Fans affinity with the team

[not3bad]

I havent checked the attendances but it seems like they are going up versus last season. This just my imagination?

Noticed we got 37K against Fulham which was good considering they never bring many.

[ozzjim]

I read Lambert speaking about Norwich today, and being asked if he hoped both clubs would survive, he said no, he is focused on us, our team and that this is his club now. Compare that against what has gone before is very uplifting.

[ROBBO]

After watching the game three times now there are a couple of standout moments, one was after they equaliised,
our football improved, it seems as if they have a bit of steel in them now and a determination not to lose.The other was a Gabby chase down nearly leading to another chance. Little has been said about Gabby all the plaudits have gone elswhere but as one who has at times been his biggest critic i thought his effort over ninety minutes was superb.I do disagree over Richard Dunne i think he would have paired well with Vlaar and he would have done well with all the young kids.

[Irish villain]

After watching the game three times now there are a couple of standout moments, one was after they equaliised,
our football improved, it seems as if they have a bit of steel in them now and a determination not to lose.The other was a Gabby chase down nearly leading to another chance. Little has been said about Gabby all the plaudits have gone elswhere but as one who has at times been his biggest critic i thought his effort over ninety minutes was superb.I do disagree over Richard Dunne i think he would have paired well with Vlaar and he would have done well with all the young kids.

I thought Gabby was MOTM. He chased everything and constantly hassled for the ball. he really kept us ticking during the first half.

[eamonn]

Yeah, no one deserved a goal more than him. All that expounded energy came out in his goal celebration, he clearly felt the goal and plaudits for him were overdue.

[JD]

After watching the game three times now there are a couple of standout moments, one was after they equaliised,
our football improved, it seems as if they have a bit of steel in them now and a determination not to lose.The other was a Gabby chase down nearly leading to another chance. Little has been said about Gabby all the plaudits have gone elswhere but as one who has at times been his biggest critic i thought his effort over ninety minutes was superb.I do disagree over Richard Dunne i think he would have paired well with Vlaar and he would have done well with all the young kids.

I thought Gabby was MOTM. He chased everything and constantly hassled for the ball. he really kept us ticking during the first half.

Totally agree (apart from Gabby being MOM, I thought Lowton was), but Gabby is back on form. When he is on form and fit he must be a nightmare to play against as he has so much energy and chases down defenders so fast. It sometimes makes me want to go for a lie down just watching him.   

[ozzjim]

Yeah, no one deserved a goal more than him. All that expounded energy came out in his goal celebration, he clearly felt the goal and plaudits for him were overdue.

I think it's widely acknowledged that our form has been much better since Gabby got fully fit and accepted the role Lambert wants him to play. we all saw how much he brings to this formation against Fulham.

[nigel]

Gabby seems to be enjoying his football again.
It's as if a mountain of pressure has been lifted off his shoulders.

[olaftab]

I've posted when 'overtired' a few times 
At least you agreed with me! (now wondering which other thread you were reading) UTV!

No need to wonder. it's anything you have posted as you always make sense!

[Witton Warrior]

I thought Gabby was excellent on Monday - I always want him to do well as he is "one of us" but he urged the play forwards when the younger players held back - his experience shone through...

[richard moore]

This set up has given me back something that I thought had gone from football. The connectedness to the team has kept me going when they've been awful. I thought that this was epitomised by the crowd's reaction to Joe Bennett having a decent game on Monday - everything he did right was met with a roar of approval! This is really a feeling that these players are 'your own'.

I was trying to think what the hell I meant when I was thinking to myself this week that I'd always had faith. How did this align with the fact that there was a point when I was totally resigned to us going down? It's simply that I have felt that this is the way I want us to do things, to build a team I can relate to and support like I used to. I would actually rather support this team in any division than the team we had last year in the Prem - that is quite a revelation to me in terms of what actually matters.

Great post and exactly how I feel. It's this which separates me from, say, 90% of Chavski and Yanited fans

[Lastfootstamper]

I thought Gabby was excellent on Monday - I always want him to do well as he is "one of us" but he urged the play forwards when the younger players held back - his experience shone through...

There's a camera angle of Ron's tap-in from low down, looking towards the north stand. From it, I reckon Gabby let out the biggest roar in the ground when it went in!

[john e]

Gabby is now the talisman for the team,
I doubt if there is anyone on here who has not rated him more than me, even in his so called good seasons the only thing he offered was few important goals every now and then, and offered very little else

that's all changed this season,
 this is the best he's ever had by miles in my view, he's a different type of player now,
he's not under pressure to score all the time, there are others doing that job better than him, and its freed him to become a better footballer

 and he seems to cause a lot of problems for the opposition and not just because of his pace but his running off the ball, chasing down and not least his intelligent play

for me he's not back to his best, because his best was not that great,
 he's better than he ever was, he's never been this good before, he had a little spell under TSM that was similar but that didn't last, this time his form is consistant,
 and as I have said before, theres is no better sight for most Villa fans than Gabby scoring, you know it means the world to him, and us

[ozzjim]

Gabby is now the talisman for the team,
I doubt if there is anyone on here who has not rated him more than me, even in his so called good seasons the only thing he offered was few important goals every now and then, and offered very little else

that's all changed this season,
 this is the best he's ever had by miles in my view, he's a different type of player now,
he's not under pressure to score all the time, there are others doing that job better than him, and its freed him to become a better footballer

 and he seems to cause a lot of problems for the opposition and not just because of his pace but his running off the ball, chasing down and not least his intelligent play

for me he's not back to his best, because his best was not that great,
 he's better than he ever was, he's never been this good before, he had a little spell under TSM that was similar but that didn't last, this time his form is consistant,
 and as I have said before, theres is no better sight for most Villa fans than Gabby scoring, you know it means the world to him, and us

I have been impressed with his passing lately. I think coming to terms with and accepting football has moved on a 2 centre forwards is hard to accommodate, and with his pace coming from wide is much more threatening has taken him a long time, but he is there now, and it shows in his football.

[martin o`who??]

Its almost like watching a child grow up, you feel every bump with them, and each time it happens that bond grows a tiny bit stronger, i defy anyone with a heart not to have felt pity for some of `em during the winter when we all suffered together. Look at QPR, all those big money "dont give a fuck" signings and there was no bond between any of them, contrast that with the whole show on Monday night, i felt genuinley proud of every one of them after that, Boys are turning into Battle-hardened veterans before our eyes and i think it`s fucking wonderful.