Paul McGrath - don't worry

[darren woolley]

I'm just so glad I got to see God play many times it was a pleasure to watch him play a true genius and gentleman.

[rob_bridge]

It was one of those occasions when a transfer works out for all parties concerned - we got the best player any of us have ever seen, unfortunately they were able to build a title-winning team.

And they could afford big write downs before they did on some of their replacements for the drinkers too before they won the title. Dublin and Webb due to injury didn't work out and Phelan and Wallace didn't pull up too many trees.

However, Ince, Pallister, Parker, Irwin, Schmeichel and Cantona most certainly did.

[LeeB]

It was one of those occasions when a transfer works out for all parties concerned - we got the best player any of us have ever seen, unfortunately they were able to build a title-winning team.

And they could afford big write downs before they did on some of their replacements for the drinkers too before they won the title. Dublin and Webb due to injury didn't work out and Phelan and Wallace didn't pull up too many trees.

However, Ince, Pallister, Parker, Irwin, Schmeichel and Cantona most certainly did.

Amazing they did what they did with Pallister and Bruce at centre half, the big pair of lumbering oafs

[rob_bridge]

It was one of those occasions when a transfer works out for all parties concerned - we got the best player any of us have ever seen, unfortunately they were able to build a title-winning team.

And they could afford big write downs before they did on some of their replacements for the drinkers too before they won the title. Dublin and Webb due to injury didn't work out and Phelan and Wallace didn't pull up too many trees.

However, Ince, Pallister, Parker, Irwin, Schmeichel and Cantona most certainly did.

Amazing they did what they did with Pallister and Bruce at centre half, the big pair of lumbering oafs

TBF I rated Pallister, not Bruce. Hate to say it but Ince was pivotal pre the signing of Keane.

[LeeB]

It was one of those occasions when a transfer works out for all parties concerned - we got the best player any of us have ever seen, unfortunately they were able to build a title-winning team.

And they could afford big write downs before they did on some of their replacements for the drinkers too before they won the title. Dublin and Webb due to injury didn't work out and Phelan and Wallace didn't pull up too many trees.

However, Ince, Pallister, Parker, Irwin, Schmeichel and Cantona most certainly did.

Amazing they did what they did with Pallister and Bruce at centre half, the big pair of lumbering oafs

TBF I rated Pallister, not Bruce. Hate to say it but Ince was pivotal pre the signing of Keane.

Ince was a quality player, remember wanting to sign him the first time I saw him for West Ham when he scored an outrageously good goal at Villa Park.

Pallister and Bruce were alright to be fair, but nothing special

[Percy McCarthy]

I remember a match report in one of the papers after a Villa-Manure game that we must have won. Something like “Ferguson has spent a fortune on centre-halves trying to replace McGrath, and none of them are in the same class”.

[brontebilly]

Ferguson was a right snake trying to get McGrath to retire in those circumstances

Was it an insurance thing? i.e. They got paid more if he retired due to 'injury' than if he was sold on to someone else?

Yes, they wanted the insurance payout to retire him. Whether it was going to be more or less than what we paid I don't know. I just think pushing an alcoholic to take that kind of cash to retire even back then was outrageous. Then again empathy wasn't something that Ferguson needed to be successful.

[SaddVillan]

Ferguson was a right snake trying to get McGrath to retire in those circumstances

I don't blame him to be honest. There was a hardened drinking culture with people like McGrath, Whitside and Robson, and he obviously had to clear it up. McGrath was widely seen as the worst culprit at the time.

Read a while back that Yanited got rid of God because he was (in Fergie's estimation) the easiest of the trio to replace in terms of position and contribution to the overall team effort.

[pauliewalnuts]

Ferguson was a right snake trying to get McGrath to retire in those circumstances

I don't blame him to be honest. There was a hardened drinking culture with people like McGrath, Whitside and Robson, and he obviously had to clear it up. McGrath was widely seen as the worst culprit at the time.

Yeah, I don't blame Ferguson, he had to get shot of all three to sort it out properly.

As Woodhall said, a good move for all parties concerned.

[RamboandBruno]

Ferguson was a right snake trying to get McGrath to retire in those circumstances

I don't blame him to be honest. There was a hardened drinking culture with people like McGrath, Whitside and Robson, and he obviously had to clear it up. McGrath was widely seen as the worst culprit at the time.

Read a while back that Yanited got rid of God because he was (in Fergie's estimation) the easiest of the trio to replace in terms of position and contribution to the overall team effort.

m
Given how much they struggled in 89-90, he was lucky to get away with that decision.

[Rory]

This has almost certainly been posted before, so apologies, but this is one of my favourites:

[Rico]

Forest away in the season that we finished runners up to Man Ure was imo the best performance in have ever seen from any Villa player. He glided around the pitch like a God. He was sublime and quite simply on a different level to anyone else on the pitch that day. Magnificent.

[Somniloquism]

Ryan Gigg's look when he didn't win the award. I pity his girlfriend that night.

[Villan For Life]

Forest away in the season that we finished runners up to Man Ure was imo the best performance in have ever seen from any Villa player. He glided around the pitch like a God. He was sublime and quite simply on a different level to anyone else on the pitch that day. Magnificent.

Like a God? Hmmmmm......

[Rico]

All about opinions isn't it? In my opinion he was on a different level to anyone on the pitch that day. He was one or two steps ahead of play throughout. Magnificent.