Zatman Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 55 minutes ago, Phil Silvers said: Jack owes a lot to Dean Smith imo. I am not his biggest fan but Bruce too even though he didnt understand best way to get his ability out 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 12 hours ago, av1 said: The Jack “stood by us when we got relegated ” line is absolute nonsense. Not one single approach was made for him by another club when we got relegated, no one wanted him. The first approach was Spurs and he wanted to go. The next approach was UTD, and he admitted a couple of days ago that he thought that would get done. The final approach was City and he left, due to the buyout clause he insisted on. So how was he loyal? He wanted to leave at every opportunity. Spot on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted December 3, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted December 3, 2021 8 hours ago, Zatman said: I dont dislike him but this is very true and its a huge myth. He barely played in our relegation season and the first Championship season He did play a fair bit in the first season of the championship to be fair. According to the stats he started 20 matches and sub appearances 11 times. The second season he made 22 starts and 8 sub appearances, although in the second season he was on the pitch longer in terms of minutes. The stats I’m drawing this from might be incorrect but I’ve looked at a couple of different sources and their roughly in agreement. Regardless it’s fair to say he didn’t pull up any trees in his first championship season. Not bad by any stretch (5 goals), but nothing to get excited about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 7 hours ago, Zatman said: I am not his biggest fan but Bruce too even though he didnt understand best way to get his ability out Bruce wanted to sell Grealish so he could buy Jordan Rhodes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Steve Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 2 hours ago, Mark Albrighton said: He did play a fair bit in the first season of the championship to be fair. According to the stats he started 20 matches and sub appearances 11 times. The second season he made 22 starts and 8 sub appearances, although in the second season he was on the pitch longer in terms of minutes. The stats I’m drawing this from might be incorrect but I’ve looked at a couple of different sources and their roughly in agreement. Regardless it’s fair to say he didn’t pull up any trees in his first championship season. Not bad by any stretch (5 goals), but nothing to get excited about. True - he average that year was under 7 according to whoscored. You can measure the progress from there. It was clear he had to do a lot to earn the trust of various managers. Di Matteo and Bruce didn’t much like him at first. Dean steadied the ship in many ways, and without that, Grealish wouldn’t be where he is now. The talent was never in doubt, just the application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 2 hours ago, Mark Albrighton said: He did play a fair bit in the first season of the championship to be fair. According to the stats he started 20 matches and sub appearances 11 times. The second season he made 22 starts and 8 sub appearances, although in the second season he was on the pitch longer in terms of minutes. The stats I’m drawing this from might be incorrect but I’ve looked at a couple of different sources and their roughly in agreement. Regardless it’s fair to say he didn’t pull up any trees in his first championship season. Not bad by any stretch (5 goals), but nothing to get excited about. He scored in the last game at home to Brighton and was starting to develop. He then got that freak pre season injury and came back in about November was class all the way through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 The back half of the second Championship season was when we started to see the Grealish we know now (or knew until the summer). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MessiWillSignForVilla Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 12 hours ago, Phil Silvers said: Jack owes a lot to Dean Smith imo. It's Tom Cleverley that he owes a lot to, that kidney injury was really serious and could've killed him, I think it's the one thing that truly made him pull his head out of his arse whilst we were in the Championship, although Bruce, Terry and Smith all deserve some credit too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Silvers Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 1 minute ago, MessiWillSignForVilla said: It's Tom Cleverley that he owes a lot to, that kidney injury was really serious and could've killed him, I think it's the one thing that truly made him pull his head out of his arse whilst we were in the Championship, although Bruce, Terry and Smith all deserve some credit too. Yeah good point, sometimes in life a random occurrence just changes your whole future, as others have alluded to, if Jack had been let go at the wrong time (for him) he might have let that talent just fade away and end up becoming an average pro..... Or worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sidcow Posted December 3, 2021 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted December 3, 2021 (edited) I didn't boo. I certainly didn't clap. I did what I was intending to do which was to remain silent and indifferent. However when the Villa Till I Die chant started I sang it as loud and as proud as I possibly could. It was genius and the absolute right way to go about it. Wish I'd have thought about it. Sent a strong clear message. I said at the time he left that he really didn't understand what he'd done and it remains clear to me he still doesn't. You can fall down on the for it or against it side but there will ALWAYS be large proportion of the fanbase who will never accept him here again. He is living in dreamland if he believes otherwise. And besides who would want a washed up return like Rooney to Everton. I'd rather spend the money on the next big thing instead. Edited December 3, 2021 by sidcow 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Simon Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 6 minutes ago, sidcow said: I didn't boo. I certainly didn't clap. I did what I was intending to do which was to remain silent and indifferent. However when the Villa Till I Die chant started I sang it as loud and as proud as I possibly could. It was genius and the absolute right way to go about it. Wish I'd have thought about it. Sent a strong clear message. I said at the time he left that he really didn't understand what he'd done and it remains clear to me he still doesn't. You can fall down on the for it or against it side but there will ALWAYS be large proportion of the fanbase who will never accept him here again. He is living in dreamland if he believes otherwise. And besides who would want a washed up return like Rooney to Everton. I'd rather spend the money on the next big thing instead. This post = close the thread. Nailed it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNVillan Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 1 hour ago, sidcow said: I didn't boo. I certainly didn't clap. I did what I was intending to do which was to remain silent and indifferent. However when the Villa Till I Die chant started I sang it as loud and as proud as I possibly could. It was genius and the absolute right way to go about it. Wish I'd have thought about it. Sent a strong clear message. I said at the time he left that he really didn't understand what he'd done and it remains clear to me he still doesn't. You can fall down on the for it or against it side but there will ALWAYS be large proportion of the fanbase who will never accept him here again. He is living in dreamland if he believes otherwise. And besides who would want a washed up return like Rooney to Everton. I'd rather spend the money on the next big thing instead. Very well said. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 People that did us far dirtier than Grealish, three of which are now fondly thought of at Villa... Dwight Yorke - deliberately played terribly against Everton to force a move, kissed the Man Utd badge in front of the Holte, joined SHA Gareth Barry - tried to force a move to Liverpool in a public interview with NotW. Then made the jump to City at a time when they were no better than us (just richer) Ashley Young - deliberately dived against us to win a pen. Became Villa's persona non grata for a while Fabian Delph - doesn't even need explaining Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 I know I’ve been hyper vocal, somewhat militant and I may have done a lot of other VT members heads in with my partisan loyalty and condemnation of Grealish and his move to Man City… But after reading about that little Blues lad and what he went through? I don’t care anymore… Go on Jack, enjoy your time at City and win your medals… Enjoy your life as much as you can… Because that littleun was robbed of his chance to enjoy his life… and that deserves everyone’s attention FAAAAR more than whether we should be booing, clapping or cheering a millionaire that claims they are “one of us” 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 22 minutes ago, Wainy316 said: People that did us far dirtier than Grealish, three of which are now fondly thought of at Villa... Dwight Yorke - deliberately played terribly against Everton to force a move, kissed the Man Utd badge in front of the Holte, joined SHA Gareth Barry - tried to force a move to Liverpool in a public interview with NotW. Then made the jump to City at a time when they were no better than us (just richer) Ashley Young - deliberately dived against us to win a pen. Became Villa's persona non grata for a while Fabian Delph - doesn't even need explaining 3? I dont think Yorke is back in the good books 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 21 minutes ago, Wainy316 said: People that did us far dirtier than Grealish, three of which are now fondly thought of at Villa... Dwight Yorke - deliberately played terribly against Everton to force a move, kissed the Man Utd badge in front of the Holte, joined SHA Gareth Barry - tried to force a move to Liverpool in a public interview with NotW. Then made the jump to City at a time when they were no better than us (just richer) Ashley Young - deliberately dived against us to win a pen. Became Villa's persona non grata for a while Fabian Delph - doesn't even need explaining And I’d disagree… Yorke is a scumbag… Yeah, he could kick a football well… but as far as being a human being is concerned, he is pond life Barry leaving for a shit little club with lots of money was the beginning of our downfall… Lots of people didn’t want Young back (myself included) and were skeptical of us signing him again… But he has done alright in these last couple of games… but you can’t leave us, dive against us and then expect us to brush it under the carpet… Dictionary definition of a mercenary… Delph… yeah… Enough said 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderPower_14 Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 I think he'd be welcomed back pretty quickly if the situation was right. Some people will never forgive him but a large enough section of the supporter base would and like Young, as soon as he hit the training track we'd all have smiles back on our faces. I think he is a fan and he does hold us in a special place in his heart, but I think he sees that as a very unrelated thing to his football career, where his ambition is to play for the biggest clubs and win the most trophies. The way he talks he clearly sees football as a job and the club he plays for is just a means to an end. All the stuff we posted about him being our Totti was never really relevant because he doesn't conflate his football career with loving a certain club. Does that make him one of us? Probably not to the level of the average Villatalker but you're on a discussion forum so you're naturally going to have the most die hard supporters here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Albrighton Posted December 4, 2021 VT Supporter Share Posted December 4, 2021 56 minutes ago, Wainy316 said: People that did us far dirtier than Grealish, three of which are now fondly thought of at Villa... Dwight Yorke - deliberately played terribly against Everton to force a move, kissed the Man Utd badge in front of the Holte, joined SHA Gareth Barry - tried to force a move to Liverpool in a public interview with NotW. Then made the jump to City at a time when they were no better than us (just richer) Ashley Young - deliberately dived against us to win a pen. Became Villa's persona non grata for a while Fabian Delph - doesn't even need explaining I think Yorke is a funny one (assuming he’s one of the three you mean). Loved him as a player, but I don’t much care for him as a person. That shouldn’t matter, but it kinda does. Plus every time the Villa job comes up, he’s an embarrassment when he puts his name forward. While all four obviously have (had) fairly strong ties to Villa, none of them are “one of us” like Grealish is. Therefore they’re held to a different standard. Although I completely accept the overall point of your post that Grealish will be held in (mostly) goodwill by supporters in the years to come. I think that will happen, but when that will be, I couldn’t say. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remotevillan Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 I'd have him back with open arms if we could form a mutually symbiotic relationship again (ie he was still decent) as Aston Villa is the priority for me. I think the game had to be played regarding transfers, clauses etc in order to get a decent fee for Villa which puts us in a strong position over the coming years. But also he has that narcissistic fame craving which is okay too. I think the reason most people were devastated (me included) is he gave us an edge where we could have overachieved for a couple of years and even gone after top four but medium to long term like some posters have said it was probably better that this player moved on as he was papering over the cracks and stunting development of the rest of the squad. We are striving to move towards a place where Jack Grealish level players will be the norm. Everything depended on him while we were here and that is not good. I'm over him to be honest. I'd even clap him if I was over there in Villa Park because the possibility of getting him back while he is still decent might be good for Villa and because i dont feel he has damaged the club long term like it seemed in the summer. The next few years I think will prove this. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remotevillan Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 However there may not be much of a place for him in the future here in footballing terms. He moved on but we will have probably moved on too by the time he will be in a position to come back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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