Villa player assessments you got humiliatingly wrong ...

[Kiwivillan]

16 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

saw him in the peace cup along with bannan, lowry, herd, lichaj even guzan and there was a proper buzz around us and it felt like these kids had to make it

the cross for the 3rd goal

 

Albrighton was star of that tournament

[Steero113]

Watched Barry Bannan beat two players with a deft feint and spray a nonchalant 60 yard ball to the wingers feet away at Craven Cottage. 

I was convinced he was the second coming of Xavi. 

 

[tinker]

27 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

saw him in the peace cup along with bannan, lowry, herd, lichaj even guzan and there was a proper buzz around us and it felt like these kids had to make it

the cross for the 3rd goal

 

That's some goal, nutmeg, cross and the header. Great team goal tbh  

[Indigo]

The season before we got relegated, I walked out of Villa Park after a 2-1 win over Leicester (Hutton with the winner) feeling safe of any future threat of going down because I was absolutely certain that Jores Okore and Ciaran Clark were going to be a formidable partnership at CB.

[Jonesy7211]

There's only one for me, Nii Lamptey. I was addicted to CM93/94, and when we signed him I thought we'd signed a player who'd become a global superstar. I told everyone I knew how good he was. My football judgement has been in question ever since.

[villa4europe]

36 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

Albrighton was star of that tournament

i remember him nailing hulk with a shoulder to shoulder challenge in the porto game and hulk going down holding his face

all 5ft 7" of marc albrighton smashed a guy called hulk so hard he nearly put him in the stands

it was brilliant

[mrchnry]

A 13 year old me sat in the tennis courts pub in Perry Barr for the cup final in 1996 proudly exclaimed "get Savo off the pitch he's crap" about 30 seconds before he scores a screamer. 

People didn't even celebrate they just turned round and looked at me. 

[Leeroy]

Ireland and N'Zogbia are the obvious ones. Both bought coming into their prime, talented, technically gifted, both huge flops. The club was being run appallingly at the time though so whether things would have been different if they'd signed under another owner who knows. Richards was also a huge disappointment given he'd won a Premier League. Maybe Veretout, although I think you could see the talent was there, he was just playing in a shite team. Can probably add Bailey too as after that game against Everton I thought he would become our best player and would be scoring and assisting double figures each season.

 

Going further back, Curcic for sure (looked a superstar at Bolton) and obviously Balaban.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Leeroy

[rjw63]

6 hours ago, Follyfoot said:

Two nil against Palace i think , first game of the season, he scored, 2004?

Sounds about right

edit: or maybe not!

Edited September 6, 2023 by rjw63

[VBM]

1 hour ago, Jonesy7211 said:

There's only one for me, Nii Lamptey. I was addicted to CM93/94, and when we signed him I thought we'd signed a player who'd become a global superstar. I told everyone I knew how good he was. My football judgement has been in question ever since.

Yeah me too. The Ghanaian Pele right? How could we not be sucked in?

His wiki is a bit of a wild ride. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by VBM

[KAZZAM]

I thought Makoun was gonna be really good. 

 

[Follyfoot]

Simon Stainrods 4 goals on debut at St James Park 

Thought we had the best centre forward in the country 

[lexicon]

53 minutes ago, Steero113 said:

Watched Barry Bannan beat two players with a deft feint and spray a nonchalant 60 yard ball to the wingers feet away at Craven Cottage. 

I was convinced he was the second coming of Xavi. 

Yeah I thought Bannan was going to go on and have a great career too. Think he was a bit too fond of the booze. 

Like others, there are loads of examples.

 

[HanoiVillan]

2 hours ago, Tom13 said:

You weren't the only one. I'd seen him a fair bit before, but my mate was adamant after that Southampton game that he was gonna be amazing. I tried to tell him he really wasn't all that.

Well no wonder Cole's confidence dropped after you told him he was rubbish. 

[FLVillan]

6 hours ago, Dillon66 said:

FLV, if you can remember Tommy Craig, than surely you can remember ;

'Ken McNaught, Ken McNaught...

The doziest b**stard we've bought...

For two hundred grand, we could build a new stand..

But all that we bought was McNaught...'

 

I think this is known as a collectively humiliating mis-assessment of a player who went on to be a club legend.

So be careful with your Robin Olsen songs lads...you never know 

Don't remember the song specifically but yes, big Ken took a long time to settle!  But he became the perfect compliment for Allan Evans at the heart of our defence.  If you break down the European cup winning team there were quite a few who got pelters prior to that team coming together and eventually becoming the greatest.

Kenny Swain was signed as a midfielder/winger from Chelsea and barely got a game when he first arrived.  He only came to the fore when he was switched to fullback.  Never forget the headline on the back page of the Mail: "Shock Swain Switch."

Gary Williams really struggled when he first broke into the team.  Looked slow and cumbersome.  He'd come through the youth system and had replaced Gordon Smith/Mike Pejic.

Allan Evans was a converted centre forward from Dunfermline, who looked decidedly average up front.

Peter Withe was "too old, too expensive, too slow and ex Blues." 

Even the great Jimmy Rimmer was doubted during his first year or so.  Plucked him from Arsenal reserves after Pat Jennings had taken his place (we seem to do well with Arsenal reserves 'keepers don't we!)

 

[KentVillan]

2 hours ago, Steero113 said:

Watched Barry Bannan beat two players with a deft feint and spray a nonchalant 60 yard ball to the wingers feet away at Craven Cottage. 

I was convinced he was the second coming of Xavi. 

 

I still think Bannan is world class

[villaglint]

2 hours ago, mrchnry said:

A 13 year old me sat in the tennis courts pub in Perry Barr for the cup final in 1996 proudly exclaimed "get Savo off the pitch he's crap" about 30 seconds before he scores a screamer. 

People didn't even celebrate they just turned round and looked at me. 

A mate of mine came with me to a game when we were about 15. It’s was an evening game in a cup and he gave Gary Charles dogs abuse the whole game. Up he steps to score the winner and then suddenly some really short guy with a mullet who is leathered launches through the crowd to try and beat up my mate (who is a child!). Had to get dragged away, he was seething. Didn’t look like a relation. 

Was a very odd couple of minutes. 

[TRO]

I have never been wrong.....players performances are fickle

I thought I was wrong once....but then realised, I was right after all.

Edited September 6, 2023 by TRO

[TRO]

I was once scathing towards Dave Simmons performance....he then went on to score 2 cracking goals....The egg on my face, is still there.

[TRO]

On 06/09/2023 at 11:01, Follyfoot said:

Simon Stainrods 4 goals on debut at St James Park 

Thought we had the best centre forward in the country 

Halcyon days...winning at St James's

( tongue in cheek)

Edited September 7, 2023 by TRO