The RJW63 Official Jack Grealish Appreciation Thread

[rjw63]

23 minutes ago, KentVillan said:

Does anyone know what his family have supposedly been telling people?

[MNVillan]

3 hours ago, ThunderPower_14 said:

The vast, vast majority. And the rest when he recorded his first assist about 13 minutes into the first game.

I just don't see that his bridges have been burned like some are describing. I don't think that's happened. We were disappointed he left, but he's hardly Dwight Yorke kissing the Man Utd badge in front of Villa fans

Agreed, I think he’s handled it about as well as he could have, outside of popping up to a public training session in preseason when he already had one foot out the door (which I’m not sure was even his decision, anyway).

Wrote a public note to the fans when he left, gave a round of applause to the VP fans upon his return, has only said good things about Villa in public.

I despise him for what he did to us, but deep down I know that if he ever returns to us I’ll love him again.

fwiw (which is nothing), I think if he does return it’ll be in the next couple of seasons on some sort of restructured contract. I don’t think our owners will want someone who is past it, and I can’t see him as a player who is useful into their mid 30s like Ashley Young.

[Don_Simon]

36 minutes ago, MNVillan said:

I despise him for what he did to us, but deep down I know that if he ever returns to us I’ll love him again.

I will never be able to comprehend this.

You despise him? Despise. It's absolutely mental. 

He's a football player who played for your team, and now he doesn't. To carry that level of negative emotion is bat shit kray. 

[villa4europe]

19 minutes ago, Don_Simon said:

I will never be able to comprehend this.

You despise him? Despise. It's absolutely mental. 

He's a football player who played for your team, and now he doesn't. To carry that level of negative emotion is bat shit kray. 

I think the whole thing is crazy, not only to despise him but then "what he did to us" means that you bought in to all the interviews and PR and social media stuff and then the various online ITKs claiming such and such happened, like it's a real life footballing version of eastenders

I no longer have the attachment to the players or what goes on around them if I'm honest, I don't watch interviews or rarely watch player videos it's all bollocks

Barry and Delph taught me that not grealish

[Zhan_Zhuang]

Of course, I was super-p***** when he left and haven't actually watched him much at City.

He still must be a good player but perhaps he has lost something. Possibly needs to be somewhere else, the fit at City never seemed right.

Sure if, (big if) he came back all would be forgotten. 

[Hobsons Choice]

16 hours ago, Don_Simon said:

I will never be able to comprehend this.

You despise him? Despise. It's absolutely mental. 

He's a football player who played for your team, and now he doesn't. To carry that level of negative emotion is bat shit kray. 

For me it was the timing. His leaving a week before the window ended completely ruined our entire season. A season in which we were looking to kick on. That season could have ended disastrously for us, and that was 100% on Jack. Had he left earlier in the window, we could have adjusted, and not just panic bought Ings. He left us horribly prepared for the rest of the season, a week after doing all the badge kissing shit. That's why I'm pissed at Jack, not because he left. 

[Zhan_Zhuang]

22 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

For me it was the timing. His leaving a week before the window ended completely ruined our entire season. A season in which we were looking to kick on. That season could have ended disastrously for us, and that was 100% on Jack. Had he left earlier in the window, we could have adjusted, and not just panic bought Ings. He left us horribly prepared for the rest of the season, a week after doing all the badge kissing shit. That's why I'm pissed at Jack, not because he left. 

A valid point for sure.

[Jareth]

I tend to think we are now a confident club compared to the very recent past and that buying Grealish back is a good decision. I do question what Jack 3.0 would play like. If he can blend his form at villa with his discipline at citeh then it could work. Personally I suspect he's looking for another big contract to make his life more comfortable.

[Don_Simon]

42 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

For me it was the timing. His leaving a week before the window ended completely ruined our entire season. A season in which we were looking to kick on. That season could have ended disastrously for us, and that was 100% on Jack. Had he left earlier in the window, we could have adjusted, and not just panic bought Ings. He left us horribly prepared for the rest of the season, a week after doing all the badge kissing shit. That's why I'm pissed at Jack, not because he left. 

It's not down to Jack to convince Man City to spend £100,000,000 at a time more suitable for Aston Villa. That's not his responsibility so you're pissed off at him for doing something he had absolutely no control over. Apart from choosing to leave or not, and I'm sure he would have rather that happen much sooner also. 

[messi11]

We've got many players like Jack Grealish in the academy. We don't need him to come back 

[VillaChris]

I'd have him back no question.

We've still got a void on the left given Coutinho transfer has turned out to be a bust. Finally Bailey has established himself but he can play either side and on some games he'll be more effective on the right. Indeed in long run Emery might want to play him more centrally.

We've spent plenty of money since he left but haven't come close to replacing him which was always a big ask given his unique ability. And imagine what Ramsey would be thinking if we re-signed someone who he was looking up to and then was a team mate for six months, very exciting the potential left sided combinations between those two.

That said I don't see him leaving Man. City next summer, still think Bellingham is more likely to end up at Liverpool as they really need him more.

[VillaChris]

1 hour ago, HKP90 said:

For me it was the timing. His leaving a week before the window ended completely ruined our entire season. A season in which we were looking to kick on. That season could have ended disastrously for us, and that was 100% on Jack. Had he left earlier in the window, we could have adjusted, and not just panic bought Ings. He left us horribly prepared for the rest of the season, a week after doing all the badge kissing shit. That's why I'm pissed at Jack, not because he left. 

He left in July 2021. Would've probably been earlier if the euros hadn't taken place that summer as he needed a few weeks off after the final.

So we had a month to plan things (and let's be honest there was no  dramatic U turn like Delph all those summers back) but we just decided Ings, Bailey and Buendia was going to be enough and for various reasons they all really struggled last season to make an impact.

[Hobsons Choice]

26 minutes ago, Don_Simon said:

It's not down to Jack to convince Man City to spend £100,000,000 at a time more suitable for Aston Villa. That's not his responsibility so you're pissed off at him for doing something he had absolutely no control over. Apart from choosing to leave or not, and I'm sure he would have rather that happen much sooner also. 

We could have said no. He could have said no. He said he was here to stay. He'd just signed a 5 year contract. 

6 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

He left in July 2021. Would've probably been earlier if the euros hadn't taken place that summer as he needed a few weeks off after the final.

So we had a month to plan things (and let's be honest there was no  dramatic U turn like Delph all those summers back) but we just decided Ings, Bailey and Buendia was going to be enough and for various reasons they all really struggled last season to make an impact.

Purslow made his announcement on August 5th, leaving us 18 working days to replace out top player, who we'd built a team around. The window had been open from June 9th. 

[villa4europe]

4 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

We could have said no. He could have said no. He said he was here to stay. He'd just signed a 5 year contract. 

Purslow made his announcement on August 5th, leaving us 18 working days to replace out top player, who we'd built a team around. The window had been open from June 9th. 

Such is football...

[Hobsons Choice]

Just now, villa4europe said:

Such is football...

For sure, but do you not see why that would piss some people off?

[villa4europe]

6 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

For sure, but do you not see why that would piss some people off?

Not really, that's what modern football is, it's shite and my enjoyment of it has eroded to an extent where not only does it not bother me but im starting to wonder why others are still so heavily invested

Players coming and going, Man City, the obscene money and wages, the world cup being in Qatar, being a CL sub being better than a star player at a mid table team all that stuff... I don't single out grealish or chuk, I won't single out Emi or Ramsey or any of the others that if they stick their head above the mid table parapet will be bought by one of sky's favourites 

My emotional attachment to football has largely gone... Gerrard still managed to make me angry though so it's obviously not completely gone yet

I love villa, I hate football

[Don_Simon]

20 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

We could have said no. He could have said no. He said he was here to stay. He'd just signed a 5 year contract. 

Purslow made his announcement on August 5th, leaving us 18 working days to replace out top player, who we'd built a team around. The window had been open from June 9th. 

How could we say no if City have activated his release clause? 

Your second point, I'm not sure what relevance that has. City decided to bid when they did, we couldn't refuse it as it activated a release clause and it's what Jack wanted so he went. Again, he didn't decide when City bid for him. I understand being pissed off at the situation, but aiming it at Jack when it was out of his control, seems counter-productive.

[Hobsons Choice]

6 minutes ago, Don_Simon said:

How could we say no if City have activated his release clause? 

Your second point, I'm not sure what relevance that has. City decided to bid when they did, we couldn't refuse it as it activated a release clause and it's what Jack wanted so he went. Again, he didn't decide when City bid for him. I understand being pissed off at the situation, but aiming it at Jack when it was out of his control, seems counter-productive.

It's never out of a player's control. They can always say no. Or at least not pretend to do all the badge kissing, Villa til I die stuff. 

Yes I appreciate it's their career, yes it's just a job for them, but if it's me, If and when I have left jobs in the past, I make sure I don't leave my company in the shit when I do. 

[Don_Simon]

1 minute ago, HKP90 said:

It's never out of a player's control. They can always say no. Or at least not pretend to do all the badge kissing, Villa til I die stuff. 

Yes I appreciate it's their career, yes it's just a job for them, but if it's me, If and when I have left jobs in the past, I make sure I don't leave my company in the shit when I do. 

The timing of City's bid was entirely out of Jack's control. 

His desire to go there is obvious, correct and makes complete sense from a career perspective. 

I think we're going round in circles here. My only point was despising Jack, being pissed off at Jack, to me seems unhealthy and emotions directed to the wrong place. 

[Hobsons Choice]

10 minutes ago, Don_Simon said:

The timing of City's bid was entirely out of Jack's control. 

His desire to go there is obvious, correct and makes complete sense from a career perspective. 

I think we're going round in circles here. My only point was despising Jack, being pissed off at Jack, to me seems unhealthy and emotions directed to the wrong place. 

I don't despise anyone in this world (maybe Trump and Putin), but I don't really wan't Jack back, and I don't feel particularly enamoured of how he handled his departure. If he was in a Villa shirt would I cheer for him? Sure, it's Villa. I would support anyone who plays for us, barring if they did or said anything horrific. Right now, though, I don't want him back. I would know that every time he did the whole 'I'm Villa through and through' thing that he's lying through his teeth. Which they all do I guess, but with him I'd know it. 

Ach, this discussion seems to have run it's course. Take it easy.