Gabby

[PaulTheVillan]

All the talk from Bruce was that Gabby had lost 6kg between him taking charge (Oct 12) and by the Brighton game (Nov 18) illustrating just how determined he had been to get involved.

Now Tuesday night might have been a optical illusion, but he didn't look a whole pile slimmer a month on again. 

When you think of the resources available at a professional spots club and the amount they (should) be training, that's a bit shit, really.

Also as a professional athlete, he shouldn't have got himself in that situation in the first place, especially as he's Mr.Aston Villa after all. 

[Des Little]

Can someone please change the thread title?  The anguish of this not actually being a possibility is too much to bear.

The quicker that fat embarrassment is gone the happier I'll be.  He brings absolutely nothing.

[Richard E]

Gabby mentioned in dispatches in the Grauniad, what an honour for the lad:-

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/15/anti-sports-personality-year-awards-2016?CMP=fb_gu

[nick harper]

I know it's easy to have a go at Gabby - but honestly against Norwich his display was possibly as bad as any individual performance by a Villa striker I've ever seen, and I'm including the dreadful Carlton Cole in that. The only thing of note he did was a useful defensive header. One of my mates was still defending him, saying he didn't get any service, which is true enough, but his movement was terrible and he didn't look for the ball, nor win a single header by my reckoning. It was a shocking display, even by his recent standards.

And don't forget Norwich's goal came from Gabby giving the ball away.

He is truly woeful. I like Bruce but this bizarre experiment of playing Gabby in away games has failed, is never going to work, and is costing us vital points.

It was a first touch that ended up being a 10 yard pass to the opposition in space and able to run at our back 4. Pathetic.

[footyskillz]

Was very ineffectual when he came on v QPR . I know idea is he comes on and stretches defence with his pace but are people with me saying that seems to have disappeared.  Hes no slouch obviously but there are probably a few of us who have greater stamina that him. Those who see him live this season is he looking sharp at all. I've only caught up with the match now and he looked sluggish. I not sure what to do with him. Play him for fitness or leave him out. Without Kodjia goals should be coming from other sources I now doubtful Agbonlahor Will be that source

[Lobsterboy]

Hopefully the game time Bruce is giving him will fool someone towards the bottom of the Premiership to part with some cash for him - January is usually the month for desperation transfers and he if he is seen as the answer to Hull/Sunderland/Swansea/Boro/Palace's problems then happy days!

[Colhint]

can we please change the title of the thread. I'm fed up looking on here when it bumps up the list only to find he's not going

[oswald funkletrumpet]

Hopefully the game time Bruce is giving him will fool someone towards the bottom of the Premiership to part with some cash for him - January is usually the month for desperation transfers and he if he is seen as the answer to Hull/Sunderland/Swansea/Boro/Palace's problems then happy days!

Who the buggery is going to want him? Even on a free?

We are stuck with the fat oaf

[Hairbandinho]

Ah for god sake, just pay off his contract and release the fat waster, if it is financially possible.

Guy is a disgrace.

In October, a professional footballer had to lose 6kg of weight...does not deserve continued employment here.

Let him be some other sap of a club's problem.

[achilles]

Lets be perfectly honest here, Gabby is going nowhere, we are stuck with him till the end of his contract!
God help us!
He even turned down a loan move at the beginning of the season to Reading and that was under RDM when he had no hope of playing, so he is hardly likely to want to move now he is Bruce's pet!

[Hairbandinho]

Lets be perfectly honest here, Gabby is going nowhere, we are stuck with him till the end of his contract!
God help us!
He even turned down a loan move at the beginning of the season to Reading and that was under RDM when he had no hope of playing, so he is hardly likely to want to move now he is Bruce's pet!

I wonder what the financial cost would be to pay his contract off

[villadelph]

Waster or not, Bruce clearly believes he can be effective at this level given his recent involvement.

[ChicagoLion]

Waster or not, Bruce clearly believes he can be effective at this level given his recent involvement.

Agree, Gabby is just one of a number of problems a Bruce has to manage.

[old man villa fan]

He has only ever had pace and an eye for a goal.  His game was built around fast counter attacking football.  Even at his best, when the game slowed down, his effectiveness reduced.

We are not playing a fast game under Bruce so I am at a loss to understand what Bruce thinks he can bring to the team.  Surely, you play a certain way to suit a player or you pick a player that suits the way you want to play.

His pace has dropped off significantly and he does not have the stamina he once had.  As the years have gone on, he has stopped shooting instinctively.  Taking that extra time to think about shooting has seen his goal return diminish.  He has never been an intelligent player on the pitch and is not able to fall back on this as he has got slower, unlike other players.

[paul_e]

The biggest problem Gabby has is that he never learned how to be proactive. His pace was so good that he could react to a pass and get there. When he bulked up a bit he lost that and now he looks stuck on his heels all the time. He can run about and do all the right things but he'll never get that back and therefore will never be an effective striker again.