Gabby Agbonlahor

[TRO]

4 hours ago, Ingram85 said:

He has been shite since O’Neill left bar one middling season and it wasn’t like he was a 20+ goals a year striker under O’Neill either. His very best season he scored 16 goals (that’s including cup games). So that’s 4 years of above averageness and then 8 years of blandness and laziness in which he’s scored about 30 goals.

Look at Benteke in just those same 8 years since 2010 and he’s scored 120. 

Look at Lukaku with 150

Hell even an average journeyman like Shane Long has managed 74 goals in those 8 years

Peter Crouch in the same last 8 years has scored 69 goals

A nearly forgotten player like Wayne Routledge - a winger - has only scored 2 or 3 less goals than Gabby in the same 8 years. 

Even Leighton Baines who plays as a **** left back ffs has scored more goals than Agbonlahor in the last 8 years. Not the last 1 or 2 years where we’ve really started to dislike him but 8 years! That’s nearly a decade. 

Thats why he shouldn’t get a testimonial, that’s why he shouldn’t be regarded a club legend and that’s why he should have left this club or been sacked years ago. Leighton Baines has scored more goals as a left back in the last 8 years than professional striker Gabby.

Embarrassing. 

The embarrassing thing is how long it has gone on.....unabated.

its standards like this that have questioned the people running the club.

present hierarchy excused.

Edited March 29, 2018 by TRO

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

i dont know, whoever it was under houllier that told him to bulk up should shoulder some of the blame (i wondered at the time if GH had seen what happened to owen with his pace and sharpness and then knee injuries and told him he needs more to his game than just speed) id then say a similar thing is currently happening to micah richards where he's not in the squad, he's not training but he's hanging around BMH and someone is saying to him just disappear over there and put a day in on the weights and collect your money and micah now looks the size of akinfenwa 

we'll never know who's decision it was but gabbys size has been his downfall IMO

 

If that was the case with both players and I am not saying you are wrong by the way, just offering an alternative view.

why, didn't another club come in and train them back to their so called former glory?

I think they were all trying everything to get something from them.....is more likely the case for me.

[AntrimBlack]

16 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

i dont know, whoever it was under houllier that told him to bulk up should shoulder some of the blame (i wondered at the time if GH had seen what happened to owen with his pace and sharpness and then knee injuries and told him he needs more to his game than just speed) id then say a similar thing is currently happening to micah richards where he's not in the squad, he's not training but he's hanging around BMH and someone is saying to him just disappear over there and put a day in on the weights and collect your money and micah now looks the size of akinfenwa 

we'll never know who's decision it was but gabbys size has been his downfall IMO

 

I could be wrong, but my recollection was that it was Agbonlahor's decision to bulk up over a summer break, and he was instructed not to go any further with it.

[mikeyp102]

1 hour ago, villa4europe said:

i dont know, whoever it was under houllier that told him to bulk up should shoulder some of the blame (i wondered at the time if GH had seen what happened to owen with his pace and sharpness and then knee injuries and told him he needs more to his game than just speed) id then say a similar thing is currently happening to micah richards where he's not in the squad, he's not training but he's hanging around BMH and someone is saying to him just disappear over there and put a day in on the weights and collect your money and micah now looks the size of akinfenwa 

we'll never know who's decision it was but gabbys size has been his downfall IMO

 

From what I remember at the time he had bulked up prior to Hou’s arrival, Hou actually advised Gabby to slim down again. Gabby disagreed and was actually dropped for a while. This may all be a figment of my imagination though.

[terrytini]

4 hours ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

He started well, but never improved, and then went backwards, he's given us around 4 good seasons of football, the rest either very inconsistent or very poor.

Agree.

Trouble is ......Lol..... I read this and couldn’t help thinking that apart from the “4 good seasons” you could say this about pretty much every player, and Manager, we’ve had for as long as I can remember. 

How tragic is that.

[terrytini]

Just now, mikeyp102 said:

From what I remember at the time he had bulked up prior to Hou’s arrival, Hou actually advised Gabby to slim down again. Gabby disagreed and was actually dropped for a while. This may all be a figment of my imagination though.

He did, it was under MON.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

6 hours ago, Davkaus said:

Because nobody ever wanted to buy him, and fools kept giving him new contracts. Our record holding goalscorer averaged 7 goals a season. Benteke he ain't.

This is actual shite that alot of you make up to suit your arguments.

There were indeed clubs interested in him, whether wrongly or rightly so.

At the time, when things were going well, and both his and the clubs trajectory seemed to be upwards.

It was made known that he was not interested in going anywhere, ever.

Either way this is all futile, the facts are the facts.

Just let the man leave in peace.

[Dave J]

2 hours ago, AntrimBlack said:

I could be wrong, but my recollection was that it was Agbonlahor's decision to bulk up over a summer break, and he was instructed not to go any further with it.

Your right and bulking has nothing to do in not being very good imo 

[Dave J]

1 hour ago, terrytini said:

He did, it was under MON.

Houllier actually saw right through Gabby - as did Roy Keane 

[MapleVilla]

Also the fact that he's done a couple of fitness programmes to get into real shape with Bruce and RDM, (I believe) and he's still no where near the 1st team kinda says it all for me. Or am I thinking of someone else?

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

5 minutes ago, MapleVilla said:

Also the fact that he's done a couple of fitness programmes to get into real shape with Bruce and RDM, (I believe) and he's still no where near the 1st team kinda says it all for me. Or am I thinking of someone else?

It says that there is Grabban, Hogan, Davis ahead of him and we usually play with one striker :/.

He's also been injured for alot of the season.

Edited March 29, 2018 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[MapleVilla]

This season yes. But I meant in the past 5 years or so.

[AntrimBlack]

We really need to get guys like him and Richards out of the club, and never again employ these types of players draining much needed money from the club while giving nothing back.

[Dave J]

6 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

This is actual shite that alot of you make up to suit your arguments.

There were indeed clubs interested in him, whether wrongly or rightly so.

At the time, when things were going well, and both his and the clubs trajectory seemed to be upwards.

It was made known that he was not interested in going anywhere, ever.

Either way this is all futile, the facts are the facts.

Just let the man leave in peace.

JV - were there really ? I don't recall us receiving a bid for Gabby - not in the public domain anyway although you might be privy to something I'm not?

Dont think he would have gone anyway tbh - way to comfortable as a self - styled Mr Villa who knew his adoring public would forgive him almost anything and this most  certainly would not have been the case had he moved on, he would have been found out in little time.

I absolutely agree the man should leave in peace - without any abuse aimed in his direction but certainly no fanfare either imo.

[John]

12 hours ago, Dave J said:

JV - were there really ? I don't recall us receiving a bid for Gabby - not in the public domain anyway although you might be privy to something I'm not?

Dont think he would have gone anyway tbh - way to comfortable as a self - styled Mr Villa who knew his adoring public would forgive him almost anything and this most  certainly would not have been the case had he moved on, he would have been found out in little time.

I absolutely agree the man should leave in peace - without any abuse aimed in his direction but certainly no fanfare either imo.

I seem to recall that there was a rumour that Arsenal were looking at him and he said the right thing that he was happy to stay with us. If Arsenal were actually interested and if they had made a bid whether Gabby would have said the same are perhaps open to question.

[Dave J]

51 minutes ago, John said:

I seem to recall that there was a rumour that Arsenal were looking at him and he said the right thing that he was happy to stay with us. If Arsenal were actually interested and if they had made a bid whether Gabby would have said the same are perhaps open to question.

Yes I agree I can recall the rumours as well but I don't recall it ever going beyond this? And I don't feel there was much substance as in reality Wenger like players with good technique and not just pace  & maybe this was purely down to speculation in the press 

[flashingqwerty]

i had the opportunity to attend a dinner with mon shortly after he became ireland manager.

being a villa fan naturally i bombarded him with question about the club and players.

eventually gabby came up as he was my favorite player under mon.

he told me that the club had accepted bids on more than one occassion for gabby though he would give any details of who and how much but gabby had flat out refused to even consider leaving.

he also talked about how he felt his successors had utilised him poorly and failed to understand his personality as gabby needed a certain degree of personal management to motivate him. hard work but worth it is what he said.

maybe he was just blowing smoke but thought id share

[Dave J]

1 hour ago, flashingqwerty said:

i had the opportunity to attend a dinner with mon shortly after he became ireland manager.

being a villa fan naturally i bombarded him with question about the club and players.

eventually gabby came up as he was my favorite player under mon.

he told me that the club had accepted bids on more than one occassion for gabby though he would give any details of who and how much but gabby had flat out refused to even consider leaving.

he also talked about how he felt his successors had utilised him poorly and failed to understand his personality as gabby needed a certain degree of personal management to motivate him. hard work but worth it is what he said.

maybe he was just blowing smoke but thought id share

Thank you for sharing this with us - in many ways I'm even more gutted to know we actually received offers and never managed to get rid - but putting this to one side for a moment it only serves to fulfill my belief that he was way too comfortable here and would have not cut the mustard elsewhere  imo.

Thanks again though, interesting post.

[Zatman]

On 3/29/2018 at 11:56, holteend1982 said:

74 goals in 322 games is an awful record. i cannot wait for him to leave this club, even when he was at his best he was only ever a slightly above average striker who had blistering pace but he was in a fantastic squad which made him look better than he actually was. 

1 goal every 4.5 games for a player who didnt always play down the middle. Its not brilliant but far from awful

[Dave J]

1 hour ago, Zatman said:

1 goal every 4.5 games for a player who didnt always play down the middle. Its not brilliant but far from awful

 

1 hour ago, Zatman said:

1 goal every 4.5 games for a player who didnt always play down the middle. Its not brilliant but far from awful

It's not far off from being awful - and in the last few seasons it's been truly awful