Gabby Agbonlahor

[a m ole]

His decision to start bodybuilding was a catastrophic mistake, maybe not for his career because we paid him handsomely regardless but as a footballer (glorified sprinter) it ruined him. The physique was spot on before but his technique was bad, and now he has neither. Last Tuesday Van Dyk galloped toward the ball past Gabby doing his leant back, stuck in a spiderweb sprint; he hasn't been fast as f**k for some time. The extra weight also no doubt contributed to his injury problems, trying to change the natural composition of your body is going to ruin how efficiently it works. Imagine if Usain Bolt tried to put on the size of Harry A-A. He'd injure himself going up and down the stairs, never mind 90 mins of running, sprinting, jumping, twisting and changing direction.

The comparison is interesting.

Gabby and Bolt are the same age (29); Bolt's peak was in 2009 and Gabby's peak was the 2008-9 season.

The idea that a bit of body-building changed his body forever, is definitely wrong: ask any body-builder and they will tell you how difficult it is to maintain muscle-mass.

From the moment Gabby emerged as a youngster it was well-known that he was very limited technically but play a ball in front of him and he would lose the defender and have a shot on goal: he was never a great finisher but on his day he could be very effective. 

When he was moved out wide and played deeper to shore up Villa's defensive weakness at left-back, his starting position favoured the defender and his pace was less effective.

My view is that he was always a very limited player whose main attribute was squandered to make up for the shortcomings of a team with defensive problems and in decline. 

His loss of pace means that he needs to adapt is game to compensate, which I don't think he is capable of, or his starting position needs to altered to take his loss of pace into account.

I'll never believe he has the attributes required of a winger.

 

He gained most his weight over the course of a preseason, you cannot tell me that was his body naturally growing up. Why not compare him to H.A.A, his coaches had to change his training regime as he was putting on too much size and it was hindering him. The leaner version was quicker, our fitness coach noticed it and fans noticed it. I'd also wager that Gabby wasn't doing exercises to build his power and speed that resulted in his size, it was a lot of bench and arm size which translates to unnecessary kilos added to every stride. I'm familiar with both body builders and athletics coaches by the way.

Genuine question. Why are  all 100m sprinters built like brick shithouses then?

A lot of the guys are naturally that frame and probably more likely to be quick, but they train very specifically for it and every ounce they put on is for power and stability. so fast explosive movements are all they do, which can build a lot of mass but it's all in view of making them perfectly efficient. Someone like the French 100m champion Chistophe Lemaitre is slim, has a lot of power but it's all concentrated. If he were to decide to put on 10-15kg of muscle it would completely throw off his rhythm and obstruct the natural motions of his limbs. If it was also slow movements like bench press, squats etc then the muscle he builds will also have no effect on the ability to create force and propel him further, quicker.

Edited November 4, 2015 by a m ole
should have elaborated

[weedman]

Obviously doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting on here, but that's par for the course really. He's been shit this season though, hadn't contributed at all,

THAT makes you cry with laughter? Easy to please eh?

[ChristchurchVillan]

His decision to start bodybuilding was a catastrophic mistake, maybe not for his career because we paid him handsomely regardless but as a footballer (glorified sprinter) it ruined him. The physique was spot on before but his technique was bad, and now he has neither. Last Tuesday Van Dyk galloped toward the ball past Gabby doing his leant back, stuck in a spiderweb sprint; he hasn't been fast as f**k for some time. The extra weight also no doubt contributed to his injury problems, trying to change the natural composition of your body is going to ruin how efficiently it works. Imagine if Usain Bolt tried to put on the size of Harry A-A. He'd injure himself going up and down the stairs, never mind 90 mins of running, sprinting, jumping, twisting and changing direction.

The comparison is interesting.

Gabby and Bolt are the same age (29); Bolt's peak was in 2009 and Gabby's peak was the 2008-9 season.

The idea that a bit of body-building changed his body forever, is definitely wrong: ask any body-builder and they will tell you how difficult it is to maintain muscle-mass.

From the moment Gabby emerged as a youngster it was well-known that he was very limited technically but play a ball in front of him and he would lose the defender and have a shot on goal: he was never a great finisher but on his day he could be very effective. 

When he was moved out wide and played deeper to shore up Villa's defensive weakness at left-back, his starting position favoured the defender and his pace was less effective.

My view is that he was always a very limited player whose main attribute was squandered to make up for the shortcomings of a team with defensive problems and in decline. 

His loss of pace means that he needs to adapt is game to compensate, which I don't think he is capable of, or his starting position needs to altered to take his loss of pace into account.

I'll never believe he has the attributes required of a winger.

 

He gained most his weight over the course of a preseason, you cannot tell me that was his body naturally growing up. Why not compare him to H.A.A, his coaches had to change his training regime as he was putting on too much size and it was hindering him. The leaner version was quicker, our fitness coach noticed it and fans noticed it. I'd also wager that Gabby wasn't doing exercises to build his power and speed that resulted in his size, it was a lot of bench and arm size which translates to unnecessary kilos added to every stride. I'm familiar with both body builders and athletics coaches by the way.

Genuine question. Why are  all 100m sprinters built like brick shithouses then?

A lot of the guys are naturally that frame and probably more likely to be quick, but they train very specifically for it and every ounce they put on is for power and stability. so fast explosive movements are all they do, which can build a lot of mass but it's all in view of making them perfectly efficient. Someone like the French 100m champion Chistophe Lemaitre is slim, has a lot of power but it's all concentrated. If he were to decide to put on 10-15kg of muscle it would completely throw off his rhythm and obstruct the natural motions of his limbs. If it was also slow movements like bench press, squats etc then the muscle he builds will also have no effect on the ability to create force and propel him further, quicker.

ok thanks

[sne]

                                 Really no surprise that this Gabby is faster than this one 

 

Sadly he never had much technique to begin with, and for whatever reason he hasn't improved that aspect of his game 

Edited November 4, 2015 by sne

[MakemineVanilla]

                                 Really no surprise that this Gabby is faster than this one 

 

 

Okay, even if I don't expect him to be as thin as he was, he is definitely over-weight.

Looks like John Barnes is his role-model, or maybe Micky Quinn.

I swear, I never knew eating pussy was so fattening.

[Risso]

He's a disgrace to the club to be honest.  He really is very noticeably overweight, and for someone whose one attribute was speed, it's completely unacceptable.  I hope the new (old) fitness coach runs him till he pukes, then runs him some more.

[benireduk]

Even if Flabby trimmed right down, it wouldn't make him anymore useful in my opinion.

He's been the only common denominator over the past 5-6 years of struggle. I'm not saying it's all his fault, but he's played under countless managers since MON left and none of them have got a consistent level of performance out of him.

The fact that he was captain on Monday night and his 8 touches in 45mins was pathetic and an embarrassment.

[Cliffy Biro]

Agreed, he could be skinny and rapid again but he'll still have zero football ability. If Garde comes in and actually starts him week in week out like the last 4-5 managers then I think i'll just sit in a dark corner sobbing for the next 5 months.

[srsmithusa]

Obviously doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting on here, but that's par for the course really. He's been shit this season though, hadn't contributed at all,

 

 

THAT makes you cry with laughter? Easy to please eh

 

You seriously can't see that you stepped in your own pile of it? 

[weedman]

Obviously doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting on here, but that's par for the course really. He's been shit this season though, hadn't contributed at all, 

 

THAT makes you cry with laughter? Easy to please eh

 

You seriously can't see that you stepped in your own pile of it? 

He has been crap this season though, can you honestly not see the difference between what I posted accepting that he's been shit this season but there are a variety of potential reasons why and a couple of months out of the team to get his fitness and sharpness up would be a good route to go and most others on here calling him a disgrace, stealing a living or just saying **** off you waste of space etc?

Some are overly harsh, which is undeserved, that was the point I was making and followed by stating my reasons why, perhaps I should have just said "he's a waste of space who's only interest is bleeding us dry, no better than my Sunday league team, needs to be sacked with immediate effect, the fact he's our record ever goalscorer is a disgrace and an insult to the club. Oh and he's fat as well, probably got about 10% body fat, disgrace", pretty sure that would have garnered less criticism that my actual post

[Dave J]

Weedman;

personally I fail to see what potential reason you can offer to try and justify this guys performances this season. Don't you feel the frustration and sheer exasperation of so many of the fans who post on here. I'm pretty sure you know my views by now, don't rate him, never have and unlikely this will ever change. 

I choose not to use some of the terms and phrases others use, but I definitely understand and share in the frustrations and understand why supporters get annoyed and angry when they see such low level, below standard performances season after season IMO.

[weedman]

Weedman;

personally I fail to see what potential reason you can offer to try and justify this guys performances this season. Don't you feel the frustration and sheer exasperation of so many of the fans who post on here. I'm pretty sure you know my views by now, don't rate him, never have and unlikely this will ever change. 

I choose not to use some of the terms and phrases others use, but I definitely understand and share in the frustrations and understand why supporters get annoyed and angry when they see such low level, below standard performances season after season IMO.

Of course I understand the frustration, I'm a Villa fan too after all. And I'm not here trying to claim the guys some hero who needs to start every game, I'm simply arguing against some of the way over the top criticism that he often receives. During the last few years he's been an average winger playing in an average team - doing the job asked of him (effectively too, the weak link in our side during that time has been left back and his job has pretty much been to cover them and defend and track back, hardly a surprise when he's not banging in 10+ goals a season in that period is it? And considering his goal return is pretty much in line with what other average wingers in average teams have been scoring, I don't think he's been too bad there either). He's got some pretty glaring weaknesses of course, but the reason he's played so many games is simply he's the best we've had. Even if that isn't as good as most would hope for (which, reading this thread it clearly isn't) does not justify half as much criticism as he receives.

This season he has been way worse than usual, it is in no way the same as previous years. Now that could be because he's "past it", or it could be down to missing pre season and picking up a number of injuries this year, we don't know, hence my thought to leave him out for a month or 2 and let him get that fitness and sharpness back and see if he improves. If he doesn't, we don't have to play him, and if it does then great, that will benefit us.

Regardless to thoughts on how good or bad he is, he deserves a lot more respect than he gets on here. Hes been consistently slated by his own fans for years, played out of position, played under some of the worst managers the clubs ever seen and he has never once had a bad word to say for the club, never once. His ability is his ability, it's the best he's got, his attitude could be far more N'Zogbia esque if he wanted but it's not, he does whatever is asked of him by the club and never complains. He's not a great player, no, but if opinions on here are indicative of the general fan base, he will probably be the most disliked player to ever be a clubs record goalscorer, and that says a lot more about us fans than it does him

[Dr_Pangloss]

Gabby = fat word removed

[The Fun Factory]

Regardless if he loves the club he has been woeful for well over 2 years, and really has had only one decent season since MON left.  If he wasn't a Villa man through and through there would be no way he would be at the club. 0 goals since March and is well off the pace nowadays. He should be a impact sub at best and only start if everyone is injured. Give him a testimonial at the end of the season and let him go to a Championship club in the summer.

[srsmithusa]

Obviously doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting on here, but that's par for the course really. He's been shit this season though, hadn't contributed at all, 

 

 

 

THAT makes you cry with laughter? Easy to please eh

 

 

You seriously can't see that you stepped in your own pile of it? 

 

He has been crap this season though, can you honestly not see the difference between what I posted accepting that he's been shit this season but there are a variety of potential reasons why and a couple of months out of the team to get his fitness and sharpness up would be a good route to go and most others on here calling him a disgrace, stealing a living or just saying **** off you waste of space etc?

 

Some are overly harsh, which is undeserved, that was the point I was making and followed by stating my reasons why, perhaps I should have just said "he's a waste of space who's only interest is bleeding us dry, no better than my Sunday league team, needs to be sacked with immediate effect, the fact he's our record ever goalscorer is a disgrace and an insult to the club. Oh and he's fat as well, probably got about 10% body fat, disgrace", pretty sure that would have garnered less criticism that my actual post

I'll say it one more time.  You said he doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting.  Then you said "he's shit."  That's it.  If you're too tightly wound to see the humor in that and laugh at yourself, then I'll just leave you to it.

[kiddybloke]

Regardless if he loves the club he has been woeful for well over 2 years, and really has had only one decent season since MON left.  If he wasn't a Villa man through and through there would be no way he would be at the club. 0 goals since March and is well off the pace nowadays. He should be a impact sub at best and only start if everyone is injured. Give him a testimonial at the end of the season and let him go to a Championship club in the summer.

I have a feeling he'll be at a championship club in the summer 

[Risso]

but if opinions on here are indicative of the general fan base, he will probably be the most disliked player to ever be a clubs record goalscorer, and that says a lot more about us fans than it does him

 

At his current rate of scoring, he'll be the club's record goal scorer sometime around his 87th birthday.

Edited November 4, 2015 by Risso

[MikeMcKenna]

Garde's use of Gabby in the immediate future is going to be very interesting. As it stands he is pretty useless and makes little and increasingly less contributions to matches. 

If the collective that is "the fans that use Villa forums" are right,  he is at the end of his Villa career as a starting striker. But nothing surprises me and I still think he will be trotted out because we have such a dearth of strikers. It would be really worrying if we do not bring in at least one decent striker in January and consign Gabby at best to the bench. 

[weedman]

Obviously doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting on here, but that's par for the course really. He's been shit this season though, hadn't contributed at all,  

 

 

THAT makes you cry with laughter? Easy to please eh 

 You seriously can't see that you stepped in your own pile of it? 

 

He has been crap this season though, can you honestly not see the difference between what I posted accepting that he's been shit this season but there are a variety of potential reasons why and a couple of months out of the team to get his fitness and sharpness up would be a good route to go and most others on here calling him a disgrace, stealing a living or just saying **** off you waste of space etc?

 

Some are overly harsh, which is undeserved, that was the point I was making and followed by stating my reasons why, perhaps I should have just said "he's a waste of space who's only interest is bleeding us dry, no better than my Sunday league team, needs to be sacked with immediate effect, the fact he's our record ever goalscorer is a disgrace and an insult to the club. Oh and he's fat as well, probably got about 10% body fat, disgrace", pretty sure that would have garnered less criticism that my actual post

I'll say it one more time.  You said he doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting.  Then you said "he's shit."  That's it.  If you're too tightly wound to see the humor in that and laugh at yourself, then I'll just leave you to it.

Yes. I do understand the "joke", I have no problem laughing at myself, as it happens I do a lot of stupid things so I'm pretty used to it, it's just...you know it has to be funny, doesn't it?!

[AstonMartyn88]

5 in 11 to start the season.

5 in 33 to finish the season.

Last Premier League goal? 5th November.

The worst run of form in his career. His career is baring striking similarities to how Vassell's went. Every season we would say "this season he will get 15-20 goals" and it never came and it isn't coming for Gabby either. The stats are upsetting, the performances have been frightening. I imagine a lot of you, like me, see him as your favourite player in the squad which makes it all the more distressing seeing him play like this.

How about this for another statistic...

In his last 68 Premier League games he has scored 10 goals [emoji20]

What next for our Gabs?

Just went back to the first post in this thread as I was curious as to when it started and what the opening post was. It struck me that 3.5 years later, nothing has changed.