The RJW63 Official Jack Grealish Appreciation Thread

[Panto_Villan]

18 hours ago, El Zen said:

Well it is a pantomime thing, because it’s context specific. I genuinely dislike loads of things in the football world. Most of them because of a wrong coloured shirt. It’s not personal, and there is no causal link between genuinely disliking Jack Grealish in a football context, and sending e.g. racial abuse to Saka on twitter for missing a penalty. Trying to establish that link is a cheap shot.

Booing a player for leaving your club is something the player should be expected to live with. That’s part of the completely necessary club rivalry the very sport is founded on and doesn’t hurt anyone. Abusing your own player for making a mistake is something completely different. 

Yeah. I guess it depends what you mean by "genuinely dislike" then. As I said before, I'm totally fine with the pantomime aspect of booing etc. But that to me implies that deep down you know that your booing is unfounded, and that the person you're targetting hasn't actually done anything wrong. You don't actually need a reason to boo beyond "I don't like his club" or "he left my club" at that point because it is harmless theatre.

The problem is that it seems like some people seem to lack the understanding that it is all actually theatre. It all stops being entertaining very quickly if you discover that people genuinely hate Jack because they're incapable of separating the theatrical "he's a bad man because he left our club" from the reality that leaving was a reasonable enough choice given our current position and the offer on the table, and that he didn't actually conduct himself particularly badly during the process either. I understand people might feel a bit betrayed their poster boy has left the club but that in itself isn't an excuse for a complete loss of perspective.

So if people want to boo him and bring along inflatable snakes, I'm cool with that - provided the people doing that deep down know that it's probably not warranted. Then it's just harmless entertainment.

[Panto_Villan]

17 hours ago, Keyblade said:

Exactly where I stand with this. If we finished outside the top 6 this season, I don't think anybody would hold it against Jack for leaving. We all know he's world class. Everyone suggesting we want him to stay forever and keep him hostage are way wide of the mark.

I'm not convinced this is true. And you've also got to remember that his release clause is £100m, not something like £50m. There's not many clubs that can afford that, so for all the talk that Man City will still be around in a year's time - will they still want to pay £100m for Jack in a year's time? What if he gets a bad injury, or spends half the season out with shin splints? What if he has a bad season? And didn't his release clause expire this year anyway?

I'd have liked him to stay for another year too but it totally makes sense for him to leave now if CL is his amibition. Believing in the project is one thing but the chances of us cracking the top 4 this season are minimal, and he might not have another path into the CL if he didn't accept the offer now.

I don't think it's a contradiction to say you believe in the Villa project but also be willing to move to one of the very best teams in the world in one of the biggest transfer deals of all time. It's not like he's heading off to Arsenal for £50m. Honestly, I feel like if you're not willing to accept him leaving now then you wouldn't be willing to accept it next year either, given we'd almost certainly have progressed and a Europa League place would quite possibly have been on the cards. His transfer would feel even less justified.

"Leaving for Man City? Now we're in Europa League? For only £100m? He could have at least stayed here another year - he can't ever have had any attachment to this club! What a snake!"

[HanoiVillan]

2 hours ago, Mantis said:

Obviously some people would hold it against him still, but the level of vitriol would be nowhere near what it is now.

No, this is the wrong way round. The level of vitriol at the departures increases as the perceived level of the club increases, not the other way round. If he had left when we lost the playoff final, or when we stayed up on the last day, more people would have been resigned to it and hence less vitriol. If he had stayed and we had finished 6th, it doesn't take a genius to work out what we'd be hearing ('how can he abandon the project when it's working'; 'we're more or less direct rivals with Man City now, this is a sideways move'; 'he's betraying the club by allowing them to pick off our best players because they're frightened of us' etc).

[Mantis]

1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said:

No, this is the wrong way round. The level of vitriol at the departures increases as the perceived level of the club increases, not the other way round. If he had left when we lost the playoff final, or when we stayed up on the last day, more people would have been resigned to it and hence less vitriol. If he had stayed and we had finished 6th, it doesn't take a genius to work out what we'd be hearing ('how can he abandon the project when it's working'; 'we're more or less direct rivals with Man City now, this is a sideways move'; 'he's betraying the club by allowing them to pick off our best players because they're frightened of us' etc).

But the post you originally quoted said that the reactions would be different if we finished outside the top 6 again. As in, if we showed little improvement this season.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Mantis

[HanoiVillan]

41 minutes ago, Mantis said:

But the post you originally quoted said that the reactions would be different if we finished outside the top 6 again. As in, if we showed little improvement this season.

I assumed 'outside the top 6' meant, effectively, 'closer to the top 6 than 2020/21' in context (otherwise why say 'outside the top 6' rather than 'in mid table' or 'in a relegation battle'?) I mean clearly 15th is 'outside the top 6' but it's not the description I'd lean towards. If what was meant was 'anywhere outside the top 6, doesn't matter where, could be anywhere from 7th to 20th' then again, there would be more vitriol if we finished higher than 11th and less if we finished lower.

[Keyblade]

55 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

I assumed 'outside the top 6' meant, effectively, 'closer to the top 6 than 2020/21' in context (otherwise why say 'outside the top 6' rather than 'in mid table' or 'in a relegation battle'?) I mean clearly 15th is 'outside the top 6' but it's not the description I'd lean towards. If what was meant was 'anywhere outside the top 6, doesn't matter where, could be anywhere from 7th to 20th' then again, there would be more vitriol if we finished higher than 11th and less if we finished lower.

Finishing 9th isn't really any functionally different from finishing 11th. We could very conceivably finish 9th or even 8th and with less points than last season. 6th crucially also means European football.

Don't think anybody in their right minds would consider us rivals to City if we finish slightly higher than last season. It would be 3 seasons in the PL where we wouldn't have finished higher than 8th and an average likely close to 13th. I'm certain there would be far more understanding and less vitriol if he were to leave after that.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Keyblade

[Mantis]

1 hour ago, HanoiVillan said:

I assumed 'outside the top 6' meant, effectively, 'closer to the top 6 than 2020/21' in context (otherwise why say 'outside the top 6' rather than 'in mid table' or 'in a relegation battle'?) I mean clearly 15th is 'outside the top 6' but it's not the description I'd lean towards. If what was meant was 'anywhere outside the top 6, doesn't matter where, could be anywhere from 7th to 20th' then again, there would be more vitriol if we finished higher than 11th and less if we finished lower.

Unless we finished 7th, no I don't believe there'd be anywhere near as much vitriol. The general consensus among many on here always seemed to be that he should give us another year and that if we failed to get into Europe he'd be justified in leaving.

[Osirus]

Not sure if this has been posted before, thought it was pretty interesting 

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/lionel-messi-psg-jack-grealish-man-city-pawn-qatar-abu-dhabi-1142777

Quote

“As such, Jack Grealish is not just a star player, he’s yet another pawn in Gulf geopolitics, soft power projection and the battle for 2022’s popular narrative.”

 

[villalad21]

Very toxic conversation.

Had to turn it off after about 20 seconds

 

[theboyangel]

He’s becoming a marketing puppet with all the off field shizzle and it will eventually detract from his day job of playing football. 

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

Very toxic conversation.

Had to turn it off after about 20 seconds

 

He’s a proper City fanboy. What a shame. 

[Xela]

He's not duty bound to mourn us. He's excited as he's joined the most successful team in the country in recent years. 5 titles in 9 years? We've not finished in the top 10 in that period?

I just hope we can improve and topple the scum6 teams from their perches in the next few years. 

 

[Jono62]

2 hours ago, villalad21 said:

Very toxic conversation.

Had to turn it off after about 20 seconds

 

Another video? F me, that's like the 500th video since he joined. 

[Nigel]

On 09/08/2021 at 22:37, TrentVilla said:

 

So..... my thoughts on Jack's exit.... not that anyone was holding out to hear them at all but I feel the need to get them off my chest. In part because it will be cathartic and in part because for the last week the only two people I've had to talk with about it have been my two boys who are 8 and 6, oddly they are more rational than half the Twitter users on the Villa hastag. 

Perhaps starting with my kids views on Jack (doesn't feel right calling him that any more so that will be the last time I do) is the right place though because they loved him. I don't know if it was his natural charm, his cheeky persona, no doubt part of it was his swagger on the pitch and his ability but I think part of it was he sounds like me. Growing up in Nottingham as they are, I think in some kind of way him sounding like me gave them a connection with a club they are geographically removed from in a way I wasn't when I grew up.

I think that is the thing with Grealish, he gave us all a connection to our club in different ways. For some that connection was that he was one of us, living our dream. For others the connection was through the joy he brought us and the joy he expressed on the pitch. For me, the connection was to some extent with the love of the club and football itself. I was jaded, really jaded with the club in the Bruce era and the years that went before. Then I became a dad and I wanted my boys to be Villa, I'm not sure if they feel in love with Villa first then Grealish, or Grealish first and then Villa I genuinely couldn't say, the two were for them so intertwined. 

My boys are surrounded by Man City and United fans, by Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal plus the the Forest fans but they love Villa and a very very big part of that is because of Grealish, I will always love him for that. But....

I think the thing that hurts with Grealish, for me at least, is that the way he behaved and the things he said last summer made me believe he was different. I genuinely thought up until last week that he would stay. His words last summer were though disingenuous at best and that is hugely disappointing.

In footballing terms I completely understand his desire to move to City, they can offer him so so much, more than we can possibly offer for years if at all. In football terms it is understandable but emotionally it is hard to take because it feels like a betrayal.

That is the part many in the game and in the media seem to not get, Grealish wasn't just another player to the club or many of us fans. That is why I get so annoyed with them telling us how we should feel or react to the move. They have no right and frankly they have no insight or understanding to be able to do so, they see the game entirely differently to fans.

I also object to the way some fans try to tell others how they should feel/react to Grealish following his move so I'm certainly not going to do it.

For me, I won't boo him for making the move. I won't boo him on his return, I'll always be grateful for what he gave us and what he gave me with my boys. For me, he isn't a club legend, he could have been but he falls sadly short of that moniker.

I think he will find not being the star turn and centre of attention at City a challenge, it won't be to his liking or fuel the ego that sits beneath the boyish charm. But Grealish is a sublime footballer, those trying to kid themselves otherwise are simply making fools of themselves. He will I'm sure excel with better players and dare I say it a better coaches, although I think initially he will struggle not playing every minute and being given every ball. He will though come good and he will inevitably win plenty of trophies which is why the smug responses to the Charity Shield were premature although understandable.

Timing is everything in life and simply put the timing of Grealish career and the project being undertaken at Villa was out by a few years, had they been better aligned perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps not. I'm not sure we will ever be competing with City and their petrol pounds. I'm sure he will want to return to end his career, he hinted as much in his statement, who knows if paths will align to enable that to happen.

Post Grealish Villa will be very different, it will have to be, you can't replace the guy and I'm glad the club recognise that. One of the biggest mistakes I think we made in a decade of mistakes was thinking we could replace Ashley Young with the absolute wastrel that was N'Zogbia. While the moneyball approach at times makes me a little nervous I do agree with the logic from Purslow's statement.

I think this departure has been months in the making, I don't believe for one moment it has happened post Euro's its been in the offing for 6 months or more. I therefore feel confident that our planning for that eventuality will also have been similar rather than reactionary in recent days. I've enough faith in those running the club to believe that. We've been massively over reliant upon him for three years and that was unhealthy, I hope we find a way to play without him and to be more balanced. I won't lie, I fear for Smith without Jack as he has really struggled whenever he has been absent, I hope I'm wrong.

Personally, I guess I wish Grealish well. He is one of the games good guys, I've no desire to see City win anything but at the same time I hope it works out for him. I hope he doesn't live to regret it, I suspect he might at some point even with a few trophies on the shelf. Man CIty are a club that sold its soul, I think Grealish to some extent has done the same.

Anyway... I've got to go and take down two walls of Grealish pictures. My boys will have other hero's but probably none quite like our Jack. (allow me that one)

Oh and in case you are wondering, the 8 year old thinks we will be a better team without him if we spend well. The 6 year old thinks we will never have anyone like Grealish. I think they are probably both right.

Funny old game.

Beautifully thought out and from the heart. Sometimes i read a post on here that reminds me why i used to love the old fanzines! 

It saddens me that all i can give this is one 'like' and that it will be lost in a sea of in jokes and first calls on incoming players.

Thanks Trent, you put that better than i ever could!

Edited August 11, 2021 by Nigel

[Zhan_Zhuang]

3 hours ago, villalad21 said:

Very toxic conversation.

Had to turn it off after about 20 seconds

 

Seven minutes and neither of them have got anything to say....I'd hate to be trapped in an elevator with them pair.

[TrentVilla]

11 minutes ago, Nigel said:

Beautifully thought out and from the heart. Sometimes i read a post on here that reminds me why i used to love the old fanzines! 

It saddens me that all i can give this is one 'like' and that it will be lost in a sea of in jokes and first calls on incoming players.

Thanks Trent, you put that better than i ever could!

Thanks, genuinely really appreciate that.

I also miss the old fanzines, I always wanted to write for them but never had the confidence to give it a go. Just another part of the game we grew up with that is long gone, like the Argus and the AV floodlights. I’d kill to be able to go back in time to a game from my youth.

[stewiek2]

You know, can I tell you something?

I like Mason Mount

 

[Follyfoot]

16 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

Thanks, genuinely really appreciate that.

I also miss the old fanzines, I always wanted to write for them but never had the confidence to give it a go. Just another part of the game we grew up with that is long gone, like the Argus and the AV floodlights. I’d kill to be able to go back in time to a game from my youth.

Had to take my boys shrine down the other day. In all fairness he did not seem that bothered, it upset me though

[Spoony]

He’s basically a fashion model and mostly his own personal brand now. Fair enough if that’s what he wants. It’s just sad that so many young players have their heads turned by sponsorship and Instagram. Football just comes second to so many young players now, which is not their fault I suppose (as they are multi millionaire morons, guided by the scum that hover around then to “help them” and seek instant gratification for themselves, Grealish being a perfect example of this) but the fault of agents, modern owners and general modern football.

But this is what it is. Watching what is happening with Grealish just making me sad. 

edit: 4,500 tweets about Grealish in one hour. I mean, wow. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Spoony

[chrisvilla4]

The Jack Grealish we knew and loved was gone ever since he pulled on that England shirt. Deep down I was proud of him but also worried that it would be the beginning of the end of his time with us.