New Four Year Deal for Gabby

[eastie]

The thing is with Gabby, is that I think he's a lower half premier league player at best.Granted that makes him good enough for us at the moment.

However, is giving this type of player a long term, not inexpensive contract really the route we want to take?

I wouldn't mind keeping him as a squad player on around 20k a week tops.

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Totally agree- impact sub but shouldnt be a regular in the side - we need better in that position next season.

[olaftab]

For anyone who might be interested, the last time he scored and we lost was Dec 1st 2010. The cup match at small heath.
Last time he scored in a league game we lost was Blackburn away, Sept 26th 2009.
In fact I can only find 6 league games he's scored and and we lost. And 3 of those were Manure (a 2007, h 2007 a 2009) and the other two were Liverpool away (2006) and his debut at Everton. And the other game we lost he scored in was Rapid Feckin' Vienna (2010)

And what do you conclude from that, Watson?

[PeterWithesShin]

For anyone who might be interested, the last time he scored and we lost was Dec 1st 2010. The cup match at small heath.
Last time he scored in a league game we lost was Blackburn away, Sept 26th 2009.
In fact I can only find 6 league games he's scored and and we lost. And 3 of those were Manure (a 2007, h 2007 a 2009) and the other two were Liverpool away (2006) and his debut at Everton. And the other game we lost he scored in was Rapid Feckin' Vienna (2010)

And what do you conclude from that, Watson?

I have no idea. Gabby confuses me a lot.

[Rudy65]

Ridiculous decision.

He was great under MON but mediocre since.

No way worth a four year contract.

I know he is Villa through and through And all that bolloxs but a four year contract is crazy.

Best days are over

[robbo1874]

Personally I think gabby is lucky to be a regular in the side based on his displays - a new 4 year deal seems well over the top to me .

Who have we got that you'd play ahead of him, Eastie?

I'd be looking for better in that position in the summer , he'd be  a useful impact sub but I don't think he's done enough performance wise to merit a 4 year deal - his good days are too rare.

the point is, he's only got a year left on his contract, so if we fail to re-sign him, he can walk away for nothing next year if he wants.

I'd definitely be looking to re-sign him, but only within the parameters of the lower wage structure.

[Irish villain]

Great servant and I think he can have a role in the squad as a senior player in coming seasons.

He has been a solid player for us when we have been good and when we have struggled and I think the same would apply if we improved other areas of the team. He's also less about pace now and has improved other areas of his game.

[ozzjim]

He and Weimann badly need competition this summer. In fact, a central midfield player and 2 creative wide forwards that can open a defence would be all I would spend whatever the budget is this summer. Beyond that we have enough. Gabby has been great, but he has been really disappointing this season at home. We win without at home because we don't rely on his pace at all and thus play a more measured approach game.

[Rigadon]

You don't just discard your valued and experienced players. Not only that he's a good person to have around the club. He offers more than just his playing ability, and with Gabby the challenge is and always has been consistency. When he's hot he's verging on national team selection because he is that effective. But he has scored and set up some of the most important goals in our recent history. Goals that we can all recall because they were that crucial. He is tremendous ambassador for the club, does a lot of charity work, never complains and is a dedicated employee and servant. They don't just grow on trees and in an era where loyalty is practically a thing of the past it is refreshing to see him want to stay. And if anyone at the club is 100% behind the new direction that club wants to take it will be him. I'm sure he won't be poor after his new deal, but I'll bet he'll buy into the aims of the club and agree to a contract to allow the club to get in better players.

Well said.

[sid1964]

So he is a nice person who does charity work, to be honest i could not careless, for £50k a week I want to see what he does on the pitch, to me he is so average, what does he offer the team??? that is just madness offering him a 4 year deal, I thought as a club we had learned our lesson about paying players stupid wages but obviously not.

I am a nice person who does charity work, but my managers at work have never given me a pay rise because of it!!

[rob_bridge]

Gabby has scored 3 times this season, those goals have got us 7 points. Where would be without those points? Flipside, where would we be if he scored a few more?

Heskey had figures like that sometimes times and got slaughtered en masse by most whomever he was playing for.

[FranzBiberkopf]

I'm not for one minute suggesting that Gabby is in the same league, certainly in terms of consistency as Carlos Tevez, but I think a lot of what Conte recently said when defending Tevez's lack of goals in the CL....

"Conte responded to such criticisms in a voice thick with disdain. "I do not judge an attacker on the basis of the goals that he scores," he said. "I have been here for three years and I think you know by now how I judge my forwards. When an attacker scores but does not do the work they were supposed to do, then I am not happy with them. I judge on behalf of the team, you lot judge on individual performances."

Gabby does a heck of a lot for the team in terms of pulling defenders out of position, forcing them to defend deeper because of his pace, harrying them when they have the ball. This in turn opens up opportunities for Weimann and Benteke (or at least should).

[rob_bridge]

Perhaps if he wasn't undroppable he'd deliver more.

Perhaps if he was dropped more often, given a shorter deal on reduced basic / more performance related then he'd deliver more

[Bully2345]

For all the talk of lack of goals and performances, we look a much better side with Gabby in it as he is pretty much our only pace option. I'd be interested to see how he continues to modify his game as the pace reduces but we do need him for the next couple of years.

On a slightly different scale but look at how Manchester United struggle without pace. Reduces their effectiveness massively. It's something we need to improve too

[Fasth56]

Personally I think gabby is lucky to be a regular in the side based on his displays - a new 4 year deal seems well over the top to me .

Who have we got that you'd play ahead of him, Eastie?

I'd be looking for better in that position in the summer , he'd be  a useful impact sub but I don't think he's done enough performance wise to merit a 4 year deal - his good days are too rare.

the point is, he's only got a year left on his contract, so if we fail to re-sign him, he can walk away for nothing next year if he wants.

I'd definitely be looking to re-sign him, but only within the parameters of the lower wage structure.

Isn't there a ruling somewhere that says if the new contract is not as good as the old contract they have the right to walk away?

[JJ-AV]

Great news.