Matthew Lowton

[saunders_heroes]

Good luck to him. The fact that we can so easily remember his few good moments tells you all you need to know about his general lack of quality and consistency.

I disagree - I think it says more that his good moments have been astonishingly good.

The Stoke goal was unquestionably the best moment of Lambert's first season and from the thread a few weeks ago the West Brom penalty that he won (although clearly less spectacular on his part) seemed to win the vote for the best moment of the season just gone.

Somebody like say, Luke Young was a far more consistent right-back but I think people would struggle to come up with a list of specific great moments in his Villa career like you can with Lowton.

I wonder how Gary Cahill would be remembered as a Villa player without "that goal"?

Cahill was a terrific prospect who was a cut above every other player who come out of our academy around that time, and that's not hindsight speaking either. I couldn't believe O'Neill let him go so easily. So yeah he'll be remembered for that goal against Small Heath but lots of us knew he would become a special player and were gutted to see him go.

[Toronto Villa]

My point being that if he didn't score that goal most of us wouldn't recall much about him other than being a good prospect of which we have had many over the years. Like Lowton initially most saw huge potential in him and the goals he scored and the assists helped mask some of the defensive flaws in his game. Not saying that could have happened with Cahill and as it turned out he went on via Bolton to become a very good player. I'm just saying to skews our view of Cahill a little to being better than he probably was at the time.

[saunders_heroes]

Can only speak for myself but I thought Cahill was a terrific prospect and was gutted to see him go. My opinion on Lowton from the off was that he was out of his depth in the PL and I never changed my mind in all the time he was here. The sooner he's gone (and most of the other "young and hungry" rubbish from that era) the better.

[silhillvilla]

MON selling Cahill still angers me. He was useless as a manager defensively. Useless.

[old man villa fan]

Can only speak for myself but I thought Cahill was a terrific prospect and was gutted to see him go. My opinion on Lowton from the off was that he was out of his depth in the PL and I never changed my mind in all the time he was here. The sooner he's gone (and most of the other "young and hungry" rubbish from that era) the better.

You could see that Cahill was going to make it to the highest level.  He was more than just a prospect but MON did not like him saying that he wanted first team football after he had gone out and spent heavily on central defenders.  It was clear to me that Cahill was good enough and should have gone on to captain the team.  The composure he had on the ball, even at that age, was a sign that he could play at the top level of the PL.

[silhillvilla]

What makes it worse is he sold Cahill for peanuts then spent millions on dross like cuellar, knight, Collins and dunne.  pubeheaded bell end.

[saunders_heroes]

Can only speak for myself but I thought Cahill was a terrific prospect and was gutted to see him go. My opinion on Lowton from the off was that he was out of his depth in the PL and I never changed my mind in all the time he was here. The sooner he's gone (and most of the other "young and hungry" rubbish from that era) the better.

You could see that Cahill was going to make it to the highest level.  He was more than just a prospect but MON did not like him saying that he wanted first team football after he had gone out and spent heavily on central defenders.  It was clear to me that Cahill was good enough and should have gone on to captain the team.  The composure he had on the ball, even at that age, was a sign that he could play at the top level of the PL.

And it still grates that we let him go so easily when he should have stayed and captained the team as our best centreback since McGrath. I still can't get my head around why O'Neill let him go so easily. A pathetic decision.
Lowton on the other hand wasn't fit to lace his boots.

[saunders_heroes]

What makes it worse is he sold Cahill for peanuts then spent millions on dross like cuellar, knight, Collins and dunne.  pubeheaded bell end.

Though I'd take those players over any of the dross we've got now.

[silhillvilla]

What makes it worse is he sold Cahill for peanuts then spent millions on dross like cuellar, knight, Collins and dunne.  pubeheaded bell end.

Though I'd take those players over any of the dross we've got now.

Zat Knight over Clark ? Dunne over Okore ? Cuellar over Richards ?
Behave

[saunders_heroes]

What makes it worse is he sold Cahill for peanuts then spent millions on dross like cuellar, knight, Collins and dunne.  pubeheaded bell end.

Though I'd take those players over any of the dross we've got now.

Zat Knight over Clark ? Dunne over Okore ? Cuellar over Richards ?
Behave

Yep.

[Dave]

My point being that if he didn't score that goal most of us wouldn't recall much about him other than being a good prospect of which we have had many over the years. Like Lowton initially most saw huge potential in him and the goals he scored and the assists helped mask some of the defensive flaws in his game. Not saying that could have happened with Cahill and as it turned out he went on via Bolton to become a very good player. I'm just saying to skews our view of Cahill a little to being better than he probably was at the time.

Hmm...I'm pretty certain that anybody that our academy produces that we let go for relative peanuts that goes on to win Premier League titles, European cups and becomes the first choice defender for England will be thought of as an opportunity missed, whether they score the occasional amazing goal or not.

[silhillvilla]

My point being that if he didn't score that goal most of us wouldn't recall much about him

Couldn't disagree more. Having watched him live at the time for a year or so , you could already see his qualities as a defender and an out and out leader. That goal, whilst superb, was just a bonus on top of the day to day he'd already shown he was a class above at.

[eamonn]

Not defending MON but didn't we have a pretty decent defensive record in his final two years?

[brontebilly]

MON selling Cahill still angers me. He was useless as a manager defensively. Useless.

The goals against stats during his time at the club would suggest otherwise

Cahill got plenty of games in MONs first season. MON rated Curtis Davies higher though and bought him to partner Laursen the next summer if I recall correctly. Cahill was always a composed sort on the ball but a little soft physically back then. Davies would have been higher rated generally back then.though he later ran out of patience with Davies, Knight, Cuellar and went in for Collins and Dunne.

Cahill naturally wasn't happy and ended up with Gary Megson at Bolton so he didn't have much choices. Remember John Carew tearing him a new one a couple of times. Fair play to him for coming back and winning league and European titles with Chelski. Think JT makes him look a better player than he is but has well and truly proved MON wrong, as has Steven Davis.

No chance of Matt Lowton doing likewise

[Dave]

No chance of Matt Lowton doing likewise

I don't think anybody has suggested that he is going to.