Gabby's shirt - being raffled to help the NHS

[LeeB]

Can I ask a genuine question: what did Gabby do to piss us off so much around that 15-16 season? I've heard lots of references to him being pissed in hotel rooms and a 'santa video'.

I was unemployed at that time so couldn't afford to go to games, and not entirely 'present' due to being in a relationship with various substances. After getting myself sorted, I haven't wanted to revisit it because I prefer to remember Gabby in his '07-'10 peak.

Good for you for sorting out your issues, and you're a welcome addition on here pal.

[Mister E]

Maybe something was happening off the pitch with his personal life, (it was a mess afterall) or something else but my take was he fell out of love with his job. He was never naturally skillful but had pace*. Things started to go downhill when he decided to bulk up in the one summer. This cost him his fastest pace but also meant his body shape changed enough that he started to get more niggly injuries. However he still gave his all but deep down it was still just a job. Then as the injuries kept on building up, his money meaning he was pretty much set and the club starting to decline, he "stopped" working. I would say his last big hoorah was when him, Benteke and the Weeman was in a three. Maybe because the pressure wasn't on him, maybe because of Sherwood or maybe because he was playing for a new contract, but he seemed to be at his best then.

Of course as fans, we can forgive a lot but not appearing to even try during a match is not one of them. And especially as we know Gabby is a fan and we have several seasons of seeing what he can do. So when he can't be arsed and is one of the best paid players at the club and captain, plus the off field antics mentioned and the general malaise at the club, someone was going to get it.

TBH, retiring just past 30 with no injuries shows his attitude to the game at the end. Compare to Petrov for example who just wanted to play even after his fight for life.


*Nike setup Gabby and Lennon to see who was the fastest with and without the ball, Gabby won the foot race but Lennon the one with the ball and the overall although admittedly it was 10ths of a second.

Are you referring to Wee Barry Bannan?  You mean Weimann of course - for a while, I genuinely thought we'd got a winning front trio.

[Rory]

Can I ask a genuine question: what did Gabby do to piss us off so much around that 15-16 season? I've heard lots of references to him being pissed in hotel rooms and a 'santa video'.

I was unemployed at that time so couldn't afford to go to games, and not entirely 'present' due to being in a relationship with various substances. After getting myself sorted, I haven't wanted to revisit it because I prefer to remember Gabby in his '07-'10 peak.

Good for you for sorting out your issues, and you're a welcome addition on here pal.

Cheers Lee!

[Legion]

Seconded.

[Stu]

Can we please not forget Gabby shithousing that kid from One Direction in Stan's testimonial at Parkhead? Hit him so hard the lad was puking on the sideline.

[LeeB]

Yes, that was top drawer.

[Rory]

Seconded.

Thanks Leeg.

And I didn't find it funny that lad throwing up, but the challenge was brilliant. It has been said so many times, but it was the perfect illustration of just how strong these professional athletes are compared to normal people. Beautiful in its brutality, but the best bit was all the teenage girls suddenly stop squealing as Gabby clattered him.

[brian green]

Nice gesture by Gabby.  I have a shirt with his name on it hanging in my wardrobe I loved him in the early years.  The apogee of his plunge from grace was, for me, encapsulated by the Secret Santa video.  He was the ringleader of the anti French anti foreign cabal who bossed the Villa dressing room.  His malign influence at that time drove talented players away and cemented bad, unmotivated ones in place.

[dcdavecollett]

Along with putting over a stone in weight on.

That's Gabby, not you Brian, BTW.

[Rory]

Nice gesture by Gabby.  I have a shirt with his name on it hanging in my wardrobe I loved him in the early years.  The apogee of his plunge from grace was, for me, encapsulated by the Secret Santa video.  He was the ringleader of the anti French anti foreign cabal who bossed the Villa dressing room.  His malign influence at that time drove talented players away and cemented bad, unmotivated ones in place.

Not defending him, but is that Gabby's fault or Sherwood's?

[brian green]

Both.  Gabby for doing it and Sherwood for letting him do it.   Sherwood had got the hump at not being allowed to sign his crazily priced mates. 

[Rory]

Both.  Gabby for doing it and Sherwood for letting him do it.   Sherwood had got the hump at not being allowed to sign his crazily priced mates.

Mad to think we won the first game that season and I actually felt relatively confident.

[curiousorange]

Both.  Gabby for doing it and Sherwood for letting him do it.   Sherwood had got the hump at not being allowed to sign his crazily priced mates.

Mad to think we won the first game that season and I actually felt relatively confident.

I remember watching Liverpool play the day after, watching Benteke and thinking 'at least we've got Gestede to replace him'.

To be fair, I was following the Bournemouth game on an intermittent Twitter feed.

[BoVillan esq]

We probably all condemned him for being an arse the way that his career petered out at Villa Park, but this is a great gesture.

Reading his story of the goal against the 'noses three things shine through:

- his love for the Villa
- how much the shirt means to him
- his hatred of Blues

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/apr/23/gabby-agbonlahor-raffling-aston-villa-shirt-for-nhs-coronavirus-birmingham?

Ps - when did he become so eloquent?

Good lad.

He fucked up, no doubt, but provided more joyous moments that many better players that have worn the shirt.

And I honestly don't think I've ever celebrated a Villa goal with as much laughter as the goal in the article. It was piss funny seeing them wilt as soon as he came on the pitch, despite the fact he'd been no use for ages.

Same here, in my opinion Gabby was product of a club in terminal decline, that said some of the memories he gave us on pitch where electric, in his day when he turned on the speed and ripped through the best defenders like they was standing still always made me laugh, you could almost read the expression on opposition defenders faces, 'WTF was that'. Massive amount of work for charity long may it continue.

[BoVillan esq]