Fairy In Boots

Purslow is a bit of a fan boy of star players and names, it was widely known he used to bum off (can’t think of a better way of saying it) Stevie G, while at Liverpool. I think we’ll be more of the same here. 

2 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

I'd legit fly to the UK just to drop kick a few people to prevent this from ever happening. F#ck right off.

Re: " Man City keeping tabs on Jacob Ramsey " stories from Newsnow.

Never them ever again, if this happens pep will need bodyguards at Villa park 

Just now, Peter Griffin said:

We haveWithout question, Mings is better than what we had at CB but there are other influencing factors as to why we may be improving. One of those factors is that we have spent about 350m on players since he has come here too.

We had spent millions under Xia before him, Mings proved himself on loan. You watch us through lockdown and you could hear him constantly organising in everyone’s ear cajoling, demanding etc. He’s a leader he makes mistakes but he keeps on going, I think he’s a really good player for us, not just in his on the ball ability but that character off the ball. 

Also I bet our possession has been less than 50% in the majority of those games he’s played. Yes he makes the odd error but this guy earns us a dozen points a season overall we’ve improved massively since he’s come here. Lukaku is a top 5 world striker no shame in it he will learn from it the whole team will

59 minutes ago, Phil Silvers said:

No birthday wishes for the boy wonder from AVFC official today, says a lot about what many think went on behind closed doors. Left on good terms, sure.

He will never be back as long as NSWE are at the club no matter how hard he tries 

Disappointed not a lot seem to be getting minutes

4 hours ago, Xela said:

Time will be a healer. Still very raw for some people, I get that. I've said before, I was gutted he left. Had a tear in my eye when I watched those farewell videos. 

He gave a lot of joy to people... one of the very best players we've had in modern history. He also did a lot of good stuff off the field as well that gets forgotten about. Visiting sick children, doing video calls with them during covid (there are a couple of the AVFC YouTube page). I know some people will say that was all the PR 'machine' but I don't believe that at all. There was that story that Ian Wright mentioned recently about him video calling a kid in London. That wasn't PR - no one knew about that until Wright mentioned it. 

I'm not going to forget the good memories, just because he's ambitious. Yes, he could have handled things in a better way but it is what it is. 

p.s No i'm not paid by his PR team  

I think he did do a lot for kids but I just think he’s bought into his own hype plus people within the game chirped at him constantly about moving on to bigger and better things so champions league is a factor. I get that my issue is the way they’ve been with Villa over it. They did us dirty over the clause and telling city about it. You can’t have it both ways, we bought into it when he signed his deal and said my club etc. Why do that? It was dishonest, it’s as simple as that and not them, never them. 

I find the dismay about NFT’s fascinating can someone enlighten me as to the problem? 

6 minutes ago, DJ_Villain said:

That’s exactly it… They wanted to have their cake and eat it…

He wanted the clause, he wanted to leave, his family obviously backed him - but they kept the whole “one of our own” cliche ticking over in order to keep us on side in the hopes that, somehow, we should be happy for him to ditch us for another club in the same league?

What? Are we supposed to smile and clap if Man City beat us now because that means Jack’s chances of trophies is 3 points closer because he is “one of our own”?

No chance… Not happening…

When Tammy scored against us and didn’t celebrate, I didn’t feel any ill will towards him and thought he was class personified… and he wasn’t even our player! We borrowed him!

When Albrighton won the league, I was proud of him… because he IS one of our own, and he won the top prize against all the odds…

But I can’t wish any level of success for HIM while he plays for THAT club

This song fits him perfectly, surely we could tweak it for him when we play them. That reptile with a grin gets me that’s his smirk in the city unveiling 

13 minutes ago, DJ_Villain said:

Because Albrighton didn’t want to leave in the first place… He was made to go because Lambert and Lerner wouldn’t offer him a new contract…

Grealish engineered an exit strategy…

Thats why the cynics would be out of Grealish did the same… because his recent behaviour has proven how much of a snide character he is and how much preserving his image is more important to him than our club… so he is more likely to turn up to Villa matches “as a fan” just to win brownie points

Exact terms used are “bad press is yesterday’s chip paper” and “fans forgive in time” or “they’re fickle they don’t care as long as they win” these are standard lines trotted out to Players across the game, not just Jack.

in my opinion and this is based purely off what I hear about him, I think Jack is delusional about how popular he is now so his arrogance is showing. His family are keen to keep the good ties with Villa and the  “one of our own” as they have to live in and around the city.

You can’t have it both ways though, they cashed in clauses etc inserted into contracts  was to maximise their earning potential off their son, they should have just been honest about it we’d have respected it a lot more. Instead they’ve tried to have it both ways and retain the bonds with Villa, they should not played to the “one of our own” mantra as now they only themselves to blame. 

8 hours ago, Wainy316 said:

What a pic of him watching us post exit? Like when Albrighton comes to watch us?

7 hours ago, a m ole said:

I can actually see the latter happening as you’ve written it there and have no reason to doubt you, that’s hilarious.

Yep 

5 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

You mentioned this before, but what video is this? 

The one when he left 

Jack and his team openly laugh at the Harry Kane situation I’m not surprised he’s gloating over the release clause. 
He told NSWE over Skype while in Croatia he was off people need to stop defending him, as a captain 2 weeks before the season it’s disgraceful behaviour. 
 

Also they plan to have him pictured watching us at a game to establish the “he’s one of our own” narrative. I was right about the clause the deal and the video coming out after. 

I know people don’t believer me on here re Jack but a few years back during the World Cup Southgate had told Jack he was thinking of him but needed to play in a top 6 team in the prem as he needed to be in a side that had the lions share of possession to develop and in turn he would make him an England starter. 

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

Jack calling out Preece for being the clueless journalist that he is. 

Preece got zero inside knowledge. He is just a fan speculating. 

Where is your portfolio of scoops? 

51 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

'Factually'.

Here is the whole article. I have bolded the bits in it which are actual facts:

'There was a real smugness and arrogance to Jack Grealish that was quite distasteful as he sat in a sports hall at St George's Park as he spoke to ITV's Gabriel Clarke ahead of England's 4-0 win in Hungary.

The former Aston Villa captain was no longer this innocent yet totally engaging footballer Villa fans idolised. In fact, the 25-year-old was quite frankly unrecognisable as he delivered some painful and, to some extent, insulting words about his boyhood club.

Clarke asked him if he ever thought that the £100million clause would be met and, as if staying at Villa would have been a total inconvenience for him, delivered the most telling of comments.

"Maybe, yeah," Grealish outlined with brutal honesty. "That's why we had it put in..."

Then there was a gasp, as if Grealish had to backtrack knowing that ice-cold statement lacked total respect to Aston Villa Football Club. It irked and angered Villa fans, I know it did. It's fact, I get that, but you don't spill it and deliver it the way he did knowing millions will be hanging onto his every word.

Grealish may as well have tweeted out, 'My city. My club. My release clause' just 12 months ago when he signed his five-year deal to become Villa's highest-paid player in the club's history. He also believed in Villa's project, or so he said, before engineering a move 11 months later.

'I couldn't wait to get out,' was the vibe I got from Grealish's interview this week, while he also spoke of the "massive reason" behind his City transfer with regards to his England prospects.

"I feel to be playing for England in the biggest of games I need to be playing at club level in the biggest of games, that'll be the Champions League, all these types of games," he said.

Now, again, those comments just don't stack up knowing that, this week, Kalvin Phillips was named England's player of the year for his standout Euro 2020 campaign with the Leeds United man now amongst the first names on Gareth Southgate's team sheet. It's the same with Everton and England No.1 Jordan Pickford and West Ham's Declan Rice who, this season, will taste Europa League football for the first time. All three started in Hungary last night and all three are top picks despite never playing Champions League football. Come off it, Jack.

Jealousy was a huge factor behind Grealish's move knowing he couldn't stand the likes of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount all drawing rave reviews for their star showings in Europe.

Grealish also referenced this in his ITV interview. "You see the likes of Phil last year playing in all these Champions League games in the quarters, semis and final and, you know, you could see that it did help his England career as well," he said.

Southgate hasn't helped in that regard, though, as he failed to pick Grealish time and time again despite the ex-Villa man outperforming Raheem Sterling, Foden, Mount and others on a weekly basis at 'little old Villa'. Grealish always made a difference whenever called upon with England while he became transfixed with getting his goal and assist numbers up, a motivation and obsession ingrained into him from Dean Smith's very first day as Villa boss in October 2018.

The Villa gaffer immediately knocked Grealish down a peg when he arrived. He pointed to his whiteboard at Bodymoor and told his star man, 'So you were going to sign for Spurs in the summer? For £25million?'

The boss then hit Grealish who, by the sounds of it, was gutted his Tottenham move didn't pan out, with the coldest of reality checks knowing he had no goals and just one assist from Villa's first 12 games in the Championship.

That moment of brilliant man-management sparked Grealish's career into life yet, as his ITV interview continued this week, it was all about The Grealish Show as he spoke of Pep Guardiola wanting the same in terms of numbers while speaking of his first goal in a City shirt.

Clarke was then in with another brilliant question asking Grealish if he's better after less than a month at the Etihad. "Yeah, 100 per cent," he said. "You just pick up stuff from certain players. Everyone's an international at a top, top country. It makes you up your standards."

Now that's not much of an endorsement for his former teammates at Villa, is it?

There was just zero affection for Villa, a club he banged on about loving, in Grealish's first England interview since leaving. It just stank of 'Villa aren't good enough for me, I'm better than that'.

I remember Smith's parting comments outlining how he told Grealish, 'Don't be a stranger now' but it's as if he is. The boyhood Villan has long gone. It's JG10 the brand, the PR machine.

Smith also said Grealish should be thankful to Villa, of no doubt he is, from his ex-teammates, coaches and right down to the canteen staff who cooked him beans on toast of a morning when he was a kid coming through.

The interview was a shocker. The body language, the quotes. It lacked class and class is something you'd always associate with Grealish.'

Those are the correct facts, ie some facts about other players, some details of his transfer, some stats about a Championship season, his age, and some quotes (though plenty of things that appear to be quotes are in fact not). The rest is gossip, conjecture, Preece's personal interpretation and a certain amount of pure fantasy.

Here are some phrases used in the article that you definitely don't get taught to use in journalism school:

• 'as if' (used twice)
• 'may as well have tweeted out' (ie, he didn't tweet this)
• 'was the vibe I got from'
• 'come off it'
• 'by the sounds of it'
• 'banged on about'
• 'it just stank of'

It's just unprofessional, and the most embarrassing thing is that he's done it in the seemingly correct belief that loads of barking seals will be clapping along to it. Our fans can be pure cringe sometimes.

Mate I’ve known about him wanting out since the Spurs deal, I’ve said it many time on here and been given stick on here quite a few times but ultimately proved right in the end. Nevermind Preece’s language he’s on the money I’m telling you that. Jealousy is a factor, Jack’s head will be constantly filled with talk of being as big as Beckham etc Believe it or don’t, it’s  your call, from my point of view you can call him out on the style of the article fine but you’re wrong suggesting he’s made it up, he hasn’t and I have no love for the Mail. 

41 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Why don't you?

He's not at Villa now, so no worries about unsettling his season.

I’m on a warning for posting stuff on here that could be considered liable, it’s factual but proving it in a court is a different matter and the posts are gone now anyway. But it’s no secret Stella handle his PR as part of the deal, I’m sure a good dig online could tell you who does what. Like I said previously that video when he left was them.

38 minutes ago, Wainy316 said:

Who's respect?  Probably my own.  Don't want to become what I've mocked.

Also, I'm not prepared to erase years of good times either.

I think we’ve got this kind of Grealish fog over the last few years, Mings is arguably more important as he stabilised that defence and got us promoted. Jack scored neither Playoff final goal, don’t get me wrong he helped us going forward but on his own he didn’t solve all our problems 

He’s bang on from all I’ve seen over the last two years he’s nailed on in Jack’s thought process and his mindset and arrogance, he’s right there is contempt for Villa, he thinks he’s bigger than us. 
the quote about the JG10 the brand is bang on, I know this to be true I could tell you who does what and planned social media campaigns etc. 
 

Dislike the article all you want but Preece is factually on the money 

1 hour ago, Wainy316 said:

As I've said before. no way am I becoming what we've laughed at Blues, Baggies, Wolves, Leeds etc fans for for the last few years.

I'm not undoing all the years we've managed to successfully gloat and bat them off.

Who’s respect are you seeking by this approach? We will always be “the vile” to other clubs. Football is tribal I just don’t get our fans obsession with being perceived as universally liked, it’s self defeating as it’s impossible. 
Liverpool and United are small time at times, that’s tribalism. 

2 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

We’d all be absolutely loving it if he was on stage with Stormzy while still a villa player 

What it will do is set alarm bells ringing with Guardiola, Jack came up in a time when Gabby was the role model and Smith was far too soft on him because he was the “star boy”. Jack will get told to stop or it will be a problem really quickly but Jack is unbelievably arrogant now he’s massively into himself so it could become a problem. I personally hope it does

5 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

He's so much more active on Twitter now. Retweeting fan videos on chants on trains, whatever this is

 

It’s not him mate, his agency have a guy who does this. This is now shifting up a gear as it’s a carefully managed campaign to build his brand. 

On 26/08/2021 at 17:44, Xela said:

 

I've quoted both posts, not because i'm picking on you but it saves me doing two replies to two interesting posts

It comes down to motivation on the individual player. What does he want most? Stay at his hometown club and become a legend. Or leave to play CL football straight away with a team who has a far better chance at winning things. Different players will choose differently. for JG it came down to winning things now. Not money (be ludicrously rich either way) and lets be honest, we are more than 2/3 years away from dining at the top table. He might never play CL football at Villa. Its obviously massively important to him. 

On the 2nd post, do you think he would have pushed to leave this year regardless of our position? Let's say if by some miracle we finished 4th last year, do you think he would have stayed as he would have CL football? Or not? I guess the release clause would have been invalid then anyway? 

 

Yes he did this was set up in November 2020 he’s or his camp have wanted out for 2-3 years. Probably would have changed things if we finished 4th last year but they’ve known they were off for sometime. They were off the year before also our first season in the prem midway through they we’re meeting with United to agree a summer move. 

On 26/08/2021 at 16:44, PaulC said:

It could happen if everything goes right, but to break into that top 4 is like beating Rafa Nadal at RG. Its the most difficult thing in Sport.  We are light years away from it at the moment. 

I’d say if we’d kept him and added Buendia we are in with a shout of 6th. 

1 hour ago, villa89 said:

That's a huge reach. We are miles behind city, Chelsea, liverpool, man utd. To claim that in 2 or 3 years we'll be in the CL and challenging for the title is a fantasy IMO. 

1 hour ago, villa4europe said:

sorry...but its really not

you need a reality check on what the upper echelons of english football currently looks like and what they've put in place to protect it

we are **** miles off, not 2 to 3 years and even then we're still dependent on one of those clubs making a misstep in replacing say pep or klopp and dropping off

Guys we’re going off topic here. 
To clarify by upper echelons I mean reaching top 4 and getting Cl football. Commercially it will take 10 years to match incomings Of the top 4 last year I agree, outgoings will depend on our performance and how serious NSWE are. 
By the end of 2023/24 is 3 years away, at which point I think we will be close or there on the pitch.
 

look at the teams we have to overcome

Arsenal trending downwards, will keep throwing money but it’s just badly ran behind the scenes. 9-10th

Everton have spent lots of money, however not wisely Rafa will sort them out but I don’t expect an upward trend consistently, will tread water while moving to new stadium 6-8th

Leicester well ran but don’t have our resources  and I expect they will lose key players. Vardy will be gone then also 7-10th

West Ham doing ok but Moyes blows hot and cold, also that squad is old. Gold and Sulivan don’t have deep pockets 9th-14th

Spurs depends on hold Nuno does as have decent players. 5-8th

Leeds overachieving won’t sustain it, think will be mid table by then. 9th-14th

Liverpool won’t have the front 3 or Henderson and Milner then and will need a rebuild, don’t think FSG have appetite to spend another 4-500m. Chance to surpass these, also expect Klopp to leave next year 5-7th

United will probably still be Ole’s project, they will be top 2-4th

City still there although Pep now going means change and transition 1-3rd

chelski 1-3rd will be up there. 
 

Villa well ran, great resources young squad that’s improving and youth products coming through. I see no reason that if we don’t keep adding 2-3 quality additions each year for the next 3 years we can’t be in the shouts for 4th? And that will be game changing given the resource behind us

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

Money is only a motivating factor up to a certain point. 

He hasn't gone for money. he's gone for success. Something we'll (probably) never be able to offer him.

Well I know that he has no loyalty to any club, it would have been any champions league club and then the most offered, he was geared up to go to United last year. 

Look at the Kane saga, Grealish’s camp have specifically requested release clauses and then hawked him round 2-3 years running, why would you do that if you didn’t intend to cash in? he would have gone to United and there’s no guarantee of silverware there. I’ve said many times in this thread it’s about money first, always has been I know the deal’s finer details mate it’s about money. I told you all about that release clause and was called all sorts about it. 

Where they shit on us was going to city and telling them the parts of the contract to be exploited, this “win things” is a line like the video and statement is a line to manage perception over it. If they were fans of the Villa why would you do that? You wouldn’t. 

10 hours ago, colhint said:

He's been a Villa fan for about 20 years. So If your son wasn't quite as good and on say, El Ghazi's wage and then Chelsea offered him chumps league, would you say he wasn't a real fan.

How is it different to Francis, 1 team qualified for the European cup not four. We wont make chumps league this year. 

Your comparing a different thing there, I said on Jack’s current deal I’d have stayed. If you’re not getting your market value it’s a different conversation but we were offering £225k p/w over 5 years that’s roughly £60m. To stay at the club you supposedly love and lead it back to the upper echelons of English football (because that’s happening over the next 2-3 years) or go to a club you have no connection to for £100m? 
 

To me I’d stay both sums are obscene, you’re set for life with it especially given potential earnings outside the game. Why go there for that with no connection to them? It’s greed. I’ve been warned before so can’t say anything else but “over sweeteners” had a say in this, it’s financial greed that has done this nothing more.

4 hours ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

Most annoying thing about this whole Kane thing today was how I was so confident and looking forward to seeing our owners do exactly what Levy has done in refusing to even speak with City and point blank refuse any offers. People would have been taking notice of us and how serious we are. But of course the stupid release clause fked us all over

Insisted on by his camp

3 hours ago, colhint said:

I think It's better if you don't play for your home team club. He's been our best player for a generation, maybe all time. He played when we were crap, went down a division. And then when the best team or one of the top 3 in the world, makes you the one chance to go and play at the highest level, Plop man u etc won't really win the league many times in his remaining career. And he takes it. Then all of a sudden he's Ratboy?   I remember laughing at small heath fans reaction when Trevor Francis left, I'll bet a few of them laugh at us now.

Yep he’s now the 4th Villa captain to go there in the last 14 years, no real Villa fan would do it in my opinion. I know it’s an emotionally based decision but still, being born and bred from multiple generations of fan you don’t do this. I was asked today what would I do if my son was in the same position as Jack was. Honestly if my son was on Jack’s contract prior to city I’d say No, some things are more important than money, and really how much do you need? It’s just pure greed in my opinion.

Comparing it to Francis is ludicrous different clubs different trajectories etc

Also statically he’s not our best ever player, he didn’t get us promoted he was a kid when we went down and Cahill has won more than Jack likely ever will especially now with Fraudiola leaving. We loved him but we had Jack tinted glasses on, the veil has lifted now I just see an arrogant kid from Shirley who’s shît on his boyhood club to build a “brand”. It’s everything I despise in modern football he epitomises that and I’m glad a lot of neutrals I’ve spoken too think less of him for it to. **** him 

21 minutes ago, dudevillaisnice said:

All because he couldn’t get Harry Kane… I joke of course..

He will resign before the end of the season