Gabby

[Jimbo]

Are some seriously trying to somehow blame Lerner for Agbonlahor's attitude and lack of fitness?! I'm not a fan of our owner but there is only one person to blame here, you can almost guarantee those saying it should have been kept in house would be demanding to know why he isn't available for the next three matches.

I'm delighted the lazy, fat fuck has been outed and hopefully we won't see him stinking the place out again next season.

No, rather that Lerner has presided over an institution that not only allowed Gabby to coast, but rewarded him for it.

[aj2k77]

Lerner is to blame to a degree though, that summer, if we had of had any money to spend do you think the manager wouldn't have replaced Gabby with someone else if he had the chance? We spent a pittance that summer .

That fact that we didn't buy another striker is hardly the reason why he's put on weight.

You're missing the point as usual. The weight wasn't the issue being discussed, him being crap is, as he was back when he signed the new contract, he's just got worse. If Aston Villa had of had any decent sum of money to spend then we would not have been likely to have given another contract to a Striker who was averaging 5 goals a season his last few years, we would have replaced him.

[Dave]

Lerner is to blame to a degree though, that summer, if we had of had any money to spend do you think the manager wouldn't have replaced Gabby with someone else if he had the chance? We spent a pittance that summer .

That fact that we didn't buy another striker is hardly the reason why he's put on weight.

You're missing the point as usual. The weight wasn't the issue being discussed, him being crap is, as he was back when he signed the new contract, he's just got worse. If Aston Villa had of had any decent sum of money to spend then we would not have been likely to have given another contract to a Striker who was averaging 5 goals a season his last few years, we would have replaced him.

A decent sum of money in addition to the £15m that we spent on strikers in the summer?

[placeforparks]

McLiesh, Lambert, Sherwood and Garde all failed to deal with this issue that has been apparent to us as supporters for years.

sounded like garde did try to deal with it - http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11677/10107638/aston-villa-fitness-levels-needed-to-be-improved-says-remi-garde

but he had no support from those above him and with a clique ruling the roost in the dressing room, he seemingly gave up...

[glasses]

Lerner is to blame to a degree though, that summer, if we had of had any money to spend do you think the manager wouldn't have replaced Gabby with someone else if he had the chance? We spent a pittance that summer .

That fact that we didn't buy another striker is hardly the reason why he's put on weight.

You're missing the point as usual. The weight wasn't the issue being discussed, him being crap is, as he was back when he signed the new contract, he's just got worse. If Aston Villa had of had any decent sum of money to spend then we would not have been likely to have given another contract to a Striker who was averaging 5 goals a season his last few years, we would have replaced him.

Gabby's contract extension would have been approx £10m over 3 years, which is startling for one, but you can't then say that Villa weren't spending money. They were just spending it incorrectly, as usual.

[Matt C]

The club that has afforded him the life he now enjoys (too much by the look of it) needed something from him in our hour of need and he went missing. It will take some comeback to excuse that.

However, the complacent and lazy management culture that has allowed it to develop is just as poisonous and it plagues this club - for now.

[aj2k77]

Lerner is to blame to a degree though, that summer, if we had of had any money to spend do you think the manager wouldn't have replaced Gabby with someone else if he had the chance? We spent a pittance that summer .

That fact that we didn't buy another striker is hardly the reason why he's put on weight.

You're missing the point as usual. The weight wasn't the issue being discussed, him being crap is, as he was back when he signed the new contract, he's just got worse. If Aston Villa had of had any decent sum of money to spend then we would not have been likely to have given another contract to a Striker who was averaging 5 goals a season his last few years, we would have replaced him.

A decent sum of money in addition to the £15m that we spent on strikers in the summer?

He wasn't given a new contract this summer though. He got it during the season we spent around £7m net and dished out contracts to players like Hutton, himself and Westwood and Bacuna, the cheaper and easier option rather than find and pay for replacements for them.

[aj2k77]

Lerner is to blame to a degree though, that summer, if we had of had any money to spend do you think the manager wouldn't have replaced Gabby with someone else if he had the chance? We spent a pittance that summer .

That fact that we didn't buy another striker is hardly the reason why he's put on weight.

You're missing the point as usual. The weight wasn't the issue being discussed, him being crap is, as he was back when he signed the new contract, he's just got worse. If Aston Villa had of had any decent sum of money to spend then we would not have been likely to have given another contract to a Striker who was averaging 5 goals a season his last few years, we would have replaced him.

Gabby's contract extension would have been approx £10m over 3 years, which is startling for one, but you can't then say that Villa weren't spending money. They were just spending it incorrectly, as usual.

We spent next to no money that summer. To replace Onegoalayear we would have had to buy another striker, pay them a signing on fee, wages etc. It would have cost more than Gabbys wages, we took the cheaper easier option.

[Clampy]

At the end of the day, a professional footballer earning the money he does shouldn't be getting himself into this kind of situation whether he's just signed a new contract or coming to the end of one, especially at a club he's supposed to support.

[Phil from the upper holte]

http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/04/15/eric-black-admits-that-aston-villa-fans-may-not-agree-with-his-t/

some pretty damning quotes in there from Eric Black - apologies if posted before

Basically saying he's a ******

[Phil from the upper holte]

At the end of the day, a professional footballer earning the money he does shouldn't be getting himself into this kind of situation whether he's just signed a new contract or coming to the end of one, especially at a club he's supposed to support.

I've said it before mate, i'll say it again, If he's a Villa fan i'm the pope

[Rigadon]

http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/04/15/eric-black-admits-that-aston-villa-fans-may-not-agree-with-his-t/

some pretty damning quotes in there from Eric Black - apologies if posted before

Hmm.  First quotes I've seen on this.  I'm now in the 'he's a ******' camp. 

Basically saying he's a c***

[mike]

I wonder if he is ill, like depressed? Cue the jokes or sarky comments!!

Not impossible. A good deal of his demeanour and approach to things these days, at least superficially good tickets a few boxes.

It's about the only explanation that would be palatable, as all of the others tend to revolve around various degrees of self aggrandising arsehole.

It's impossible to say, but from the pictures of him out and about in London and Dubai, I would hazard a guess that that isn't the reason.  He just enjoys the trappings of being a multi-millionaire footballer, and doesn't want to put any effort in, as his contract makes sure he's paid handsomely whether he does or not. 

I don't think for one minute he has depression, but I can tell you from bitter personal experience that people who are depressed are capable of acting normally and laughing and smiling right up to the point they kill themselves. I have dealt with this more times than I care to remember in a professional capacity. Do not underestimate the power of depression and do not think it has a fat lot to do with what what you or I would think of as being 'sad', let alone appearing to be so.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Spot on Mike - for those who have never experienced this terrible illness its very easy to make assumptions or judgements.
Even those closest and dearest to you find it difficult to comprehend.
I have been on holiday with my loving family around me, sitting next to a pool in 30C heat sipping a cold one and still felt as low as a snakes belly. It aint nice!

[themossman]

Agree, from experience, with the sentiment that you can do 'normal' things when depressed and you can also act like a complete git, deserving of zero sympathy. The range of symptoms is as deep as it is wide.

However, I also agree that nobody on here is close enough to the situation to blame gabby's woes on depression. I'm going with the Occam's razor approach, that he's just an overpaid tosser who has been told he's great too many times, over too many years, without actually being any good.