Tyrone Mings

[blunther]

Mings is one of the barometers I use when talking to someone about football. If you get the 'lol Mings is shit' then you know you're talking to someone who doesn't watch or have a clue about football and gets all their knowledge from **** Instagram and tiktok rocket polishers. 

[VillaJ100]

12 hours ago, The_Rev said:

Ditto.  In my time as a Villa fan (late 80s/early 90s onwards) I’d have a list of maybe half a dozen centre halves who are in the absolute top tier.  I’ll say McGrath, Ehiogu, Southgate, Mellberg, Laursen and Mings make that list.
 

A lot of people like to hate on Southgate because of how he left but he was magnificent for us on the pitch for six seasons.  Mings has now been here for four and a half.  We wouldn’t have been promoted without him, we wouldn’t have stayed up without him and he’s now demonstrating he belongs at the top end of the table, it’s been a hell of a journey and he’s been there every step of the way.  That’s why I’d put him ahead of Laursen whose time here is as much defined by long periods of injury as it is by heroic performances on it.  That might be harsh on Laursen but Mings has been Mr Reliability. 

I disagree I thought without Ehiogu Southgate wasn't anything special

[pintpotvilla]

Tyrone Mings never gets the appreciation ( outside of Villa ) that he deserves. Southgate is a mug to choose an underplayed Maguire instead of him. The press always pick up on the odd error he makes

(never mention Van Dijks though). He has been an absolute rock and should be one of the first names on any England teamsheet

[tinker]

1 hour ago, blunther said:

Mings is one of the barometers I use when talking to someone about football. If you get the 'lol Mings is shit' then you know you're talking to someone who doesn't watch or have a clue about football and gets all their knowledge from **** Instagram and tiktok rocket polishers. 

I get this with a manure fan at work, reckons we should replace Mings with Mcguire. Clueless tbh, had to explain our high backline and Mcguire would be a complete disaster. 

[TRO]

A colossus.

[villa4europe]

4 hours ago, tinker said:

I get this with a manure fan at work, reckons we should replace Mings with Mcguire. Clueless tbh, had to explain our high backline and Mcguire would be a complete disaster. 

Your problem there is that you talk football with a man utd fan

[Steero113]

7 hours ago, blunther said:

If you get the 'lol Mings is shit' then you know you're talking to someone who doesn't watch or have a clue about football and gets all their knowledge from **** Instagram and tiktok rocket polishers. 

You're describing the current England manager...

Edited May 21, 2023 by Steero113

[choffer]

Even Kamara’s boy knows the score. 

 

[IrishVilla10]

 

[StefanAVFC]

That is brilliant.

He's brilliant.

Kamara is brilliant.

His son is brilliant.

even @lapal_fan  is brilliant

[TomC]

21 hours ago, The_Rev said:

Ditto.  In my time as a Villa fan (late 80s/early 90s onwards) I’d have a list of maybe half a dozen centre halves who are in the absolute top tier.  I’ll say McGrath, Ehiogu, Southgate, Mellberg, Laursen and Mings make that list.

A lot of people like to hate on Southgate because of how he left but he was magnificent for us on the pitch for six seasons. 

Only McGrath was "absolute top tier," i.e. you could speak of him in the same breath as Baresi and Maldini, but I agree with your list 100% as to the best centre backs in that time period. 

And I agree 100% about Southgate. Get mad about how he left, get mad about what he's done as England manager, but when he was here, he was class.

 

[MaVilla]

3 minutes ago, TomC said:

Only McGrath was "absolute top tier," i.e. you could speak of him in the same breath as Baresi and Maldini, but I agree with your list 100% as to the best centre backs in that time period. 

And I agree 100% about Southgate. Get mad about how he left, get mad about what he's done as England manager, but when he was here, he was class.

 

the thing i always find interesting about Southgate, is that he was a midfielder when we signed him, he was converted to a centre back, playing alongside Barry and Ehiogu (i think), in the 3 man defence.

I remember vividly seeing that lineup and thinking, why the f is Southgate in central defence, worked out ok though lol.

Edited May 21, 2023 by MaVilla

[TomC]

3 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

the thing i always find interesting about Southgate, is that he was a midfielder when we signed him, he was converted to a centre back, playing alongside Barry and Ehiogu (i think), in the 3 man defence.

I remember vividly seeing that lineup and thinking, why the f is Southgate in central defence, worked out ok though lol.

I think that he and Ehiogu were the sole CBs in a back 4 for a while, and then with Barry in a back 5 later.

I remember a discussion about a year ago where were trying to figure out all the different positions Barry played, also...you could add Barry to The_Rev's list if you count him as a CB, though I think he played some LB and midfield too. Funny how memories fade...

[MaVilla]

28 minutes ago, TomC said:

I think that he and Ehiogu were the sole CBs in a back 4 for a while, and then with Barry in a back 5 later.

I remember a discussion about a year ago where were trying to figure out all the different positions Barry played, also...you could add Barry to The_Rev's list if you count him as a CB, though I think he played some LB and midfield too. Funny how memories fade...

ye u might be right tbh re Barry, might have been too early for him re debut.

I remember the 3-1 versus Manure in that first 2015 game (the classic - you cant win anything with kids quote).

Looking back, we had Southgate, Ehiogu and McGrath in the back 3, Charles/Wright at WB, Draper/Taylor/Townsend in a midfied 3, the Savo and Yorke up front. (so basically the classic 5-3-2)

Edited May 21, 2023 by MaVilla

[The_Rev]

1 hour ago, TomC said:

Only McGrath was "absolute top tier," i.e. you could speak of him in the same breath as Baresi and Maldini, but I agree with your list 100% as to the best centre backs in that time period. 

And I agree 100% about Southgate. Get mad about how he left, get mad about what he's done as England manager, but when he was here, he was class.

 

 

I'm referring to the best group at Villa so I'll stick to the players I named.   In terms of absolute quality I think McGrath stands alone.  Again, in my time as a fan he's one of a handful who you could say really were world class. I think you'd add David Platt, Dwight Yorke and Jack Grealish to that category of player, maybe Ashley Young was for two years under O'Neill and other players here and there have had their moments but like I said, the group of best centre backs at Villa since the 90s now does include Tyrone Mings.  Another season or two of this form and you could make an argument for him to be in our "best XI" of the Premier League era. 

 

edit: @MaVilla you are right that Southgate came as a midfielder.  We spent most of that summer trying to sign Chris Coleman to play in central defence too but he ended up joining Blackburn Rovers (they could offer more money and Champions League football) and I remember being gutted about it.  Then Coleman got injured and had to play the rest of his career in the lower leagues. I think we'd planned to go with three at the back and Southgate just ended up filling in there initially but played so well he was in the England team before the season ended.  

Edited May 21, 2023 by The_Rev

[troon_villan]

2 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

That is brilliant.

He's brilliant.

Kamara is brilliant.

His son is brilliant.

even @lapal_fan  is brilliant

Agree with most of this.

[StefanAVFC]

McGrath was a bit before me so I can't include him.

But Mings/Laursen/Mellberg are my top 3 and they're inseparable. 

[Delphinho123]

6 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

McGrath was a bit before me so I can't include him.

But Mings/Laursen/Mellberg are my top 3 and they're inseparable. 

It really depends what kind of football you want to be playing. I wouldn’t fancy Mellberg in an Emery side, nor perhaps even Laursen given I don’t remember them being the best with the ball at their feet. If you’re talking out and out defending though, Laursen is the best I’ve seen. I remember him playing against Drogba one match and bullying the bloke - literally shoving him off the ball if he went anywhere near him. He was an absolute colossus and one of my favourite ever players. Mellberg held us together at the back for a long time but a lot of that was due to his pace, one on one ability and positional play. I’d have to pick a fit Laursen over him. 

Mings in his current form against Laursen is a tough one. Right now, you could argue Mings has absolutely everything in his game. Ball carrying ability, passing ability, pace, strength, aerial ability. You know at some point he’s probably going to make another mistake though which always plays on mind (touch wood, touch wood, touch wood)

Tough one. 

[leemond2008]

3 hours ago, MaVilla said:

ye u might be right tbh re Barry, might have been too early for him re debut.

I remember the 3-1 versus Manure in that first 2015 game (the classic - you cant win anything with kids quote).

Looking back, we had Southgate, Ehiogu and McGrath in the back 3, Charles/Wright at WB, Draper/Taylor/Townsend in a midfied 3, the Savo and Yorke up front. (so basically the classic 5-3-2)

I was just about to post the line up from that exact game (although your date is 20 years too late  it was 1995) 

that was my favourite Villa team/squad, probably because that Man Utd game was the first match I ever went to.

[Mark Albrighton]

Something that Mings has over the celebrated defenders of the 90’s/00’s is his time with us has also overseen the club rise from essentially midtable championship fodder to knocking on the door of European football. 

The others have various trajectories (McGrath’s time here for instance saw us bounce up and down the league somewhat), but none are really comparable to Mings and us climbing back up the football ladder. 

Another factor is that he’s done this while also kinda learning how to be a full time central defender without a senior partner to help show him the ropes. He’s been that senior partner to Konsa.