Mark Albrighton Posted December 8, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 8, 2023 10 minutes ago, The_Rev said: You look at the dressing room at the time, it was a toxic place. Dean Smith coming as in saved Grealish from being the next wasted talent. Well, yes and no. I don’t think Grealish ultimately becomes a 100m player if Dean Smith doesn’t join. Smith turns up, gets Grealish playing better than he has ever done before (or arguably since). Grealish becomes the player he did. However, Spurs were interested at 20/25m something, like that. So if Smith doesn’t turn up, we don’t get promoted, Grealish then leaves for let’s say £20m the following summer. To my mind, that doesn’t mean he becomes a wasted talent. It means we don’t see the best out of him and pocket £100m. He moves to Spurs for £20m, does well, maybe goes onto City. I don’t know, hypothetical guesswork. I’m also not sure how toxic it was in the dressing room at that time. I just think people wanted Bruce gone (mainly us). A lot of that squad were good characters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM3000 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 People are talking like any other player in our squad wouldn't be out the door in a flash if a team like City came in for them while we were a mid table club. All these footballers are the same and I don't blame them, they have a very small window of playing in their prime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted December 8, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 8, 2023 1 minute ago, AndyM3000 said: People are talking like any other player in our squad wouldn't be out the door in a flash if a team like City came in for them while we were a mid table club. All these footballers are the same and I don't blame them, they have a very small window of playing in their prime. Thoughts on Douglas Luiz not pursuing the move to Arsenal last season? I think they were top and we were whatever, 14th/15th. Exception that proves the rule? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedClaretAndBlue Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 9 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said: Thoughts on Douglas Luiz not pursuing the move to Arsenal last season? I think they were top and we were whatever, 14th/15th. Exception that proves the rule? We blocked the move by rejecting the bids. Dougie would have gone otherwise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyM3000 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 12 minutes ago, Mark Albrighton said: Thoughts on Douglas Luiz not pursuing the move to Arsenal last season? I think they were top and we were whatever, 14th/15th. Exception that proves the rule? I think it was way too late in the transfer window from what I remember. They wouldn't pay enough and I am not certain they wanted him as a starter and more of a squad player, given this was under Gerrard though I am surprised he didn't kick up more of a fuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Simon Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 3 hours ago, Oaks said: Jack had a good 18 months in the premier league, that does not make a legend at a club like Villa. Thats small heath like. Small Heath would have named a stand after him for 18 months in the Premier League. (Not the broken stand either). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oaks Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, villa4europe said: Who from that time period is then? No one. Benteke has done more for us he’s not a legend. Smith isn’t a legend. This club has won major trophies, legends need more than promotion and a good 18 months in the premier league. You either need to have win a major trophy,, have over 300 games or be so good over a 4/5 year period. Edited December 8, 2023 by Oaks 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted December 8, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted December 8, 2023 9 minutes ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said: We blocked the move by rejecting the bids. Dougie would have gone otherwise? 4 minutes ago, AndyM3000 said: I think it was way too late in the transfer window from what I remember. They wouldn't pay enough and I am not certain they wanted him as a starter and more of a squad player, given this was under Gerrard though I am surprised he didn't kick up more of a fuss. He was out of contract in the summer 2023. Sure we could block a move for him in August. Wouldn’t be able to do much about it in January though. Whether that would be to Arsenal or wherever. At the time, we had Gerrard. We were shit. He wasn’t necessarily a starter for us because of flipping Gerrard. He could have bided his time for a few more months and signed for a club which looked more likely to be challenging for Europe and not stinking out the table just above the relegation zone. Got himself a nice bit of cash as well. He was clearly good enough for that to be an option for him. He chose to stay and sign a new deal with us. To be clear, I am not saying that’s what Grealish should have done. I’m merely stating a player in our squad has stuck around despite a better offer being available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbojangles Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Grealish was brilliant for us and his run of form was instrumental in us escaping the championship. For that I will be forever grateful and I don't think we would be in the position we are now without his sale to Man City and the influx of money and spotlight he shone on us while he was here. He left us, I was bitter and angry. Now however I couldn't care less as he is no longer a Villa player. I would neither cheer nor boo him Would I have him back? Of course I would for the right price, he is an extremely talented player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom13 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 On 03/12/2023 at 09:10, Lord Willard said: Would you take him back? I’m not even sure that I would. As good as he is, and I still think he's a top player - no, we've moved on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 4 hours ago, villa4europe said: Who from that time period is then? The answer is over the course of the history of the club no one but it doesn't work like that Grealish and deano have a legend status Emery and other players will go on to beat it but I'm sorry for those that don't like it but Grealish had a status while here that the highest I've seen since the 90s, him signing for Man City doesn't mean that gets rewritten You are better off looking at Villa as a club in a critical light and asking why people like Grealish and gabby achieved that status and put a very critical slant on the slant - which is also the truth - Grealish is a legend because we were largely shit bar 2 or 3 players for 10 years You don’t become a legend because you are the best of a time period where we were mostly shit. Legendary status has to encompass far more than that and while Grealish was brilliant for us, I don’t think it amounted enough for legendary status imo otherwise it opens the flood gates for so many players to be legends because the criteria is a low bar. It’s like generally when players are called world class or some other superlative, the phrases or words are thrown around far too easily these days and not always warranted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaVilla Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) 5 hours ago, villa4europe said: Who from that time period is then? The answer is over the course of the history of the club no one but it doesn't work like that Grealish and deano have a legend status Emery and other players will go on to beat it but I'm sorry for those that don't like it but Grealish had a status while here that the highest I've seen since the 90s, him signing for Man City doesn't mean that gets rewritten You are better off looking at Villa as a club in a critical light and asking why people like Grealish and gabby achieved that status and put a very critical slant on the slant - which is also the truth - Grealish is a legend because we were largely shit bar 2 or 3 players for 10 years Grealish isnt a Villa legend, he's just a very good player, who played for us, who left the club before he had any chance to try and cement himself as a club legend. Gabby also isnt a club legend, he was an poor/average/good player (depending on the time period you review), who was an absolute weight around our necks in his last 3-5 years here, his attitude alone towards the end of his time here should remove him from any conversation of greatness/legend status. In reality, Villa havent had any "legends" in the last quarter of a century at least, we have had some very good players, some of whom may be classed as cult heroes, like Benteke, Yorke, Mings, Barry, Laursen, Mellberg, Carew, Petrov, Young, Angel, Boateng, Taylor, Ehiogu, McGinn etc. I dont think we have had a "legend" since McGrath probably, then earlier than that players like Cowans, Withe, Little, Aitken, Mortimer etc. The term "legend" is banded around like confetti these days (like the term world class), its used to denote just a "very good player who played for us a bit", which isnt its true term imo, most of players in the last quarter of a century are at best cult heroes, and even some of those players given it dont deserve it (aka Gabby - who is a t*sspot), the last time we won a trophy was 1996, some of those players deserve cult status, maybe 1 or 2 of them might trigger "legend" at best, i dont think we have had a "legend" of a player since then (McGrath). re Grealish, i think he could have become a club legend (possibly), but his choices effectively put that one in to the long grass, i think he will be known by many as a cult hero (maybe), a very good player who played for us, some might even think he is a traitor (aka Delph), i think he could have become a club legend, but there is no chance of that now tbh. Edited December 8, 2023 by MaVilla 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcifer Posted December 9, 2023 Share Posted December 9, 2023 On 08/12/2023 at 08:47, useless said: Being linked to clubs isn't the same as trying to leave, Spurs bid £25m for him whilst we were in the Championship, Remember the 3 million and Josh Onomah typical Levy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 9, 2023 Share Posted December 9, 2023 Yes Spurs bid twice for him that summer, first when they thought they could take advantage of our perilous situation towards the end of Xia's time as owner, and then they bid again after our takeover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted December 10, 2023 Share Posted December 10, 2023 I'm not saying it's wrong exactly, but it's pretty funny to argue that Mings and McGinn are 'legends' and Jack isn't, when the only real difference is that at this point it's most likely the departure of the former two will be on the club's terms, while the departure of the latter was on the player's. Fundamentally that's all it boils down to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chasetown Villa Posted December 10, 2023 Share Posted December 10, 2023 Something very sweet about being 5 points ahead of Jack’s City and seeing them struggling against Luton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Waring Posted December 10, 2023 Share Posted December 10, 2023 Real Villa fan would of missed his chance that he scored today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaJ100 Posted December 10, 2023 Share Posted December 10, 2023 rocket polisher 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinebro Posted December 10, 2023 Share Posted December 10, 2023 (edited) Enjoyed Pep smacking him in the head Edited December 10, 2023 by Pinebro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwi1890 Posted December 29, 2023 Share Posted December 29, 2023 https://www.instagram.com/p/C1bv00qg86G/?igsh=cGNkdDR5eHV6c2hi 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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