Stephen Warnock - loaned to Bolton Wanderers (reply #231)

[Risso]

In my 57 years of going to Villa Park I only ever booed one player. And he was a left back, good enough to be in the England squad and a good  defender for The Villa. Then in 1977 he appeared to suffer from a loss of form, forwards were going past him as if he wasn't there, couldn't get tackles in, his passing was abysmal and we all got on his back booing every mistimed tackle or misplaced pass. Thirty Five years on and I still feel ashamed when I think about that time.
The players name was John Robson and in 1978 he had to retire because he was suffering with the onset of Multiple Sclerosis.
We didn't know this when we booed him, all we saw was a footballer who apparently had gone from being a good player to being crap in a short space of time and we all thought that he just didn't give a toss any more.
I'm not saying that Warnock is suffering from any illness, but you don't go from being good enough for the England squad to being a rubbish player in two short years without something being wrong somewhere. Hopefully AM and his staff can help him sort out whatever is wrong with him be it a lack of confidence or something else.
Those of you who booed him on Wednesday should pause and think that footballers like the rest of us have things going on that now and again affect the way we do our jobs.

Now and then?  Warnock has been playing like a drain for ages now.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

In my 57 years of going to Villa Park I only ever booed one player. And he was a left back, good enough to be in the England squad and a good  defender for The Villa. Then in 1977 he appeared to suffer from a loss of form, forwards were going past him as if he wasn't there, couldn't get tackles in, his passing was abysmal and we all got on his back booing every mistimed tackle or misplaced pass. Thirty Five years on and I still feel ashamed when I think about that time.
The players name was John Robson and in 1978 he had to retire because he was suffering with the onset of Multiple Sclerosis.
We didn't know this when we booed him, all we saw was a footballer who apparently had gone from being a good player to being crap in a short space of time and we all thought that he just didn't give a toss any more.
I'm not saying that Warnock is suffering from any illness, but you don't go from being good enough for the England squad to being a rubbish player in two short years without something being wrong somewhere. Hopefully AM and his staff can help him sort out whatever is wrong with him be it a lack of confidence or something else.
Those of you who booed him on Wednesday should pause and think that footballers like the rest of us have things going on that now and again affect the way we do our jobs.

Now and then?  Warnock has been playing like a drain for ages now.

As much as i admire your sentiment TLP. Warnock gets paid thousands of pounds a week, gets the best coaching available along with access to many avenues of help provided by the club. If i was not doing my job on a consistent basis i would lose my job. He has been terible for a long period and he has to be dropped and replaced in the summer. Baker or bring Delph back until the end of the season .......

[hawkeye]

Warnock is a very decent footballer with a pork sausage for a brain, it is such a pity because on his game and on form he is very good, but what we are seeing is a mental breakdown, something not quite right here.

[adrenachrome]

Warnock is a very decent footballer with a pork sausage for a brain, it is such a pity because on his game and on form he is very good, but what we are seeing is a mental breakdown, something not quite right here.

Sadly, I have to agree.

I didn't boo the chap because he always puts the effort in, never bottles a 50/50 and puts his body on the line for important blocks time and again,  but I described his current manifestation after the Swansea match as 21st Century Schizoid Man, and he is doing a pretty decent job of it.

[Rigadon]

He is just very, very error prone and unusually unlucky to boot.  He slips over at the wrong time, he makes a dodgy pass and more often than not it goes straight to the oppositions playmaker on he edge of our penalty area rather than out of play.   We seem to have a bit of a curse with left backs.  After Bouma's career-ender, I remember Nicky Shorey coming here with a solid reputation but slowly descending into bad form and zero confidence.  The best left back we've had over the past 2 seasons has been a right back (L Young). 

As for Warnock, he started so well but it's hard to see how he comes back form this in a Villa shirt and is set to join JLloyd Samuel and Shorey as once international fringe players who end up somewhere like Bolton or the baggies.   

[Dave]

I was playing with my fantasy team this morning and was on the lookout for a new defender.

I was interested to note that the only defenders in the league with a higher score this season than Warnock were Baines, Jose Enrique, Walker, Evra and Assou-Ekotto.

Obviously I have eyes and can see that Warnock is always an accident waiting to happen and the above is merely is statistic-based sideshow but is it possible that he is also doing some good stuff as well?

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Really not seeing this "Warnock is a decent player" theory. Ye he came on at half time against wolves and was ok because Albrighton had been told to come back to mark Jarvis making his job straight forward. Nathan Dyer battered him. Against Everton he forced a top save from Given and now the worst "own goal" of the season. The rest of the games he has varied from ok-terrible. There is no one on here that can say they would not rather have Luke Young as left back right now ?? And that says it all .....

[LeeB]

Really not seeing this "Warnock is a decent player" theory. Ye he came on at half time against wolves and was ok because Albrighton had been told to come back to mark Jarvis making his job straight forward. Nathan Dyer battered him. Against Everton he forced a top save from Given and now the worst "own goal" of the season. The rest of the games he has varied from ok-terrible. There is no one on here that can say they would not rather have Luke Young as left back right now ?? And that says it all .....

As it happens, I thought Young struggled on Wednesday night.

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Really not seeing this "Warnock is a decent player" theory. Ye he came on at half time against wolves and was ok because Albrighton had been told to come back to mark Jarvis making his job straight forward. Nathan Dyer battered him. Against Everton he forced a top save from Given and now the worst "own goal" of the season. The rest of the games he has varied from ok-terrible. There is no one on here that can say they would not rather have Luke Young as left back right now ?? And that says it all .....

As it happens, I thought Young struggled on Wednesday night.

 Not for one second did he look like scoring an own goal though !!

[LeeB]

Really not seeing this "Warnock is a decent player" theory. Ye he came on at half time against wolves and was ok because Albrighton had been told to come back to mark Jarvis making his job straight forward. Nathan Dyer battered him. Against Everton he forced a top save from Given and now the worst "own goal" of the season. The rest of the games he has varied from ok-terrible. There is no one on here that can say they would not rather have Luke Young as left back right now ?? And that says it all .....

As it happens, I thought Young struggled on Wednesday night.

 Not for one second did he look like scoring an own goal though !!

True.

[eric woolban woolban]

He seems to be decent at injuring opposition players with his last ditch block attempts.

[villadelph]

He seems to be decent at injuring opposition players with his last ditch block attempts.

You've got to give it to the man, though. He would jump in front of a train for the Villa.

[Phil from the upper holte]

I thought he was better today injured 2 of their players not bad going

[dave.woodhall]

He seems to be decent at injuring opposition players with his last ditch block attempts.

You've got to give it to the man, though. He would jump in front of a train for the Villa.

i am NOT going to say I wish he bloody would.

[curiousorange]

I seem to recall there was a big clamour to bring him back for the Carling Cup Final even though we all knew he wouldn't be 100%. I can't recall him having a decent game since then. The only positive moment of note I can think of was the cross for Heskey's header at Wolves. Last season.