The Gabby Appreciation Thread - Update: 4 year deal

[Ads]

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.

[supertom]

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.

[Dribbler]

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?

[Nelly]

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.

[Nelly]

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.

[SoccerHQ]

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.

[supertom]

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.

[SoccerHQ]

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....

[tom jennings III]

Any news on Gabby's injury? Hopefully with over a week off until the baggies game he's got time to recover.

[placeforparks]

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.

[JJ-AV]

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.

[junxs]

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.

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

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.

[aj2k77]

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.

[bobdylan]

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.