Submitted by: Villa Gorilla
Gabby as we all know is Villa born and bred, and when it comes to club loyalty you cannot ask for more. So if Gabby decided to hang up his boots tomorrow would he be remembered as we remember McGrath, Withe and Saunders today? I like to think so!
Gabby was seven when he joined Villa’s academy, and nineteen years later he’s still pulling on the claret and blue shirt something that is very rare in modern football. Not only that but with the exception of a few seasons he has been a permanent fixture in Villa’s front line for the past seven years.
I, like many people couldn’t understand why Gabby wasn’t in the England squad for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers. A fast, in-form and threatening forward capable of sprinting through the opposition defence with ease (yes I am a fan of the guy!). Maybe I’m being ever so slightly biased but I think he is certainly a better candidate than Welbeck for a start.
I know he hasn’t won anything with us over the past few years but he has been with the club through ups and downs which just shows his devotion and passion towards the club. He is nearing his 250th league appearance for Villa and form those games he has scored his fair share of goals too.
As stated in the first paragraph, he hasn’t always been at his best but with the work he put in last season and in the start of this one, shows he is capable of being a consistently useful player. Will he be a legend like McGrath or just a player we remember for being loyal? What do you think?
No doubt Gabby is a Villa icon, hope Villa will always look after that type of player.I have known in the past them turn backs on ex players, Garry Shore springs to mind.
Gary shaw had the corner flag restaurant in AVFC.
Did he are you sure on that? Him and Denis Mortimer had hard tims at Villa ,Gary Shore worked for a local Brewery.
The corner flag restaurant at AVFC as I understood it when I was a chef at the villa for a year and a half was something to do with Gary Shaw…UTV
You got me there, I knew Garry he played for Emeralds boys wilh my nephew, and as I think you know was chief steward at the ground in them days, but that’s not saying I’m right, he may have held the responsible of being corporate quest, because he was a rep for brewery for a while, strange one that.
Lol – Love the background Guest but your a wrong ‘un mate.
Don’t know what your’e talking about mate 😉
I know this on a Spuds site but what a blast from the past. http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2013/09/05/memories-of-spurs-aston-villa-and-the-league-cup/?
Yes Bill what a day, 4 of us from our club went ended up in dirty dicks with 6 Tott lads, we played them off the park and lost.
Those were the days
I love gabby to bits, not the most technical player ever but incredibly athletic and i feel probably would hav been a better player had MON and mccleish not got a hold of him, but loyalty goes both ways, you can’t fault gabbys loyalty but fans will be on his back again if he loses a bit of form, it really annoys me how fans talk about loyalty from a player but then as soon as he loses a bit of form he is shit and should never wear a villa shirt again, im sure players see this too and that’s why they really don’t give a Fuck about fans or the club.
None of the Villa supporters I know have ever said that about Gabby mate.Seems pretty shallow as hes an Erdington born Villa fan…
Some people here (can’t remember who, not pointing fingers anyway) were talking about dropping Gabby when he had a bad patch a couple of seasons ago under McLeish.
Foxy name a single player who had a good season under the ‘M’ word. Add to that being a forward must have been a nightmare playing under his tenure, 11 behind the ball, park the bus up and get a nose bleed if you go further up the pitch than the halfway line. Ronaldo would have struggled mate.
BWS, I was replying to JD, not passing comment, not criticising anyone, not pointing fingers, not anything. Like I said, my shirt has Gabby’s name on the back.
Defence was ok under him and bent did well
Never thought for a minute you were Foxy, I was just putting forward a possible explanation for Gabby’s loss of form during the dark days of the M season.
He was injured for a chunk of it and he really didn’t like playing McLeish’s style, if you can call it that. Neither the players nor the fans wanted to be there!
So true a lot of fans (myself included reluctantly) thought he would be better of somewhere else as it looked like he needed a new challenge. But fair play this year he has really turned if around and I’m really pleased he has as gabby is one of us and that us so rare in football. Though If he suffers loss of form this year we cannot get on his back again (me included) we can’t have it both ways.
Oohah I’m with you on that, I was a person at one stage said things about him and his form, I even spoke to his friend and said thought he was losing it and should move on, i dont know if it would have been said to him but I felt better. What a prat I feel now, he’s Mr Aston Villa to me now love him for doing things for the club.
Agree bill
Ps never forget that goal line clearance of agent ridgewell then popping up the other end to get last min winner v the scum and running into the villa fans. Should be a legend just for that alone.
Got to admit a little while back i wanted Gabby out.. thought he had become stale..
But fairplay to him.. he has improved a lot under PL and is a valuable memeber of the squad..
As for England.. not sure if he is England class but nor are most of them..
Also after TEN PLUS years of fcuking Gerrard and Lampard failing together we are still seeing the same combo in midfield.. says it all really and the state we are in..
Hear hear on that…..
Of course Gabby is a legend. He deserves the recognition. Legends should be recognised whilst they are still at the Villa. Not only after they leave or retire. Gabby has given everything to Villa for years. PL has removed those without the ability or attitude, and Gabby is still here. What more does it take to be a legend? In 5 years we’ll be talking about Gabby like we do about Ian Taylor.