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.
