Paul McGrath - don't worry

[Chris Jameson]

Just to go back a few years, I remember being at Villa Park when we beat Charlton 11-1         ( 1959 ) and Leicester City 8-3 ( 1962 ). 23 goals in 2 games !.
Incidentally , we beat Leics City away, only 10 years ago in 2004 , 5 -nil.......Godzvilla!

We scored 5 past Wimbledon in 1997 as well. 

Didn't we stick seven past them in the nineties as well?

[joe_c]

In my youth I used to play Gaelic Football and had to miss the 6-2 as we had a game that day. That the opposition never showed up for which was and remains a regular issue with the GAA but by that point it was too late to get to Villa Park. In my minds eye, I m sure I got home seconds before Cowans scored the opening goal but that could just be caused by the way the 1989/90 Season's highlights video was edited.

[kieron]

My overriding feelings/memories of Sir Paul, standing on the Holte as a 14/15/16 year old(ish) lad, was that I'd always exhale with a clear degree of calmness when the ball was close to him, rather than inhale with that swift intake of breath.

You know, that sound a tradesman makes when he's here to tell you your boiler's fucked or your bath's leaking into your kitchen and it's going to cost you your pay cheque to fix it.

I've never had that feeling of confidence in one of our players ever since. He was unique. Simply irreplaceable.

[FrankyH]

My overriding feelings/memories of Sir Paul, standing on the Holte as a 14/15/16 year old(ish) lad, was that I'd always exhale with clear degree of calmness when the ball was close to him, rather than inhale with that swift intake of breath.

You know, that sound a tradesman makes when he's here to tell you your boiler's fucked or your bath's leaking into your kitchen and it's going to cost you your pay cheque to fix it.

I've never had that feeling of confidence in one of our players ever since. He was unique. Simply irreplaceable.

This, I think the nearest a player has got to installing that confidence in Villa fans is Laursen , but as you say Macca was unique.

[brontebilly]

My overriding feelings/memories of Sir Paul, standing on the Holte as a 14/15/16 year old(ish) lad, was that I'd always exhale with clear degree of calmness when the ball was close to him, rather than inhale with that swift intake of breath.

You know, that sound a tradesman makes when he's here to tell you your boiler's fucked or your bath's leaking into your kitchen and it's going to cost you your pay cheque to fix it.

I've never had that feeling of confidence in one of our players ever since. He was unique. Simply irreplaceable.

This, I think the nearest a player has got to installing that confidence in Villa fans is Laursen , but as you say Macca was unique.

Laursen gave his all for the cause but had nowhere near the class of McGrath. Id argue Southgate and Mellberg to mention two were better defenders than Laursen for us. I seem to remember Laursen getting sold with dummy's a lot, spending a lot of his time on the ground and being a bit last ditch generally. 

McGrath, and then Dwight Yorke for me, over the past 25 years watching the club stand out as exceptional past players. Gareth Barry wouldnt be far behind, didnt have the ability of those two but consistently a top player for us over a long time. Young and Benteke of a more recent vintage maybe the next tier down.

you look at the crew we have today and just shake your head

[Dave]

Laursen gave his all for the cause but had nowhere near the class of McGrath. Id argue Southgate and Mellberg to mention two were better defenders than Laursen for us. I seem to remember Laursen getting sold with dummy's a lot, spending a lot of his time on the ground and being a bit last ditch generally. 

Quite right - Laursen was amazing at the last ditch "throw yourself in front of the ball" type defending, but the best defenders should never be in a position to need to do that.

McGrath (and others cut from the same cloth - Baresi, Maldini, Cannavaro) hardly ever needed to throw themselves anywhere because they'd calmly taken possession of the ball five seconds earlier.

[peter w]

He simply was brilliant.  Wasn't he player of the season every season before he played less and was eventually sold on? Says it all. He was what you would call genuine world class by whatever yardstick you measure it by.

[Lastfootstamper]

Laursen gave his all for the cause but had nowhere near the class of McGrath. Id argue Southgate and Mellberg to mention two were better defenders than Laursen for us. I seem to remember Laursen getting sold with dummy's a lot, spending a lot of his time on the ground and being a bit last ditch generally. 

Quite right - Laursen was amazing at the last ditch "throw yourself in front of the ball" type defending, but the best defenders should never be in a position to need to do that.

McGrath (and others cut from the same cloth - Baresi, Maldini, Cannavaro) hardly ever needed to throw themselves anywhere because they'd calmly taken possession of the ball five seconds earlier.

I vaguely recall an England game yonks back. Bulgaria or Romania, can't remember if it was Hagi or Stoichkov that Southgate kept in his pocket. One tackle he made in the game. His partner, the king of the last-ditch, Sol Campbell, made something like 16. The reason why it's (sort of) stuck in my mind all these years was the following day's press reports, which gave Campbell MotM, whilst our Gareth's contribution earned him a score of about 4 out of 10. It was a moment in time which summed up for me what the general British attitude was, and still is, towards how a centre-half should be. I used to love the Italian on Channel 4, along with watching the great man around that time, and to see the likes of McGrath and Baresi plying their trade, well, it was art.

[eamonn]

Think it's been said before but anytime I see a thread on Paul McGrath suddenly updated I fear the worst.

[rob_bridge]

LFS - spot on.

The English fans and press almost to a man doted on JT as he threw himself in front of the ball - usually because of his piss poor positional play. He ain't good enough to wipe McGrath's arse.

[dave shelley]

Sadly, it seems that in England (Britain) cultured defending is very much under appreciated.

[john e]

how many times in a season did you see McGrath go into a lost cause challenge and somehow calmly come away with the ball

that's the memory of McGrath for me the hundreds of occasions when I just thought 'how did he do that'

[rob_bridge]

Maybe I'm biased but aside from Baresi as a centre half at the time late 80's - mid 90's I can't think of a Central Defender his equal.
I honestly can't think of (m)any since other than Maldini when he moved from LB.

[Chris Jameson]

I think he didn't train during the week because it wouldn't have fair on whoever he was up against at the weekend. He was wonderful.

[KevinGage]

Laursen gave his all for the cause but had nowhere near the class of McGrath. Id argue Southgate and Mellberg to mention two were better defenders than Laursen for us. I seem to remember Laursen getting sold with dummy's a lot, spending a lot of his time on the ground and being a bit last ditch generally. 

Quite right - Laursen was amazing at the last ditch "throw yourself in front of the ball" type defending, but the best defenders should never be in a position to need to do that.

McGrath (and others cut from the same cloth - Baresi, Maldini, Cannavaro) hardly ever needed to throw themselves anywhere because they'd calmly taken possession of the ball five seconds earlier.

I vaguely recall an England game yonks back. Bulgaria or Romania, can't remember if it was Hagi or Stoichkov that Southgate kept in his pocket. One tackle he made in the game. His partner, the king of the last-ditch, Sol Campbell, made something like 16. The reason why it's (sort of) stuck in my mind all these years was the following day's press reports, which gave Campbell MotM, whilst our Gareth's contribution earned him a score of about 4 out of 10. It was a moment in time which summed up for me what the general British attitude was, and still is, towards how a centre-half should be. I used to love the Italian on Channel 4, along with watching the great man around that time, and to see the likes of McGrath and Baresi plying their trade, well, it was art.

I think you've touched on something there with Southgate.

He wasn't great in the air, particularly strong or blessed with a turn of pace.

But he read the game pretty well.

Which is why talking about McGrath reading the game well undersells him.   He did that, and somehow managed to make it all look as easy as a beach kickabout. 

I've seen lack of pace mentioned a few times too. It would be easy to think he had little>no pace because of his knee.  But I remember more than one occasion when he needed to hit the afterburners and could do it. 

I even recall a mad dart up the wing against Forest away when he crossed for us to score.  He had pace when required.  He just didn't have to rely on it.