The Gabby Appreciation Thread - Update: 4 year deal

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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.

[supertom]

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.

[Gregorys Boy]

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.

[rob_bridge]

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?

[QBVILLA]

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.

[supertom]

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.

[Dante Lavelli]

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.

[QBVILLA]

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.

[supertom]

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.

[supertom]

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.

[QBVILLA]

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.

[Toronto Villa]

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.