Gregory on Talksport now

[eamonn]

It's pretty clear that he regrets resigning. It was the biggest mistake of his career. He probably wouldn't have lasted much longer - moreso for the continued strain on his relationship with Ellis than for our steady-eddie record under him.

Likeable in his manner but I was always  pissed off at the false dawn under him. Forget the first half of the '98/99 season when we were top in mid-January. I refer to the previous season. I could never figure out how he oversaw the best sustained run of easy-on-the-eye football I've seen as a Villa fan in his first dozen games in charge (the 9 wins and 2 league defeats and glorious failure to Atletico in the Uefa Cup when he took over from Brian Little in Feb '98) but was never able to replicate it. Instead we slowly got increasingly more dour. I guess the loss of Yorke impacted hugely but the football we played with a young, emerging Hendrie, Milosevic, Collymore and even Joachim was a revelation to watch at the time.

[Mortimer's Bear]

His handling of the SVC situation was poor to say the least.

[gervilla]

His handling of the SVC situation was poor to say the least.

Now that is an understatement.

[saunders_heroes]

His handling of the SVC situation was poor to say the least.

Now that is an understatement.

Don't remember many disagreeing with him at the time though.

[SoccerHQ]

That's true SH although times have changed.

Just looking at his record and the numbers and finishing positions aren't on the whole that different to MON.

[VILLA MOLE]

i find it mad that he lost all heart and interest in the job because he couldnt sign a player,  i wonder how David Moyes copes ?

[Dave Cooper please]

His handling of the SVC situation was poor to say the least.

Now that is an understatement.

Don't remember many disagreeing with him at the time though.

Some of us who had a little bit of understanding about depression did.

[not3bad]

I work with a guy who's married to his daughter.

That's interesting.

A reflection of how action packed my afternoon at work was.

[villan from luton]

Remember taking my then young lad to Wycombe for Collymores first game in England in pre season friendly. Lad wanted a pee, so went into the ticket room and some snobby bint told me there was nowhere around. Out came the Wycombe manager at the time John Gregory who took us to the Wycombe club bar and had a quick soft drink with us, he was pleased to hear me going on about his two goals in 78//79 v Liverpool on easter monday. Think he wore just about every number shirt that season. Nice bloke who had a great fondness for the club and seemingly still does, but did make a mug of himself while managing us. He seemed to believe all the hype being written about him.

[dave.woodhall]

It's pretty clear that he regrets resigning. It was the biggest mistake of his career. He probably wouldn't have lasted much longer - moreso for the continued strain on his relationship with Ellis than for our steady-eddie record under him.

Likeable in his manner but I was always  pissed off at the false dawn under him. Forget the first half of the '98/99 season when we were top in mid-January. I refer to the previous season. I could never figure out how he oversaw the best sustained run of easy-on-the-eye football I've seen as a Villa fan in his first dozen games in charge (the 9 wins and 2 league defeats and glorious failure to Atletico in the Uefa Cup when he took over from Brian Little in Feb '98) but was never able to replicate it. Instead we slowly got increasingly more dour. I guess the loss of Yorke impacted hugely but the football we played with a young, emerging Hendrie, Milosevic, Collymore and even Joachim was a revelation to watch at the time.

Because he knew from 2000 onwards that the next bad run of results would get him sacked so he made not losing his main priority.

[garyshawsknee]

I found it strange that after a half decent time at Villa,no other premier team went for Gregory,and he slipped out if the game.

[usav]

Because he knew from 2000 onwards that the next bad run of results would get him sacked so he made not losing his main priority.

Unfortunately he went into the Cup Final with that mentality and we lost to a very poor Chelsea team.   For that alone, I will never forgive him, nevermind any of his other nonsense he got up to.

[dcdavecollett]

I wonder if there was any manager anywhere in the world who had a better record than JG in the eleven months between Feb 28th 1998 and the end of Jan '99.

I can never think of Gregory without thinking about what might have happened if Luc Nilis(what a player!) hadn't suffered such a terrible injury in 2000.

[Pat McMahon]

Because he knew from 2000 onwards that the next bad run of results would get him sacked so he made not losing his main priority.

Unfortunately he went into the Cup Final with that mentality and we lost to a very poor Chelsea team.   For that alone, I will never forgive him, nevermind any of his other nonsense he got up to.

I have to disagree on the assessment of that Chelsea team.

I know we were shite, and it is a day I have almost blocked out of my memory, but look at some of the players in their team : Leboeuf, Desailly and Deschamps were all world champions and about to win Euro 2000; Weah hwas world class and Zola was one of the best in England; and Di Mateo, Poyet and Wise were hardly shite, though the latter is unquestionably a shitehawk.

Our team of competent English journeymen were not in the same league as them, certainly not on a big stage.

[curiousorange]

Because he knew from 2000 onwards that the next bad run of results would get him sacked so he made not losing his main priority.

Unfortunately he went into the Cup Final with that mentality and we lost to a very poor Chelsea team.   For that alone, I will never forgive him, nevermind any of his other nonsense he got up to.

I have to disagree on the assessment of that Chelsea team.

I know we were shite, and it is a day I have almost blocked out of my memory, but look at some of the players in their team : Leboeuf, Desailly and Deschamps were all world champions and about to win Euro 2000; Weah hwas world class and Zola was one of the best in England; and Di Mateo, Poyet and Wise were hardly shite, though the latter is unquestionably a shitehawk.

Our team of competent English journeymen were not in the same league as them, certainly not on a big stage.

We'll never know, since we never had a gameplan against them other than to stink the place out and hope for a fluky bobble to Merson. And to be honest, I think if we had have given it a go we'd have beaten them, because their own winner came courtesy of a portable banana skin Mario Melchiot found under the soles of his boot.

Gregory was always one of my favourite managers, but that FA Cup Final is my single biggest disappointment in all my years of following Villa. There have been some horrible moments I've had to take on the chin, but none of them still cause instant upset like that game.