http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/breaking-news-jack-grealish-signs-7934013
Ok, so it’s old news by now and I’m late again.
Ah well, that’s what you get for working outside of this site for a living and it’s still something I want to talk about, as it’s quite simply good news.
Some of you will know that I’ve been raving about this kid for a while and seeing his comments that he’s been a Villa fan since the age of four makes me feel all the more better.
A new Gabby in the making if you like, but let’s hope he’s a bit more productive eh?
A glance at Newsnow seems to indicate a 1000% rise in his wages.
So probably £2.5k a week up to £25k a week, which is realistic.
Now he’s earning proper money, no doubt he’ll now be expected to step up a level or two, which is where I still continue to hope that he won’t get pushed too far, too fast.
Why?
Well, winger, for me, is the trickiest position of the lot to actually come good at.
Think of some of the Villa wingers down the years who started out well and then failed; there’s plenty of them, same as there has been at many clubs.
Regardless, I see something a little “extra” in this kid, which to me makes him look a better prospect than even Tony Daley and I really hope he comes as good as we no doubt all expect.
I am not really sure Grealish is a classic winger, he looks more like a wide midfield player in his first team games so far, and in the youth side he was good enough to play as a striker.
Two of the best wingers we had were Tony Morley and Ray Graydon (prior to his broken leg – never as good afterwards). Their armoury included the ability to shoot hard and straight themselves, this is a key addition. If a good full back knows your only dangerous contribution is a cross he can usually give you a bit more room and close in for the block, or aggressively show you inside. But if you can cut inside past him and score the full back is reduced to following your play.
Quality on the cross is the next most important attribute. Here Tony Daley was flawed, he could cut inside and score but his crosses flew anywhere. Other bad crossers were Ashley Young and Stuart Downing. By contrast Didier Six could pick out his forward in the middle of a defensive sandwich. Johnny Gidman (my all time Villa favourite) took the field as a full back but he could waltz through or past defences and cross a ball, so he could have played as a winger.
Villa have not had a good winger for some years so I hope you are right and Jack turns into the next one.
I believe Gidman started as a winger at Liverpool and Sir Ron converted him to a fullback (as he did with Kenny Swain later) and in my opinion Grealish is more Mark Walters than any of the names you’ve mentioned London Lion.
Yes I do believe GIDDY Gidman was a winger before reverting to full back,certainly one of my hero’s hence my username.he also was multi talented as he was a dam good winger for the VILLA as I feel he played a dual role for the club.Will we ever see the likes again??? I ask myself.
Mate I loved that team – Gidman, Cropley, Gray, Little, Deehan, Robson, Nicholl, what a side mate, oh the memories.
People can say what they like about the improvements in the modern game with it’s sanitised, Americanised, happy clappy brigade in all seater stadiums, I’d go back to the way it was in a heartbeat.
Never experienced the standing grounds. Really hoping the club goes a head and puts the standing area in the corner like they was planning. I know it isn’t the same, but it’s a start and something I definitely want to see from AVFC
it will never be the same again but the atmosphere at VP esp in the 70s was electric and a shame todays fans will never experience that. I remember in 75 when we played the scum for the first time in years and won 2.1 there was 58,000 and the you could touch the atmosphere. Got in ground at 1.30 and holte was packed out by 2 singing all the way. Thats when football was really enjoyable prob around 20,000 blue noses there to add to the atmosphere packed in behind the witton. now u just get a few thousand away fans shoved in a little corner somewhere.
here are mate villa v blues 1975 58,000 classic villa win 2.1 great atmosphere http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vvJihwW-w2M
Im not being funny but the team of 76-78 was better than the 80-82 team imo and under achieved. Our home form the 76-77 season was unbelievable, beat utd 3.2, arsenal 5.1, liverpool 5.1, ipswich (who were good then) 5.2, west ham 4.0. The only team to beat us at home was typically the scum 2.1 after Gray put us one up in front of 52,000. The best home form Iv ever seen from a villa team and best attacking football Iv ever seen at VP. We finished 4th won the league cup but our away form screwed it up for us it was before we learned to paly on the counter like the 80-82 team.
Kenny Burns had a f**king mare.
While we are reminiscing were you down against Barcelona in 78 the 2-2 draw? 60,000 there if memory serves me right, what a night.
Oh yes master class by cruyff unfortunately for us. 48,000 there because it was a night game though felt like more.
Ps Kenny burns what a wanker
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xtOxjKVH10
even he fucked of to Utd same as Gray going to wolves of all teams. Weird that the first big money transfers in english football started in the midlands. Francis to forest for £1m, then Gray from Villa to Wolves for £1.5m, then Steve Daley Wolves to Man city for £1.6m I think. Notice none of the so called big clubs of the day, Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, spurs could compete with that until Utd bought Bryan Robson another midlander. Then we had Ian Wallace cov to Forest for over a million lol
Had to laugh reading Grays autobiography, he wrote in it that one of Sir Ron’s reasons for selling him was he had to many shall we ‘outside interests’ distracting him.
He them goes onto deny that was the case, then says something along the lines he was happy the move to Wolves went through because he needed the money because his Holy City Zoo nightclub was in financial trouble.
A wee bit of a contradiction there if you ask me.
Oohah in that period we had a roundsman (Irish geezer growing grass the wrong way) we had the worst playing pitch in all the league, yes them was players shame our young fans today won’t see the likes of Chico, Cowens Little, memories to Cherish, when you got into Villa Park it was hard to get out, thast was entertainment.
Yep it was bill. Did u watch my video link of a proper packed out football stadium. Think about this the 20,000 or so blues noses at that game is more than they get for their home games now!
loved john gidman everytime he bombed down the right and crossed it you knew Gray or Deehan were going to nod it in those were the days
Agreed mate some may knock us for holding onto the past but my god those really were the day’s.
I dunno BWS. I can remember the vibrant football from Villa but I also remember the Aggro, Police treating all fans like scum, the stinking bogs, grotty away-fan pens, and the fences.
The all round experience is better today. You can wear your colours to an away game for a start.
Which reminds me. The London Lions went to Highfield Rd, no colours of course. One of our lot had been ill all week with a kidney/bladder problem and the doctor had given him some jollop – and told him to drink as little fluid as possible for 2 days. Come Saturday he needs to pee and is in the home fans’ gents under the main stand at the upper end of a trough.
It comes out bright blue! As this flows past the locals – conversation ceases. Followed by “That’s what I call a true fan – he even pisses in the team’s colour.”
Lol its a good job he wasn’t intermittently passing blood as well, he could have been right in trouble.
I hear what you’re saying OLL, I suppose we distort the past and see it through rose coloured glasses but I still question whether it’s a better experience today, no doubt a safer one but better? I don’t know about that.
I suppose if we had something that represented a half decent football side that played with the passion and pride of the teams of yesteryear I might have a change of heart.
I am sure the football is not as exciting today. The players are fitter and faster and the pitches much truer – but Villa have not had a team you could rely on to be exciting for many years. Worse still under the current manager you can almost rely on the match to be boring unless the opponents can liven it up.
You cannot divorce your experience from the ageing process either. In the late 1970s up to 1982 I went everywhere, even to Tokyo. Now easy travel and a comfortable seat are my top considerations. I have seen much more football – does that make me jaded? I don’t know – but Villa don’t thrill me that often.
Hmmm fair point OOL. I’m not sure football is better today and it’s only more exciting because you can’t touch a flair player without them falling over. When the like of little played he was chopped at and rode the challenges and still scored. Yes players are fitter and faster but only play a 38 game season ffs and only play half the games on occasions. Bring back the 42 game season and fuck the champs league off. I did the same as you in 70s and 80s and roughed it but now I prefer to travel in comfort when your young u don’t care. Loved standing at bk of holte surging down everytime we attacked. It’s what it was all about.