift for my young son Gabriele. . . ;)
(http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/8062/schermata20110307a14332.png)
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It's quite possible that he was called up and decided not to go to sort his back out.
That's what AMc hinted at, very clearly, in the post-match interview. I think he was top of Capello's list, otherwise! Or should have been.
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It's quite possible that he was called up and decided not to go to sort his back out.
Matt Kendrick said on Twitter that this was the case. Gabby was being considered for the England squad and it was his decision not to be included. However you will see from today's news that he is targetting the England squad in 2012. Gabby's biggest flaw as a player is the way his form runs hot and cold, but if this provides motivation for more consistency then great.
I think Mcleish could play a role here also in resting Gabby at the right times. MON ran him into the ground in '08-'09 and this did him no favours.
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It's quite possible that he was called up and decided not to go to sort his back out.
Matt Kendrick said on Twitter that this was the case. Gabby was being considered for the England squad and it was his decision not to be included. However you will see from today's news that he is targetting the England squad in 2012. Gabby's biggest flaw as a player is the way his form runs hot and cold, but if this provides motivation for more consistency then great.
I think Mcleish could play a role here also in resting Gabby at the right times. MON ran him into the ground in '08-'09 and this did him no favours.
Just read this Kendrick fella on Twitter about Gabby, seems fair enough, hope Gabby gets his back sorted, read the one about Gabby saying if he can get his back sorted he'll be on fire :o move over Messi if that's the case, because if this is a half fit Gabby................wow.....
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To me Gabby is one of the more underrated players in the league, always amazes me when fans of other clubs (and even on here and VT) just seem to think he's a speed merchant.
Maybe in 2006 but since then he's improved his strength, finishing and his technique seems to have come on a lot over the last 6 months. Only thing I'd like to see from him now is to go on to regularly score more than once in a game, when he scores one goal he often dosen't regularly go on to get a brace or even a hattrick. once he does that he could be touching 20 goals.
I think I also put it on here a few years ago after he scored against Fulham, he's also reasonably two footed as he set up the Bent goal with his left foot and he's scored quite a few with his left down the years.
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Man of the match again today.
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His all round game is coming on a treat this season, he's now looking up, seeing what's around him and more often than not picking out the right ball.
Well played Gabby 55 league goals for us and I reckon he'll stick around long enough to get 100 for us.
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and excellent with his left foot as well.
Greatness from B7!
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He was immense today. Gabby, I fucking love you!
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He seems to have matured massively since the departure of Young. He relally is bang on form and somehow appears to have more to his game.
Player of the season by a mile.
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Player of the season by a mile.
Nobody else in the same class as Gab. Not even close.
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Gabby was inspirational today. He was everywhere - up front, popping up on both flanks, and helping out in midfield. I've never considered it before but I can see him becoming a future Villa captain if he maintains this form and influence.
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It's great to have a real holte end hero too. On current form he could eclipse Dwight Yorke!
I really like the way he pops up either side of Bent. Once Nzogbia finds his form - and he showed patched today - the three of them really do have everything.
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He is reading the game very well at the moment too. Rarely takes the wrong option and his dribbling and first touch are much better than I ever gave him credit for. His left peg has always been serviceable, he is looking genuinely 2 footed right now. Don't ever leave Gabby!
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Gabby 8)
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He is reading the game very well at the moment too.
Agreed, his all round game is just immense. Such a hard working, intelligent player, his contribution is invaluable.
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He's been much improved so far this season -maybe he's adapting to playing out wider and cutting in rather than directly up top. Whisper it, it might even suit him.
But captain material? I don't see that. He's a local lad and all the rest of it, but captains need as bit more about them. Ash crossed the line plenty of times with his petulance, but he had that fire. Barry far quieter, but lead by example and was regularly our best performer. Stan is an experienced old pro, past his best maybe, but most of the squad respect him. Bannan was very complimentary about him last year, how he always went out of the way to make the young players feel involved, and looked out for them.
It does throw up a genuine conundrum though, should we be needing a new captain in the not too distant. Dunne is an obvious choice, but I'd sooner see him moved on, in all honesty.
Maybe Given -who fulfilled that role for a time at Newcastle IIRC and has captained his country. But that throws up the issue of whether keepers can be good captains. They do spend large chunks of the game completely uninvolved afterall.
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Gabby for England.
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Gabby for Olympics
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I see the brainless one has sussed out yet another new role.
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Credit to McLeish for changing his role and encouraging him to be in a position to be facing defenders rather than back to goal. Very similar to the role Anelka often plays for Chelsea.
I have been a critic for his lack of awareness in the past but he is getting his head up now and it has improved his game no end.
He has got a yard of pace back aswell and that has made him more confident.
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Match winner for us yesterday, Showing N'zogbia how to cross to a team mate
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Match winner for us yesterday, Showing N'zogbia how to cross to a team mate
I thought Nzogbia put in some good crosses yesterday. There was one which was begging for a diving header from Bent. I would have been an immense goal.
Gabby really does seem to be excelling in the role. It compliments him in many ways as his crossing is good and he will get more space drifting wide where he can use his pace.
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A question to any of the doubters from earlier in the thread: Has Gabby's form so far this season changed your mind about his ability?
I'm not picking a fight, I just think that his form has been better than I thought he could be and I was already a fan.
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In the provisional England squad and deservedly so.
Gabby and Bent up front against Spain next week?
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I see the brainless one has sussed out yet another new role.
I see where you are going with this little dig at those (me amongst them) who have previously said that Gabby doesn't have a 'footballing brain'.
Well I stick by that, he gets around this by having immense natural talent and by working bloody hard to adapt to any challange thrown at him. There have been times where I have thought that Gabby had hit a brick wall and wasn't going to get any better, but he always works through these patches and comes out looking better than ever. His self-belief must be amazing.
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He's been much improved so far this season -maybe he's adapting to playing out wider and cutting in rather than directly up top. Whisper it, it might even suit him.
But captain material? I don't see that. He's a local lad and all the rest of it, but captains need as bit more about them. Ash crossed the line plenty of times with his petulance, but he had that fire. Barry far quieter, but lead by example and was regularly our best performer. Stan is an experienced old pro, past his best maybe, but most of the squad respect him. Bannan was very complimentary about him last year, how he always went out of the way to make the young players feel involved, and looked out for them.
It does throw up a genuine conundrum though, should we be needing a new captain in the not too distant. Dunne is an obvious choice, but I'd sooner see him moved on, in all honesty.
Maybe Given -who fulfilled that role for a time at Newcastle IIRC and has captained his country. But that throws up the issue of whether keepers can be good captains. They do spend large chunks of the game completely uninvolved afterall.
I would make him our next captain as I think he would grow and mature into the role. He's a local boy, of course, an Academy lad and he knows the club inside out. If Randy's aim is to build a Villa side based on the Academy's products then there could be no greater role model or leader for them than Gabby.
I just caught Gabby's interview on AVTV and he wasn't afraid to point out that the fans stuck with Villa as opposed to getting on the team's backs (as they have done recently) after going a goal down. Not many current players, for me, could get away with making that little comment about the fans but Gabby can. He's in the unique position of potentially being able to lead not just the players but the supporters too.
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All good points Billy Walker. I think he should be our next captain too. He's probably our most effective player now.
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Brilliant yesterday and largely this season, I really hope he is a one club man.
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A question to any of the doubters from earlier in the thread: Has Gabby's form so far this season changed your mind about his ability?
I'm not picking a fight, I just think that his form has been better than I thought he could be and I was already a fan.
I was one of the "doubters". However he has definitely added something to his game this season and has easily been our best player. I think he is starting to look up a bit more and see options better, and he also seems to be adding a little shimmy or dummy to his game when trying to beat a man, whereas before it tended to be knock it past and rely on pace, which made it easier for defenders to predict and counter him. He's more of a handful for them now and it's getting results.
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I'm not his biggest of fans, but where credit is due he has been our only highlight this season and can only put my hands up and say fair play to him and keep it up to prove me and others wrong.
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Gabby is not back to his best, he's never been as good as this before
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We've scored 16 league goals this season. Gabby has scored 5 and has 6 assists.
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In the provisional England squad
How do you know this?
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Gabby is fantastic. It's been a joy watching him mature. He's such an intelligent footballer, he plays the percentages so well and his movement is top notch.
He's the most obvious choice for captain after Stan, IMO and our most important player by far.
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We've scored 16 league goals this season. Gabby has scored 5 and has 6 assists.
Speaks for itself. Now our most important player. When he plays well there's a chance he or Bent will score and we can get points from games.
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Brilliant yesterday and largely this season, I really hope he is a one club man.
Same, he's the only player we've got left that we can all rally behind.
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Gabby has morphed into this kind of wide-ish all-round forward who has replaced Ash and Downing (spit) as the main creative outlet from wide areas. The key is that when he can cut in from wide areas he has space to run into and exploit his main natural talent, that frightening pace, and spends less time with his back to goal. He's allied this to a unique dribbling technique, a shot which will almost always threaten and now, apparently, the ability to play really telling balls into and across the box. His ability to learn things and raise his personal glass ceiling is really astounding, and he is without a shadow of a doubt our best player at the moment.
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Brilliant yesterday and largely this season, I really hope he is a one club man.
Same, he's the only player we've got left that we can all rally behind.
He really should become the talisman for the new Villa. He embodies everything good about our likely home grown ethos, not to mention his charity work and the fact that he is a local lad which resonates with the fans. It will be a great inspiration to all the current youth players and indirectly could give the club a new identity, a sort of rebranding.
In interviews players have also said that he is one of the more animated and vocal characters in the squad so he may be better captain material than the person who comes across in TV interviews.
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I remember thinking Gabby couldn't cross for toffee. He has improved this area of his game dramatically.
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I remember thinking Gabby couldn't cross for toffee. He has improved this area of his game dramatically.
His first assist was with his left foot, the second with his right. Both perfect deliveries.
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Mr Villa
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He has been announced in the England squad. At least this will be one Villa player, whose head won't be turned.
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Congratulations Gabby.
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He has been announced in the England squad. At least this will be one Villa player, whose head won't be turned.
I so hope you are right.
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He has been announced in the England squad.
Well done Gabby!
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Call up fully deserved on this seasons performances - he was unplayable first half yesterday - his contribution is crucial if we are to keep Bent
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Fantastic news
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Well deserved. I thought he really frightened the Norwich defence yesterday. It'll be interesting to see whether he gets a game and, if so, whether he's finally developing into a player of international class.
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From BBC team of the week.
Aston Villa's local lad ripped the heart out of a credible Norwich performance. Two assists for his strike partner Darren Bent and a well-taken goal just for good measure made him the difference between the two teams. If their relationship continues to grow, then boss Alex McLeish may find himself in a European place at the end of the season.
Did you know? Despite starting every league game this season, he has had just eight shots on target so far, but has scored five goals. He has participated directly in 56% (9/16) of Villa's league goals this season.
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It's actually 11 out of 16 as he won our penalties against both QPR and WBA which i'm assuming the BBC don't include.
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Well deserved Gabby.
The problem I have is that his brilliant form for us is bringing him international recognition. And that will start to get other club managers interested.
Gabby you're a local lad and we all know your allegiance to the club. Remember what another local lad said when a scout from Man U approached him "There's only one club I want to play for and it's not yours." That was a young Gary Shaw and I can tell you he has never regretted saying that.
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Well on the weekend's performance all England have to do is play Gabby with Benty and it's goodnight Vienna - or Madrid and Stockholm, ho ho.
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That was a young Gary Shaw and I can tell you he has never regretted saying that.
Not sure he'd turn them down these days mind, every footballer wants trophies and it doesn't look like they'll get any at Villa.
Well played Gabby - he's on fire at the moment.
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Well deserved Gabby.
The problem I have is that his brilliant form for us is bringing him international recognition. And that will start to get other club managers interested.
Gabby you're a local lad and we all know your allegiance to the club. Remember what another local lad said when a scout from Man U approached him "There's only one club I want to play for and it's not yours." That was a young Gary Shaw and I can tell you he has never regretted saying that.
Is that actually true?
When it was rumoured he was supposed to be going there was when we found out about his dodgy knee.
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Well done Gabby, he's worked hard this summer and improved the thinking part of his game, his end product has been miles better. Which, to be honest, had to improve, a real hit and miss season last season, I think a few of us had thoguht he'd hit a brick wall, or was he just always in the shadows of Young, Downing and Milner and the likes over the past few years. What Gabby needs to do now, and especially if he wants to be a regular in the England squad, but more importantly for Aston Villa is keep this up, he should be aiming for 20 goals in all comps this season. I am impressed, and he has made me eat some of my words from the past 12 months, which, I am delighted to have done.
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Last year was a bad one for Gabby. He had a fair bit of time injured, then had to endure that idiot Houllier not knowing his arse from his elbow.
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There were some ridiculous comments on 5 live last night about England's Rooney-less striking options. They all went for Zamora, with Claridge saying picking Gabby was "going over old ground". Quite how recalling a young player in the form of his life qualifies as this I don't know but there you go, he's an idiot. They were also pretty dismissive of Dazzler despite him being a regular starter and scorer for England this calendar year. The Scottish bloke thought the only striker "as skillful as Rooney" was Sturridge so he should be picked but then again I've heard his regular fawning over Lampard and Terry so I think he's got a thing about Chelsea.
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On form Gabby & Bent should be the attacking options for England.
I hope they're not. Fucking England.
Sturridge & Zamora to start please.
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I actually think we benefit from Bent and Gabby being picked for England, but not many others. In Bent's case, he's not going to be signed by a team right at the top of league I don't think. So he's going to be happy as long as he's scoring goals and being selected for England. In Gabby's case, I think he's a Villa man and if he's being selected for England it'll boost his confidence and show he doesn't need to look elsewhere.
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Quite why any Villa fan in their right mind would want any of our players pulling on an England shirt is staggering to me. It used to be an honour when one of your team got in the England side. Now it's just a precursor to them leaving. Utterly contradicting myself though, I'd love to see Gabby get in there as he's as close to being one of us as it gets these days.
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Gabby is simply amazing this season. The way he can play box to box, help the midfielfers, run on the flank, score goals and serve assists to Bent reminds me of the great Alen Boksic.
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I hope Zamora and Sturridge get the nod, personally.
I'd be more than happy for us to never supply another player to the England side.
Oh, and Steve Claridge is an absolute fuckwit.
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I hope Zamora and Sturridge get the nod, personally.
I'd be more than happy for us to never supply another player to the England side.
Oh, and Steve Claridge is an absolute fuckwit.
What did he say?
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I hope Zamora and Sturridge get the nod, personally.
I'd be more than happy for us to never supply another player to the England side.
Oh, and Steve Claridge is an absolute fuckwit.
What did he say?
"Blah blah blah...horse racing...played for 82 clubs...total lack of distinction at every one of them... blah blah blah". That's what I heard anyway.
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I hope Zamora and Sturridge get the nod, personally.
I'd be more than happy for us to never supply another player to the England side.
Oh, and Steve Claridge is an absolute fuckwit.
What did he say?
In another conversation he started mouthing and miming at John Motson, forgetting the basic premise of radio broadcasting.
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I hope Zamora and Sturridge get the nod, personally.
I'd be more than happy for us to never supply another player to the England side.
Oh, and Steve Claridge is an absolute fuckwit.
What did he say?
There were some ridiculous comments on 5 live last night about England's Rooney-less striking options. They all went for Zamora, with Claridge saying picking Gabby was "going over old ground". Quite how recalling a young player in the form of his life qualifies as this I don't know but there you go, he's an idiot.
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I'm sure Gabby hangs on Claridge's every word, like we all do.
Legendary international super striker that he was.
Shit player, with a shit haircut who played for a whole host of shit clubs.
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McLeish was saying this week how even he was surprised at just how good Gabby is and he'd always highly rated him. Those that have followed Gabby's career will know that he improves every season and this season is no different. The lad works bloody hard on his game and now has two decent feet, great heading ability, not to mention his speed. I hope he gets the chance to play for England, not that I want him to but because he deserves it and has earned the opportunity.
If his motivation is to go to Euro 2012, it can only be good news for us.
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McLeish was saying this week how even he was surprised at just how good Gabby is and he'd always highly rated him. Those that have followed Gabby's career will know that he improves every season and this season is no different. The lad works bloody hard on his game and now has two decent feet, great heading ability, not to mention his speed. I hope he gets the chance to play for England, not that I want him to but because he deserves it and has earned the opportunity.
If his motivation is to go to Euro 2012, it can only be good news for us.
You are right that AM has always had good things to say about Gabby, even before he became our manager.
You are wrong that his selection for Engurland can ever be good for us.
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McLeish was saying this week how even he was surprised at just how good Gabby is and he'd always highly rated him. Those that have followed Gabby's career will know that he improves every season and this season is no different. The lad works bloody hard on his game and now has two decent feet, great heading ability, not to mention his speed. I hope he gets the chance to play for England, not that I want him to but because he deserves it and has earned the opportunity.
If his motivation is to go to Euro 2012, it can only be good news for us.
I agree in Gabby's case selection for England can definitely be good for us, because I don't think he would leave us. I hope he gets every reward he can get at Villa and that includes International recognition.
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McLeish was saying this week how even he was surprised at just how good Gabby is and he'd always highly rated him. Those that have followed Gabby's career will know that he improves every season and this season is no different. The lad works bloody hard on his game and now has two decent feet, great heading ability, not to mention his speed. I hope he gets the chance to play for England, not that I want him to but because he deserves it and has earned the opportunity.
If his motivation is to go to Euro 2012, it can only be good news for us.
You are right that AM has always had good things to say about Gabby, even before he became our manager.
You are wrong that his selection for Engurland can ever be good for us.
Time will tell but I don't think Gabby will be looking for a move should he get a few caps.
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Gabby has withdrawn from the England squad.
More details to follow.
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Gabby has withdrawn from the England squad.
More details to follow.
Hamstring injury :(
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Oh no, I hope it isn't serious.
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It's a shame for him as I thought he had a good chance of starting.
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Gabby has withdrawn from the England squad.
More details to follow.
Hamstring injury :(
It was his hamstring that he did early last season wasn't it?
I hope he isn't going to suffer too much with it, always a problem for players with explosive pace.
Hope he's fit for Spuds
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http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2512982,00.html
"Slight injury" Hopefully he'll be fit for us
He was probably homesick
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Probably had more of an idea that bobby fecking Zamora would get the nod ahead of him, so would rather be super fit and ready for spuds.
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Early indicators are that he was going to start our pair up front, the injury ruined his plans.
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How many international squads has he pulled out of now? Didnt he pull out of an underage international tournament a couple of years back too?
Cant understand English football people being devoted to their club but despising their country. Its not just Villa fans, why is that?
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How many international squads has he pulled out of now? Didnt he pull out of an underage international tournament a couple of years back too?
Cant understand English football people being devoted to their club but despising their country. Its not just Villa fans, why is that?
It's a genuine injury.He's having a scan tomorrow to assess the extent of it.It's a blow for England and us
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How many international squads has he pulled out of now? Didnt he pull out of an underage international tournament a couple of years back too?
Cant understand English football people being devoted to their club but despising their country. Its not just Villa fans, why is that?
I personally highly dislike the majority of modern day footballers, especially certain England players who believe it is their god given right to do whatever the hell they like without fear of consequence. When there are such a high no of these players in the England squad, I find it very difficult to support them.
With the Villa it's different though. I've been hooked since going to my first game 20 years ago.
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I love my country dearly, but the football team just annoy me.
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I love my country dearly, but the football team just annoy me.
Pretty much how I feel. Hard to support them these days when I think that most of the team are c**ts.
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How many international squads has he pulled out of now? Didnt he pull out of an underage international tournament a couple of years back too?
Cant understand English football people being devoted to their club but despising their country. Its not just Villa fans, why is that?
To me it's always been a cockney-centric circus.
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Yet another great gesture from Gabby (http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2524416,00.html)
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Yet another great gesture from Gabby (http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2524416,00.html)
Never one to forget his roots is our Gabby.
By the way the Lincoln Moses (now an MBE) mentioned in the article is a great bloke, he founded Continental Star about 25 years ago to give black kids in the Brum inner-city areas something to do rather than hanging around the streets. They now run teams from little kids right up to veterans as well as providing youth centres and homework clubs in some of the most run down parts of our City.
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Actually, I made a mistake in the above post, on further reading I see that he didn't found Continental Star, but he did play for them and eventually become General Manager and now President. Doesn't thake away what he has done for several communities in Birmingham though.
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Quick reminder.
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Yet another great gesture from Gabby (http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2524416,00.html)
Never one to forget his roots is our Gabby.
By the way the Lincoln Moses (now an MBE) mentioned in the article is a great bloke, he founded Continental Star about 25 years ago to give black kids in the Brum inner-city areas something to do rather than hanging around the streets. They now run teams from little kids right up to veterans as well as providing youth centres and homework clubs in some of the most run down parts of our City.
And he's an old Villa lad.
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Quick reminder.
This is just gratuitous ....and great!
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Quick reminder.
This is just gratuitous ....and great!
It's the clearance off the line that gets me, could've been a completely different story.
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Its incidents like that that make me totally anti video replay being used for crucial decisions. We effectively scored from their corner! Can you imagine if that clearance had been doubtful in terms of if the ball was over the line when cleared and the game stopped for VRD? What follows would have been totally different.
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Completely agree aftab, my biggest fear is interrupting the flow of play - which is a big part of what makes football so damn compelling and exciting.
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Its incidents like that that make me totally anti video replay being used for crucial decisions. We effectively scored from their corner! Can you imagine if that clearance had been doubtful in terms of if the ball was over the line when cleared and the game stopped for VRD? What follows would have been totally different.
I don't think the game should be stopped, but that the fourth official should be able, using their discretion, to review a decision while the game is going on, only stopping it to reverse a decision and go back to the point of the original incident. A play-to-the-whistle mentality should be in evidence - and there should certainly NOT be an 'appeal' system as football is not cricket and is not stop-start - appeals would be abused, no doubt about that.
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Big Gabby fan but I was really disappointed with his contribution since Bent was injured.
His poor second half of the season meant it was easy to forget how good he was from August- Xmas when he was comfortably our best player imo.
He's always been a player who's blown hot and cold throughout his career but it's vital we at least get him back into double figures next season.
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Clearly I'm missing something ....
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Big Gabby fan but I was really disappointed with his contribution since Bent was injured.
His poor second half of the season meant it was easy to forget how good he was from August- Xmas when he was comfortably our best player imo.
He's always been a player who's blown hot and cold throughout his career but it's vital we at least get him back into double figures next season.
I disagree, too inconsistent for me and not a natural finisher, i would be quite happy to see him move on and invest the money on a better striker.
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I'm a Gabby fan and he has scored some vital goals in big matches for us over the years. His for was terrible since January but if we can get that form back then we have a very good player.
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Big Gabby fan but I was really disappointed with his contribution since Bent was injured.
His poor second half of the season meant it was easy to forget how good he was from August- Xmas when he was comfortably our best player imo.
He's always been a player who's blown hot and cold throughout his career but it's vital we at least get him back into double figures next season.
I disagree, too inconsistent for me and not a natural finisher, i would be quite happy to see him move on and invest the money on a better striker.
Exactly how I feel.
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I want to see Gabby have a chance to truly prove himself under the next manager and if he doesn't bust his bollocks to make that happen then its probably best he leaves.
But Gabby getting back to his best is very important to us for all sorts of reasons. He should be a lethal weapon and we've invested a lot of money in his contract to this end.
I dont know what makes him tick but he's too relaxed for my liking. He should be on the shoulder of the defenders, blowing them away and making darting runs before putting the chances away. I believe he is still capable of this but it seems the right manager has to coax it from him.
He has to do it next season or he'll be down the pecking order.
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After the last two seasons I'd like to see Gabby play again in a stable environment under a manager that plays football the right way and gets the chance to build something at Villa. It's clear his head wasn't in the right place in the second half of last season.
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I want to see Gabby have a chance to truly prove himself under the next manager and if he doesn't bust his bollocks to make that happen then its probably best he leaves.
But Gabby getting back to his best is very important to us for all sorts of reasons. He should be a lethal weapon and we've invested a lot of money in his contract to this end.
I dont know what makes him tick but he's too relaxed for my liking. He should be on the shoulder of the defenders, blowing them away and making darting runs before putting the chances away. I believe he is still capable of this but it seems the right manager has to coax it from him.
He has to do it next season or he'll be down the pecking order.
Totally agree Maz. Next season will be make or break for his Villa career.
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There has to be competition for every place in our team. As it is, if Gabby is fit he plays regardless of form. That's not the way it should be.
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Despite starting last season well his frankly abysmal showings in the second half of the season mean my over-riding feeling is of another season wasted. That's 2 in a row now. Another one and he and we can't complain if he's booted out. I say this as a Gabby fan, it's time for him to step up again.
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Went backwards soon as he was given captaincy .
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Funny that not long ago we were talking about the dilemma of having to pick between him and a fit darren bent in the lone striker role. That's gabby though, sublime to ridiculous in the blink of an eye. I'm doubtful that he has got a full season of staying on form and scoring consistently in him.
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Gabby has had enough chances to prove himself, but he just cannot do it consistently throughout a season. He goes for matches without even looking like scoring a goal. I'd sell him, he won't improve. He had a good start to the season, and a massive chance to push on when Bent was injured, the chance to be the main man again... he couldn't take it. Sell.
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He also needs to lose soem bloody weight, It's ok bulking up to be strong, but he's gone fat.
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I love Gabby but his regular months out of form every season do my head in. His form last season from about mid November onwards was shockingly bad. He had the chance to step into Bent's boots and failed completely. It says it all when for the last few months of the season i'd have had Heskey's name on the team sheet before his.
Needs to show he can still do it next season or it's time to get rid IMO. At 26 next year it's time he stopped only turning up for a few months a season. The frustrating thing is that for those few months he's everything you want from him.
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When the going gets tough you need your key men to step forward, he stepped back.
Sell.
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Gabby the Captain..... That huddle before the one game last season.... class.... Imagine Gabby doing the talking in a huddle? No-one would have a clue what he was mumbling on about...
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He's a thick (and I don't mean his build) one trick pony! Hasn't progressed at all in the past few seasons and doesn't have the intelligence, instinctive movement or finish of a truly great striker. Agree with those who say that our recent lack of attacking options has done nothing but massage his over bloated ego. It's a no for me.
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He had a cracking start to last season though and got back into the England squad. He was supposedly going to play for England and then got injured again.
He can still do it, he just became disillusioned under McLeish presumably. He had a terrible season under Houllier but he scored vital goals and who wouldn't struggle under a manager who clearly doesn't rate you?
Considering the wonders Lambert has done with forwards who've spent their careers bumbling about in the lower leagues, if we do appoint him I'm sure he'll work wonders with Gabby.
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I think what's held him back is the fact that he's had more sway than all our managers since MON, so he hasn't had to listen to the home truths that would have improved his game. His best, maybe last, chance of progressing was to listen to Houllier when he told him to lose some weight and concentrate on what he does best.
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Vital goals under Houllier? He scored 3 in the league last season.
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Just don't get the love in for Gabby or for those that line up excuses for why he's not a superstar. The fact that we have had an unstable period doesn't give Gabby another excuse (its been the same for all players).
He's a top bloke but inconsistent, not a natural finisher and tactically quite poor. He's in rut and I think its best for all parties if he finds a new challenge. He's by no means a starter (I'd put him behind Bent and Weimann easily).
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I hope that Gabby will have a decent season because if he doesn't it is time to move on.
Always want one of our own to do well but maybe he isn't up to the challenge?
Wonder where he would go - Martinoneillsunderland?
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Vital goals under Houllier? He scored 3 in the league last season.
Winner at West Ham to ensure our safety.
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Weimann's movement and general livliness off the ball put's him ahead of Gabby in the striker's pecking order at Villa. If we got offered £10mil then I'd have to sell. I think his best days are behind him, and that's a shame as he's not meant to have hit his peak yet...
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Weimann will be the man hopefully . I really like the look of him .
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Vital goals under Houllier? He scored 3 in the league last season.
Winner at West Ham to ensure our safety.
We stayed up by 9 points. Hardly the most vital goal in our history.
8 league goals in 2 years just isn't good enough for an attacker supposedly in his prime.
As I said, in many ways I love Gabby but there has to come a time when we stop making excuses for him.
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Weimann's movement and general livliness off the ball put's him ahead of Gabby in the striker's pecking order at Villa. If we got offered £10mil then I'd have to sell. I think his best days are behind him, and that's a shame as he's not meant to have hit his peak yet...
£10M? I'd snatch anyones hands off id they offered £5m!
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Weimann's movement and general livliness off the ball put's him ahead of Gabby in the striker's pecking order at Villa. If we got offered £10mil then I'd have to sell. I think his best days are behind him, and that's a shame as he's not meant to have hit his peak yet...
£10M? I'd snatch anyones hands off id they offered £5m!
£10m is way above what anyone else would pay for him. If you take away him being a fan and the memories we have of his good spells then most fans of other teams don't rate him at all. Was it last season when Newcastle were linked with him and someone provided a link to one of their message boards which was full of "oh god, no" type comments? I really hope he can prove those on here and elsewhere declaring his demise wrong but my faith is waning.
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Weimann's movement and general livliness off the ball put's him ahead of Gabby in the striker's pecking order at Villa. If we got offered £10mil then I'd have to sell. I think his best days are behind him, and that's a shame as he's not meant to have hit his peak yet...
£10M? I'd snatch anyones hands off id they offered £5m!
Good job you are not chairman then.
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A certain manager at Sunderland might pay £10m. Someone told me he has a record of overpaying for mediocre players.
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Some folk want it both ways with footballers. Granted, they get paid obscene amounts of money, but if they leave for more money they're often called 'disloyal'. If they lose form, some want them out of the club asap. Where's the loyalty in that? Gabby hasn't pulled up any trees over the last couple for years, but he's suffered with injuries terribly, a loss of confidence doesn't help.
There's still a decent player there, if he continues to do no good then he'll have to go. Or if MON offers lots of stupid money. Until then, we should support him.
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There's still a decent player there, if he continues to do no good then he'll have to go. Or if MON offers lots of stupid money. Until then, we should support him.
Sorry about MON joke - I actually like him and believe he has a lot to offer us. Support him? Without doubt.
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There's still a decent player there, if he continues to do no good then he'll have to go. Or if MON offers lots of stupid money. Until then, we should support him.
Sorry about MON joke - I actually like him and believe he has a lot to offer us. Support him? Without doubt.
That post wasn't meant to single you out Phil! It was a general comment about a few different opinions re Gabby I've read across a few different boards, etc.
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What terrible injuries has Gabby suffered with?
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What terrible injuries has Gabby suffered with?
Well, injuries that have kept him sidelined for some time.
Leaving pedantry aside, do you disagree with the thrust of my post or not?
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Something obviously went really wrong for him after November,not sure if it was niggling injuries,loss of confidence,no direction from tsm,whatever it is,it needs to be addressed.
We all know what he's capable of,a player who can terrorise Ferdinand and Vidic on his day,but as others have said his days are getting fewer and fewer.
I think OGS would've been a good appointment for Gab,as he was a master of finding space in and around the box. Whoever is the man,hopefully can sort Gab out and get him working with Bent.
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Im not being pedantic I just think Gabby needs to 'man' up! He is in his comfort zone and a move would be benefical for all concerned. The situation with not having a manager plays into his hands as the new man will have less time to mould his side. Hopefully our whole defence is restructured which will probably take up most of the time. This will enable Gabby to stay and hopefully he gets his head down and improves i'll reserve judgement on him.
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There's still a decent player there, if he continues to do no good then he'll have to go. Or if MON offers lots of stupid money. Until then, we should support him.
Sorry about MON joke - I actually like him and believe he has a lot to offer us. Support him? Without doubt.
That post wasn't meant to single you out Phil! It was a general comment about a few different opinions re Gabby I've read across a few different boards, etc.
Thanks Stu, I realise that, but re-reading my post, it said nothing positive about him. :)
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Who's this Gabby Appreciation we've signed? What's happened to Agbonlahor?
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Is this the same Gabby that many were saying should play up front on his own around Xmas time and that we should sell Bent.
He has been very short of confidence and had a few little injuries. Gabby plays well when you play to his strengths. He is not particulary good at making things happen. It was pointless the last manager playing him as he had no inclination to set the team up to play to his strengths.
I believe there is room in this club for Bent, Gabby and Weimann.
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What terrible injuries has Gabby suffered with?
Well, injuries that have kept him sidelined for some time.
Leaving pedantry aside, do you disagree with the thrust of my post or not?
Gabby has played about 60 league games over the last 2 seasons. Hardly the number that someone who has suffered terribly with injuries plays.
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What terrible injuries has Gabby suffered with?
Well, injuries that have kept him sidelined for some time.
Leaving pedantry aside, do you disagree with the thrust of my post or not?
Gabby has played about 60 league games over the last 2 seasons. Hardly the number that someone who has suffered terribly with injuries plays.
You don't think they would have affected form? They've been niggly injuries, and besides, he's hardly been playing in a good side. If he's as shit as everyone keeps saying he is, then we won't get much for him anyway. Best to keep hold of him and see if he can regain the form that we know he's capable of.
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He's not shit, he's just inconsistent and sometimes lacks confidence. There's a good player there, we've all seen it at some point (especially the start of last season, some of those goals he put away were superb) but he needs another good season under his belt.
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He's not shit, he's just inconsistent and sometimes lacks confidence. There's a good player there, we've all seen it at some point (especially the start of last season, some of those goals he put away were superb) but he needs another good season under his belt.
Agree with this. If he has another mediocre season, without any niggly hamstring injuries or whatever, then options have to be considered. However, just to write him off after two poor seasons without taking into consideration all of the disharmony and instability at the club is very harsh. Its affected a lot of players.
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I can't help feeling that the title of this thread is now something of a misnomer.
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I'd still keep him.
Bent, Gabby, Weimann coming on and maybe taking a punt on someone like Jordan Rhodes looks a good striking quartet to me.
Just need to find someone or get the team playing to create some chances for them as the strikers really were feeding on scraps last season.
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The word reinvogorate has been used recently by Villa. I wonder if a new manager will be able to do this with Gabby. At the minute his career is heading the same way as Darius Vassell and I wonder whether a move might be best for him. I honestly hope not though as I think him and Bent could be very dangerous in the right system and with a better midfield to supply the ammo. You don't become a shit player overnight but Gabby looked disinterested for large parts of last season.
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He's been in his comfort zone since he signed his 5 year contract on gazillions per week. Who wouldn't be to be honest? - and therein lies the problem.
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If Gabby loves this club as much as he says he does then he would be doing better...
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Gabriel Agbonlahor has dismissed transfer speculation linking him with a move to hook-up with Martin O'Neill at Sunderland.
Agbonlahor spent four years under O'Neill at Villa Park but wants to focus on the new regime under Paul Lambert and playing alongside Darren Bent.
He told The Sun: 'When you've played with a manager before, especially one as good as Martin O'Neill, then you are going to be linked with him.
'But it's just pure speculation. I can assure Villa fans I haven’t heard anything about it and I’m happy here.'
Agbonlahor scored the winner for Villa in their pre-season friendly against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night before being forced off with an ankle injury.
He departed in the second half after taking a knock, but Villa swiftly allayed concerns over the severity of the problem by posting on Twitter: 'Gabby Agbonlahor injury not as bad as first feared. Out for two weeks.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2178078/Gabriel-Agbonlahor-dismisses-links-Sunderland.html
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Gabriel Agbonlahor has dismissed transfer speculation linking him with a move to hook-up with Martin O'Neill at Sunderland.
Agbonlahor spent four years under O'Neill at Villa Park but wants to focus on the new regime under Paul Lambert and playing alongside Darren Bent.
He told The Sun: 'When you've played with a manager before, especially one as good as Martin O'Neill, then you are going to be linked with him.
'But it's just pure speculation. I can assure Villa fans I haven’t heard anything about it and I’m happy here.'
Agbonlahor scored the winner for Villa in their pre-season friendly against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night before being forced off with an ankle injury.
He departed in the second half after taking a knock, but Villa swiftly allayed concerns over the severity of the problem by posting on Twitter: 'Gabby Agbonlahor injury not as bad as first feared. Out for two weeks.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2178078/Gabriel-Agbonlahor-dismisses-links-Sunderland.html
That's a shame. Possibly our best option to get a decent amount of cash for him.
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I'm delighted. He looked excellent prior to his injury on Saturday showing the pace of old. Injuries and turmoil at the club have not helped him at all, and I think he's due for a serious bounce back if he can stay healthy.
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The thing that concerns me most about Gabby is that he is a bit shit.
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On form and interested Gabby is good, most weeks he is average with a crap first touch and a terrible finish, especially when given time to think about taking his chance. But, there's something about him I'd perservere with.
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The thing that concerns me most about Gabby is that he is a bit shit.
As were most of our players under McCatpiss.
I believe Lambert will get the best out of him and all players deserve a clean slate (Bar full backs Mutton and Wankcock)
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On form and interested Gabby is good, most weeks he is average with a crap first touch and a terrible finish, especially when given time to think about taking his chance. But, there's something about him I'd perservere with.
I know what you mean. I think it's the ability to score against any of the big teams in big games for us and the ability to win derby matches on his own that I'd persevere with.
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Gabby was always going to put Villa first.
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I'm confident we'll get the good Gabby back.
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Don't and not sure I ever will understand the antipathy people have towards Gabby. He loves the club, he's scored vital goals throughout his career and when he's on form he's unplayable. Fair enough the last few seasons have been a little ropey, but hasn't that been the same for our entire squad? Gabby's been played out of position and then been the striker in a McLeish managed side. I've got a lot of time for him.
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I'm confident we'll get the good Gabby back.
a stone lighter and we're there.
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He needs to be played in his proper position (centre forward) and given the right type of service. He is never going to be a player who gets the ball to feet and creates things. He is the type of forward who needs the ball put into space in front of him so that he can use his main asset - his pace. Maybe he isn't quite as quick as he was, but given that kind of service he'll be a handful for any defender in the league on his day. I still think he has a big role to play this season.
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This injury has come at a bad time for Gabby (as also has Bents). From what everyone (players/press/fans at matches) have said is we are trying to play a more passing/possession style of game. Gabby will have to re-adjust his game for this, as stated above he prefers the ball played through for him to chase, and would need as much time as possible with the coaches getting it through to him and the other players as to the movement off the ball that is required. But maybe a chance for the younger ones, who are happier with this style of play to make a name for themselves and an impression on PL.
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The thing that concerns me most about Gabby is that he is a bit shit.
He is not. He had a bad second half of the season last year but who didn't under TSM?
Gabby has scored some crucial goals for this club over the years and has been a match-winner on numerous occasions. You can't just write off a plyer with that record.
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No big club has ever sniffed around Gabby, and he has barely been considered for England under three or four different managers, during a time when decent English forwards have been pretty thin on the ground. I think that says something about opinion of his ability outside VP. i.e. he aint all that. He's had a few good games, scored a few important goals, but lacks both the technique and movement to do it consistently. Which is why I've never really been one of his biggest fans.
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There's two parts to this for me.
The bit that wants "one of us" (a Villa fan) playing for the team to do well. I want him to succeed.
The other bit is where he has to add to what we have and sometimes I don't think he does.
Been said before but a make or break season...
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kt you're wrong. If you ask fans of all other clubs about our players, even when we were top 6 finishers Gabby is always mentioned as a player everyone rates.
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Good news that his injury is not too bad, we will need him on form this season.
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the bloke has scored eleven goals in all competitions during the last two seasons. Not good enough, sorry.
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the bloke has scored eleven goals in all competitions during the last two seasons. Not good enough, sorry.
How many of those games has Gabby been played as a wide player though in a very negative side sent out by TSM? Whilst I don't think Gabby has been amazing I think Lambert will get the best out of him and can therefore see him having his best Villa season ever this year.
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the bloke has scored eleven goals in all competitions during the last two seasons. Not good enough, sorry.
In and out of the team, played out of position, played under two different managers. So unfair to write him off based on that. Even players like Dwight Yorke went through bad seasons at villa. Gabby has been remarkably reliable from the time he first broke into the team, I think I can overlook the past two seasons if he turns it on again this coming year. If not then, maybe it will be time for him to move on.
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He'll finish his career with us and go down in history as a great servant to the club, in the Alan Wright category.
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kt you're wrong. If you ask fans of all other clubs about our players, even when we were top 6 finishers Gabby is always mentioned as a player everyone rates.
I didn't mention fans of other clubs, just how he seems to be rated by scouts and coaches of the bigger clubs and England. Perhaps you think other clubs' fans know more about rating a player than the likes of Ferguson, Wenger and Capello. I would disagree. Plus this quote from Meanwood Villa earlier in the thread would indicate it might be you who's wrong, assuming it's true:
"If you take away him being a fan and the memories we have of his good spells then most fans of other teams don't rate him at all. Was it last season when Newcastle were linked with him and someone provided a link to one of their message boards which was full of "oh god, no" type comments?"
In any case fans can tend to have a "highlights" opinion of other clubs' players, i.e they see the good things he does in the highlights, but don't see the poor stuff in between. N'Zogbia might be a good example, and from our past players like Curcic, Alan Thompson, and Sidwell.
I stick to my opinion, if Gabby were as good as some people think he is he would be an England regular and the subject of interest from wealthier clubs.
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He's been called up a few times, sometimes he's played, sometimes he hasn't turned up. I don't think that helps his chances or endeared him to Capello, who obviously rates him having called him up in the first place. Apparently Wenger rates him highly, and I'd be surprised if Fergie doesn't, he's scored more than most non-Man Utd players at Old Trafford, as well as having good games against them at The Villa. Ok, he hasn't bought him, but I bet he has a word with Vidic and Ferdinand about him before we play them. Something along the lines of 'don't let him make you look like a pair of c**** like he usually does'.
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He was called up, given a go and discarded. I'm not sure if that equates to Cappello obviously rating him, or if it was more a case of who have we got available, let's have a look to see if he could make the step up and deciding he couldn't. Wenger doesn't rate him highly enough to have tried to sign him. I agree he's done Vidic for pace a few times and scored what, two goals against United? It's not enough to make him a top PL striker in my view. Bent has scored one for us at Old Trafford in his only game for us there.
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I like Gabby, want him to do well and am fairly certain he'll have a good season under Lambert. But I think it's true to say that fans of other teams don't rate him particularly highly, certainly the ones I talk to anyway.
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While I am not saying Gabby is a villa legend (he has quite some way to go there) there are villa legends who didn't win too many England caps so it's not really fair to judge Gabby on the number of caps he has won.
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the bloke has scored eleven goals in all competitions during the last two seasons. Not good enough, sorry.
In and out of the team, played out of position, played under two different managers. So unfair to write him off based on that. Even players like Dwight Yorke went through bad seasons at villa. Gabby has been remarkably reliable from the time he first broke into the team, I think I can overlook the past two seasons if he turns it on again this coming year. If not then, maybe it will be time for him to move on.
Marlon Harewood scored 7 goals in 40 appearances for us and received pelters from all and sundry. I would put Gabby's 11 in 60 appearances on the same par yet its always "played out of position", "no service", "injuries", yadda, yadda, yadda. I lost count of the scoring opportunities Gabby fluffed last season. He is and always has been a one-trick pony with limited on-the-ball skills and absolutely no footballing brain. As I said, not good enough.
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If Gabby plays like he did 3 years ago then I've no problem. I think with how we're set up now, he'll flourish. He'll be able to work the channels too, coming out wide as our narrower wide players like Holman and Ireland come in field. I think it'll work well.
I don't think Gabby, at his best is too bad technically. He needs to be playing with confidence. Some of the goals he's scored for us have been brilliant and shown a touch of class he doesn't always get credit for. Granted he needs to do it more, but his overall play kept on improving under O Neill, year on year. He stagnated under Houllier. Started brilliantly for TSM but tailed off. He needs to keep his concentration up, his confidence and improve his decision making. He can do it. The pace he has is still a great weapon and others say, he's a knack of scoring against the bigger teams.
We'll see but I'd hate to see Gabby be sold now and then go off and have a brilliant season with someone else.
I think he'll score 15 next season in all comps. In fact I'll go down the bookies and lay some cash on it.
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Yawn...he's not good enough for a starting place in either one or two up front nor on the wing. There are better players at the club who are first on the team sheet in my opinion and can contribute for longer periods in a game and longer periods in a season (rather than his traditional 6 game blitz of form at the start of a season). I would not have been at all surprised if McLeish wanted to drop him for long periods last season but for more abuse fodder it would have given fans.
I like gabby a lot, don't get me wrong, but he hasn't progressed at all over the past few years. Would have been nice to see him learn how to control a ball, be more composed 1 on 1, find the right positions, etc. but he hasn't applied himself either through cant be arsed syndrome or he hasn't the ability.
Happy for him to stay but wouldn't be near the starting 11 for me. I'd prefer Weiman to Gabby as I believe he offers more and has potential. If PL buys/loans a striker (which I hope he does) its goodbye Gabby and I wont loose any sleep over it.
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I think he'll score 15 next season in all comps. In fact I'll go down the bookies and lay some cash on it.
Yep. I'd take some of that action.
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kt you're wrong. If you ask fans of all other clubs about our players, even when we were top 6 finishers Gabby is always mentioned as a player everyone rates.
At Christmas just gone, I was watching You're on Sky Sports, Chelsea weren't doing very well so that was the main topic and nearly every Chelsea fan said it was Gabby they wanted Chelsea to sign. Obviously his start to the season wasn't bad and had It been the end of the season and not Christmas, they probably wouldn't have even thought about Gabby.
As for big clubs not interested in him, possibly just paper talk but Arsenal were heavily linked with him early in his career, a couple of times possibly.
As for my opinion on him, I sit on the fence a little bit where I wouldn't be devastated if we cashed in on him but I also still think he has a place here and could still develop into a player that isn't just about pace. He's got a good shot on him, not that he gets to shoot that often recently. The main negatives is he isn't the brightest/quickest thinker and quite often lacks composure. Its these reasons he does still play for us and no one has gone for him.
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Why have none of the really top clubs gone for Bent?
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Because he's at a top club.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
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Site not letting me edit for some reason, so apologies for typos.
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I'm confident we'll get the good Gabby back.
But even the "good Gabby" was a bit limited. Particularly once other teams had worked out how to deal with him.
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Why have none of the really top clubs gone for Bent?
Because the type of forwardhe is means that every attack will need to look to feed him and the top teams no longer want the Darren Bent/Andy Cole type.
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Why have none of the really top clubs gone for Bent?
Because the type of forwardhe is means that every attack will need to look to feed him and the top teams no longer want the Darren Bent/Andy Cole type.
Bent is no where near the player that "Andrew Cole" was.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
Well, we haven't really seen a huge amount of Bent yet have we? He scored loads in his first season and then got injured and McLeished. His record for England is very good so far.
On the other hand we have all had plenty of time to make our minds up about Gabby and for me he is a decent player who can be a right handful when on form but whose on form days seem to be getting fewer and further apart as he progresses through his Villa career.
Not writing him off yet but with a new manager who won't care how loyal he's been and how much of a Villa fan he is I reckon he needs to impress and quickly.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
Well, we haven't really seen a huge amount of Bent yet have we? He scored loads in his first season and then got injured and McLeished. His record for England is very good so far.
On the other hand we have all had plenty of time to make our minds up about Gabby and for me he is a decent player who can be a right handful when on form but whose on form days seem to be getting fewer and further apart as he progresses through his Villa career.
Not writing him off yet but with a new manager who won't care how loyal he's been and how much of a Villa fan he is I reckon he needs to impress and quickly.
I don't think any manager cares about how loyal he is or if he's a Villa fan. I certainly don't.
I just think the criteria of judging a player by what clubs have come in for him is silly. Especially if you don't apply it to a player you are saying is better. How about Bent being fourth choice at Spurs behind Keane, Defoe and the Russian?
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I just think the criteria of judging a player by what clubs have come in for him is silly. Especially if you don't apply it to a player you are saying is better. How about Bent being fourth choice at Spurs behind Keane, Defoe and the Russian?
Oh, I agree with this. I'm judging it on watching both players, and especially watching the progress, or more recently the non-progress, of Gabby.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
Going purely on stats, last 2 seasons Bent has made 41 appearances and scored 19 goals. That's what I call a striker. As for why a "top club" hasn't gone for him I simply dont know but long may they continue overlooking him and spunking megabucks on overrated journeymen like Andy Carrol
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I just think the criteria of judging a player by what clubs have come in for him is silly. Especially if you don't apply it to a player you are saying is better. How about Bent being fourth choice at Spurs behind Keane, Defoe and the Russian?
Oh, I agree with this. I'm judging it on watching both players, and especially watching the progress, or more recently the non-progress, of Gabby.
The entire club regressed under McLeish.
So why does everyone slag of Gabby for a poor 1/2 season when apart from playing in a team that didn't know what was expected from them, being injured and being afraid of being dropped every week if he didn't spend most of the match defending.
Forget last season. Let's see what he does this time round before we crucify him.
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The entire club regressed under McLeish.
Gabby was playing poorly before McLeish came in.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
Going purely on stats, last 2 seasons Bent has made 41 appearances and scored 19 goals. That's what I call a striker. As for why a "top club" hasn't gone for him I simply dont know but long may they continue overlooking him and spunking megabucks on overrated journeymen like Andy Carrol
Probably for the same reason some of our supporters think we'd be better off without him.
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The entire club regressed under McLeish.
Gabby was playing poorly before McLeish came in.
He was very good for the first couple of months last season. But he went downhill rapidly like the rest of the team under that pr@t.
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Since the Carling Cup final at the end of Feb 2010, Gabby has scored 13 goals.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
Going purely on stats, last 2 seasons Bent has made 41 appearances and scored 19 goals. That's what I call a striker. As for why a "top club" hasn't gone for him I simply dont know but long may they continue overlooking him and spunking megabucks on overrated journeymen like Andy Carrol
When I said 'top clubs' I didn't mean fucking Liverpool! Or was that a joke?.
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Gabby and Bent have a lot of work to do to be looked upon as great Villa strikers. I dont see either being remembered like Lockhead Withe Shaw Gray Leonard Yorke or even Saunders.
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If Bent stays another couple of years he'll go way past Sahnders (as BFR used to call him).
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Gabby and Bent have a lot of work to do to be looked upon as great Villa strikers. I dont see either being remembered like Lockhead Withe Shaw Gray Leonard Yorke or even Saunders.
But at least under Lambert they will be given every opportunity to stake a claim.
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Update on Gabby injury
http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2861052,00.html
Gabby Agbonlahor will see a specialist regarding his knee injury when Villa arrive back from their tour of the USA.
Agbonlahor underwent a scan in Portland on Monday after sustaining the injury in Saturday's 1-0 win over Chicago Fire.
The Villa striker scored the only goal of the game at Toyota Park but was forced off after injuring his knee in the second period.
No timeframe has been determined for Agbonlahor's absence, although his recovery is likely to take longer than first anticipated.
The 25-year-old was forced to miss out on Villa's final USA tour match against Portland Timbers on Tuesday.
The boys in claret and blue rounded off their trio of Stateside fixtures with a penalty shootout success after drawing 2-2 in normal time.
It means Paul Lambert's men return home with an unbeaten record having earned 1-0 wins over Philadelphia Union and Chicago Fire.
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Second period? I know the game was played in the US but come on.
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If he's out for any more than the 2 weeks originally expected I can't see him being fit for the start of the season. That puts a lot of pressure on bent who's both injured at present and not yet found his form
Could definitely do with another class forward option. Really not sure who though
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
Going purely on stats, last 2 seasons Bent has made 41 appearances and scored 19 goals. That's what I call a striker. As for why a "top club" hasn't gone for him I simply dont know but long may they continue overlooking him and spunking megabucks on overrated journeymen like Andy Carrol
When I said 'top clubs' I didn't mean fucking Liverpool! Or was that a joke?.
Were the quotation marks too subtle? Sorry Perce!
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Would Tottenham not be considered a top club? They're a top 5 team and Bents played for them. You'd say at his age, he's probably had his biggest move already. He's one of the best old school goal hanging strikers in the business. If he was still 24 then I think a good season with us and he'd be getting offers from the top 6 again.
I think the fact he's edging towards the 30 mark is good for us, because we're getting the peak years from him and he's also getting to a point where we're the biggest club who'll want him.
Gabby will be here forever. I don't see him moving. I think he'll turn it around this season and I just don't foresee a manager wanting to sell him. He's just one of those players that every club should have who bleeds your colours. He's Mr Villa. Obviously that shouldn't be the only reason to keep him. As a player he's good enough for us too. Still think there's more to come from Gabby. He may have found the manager most suited to getting the best out of him now too. He's potentially a 20 goal striker.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
I gave two criteria, that he'd neither been sought after by the bigger clubs nor established himself as en England International when decent English strikers were hardly growing on trees. It's true Bent also hasn't been the subject of much interest by the really top clubs. That's probably due to his relatively limited all round game. But at least he's established himself in the England set up, probably because his movement and consistent record of finishing are sufficient to make the grade at international level. It's those factors that also make him a better striker than Gabby, even if perhaps not quite up to CL clubs' standards. Gabby is a middling level PL striker, not awful but nothing special.
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Gabby has had an iffy couple of seasons but that reflects the club as a whole, he's been played out of position and suffered injuries but prior to that was improving year on year and becoming a very effective PL striker, scoring regularly in a top 6 side. Hopefully he's now playing again under a manager who knows how to use him effectively and we'll see him back to his best.
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Ah, that wexplains why nobody has gone for Gabby then. It's just that a few people on this thread see it as proof that Gabby is no good, but not proof that Bent is.
I gave two criteria, that he'd neither been sought after by the bigger clubs nor established himself as en England International when decent English strikers were hardly growing on trees. It's true Bent also hasn't been the subject of much interest by the really top clubs. That's probably due to his relatively limited all round game. But at least he's established himself in the England set up, probably because his movement and consistent record of finishing are sufficient to make the grade at international level. It's those factors that also make him a better striker than Gabby, even if perhaps not quite up to CL clubs' standards. Gabby is a middling level PL striker, not awful but nothing special.
Links to the bigger clubs is utterly meaningless. Before supporters hear about it the interested club will have spoken to the players agent and sunded them out regarding how interested they'd be. Gabby may well have decided he's a Villa fan and playing for his club, why would he want to leave? If this is the case he might just have his agent set to say, 'no thanks' to every offer, and then subtlely mention to the club the interest to make sure he gets a nice new contract.
As for england he's been on the edge of the squad for a long time, as have other players, it doesn't necessarily mean anything.
The reality is we had 4 seasons of double figures for goals and gradual improvement where, despite never being the main man, he was always a good option and he brought something important to the table. 2 poor seasons for him and club in between, have now harmed his reputation but he's still scored enough goals and had enough influence on the club to deserve a chance to e part of a more settled side. If by the end of this year he is still looking like he's not up to it then we'll worry about it.
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Gabby just had a season like Bent at Spurs when he scored 6 in 27 for a much more attacking team. But when Gabby got his 6 goals in those first few months he looked twice the player that Bent ever has, even at his best.
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MON has said he wouldn't mind Carroll at Sunderland despite his toon roots, so Gabby might be off the radar?
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Gabby just had a season like Bent at Spurs when he scored 6 in 27 for a much more attacking team. But when Gabby got his 6 goals in those first few months he looked twice the player that Bent ever has, even at his best.
In fairness to Bent, over half those games he was on the bench as they had Defoe, Keane and Berbatov that season while Gabby started pretty much every one of his appearances.
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One thing Gabby undoubtedly has is ability. One thing he undoubtedly doesn't have is reliability.
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Paul_e if a top club were interested in Gabby it would have come out one way or another. I think you're dreaming if you think it wouldn't in this day and age. And it would be an unusual agent that wouldn't have been pushing for such a move if interest was there, regardless of what Gabby said. That's how agents make their money. I don't think he's been anywhere near the England squad for quite a long time.
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Didn't he have to pull out of an England squad last season?
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One thing Gabby undoubtedly has is ability. One thing he undoubtedly doesn't have is reliability.
This. His inconsistency is frustrating. Bent has a level which he can reach consistently throughout a season. Gabby has a level that is higher than that but he only ever achieves it for a third of the season with most of the rest of his season being very poor indeed. He's a good player on the whole, a truly excellent one when he's firing on all cylinders but a frustrating one due to the absence of consistency. I was also greatly disappointed that he pretty much seemed to have given up at the tail end of last season at a time when he had been made captain and should have been providing more inspiration and effort to the team.
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I love these Gabby threads where all the doubting Thomases line up, only for Gabby to shove it up their collective arses, sideways.
I just hope he's not rushed back from this current injury and Lambert finds the necessary tactic of playing Bent and Gabby together. Getting the midfield to provide them both with some decent service would help too.
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Does anybody know anything about his injury? Rumours around he has done his cruciate ligament?
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Don't think it will be that bad but him missing the start of the season would be a worry as this happened two years ago and he never got going that season at all.
Suppose these regular injuries he's getting now were inevitable as he barely missed a game from breaking through under MON in 2006 to about 2009.
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Stats speak for themselves and these are poor. Top half striker? My arse. Bottom half striker? More likely. £8m value? My arse. More like £3-4m based on stats. Would be interesting to compare his past 4 year stats with a bottom half striker and you'll probably find its no better or worse. If any of those strikers were signed by villa we'd be rightly v pissed off.
GLOSSARY
GS: Games Started, SB: Used as Substitute, G: Goals, A: Assists, SH: Shots, SG: Shots on goal, YC: Yellow Cards, RC: Red Cards, FC: Fouls Committed, FS: Fouls Suffered, SV: Saves, OF: Offsides, W: Wins, D: Draws, L: Lossesp
2011/12 STATISTICS
TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
Aston Villa Prem 32 1 5 5 59 18 47 43 6 0
Aston Villa FAC 1 1 1 0 2 2 2 1 0 0
Aston Villa CC 1 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 0 0
Season Totals 34 2 6 5 63 21 50 46 6 0
2010/11 STATISTICS
TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
Aston Villa CC 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Aston Villa FAC 3 0 0 0 5 2 5 6 1 0
Aston Villa Prem 17 9 3 1 29 12 33 20 3 0
Season Totals 22 9 4 1 34 14 38 27 4 0
2009/10 STATISTICS
TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
England U21 UEFA U21 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
England WCQ 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 0 0
Aston Villa Prem 35 1 13 3 66 36 53 60 3 0
Aston Villa FAC 2 0 1 0 2 2 0 3 0 0
Aston Villa CC 6 0 2 3 11 5 9 9 2 0
England Int 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
Season Totals 48 1 16 7 81 44 64 74 7 0
2008/09 STATISTICS
TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
England Int 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
Aston Villa Intertoto 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Aston Villa UEFA 4 1 0 0 1 0 5 14 0 0
Aston Villa CC 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Aston Villa FAC 2 0 0 1 6 1 4 2 0 0
Aston Villa Prem 35 1 12 5 65 32 53 56 4 0
England WCQ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Season Totals 44 3 12 6 73 33 63 72 4 0
2007/08 STATISTICS
TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
Aston Villa FAC 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0
Aston Villa Prem 37 0 11 8 61 35 49 65 4 0
Season Totals 38 0 11 8 62 36 50 66 4 0
2006/07 STATISTICS
TEAM Competition GS SB G A SH SG FC FS YC RC
Aston Villa CC 3 0 1 1 4 1 3 7 0 0
Aston Villa Prem 37 1 9 6 53 35 42 48 2 0
Aston Villa FAC 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0
Season Totals 41 1 10 7 57 36 48 57 2 0
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Stick your stats up your arse.
Gabby is a top player and will come back next season in fine form.
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He's a 1 in 3 striker.
Probably comparable to Zamora who's a lot older and went to QPR for what 8m?
Fulham also signed Andy Johnson for 12m a few years ago I remember....
Thinking Gabby is worth 3-4m is stupid.
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Stick your stats up your arse.
Gabby is a top player and will come back next season in fine form.
They are not my stats. They are Gabbys. And theyre shit.
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Stick your stats up your arse.
Gabby is a top player and will come back next season in fine form.
They are not my stats. They are Gabbys. And theyre shit.
Why are you going so far out of your way to prove that a Villa player is shit? What sort of fan are you?
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Why are you going so far out of your way to prove that a Villa player is shit? What sort of fan are you?
Would you ask the same question of anyone who's criticised Heskey, Warnock, Dunne, Collins, Hutton et al?
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Stick your stats up your arse.
Gabby is a top player and will come back next season in fine form.
They are not my stats. They are Gabbys. And theyre shit.
Why are you going so far out of your way to prove that a Villa player is shit? What sort of fan are you?
A realist? I suppose youve been posting how shit warnock, dunne, Heskey, Collins and Hutton are? In which case you're a hypocrite
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His first 5 years in the first team he improved his goal tally year on year and improved as a player. This was always due to plateau and level off, problem is he seems to have gone backwards. He scored 16 goals 3 years ago and looked like having the ability in his locker to better that tally. The player we have seen in the last 2 seasons looks incapable of getting anywhere nr double figures. Yes he's been played wide quite a bit, but Young Barry and Milner have reached double figures for us in recent yrs playing deeper than Gabby. It's interesting how so many people are willing to write off many players in the squad who were purchased rather than brought through the ranks, who have had 2 poor seasons, such as Warnock, Dunne, Collins, even guys like Makoun who have barely had a chance and Delph who is very young and has suffered dreadfully with injuries, yet Gabby gets a far easier ride after 2 poor seasons. I think he has a big scrap on his hands with the likes of N'Zogbia and Albrighton for a place in the team this season, we need these guys to step up a level this yr.
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He has had two poor seasons on top of three of constant improvement. Gabby is a top player. Frustrating as hell but full of ability and when on form, completely devestating.
He can do it against anybody and his goals have brought a bucket load of joy to us.
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But he relies (relied) almost totally on his pace. Most such players are past their best by 25. Particularly if they have a history of injury.
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No need for the insult, SHEPS. I'm no hypocrite. I just try not to call our players shit, I don't think it achieves anything. I certainly don't think Gabby is shit. You would have to be blind not to notice he hasn't been as effective in the last two seasons as previous. He has been played out of position, and he has been out through injury, and he has been played, especially last season, in a restrictive team unit. There are some mitigating circumstances for his dip. I really hope he gets back to his best this season, because his best is a bloody good striker
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Pack it in please. I've got a headache.
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And I have got a shirt with Agbonlahor on the back which I am proud to wear.
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No need for the insult, SHEPS. I'm no hypocrite. I just try not to call our players shit, I don't think it achieves anything. I certainly don't think Gabby is shit. You would have to be blind not to notice he hasn't been as effective in the last two seasons as previous. He has been played out of position, and he has been out through, and he has been played, especially last season, in a restrictive team unit. There are some mitigating circumstances for his dip. I really hope he gets back to his best this season, because his best is a bloody good striker
No insult intended so apologies if it came across that way. I'm as frustrated as everyone with Gabby and hope he fires again but the point I'm making is that he hasnt got it in his locker. I'm not happy with a 10-12 goal a season striker starting as many games as he does. I've seen enough of him to believe that's all he's capable of in a great season for him. We wouldn't have spent the millions on bent if Gabby was up to it. Like I've said before I really believe well get another striker in this summer and the reason will probably be Gabbys best is not good enough.
Its a weird one. Hes neither a striker with one or two upfront or a wide player. He's sometimes good and inconsistent with that but not great in any. A bit like to tony Daley. Pace but no substance. The game of football has moved on since then.
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I have got to say i'm not gabby's biggest fan but the one thing he does is force (most) teams to play deeper against us because they are afraid of his pace.
Because they play deeper it should mean more room for us to play and under MON we used that room well and caused other teams problems. The last 2 seasons we haven't been able to do that our midfield has been none existant and we have especially last season been hoofing it more and when we hoof it Gabby isn't as effective.
I don't think Gabby will improve much more if any as a footballer but he does still have a part to play for us.
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I have got to say i'm not gabby's biggest fan but the one thing he does is force (most) teams to play deeper against us because they are afraid of his pace.
Because they play deeper it should mean more room for us to play and under MON we used that room well and caused other teams problems. The last 2 seasons we haven't been able to do that our midfield has been none existant and we have especially last season been hoofing it more and when we hoof it Gabby isn't as effective.
I don't think Gabby will improve much more if any as a footballer but he does still have a part to play for us.
Agreed, especially if we continue to play a decent passing game that Lambert wants.
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Stick your stats up your arse.
Gabby is a top player and will come back next season in fine form.
They are not my stats. They are Gabbys. And theyre shit.
I bet you weren't saying that when he was healthy and he was banging in key goals against the shit, Stripey's, Man U, West Ham etc etc etc. He's had a couple of poor seasons where the entire club has been in tumoil. Add to that his injuries he like many players at the club went backwards at alarming pace. Get him healthy and playing for a manager that will believe in him and he'll regain his form and desire.
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Stick your stats up your arse.
Gabby is a top player and will come back next season in fine form.
They are not my stats. They are Gabbys. And theyre shit.
Add to that his injuries he like many players at the club went backwards at alarming pace. Get him healthy and playing for a manager that will believe in him and he'll regain his form and desire.
On that basis then we should be all happy to keep dunne, Collins, warnock, etc. they've all played under the same circumstances. A few years ago gabby was on fire banging in 10-12 goals a season supported by an exceptional midfield by villa standards and dunne and Collins etc were keeping one of the best defensive records in the premiership.
This gabby debate will always divide opinion. Those who see him as a local hero and defend him to the hilt versus those who see through him being a local lad and what has or has not contributed.
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It's painfully obvious what's going on here Shep, you don't like him because he's black.
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Gabby's black? Oh FFS. That's it, my favourite player is Samir Carruthers. A good English name for a fine Englishman.
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The difference between Gabby last year and dunne/collins/hutton/warnock last year is the defence were playing in a side that was supposedly setup to not concede and due to various flaws in their game they didn't do the job.
I couldn't give a shit who he supports or that he came through the youth system, for me I see a player who has the ability to be a 10-15 goals a season striker who also creates chances for others and causes teams to play differently against us to.
The idea that 10-12 goals isn't good enough (as posted on the previous page) is ridiculous, we have Bent who should be a 20 a season striker for us. How many times, in the history of top flight english football, has a team had a front pair both get 20 in a season? For the 2nd striker role he'll be playing (where he does a lot of work out wide and tracking back) double figures is fine. In fact if our entire set of strikers can get 35 between them then we're well set for a good season, so long as the rest of the team chip in with a fair share.
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Paul, enough of this insolence. Leave it to Sheps to tell us what you think. He says you only rate Gabby because he's a Villa fan/local lad, so that's good enough for me. FACT.
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I'm sorry, I won't do it again.
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I do not think that fact that he has come through our youth system be ignored. Alex Ferguson is known to persevere with home grown players as they know the club. Look at the likes O’Shea, Brown, Fletcher (for long periods), even the Silva twins, all are arguably not Man U quality but Ferguson wants players who know the DNA of the club. Ditto at Barca where they seem to prefer to produce their own rather than recruit players from other clubs.
Whilst Villa’s identity is hard to identify at the moment due to the recent “turmoil” I still think we need a good chunk of the squad to be home-grown players.
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I think he'll score 15 next season in all comps. In fact I'll go down the bookies and lay some cash on it.
Yep. I'd take some of that action.
what sort of odds you getting on that ?
i might stand you both that bet, be a bit like buying money
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My personal view is there's no room for sentiment, and Gabby should get in on merit for me. No doubt there'll be some patronising, arrogant twat along in a minute to call me a liar and reveal what I really think.
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My personal view is there's no room for sentiment, and Gabby should get in on merit for me. No doubt there'll be some patronising, arrogant twat along in a minute to call me a liar and reveal what I really think.
You love him you do, and you only like him because he's black.
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Funny isn't it, when a player becomes good consistently and another clubs want's him...he then goes we have a go saying footballers are not loyal anymore, he's a greedy b*stard etc. Now we have a player who is a good player but was poor last season, due (IMO) that the whole team was crap under McCruff (who did have a good season under him..?), and now some of you are saying, get rid or no room for sentiment.
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Very good Riss, I had a feeling it would be you. *wink*
DB: So you think that there is room for sentiment, and players shouldn't be picked on merit, but based on them costing a big fee or coming through the youth system or whatever?
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No doubt there'll be some patronising, arrogant twat along in a minute to call me a liar and reveal what I really think.
Do you fancy giving it a rest yet Percy?
Or why not just have that as your signature if you really want to post it every five minutes.
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Seems unfair if people are allowed to do it and I'm not allowed to respond.
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Funny isn't it, when a player becomes good consistently and another clubs want's him...he then goes we have a go saying footballers are not loyal anymore, he's a greedy b*stard etc. Now we have a player who is a good player but was poor last season, due (IMO) that the whole team was crap under McCruff (who did have a good season under him..?), and now some of you are saying, get rid or no room for sentiment.
And what was the reason for the season before that? Or that fact that in all but one season since he's been a regular that once we get to November he goes months without a goal?
I love Gabby and would like nothing more for him to be a top striker for us for years to come but he's yet to show he can do it on a consistent basis. And if we were to spend £8-10m on a striker with a career 1 in 4 league goal record i'm pretty sure it would raise some eyebrows.
Fingers crossed Gabby will make me eat my words words with a big helping of green custard.
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It's painfully obvious what's going on here Shep, you don't like him because he's black.
Thanks for your contribution to this debate. Everyone appreciates it.
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Seems unfair if people are allowed to do it and I'm not allowed to respond.
Respond when they do it then. Rather than just bringing it up every three posts in response to nobody.
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Okay.
Sheps: what debate? You posted your reasons for not rating him, then you posted what you arrogantly ASSUME is my reason for rating him. How about you leave it to me to express my opinions? Otherwise there's not going to be a debate is there?
BTW, who else were you slagging a couple of pages ago? Ah yes, you said he's just like Tony Daley. Hmmm...interesting.
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Christ on a bike Perce, lets not introduce something that isn't there at all. A crap argument is a crap argument, a dick is a dick ( not saying that's applying to anyone in particular) but to start being inflammatory is a bit too far.
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Okay.
Sheps: what debate? You posted your reasons for not rating him, then you posted what you arrogantly ASSUME is my reason for rating him. How about you leave it to me to express my opinions?
BTW, who else were you slagging a couple of pages ago? Ah yes, you said he's just like Tony Daley. Hmmm...interesting.
Can you kindly point out to me when I arrogantly assumed your personal reasons for rating him?
Please see moderators response a few threads back. No need to repeat.
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What have I introduced that isn't there? The real reason he doesn't rate Gabby?
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all this silly bickering is like Jeremy Kyle without the DNA test
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"This gabby debate will always divide opinion. Those who see him as a local lad and defend him to the hilt versus those who see through him being a local lad and what has or has not conributed."
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Debate, is that what it is - thought it looked more like a bunch of sniping and bitching.
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"This gabby debate will always divide opinion. Those who see him as a local lad and defend him to the hilt versus those who see through him being a local lad and what has or has not conributed."
"those" does not translate to "in percys personal opinion"
Let's move on. This is tiresome.
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You're right. It translates into a dismissal of the valid arguments of EVERYBODY (including me) who disagrees with you (about Gabby's ability) as nothing more than parochial sentiment. I'd love to move on to a point where we discuss his worth as a footballer rather than the irrelevant rubbish that you introduced. How's that?
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The little 'un teething at the moment Perce?!
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Yes, but I don't mind because he's a Villa fan. Even if he is black.
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You're right. It translates into a dismissal of the valid arguments of EVERYBODY (including me) who disagrees with you (about Gabby's ability) as nothing more than parochial sentiment. I'd love to move on to a point where we discuss his worth as a footballer rather than the irrelevant rubbish that you introduced. How's that?
Percy. Chill.
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"This gabby debate will always divide opinion. Those who see him as a local lad and defend him to the hilt versus those who see through him being a local lad and what has or has not conributed."
"those" does not translate to "in percys personal opinion"
Let's move on. This is tiresome.
Then choose your words more carefully. Your imply that your opinion is the only valid one and that those who disagree do so only because he's a "local lad" which is a pretty arrogant assumption.
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Do you acknowledge that the debate is wider than 'those who are clever enough to 'see through' Gabby's localness versus those who are too stupid to do so?
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Then choose your words more carefully. Your imply that your opinion is the only valid one and that those who disagree do so only because......
Can't think whose posting style that reminds me of......! ;)
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Do you acknowledge that the debate is wider than 'those who are clever enough to 'see through' Gabby's localness versus those who are too stupid to do so?
In the last 24 hours you PERSONALLY have accused me of being a racist, arrogant and stupid. Hardly uncalled for Percy.
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Thanks Chris, and thank God someone else can read what Shep is actually saying
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Percy, unless you have a valid reason (maybe you know SHEPS personally?) why are you desperately trying to bring racism into this?
Not rating a black player or two doesn't automatically make you a daft racist.
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I called him racist because he wildy misrepresented my views and I wanted to see how he liked it.
I called him arrogant because his post (that I quoted) was arrogant.
I don't remember calling him stupid, but it is taking him a long time to understand, and he implied that everyone who disagreed with him over Gabby's ability was stupid, so he started it.
This is in answer to you too Sheps.
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I called him racist because he wildy misrepresented my views and I wanted to see how he liked it.
Don't stoop to his level.
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I called him racist because he wildy misrepresented my views and I wanted to see how he liked it.
I called him arrogant because his post (that I quoted) was arrogant.
I don't remember calling him stupid, but it is taking him a long time to understand, and he implied that everyone who disagreed with him over Gabby's ability was stupid, so he started it.
This is in answer to you too Sheps.
Much clearer now. Thanks.
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You're welcome.
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Perce, your posts on Mexican Cheese and the variuos ways of liberating them from their corporate chains are a lot more enlightening than this guff. Can we go back to that?
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Don't worry Pete. I've been having this row while doing about 15 different jobs at work. I can multi-task.
Going for a drink with Zulu quarter-masters (maybe even the leader) later, hopefully will have something more entertaining to post.
Oh, and what a lovely bit of cheese. Glad you enjoyed it too.
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Next time i see you I expect a stash of some Tete de Moine or Cotswold cheese. Just put it in the usual wrap, mate. cheers.
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I'm not sure they have those at Chelmsley Wood ASDA, but if we meet up after a game we can pop into Tesco before the pub.
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re Gabby and racism, there's something about the way he gets labelled "brainless" so often that sets my racism-detector going a bit.
Admittedly, he's not the brightest spark around (judging by his interviews), but I really wonder if he'd get labelled that quite so much if he was white.
Like I said, I'm not screaming "racism!" at anyone, but it's something that I just feel a bit uncomfortable with.
*dons tin hat*
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Not sure brainless is fair, but he's certainly got a habit of being a touch 'vacant'.
I don't think it's anything to do with race, more that he has a habit of switching off. Couple this with his accent and it's quite easy to see why he gets referred to as he does.
The clip of ashley young tapping him on the shoulder does him no favours either.
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re Gabby and racism, there's something about the way he gets labelled "brainless" so often that sets my racism-detector going a bit.
Admittedly, he's not the brightest spark around (judging by his interviews), but I really wonder if he'd get labelled that quite so much if he was white.
Like I said, I'm not screaming "racism!" at anyone, but it's something that I just feel a bit uncomfortable with.
*dons tin hat*
I've read that before on here, and frankly I think it's bollocks and looking for racism where non exists. In common with 95% of footballers, Gabby just doesn't come across as hyper intelligent on TV. People used to say the same about David Beckham. There are footballers like Gabby and Phil Neville who just don't come across that well in interviews. Then there are people like Gareth Southgate and Dion Dublin who do. Assuming that people who criticise a black player are racist is as bad as being racist, in my view.
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Assuming that people who criticise a black player are racist is as bad as being racist, in my view.
Yes, but then again, I didn't actually do that, did I?
Lots of people criticise Gabby (me included) and don't think he's all that (me included). I'm not saying they're racist at all.
I'm saying that the overuse of the word "brainless" makes me feel a little uncomfortable, that's all. Incidentally, I'm not talking about his interview technique, I'm talking about when it is used to describe his play.
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Just to be clear, I didn't mean it when I said it to SHEPS.
I do think there's an element with Gabby of people not wanting local black kids to do well. It's pretty rife in general society in my experience, so why should it be any different at the Villa. Other than that, I can't understand the antipathy towards him from 'some' match-going 'fans'.
As I've said before, I've sat in front of people singing the b-lose version of his song, and also heard people say they hate him. And that was when he was doing well.
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I guess you mainly mean in terms of running lines and one-on-ones then.
Running Lines - I'd never call him brainless over this, just typically english, movement off the ball is the least appreciated skill in English football. It's why we generally look so static at international level, lots of emphasis is put on the player with the ball and how great he is at passing, not much is put on how easy the player on the other end makes it by getting the run right. We appreciate players that can do it, but it's always treated as if it's a natural ability, not something that can be coached.
One-on-ones - He's not great at taking them, we all know it, we've seen lots of evidence for it. It's a shame because he gets a fair few as well. However, it's a confidence thing. As soon as he moves away from instinctive play his lack of confidence strikes and he often gets caught in 2 minds and ends up doing neither of the things he's thinking of. We need to coach that out of him, he needs to be much more decisive in those positions. Even if he misses I'd rather see him try to curl it into the bottom corner than hit it tamely at the keeper like he often does.
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Assuming that people who criticise a black player are racist is as bad as being racist, in my view.
Yes, but then again, I didn't actually do that, did I?
Lots of people criticise Gabby (me included) and don't think he's all that (me included). I'm not saying they're racist at all.
I'm saying that the overuse of the word "brainless" makes me feel a little uncomfortable, that's all. Incidentally, I'm not talking about his interview technique, I'm talking about when it is used to describe his play.
Well, when you said "Admittedly, he's not the brightest spark around (judging by his interviews), but I really wonder if he'd get labelled that quite so much if he was white. it really did give the impression that you were
a) talking about his interviews, as you actually mentioned 'interviews'
b) accusing people of racism, otherwise why mention his colour in the first place?
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Assuming that people who criticise a black player are racist is as bad as being racist, in my view.
Yes, but then again, I didn't actually do that, did I?
Lots of people criticise Gabby (me included) and don't think he's all that (me included). I'm not saying they're racist at all.
I'm saying that the overuse of the word "brainless" makes me feel a little uncomfortable, that's all. Incidentally, I'm not talking about his interview technique, I'm talking about when it is used to describe his play.
Well, when you said "Admittedly, he's not the brightest spark around (judging by his interviews), but I really wonder if he'd get labelled that quite so much if he was white. it really did give the impression that you were
a) talking about his interviews, as you actually mentioned 'interviews'
b) accusing people of racism, otherwise why mention his colour in the first place?
a. I mentioned the way he comes across in interviews as a suggestion that I appreciate he's no Clark Carlisle, but it's not that I am getting at. As I clarified in subsequent post.
b. I say i found it vaguely concerning on that level to hear him described as that so frequently, I did not in any case say "by criticising a black player you're being racist" as you suggested, which I explained again in previous post, but if you want to imagine that was what I was saying, knock yerself out.
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There are still plenty of racists around so it stands to reason that some of the stick Gabby gets is because he's black. Similarly some of it is because he's a working class Brummie, our accent is frequently derided and we're caricatured as stupid because of it.
That said, he doesn't appear to make a lot of effort in interviews and that disinterest doesn't really endear him to the general public. Personally, I'm only really interested is what he does on the pitch but understand that others attach more importance to what I see as peripheral issues.
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Some people who criticise Gabby may well be racist, but I think we need to be very careful when waving the race card on here without good reason. personally speaking being labelled racist would be one thing that would seriously piss me off.
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The main problem with bringing race into a discussion like this is that it allows for some truly pathetic arguments to follow, it's an argument that you can't win, particularly on the internet, because the only person that knows the motivations for you typing what you did is you.
If someone thinks you've typed it for other reasons nothing you say will convince them otherwise, and any trying to argue generally gets turned around as proof that you are racist.
I refer back to the previous thread discussing racism, where percy got pretty much accused of being racist because he's married to a black woman.
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re Gabby and racism, there's something about the way he gets labelled "brainless" so often that sets my racism-detector going a bit.
Admittedly, he's not the brightest spark around (judging by his interviews), but I really wonder if he'd get labelled that quite so much if he was white.
Like I said, I'm not screaming "racism!" at anyone, but it's something that I just feel a bit uncomfortable with.
*dons tin hat*
The brainlessness I was referring to was to do with his habit of running down blind alleys, not making himself available and being about 3 seconds behind everyone else when an obvious through-ball is on. To me these are the most frustrating things about Gabby, particularly the last one which almost always negates his turn of speed. Daniel Johnson, Darren Bent and Samir Carruthers all read the game so much better than Gabby. All are black and all have far better footballing brains.
As for appearing a bit thick off the field, name me a footballer, black, white, brown, blue or polka-dotted who doesn't come across dimmer than a Toc-H lantern on the telly. It seems to be a pre-requisite for a professional footballer to have all of their intelligence in their legs.
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Wow! This thread has kicked on a bit since I last looked!
Percy, fair play for pointing out that some people don't just like him because of him being a local lad, some of us actually rate him and think it would be a sad place without him.
Paulie, I know what you are getting at with the brainless thing. It was picked up in the 'Is football racist?' programme by John Barnes. He said that he thinks there is still a feeling that black people are thought of (in many quarters) as lacking intelligence.
Gabby is the only Villa player I hear labelled as 'not having a football brain' or 'lacks football intelligence', and while it may be true that he relies on a lot on instincts and raw athleticism, he wouldn't be where he is if these things were true.
Those cliches don't sit well with me either.
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For arguements sake, when Warnock is out of position, he is said to be out of position, (or shit in many cases). Why does he 'not have a football brain' or 'lacks intelligence'?
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For arguements sake, when Warnock is out of position, he is said to be out of position, (or shit in many cases). Why does he 'not have a football brain' or 'lacks intelligence'?
In fair to Warnock, his positioning and movement when he was playing midfield at the end of last season was surprisingly good ergo there is a footballing brain in there somewhere.
But I agree, he is shit though.
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For arguements sake, when Warnock is out of position, he is said to be out of position, (or shit in many cases). Why does he 'not have a football brain' or 'lacks intelligence'?
In fair to Warnock, his positioning and movement when he was playing midfield at the end of last season was surprisingly good ergo there is a footballing brain in there somewhere.
But I agree, he is shit though.
Your point about being better in midfield last season in my eyes is the nail in the coffin for me as a LB - why do we want a LB who is better when not playing as a LB, clearly he isn't good enough for the position if he's better playing somewhere else.
Left-mid seems to me to be the position he should now be playing at, just not at the Villa though.
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Surely the question regarding Warnock in midfield is whether he's really any better than actual midfielders we have.
If he isn't, then what's the point in having him around?
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re Gabby and racism, there's something about the way he gets labelled "brainless" so often that sets my racism-detector going a bit.
Admittedly, he's not the brightest spark around (judging by his interviews), but I really wonder if he'd get labelled that quite so much if he was white.
Like I said, I'm not screaming "racism!" at anyone, but it's something that I just feel a bit uncomfortable with.
*dons tin hat*
The brainlessness I was referring to was to do with his habit of running down blind alleys, not making himself available and being about 3 seconds behind everyone else when an obvious through-ball is on. To me these are the most frustrating things about Gabby, particularly the last one which almost always negates his turn of speed. Daniel Johnson, Darren Bent and Samir Carruthers all read the game so much better than Gabby. All are black and all have far better footballing brains.
As for appearing a bit thick off the field, name me a footballer, black, white, brown, blue or polka-dotted who doesn't come across dimmer than a Toc-H lantern on the telly. It seems to be a pre-requisite for a professional footballer to have all of their intelligence in their legs.
Is it not Gabby's job, and a very well paid one, to play football ? Well does he need to have the intelligence , so called , of a brain surgeon or an engineer ? The answer is no, not to say that Gabby is not intelligent at all, just to say that he has found his forte in life and in my view is a bloody good striker when he is on form. Would anybody say that a Brain surgeon or the engineer had no intelligence because they could not play football as well as Gabby ? Different people are good/ intelligent at different things.
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When I saw the headline 'Gabby: I Don't Want To Be A Black Cat', I thought 'but you are one, Daddio'.
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When I saw the headline 'Gabby: I Don't Want To Be A Black Cat', I thought 'but you are one, Daddio'.
Ha ha. Very good.
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GABBY GABBY GABBY GABBY GABBY AGBONLAHOR!
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He's fast as fuuuck, he's fast as fuuuuuuuaaaaak!
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Great to finally see a performance from Gabby again in the league. Keep it up and we can have a much better season than a lot of people predict.
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Worth 10 Darren Bents, Villa Legend.
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Agbonlahor 1 in 28 Darren Bent 20 in 47
I rest my case.
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Agbonlahor 1 in 28 Darren Bent 20 in 47
I rest my case.
Gabby 1 goal 3 points
Bent 2 goals 1 point
I rest my case...
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Lets just get behind the Gabby Benteke partnership. Bent is a brilliant striker, and one we could have done with when we were trying to hit the glass roof through under O'Neill, but he does not suit the current set up at all, Benteke does. Gabby needs to get back to getting 12-15 goals in all competitions, and playing like he has for the last couple of weeks consistently. He looked good today and got himself in a scoring position for once. Does that more often and he will get a fair few goals off Benteke.
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I've been a critic of his but delighted with his last 2 games-keep it up gabby , well done.
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Agbonlahor 1 in 28 Darren Bent 20 in 47
I rest my case.
But who will form the better partnership with Benteke?
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Agbonlahor 1 in 28 Darren Bent 20 in 47
I rest my case.
But who will form the better partnership with Benteke?
Agbonlahor
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I usually defend Gabby but even he's been testing my patience the last few weeks.
That said, even during his good runs of forms, I always made the point he never really clicked with any of the strike partners he played with, even Carew. Just seemed happy doing his own thing.
The promising thing here is that him and Benteke look to have a good understanding developing there and they're both chipping in with goals now.
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I usually defend Gabby but even he's been testing my patience the last few weeks.
That said, even during his good runs of forms, I always made the point he never really clicked with any of the strike partners he played with, even Carew. Just seemed happy doing his own thing.
The promising thing here is that him and Benteke look to have a good understanding developing there and they're both chipping in with goals now.
Couldn't agree more with this. I think he difference between Benteke and Carew is that Benteke's a much smarter player who can do more with his feet. Carew was a battering ram but I see Benteke as more aware of other players on the pitch and a better passer of the ball.
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Cost of Bent 18 million
Cost of Gabby zip
I rest my case.
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Cost of Bent 18 million
Cost of Gabby zip
I rest my case.
Well said Brian.
It doesn't have to be Gabby or Bent, but I'd take Gabby any day in a straight swap.
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I'd like to see all of Villa's strikers thriving, regardless of how much they cost.
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Gabby will always give his all for the Villa. I didn't think he was all that bad against Norwich. Had he stayed on he could have done more for us in keeping the ball and alleviating pressure. His hold up play is actually pretty good.
Most importantly there seem to be signs that he and Benteke will be a good partnership. They're starting to gel. I fancy Gabby to have a purple patch now, he's just looking more confident, fitter, of late. The more that we click under Lambert, the better our front men will become.
I'm more than happy with the Benteke and Gabby partnership. I think Gabby will hit double figures this season.
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Gabby will always give his all for the Villa. I didn't think he was all that bad against Norwich. Had he stayed on he could have done more for us in keeping the ball and alleviating pressure. His hold up play is actually pretty good.
Most importantly there seem to be signs that he and Benteke will be a good partnership. They're starting to gel. I fancy Gabby to have a purple patch now, he's just looking more confident, fitter, of late. The more that we click under Lambert, the better our front men will become.
I'm more than happy with the Benteke and Gabby partnership. I think Gabby will hit double figures this season.
I agree, and I think Weimann deserves a shout too, because I gather that he worked his nuts off yesterday and created space for the other two.
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We need 4 strikers . We need 4 good ones, we have them .
Teams would die for our strike force eg Liverpool . Lets just try and use them all through the season and make it work , creating for them is the most important thing If Ireland can push on and Nzogbia can start providing there are plenty of goals in the team. Lets be happy we have them instead of these ' he cost nothing compared to £18 million pound arguments' .
if Bent does go in January , I would prefer him banging the goals in and pushing up the fee .
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Clappy thing.
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I'd prefer us winning games and being a good team.
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Gabby will always give his all for the Villa. I didn't think he was all that bad against Norwich. Had he stayed on he could have done more for us in keeping the ball and alleviating pressure. His hold up play is actually pretty good.
Most importantly there seem to be signs that he and Benteke will be a good partnership. They're starting to gel. I fancy Gabby to have a purple patch now, he's just looking more confident, fitter, of late. The more that we click under Lambert, the better our front men will become.
I'm more than happy with the Benteke and Gabby partnership. I think Gabby will hit double figures this season.
At his current League scoring rate it will take him 280 games to reach that figure.
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Really? I thought he averaged about 1 in 4/5 games. Perhaps someone will look it up.
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I just want each and every player in our shirt to be the best he can be, don't care who he is or where he's from.
When he is a Brummie Villa fan who stood on the Holte then I want him to have even more success - that doesn't mean that one day he may move on to strengthen the team however.
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Really? I thought he averaged about 1 in 4/5 games. Perhaps someone will look it up.
So does Heskey, doesn't mean he will still score at that rate.
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I couldn't care less where he's from or who he supported. All that matters to me is I think we're a better team with him in it.
As with the midfield, Lambert only has to check results against personell to see who the most effective partnership is.
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With Gabby being more of an attacking midfielder now i am looking forward to seeing Bent and Benteke as the strikers. Those two continuing their goalscoring rate will have us moving up the table.
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Playing with Bent would IMO put the mockers on Benteke.
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Playing with Bent would IMO put the mockers on Benteke.
Possibly. It just seems a terrible waste to me that we have one of the premier leagues most prolific goalscorers and we can't play him.
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Really? I thought he averaged about 1 in 4/5 games. Perhaps someone will look it up.
His goal at Sunderland was his first in the League for 28 games. Pretty awful, and fairly typical of his inconsistancy.
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Playing with Bent would IMO put the mockers on Benteke.
Benteke is in my opinion a great target man who will score a fair few goals. Bent is a poor target man, who feeds off a guys playing that role, and wil leasily outscore Gabby. Benteke and Bent offer a far better prospect of goals. We should persevere with their partnership.
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Ah I see. So you're basing Gabby's future performance on his worst ever run. That seems fair. And by definition, not typical either.
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There's a reason why someone has spent 18 m on Bent and not on Gabby. To say that Benteke and Gabby are "developing a partnership", on the basis of one link up and one goal seems a bit premature.
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Did you not see them destroy Lescott and Toure at Man City?
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Surely the other point is that gabby can play wide enabling us to play 4231, as we have been. Bent can't.
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As far as I can see Gabby's our leading scorer in November and has scored in every game since the 1-1 draw at home against Norwich. In the last 3 games he's started he's scored 2. Great stats.
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He's also had probably fifty times more touches than Bent would have had outside the box and been a much more useful partner to Benteke than Bent would have been.
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The ballboy below our seats has fifty times more touches per game outside the box than Bent
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...and they usually give it us back.
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Did you not see them destroy Lescott and Toure at Man City?
No I didn't. I gather Gabby played well there but so did the whole team from what I heard. I couldn't tell you if there was any particular link up play between him and Benteke. I haven't seen any evidence of it in our other PL games. I know you think the sun shines out of Gabby's backside but he's got to do a lot more on a far more consistent basis to convince me he's going to be a first choice in the long run.
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Hmm, well I think he's a good player if that's what you mean. Agree about the consistency. I mean, if you take the first three months of last season, it's obvious he's capable of being a much better all-round player than Bent, but hasn't done it enough.
Have you not seen the Man City goals though? For Gabby's first, him and Benteke played a nice, neat one-two before Gabby's burst through to finish, and for our third, Gabby ran on to a Benteke flick-on, had a shot parried and CNZ tapped in the rebound. Gabby also put a good ball in for Benteke's first miss at Spurs, as well as putting a couple of great crosses in against WBA, which Benteke just failed to get on the end of.
In many ways, it's similar to the start of last season when, before his injury, Gabby kept up with Bent's scoring rate while setting his partner up with a few tap-ins as well. That's the potential, but again, consistency is the key.
What I find encouraging about the gabby/benteke partnership is the fact that it's a two-way thing, whereas at the start of last season, while Gabby worked hard to set Bent up, it was never reciprocated.
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Just seen all that stuff about the criticism of Gabby being associated with his race. I don't doubt there are a few ignorant souls that would denigrate any black player but ye Gods that really is scraping the barrel to defend him. In interview terms he's no more brainless than countless other English footballers, but if the cap fits, why should one have to tread on eggshells because he happens to be black? I fail to see how the using the word "brainless" means you are getting at him because of his race. Or even his accent. This is just a wild stab in the dark but is it really beyond the realms of probability that most people who call him brainless do so because they find him a bit brainless? In much the same way that I've often seen Hutton or Warnock described as brainless. But perhaps it's because one is Scottish and the other is - oh er hang on I'm struggling now. Perhaps he's just brainless.
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If the midfield chipped in with a few it would take the pressure off somewhat. N'Zog, Ireland, Bannan, Holman etc. should all be capable of scoring a few.
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He is brainless. :-)
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Hmm, well I think he's a good player if that's what you mean. Agree about the consistency. I mean, if you take the first three months of last season, it's obvious he's capable of being a much better all-round player than Bent, but hasn't done it enough.
Have you not seen the Man City goals though? For Gabby's first, him and Benteke played a nice, neat one-two before Gabby's burst through to finish, and for our third, Gabby ran on to a Benteke flick-on, had a shot parried and CNZ tapped in the rebound. Gabby also put a good ball in for Benteke's first miss at Spurs, as well as putting a couple of great crosses in against WBA, which Benteke just failed to get on the end of.
In many ways, it's similar to the start of last season when, before his injury, Gabby kept up with Bent's scoring rate while setting his partner up with a few tap-ins as well. That's the potential, but again, consistency is the key.
What I find encouraging about the gabby/benteke partnership is the fact that it's a two-way thing, whereas at the start of last season, while Gabby worked hard to set Bent up, it was never reciprocated.
Fair enough, there may be a bit more evidence than I thought. But as we have agreed, it needs to be sustained. Gabby has a habit of having a blinding spell of 5 or 6 matches and then disappearing off the radar for the next 15-20. You can't do that at premier league level.
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I agree, Pedro. We need at least 15 goals from midfield this season, with one of them, probably Ireland getting close to double figures. Won't happen though.
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Just seen all that stuff about the criticism of Gabby being associated with his race. I don't doubt there are a few ignorant souls that would denigrate any black player but ye Gods that really is scraping the barrel to defend him. In interview terms he's no more brainless than countless other English footballers, but if the cap fits, why should one have to tread on eggshells because he happens to be black? I fail to see how the using the word "brainless" means you are getting at him because of his race. Or even his accent. This is just a wild stab in the dark but is it really beyond the realms of probability that most people who call him brainless do so because they find him a bit brainless? In much the same way that I've often seen Hutton or Warnock described as brainless. But perhaps it's because one is Scottish and the other is - oh er hang on I'm struggling now. Perhaps he's just brainless.
He isn't, at least not in a footballing sense and none of us know him well enough to comment on anything else.
I've seen Gabby develop massively as a player since he first broke through. Initially he was all about pace and instinct and could only really play one way which was very direct. He's now got much more to his game and can play in a variety of positions and styles and we once again seem to have a manager who understands and appreciates his ability and we're starting to see the benefits.
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I think there's more chance of goals from midfield when you play strikers who are decent at keeping possession further up the pitch. One of the things I noticed about Bent which began to put me off him a bit (after being as big a fan as anyone in that first half-season) was how the midfield didn't trust him enough to make a forward run after they'd played the ball up to him, because they didn't think he'd keep it. Granted, it could just as well have been because TSM had infected them with his negativity.
Again, ktvillan is right about Gabby's need to produce. I've always talked him up, but often over the last couple of years, when I think he's cracked it he's let me down. Maybe healthy competition is the key to that, maybe it's having a good, Carew-like partner. Gabby was much more consistent and effective with him.
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I've seen Gabby develop massively as a player since he first broke through. Initially he was all about pace and instinct and could only really play one way which was very direct. He's now got much more to his game and can play in a variety of positions and styles and we once again seem to have a manager who understands and appreciates his ability and we're starting to see the benefits.
Completely agree. Gabby has really developed his game. He's now so confident on the ball, he knows how to stretch defences and his delivery into the box is probably the best we have right now at Villa Park. Playing as an attacking wide midfielder demands huge effort both in getting forward and giving some protection to the full back. The fact he also manages to get himself into scoring positions demonstrates how much he's improved. Long may it continue.
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I agree with both Chris and Rudy. If we're all right it also backs up the most controversial and ridiculed thing I've always said about him - that he is a clever footballer.
One thing I wish he'd rediscover from his early days is his finishing in one-on-ones. He was very good at that when he first got in the team but seems to have lost that ability quite a bit.
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Watching the highlights against Swindon, and live over the past 3 weeks i think Gabby is now being started on the left and given the instructions to cut inside as much as possible. It opens plenty of avenues for other players to run into and means the opposition defence get narrower leaving space on the right-hand side for a cross. It happened time and time again v Sunderland and is how we scored. Gabby actually first picked the ball up on the left, was then on the right, and then drifted in. he was almost impossible to mark.
Against Fulham gabby made one of those runs that us fans love, down the left, and by the time he crossed it in no-one was there. Only Bent was trying to get in but no-one has the pace to keep up with him. So, as exciting as it was to see hi running playing him on the left gives us more options. sadly, I don't then think there's run for him to that job and have Bent and Benteke in the team. Not that there is no way back for Bent but we need more solidity behind the front 2, 0r 3, before we think of putting bent, Benteke, and Gabby into the team. Especially for the next 3 games.
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Just seen all that stuff about the criticism of Gabby being associated with his race. I don't doubt there are a few ignorant souls that would denigrate any black player but ye Gods that really is scraping the barrel to defend him. In interview terms he's no more brainless than countless other English footballers, but if the cap fits, why should one have to tread on eggshells because he happens to be black? I fail to see how the using the word "brainless" means you are getting at him because of his race. Or even his accent. This is just a wild stab in the dark but is it really beyond the realms of probability that most people who call him brainless do so because they find him a bit brainless? In much the same way that I've often seen Hutton or Warnock described as brainless. But perhaps it's because one is Scottish and the other is - oh er hang on I'm struggling now. Perhaps he's just brainless.
He isn't, at least not in a footballing sense and none of us know him well enough to comment on anything else.
I've seen Gabby develop massively as a player since he first broke through. Initially he was all about pace and instinct and could only really play one way which was very direct. He's now got much more to his game and can play in a variety of positions and styles and we once again seem to have a manager who understands and appreciates his ability and we're starting to see the benefits.
Chris I didn't say he is or isn't brainless, but anyway it's a matter of opinion. The point of the post was that people should be free to express such opinions without suspicions of racism being brought into it, where there is no evidence at all that any was intended or exists. I do think people have over-sensitive PC antennae sometimes.
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For me when he plays wide left he needs to get in at the back post more like Downing and Albrighton did well in Houllier's season. I think he has to start in that role and Benteke up top, unless N'Zog suddenly finds his form as Gabby is our best wide player currently and we'd be too narrow if he was up top.
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He was essential for a counter attacking team, so was perfect in the O'Neill days. Even if he was going on one of his long streaks without scoring, the best teams would still know that we were a slog upfield from Gabby being through on the keeper because of his pace, giving us a territorial advantage.
Even at our very worst, I've seen a hundred defenders over the years choose to put the ball out by their corner flag when we're under pressure just because Gabby is within ten yards of them.
He won't work well in a team that has aspirations towards a high, pressing game. But I don't really see that as a bad thing. Until the day that we become that, I have no problem him being in the team.
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Saw a stat today that in the last six seasons only Gerrard has scored more goals Vs Man Utd. He might not get the volume of goals Bent gets but he tends to score important ones.
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More than any player I think I can ever recall, I always want Gabby to do well.
When we win it doesn't feel 100% like a proper win to me if he didn't play well.
On the other hand when we win and he plays well and scores for us, it seems like 4 points not 3!
Maybe it is because of where he is from, he's truly one of us, and some of the incredible goals he has scored for us over the years.
I'm just delighted to see him coming in to better form and long may it continue.
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For a striker he seems to play remarkably few games up front which will skew any scoring stats. He also rarely takes penalties so that will not help.
Personally I think he should concentrate on becoming a Podolski type player i.e. an attacking wide player in a 4231 or 433. I hope he accepts that role as I sometimes suspect he wants to be the the main man and quite frankly I'm not convinced any manager would build a team around him in the Bent/Benteke position.
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Obviously, given my login name, I'm a massive fan so bias alert - but I really think he can prosper in that left forward role in the new 4-3-3 that Lambert seems to have stumbled/decided upon. In fact, I'm expecting him to get 15+ goals by the end of the season. With Bentekkers causing havoc as the target man, and Weimann running his socks off & finally breaking the goalscoring duck, defences won't be able to shackle him as efficiently as before.
In theory anyway...
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I'd be astonished if gabby got 15 goals this season.
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15 goals is a touch ambitious as he'll play wide a lot, we are (like it or not) a struggling team at present, and he missed a lot of pre-season and the first few games. 11 to go.
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Love Gabby but 15 goals ? would be happy with ten. Though i do think his assist count will be very high. He is becoming effective coming in from the left and wish he would work on a couple of tricks to be less predictable ........
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I'm not that fussed about his predictability. Antonio Valencia doesn't really know how to do anything apart from boot the ball past the fullback, chase after it and cross it. But when it works nearly every time then you might as well carry on.
If he's going to carry on in his current position, I think he needs to work on his aerial crossing. Seems a bit of a waste to have an enormous bloke in the middle if our wide players are always going to play a hard, low cross.
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Just to clarify: 15+ goals including cup competitions. I'll stick by that.
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There's an article in the Times which contrasts starkly with Benteke's reported comments.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/premierleague/article3601615.ece
" Gabriel Agbonlahor says that he would never follow in the footsteps of Gareth Barry and James Milner and trade his lifelong allegiance to Aston Villa for Manchester City’s millions.
The in-form Villa striker does not claim to be playing for nothing, nor that he will become Roberto Mancini’s primary transfer target by January. But as he prepares to return to the ground where he stunned the Barclays Premier League champions by scoring twice in a 4-2 Capital One Cup victory in September, Agbonlahor continues to place love over gold.
He does not begrudge Barry, his mentor from his early days at Villa Park, or Milner the salaries or the silverware they opted to chase by leaving Villa for City but, even as he starts to rediscover the form that made him one of Villa’s headline acts during Martin O’Neill’s reign, he says that such a move would not be for him.
There is something almost Corinthian about Agbonlahor’s attitude. Some would say that his career has stalled over the past couple of years as Villa have struggled to maintain the heights they reached when Barry, Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were playing to a level that earned them eight-figure moves to bigger clubs in the North West, but his sights are set differently. "
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There's an article in the Times which contrasts starkly with Benteke's reported comments.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/premierleague/article3601615.ece (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/premierleague/article3601615.ece)
" ... but his sights are set differently. "
What, lower?
And "in-form"?
I'm a bit of a Gabby fan and think that his attributes fit perfectly into a PL team: hard-working, quick and able to score when presented. His cross for Weimann on Saturday was great and I hope his revival continues. But his role has changed to one of decoy and grafter, with others scoring the goals in the main ... and that's fine as long as others continue to find the back of the net.
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Here's the full article. It may be subscription only.
Gabriel Agbonlahor says that he would never follow in the footsteps of Gareth Barry and James Milner and trade his lifelong allegiance to Aston Villa for Manchester City’s millions.
The in-form Villa striker does not claim to be playing for nothing, nor that he will become Roberto Mancini’s primary transfer target by January. But as he prepares to return to the ground where he stunned the Barclays Premier League champions by scoring twice in a 4-2 Capital One Cup victory in September, Agbonlahor continues to place love over gold.
He does not begrudge Barry, his mentor from his early days at Villa Park, or Milner the salaries or the silverware they opted to chase by leaving Villa for City but, even as he starts to rediscover the form that made him one of Villa’s headline acts during Martin O’Neill’s reign, he says that such a move would not be for him.
There is something almost Corinthian about Agbonlahor’s attitude. Some would say that his career has stalled over the past couple of years as Villa have struggled to maintain the heights they reached when Barry, Milner, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were playing to a level that earned them eight-figure moves to bigger clubs in the North West, but his sights are set differently.
Certainly he would love another England call-up. Going one step farther and winning the Capital One Cup is still a possibility, with Norwich City waiting in the quarter-finals on December 11, and he is among Villa’s highest earners. But in a team with an average age under 24, he likes the idea of helping to bring through the next generation of Villa stars as the club attempt to progress by growing their own.
His home is in Birmingham, so are his family. He is satisfied, but not without appetite. Those who accuse the 26-year-old of lacking hunger need only to have watched his performance against Manchester United on Saturday, when he contributed gamely as Villa raced into a two-goal lead only to lose in time-honoured gallant fashion; or away to Manchester City in September, when he scorched back into the reckoning with his latest new manager at Villa.
Paul Lambert reminds him of O’Neill, and the Scot may be starting to get similar returns from the striker. “There’s a lot of similarities and that’s not surprising because he used to play under Martin [at Celtic], so he’s going to have learnt a lot from him,” Agbonlahor said this week at an event to support Show Racism the Red Card. “The gaffer wants players who are going to run around for him, players that are going to fight for each other.”
The furore over Darren Bent’s exclusion before he suffered a recurrence of ankle trouble, as Agbonlahor returned from injury to play off Christian Benteke, Lambert’s £7 million target man, suggested a sense of returning crisis at a club who, after two seasons hurtling downwards from the top six, are only one place above the relegation zone.
“If people look at the league table, they could be forgiven for doubting us,” Agbonlahor said. “But if you look at the ins and outs, everyone here at the club knew it was going to be a period of gradual progression, that it was going to take time with a young squad like this, with new players looking to gel together.
“I think we’re doing that. Look at the Man U game: I know they had their chances, but if you look at the whole game, we gave them a good go, we didn’t roll over. It’s good for me at this age to be helping those younger players that are coming through, to try to help them in the way that people like Gareth Barry helped me when I was coming through early in my career.”
Agbonlahor keeps in text touch with his former captain, who became a mainstay of the England midfield with his form at Villa Park before a £12 million switch to the Etihad Stadium in 2009. Twelve months later, for double the fee, Milner followed suit and Villa’s slide was triggered as O’Neill left five days before the season in the light of the club’s imminent downscaling.
As Villa floundered under Gérard Houllier and Alex McLeish, Milner and Barry won the FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League title, as injury and personnel changes afflicted Agbonlahor. But when he is performing as he is, facing goal so that he maximises his pace, Agbonlahor can expect to be playing regularly, whereas Milner looks disaffected with rotation under Mancini. Agbonlahor might be earning half as much as Milner, but he is playing twice as much.
“Some people might want to go to a club where you’re not playing as much, but especially for someone like James, who wants to play every minute of every match, it must be disappointing for him not to be getting the right amount of time, so you look at that,” Agbonlahor said.
“But, on the other hand, he’s involved in the Champions League, involved with the champions of England, so it’s a hard one to call.
“For me, what he did for Villa was really good and all the players that have moved on, what they did for this club was immense. But it’s different for me. My family’s here, my friends are here and while you can’t read the future, if you say you want to be a one-club man, as long as Villa want me, I’ll stay.”
Villa play away to City again tomorrow hopeful of repeating their cup performance. “I don’t think you can say [City treat the Capital One Cup differently],” Agbonlahor says. “I don’t think they will have wanted to lose that game and they put out a strong enough team [including Barry, Milner, Carlos Tévez and Mario Balotelli] that they thought could beat us. We fought hard for each other in that game, everyone wanted the ball and that showed in the game and in the result.
“For me, coming back from [a knee] injury, I’d had to wait a few games to get back into the team, but I got my chance that night and wanted to make an impression. For the team, we had a lot of possession, played a formation [that gave us a solid base] and Andi Weimann also came into the side and did well, and has played ever since.
“Much as the squad is thin, if you look at the bench there’s still a lot of competition for places and that’s had an effect on the team with the feel-good performances in recent weeks.”
Not even a striker such as Bent, signed for a fee that could rise to £24 million, is guaranteed a place at Villa. “That just goes to show that it doesn’t matter who you are, the gaffer’s going to pick a team that he thinks is going to win a particular game. It doesn’t matter whether you’re earning this much, or you cost that much, it’s going to be about who the gaffer thinks is going to win the game.” Do the business, though, and you tend to stay in.
Making his name . . .
March 2006 Academy product scores on his Aston Villa debut, aged 19, in a 4-1 defeat away to Everton at the end of David O’Leary’s reign.
April 2008 Having scored the Second City derby winner at St Andrew’s earlier in the season, strikes final goal in a 5-1 victory over Birmingham City to ensure rivals’ relegation.
August 2008 Scores a perfect hat-trick against Manchester City (goals with head and right and left feet) inside seven minutes, the second-fastest treble in the Premier League.
November 2008 Nigerian father, Scottish mother, born in Birmingham, Agbonlahor makes England debut in 2-1 win away to Germany, the first of three caps after playing 16 times for under-21s.
December 2009 Strikes the only goal of the game away to Manchester United in Villa’s sole Premier League win at Old Trafford. Is top scorer with 16 goals in all competitions in Martin O’Neill’s last season at club, Villa reaching Wembley twice and finishing sixth for third successive season.
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Nice interview from Gabby. Good to see one of our strikers hasn't completely lost the plot.
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It's a nice interview from Gabby, and it's good to see his form has picked up a bit. He needs some goals now, ideally a hattrick tomorrow.
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Nice sentiments from Gabby but it's a bit of a moot point to say he wouldn't follow in the footsteps of Milner and Barry. He's not good enough for the kind of clubs that would pay that kind of money, and unless he's a late developer, he's not likely to end up anywhere better than Villa.
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Nice sentiments from Gabby but it's a bit of a moot point to say he wouldn't follow in the footsteps of Milner and Barry. He's not good enough for the kind of clubs that would pay that kind of money, and unless he's a late developer, he's not likely to end up anywhere better than Villa.
True, I suspect, and I reckon additionally he doesn't particularly endear himself to people around the game nor go chasing attention from others.
I think - as I said above - that at the moment his role as decoy and grafter is probably what the team needs; as long as others are banging in the goals.
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15 goals is a touch ambitious as he'll play wide a lot, we are (like it or not) a struggling team at present, and he missed a lot of pre-season and the first few games. 11 to go.
Without doing the maths surely 15 would be about bang on track given that he has 4 already and we are less than a third of the way through the campaign? Even more so that we struggled for the first quarter of the season, given the last few performances I dont see us struggling so badly for the rest of the campaign.
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Nice interview from Gabby. Good to see one of our strikers hasn't completely lost the plot.
Indeed. What a level headed, intelligent lad he is.
As for goals this season, I don't think 15 should be out of the question. I'd say it's a realistic target to expect, he just needs to make sure he gets himself in the box and not left in no man's land out wide when the ball comes over from the right. Can he do it? You bet he can.
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Nice interview from Gabby. Good to see one of our strikers hasn't completely lost the plot.
Indeed. What a level headed, intelligent lad he is.
I hope that the second adjective there is used ironically: it's his lack of intelligence that lets his play down. That doesn't ignore his continuing usefulness to us but he's hardly the sharpest tool in the toolbox.
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He's still with us because nobody actually rates or wants him.
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He's still with us because nobody actually rates or wants him.
That's the spirit.
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Or because Paul Lambert does.
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I'll admit there's always been a suspicion at the back of my mind that he might not have been quite good enough, but sod it, I like the lad and it warms the cockles to see a guy like Gabs playing for the team he loves. Some things you can't buy.
And now we've 'downsized', he's well worth his place in the team anyway, so it's a moot point.
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Anyone else think like me that Gabby's awful (non) goalscoring run disguises the fact that he's a vital player for us. His harrying of opposition, pace and strength and running the line occupies defenders, means the opposition have to play deeper and consequently are less of a threat?
Perhaps we are missing him a lot more than we're letting on?
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Sides will defend a couple of yards deeper when he plays. Those that don't are Bolton.
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Much prefer Weimann alongside benteke than gabby.
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Still the point being is that Gabby makes us competitive I know his lack of goals is crazy but as a team player he stretches teams and gives us width
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He would be a very welcome addition to the team, no doubt about it.
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He will come back and save us.
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I'd have Bent in once he's fit before Gabby personally but yeah we need him back fit and available.
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He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but he has quite a record of doing some pretty vital stuff for us.
As an aside, how long are him, Vlaar, Baker etc gonna be out? These injuries certainly seem to be dragging on a bit.
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He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but he has quite a record of doing some pretty vital stuff for us.
especially against Blues, which could come in handy next season :)
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He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but he has quite a record of doing some pretty vital stuff for us.
That's true to be fair. The goal he scored down at West Ham a couple of season's ago was vital. It's a shame he dose'nt do it enough latley.
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I'd have Bent in once he's fit before Gabby personally but yeah we need him back fit and available.
I'd have benteke, bent and weimann ahead of gabby, one league goal in 33 games for a striker is nowhere near good enough.
Lost his way since o Neill departed and a shadow of the player he was 3 years ago.
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Anyone else think like me that Gabby's awful (non) goalscoring run disguises the fact that he's a vital player for us. His harrying of opposition, pace and strength and running the line occupies defenders, means the opposition have to play deeper and consequently are less of a threat?
Perhaps we are missing him a lot more than we're letting on?
I thought that yesterday. No pace in the side and running at defenders.....
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He scores important goals. If we end up needing one at the end of the season, he will be the one to get it.
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He scores important goals. If we end up needing one at the end of the season, he will be the one to get it.
We have needed some of thos important goals in the last season and a half.
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We missed him yesterday.
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Not good enough. Hasn't got a footballing brain. I'd drive him up to Sunderland meself. I don't see a space for him in the new Villa. etc.
He's been the best player at the Club since Ashley left and our most important since Milner.
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you never realise how good a player is for us until they are not there. and we are missing gabby so much his pace and power and drive is being missed so much at the moment hurry up back
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you never realise how good a player is for us until they are not there
How true
(gazes longingly at his poster of James Milner)
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Not good enough. Hasn't got a footballing brain. I'd drive him up to Sunderland meself. I don't see a space for him in the new Villa. etc.
He's been the best player at the Club since Ashley left and our most important since Milner.
That's kind of how I see it too (the second bit I mean). He is a player who cares about the club and has proved he can do the business in the premier league. Is the only senior player that seems to lift the team aside form Vlaar who I haven't seen enough of yet. Both need to return quickly.
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I'm bumping this as I noticed an amazing stat on Match of the day the night we drew with Swansea.
Unless I'm mistaken, this is the best thread to put this.
Gabby has played against 34 different Premier league teams in his career. How many of them do you think he has scored against?
For the record, the one against Swansea was his first against them.
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All of them.
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I'm bumping this as I noticed an amazing stat on Match of the day the night we drew with Swansea.
Unless I'm mistaken, this is the best thread to put this.
Gabby has played against 34 different Premier league teams in his career. How many of them do you think he has scored against?
For the record, the one against Swansea was his first against them.
I'd say 30-31. He's netted against all the big clubs IIRC.
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33. The only one he hasn't is Palace.
That's pretty awesome I think
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33. The only one he hasn't is Palace.
That's pretty awesome I think
That is really good. And if it comes down to it and we're in need of a goal to stay up, he'd be the one I'd bet on to pull something out the bag.
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I wonder how many other Premier League strikers boast that sort of record?
He's only played Palace once aswell. Not looked it up, but Cardiff will make it 35 teams I reckon, as he missed the Home game didn't he? Goals in both away fixtures this season will complete the set.
All that for someone who 'doesn't have a football brain' eh!
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I wonder how many other Premier League strikers boast that sort of record?
He's only played Palace once aswell. Not looked it up, but Cardiff will make it 35 teams I reckon, as he missed the Home game didn't he? Goals in both away fixtures this season will complete the set.
All that for someone who 'doesn't have a football brain' eh!
Norwich last season was the game that really cemented our survival too and Gabby won it all but single handed, because we'd made pretty hard graft of it. When we really need him, he pops up. Class act.
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Norwich last season was the game that really cemented our survival too and Gabby won it all but single handed, because we'd made pretty hard graft of it. When we really need him, he pops up. Class act.
Also: QPR at home - lose that and we could have easily gone down. We're getting battered all over the shop in the first half and he pops up with an equaliser at the end of the first half that changes the game.
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He must be as good as anyone for putting away one v one chances.
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In the absence of a poor midfield and no number 10, Gabby seems to be the only option we have of opening up the opposition, and he does it regularly!
My Blades mate was very relieved that Gabby wasn't playing for us on Sat as he thought their slow, "flat-footed" back 4 would have no way of stopping him, but would be fine with long, high balls as both their CBs are 17ft tall and deal with that shite every game. He was glad we were able to oblige.
Gabby's won a fair few games for us over the years and continues to do so - eg Sunderland last Wed.
He can be frustrating at times but I bet he is still the "threat" that most oppo managers/teams fear when they play us.
UTV!
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Sorry - we have a very attendant "poor midfield"!
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In the absence of a poor midfield and no number 10, Gabby seems to be the only option we have of opening up the opposition, and he does it regularly!
My Blades mate was very relieved that Gabby wasn't playing for us on Sat as he thought their slow, "flat-footed" back 4 would have no way of stopping him, but would be fine with long, high balls as both their CBs are 17ft tall and deal with that shite every game.
I said that in the pre-match thread. Lower League teams hate playing against players with pace. It's scary how fans can see it but a manager can't.
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I was there for his debut at Goodison (if memory serves a humiliating 4-1 defeat), and since then there have been many false dawns with Gabby. He can be infuriating at times but I must admit I do like him and just wish he believed in himself a bit more because as previously stated he has the ability to frighten the life out of most defenders in the league.
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I was there for his debut at Goodison (if memory serves a humiliating 4-1 defeat), and since then there have been many false dawns with Gabby. He can be infuriating at times but I must admit I do like him and just wish he believed in himself a bit more because as previously stated he has the ability to frighten the life out of most defenders in the league.
Yes. You were scared by a leaf that day. All man.
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Gabby is king.
If the shit comes down, he'll save us in the end.
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He's certainly taken up a lot of deeper positions this year compared to previous seasons. Dunno if it's tactics or just because everyone else in the final third has been shite.
Improved a lot on the ball but a number 10 he ain't.
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you never realise how good a player is for us until they are not there
How true
(gazes longingly at his poster of James Milner)
Jane????
How the hell are you on this username???!
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Gabby is king.
If the shit comes down, he'll save us in the end.
When the shit goes down....
gabby be ready!
When the shit goes down...
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I was there for his debut at Goodison (if memory serves a humiliating 4-1 defeat), and since then there have been many false dawns with Gabby. He can be infuriating at times but I must admit I do like him and just wish he believed in himself a bit more because as previously stated he has the ability to frighten the life out of most defenders in the league.
Yes. You were scared by a leaf that day. All man.
I thought that was post-Norwich?
Anyway I defy any man not to be gripped with fear when confronted by a floating leaf.
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Away from home, with our style of play, he should be the first name on the teamsheet.
However, at home -If we had the squad depth to do it- I'd like to use him as a tactical substitution more.
Gone are the days when the substitute is your 12 best man: unable to get into the first team on merit and occupying the bench accordingly.
Look at the impact he had when he came on against Olbiyun. Games are often decided in the last third of the match, get past the 60 or 70th minute mark and his main assets can really hurt the opposition and exploit the space when they tire.
Two cuter forwards/attacking midfielders who can use the ball better than Gabby and Weimann might give us more composure in the early stages of a match, and might go some way to addressing our issues when it comes down to breaking sides down at VP: where more patience is required.
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Away from home, with our style of play, he should be the first name on the teamsheet.
However, at home -If we had the squad depth to do it- I'd like to use him as a tactical substitution more.
Gone are the days when the substitute is your 12 best man: unable to get into the first team on merit and occupying the bench accordingly.
Look at the impact he had when he came on against Olbiyun. Games are often decided in the last third of the match, get past the 60 or 70th minute mark and his main assets can really hurt the opposition and exploit the space when they tire.
Two cuter forwards/attacking midfielders who can use the ball better than Gabby and Weimann might give us more composure in the early stages of a match, and might go some way to addressing our issues when it comes down to breaking sides down at VP: where more patience is required.
Couldn't agree more. Hopefully his love for Villa would mean he wouldn't be an arsehole over being a super sub also.
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Away from home, with our style of play, he should be the first name on the teamsheet.
However, at home -If we had the squad depth to do it- I'd like to use him as a tactical substitution more.
Gone are the days when the substitute is your 12 best man: unable to get into the first team on merit and occupying the bench accordingly.
Look at the impact he had when he came on against Olbiyun. Games are often decided in the last third of the match, get past the 60 or 70th minute mark and his main assets can really hurt the opposition and exploit the space when they tire.
Two cuter forwards/attacking midfielders who can use the ball better than Gabby and Weimann might give us more composure in the early stages of a match, and might go some way to addressing our issues when it comes down to breaking sides down at VP: where more patience is required.
Couldn't agree more. Hopefully his love for Villa would mean he wouldn't be an arsehole over being a super sub also.
he won't be....
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Norwich last season was the game that really cemented our survival too and Gabby won it all but single handed, because we'd made pretty hard graft of it. When we really need him, he pops up. Class act.
Also: QPR at home - lose that and we could have easily gone down. We're getting battered all over the shop in the first half and he pops up with an equaliser at the end of the first half that changes the game.
If he hadn't scored that goal when he did, I think we would have been relegated. And possibly by quite a few points.
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He must be as good as anyone for putting away one v one chances.
Previously that was my biggest criticism of him. He often burst through but seemed to fluff his one on ones. But something's changed there.
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as a 17 year old, all through my childhood through to this day Gabby has been my favourite player, a hero in my eyes, if there is ever a player who turns up in the big games, it is him
'commeth the hour, commeth the man' has never been more fitting!
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'Cometh the contract, cometh the man' if memory serves...
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'Cometh the contract, cometh the man' if memory serves...
I think that is grossly unfair on Gabby.
I cannot think of a player who has scored more important goals than him, season in, season out (if not with the frequency we would like) over the past 20 years.
He is no flat track bully and will murder anybody in the league on his day.
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'Cometh the contract, cometh the man' if memory serves...
I think that is grossly unfair on Gabby.
I cannot think of a player who has scored more important goals than him, season in, season out (if not with the frequency we would like) over the past 20 years.
He is no flat track bully and will murder anybody in the league on his day.
It was a tongue in cheek comment based on that incredible upsurge in form he had when his contract was up a few years ago, if you read my previous post you'll see my thoughts on Gabby.
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Legend. Just wish we could win a trophy, it'll be criminal if he finished his career with us having won nothing.
(http://i1.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article144039.ece/BINARY/gabby-agbonlahor-56004090.jpg)
(http://brentstephensmith.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/agbonlahor3.jpg)
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Legend? Really?
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Legend? Really?
Yes really.
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He's reached double figures once in the last 4 years. See Vassell, Joachim etc.. I just don't rate the guy, he's an athlete not a footballer, still has no brain.
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He's reached double figures once in the last 4 years. See Vassell, Joachim etc.. I just don't rate the guy, he's an athlete not a footballer, still has no brain.
Wow. Can anyone else spot the common theme there apart from all three being Villa strikers?
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IMO he's OK, nothing more nothing less.
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Said it a few pages ago, but how many 'brainless' footballers have scored against 33 of the 34 teams he has played against in his career? That can't be luck. That can't be just a 'brainless non-footballer' fluking a career.
That is hard work and talent.
Legend? He'd need to win something.
Doesn't take away the fact he has been fantastic for us.
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Gabby's not a striker though is he. If he was then that statistic would hold some weight but it doesn't.
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He's reached double figures once in the last 4 years. See Vassell, Joachim etc.. I just don't rate the guy, he's an athlete not a footballer, still has no brain.
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The football brain line is always trotted out about Gabby but it isn't true. He has learned a lot and is now excellent at holding the ball up, knowing when to back in and bringing others into play. He has also improved greatly in a number ways over the years - his heading, his left foot (which isn't far off his right now, see a highlights reel of his goals), his passing.
The frustration is that he doesn't score enough goals because he is not only a very good finisher when in on goal but also has the pace to get himself into positions. Although I am sure he would be scoring a lot more these days if played as a central striker.
Either way, for where we are now he is crucial to us. And he was crucial to us when we were a side capable of challenging for the top four as well. I'd rather have him than not.
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In the seasons he has played as a central striker he's averaged about 12 a season and the last 3 1/2 seasons when he's largely played as a left sided forward, albeit he's still played a good number of games through the middle, he's averaged around 7 goals per season, Downing got 9 in that role for the season he played there and he was a converted wide midfielder/winger, not centre forward. Gabby has no striker's instinct to take up a position on the far post when he plays on the left of a 3, he should be busting a gut to get in on the far post but doesn't. He's ok for where we are now, but not for competing with the top 6/7 Prem teams imo. Bit of a wasted career that looked so promising. For perspective, Everton have 3 full backs fighting for 2 spots, one of them has scored twice as many as Gabby this season, one the same and one is only one goal behind him. When we were challenging the top 4 if we had Bent instead of Gabby we could have finished 4th not 6th imo. Carew as a target man outscored Gabby every season, it should have been the other way round.
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Legend? Really?
Yes really.
If Gabby is a legend then I obviously don't understand the true meaning of the word.
Yes I like him, yes he's been good for us and yes he's Villa through and through, but for me he certainly isn't a legend.
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#ledge
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Gabby is no legend, he has one good game in 8 matches. Thanks for the laugh!
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It all boils down to what constitutes a legend. Some class Carew, Laursen, Mellberg etc as legends and they didn't win anything with us. I love Gabby, but the term legend for players gets thrown around too easily these days.
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He has been responsible for some of our best moments over the past seven years (a fairly decent sample size).
Personally, I'd be of the opinion the rarified air of 'legend,' status can only be applied to a select few, the likes of McGrath, Sid, Shaw and -going further back- Waring, Houghton, Walker, Dixon, McParland, Hitchens and Aitkin.
But I loved players like Tony Daley and Dean Saunders too, so I get why some might even class them as leg ends. If you can do it for them, then it can apply to the likes of Laursen and Gabby.
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Gabby is a Villa legend and when he's gone you'll all be saying the same.
Side note: His celebration after scoring really pisses a lot of people (fans of other teams) off ;D.
Running off going 'shhhh' and cupping his ear ;D.
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Let's not forget he seems to absolutely love scoring against small heath which is rather nice!
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Although there are times when i forget he is playing (more to do with where he is asked to play i think) there is a noticable hole in our team when he is not involved
It is usually a run of his or a clattering challeneg after a run back that puts a bit of spark into the game and wakes the fans up
No one grafts in the team like him
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Would you be upset if Gabby was sold?
I personally would and that wouldn't apply to many of the squad. He is the scorer of some of my favourite goals of our most recent history. His goals in front of the Agbonlahor End at the Sty for instance, the winner at Old Trafford, his last minute donk at West Ham...
I love him. Although not necessarily in the way Smirker does.
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I wouldn't want Gabby sold. He's one of the few players that Villa means anything to. He has passion I don't see if many of our other players.
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He is the only player of ours other clubs hate. Probably because he's scored against them and given it the ear celebration.
Which is what I would do; score in front of their fans, cup the ear, score in front of ours, give it the Kozak.
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He's a legend as much as Lee Hendrie was a legend. I probably wouldn't even class Ian Taylor or Yorke as legends, Macca, Sid, Shaw, Little etc. definitely are though.
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He's a legend as much as Lee Hendrie was a legend. I probably wouldn't even class Ian Taylor or Yorke as legends, Macca, Sid, Shaw, Little etc. definitely are though.
Depends what your criteria is, Yorke was by far out best player of then 90's and therefore for me probably can be classed as a legend.
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You're right of course, the manner of his departure is all that prevents him from being a legend in my eyes., not his quality and impact on the club, which were both massive.
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To me I class Yorkie as a legend because I was there to see him in action. I couldn't comment on players like Withe, having not seen them play, but I respect how highly regard guys like him are, particularly with what was achieved at the club in his time.
For me Gabby falls into the Ian Taylor category. Good player, not great, but because he's Villa through and through and always showed 100% commitment he's something of a ledge. Gabby for me is the same. I will certainly remember him very fondly and miss him a lot in 10 years time. I think Gabby will save our bacon plenty more times in his Villa career, and I would love him to be lifting a trophy before he hangs up his boots. I'd like to think he'll be here when he's retiring.
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Gabby is a good player but also a frustrating player sometimes, he's a solid mid premiership table pro, but it would be unlikely he would ever be a first choice starter for a top of the table team. That's been our blessing and our frustration at the end of the day. His biggest assets are of course his speed and his power, and those alone add a special dimension to our team and means opposition teams' defences have to play deeper to counter his pace.
I think though his overall footballing brain and decisioning skills can be questioned sometimes, and whilst i think he looks practically sage like when compared to some of our 'youth' i think that's hindered him a little and possibly one of the reasons he hasn't had the consistency we all hoped he could have. No doubt he's shown us some fine moments of quality and skill, and scored some important goals in important games, but unfortunately those moments have been a little too sporadic and are why he's only a 1 in 4 striker. You can't question his ethic and work rate though and If he'd of found that consistency he would no doubt have gone on to have a good England career, and we would have probably have lost him, hence why his inconsistency has also been a blessing in some ways. He has been a good servant to the club though, nigh on 20 years now i think, and i can see him retiring here and being a one club player. In some ways then i think he'll be looked back on as a legend for his service and some of his attributes and important goals, but i wouldn't put him up there in the true legendary status quality wise.
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I don't think he is mid-table. Back when we were chasing the top 4, he scored a good number of goals.
He's better than Danny fecking Welbeck anyday of the week.
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I don't think he is mid-table. Back when we were chasing the top 4, he scored a good number of goals.
He's better than Danny fecking Welbeck anyday of the week.
Absolutely.
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I don't think he is mid-table. Back when we were chasing the top 4, he scored a good number of goals.
He's better than Danny fecking Welbeck anyday of the week.
Absolutely.
He averages about 1 in 4 through his career, with his highest goal tally being 16 in 46 in the 2009/10 season, that's not the stats of a top of the table striker, though admittedly he obviously has more to his game than goals. I don't think any of the top 6 would have him in their teams, so i would class him as a 'mid-table' striker. He's a good solid pro, and he's been a loyal servant to us, but he doesn't quite have the skill, footballing intelligence or consistency that could have take him to that next level. If you don't think he's 'mid-table' then what do you think he is and why haven't we been fighting off offers from the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal etc?
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I'd say Gabby was more of a cult hero than a legend, purely because he divides opinion amongst fans and pundits. For me, he's vital to us and he has been for a long time. We're a threat with him in the team and he's a local lad. Chuffed for him and I hope he stays at Villa for his whole career.
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I don't think he is mid-table. Back when we were chasing the top 4, he scored a good number of goals.
He's better than Danny fecking Welbeck anyday of the week.
Absolutely.
He averages about 1 in 4 through his career, with his highest goal tally being 16 in 46 in the 2009/10 season, that's not the stats of a top of the table striker, though admittedly he obviously has more to his game than goals. I don't think any of the top 6 would have him in their teams, so i would class him as a 'mid-table' striker. He's a good solid pro, and he's been a loyal servant to us, but he doesn't quite have the skill, footballing intelligence or consistency that could have take him to that next level. If you don't think he's 'mid-table' then what do you think he is and why haven't we been fighting off offers from the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal etc?
For me, the key to that is where he is played in the team. When he was the 1 in 4-5-1 under O'Neill, he was scoring more each season until he got injured. Had he continued to be played there,who knows, they might have come in for him.
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I thought under MON he would develop into a 20 goal a season striker, I thought in MON's system and the potential he still had (he was only 23 when MON left) it was a distinct possibility.
So the last few years had been a disappointment although he came on really strong from Feb onwards last season which was a reminder of better times.
Still he's a 1 in 3 man which isn't that bad coming from a wide position. Many many strikers playing in the prem and centrally don't even that as a ratio.
I wonder how close he'll come to break Charlie Aitken's appearance record as it's a possibility he could be a regular for the next 5-6 years as he's only 27. He'll certainly surpass Barry's appearance from the modern day players.
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I wouldn't think that Gabby will be a top 6 player again or get a move as such because for one, we're well away from getting there ourselves and he's coming up to his peak now, so I don't think he'll have the demand at this time if we even contemplated selling him. However for a time under us he was a top 6 player. There was the odd murmour that a couple of the bigger clubs wanted him. I recall rumours of Arsenal sniffing around and Chelsea at one point (those rumours normally came shortly after he'd done them over, the game he obliterated Gallas sprang to mind, I recall a murmur or two after that). Whether there was any genuine interest or not, I don't know, but certainly in his up and coming more raw days he was a player often identified, along with Young, as our most threatening. I think Gabby gets a lot of respect from opposition managers and defenders because he's a nightmare to play against.
I used to chat with a few fans of rival clubs including Chelski and Liverpool, probably 4-5 years back. When the discussion got to the subject of who they'd cherry pick from our side, the name that came up most, at least in my experiences, was Gabby.
In terms of Gabby's goal record, it is questionnable and he does hit form in fits and starts, but because he offers so much more than someone like Bent for example, I think he warrants it. He's very important to how we play. He has also spent large chunks of his career playing in the wide positions too. In the Houllier season he had a bad time, he never took to Gerard, and possibly vice versa, and in the McLeish season he started well, but faded after January along with everyone else.
What I do like about Gabby though is that when it's going really shit and times are tough, it does seem like he'll pull something out the bag, particularly in the last two seasons now hes gotten to the point of being a senior man and had the arm band a few times. He's taken to it quite well. His two goals in the last two games were brilliantly taken and extremely well timed. Very important because both games we could easily have lost given our form.
In terms of how you label him a player? As he's a one club man, I label him as where-ever we are. Right now he's a mid-table player. He's got the ability to be a top 6 player because he's been a top 6 player. Hell we flirted for 3 seasons in the top four, and but for O Neills lack of rotation and plan B, he might have been a top 4 player too.
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Ironic that it was Houllier who actually gave him the 5 year deal that may have affected his motivation a bit.
Given GH then started to leave him out after Bent was signed, looks like it was a club decision that Houllier just sanctioned.
Still expect a strong second half of the season as that contract now has 18 months to run....
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Any news on Gabby's injury? Hopefully with over a week off until the baggies game he's got time to recover.
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a good run-in and he can get to the world cup.
walcott is out. andy carroll is a crock. defoe is retiring to the mls.
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Legend? Really?
Yes really.
I'd have him as a legend too.
Then again, I'm 24, so after Gabby the only undoubted playing legend I've seen is McGrath.
After that it's Taylor, Yorke, Olof, Laursen... Gabby is more deserving than the latter three, IMO.
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He hasn't played as an out and out striker for a good few seasons, so I think it's unfair to look at his goal scoring record alone.
He's really grown into this wide forward position and I think he's one of the best in the premier league for the position he plays, but like I've always said with him he relies heavely on his pace. When that starts to go in his early 30s he wont be the same player.
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He must be as good as anyone for putting away one v one chances.
Yes, such as that chance in the first minute of the Liverpool game.
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Gabby is a top half player for me definitely. He's also got that bit of extra self belief and so he rises to the big occasions. I'd say in the last 7 years nobody has scored the amount of important goals for us as Gabby.
He's not the most gifted we've ever had but he has heart and a true love for the Villa and more often than not produces in big games.
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I thought under MON he would develop into a 20 goal a season striker, I thought in MON's system and the potential he still had (he was only 23 when MON left) it was a distinct possibility.
So the last few years had been a disappointment although he came on really strong from Feb onwards last season which was a reminder of better times.
Still he's a 1 in 3 man which isn't that bad coming from a wide position. Many many strikers playing in the prem and centrally don't even that as a ratio.
I wonder how close he'll come to break Charlie Aitken's appearance record as it's a possibility he could be a regular for the next 5-6 years as he's only 27. He'll certainly surpass Barry's appearance from the modern day players.
He's been nowhere near a one in 3 man since he's moved wider, try one in 5 and you're closer to the truth, which is poor really.
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How many assists did he get on Saturday?
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I do think we sometimes struggle to rate him objectively as he's a home town boy, one of us.
To consider him in terms of his goal output, though, strikes me as very unfair on him, as he has a lot more to offer us than that.
Rightly or wrongly, we seem to be a much better side with him in it rather than out of it.
Him, Guzan, Delph, Benteke and Vlaar are the spine of decent players we have in the squad. Our problem is that, outside those, there's not much else of note.
There no doubt Gabby is one of our best players, though, and it is a lot more than goal scoring he offers.
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I'd have in my England squad. His ability to run with the ball at pace is unique in the Premier League. I think he could do a useful job for England coming off the bench for the last 20-30 minutes of a game and force the opposition onto the back foot a bit.
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In a time when we haven't won anything for a while, he has been instrumental in all of our special moments in recent years. Winners at The Emirates, Old Trafford, The Etihad, hat trick against Citeh at home, winner against Chelsea and those last minute winners at The Sty. And whenever we have been in the shit and really needed somebody to step up, more often than not it has been him.
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Gabby is a top half player for me definitely. He's also got that bit of extra self belief and so he rises to the big occasions. I'd say in the last 7 years nobody has scored the amount of important goals for us as Gabby.
He's not the most gifted we've ever had but he has heart and a true love for the Villa and more often than not produces in big games.
I'll post it again.
Gabby has scored against 34 of the 35 teams he has faced in the premier League. Only Palace (1 game) and Cardiff (injured) has he not scored against.
Two great assists on Saturday, and we didn't look the same team when he went off
He is our most important player.
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He must be as good as anyone for putting away one v one chances.
Yes, such as that chance in the first minute of the Liverpool game.
Watch it again. Getting the ball on target was going to be hard with Mignolet coming out. Probably he could have tried to chip him but that is very hard to do at pace.
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I'd have in my England squad. His ability to run with the ball at pace is unique in the Premier League. I think he could do a useful job for England coming off the bench for the last 20-30 minutes of a game and force the opposition onto the back foot a bit.
I've thought the same for a while, I know Villa tinted sepcatacles and all that, but I can't think of another English player who can run at pace with the ball like he does. Maybe Walcott but Gabby has more physical strength than him. He'll not get picked though because his scoring stats aren't good enough.
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Good debate.
In my opinion a legend is a player who is remembered fondly well past his playing days. On that basis I think Gabby could well be remembered as such. Not our greatest player (by any stretch) but in a generation where footballers seem to measure their worth by how much they earn (Rooney looking to leave Man U when in touching distance of being Man U's all time top scorer being a good example) I think his 'legend' status might be earnt through his loyalty and selflessness for the Villa cause rather than just his ability.
The selflessness is demonsrated by the fact he's never really been our penalty taker. He must realise that this debate about his ability would be heard a lot less (more international recognition too) if he was getting an extra 5 goals a season, yet he appears happy to be the team man and let the 'main' striker take the glory.
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I'd have in my England squad. His ability to run with the ball at pace is unique in the Premier League. I think he could do a useful job for England coming off the bench for the last 20-30 minutes of a game and force the opposition onto the back foot a bit.
I've thought the same for a while, I know Villa tinted sepcatacles and all that, but I can't think of another English player who can run at pace with the ball like he does. Maybe Walcott but Gabby has more physical strength than him. He'll not get picked though because his scoring stats aren't good enough.
I think he'd be a good squad selection too. Not the best english goal poacher, winger, target man but he can do all the jobs adequately which would free up other places in the squad for more specialist positions.
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First name on the teamsheet away from home without question. He's essential to how we play.
But at VP he shouldn't be starting every game imo.
Good luck being a manager and telling him that though!
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His crossing ability from both sides is second to none. That goes back to the days when he played with Carew.
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Gabby is one of those players who (at least somewhat) manages to be a very good player due his determination and will to play despite his flaws, which makes him somewhat limited player. If Delfouneso would've had his determination, he'd be starter by now.
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Forwards should be rated on the importance of the goals scored, not the total. A goal on the end of a 4-0 is basically irrelevant. What Gabby does for us, more than any other Villa player I can remember, is time his goals for important games/moments. He seems to find an extra bit of drive when we genuinely need him to step up, and that is an invaluable characteristic to have.
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Forwards should be rated on the importance of the goals scored, not the total. A goal on the end of a 4-0 is basically irrelevant. What Gabby does for us, more than any other Villa player I can remember, is time his goals for important games/moments. He seems to find an extra bit of drive when we genuinely need him to step up, and that is an invaluable characteristic to have.
I tend to agree, his goals last season against Norwich for example were invaluable. Gabby can be frustating player to watch though, as he sometimes doesn't pick the right runs or make right decisions.
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It'll be after we can't pick him that we'll appreciate what he bought to the side.
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I thought under MON he would develop into a 20 goal a season striker, I thought in MON's system and the potential he still had (he was only 23 when MON left) it was a distinct possibility.
So the last few years had been a disappointment although he came on really strong from Feb onwards last season which was a reminder of better times.
Still he's a 1 in 3 man which isn't that bad coming from a wide position. Many many strikers playing in the prem and centrally don't even that as a ratio.
I wonder how close he'll come to break Charlie Aitken's appearance record as it's a possibility he could be a regular for the next 5-6 years as he's only 27. He'll certainly surpass Barry's appearance from the modern day players.
He's been nowhere near a one in 3 man since he's moved wider, try one in 5 and you're closer to the truth, which is poor really.
He was pretty much 1 in 3 last season under Lambert, 9 league goals in 28 games I think (and he didn't start all of those).
One way Gabby might become a legend is appearance record, he's not far off 300 games for us so interested where he stands in our all time list, I doubt he's going to chase down Aitken's record but decent chance he could be in the top 10 if he doesn't get any serious injuries.
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Our most important player without question for me.
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I have always loved seeing the way Gabby celebrates with the players and fans when goals are scored by him and others, also the joy he shows at full time when we have won, it is written across his face how much it means to him.
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Mortimer has 405 appearances in 10th according to the page on wikipedia. I think Gabby is over 300 in all competitions so around 100 to go, 2-3 seasons and he'll push into that. If he sticks to his 10-12 a season (including cups) scoring record for those 2-3 seasons he'd have over 100 goals for us as well which would have to put him near the top 10 in that chart as well I'd think and he'd still be in his 20s.
just had a check, looks like 305 appearances and 77 goals, so pretty much 1 in 4 as I thought.
It's pretty hard to argue that, if he manages to make the top 10 in both those lists, he doesn't deserve to be regarded as a club legend.
On more recent events, I work with a couple of Liverpool fans (there's fecking loads of them in Bergen) and everyone of them admitted that they thought they were fucked and gabby was the key reason for it. I don't think we always realise quite how dangerous other fans/teams consider him to be, particularly when he hits a run of form.
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I doubt there's a team that's been In the league for a while that gabby hasn't completely annihilated on a couple of occasions
He's not international class but when on form he's a very effective player
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He's never got more than about thirteen goals a season. But he's started getting a few assists
I think the wide of three or support striker suits him more and more
One of my favourite players
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Gabby is the ultimate fan/player he celebrates like a fan and loves his club. That little fake and skip around Toure was top notch. Think he is becoming a much better player all round ......
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To me a Villa legend is somebody over the course of a decent span of time brings back some of your best memories. Gabby does that time and again, and if anyone deserves the title of a current legend it is him. He is massively loyal, works incredibly hard and has scored numerous important and memorable goals.
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He's been one of my favorite players for the last 5 or 6 years. He loves playing for us and he works his socks off. He will play anywhere on the field if asked and you never hear him moan. Fantastic player and he is a very important player in the team and I will class him as a Villa Legend in my eyes.
His scoring record is great when you consider the roles he has had to play and also when you consider the very defensive system during TSM time.
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I like him but his shooting is poor. The amount of time he hits it straight at the keeper is not good enough. He has enough good chances, due in main to his good work to be a far more regular goalscorer. Most likely why successive managers have played him out wide rather than centrally.
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Yeah Gab is a instinctive player,the less time he has to think about a shot the better.
I love how throughout the years he has always troubled the bigger teams.
A legend for me,best summed up by those last few minutes at the Sty a few years back.
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I like him but his shooting is poor. The amount of time he hits it straight at the keeper is not good enough. He has enough good chances, due in main to his good work to be a far more regular goalscorer. Most likely why successive managers have played him out wide rather than centrally.
I think he has been played out wide because he is good at it, witness Albrighton's goal on Saturday. He used his pace to get ahead of the defender, then squared him up before beating him again and timing the cross perfectly.
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I like him but his shooting is poor. The amount of time he hits it straight at the keeper is not good enough. He has enough good chances, due in main to his good work to be a far more regular goalscorer. Most likely why successive managers have played him out wide rather than centrally.
To be fair, the credit should go to Albrighton for scoring when he wasn't even on the pitch.
I think he has been played out wide because he is good at it, witness Albrighton's goal on Saturday. He used his pace to get ahead of the defender, then squared him up before beating him again and timing the cross perfectly.
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I like him but his shooting is poor. The amount of time he hits it straight at the keeper is not good enough. He has enough good chances, due in main to his good work to be a far more regular goalscorer. Most likely why successive managers have played him out wide rather than centrally.
To be fair, the credit should go to Albrighton for scoring when he wasn't even on the pitch.
I think he has been played out wide because he is good at it, witness Albrighton's goal on Saturday. He used his pace to get ahead of the defender, then squared him up before beating him again and timing the cross perfectly.
Ah yes well, witness Wiemann's goal...
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Can someone please the post the clip of him going over the hordings at Liverpool? I'd like to pass it on to someone.
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Can someone please the post the clip of him going over the hordings at Liverpool? I'd like to pass it on to someone.
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Gabby was superb against Liverpool, hopefully the extra few days will allow him time to recover.
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Can someone please the post the clip of him going over the hordings at Liverpool? I'd like to pass it on to someone.
thanks.
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UPDATE !!!
Gabs wants to be a midfield dynamo!!
I'd love to play centre midfield one day. I have always liked the idea of that.
"Sometimes in training in the past I have dropped back in there. I really enjoy it in there.
"I'll be Gabby the playmaker! Maybe when I'm 36 I will move there.
"When I have been in there in training, I have enjoyed getting on the ball, influencing the game and I like tackling too in there.
"I have played so many positions for Villa over the years. You're always learning and developing your game by doing that.
"But centre midfield is always a position I have enjoyed when I've been there. Hopefully I will be in there one day for Villa."
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I think he d be awesome in a 3 with a 2 or as the centre one of the 3. I can never imagine him without pace though !!
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I recall David Ginola once claiming he'd like to play as a center-half in the twilight of his career. This was either when he was at Spurs or with us. Of course for many obvious reasons, it never happened.
I'm not sure Gabby has quite enough vision to play CM, but I think he's got enough about him to play off the striker reasonably well. It gets him facing defenders and running at them.
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WM saying Gabby not likely to play against The Baggies? Not good if true...
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I bet he felt really left out watching on last night, we know how much he loves the derbies. Was thinking about him on the way back, and how much the game would have suited him with how stretched the first half was.
I only realised last night that he's 27, still feels like he should be about 23 to me. I know it's years away yet but the day he retires, his last game at Villa Park, is going to be very, very emotional.
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Looks like he's gonna miss the Everton game as well.
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The Lord of Aston strikes again.
He's a modern day Villa legend for me. There's one to discuss...
The Villa on TV, in all white, Agbonlahor new deal & scores the only goal of the game.
Beautiful.
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Read a lot on here about his shit goal ratio. I'd be interested to know what it's like in games against top sides (say 'The Mighty Reds YNWA', Arse, both Mancs, Chelsea, Everton, Spurs), local derbies and bona fide relegation six-pointers.
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He has scored some big goals in some great wins over the years.
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Cometh the hour...
I wonder if his physique and the stress put on his muscles due to his pace and strength contributes to his injuries more than we acknowledge? very fast players usually have spells of being injured for lengthy periods of time which sees their returns dimish. it's to Gabby's credit that depsite this he is still important to us and still can contribute. Perhaps a lot of average performances are due in part to him not being fit due to prevailing injuries but because we need him he's played anyway. I suspect he's had a lot on injections to get him through ganmes and will have terrible problems when his career finishes. Maybe not as bad as Kevin Beattie but I wouldn't mind betting it wouldn't be far off.
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Cometh the hour...
I wonder if his physique and the stress put on his muscles due to his pace and strength contributes to his injuries more than we acknowledge? very fast players usually have spells of being injured for lengthy periods of time which sees their returns dimish. it's to Gabby's credit that depsite this he is still important to us and still can contribute. Perhaps a lot of average performances are due in part to him not being fit due to prevailing injuries but because we need him he's played anyway. I suspect he's had a lot on injections to get him through ganmes and will have terrible problems when his career finishes. Maybe not as bad as Kevin Beattie but I wouldn't mind betting it wouldn't be far off.
There may be some truth in that, we will probably never know. Hopefully we'll be approaching an era where he can be rested when needed (ditto Weimann) either through the emergence of Jack Grelish (resurrection of Nzog?) or the purchase of a genuine inside forward (surely the next position to fix).
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I liked the 3 mins of time wasting as he tried to attach the captains armband onto Delph.
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Ironic that the top of the thread has comments from the Liverpool away game from last season.
I've always liked Gabby but he has been testing my patience and the 4 years were generous. Still he's started this season well enough so hopefully we get good form until xmas at least.
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Gabby has played up top and has scored 2 in four and it really should be three in four. He has these spurts of goals, but I think it helps with him being the frontman. His best form for us I thought was when he played up front on his own.
Andi has done ok too. That was my biggest concern with Benteke and Kozak out,a s to whether those two would be able to step up and score the goals needed and they're doing ok so far.
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The good thing about the next four games still being against top opposition is that Gabby can score against anyone and has proven it over the years. He's netted against each of the four we're playing next at some stage. These are big games for us too so I'd fancy Gabby to net 1-2 in the next 4 matches.
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The days of one team players is virtually over, so gabby is worth a lot in my book for this. Most teams would snap your hand off to have him, but he is a Villa player through and through. Work rate is good, does what ever the manager asks and there must be some value of having such a settled player as an example to young players coming through. Can score scrabbly little goals (very important, see Saturday!)
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Gabby's on his way to being a Villa legend but I'd love him to have a winner's medal or two to underline his place in the club's history. The winning goal in this season's FA Cup Final would be beautiful.
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Genuine question. Have Villa ever received a firm offer from another club for Gabby? I believe Sunderland were sniffing around once upon a time but, no bid as I recall.
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The good thing about the next four games still being against top opposition is that Gabby can score against anyone and has proven it over the years. He's netted against each of the four we're playing next at some stage. These are big games for us too so I'd fancy Gabby to net 1-2 in the next 4 matches.
He does have a habit of scoring against the next four, yes, but as I pointed out (possibly a few pages back but was obviously months ago) he has only failed to score against about 3 of the thirty odd teams he's faced in the premier league.
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Must have been Gabby's easiest match for some time, he marked Gerrard out of the game by standing within 5 yards of him, didn't even need to make a tackle.
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I have been saying for a long time now that Gerrard is yesterdays man. He doesn't offer anything but long balls.
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Gabby's on his way to being a Villa legend but I'd love him to have a winner's medal or two to underline his place in the club's history. The winning goal in this season's FA Cup Final would be beautiful.
now that would be something :)
UTV
The Doc
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Read a lot on here about his shit goal ratio. I'd be interested to know what it's like in games against top sides (say 'The Mighty Reds YNWA', Arse, both Mancs, Chelsea, Everton, Spurs), local derbies and bona fide relegation six-pointers.
His goal just before half-time against QPR the season before last was the one goal that really kept us up that season. In my opinion.
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I have been saying for a long time now that Gerrard is yesterdays man. He doesn't offer anything but long balls.
I agree but we did make it a specific tactic to isolate him rather than pressuring the centre-backs so Gerrard must still offer something. ...Or that Liverpool need to find a Plan B.
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I have been saying for a long time now that Gerrard is yesterdays man. He doesn't offer anything but long balls.
there were 4 or 5 long passes I saw him make that we're top drawer. But yes I agree with your post
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Read a lot on here about his shit goal ratio. I'd be interested to know what it's like in games against top sides (say 'The Mighty Reds YNWA', Arse, both Mancs, Chelsea, Everton, Spurs), local derbies and bona fide relegation six-pointers.
His goal just before half-time against QPR the season before last was the one goal that really kept us up that season. In my opinion.
Yep. Gabby's goal completely turned the momentum of that game. We hadn't really been in the game up to that point, but that goal gave everyone a massive lift going into half-time. One of my favourite games at Villa Park over the past few seasons.
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Gabby's on his way to being a Villa legend but I'd love him to have a winner's medal or two to underline his place in the club's history. The winning goal in this season's FA Cup Final would be beautiful.
Especially when added to the league title
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Genuine question. Have Villa ever received a firm offer from another club for Gabby? I believe Sunderland were sniffing around once upon a time but, no bid as I recall.
There have been tenuous links. I recall rumours of Arsenal being interested, I think perhaps round the time he destroyed Gallas at The Emirates, and I think Mourinho apparently had a sniff around him. But you never know how true some of the paper talk is. The Sunderland thing was always bound to come up when O Neill went there. Ordinarily I'd have thought Gabby wouldn't have been an Arsenal sort of player as an example, but they have just gone and signed Welbeck, and they have a few similarities it must be said.
I don't think many links have come out, but I suppose in part, most clubs know he's a player we've never really wanted to sell, and who is unlikely to want to leave. He's certainly always a player identified by opposing managers and players as one of our biggest threats.
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Read a lot on here about his shit goal ratio. I'd be interested to know what it's like in games against top sides (say 'The Mighty Reds YNWA', Arse, both Mancs, Chelsea, Everton, Spurs), local derbies and bona fide relegation six-pointers.
His goal just before half-time against QPR the season before last was the one goal that really kept us up that season. In my opinion.
Yep. Gabby's goal completely turned the momentum of that game. We hadn't really been in the game up to that point, but that goal gave everyone a massive lift going into half-time. One of my favourite games at Villa Park over the past few seasons.
The two at Norwich were pretty important too. His winner at West Ham under Houllier meant we would have stayed up without getting another point, albeit we had a great run-in afterwards. Even under TSM, he was on fire until November. Without his goals and assists up to Bonfire Night, we'd have been stuffed that season.
Last season I don't recall any pivotal Gabby moments. Only goal at Sunderland maybe? Who else did he score against?
If we'd have won the League Cup in PL's first season his performance at Man City would have been the stuff of legend. Thanks to the Bradford debacle it meant nothing.
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His winner at West Ham under Houllier meant we would have stayed up without getting another point
That goal provoked the largest "exhalation of sheer fucking relief" I've had in years.
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Gabby's on his way to being a Villa legend but I'd love him to have a winner's medal or two to underline his place in the club's history. The winning goal in this season's FA Cup Final would be beautiful.
Especially when added to the league title
Bit greedy Moet!
tbh can't see us finishing higher than 2nd!
;-)
UTV!
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Genuine question. Have Villa ever received a firm offer from another club for Gabby? I believe Sunderland were sniffing around once upon a time but, no bid as I recall.
There have been tenuous links. I recall rumours of Arsenal being interested, I think perhaps round the time he destroyed Gallas at The Emirates, and I think Mourinho apparently had a sniff around him. But you never know how true some of the paper talk is. The Sunderland thing was always bound to come up when O Neill went there. Ordinarily I'd have thought Gabby wouldn't have been an Arsenal sort of player as an example, but they have just gone and signed Welbeck, and they have a few similarities it must be said.
I don't think many links have come out, but I suppose in part, most clubs know he's a player we've never really wanted to sell, and who is unlikely to want to leave. He's certainly always a player identified by opposing managers and players as one of our biggest threats.
I'd imagine that most rumours surface when a club want to start a bidding war or when the player is for sale. In Gabby's case there has been little reason to try and inflate his value so I'd imagine that the club would keep everything schtum. Equally any club enquiring are likely to have been told to politely bugger off.
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Read a lot on here about his shit goal ratio. I'd be interested to know what it's like in games against top sides (say 'The Mighty Reds YNWA', Arse, both Mancs, Chelsea, Everton, Spurs), local derbies and bona fide relegation six-pointers.
His goal just before half-time against QPR the season before last was the one goal that really kept us up that season. In my opinion.
Yep. Gabby's goal completely turned the momentum of that game. We hadn't really been in the game up to that point, but that goal gave everyone a massive lift going into half-time. One of my favourite games at Villa Park over the past few seasons.
The two at Norwich were pretty important too. His winner at West Ham under Houllier meant we would have stayed up without getting another point, albeit we had a great run-in afterwards. Even under TSM, he was on fire until November. Without his goals and assists up to Bonfire Night, we'd have been stuffed that season.
Last season I don't recall any pivotal Gabby moments. Only goal at Sunderland maybe? Who else did he score against?
If we'd have won the League Cup in PL's first season his performance at Man City would have been the stuff of legend. Thanks to the Bradford debacle it meant nothing.
I'd say those standout results we got against the big boys last season largely contributed to us staying up. He had two of his best games against Arsenal away, and Liverpool away last year. He didn't score but he tore the opposition apart on both occasions to be fair.
Other than that, winning away at Sunderland last year was important, particularly as they had outplayed us. So Gabby pulled that one out the bag somewhat. That was also our first win in 6 at the time.
He certainly does need to do it more of course, but the whole side needs to keep up some kind of form. If Villa play well, then generally, Gabby plays well.
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The other angle is if he hadn't gone over 20 league games without a goal after bonfire night then we wouldn't have struggled so much in the first place.
Or if he'd scored more than 2 league goals before the West Ham game then we wouldn't have been struggling then either.
What makes Gabby being so inconsistent so frustrating is that we rarely lose a league game when he scores. Swansea away at the end of last season was (I think) the first league game we lost when he scored since Blackburn in September 2009. I'll say what i've always said, Gabby on any kind of form makes a totally different side and improves us no end, but at the same time we aren't, or certainly haven't been the last 4 years, good enough carry a player who only does it half a dozen or so times a season.
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His winner at West Ham under Houllier meant we would have stayed up without getting another point
That goal provoked the largest "exhalation of sheer fucking relief" I've had in years.
Yes. It provoked almost as wild a goal celebration in our end as his two late winners in the Agbonlahor End goal at the Sty.
He was also one honest ref away from winning us the cup in the first five minutes against Man Utd.
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The other angle is if he hadn't gone over 20 league games without a goal after bonfire night then we wouldn't have struggled so much in the first place.
Or if he'd scored more than 2 league goals before the West Ham game then we wouldn't have been struggling then either.
What makes Gabby being so inconsistent so frustrating is that we rarely lose a league game when he scores. Swansea away at the end of last season was (I think) the first league game we lost when he scored since Blackburn in September 2009. I'll say what i've always said, Gabby on any kind of form makes a totally different side and improves us no end, but at the same time we aren't, or certainly haven't been the last 4 years, good enough carry a player who only does it half a dozen or so times a season.
He's getting to a now or never stage really, where he's really got to be up for it every game. When he's buzzing and when he really wants to attack defenders he's a complete menace. I'd also like to see him try to take games by the scruff of the neck when we're playing shit. If we start games brightly and get Gabby doing what he does best, running at defenders, he tends to have a good game. Sometimes we'll struggle in games, and he tries to influence the game in other ways by coming deep to try and link up play, or playing with his back to goal, when really he should just be putting on the after burners. When Gabby doesn't chase down defenders like a rabid dog in a game, it's very frustrating, because often when he does that he wins us a lot of territory just by dogged determination. That said, much of what he wins is thrown ins near the opposition box, and we're shite at them.
I'll also agree with a point previously made by someone, that he's been overplayed. Sometimes we rush him from injury too soon, or not give him a bit of respite when he needs it, because as we can all see, he's picking up more niggling injuries in the last few years. He can't play 40-50 games a season like he used to under O Neill.
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The other angle is if he hadn't gone over 20 league games without a goal after bonfire night then we wouldn't have struggled so much in the first place.
Or if he'd scored more than 2 league goals before the West Ham game then we wouldn't have been struggling then either.
What makes Gabby being so inconsistent so frustrating is that we rarely lose a league game when he scores. Swansea away at the end of last season was (I think) the first league game we lost when he scored since Blackburn in September 2009. I'll say what i've always said, Gabby on any kind of form makes a totally different side and improves us no end, but at the same time we aren't, or certainly haven't been the last 4 years, good enough carry a player who only does it half a dozen or so times a season.
He's getting to a now or never stage really, where he's really got to be up for it every game. When he's buzzing and when he really wants to attack defenders he's a complete menace. I'd also like to see him try to take games by the scruff of the neck when we're playing shit. If we start games brightly and get Gabby doing what he does best, running at defenders, he tends to have a good game. Sometimes we'll struggle in games, and he tries to influence the game in other ways by coming deep to try and link up play, or playing with his back to goal, when really he should just be putting on the after burners. When Gabby doesn't chase down defenders like a rabid dog in a game, it's very frustrating, because often when he does that he wins us a lot of territory just by dogged determination. That said, much of what he wins is thrown ins near the opposition box, and we're shite at them.
Agree with that ST. Ideally we would have someone playing behoind Gabby with the ability to get on the ball and put him in space. Playing with his back to goal or trying to link up play aren't really his strengths.
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His winner at West Ham under Houllier meant we would have stayed up without getting another point
That goal provoked the largest "exhalation of sheer fucking relief" I've had in years.
Yes. It provoked almost as wild a goal celebration in our end as his two late winners in the Agbonlahor End goal at the Sty.
He was also one honest ref away from winning us the cup in the first five minutes against Man Utd.
I was at the West Ham game and got very drunk that night, sadly could not find a video of his winner...but there is a great photo of Gabby sliding on his knees arms out spread.
UTV
The Doc
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The other angle is if he hadn't gone over 20 league games without a goal after bonfire night then we wouldn't have struggled so much in the first place.
Or if he'd scored more than 2 league goals before the West Ham game then we wouldn't have been struggling then either.
What makes Gabby being so inconsistent so frustrating is that we rarely lose a league game when he scores. Swansea away at the end of last season was (I think) the first league game we lost when he scored since Blackburn in September 2009. I'll say what i've always said, Gabby on any kind of form makes a totally different side and improves us no end, but at the same time we aren't, or certainly haven't been the last 4 years, good enough carry a player who only does it half a dozen or so times a season.
My angle is that over the last four years they've all got us into trouble, but Gabby has done more than most to get us out of it.
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Genuine question. Have Villa ever received a firm offer from another club for Gabby? I believe Sunderland were sniffing around once upon a time but, no bid as I recall.
Given he got double figures three years running from 08-10 and was a regular in the England squad I'm sure there would've been enquiries at the very least.
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Pretty sure we all love Gabby and he has played some match-winning games and scored some crucial goals for us. Other teams are shit-scared of his pace and his potential finishing, but I just wish he could stay turned on throughout the game - Saturday was a good example - his chasing led to the corner which he scored from, but far too many times he wasn't even looking at the play/ball when 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' defenders had the ball and so made no attempt to close them down and make life difficult for them.
Perhaps he was astute enough to know they were a bit shit?
;-)
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The day at the sty when he cleared off the line then went down the other end and bagged the winner will live long in the memory banks.
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I look at him the way I looked at Ian Taylor or Tony Daley - he's one of us and playing for the club he loves plus he's been here a long time now. He's not one of the legendary players but hes a cult figure and some of his goals, particularly vs Blues and Albion have given us memories we'll never forget. His goal record could be better - even under MON he would start the season really fast and end it with scoring issues. The only time he's finished a season with a flurry of goals was two seasons ago in Lambert's first year. Ok he has suffered positional changes at times over the last few years and his touch was dreadful last season but he's started this season well and looks the Gabby of MON days. He just needs to reach a decent consistency level that out of the three players only really Ian Taylor managed long term.
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I hope these are the memories he recalls as if this thread was barometer of his ability then he'd largely hate himself despite having all the above to cherish.
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It's possible being an automatic starter is actually detrimental to his game. For years now he has lived with the knowledge that he won't lose his place no matter how bad he is. Being dropped to the bench now and then might help keep him more motivated and give him a rest at the same time.
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It's possible being an automatic starter is actually detrimental to his game. For years now he has lived with the knowledge that he won't lose his place no matter how bad he is. Being dropped to the bench now and then might help keep him more motivated and give him a rest at the same time.
True. Maybe not immediately but soon, I think he'll realise that missing the odd match will prolong and enhance his career.
In a weird way that is why I did not mind the 4 year deal as we have the first reserve striker/inside forward position sown up for years. I know that sounds stupid but a lot of clubs have 10m+ players filling that position (and on similar wages too).
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It's possible being an automatic starter is actually detrimental to his game. For years now he has lived with the knowledge that he won't lose his place no matter how bad he is. Being dropped to the bench now and then might help keep him more motivated and give him a rest at the same time.
True. Maybe not immediately but soon, I think he'll realise that missing the odd match will prolong and enhance his career.
In a weird way that is why I did not mind the 4 year deal as we have the first reserve striker/inside forward position sown up for years. I know that sounds stupid but a lot of clubs have 10m+ players filling that position (and on similar wages too).
Not a bad point that.
Even in a couple of years time, having Gabby to come off the bench at 75 minutes to run at a tiring defence is probably not a bad option to have.
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I think we need to distinguish between "Legend" which would put him up there with the true greats like McGrath, Little etc. and just "cult" which puts him amongst those massively popular players who epitomise why it is to be a Villa fan without ever being truly great.
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Pretty sure we all love Gabby and he has played some match-winning games and scored some crucial goals for us. Other teams are shit-scared of his pace and his potential finishing, but I just wish he could stay turned on throughout the game - Saturday was a good example - his chasing led to the corner which he scored from, but far too many times he wasn't even looking at the play/ball when 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' defenders had the ball and so made no attempt to close them down and make life difficult for them.
Perhaps he was astute enough to know they were a bit shit?
;-)
I initially thought the same things re him not chasing down defenders. However, unusually I watched the post match Redknapp comments and he made some telling points. Basically Gabby was tasked to keep pressure on Gerrard to not to be able to ping long passes. Conversely, he seemed under instruction from PL to simply let the 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' centre halves have the ball as they consistently gave the ball away or passed it sideways. It worked perfectly.
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The day at the sty when he cleared off the line then went down the other end and bagged the winner will live long in the memory banks.
Oh yes
In my top five best Villa moments of all time and that includes Highbury and Rotterdam.
Didnt appreciate the kicking after the match though
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Pretty sure we all love Gabby and he has played some match-winning games and scored some crucial goals for us. Other teams are shit-scared of his pace and his potential finishing, but I just wish he could stay turned on throughout the game - Saturday was a good example - his chasing led to the corner which he scored from, but far too many times he wasn't even looking at the play/ball when 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' defenders had the ball and so made no attempt to close them down and make life difficult for them.
Perhaps he was astute enough to know they were a bit shit?
;-)
I initially thought the same things re him not chasing down defenders. However, unusually I watched the post match Redknapp comments and he made some telling points. Basically Gabby was tasked to keep pressure on Gerrard to not to be able to ping long passes. Conversely, he seemed under instruction from PL to simply let the 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' centre halves have the ball as they consistently gave the ball away or passed it sideways. It worked perfectly.
He does it a fair bit though...
or, it shows my last sentence is spot on!
Hope he's up for it on Saturday...would love to see Gabby in his pomp against the Arse!
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Pretty sure we all love Gabby and he has played some match-winning games and scored some crucial goals for us. Other teams are shit-scared of his pace and his potential finishing, but I just wish he could stay turned on throughout the game - Saturday was a good example - his chasing led to the corner which he scored from, but far too many times he wasn't even looking at the play/ball when 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' defenders had the ball and so made no attempt to close them down and make life difficult for them.
Perhaps he was astute enough to know they were a bit shit?
;-)
I initially thought the same things re him not chasing down defenders. However, unusually I watched the post match Redknapp comments and he made some telling points. Basically Gabby was tasked to keep pressure on Gerrard to not to be able to ping long passes. Conversely, he seemed under instruction from PL to simply let the 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' centre halves have the ball as they consistently gave the ball away or passed it sideways. It worked perfectly.
He does it a fair bit though...
or, it shows my last sentence is spot on!
Hope he's up for it on Saturday...would love to see Gabby in his pomp against the Arse!
It was pretty obvious he was told to sit on Gerrard. His first thought was to look for him when they had the ball and to an extent it was annoying me on occasion because he would be close to Lovren and able to put him under pressure and force a mistake but immediately turn around. Gabby confirmed in his own post match interview that the gameplan was not to let Gerrard have any space and he clearly played his tactical instructions to the letter.
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It's possible being an automatic starter is actually detrimental to his game. For years now he has lived with the knowledge that he won't lose his place no matter how bad he is. Being dropped to the bench now and then might help keep him more motivated and give him a rest at the same time.
I actually think the reverse is true. He seems to perform a lot better when there's not much pressure on him. He does well against the top sides because there's often a feeling that anything from the game is a bonus. The only 'pressure' games where he seems to rise to it are against the local sides, which is more about him being a fan than anything else.
You only have to look at the times where he's had good runs, it's always coincided with another attacking player having a good run (the end of 12/13 for example, Benteke and Weimann found their top form and then Gabby caught up) or with the team in general performing well and him just being part of it (as is the case now and was the case a fair few times under mon).
This also explains the regularity of him starting the season well and fading.
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And yet talking to almost any fans of other Prem clubs and the one Villa player they like or think is good, even when we were good, is Gabby.
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And yet talking to almost any fans of other Prem clubs and the one Villa player they like or think is good, even when we were good, is Gabby.
I've always found it the exact opposite, I'm always being told we should sell him.
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You're talking to too many Noses then.
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I think we need to distinguish between "Legend" which would put him up there with the true greats like McGrath, Little etc. and just "cult" which puts him amongst those massively popular players who epitomise why it is to be a Villa fan without ever being truly great.
Good definitions PC - Gabby is "cult" and would be a Legend if we had beaten Manure in the League Cup under MoN. He drives me mad sometimes but I love him - when he scores against Blose it is tremendous - like one of us doing it!
Maybe I should change my strapline thingie but I live in hope he will be in a cup-winning side; or maybe the Premiership this season ;-)
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I think he will be here for his entire career, will have scored well over 100 goals for us and against the biggest and/or most deadliest of foes.
At that point it will be fair to reflect that Gabby is a Villa legend.
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If we ever happen to get back into Europe whilst Gabby is still here and we get to the big games, the quarters, semi's or praise McGrath, the final, if there's one man you'd put money on to come up with a key goal against a top side, it's probably Gabby.
You've heard it here first. Champions League final next season. Rematch against Bayern. Gabby=Withe.
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If he had carried on like in his first 3 or 4 seasons then maybe, but has been too inconsistent for me since. There is something to be said for longivity. For now lets just see if he can carry on this good form.
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The fact despite that there has been a dearth of quality England attacking options (other than Rooney) during Gabby's prime years and he has only managed a small handful of caps suggests to me he has underachieved.
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The fact despite that there has been a dearth of quality England attacking options (other than Rooney) during Gabby's prime years and he has only managed a small handful of caps suggests to me he has underachieved.
I don't think that's fair. There have been scores of top Villa players who didn't get the caps they deserved. We were the best side in Europe in 82, yet how many got picked for the World Cup?
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The fact despite that there has been a dearth of quality England attacking options (other than Rooney) during Gabby's prime years and he has only managed a small handful of caps suggests to me he has underachieved.
I don't think that's fair. There have been scores of top Villa players who didn't get the caps they deserved. We were the best side in Europe in 82, yet how many got picked for the World Cup?
I don't think that was the point he was making to be fair. Yes it was a disgrace that only Withe was in the '82 squad but pretty back then the majority of top flight clubs had an English striker so there was a lot more in the way of competition for places.
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I used 1982 as an example, but there are others. It took Barry years to dislodge the great Phil Neville before getting a regular England spot.
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England have often tried to play (and failed) a more continental style. They like to have a Rooney dropping off, and then either a big man up front, or a goal poacher. Gabby's never quite fit in with what the likes of Capello, MacLaren, tried to do during their time. Fairs fair, his form since Hodgson has been manager hasn't been nearly good enough to warrant an inclusion. That's not to say his England career couldn't be resurrected should he maintain his current form though. On his day he's a menace. I think at the very least Woy seems to have identified that we'll never outpass a good international side, and that we should play high tempo, quick counter attacking football. With that in mind, there may yet be another chance for Gabbaldinho. Lambert is getting in the squad at 32, but he'll not play enough for Liverpool this season to keep getting picked IMO. That then means one less option.
Previous managers have attempted to bring together as many of the technically gifted players we have as they can, sometimes at the expense of players in form, but I don't think Woy sees that as the be all and end all any more. Welbeck has many similarities to Gabby and gets picked a lot now. Sturridge isn't brilliant technically, and neither are some of the midfielders getting picked. Woy also seems happy to put Jones or Stones at RB, neither of whom are great on the ball.
That Gabby doesn't have fantastic technique probably won't put the kaybosh on his England chances like it may have 3-4 years ago. If you look at it, Lambert probably won't make the next tournament. Defoe's time has passed. That doesn't leave a hell of a lot. The onus is on Gabby to maintain form and try and hit double figures. If he does, he's likely to be one of the top English scorers in the top flight and thus increase the liklihood he'll get picked again.
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I used 1982 as an example, but there are others. It took Barry years to dislodge the great Phil Neville before getting a regular England spot.
Have I erased that nightmare from my memory, was Neville really picked as a midfielder for England?
I know he played there for Everton at the end of his career but I do not recall him playing for England other than as a left back.
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He played there against Spain in 2007 at Old Trafford. We lost and it was the last time I was arsed with ever attending an England game.
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I used 1982 as an example, but there are others. It took Barry years to dislodge the great Phil Neville before getting a regular England spot.
Have I erased that nightmare from my memory, was Neville really picked as a midfielder for England?
I know he played there for Everton at the end of his career but I do not recall him playing for England other than as a left back.
Phil Neville managed to get more England caps than Hoddle,Le Tissier and Gascoigne which sort of sums up English football. 59 in total? I may be wrong but I think all but one was when he was at Man United. Despite playing week in week out at Everton as skipper he didn't get a look in.
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I used 1982 as an example, but there are others. It took Barry years to dislodge the great Phil Neville before getting a regular England spot.
Have I erased that nightmare from my memory, was Neville really picked as a midfielder for England?
I know he played there for Everton at the end of his career but I do not recall him playing for England other than as a left back.
I think it was the early days for Barry when he was seen as a left back, or left sided midfielder. I think some of Barry's earlier England games were at left back, where one of his direct competitors was Phil Neville. Even when O Neill turned Gaz Baz into a top class central midfielder, it took a few years for England to take note of him again. But for a good few years there seemed to be an assumption coming from England that Barry was a left back option, something like 4th or 5th choice. He was rarely recognised at international level as a midfielder. Again possibly because he didn't have pace, and you couldn't really put Barry one wing, Beckham the other. For years, even when we played a succession of shoe-horned right footers on the left, Barry was ignored. And as a left back we had a fair few options ahead of him, but of course by the time Taylor was back at Villa, Barry was mostly playing as a left sided midfield, up until O Neill came in.
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I used 1982 as an example, but there are others. It took Barry years to dislodge the great Phil Neville before getting a regular England spot.
Have I erased that nightmare from my memory, was Neville really picked as a midfielder for England?
I know he played there for Everton at the end of his career but I do not recall him playing for England other than as a left back.
Phil Neville managed to get more England caps than Hoddle,Le Tissier and Gascoigne which sort of sums up English football. 59 in total? I may be wrong but I think all but one was when he was at Man United. Despite playing week in week out at Everton as skipper he didn't get a look in.
I think there was one stage where they wanted to get him back as a holding midfielder during the latter days at Everton (such was the dearth of that kind of player). He may have declined the chance, IIRC because he didn't want to go just to make up the numbers.
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Can't remember that Tom, but i'm not disputing it. I thought he played his best football in his 30s to be fair to him but as a Man United bit part player he managed all 59 ( bar one maybe?) England caps. Quite a staggering statistic I think.
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Gabby is a streaky player and one who thrives off his confidence. It won't shock me at all to see him all over the pitch this weekend against Arsenal, come up with a key goal and be in the England team discussion next week. At some point in the season his form will drop off, he won't have actually played a game for his country and we'll be left scratching our heads because he's gone missing in games again.
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Can't remember that Tom, but i'm not disputing it. I thought he played his best football in his 30s to be fair to him but as a Man United bit part player he managed all 59 ( bar one maybe?) England caps. Quite a staggering statistic I think.
He was always, even at Utd, totally average as a left back. I thought he turned into a pretty solid holding player for Everton for a few years. A solid 7/10 every week.
But yeah, that Man Utd love in was a bit ridiculous really. Same with Liverpool and Arsenal, no matter the form of some players, that just won't go away for England.
For a player at Villa, I think you have to maintain form, work twice as hard, and eventually you should finally get noticed. It takes a lot of time though as we're not a fashionable club. It's not like Andros Townsend as an example. A couple of good games for Spurs and he gets in.
Delphy has been consistent for two seasons under Lambert, and in the last 18 months in particular, fantastic. It's been a long time coming.
Gabby as an example again though. If he was playing for Arsenal and started this season strongly in the first couple of months, he'd make the next round of squads. However for us, I reckon he needs to keep this form up for the whole season, and he might, if he's lucky, make a summer friendly. It's been like that for a while for us and our players though. It's rare it goes the other way. Curtis Davies I can think of got in the England squad pretty soon after joining us, having not played that many games, but had to withdraw through injury. Steve Mac was slightly less biased in who he picked, but he also picked just about any body. Sven to some extent too (Ricketts ha ha).
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A legend? If Gabby is a legend, we have pretty low legend standards.
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Depends on the definition of legend. Is he a modern day legend of the past 6 or 7 years? Possibly. He's certainly done things at the club that people talk about a lot, and provided some tremendous moments. Is he an all time legend on par with a number of the Villa greats? For me, not quite, and needs to elevate his game and remain consistent for the next 2-3 years to get there.
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Can we settle for cult hero?
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Depends on the definition of legend. Is he a modern day legend of the past 6 or 7 years? Possibly. He's certainly done things at the club that people talk about a lot, and provided some tremendous moments. Is he an all time legend on par with a number of the Villa greats? For me, not quite, and needs to elevate his game and remain consistent for the next 2-3 years to get there.
A trophy win wouldn't hurt either.
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Can we settle for cult hero?
Yes, definitely a cult hero, more than a legend. If he's goals take us to a Champion's League place or FA Cup win, then I may revise that though.
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A legend? If Gabby is a legend, we have pretty low legend standards.
Or, different people have different frames of reference. If somebody is fifteen years old then they're likely to consider Gabby a 'legend'. Somebody who was growing up in the late seventies/early eighties probably wouldn't (apart from Percy, obv.)
Should the fifteen year old be told that they shouldn't be using that terminology just because somebody thirty years older was fortunate enough to see better players and bigger achivements?
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A legend? If Gabby is a legend, we have pretty low legend standards.
Or, different people have different frames of reference. If somebody is fifteen years old then they're likely to consider Gabby a 'legend'. Somebody who was growing up in the late seventies/early eighties probably wouldn't (apart from Percy, obv.)
Should the fifteen year old be told that they shouldn't be using that terminology just because somebody thirty years older was fortunate enough to see better players and bigger achivements?
Very good point, Dave = Legend.
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Gabby should have scored way more goals than he has. He's been a good player for us. Not reached the levels we generally expected.
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Dunno about being a Legend, but can we at least all agree that he'll deserve a testimonial when he goes?
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he will deserve one.
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As long as he donates it all to charity. He's earned good money so that shouldn't be the reason for a testimonial.
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A legend? If Gabby is a legend, we have pretty low legend standards.
Or, different people have different frames of reference. If somebody is fifteen years old then they're likely to consider Gabby a 'legend'. Somebody who was growing up in the late seventies/early eighties probably wouldn't (apart from Percy, obv.)
Should the fifteen year old be told that they shouldn't be using that terminology just because somebody thirty years older was fortunate enough to see better players and bigger achivements?
Honestly this pretty much applies to me. I started getting into football in 2005 when I was 10 and in almost 10 years the only people of any significance who aren't remembered with a sour aftertaste are Petrov, Carew, Laursen, Mellberg, Gabby, Angel, and possibly Milner.
Of those I'd say Gabby is the closest thing to being a 'legend', though Mellberg runs pretty close for me.
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Club
Season
League
Cup
League Cup
Europe
Total
Division
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Apps
Goals
Aston Villa 2005–06 Premier League 9 1 0 0 0 0 – 9 1
2006–07 Premier League 38 9 1 0 3 1 – 42 10
2007–08 Premier League 37 11 1 0 2 0 – 40 11
2008–09 Premier League 36 12 2 0 1 0 9 1 48 13
2009–10 Premier League 36 13 2 1 6 2 2 0 46 16
2010–11 Premier League 26 3 3 0 2 1 1 1 32 5
2011–12 Premier League 33 5 2 1 1 0 – 36 6
2012–13 Premier League 28 9 1 0 4 3 – 33 12
2013–14 Premier League 30 4 0 0 1 0 – 31 4
2014–15 Premier League 4 2 0 0 0 0 – 3 1
Gabby scoring record since 2010 has been shocking , 23 goals in 117 games , no way that legend status!!!
His a villa lad and a big fan of the club but he been very average for 5 years and I being kind calling him average
Hopefully he picks up and early signs are promising
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Gabby has played only a handful of games up front in the past 4 years.
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Gabby has played only a handful of games up front in the past 4 years.
??? Where he played right back, he played as part of a front 3???
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Can we settle for cult hero?
Yes, definitely a cult hero, more than a legend. If he's goals take us to a Champion's League place or FA Cup win, then I may revise that though.
Now that is just going to piss Harewood off!
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Gabby has played only a handful of games up front in the past 4 years.
??? Where he played right back, he played as part of a front 3???
Gabby has played as a winger for much of the last four seasons. Its only been at the start of this campaign that we have seen him put a number of games together up front.
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Gabby has played only a handful of games up front in the past 4 years.
??? Where he played right back, he played as part of a front 3???
Gabby has played as a winger for much of the last four seasons. Its only been at the start of this campaign that we have seen him put a number of games together up front.
he was played wide of a front 3 rather than as a winger and has produced nowhere near enough, not just in terms of goals but overall. Has been better the last couple of games and long may it continue but only time will tell
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If you're playing as a wideman, then you're not playing up front. He is now playing up front on his own again and has scored two in four.
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If you're playing as a wideman, then you're not playing up front. He is now playing up front on his own again and has scored two in four.
if you're playing 3 up front, they don't all operate in the same middle 20 yards of the pitch. He has played largely up front, to the left side of the 3 with Benteke down the middle and Weimann to the right side. No way could you say Gabby and Weimann have been playing as wingers
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Gabby and Andi, have been the two main routes of supply for Benteke over the past two seasons. Neither are wingers* and neither of them have played up front, centrally to be the men on the end of the crosses into the box.
Look at Andi's most recent postion on Saturday, how on earth could such a role be described as the same as Gabby's or Benteke last season before him? They've been playing as widemen. Both regularly find themselves with duties of covering our full backs, 60 yards from goal. That's playing up front?
On the rare occcassions they have played down the middle, they've scored goals.
*they're both centre forwards.
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I always thought that one of the ideas about playing with three strikers was that they could interchange and be fluid. If one moved out wide another would run through the middle etc etc. It's all about movement off the ball, which of course we are not very good at.
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I always thought that one of the ideas about playing with three strikers was that they could interchange and be fluid. If one moved out wide another would run through the middle etc etc. It's all about movement off the ball, which of course we are not very good at.
You need good full backs to play like that and that isn't a luxury we've enjoyed too often over the past two seasons.
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I always thought that one of the ideas about playing with three strikers was that they could interchange and be fluid. If one moved out wide another would run through the middle etc etc. It's all about movement off the ball, which of course we are not very good at.
Ironically the Gabby, Weimann and Benteke threesome (oo-err) was most effective in that 5 months run in a couple of years back, and precisely because the movement was better. Benteke was scoring, Gabby was scoring, Andi got a few too. The following season the off the ball movement when we played those three was nowhere near as good. Consequently, and combined with poor form, Gab and Andi didn't score enough. Nor help out Benteke enough during his lean spell.
But...hopefully Gabby's turned the corner. His form always seems intrinsically linked to our own. If the team is playing well, he's generally playing well. This is the season for him to really step up as a talisman and senior statesman. His vice captain, and given Ron's injuries will likely skipper for plenty of matches this term. Some sort of consistency has to happen now. I hope it does.
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Happy Birthday today Gabby :) who also shares it with our Mom.
here is a selection of his goals and my personal favourite.
UTV
The Doc
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happy birtyhday gabby. My 5 year-olds favourite player. Close to being mine also to be fair.
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Happy Birthday Gab!
Let's have a party at Goodison on Sat'dy!
UTV!
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The eruption of bedlam in the Agbonlahor End at 2:41 into that second video is a thing of beauty.
7 years ago now. Scary.
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The eruption of bedlam in the Agbonlahor End at 2:41 into that second video is a thing of beauty.
7 years ago now. Scary.
Whenever I see that game i keep my eye on the crowd and not on the goal. It's a fantastic sight to see.
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The eruption of bedlam in the Agbonlahor End at 2:41 into that second video is a thing of beauty.
7 years ago now. Scary.
Whenever I see that game i keep my eye on the crowd and not on the goal. It's a fantastic sight to see.
Same! I had it recorded on my Sky plus for years and would often pop it on after a night out. I'd end up watching it three times; first time to look at the mental reaction, second time to pick myself out and then finally onto the goal itself.
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Looking at what a great sight that away end is has given me cause to list the most mental I have gone in celebration of a goal.
I am thinking Gabby at the Sty in '07, Gabby at the Sty in '09, Gabby at West Ham in '11 and Young at Goodison (through ball by Gabby) in '07.
I don't think there is another sport other than football where you see such a ridiculousl explosion of pandimonium from fans in celebration of goals, especially last minute winners.
I caught a bit of St Helens beating Wigan on the weekend and sure they were happy, but they didn't look as overjoyed as us in that video.
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The eruption of bedlam in the Agbonlahor End at 2:41 into that second video is a thing of beauty.
7 years ago now. Scary.
Whenever I see that game i keep my eye on the crowd and not on the goal. It's a fantastic sight to see.
Bloody hell 7 years! As much as I'm happy to see them rot down the leagues, moments like that are amazing. The perfect set of derby fixtures that season, a thrashing at home and last minute winner away.
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oh and this one :)
UTV
The Doc
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There is a really amusing video of a Nose recording that game from the upper tier of the Agbonlahor End. The reaction when the winner goes in is priceless, especially from one little Piglet at the front who start's swearing his head off in a fit of rage.
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The eruption of bedlam in the Agbonlahor End at 2:41 into that second video is a thing of beauty.
7 years ago now. Scary.
Gabby's role at both ends in that game is legendary. The outstanding awareness on our own goal line followed a moments later with that goal will live long in the memory. Oh and thank you Agent Ridgewell. One of many missions successfully completed.
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The eruption of bedlam in the Agbonlahor End at 2:41 into that second video is a thing of beauty.
7 years ago now. Scary.
Whenever I see that game i keep my eye on the crowd and not on the goal. It's a fantastic sight to see.
'tis a thing of beauty!
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and who can forget the funny as fuck classic...
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In the last 38 games, he has scored 6 goals. Not very impressive is it. Can't believe we gave this guy a new 4 year contract. Hopefully with a fit Benteke and an emerging Grealish, he will be on the bench more often than not.
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In the last 38 games, he has scored 6 goals. Not very impressive is it. Can't believe we gave this guy a new 4 year contract. Hopefully with a fit Benteke and an emerging Grealish, he will be on the bench more often than not.
He's been surrounded by some pretty poor players these last few years so it's no wonder he hasn't scores many goals.
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Plus he usually plays out wide these days
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In the last 38 games, he has scored 6 goals. Not very impressive is it. Can't believe we gave this guy a new 4 year contract. Hopefully with a fit Benteke and an emerging Grealish, he will be on the bench more often than not.
He's been surrounded by some pretty poor players these last few years so it's no wonder he hasn't scores many goals.
Hasn't stopped Benteke scoring. He's had his moments, but they have been less and less frequent. Bit of a one trick pony. At 28 he isn't going to get any better.Don't expect him to hold down a place much longer. If he does, we will struggle to score many goals. Pair him with Weiman, and we really will be in trouble.
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What a different prospect we were back on those days. Sigh.
Gabby is still an important part of our team and squad and I can't understand why anybody would rather he wasn't. If we were looking to buy a centre forward right now, I doubt we could afford Agbonlahor.
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Gabby is still an important part of our team and squad and I can't understand why anybody would rather he wasn't. If we were looking to buy a centre forward right now, I doubt we could afford Agbonlahor.
Yep, I'm with you on that one.
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As much as Gabby no longer performs or offers as much as he did under O Neill, he's still missed everytime he's out the side. I think that says a lot. He's still one of our best players. 1-2 more good signings and we could turn him into an effective impact player, but as things stand, for me he has to play whenever he's fit.
The Man City game showed how much we miss Gabby. The sooner we can get him and Benteke playing together up front, the better for our goal return.
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As far as I'm concerned he gives 100% every time he pulls on that villa shirt and that for me sums it up.
Rest my case mlud rest my case
Oh lord rest my case
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As far as I'm concerned he gives 100% every time he pulls on that villa shirt and that for me sums it up.
Rest my case mlud rest my case
Oh lord rest my case
Simply not true. Have been loads of occasions when he simply doesn't look interested.
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When I have watched him he always gives 100% or I am watching someone else
When things are not going right it is easy to say he don't look interested but there is one hell of a list of players who look less interested than him.
I some times wondered what petrov brought to the team but when he wasn't there it made me realise he was the glue that held us all together.
and that is exactly what I think when gabby is not playing
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I think the fact that Gabby doesn't run around and chase defenders for 90 minutes of every game is more an indication that he can't do it as often these days have had quite a few niggling injuries. He has to pick and choose when he goes on a surge. I don't think it's any lack of effort on his part. It's just part and parcel of what happens to pace players once the hit 25. Injuries become more frequent, and combined with his weight training he hasn't got the stamina or recovery he did 3-4 years ago.
Ultimately it will benefit Gab and us, when we can use him as an impact player as opposed to playing every game in which is able to. At the moment we don't have that luxury.
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As far as I'm concerned he gives 100% every time he pulls on that villa shirt and that for me sums it up.
Rest my case mlud rest my case
Oh lord rest my case
Simply not true. Have been loads of occasions when he simply doesn't look interested.
I honestly don't think a professional player would get away with 'not being interested'. They are now paid astronomical amounts of money, so for somebody to be picked every time they are fit indicates to me that they are playing for the manager.
Look at Ben Arfa at Newcastle - the fans love him for his flair, but he doesn't get a game. Is Gabby in that mould? Not for me. He isn't a luxury player at all.
He isn't world class, has never been world class. But if you think he doesn't warrant a place in our squad (or indeed team) I disagree.
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As far as I'm concerned he gives 100% every time he pulls on that villa shirt and that for me sums it up.
Rest my case mlud rest my case
Oh lord rest my case
Simply not true. Have been loads of occasions when he simply doesn't look interested.
Agree. And furthermore, irrelevant - or at least something that should go without saying. I too would give 100%- and I am definitely not worth a new £40k a week 4 year deal.
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Football is a bit strange like that. You would definitely not get that sort of comment about, say, a guitarist: "he tries 100% to play the guitar well every time he plays".
Of course he bloody does.
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Ultimately, whether he gives his all or not doesn't change the fact that he offers next to nothing for the majority of the season. The decision to award him a new contract was purely down to sentimentality, nothing more.
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Ultimately, whether he gives his all or not doesn't change the fact that he offers next to nothing for the majority of the season. The decision to award him a new contract was purely down to sentimentality, nothing more.
Yes, it's obvious that Villa are going through a 'let's throw lots of money around just for old times sake' phase.
Some people don't think he's any good, some disagree. But to think that the people who awarded him a multi-million pound contract are in the former camp, but are just sentimental, is ridiculous.
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Ultimately, whether he gives his all or not doesn't change the fact that he offers next to nothing for the majority of the season. The decision to award him a new contract was purely down to sentimentality, nothing more.
I very much doubt we'd dish out multi million pound contracts on sentimentality alone. What absolute tosh.
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I genuinely don't believe that another player (who wasn't considered a club hero) would've got the same deal had they performed to the standard Gabby has in recent times.
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I've been smoking since I was nine, Gabby would beat me in a race even if I was on my pushbike, and I haven't played in a proper game of football since I was fifteen. But I've loved the Villa all my life, so I'm gonna write to Randy asking for a few million quid on sentiment alone.
I wonder how I'll get on?
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I've been smoking since I was nine, Gabby would beat me in a race even if I was on my pushbike, and I haven't played in a proper game of football since I was fifteen. But I've loved the Villa all my life, so I'm gonna write to Randy asking for a few million quid on sentiment alone.
I wonder how I'll get on?
let me know as I love the Villa more than you....:)
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I genuinely don't believe that another player (who wasn't considered a club hero) would've got the same deal had they performed to the standard Gabby has in recent times.
You're missing another significant point. This is not just about how good gabby is, it's also about protecting our asset. Had we let his contract expire we would have got zero. Based on last summer's transfers he's probably worth in excess of £10m. Even more if we had to buy a replacement.
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Looking at what a great sight that away end is has given me cause to list the most mental I have gone in celebration of a goal.
I am thinking Gabby at the Sty in '07, Gabby at the Sty in '09, Gabby at West Ham in '11 and Young at Goodison (through ball by Gabby) in '07.
I don't think there is another sport other than football where you see such a ridiculousl explosion of pandimonium from fans in celebration of goals, especially last minute winners.
I caught a bit of St Helens beating Wigan on the weekend and sure they were happy, but they didn't look as overjoyed as us in that video.
Spot on Ads.
I actually watch some goals just to see the reaction of the fans, particularly away fans.
2007 was the best for that and not just because I was there. The thick lip afterward wasnt so pleasant.
2007 v Blose ranks in my top 5 live Villa moments, Rotterdam and Highbury being the top 2
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That 2-1 away is just sublime. From thinking we'd just lost to winning was just brilliant. The reaction of the Villa fans - the yampee - was a sight to behold. brilliant. I got very drunk that night in Bangkok. I would have anyway, but with a big smile. I would have anywa...you get the point.
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Looking at what a great sight that away end is has given me cause to list the most mental I have gone in celebration of a goal.
I am thinking Gabby at the Sty in '07, Gabby at the Sty in '09, Gabby at West Ham in '11 and Young at Goodison (through ball by Gabby) in '07.
I don't think there is another sport other than football where you see such a ridiculousl explosion of pandimonium from fans in celebration of goals, especially last minute winners.
I caught a bit of St Helens beating Wigan on the weekend and sure they were happy, but they didn't look as overjoyed as us in that video.
Spot on Ads.
I actually watch some goals just to see the reaction of the fans, particularly away fans.
2007 was the best for that and not just because I was there. The thick lip afterward wasnt so pleasant.
2007 v Blose ranks in my top 5 live Villa moments, Rotterdam and Highbury being the top 2
Tranmere second leg was pretty mad back in the day. More recently after Delph's winner vs Chelsea
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Can we settle for cult hero?
Yes, definitely a cult hero, more than a legend. If he's goals take us to a Champion's League place or FA Cup win, then I may revise that though.
agree with this. He's in the ian Taylor mould as a committed supporter who fulfilled his dream of playing for villa. Difference being Taylor won a medal with us, which edges him past gabby and almost into legend status, but not quite. Gabby can still become a legend if he helps deliver the fa cup.
Now that is just going to piss Harewood off!
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I think gabby if we get 3 or 4 more seasons out of him can achieve legend status . All those derby goals count towards this opinion.
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Another shit performance today. But hey.. he's a Villas fan, so that's okay then. Awful player, we need someone with a football brain up front.
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I wouldn't be too disappointed if i never see Gabby in a Villa shirt again.
Massively disappointing, never got anywhere near his potential, poor touch, awful movement, does the odd good run, too happy to go down for a free kick/corner.
Sums up Villa to me, so much potential, little return.
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I noticed that Carlton Cole scored his 64th goal for West 'Am yesterday - is Gabby our Can't Control?
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Sums Villa up at the moment that such a piss poor manager is rewarded with a 4 year contract and such an ordinary player is equally well rewarded. Meanwhile our current captain and England International midfielder enter the final few months of their contracts.
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I noticed that Carlton Cole scored his 64th goal for West 'Am yesterday - is Gabby our Can't Control?
64 goals??? Bloody hell. Didn't think he'd scored that many. He's played less games for them than Gabby too. To be fair to Can't Control, he's one of those players who always works hard and you know what you'll get. He's been better for them than Andy Carroll.
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I noticed that Carlton Cole scored his 64th goal for West 'Am yesterday - is Gabby our Can't Control?
64 goals??? Bloody hell. Didn't think he'd scored that many. He's played less games for them than Gabby too.
66 goals in 270 games. Gabby's got 80 goals in 320. So fewer games, but a fair few more goals as well.
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I noticed that Carlton Cole scored his 64th goal for West 'Am yesterday - is Gabby our Can't Control?
64 goals??? Bloody hell. Didn't think he'd scored that many. He's played less games for them than Gabby too.
66 goals in 270 games. Gabby's got 80 goals in 320. So fewer games, but a fair few more goals as well.
I'm actually surprised Gabby's on 80 now as well. Not too shabby to be fair to Gabbaldinho.
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I noticed that Carlton Cole scored his 64th goal for West 'Am yesterday - is Gabby our Can't Control?
64 goals??? Bloody hell. Didn't think he'd scored that many. He's played less games for them than Gabby too.
66 goals in 270 games. Gabby's got 80 goals in 320. So fewer games, but a fair few more goals as well.
I'm actually surprised Gabby's on 80 now as well. Not too shabby to be fair to Gabbaldinho.
You'll be telling me next that Heskey has scored over 100 premier league goals.
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Same ratio 1:4, not good enough.
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80 goals in 9 years is average in anyone's book
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That's pretty good to be fair to Gabby, especially as the last 4 years we have been woeful as a whole.
He wasn't the oly one who didn't turn up yesterday after all.
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Another shit performance today. But hey.. he's a Villas fan, so that's okay then. Awful player, we need someone with a football brain up front.
He does seem to get away with it a bit. He's been awful for about 5 years now. And he keeps getting rewarded with places in the starting eleven, and a new deal. It's a true, sad reflection of where we're at now.
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Just noticed how much Gabby resembles Kevin Rowland of Dexy's fame. Uncanny.
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Another shit performance today. But hey.. he's a Villas fan, so that's okay then. Awful player, we need someone with a football brain up front.
He does seem to get away with it a bit. He's been awful for about 5 years now. And he keeps getting rewarded with places in the starting eleven, and a new deal. It's a true, sad reflection of where we're at now.
I'm not sure he's getting rewarded with a place in the starting 11. I just don't think we have anyone better. But yes, that in itself is a sad reflection of where we're at. Generally we look even worse without Gabby, purely because no one else can offer the same sort of pace he has.
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Another shit performance today. But hey.. he's a Villas fan, so that's okay then. Awful player, we need someone with a football brain up front.
He does seem to get away with it a bit. He's been awful for about 5 years now. And he keeps getting rewarded with places in the starting eleven, and a new deal. It's a true, sad reflection of where we're at now.
I'm not sure he's getting rewarded with a place in the starting 11. I just don't think we have anyone better. But yes, that in itself is a sad reflection of where we're at. Generally we look even worse without Gabby, purely because no one else can offer the same sort of pace he has.
When he can be arsed.
The fact we are all so taken by a player as utterly mediocre as Gabby says it all these days.
He's far from the worst player we have, but he's an absolute poster boy for the mediocrity we've settled for - lives on past glories, does fuck all week after week, picks up contract after contract, effortlessly.
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Another shit performance today. But hey.. he's a Villas fan, so that's okay then. Awful player, we need someone with a football brain up front.
He does seem to get away with it a bit. He's been awful for about 5 years now. And he keeps getting rewarded with places in the starting eleven, and a new deal. It's a true, sad reflection of where we're at now.
I'm not sure he's getting rewarded with a place in the starting 11. I just don't think we have anyone better. But yes, that in itself is a sad reflection of where we're at. Generally we look even worse without Gabby, purely because no one else can offer the same sort of pace he has.
When he can be arsed.
The fact we are all so taken by a player as utterly mediocre as Gabby says it all these days.
He's far from the worst player we have, but he's an absolute poster boy for the mediocrity we've settled for - lives on past glories, does fuck all week after week, picks up contract after contract, effortlessly.
Can't disagree with that. Since O Neill left he's been dire aside from 4 months in Lamberts first season and a couple of months early in McLeish's reign.
I think he's looking a bit podgy too. He's not got the stamina to go on as many surging runs as he used to.
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Another shit performance today. But hey.. he's a Villas fan, so that's okay then. Awful player, we need someone with a football brain up front.
He does seem to get away with it a bit. He's been awful for about 5 years now. And he keeps getting rewarded with places in the starting eleven, and a new deal. It's a true, sad reflection of where we're at now.
I'm not sure he's getting rewarded with a place in the starting 11. I just don't think we have anyone better. But yes, that in itself is a sad reflection of where we're at. Generally we look even worse without Gabby, purely because no one else can offer the same sort of pace he has.
When he can be arsed.
The fact we are all so taken by a player as utterly mediocre as Gabby says it all these days.
He's far from the worst player we have, but he's an absolute poster boy for the mediocrity we've settled for - lives on past glories, does fuck all week after week, picks up contract after contract, effortlessly.
Can't disagree with that. Since O Neill left he's been dire aside from 4 months in Lamberts first season and a couple of months early in McLeish's reign.
I think he's looking a bit podgy too. He's not got the stamina to go on as many surging runs as he used to.
He looks like he has the same between-games refuelling routine Bent does.
Bent looks increasingly like the bloke out of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the one who isn't Will Smith.
An absolute chancer who has clearly decided to sit back and kerching it in till the end of his contract. What a waste.
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He looks like he has the same between-games refuelling routine Bent does.
Bent looks increasingly like the bloke out of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the one who isn't Will Smith.
An absolute chancer who has clearly decided to sit back and kerching it in till the end of his contract. What a waste.
Tatyana Ali?
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We've got a few chub-a-lubs in the squad. Bent's looking a bit pie-tastic. Zogbia needs to shed a few pounds. Gabby's had a few too many happy meals too.
On the flipside I felt Weimann could have lost a bit of weight last season, and he looks like he shed half a stone over the summer to be fair to him. He's a hard working boy so whilst he's incredibly limited as a player, I'd put him in the side over any of the above at the moment.
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We've got a few chub-a-lubs in the squad. Bent's looking a bit pie-tastic. Zogbia needs to shed a few pounds. Gabby's had a few too many happy meals too.
I blame Grant Holt for leaving his Greggs loyalty card at BH.
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We've got a few chub-a-lubs in the squad. Bent's looking a bit pie-tastic. Zogbia needs to shed a few pounds. Gabby's had a few too many happy meals too.
I blame Grant Holt for leaving his Greggs loyalty card at BH.
Holt shed a fair bit of weight in the summer apparently. Posted a few pictures on tweeter of his new found six pack (bastard). So he obviously did forget his Greggs loyalty card.
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Just noticed how much Gabby resembles Kevin Rowland of Dexy's fame. Uncanny.
I have mentioned this several times in the past. I used to live in Brighton where KR was living at the time, and once I rolled out of a dubious establishment on Preston Street at around 6am in the morning and the Dexy was striding down the hill, thin as a rake as fit as fiddle and I was sure it was Gabby. Admittedly, drugs had been taken.
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Just noticed how much Gabby resembles Kevin Rowland of Dexy's fame. Uncanny.
I have mentioned this several times in the past. I used to live in Brighton where KR was living at the time, and once I rolled out of a dubious establishment on Preston Street at around 6am in the morning and the Dexy was striding down the hill, thin as a rake as fit as fiddle and I was sure it was Gabby. Admittedly, drugs had been taken.
Dexy's by any chance?
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I don't understand why someone at the club can't tell the miserable looking (and sounding) barstud to calm down with the protein. Although it amuses me when someone bounces off him, being Johnny Tonk will only contribute more to losing that 'yard of pace'.
I hope when he retires he becomes one of those after dinner speakers. I would genuinely love that.
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Just noticed how much Gabby resembles Kevin Rowland of Dexy's fame. Uncanny.
I have mentioned this several times in the past. I used to live in Brighton where KR was living at the time, and once I rolled out of a dubious establishment on Preston Street at around 6am in the morning and the Dexy was striding down the hill, thin as a rake as fit as fiddle and I was sure it was Gabby. Admittedly, drugs had been taken.
Dexy's by any chance?
The same class of thing, Percey.
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I genuinely don't believe that another player (who wasn't considered a club hero) would've got the same deal had they performed to the standard Gabby has in recent times.
You're missing another significant point. This is not just about how good gabby is, it's also about protecting our asset. Had we let his contract expire we would have got zero. Based on last summer's transfers he's probably worth in excess of £10m. Even more if we had to buy a replacement.
And you're missing the most significant point of all, namely that he is one of our highest earners and thus is a financial burden, not an asset. Not that any other club would pay anywhere near £10m for him anyway but most importantly they would not be idiotic enough to match the wages we pay for such a mediocre and inconsistant player (or consistantly crap, I should say). He is a total waste of space but we've allowed ourselves to be duped into being stuck with him for another four years.
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Had Gabby not played on Saturday i expect there would have been people saying we missed Gabby. The thing is he did play and he was crap.
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Had Gabby not played on Saturday i expect there would have been people saying we missed Gabby. The thing is he did play and he was crap.
As was the rest of the team. Even Guzan had a clanger!
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It depends on the set-up and how he's used. Just being in the team when we rarely have any possession doesn't mean he's ideally suited to the role then given to him. Either as a one up top hold-up striker he's fine but won't score otr as a 3 when he is fed and runs into space. They way we play barely suits any forward least of all Gabby.
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I agree, Messi would struggle to score for us at the moment.
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Does anyone know how muvh he is paid by Villa?
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£90,000 a week, same as Tom Huddlestone is on at Hull. I know a bloke who told me.
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£90,000 a week, same as Tom Huddlestone is on at Hull. I know a bloke who told me.
I find that hard to believe Chris. If your informant is correct it is food for thought. 90,000 for another four years.
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£90,000 a week, same as Tom Huddlestone is on at Hull. I know a bloke who told me.
I find that hard to believe Chris. If your informant is correct it is food for thought. 90,000 for another four years.
Chris is taking the piss I think!
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£90,000 a week, same as Tom Huddlestone is on at Hull. I know a bloke who told me.
I find that hard to believe Chris. If your informant is correct it is food for thought. 90,000 for another four years.
Chris is taking the piss I think!
Had to put up my fence earlier didnt catch on . Yes he probably was....I hope
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Sorry, there are a few old Agbonlahor threads, wasn't sure which one to use but this is worth a watch.
Martin O'Neill quoting Groucho Marx at Gabby, live on radio...think I've seen it all now...
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Sorry, there are a few old Agbonlahor threads, wasn't sure which one to use but this is worth a watch.
Martin O'Neill quoting Groucho Marx at Gabby, live on radio...think I've seen it all now...
Enjoyed that, cheers for posting it.
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Pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t 'He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot.'
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FFS will we ever be rid of threads with the fat waster's name on them?
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FFS will we ever be rid of threads with the fat waster's name on them?
Every time I see a Gabby thread I think 'overdose?'
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Can we move this to memories as well please.
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Can’t stand the bloke.
What a waster.
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O'Neill's comments about Villa at the end were interesting too. And the fact that he let Gabby and Carew di whatever they wanted socially cos he liked them and they would usually deliver the goods on the pitch.
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FFS will we ever be rid of threads with the fat waster's name on them?
Say what you like but Gabs is a broadcasting legend now. They are milking him dry on talksport and at the moment he's filling their buckets with cringingly unsavoury stories about his days at Villa.
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Can we move this to memories as well please.
Seconded.
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Not one ounce of remorse from him or Richards for the years of poison leading to the relegation.
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Can we move this to memories as well please.
Seconded.
Thirded
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if you go to the start of this thread and read the positive comments on him at that point it makes me quite sad , He wasted the second part of his career really
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He's suffered through injury and being played out wide this campaign, but he'll be back next year with 12-14 goals.
And as a 12-14 goal striker who has a habit of scoring important goals, is this not the striker to play alongside Bent that everyone has just been scratching their heads about?
he's in his mid 20's and he's never scored 14 league goals in a single season yet.
think he's got 3 in this injury ridden season
i dont see why every time he scores for Villa which isnt very often we all have to think he's fantastic when he clearly isnt,
we bought Bent to score the goals the other strikers couldnt,
he has scored some important goals over the last 5 years, great, he's a local lad great, but he hasnt developed into the top class striker many people thought he would be,
he will be around for a few years yet, as there is no bigger team than Villa will come in to buy him,
but for me we need someone with a bit more skill, ball control and awarness to go alongside Bent, then we might have a really dangerous forward line to compete at a higher levelin the league
I think this summation from back in 2011 is spot on
From a poster that obviously knows what he’s talking about 😊
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He's suffered through injury and being played out wide this campaign, but he'll be back next year with 12-14 goals.
And as a 12-14 goal striker who has a habit of scoring important goals, is this not the striker to play alongside Bent that everyone has just been scratching their heads about?
he's in his mid 20's and he's never scored 14 league goals in a single season yet.
think he's got 3 in this injury ridden season
i dont see why every time he scores for Villa which isnt very often we all have to think he's fantastic when he clearly isnt,
we bought Bent to score the goals the other strikers couldnt,
he has scored some important goals over the last 5 years, great, he's a local lad great, but he hasnt developed into the top class striker many people thought he would be,
he will be around for a few years yet, as there is no bigger team than Villa will come in to buy him,
but for me we need someone with a bit more skill, ball control and awarness to go alongside Bent, then we might have a really dangerous forward line to compete at a higher levelin the league
I think this summation from back in 2011 is spot on
From a poster that obviously knows what he’s talking about 😊
One of the few topics we agreed to disagree on pal. I think, in hindsight, I concede the point to you.
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Ads is consistent in always looking on the bright side of Villa-life so there'll be no happy-clapper shaming here.
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He's suffered through injury and being played out wide this campaign, but he'll be back next year with 12-14 goals.
And as a 12-14 goal striker who has a habit of scoring important goals, is this not the striker to play alongside Bent that everyone has just been scratching their heads about?
he's in his mid 20's and he's never scored 14 league goals in a single season yet.
think he's got 3 in this injury ridden season
i dont see why every time he scores for Villa which isnt very often we all have to think he's fantastic when he clearly isnt,
we bought Bent to score the goals the other strikers couldnt,
he has scored some important goals over the last 5 years, great, he's a local lad great, but he hasnt developed into the top class striker many people thought he would be,
he will be around for a few years yet, as there is no bigger team than Villa will come in to buy him,
but for me we need someone with a bit more skill, ball control and awarness to go alongside Bent, then we might have a really dangerous forward line to compete at a higher levelin the league
I think this summation from back in 2011 is spot on
From a poster that obviously knows what he’s talking about 😊
One of the few topics we agreed to disagree on pal. I think, in hindsight, I concede the point to you.
Yes I think Center Backs might be the other one
I won’t mind in 10 years time conceding the point to you on that one
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I know folk want Gabby threads dead, but just recently interesting stuff about his time at Villa are coming up in his Talksport appearances. Worth checking this out, talking about Roy Keane's time at the Villa...
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I know folk want Gabby threads dead, but just recently interesting stuff about his time at Villa are coming up in his Talksport appearances. Worth checking this out, talking about Roy Keane's time at the Villa...
That's on the thread in the Villa History section mate. One of many when he seems to delight in how unprofessional he was back then. The fat twat.
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Oh, soz. Will stop bumping this thread then ;D
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I’m going to keep bumping it
so there
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I got banned for doing that.
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Does gobby not realise how badly he comes across on a lot of this. Hes the 1 who sounds like an unprofessional twat not keane.
The more he speaks the more i dislike him [the bar wasn't set to high anyway]