I'd be tempted to say pace. He never looked very quick when he ran and I don't think he was, but he always seemed to get to the ball before the opponent. Other than that he never scored that many goals, although he still got a few.
Quote from: WarszaVillan82 on February 24, 2021, 01:04:42 PMI'd be tempted to say pace. He never looked very quick when he ran and I don't think he was, but he always seemed to get to the ball before the opponent. Other than that he never scored that many goals, although he still got a few.No, he had pace, and plenty of it. He just rarely had to use it because his reading of the game was so good.I watched the MOTD highlights recently of us beating Liverpool at Anfield in '93, there's a moment in the second half when Rosentahl, who was no slouch, was slipped in, and God just turned on the afterburners over 5-10 yards, made up the ground, executed a perfect tackle and walked off with the ball.
Poignant moment in the Jack Charlton documentary last night. Charlton could barely recall his own name or recognise himself in pictures.But recognised McGrath and his whole face lit up as soon as he seen a video of him.
Fantastic documentary. That moment was the most memorable for me too. McGrath featured heavily too and I loved to the little highlights reel of God vs Italy in USA 94.
During his time at Villa he was the best defender in the world and I'm certain Barresi or Maldini couldn't have done what Macca did versus Italy that day. It makes me shout at the telly when I see these Sky discussions about the best Premier League defender ever because the John Terrys, Rio Ferdinands etc do not come close to Paul McGrath. It's a travesty Macca hasn't more medals to show for his efforts but I hope the admiration, love and respect folk have for him make up for that.
God doesn't need the medals, I've never known a player that cuts through rivalries like he did, I'd talk to any fans of other clubs down the years and they'd always agree he was a great player, no ifs or buts.
Quote from: Billy Walker on March 30, 2021, 10:10:45 AMDuring his time at Villa he was the best defender in the world and I'm certain Barresi or Maldini couldn't have done what Macca did versus Italy that day. It makes me shout at the telly when I see these Sky discussions about the best Premier League defender ever because the John Terrys, Rio Ferdinands etc do not come close to Paul McGrath. It's a travesty Macca hasn't more medals to show for his efforts but I hope the admiration, love and respect folk have for him make up for that.I think he's more than happy with the support, love and affection he's held in.I saw a discussion the other day that suggested he wasn't even considered to be one of Ireland's best players. The Keanes were popular, Brady too but McGrath didn't get much o a mention.
During his time at Villa he was the best defender in the world and I'm certain Barresi or Maldini couldn't have done what Macca did versus Italy that day.
He is universally loved, even by those that aren't football fans. I have always thought that it is a widely held view that he is our nailed on world-class player. All the others can be debated.
I know it's sacrilige to question any part of his game but being too young to appreciate his true genius consistently, I'd still like to hear of any weaknesses.