Gary Gardner

[Big_John_10]

He showed glimpses last year but that's about it. At time I thought he showed some real poor decision making with his passing but I guess that's to do with his youth.

I'd expect a lot more off him this season if he's going to be the player we hope he is.

[McGregor1888]

He's only just turned 20 years old.

Gary is a massive talent who will come good. To expect the kid to come straight in when given a chance and make a difference at this level is a huge ask imo. Only a few players at that age can do that like Rooney, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshire, but your talking supreme talants.

Gary was watched by both Inter Milan and Real Madrid before he did his ACL, so that shows that the footballing world is fully aware of how good he could be and the potential he has.

He'll come good i have no doubt, just needs time to get upto speed. As Ulver said above, a good 6 month loan to a top end Championship team would do him the world of good.

He was set back a good year by his injury and has had to slowly get his game back. He's as good as any of those Arsenal players you've named, by the way, he simply lacks having the London press as his cheerleaders.

Off the top of my head, I think he was one of the top scorers during the Next Gen series and considering he achieved that as a midfield player in a tournament featuring the cream of Europe's youngsters is no mean feat.

I think GG must have been shattered last season when you consider all the games he played for the club (and Coventry !) . He's going to be a top player. Hopefully he will follow Gabby's example and aim to be a one club man, winning trophies for the club.

[wiggyrichard]

He's only just turned 20 years old.

Gary is a massive talent who will come good. To expect the kid to come straight in when given a chance and make a difference at this level is a huge ask imo. Only a few players at that age can do that like Rooney, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshire, but your talking supreme talants.

Gary was watched by both Inter Milan and Real Madrid before he did his ACL, so that shows that the footballing world is fully aware of how good he could be and the potential he has.

He'll come good i have no doubt, just needs time to get upto speed. As Ulver said above, a good 6 month loan to a top end Championship team would do him the world of good.

He was set back a good year by his injury and has had to slowly get his game back. He's as good as any of those Arsenal players you've named, by the way, he simply lacks having the London press as his cheerleaders.

Off the top of my head, I think he was one of the top scorers during the Next Gen series and considering he achieved that as a midfield player in a tournament featuring the cream of Europe's youngsters is no mean feat.

I think GG must have been shattered last season when you consider all the games he played for the club (and Coventry !) . He's going to be a top player. Hopefully he will follow Gabby's example and aim to be a one club man, winning trophies for the club.

Thats a massive shout fella to say he's as good as Wilshire, potentially i think he could be on a par but at the moment he's nowhere near.

It'll come tho, im sure of it.

[darrenm]

Him and Wilshere are good friends. I think Wilshere himself has said GG is better than him.

Players make throw away comments all the time, obviously, but when our kids destroyed the Arsenal kids 10-1, it was mainly down to 2 players, GG and Daniel Johnson, who I also think is the real deal.

GG reminds me of David Platt. Seems to have the exact same attributes. I think and hope he'll have the same impact for us (but then hopefully not bugger off to Italy)

[Pilchard]

If he hadn't put that shot in for Weimann to bundle in against Fulham, we'd be looking at a totally different fixture list for next season.

[McGregor1888]

He's only just turned 20 years old.

Gary is a massive talent who will come good. To expect the kid to come straight in when given a chance and make a difference at this level is a huge ask imo. Only a few players at that age can do that like Rooney, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshire, but your talking supreme talants.

Gary was watched by both Inter Milan and Real Madrid before he did his ACL, so that shows that the footballing world is fully aware of how good he could be and the potential he has.

He'll come good i have no doubt, just needs time to get upto speed. As Ulver said above, a good 6 month loan to a top end Championship team would do him the world of good.

He was set back a good year by his injury and has had to slowly get his game back. He's as good as any of those Arsenal players you've named, by the way, he simply lacks having the London press as his cheerleaders.

Off the top of my head, I think he was one of the top scorers during the Next Gen series and considering he achieved that as a midfield player in a tournament featuring the cream of Europe's youngsters is no mean feat.

I think GG must have been shattered last season when you consider all the games he played for the club (and Coventry !) . He's going to be a top player. Hopefully he will follow Gabby's example and aim to be a one club man, winning trophies for the club.

Thats a massive shout fella to say he's as good as Wilshire, potentially i think he could be on a par but at the moment he's nowhere near.

It'll come tho, im sure of it.

I'm not so sure it's a massive shout to be honest. Wilshere and Arsenal have superb media and PR links down there in London and the lad has received an awful lot of hype. Don't get me wrong, of course he is a very good player, but, as an example, is he a player deserving of being featured on the packaging of FIFA whatever it was? The hype really cranked up when he scored a couple of goals in a pre-season tournament for Arsenal and it's been an endless stream of over the top nonsense ever since.

Who can remember the headlines when he scored his first senior goal for Arsenal versus us? Did we see similar stories for any of our youngsters when they scored their first goals for Villa? The ironic thing is Ciaran Clark scored two from midfield that day versus Arsenal and not one word did it get in the national press. Not one bit of recognition did Clarky (a defender playing in midfield) get for his performance and goals v Arsenal. It's total media spin and bull.

It's a game Arsenal are very good at playing: they sell off their star names and then seem to calm the fans down by blitzing the media with stories about a world class youngster that they are going to build the club around.

People will point to how well Wilshere played in a match v Barcelona as some form of proof that he is something special. So what - all youngsters can raise their games under such circumstances. I remember Paul Birch twenty odd years ago totally snuffing out Lothar Matthaus at Villa Park and I cannot recall the London media praising him to all and sundry...

Yep, Wilshere is good but there is a whole lot of hype surrounding him that has to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. I'm pretty sure we produce players that match and are superior to those hyped by London journalists. Our lads don't get written about because journalists are more than happy to write lazy, easy copy about the clubs on their doorsteps be they London or the North West.

One of the reasons why I'm so looking forward to this season is to see how our youngsters all get on. As a club we have received so little coverage (compared to Wilshere/Arsenal, for example) about the youngsters we have been blooding these past two years that I really hope it all just gels together and gives the bookies and journalists a huge bloody nose.

[SonicVillan]

He was definitely on a level with the likes of Wilshere before his injury, possibly even rated a little higher. Whether he can get back to that after being out for so long is a different story, but I'm convinced he will. He's the Mutt's Nutts.

[Big_John_10]

Wilshire made his first team debut at a younger age than fabregas. He was 16 when he made his first appearance in the champions league.

He impressed when playing for arsenal and really impressed when he went on loan to bolton. He won PFA young player of the year and even beat the likes of RVP one year to be votes arsenal player of the year.

I think it's a bit much to claim its all down to how arsenal play the media game. Gardner has a lot of potential but he hasn't come close to showing anything like the level of performances Jack Wilshire has already put in.

[wiggyrichard]

He's only just turned 20 years old.

Gary is a massive talent who will come good. To expect the kid to come straight in when given a chance and make a difference at this level is a huge ask imo. Only a few players at that age can do that like Rooney, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshire, but your talking supreme talants.

Gary was watched by both Inter Milan and Real Madrid before he did his ACL, so that shows that the footballing world is fully aware of how good he could be and the potential he has.

He'll come good i have no doubt, just needs time to get upto speed. As Ulver said above, a good 6 month loan to a top end Championship team would do him the world of good.

He was set back a good year by his injury and has had to slowly get his game back. He's as good as any of those Arsenal players you've named, by the way, he simply lacks having the London press as his cheerleaders.

Off the top of my head, I think he was one of the top scorers during the Next Gen series and considering he achieved that as a midfield player in a tournament featuring the cream of Europe's youngsters is no mean feat.

I think GG must have been shattered last season when you consider all the games he played for the club (and Coventry !) . He's going to be a top player. Hopefully he will follow Gabby's example and aim to be a one club man, winning trophies for the club.

Thats a massive shout fella to say he's as good as Wilshire, potentially i think he could be on a par but at the moment he's nowhere near.

It'll come tho, im sure of it.

I'm not so sure it's a massive shout to be honest. Wilshere and Arsenal have superb media and PR links down there in London and the lad has received an awful lot of hype. Don't get me wrong, of course he is a very good player, but, as an example, is he a player deserving of being featured on the packaging of FIFA whatever it was? The hype really cranked up when he scored a couple of goals in a pre-season tournament for Arsenal and it's been an endless stream of over the top nonsense ever since.

Who can remember the headlines when he scored his first senior goal for Arsenal versus us? Did we see similar stories for any of our youngsters when they scored their first goals for Villa? The ironic thing is Ciaran Clark scored two from midfield that day versus Arsenal and not one word did it get in the national press. Not one bit of recognition did Clarky (a defender playing in midfield) get for his performance and goals v Arsenal. It's total media spin and bull.

It's a game Arsenal are very good at playing: they sell off their star names and then seem to calm the fans down by blitzing the media with stories about a world class youngster that they are going to build the club around.

People will point to how well Wilshere played in a match v Barcelona as some form of proof that he is something special. So what - all youngsters can raise their games under such circumstances. I remember Paul Birch twenty odd years ago totally snuffing out Lothar Matthaus at Villa Park and I cannot recall the London media praising him to all and sundry...

Yep, Wilshere is good but there is a whole lot of hype surrounding him that has to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. I'm pretty sure we produce players that match and are superior to those hyped by London journalists. Our lads don't get written about because journalists are more than happy to write lazy, easy copy about the clubs on their doorsteps be they London or the North West.

One of the reasons why I'm so looking forward to this season is to see how our youngsters all get on. As a club we have received so little coverage (compared to Wilshere/Arsenal, for example) about the youngsters we have been blooding these past two years that I really hope it all just gels together and gives the bookies and journalists a huge bloody nose.

Cant argue with any of that chief...great post!

[wiggyrichard]

I think it's a bit much to claim its all down to how arsenal play the media game. Gardner has a lot of potential but he hasn't come close to showing anything like the level of performances Jack Wilshire has already put in.

Thats not what he's saying mate.

[Zhan_Zhuang]

GG's wiki page has him at 6ft 2in tall; supposing he bulks up a little he could be a real powerhouse of a midfielder in years to come.

As has been said earlier he does need games to shine and hone his craft.

[kevangrealish]

He's only just turned 20 years old.

Gary is a massive talent who will come good. To expect the kid to come straight in when given a chance and make a difference at this level is a huge ask imo. Only a few players at that age can do that like Rooney, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshire, but your talking supreme talants.

Gary was watched by both Inter Milan and Real Madrid before he did his ACL, so that shows that the footballing world is fully aware of how good he could be and the potential he has.

He'll come good i have no doubt, just needs time to get upto speed. As Ulver said above, a good 6 month loan to a top end Championship team would do him the world of good.

He was set back a good year by his injury and has had to slowly get his game back. He's as good as any of those Arsenal players you've named, by the way, he simply lacks having the London press as his cheerleaders.

Off the top of my head, I think he was one of the top scorers during the Next Gen series and considering he achieved that as a midfield player in a tournament featuring the cream of Europe's youngsters is no mean feat.

I think GG must have been shattered last season when you consider all the games he played for the club (and Coventry !) . He's going to be a top player. Hopefully he will follow Gabby's example and aim to be a one club man, winning trophies for the club.

Thats a massive shout fella to say he's as good as Wilshire, potentially i think he could be on a par but at the moment he's nowhere near.

It'll come tho, im sure of it.

I'm not so sure it's a massive shout to be honest. Wilshere and Arsenal have superb media and PR links down there in London and the lad has received an awful lot of hype. Don't get me wrong, of course he is a very good player, but, as an example, is he a player deserving of being featured on the packaging of FIFA whatever it was? The hype really cranked up when he scored a couple of goals in a pre-season tournament for Arsenal and it's been an endless stream of over the top nonsense ever since.

Who can remember the headlines when he scored his first senior goal for Arsenal versus us? Did we see similar stories for any of our youngsters when they scored their first goals for Villa? The ironic thing is Ciaran Clark scored two from midfield that day versus Arsenal and not one word did it get in the national press. Not one bit of recognition did Clarky (a defender playing in midfield) get for his performance and goals v Arsenal. It's total media spin and bull.

It's a game Arsenal are very good at playing: they sell off their star names and then seem to calm the fans down by blitzing the media with stories about a world class youngster that they are going to build the club around.

People will point to how well Wilshere played in a match v Barcelona as some form of proof that he is something special. So what - all youngsters can raise their games under such circumstances. I remember Paul Birch twenty odd years ago totally snuffing out Lothar Matthaus at Villa Park and I cannot recall the London media praising him to all and sundry...

Yep, Wilshere is good but there is a whole lot of hype surrounding him that has to be taken with a huge pinch of salt. I'm pretty sure we produce players that match and are superior to those hyped by London journalists. Our lads don't get written about because journalists are more than happy to write lazy, easy copy about the clubs on their doorsteps be they London or the North West.

One of the reasons why I'm so looking forward to this season is to see how our youngsters all get on. As a club we have received so little coverage (compared to Wilshere/Arsenal, for example) about the youngsters we have been blooding these past two years that I really hope it all just gels together and gives the bookies and journalists a huge bloody nose.

I can see where youre coming from and i have no doubt from what ive seen in reserves/next gen games he will become a great player for us. Except you mentioned ciaran clark ? ciaran clark got praised when he played his debut against fulham years ago. And he got linked with united not the year gone but the year before that... and lets be honest last season he was apalling when he played.

Also Jack Wilshere has clearly proved himself in an arsenal t-shirt senior and youth whereas GG has only did it at youth/reserve.

He was gifted the oppurtunity at cov and did well. Came back to villa and was nowhere near prem standard...i remember someone told me his pass completion rate in one match last season and it was laughable.

As i say im not trying to say hes not a good player because hes an absolute tank in the next gen and was vital last season for them but the Wilshere/ox-lade statement is very extreme.

[SonicVillan]

He was gifted the oppurtunity at cov and did well. Came back to villa and was nowhere near prem standard...i remember someone told me his pass completion rate in one match last season and it was laughable.

As i say im not trying to say hes not a good player because hes an absolute tank in the next gen and was vital last season for them but the Wilshere/ox-lade statement is very extreme.

So much of the reason for that is the respective sides in which each player featured. How many Arsenal players are going to be in a position to receive the ball from Wilshere compared to when Gardner had the ball fizzed at him in a sort of "deal with that, son" way by Collins?

Put my one-footed, skinny self in the Arsenal side and watch me complete a few passes.

The sides in which the two come through count massively, it's like someone mentioned on another thread (Bannan, I think), about how Iniesta wouldn't be super effective in our side last season because last season nobody wanted or moved for the ball.

In short, Gardner is class and will thrive in a side that plays football, like our reserves do (admittedly at reserve level, but they were infinitely better to watch than our first team under 'him').

[SeanO]

Lets be honest most of us hoped he would burst onto the scene and be our Gerrard and it didn't happen.

He has great potential and of all the young players at the club he looks to me to be the one with the best chance of really making it big but he's still learning and we will have to be patient while he gets up to the pace of the Premier League. When he does we will have a great player who we will all be proud of, unlike his brother!

[SonicVillan]

It's worth noting that Gerrard didn't debut for Liverpool until he was 18 (would have certainly been matched or bettered by Gardner had he not been injured for 18 months) and was utter dross for his first few games. Didn't really start to shine and start pulling the strings until he was 20 or so.

Gardner is much more similar to Gerrard than Wilshere in terms of playing style.

[Big_John_10]

He was gifted the oppurtunity at cov and did well. Came back to villa and was nowhere near prem standard...i remember someone told me his pass completion rate in one match last season and it was laughable.

As i say im not trying to say hes not a good player because hes an absolute tank in the next gen and was vital last season for them but the Wilshere/ox-lade statement is very extreme.

So much of the reason for that is the respective sides in which each player featured. How many Arsenal players are going to be in a position to receive the ball from Wilshere compared to when Gardner had the ball fizzed at him in a sort of "deal with that, son" way by Collins?

Put my one-footed, skinny self in the Arsenal side and watch me complete a few passes.

The sides in which the two come through count massively, it's like someone mentioned on another thread (Bannan, I think), about how Iniesta wouldn't be super effective in our side last season because last season nobody wanted or moved for the ball.

In short, Gardner is class and will thrive in a side that plays football, like our reserves do (admittedly at reserve level, but they were infinitely better to watch than our first team under 'him').

So wilshire isn't better than gardner its just the media hype and playing at arsenal makes him look good?

I'm excited about the potential player gardner could be but lets be realistic. Currently he is no where near the level that Jack Wilshire is at. Good players stand out no matter what team they are playing in.

Jack wilshire is winning england caps and winning arsenal player of the year over fabregas and RVP. Gardner is still a player who comes off the bench and fails to impress.

I'm not writing gardner off, he needs time and minutes on the pitch to improve and show us his full potential. But there is no way you can argue hes at the same level of jack wilshire.

[SonicVillan]

He was gifted the oppurtunity at cov and did well. Came back to villa and was nowhere near prem standard...i remember someone told me his pass completion rate in one match last season and it was laughable.

As i say im not trying to say hes not a good player because hes an absolute tank in the next gen and was vital last season for them but the Wilshere/ox-lade statement is very extreme.

So much of the reason for that is the respective sides in which each player featured. How many Arsenal players are going to be in a position to receive the ball from Wilshere compared to when Gardner had the ball fizzed at him in a sort of "deal with that, son" way by Collins?

Put my one-footed, skinny self in the Arsenal side and watch me complete a few passes.

The sides in which the two come through count massively, it's like someone mentioned on another thread (Bannan, I think), about how Iniesta wouldn't be super effective in our side last season because last season nobody wanted or moved for the ball.

In short, Gardner is class and will thrive in a side that plays football, like our reserves do (admittedly at reserve level, but they were infinitely better to watch than our first team under 'him').

So wilshire isn't better than gardner its just the media hype and playing at arsenal makes him look good?

I'm excited about the potential player gardner could be but lets be realistic. Currently he is no where near the level that Jack Wilshire is at. Good players stand out no matter what team they are playing in.

Jack wilshire is winning england caps and winning arsenal player of the year over fabregas and RVP. Gardner is still a player who comes off the bench and fails to impress.

I'm not writing gardner off, he needs time and minutes on the pitch to improve and show us his full potential. But there is no way you can argue hes at the same level of jack wilshire.

I'm not saying that at all. As I said elsewhere, Gardner is 18 months (at least) worth of development and playing time behind Wilshere due to his injury. Add in that it's not as easy as picking up where you left off when you come back from said injury, and really you have to look at where they both were in terms of ability before the injury. In my mind, I would say they were pretty even, but Wilshere had London hype and played in a team that allowed him to see more of the ball. Also, once both stepped up to the Seniors, Wilshere got to train/develop with the likes of Van Persie and Fabregas.

All I'm trying to say is I think there could well be a Wilshere-level of player in Gary Gardner and, due to his injury, he definitely deserves a bit of time to be allowed to get there. I believe he's that good.

[AVFCforever1991]

Well said Sonic.

[Big_John_10]

All I'm trying to say is I think there could well be a Wilshere-level of player in Gary Gardner and, due to his injury, he definitely deserves a bit of time to be allowed to get there. I believe he's that good.

Then we're on the same page.

I was initially disagreeing with the argument that he's at that level now.

[AVFCforever1991]

Yeah I don't think any villa fans have convinced themselves that Gardner is on par with Wilshere as it currently stands.. Has the ability to though.