dont_do_it_doug. Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Dave - no you are clearly not reading it right, if at all. It questions his desire amongst other things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted March 7, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted March 7, 2015 Gabriel Agbonlahor reignites a curious career to give Aston Villa hope The striker has been an enigma during 10 years in the Premier League but is again showing his worth when a critical situation demands Gabriel Agbonlahor's goal against West Brom was his fourth of the season and his first since 24 November. Photograph: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images It was a goal that had Tim Sherwood manically sprinting down the touchline, re-energised Aston Villa and lifted Gabriel Agbonlahor up to 45th place on the all-time Premier League goalscorers’ list, level with Brian Deane and Chris Armstrong. Or, to look at it another way, one position higher than Eric Cantona. The 71st top-flight goal of Agbonlahor’s career, and in particular the performance he produced during the first half of that crucial 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night, was like being taken on a trip down memory lane. Quick, direct and aggressive, this was the Agbonlahor of old, the centre-forward to whom Fabio Capello gave three England caps and Martin O’Neill described as a “priceless asset”. Agbonlahor was unplayable – only not in the way that many Villa fans had imagined beforehand, when the consensus seemed to be that Tim Sherwood had made a serious error of judgment by starting with a forward who had failed to score in his previous 14 league games. “Strangely excellent” would be one way of summing up Agbonlahor’s display against Albion. As well as scoring the opening goal he ran Joleon Lescott ragged, ought to have had a penalty when Ben Foster cleaned him out and he saw two efforts cleared off the line. All of that happened before half-time and when he was substituted eight minutes from time a standing ovation followed. “I think it was appreciated by the fans the other night, they were singing his name, you can’t imagine how much players grow from that,” Sherwood, the Villa manager, said. “I’ve managed one of the hottest strikers in English football at the moment, Harry Kane, he had to win over them Tottenham fans.” At times it was quite an ordeal for Lescott and it is safe to assume that the Albion defender will not relish the prospect of coming up against Agbonlahor again, when the two teams meet at Villa Park in an FA Cup quarter-final. “Joleon 10 years ago wouldn’t catch him. It’s nothing to do with age or players,” Sherwood said. “Gabby Agbonlahor is an extraordinarily quick player. Every game I’ve told him to play on the shoulder and look to get in behind, because once he gets in behind you, he’s hard to stop.” Yet Agbonlahor can also look like a player who needs a set of jump leads to get him started. He scored two in the first four games this season, picked up a new four-year contract at a time when Villa were feeling generous beyond belief (Paul Lambert also signed a long-term deal in September) and then scored once in his next 21 appearances. At times this season Agbonlahor has given the impression that he is going through the motions, rather than the gears. His is a curious case in so many respects. Born in Erdington and picked up by Villa at the age of 14, he has never been viewed as a footballer blessed with natural talent – “The one thing that attracted us to him was his pace, he had absolutely nothing else,” Bryan Jones, Villa’s former academy director, told the Guardian in 2008 – yet this is his 10th season as a Premier League player and there are moments when he can be absolutely devastating. A stunning seven-minute hat-trick against Manchester City back in 2008 sticks in the mind. He is part of the furniture at Villa Park and it will be a strange day when there is no Agbonlahor in the team photo. Given his debut under David O’Leary nine years ago this month, Agbonlahor has had more strike partners (17) over the years than Villa have scored league goals this season. Juan Pablo Ángel, Milan Baros, Luke Moore, Kevin Phillips, Chris Sutton, John Carew, Marlon Harewood, Nathan Delfouneso, Emile Heskey, Darren Bent, Andreas Weimann, Robbie Keane, Christian Benteke, Jordan Bowery, Nicklas Helenius, Grant Holt and Libor Kozak have all tried their luck with varying degrees of success and failure. Agbonlahor is a survivor and yet it is hard not to look back over his career, in particular that period when he was in his early 20s, in and around the England squad, scoring 11 (2007-08), 12 (2008‑09) and 13 (2009-10) Premier League goals a season, and question what has happened since and why performances such as the one against West Bromwich have become the exception and not the norm. One school of thought among those that know him well is that life has been too comfortable for too long for Villa’s longest-serving player and that the desire, hunger and determination to push on no longer burns inside. Agbonlahor has been loyal to Villa but also extremely well paid. The four-year contract he signed in 2010 was worth £60,000 a week. Why leave? And would Agbonlahor have got that lucrative deal he signed in September anywhere else? Others highlight the fact that Agbonlahor is Villa through and through and point to mitigating factors behind his deteriorating goal return. It is certainly true that Villa have been in steady decline across the period when his goals have dried up – he has scored only 25 in the league in the past five seasons and nine of those came in 2012‑13. There is also a legitimate argument that any forward would have struggled to make a mark for so much of this season, when the football was dire under Lambert and chances at a premium. Perhaps the biggest thing that can be said in defence of Agbonlahor’s form over the second half of his career is that he has spent far too long playing out of position since O’Neill left the club. Gérard Houllier, Alex McLeish and Paul Lambert all deployed Agbonlahor wide, where he never looks comfortable. He was arguably at his best for Villa back in the days when Carew was playing alongside him up front, in the same way that Christian Benteke did against West Bromwich. “That strike partnership [Agbonlahor and Benteke], outside the top six clubs, they’ve got to be the best two,” Sherwood said. “But on paper it doesn’t make any difference, you have to go and prove it and go and do it. And it’s about this time when Gabby normally comes out and starts keeping this team in the league.” The last comment was accompanied with a smile but has some substance. Two years ago, when Villa were mired in yet another relegation battle, Agbonlahor decided to turn it on and scored six in seven during the last nine games of the season to help them survive. What Sherwood and Agbonlahor would do for a repeat of that run now, with a couple of trips to Wembley thrown in. Link Am i reading this right?? one half decent game, yes that's all it was half decent, and suddenly all is perfect in the world of Gabby. Well hold tight Gabby fans, your probably going to get another run of mediocrity at best. I cant believe how he gets away with it time after time. Just because he supports the club. i for one will not be fooled. sorry. You're hating him getting any praise aren't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 I think he will wanna impress in this one. Here's hoping he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Bear Posted March 7, 2015 Author Share Posted March 7, 2015 Back to his very best tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelVilla Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Absolutely brilliant last two games. Never play him wide again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samjp26 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Looked like a machine, an absolute threat. To see him holding up the ball like he was, making better runs as well, this is the player he needs to be. A lot of "bro love" between him and Sherwood, think that may be working well for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avfc96 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Sensational again tonight, keep him upfront! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Anyone see him when he got subbed, Threw his arms up at the fans, showed some player passion, loved it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Nobody ever doubted Gabbys ability just how nobody could really say Adeybayor was crap at football. I have no idea what Sherwood says to these players but boy does it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Nobody ever doubted Gabbys ability just how nobody could really say Adeybayor was crap at football. I have no idea what Sherwood says to these players but boy does it work. Abebayor is crap at football. Really crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Nobody ever doubted Gabbys ability just how nobody could really say Adeybayor was crap at football. I have no idea what Sherwood says to these players but boy does it work. Abebayor is crap at football. Really crap. Really? I wish I was crap enough at football to play for Real Madrid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Fantastic again today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Sherwood has his ear and is giving him the same advice he gave Adebayor seemingly, it is good to see. Hopefully Benteke will spark off aswell. Expect a good end to the season and a big semi final performance, he has the bit between his teeth as they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Can't believe what I'm reading here. He was just ok again, nothing special whatsoever. Well I guess if you can't be good, be lucky. As I've said before I won't be fooled by the villa fan nonsense. Yes I know that we crave a hero, but this guy will never be one for me. Maybe I am in the minority amongst villa fans, but I just don't see a player there. Sorry but I don't. If two half decent games is all it takes to get you off the hook, well as I say better lucky than good. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Biro Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 He was far from sensational, he didn't really do much in the game but being up on his own is not his thing, running in behind and playing off someone is his thing and i hope that's what he'll do with Benteke from now on in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 Nobody ever doubted Gabbys ability just how nobody could really say Adeybayor was crap at football. I have no idea what Sherwood says to these players but boy does it work.Really?Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 he has had 2 good games and its a fresh start for everybody under Sherwood. Gabby seems to be a player that will play well for a manager if they throw an arm over his shoulder. He didnt seem to like the discipline and tactical approaches of Houllier, McLeish or Lambert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farlz Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 He wasn't as good as he was in the week but considering he was on his own tonight I wasn't expecting much anyway, still played better than he usually does. Keep it up please, Gabby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meregreen Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Nothing special tonight. Sinclair and Delph were our main threats. Can't actually remember a shot from him. Benteke back for Sunderland, with Sinclair alongside him please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted March 8, 2015 Share Posted March 8, 2015 Lone striker against five at the back was always going to be really tough. Held the ball up and linked up play well, turned the defence a few times and won some freekicks, had a good game imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts