Jack Grealish

Oh and his agent/manager/dad is a gobshite who quite clearly is not the advisor Grealish needs. I've said it over and over, Jack will really progress when he gets a proper manager.

deadbuzzardalive wrote:His cause probably isn't helped by the fact that he's meant to be a No.10, and the ball is often hoofed over his head, and we often only have about 30% of possession of the ball.

That and the fact that he's in and out of side and asked to play different positions, as are other players, so it's hard for them to develop understandings on the pitch between each other.

I think that's exactly the reason he's struggling on the field.

If you look at when he was being hailed as the next world beater he was playing with Benteke and Delph etc. and Sherwood had the team playing well, apart from that he's played with crap players under crap management and like you say in and out and in different positions. I think now Bruce is starting to get some decent players back in we'll see Jack improving over the next 12-18 months. Well, I hope any way...

Great thread - very interesting read.

I agree with the general feeling that there is a talent there somewhere, but he needs to be played in the right way - who doesn't? But he also has an agent problem and needs a new one. RHM can maybe be an example to him. Change of agent, change of attitude - hopefully.

Personally I feel this all started in September 2015 when he had the clamour for him to decide his international future between England and the Republic of Ireland, all of a sudden he got into his head (helped by his Dad) that he had 'made' it!

His attitude has to change for him to progress, it is up to him but the excuses have to stop some time!

My footballing career came to nothing after I took the decision to make myself available for England team selection, too. That can't be a coincidence.

Trotters wrote:My footballing career came to nothing after I took the decision to make myself available for England team selection, too. That can't be a coincidence.

Ditto................

Finished as our second highest scorer with five goals. That doesn't look all that impressive by itself, but when you consider that those goals came in twenty matches, meaning he averaged a goal every four games, and that was in a team that more often than not had very little possesion of the football with no attacking cohesion whatsoever, then he actually hasn't done so bad.

As with Lansbury and Hourihane, I think we'll see him improve, when we're set-up to take the game to opposition.

Personally I think he has been a huge disappointment.

I suppose on the face of it that is a good return but am I the only one who expects so much more from him. To me it is yet another season wasted for him especially when you consider it is a league lower and realistically who in the PL would want to buy him. Just can't ever seeing him starting games but might be okay as an impact sub but definitely not when defending a lead.

I thought it might be time to revisit this topic and see what people think as of today. For me he has delivered, and delivered very nicely this season. He has matured and gotten stronger I would say. Add that to his undoubted football talent and he is now, IMO, quite possibly the best English midfield player in that position. I don’t/haven’t seen any other player linked with an England squad position that is better than Grealish. Who have we seen Southgate selecting in recent times? Loftus-Cheek, Livermore, Barkley, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wilshere, Lallana, Drinkwater, Winks? I’d say that not a single one of those I’ve mentioned has done anywhere near enough to be considered guaranteed on the plane to Russia. And of those mentioned can any of them do what Grealish actually does? Again I’d say none of them provide a team with what this seasons Jack Grealish does.

Always thought he should be a number 10 after watching him and Gil behind Benteke a few years back. He's no winger but through the middle of the pitch he scares the hell out of the opposition who he either skips past or gets fouled by and always seems to draw in more than one player, making room for his teammates. It's almost as if he goes in slow motion I suspect because opposition players tend to stand still rather than commit to tackling him.

I've been wondering if he would move to another club or if he'll stick with us through thick and thin.

Definitely a good call for the England squad.

I think Dele Alli and Lallana, would be ahead of him for the number 10 role, Grealish probably has more natural and technical ability than both of them, but they have the advantage of having Premier league experience and Champions league; I know Alli has been getting some criticism of late, but he's still an excellent footballer, it wasn't that long back that people were talking about him going to either Man City or Barcelona.

Of the others mentioned, although oft lampooned, I think Jack Wilshere is a very good footballer, every time I've seen him this season, he's been one of Arsenal's better players. An extremely tidy and capable player on his day, but I don't think he'd be in direct competition with Grealish, then again I doubt Grealish will be under serious consideration.

I was one of his worst critics, I expected so much more from a player with his skills, and for me he wasn't delivering. I believe after his kidney problem earlier in the season he was put on a stamina/bulking up regime and it seems to be working, since he has come back he is all over the pitch getting tackles in and creating chances, a real revelation in fact, long may it continue.

Yeah, hands up here as well I thought he'd gone as far as he could with us, really thought he'd blown it but bloody hell I couldn't have been more wrong.
I agree that it's prem that is the exposure he needs given the elitism of modern football - the days of playing Steve Bull from the championship are long gone.
Dele Alli or the Ox - who looks a much improve player - are in front of Jack whilst we are in the second tier.

I think he needs to add a few goals to his CV before we all get too carried away and always remember this is the championship we are talking about! It is totally different in the PL, step up in the CL and another step up to the full England side, a long way to go yet.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/03/19/aston-villa-forward-jack-grealish-eyeing-promotion-premier-league/amp/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw&__twitter_impression=true

Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish eyeing promotion to Premier League and still hoping for England call-up

By John Percy
19 MARCH 2018 • 10:30 PM
Jack Grealish is trying, and failing, to put into words what it would mean to win promotion with the club he has called home ever since he first walked through its doors as a six-year-old.

"I can't do it, to be honest," he says. “I’m an Aston Villa fan, I’ve been here since I was a kid and supported them before I ever knew about football. I’m one of them, I’ve stood and sang all the songs in the pouring rain. I can even remember crying in the stands when Gabby [Agbonlahor] scored against Birmingham.

“Of course I want to be playing in the Premier League every week. I believe I can play at the highest level and I want to do it as quickly as possible. I’ll be 23 in September and I want to be there with Villa. It would mean everything to help get us back where we belong.”

Grealish, or “Super Jack” as he is more commonly known by Villa’s supporters, arguably represents Villa’s best hope of ending their two-year exile from the top table.

He has been outstanding this season, finally living up to the hype that has accompanied him since an eye-catching cameo against Ajax in a Next-Gen tournament at the age of 16.

He missed the first three months of this season after damaging one of his kidneys in a freak incident that left him struggling to walk and sleep, but his return has been crucial for manager Steve Bruce.

The attacker has been compared to Paul Gascoigne, based on his ability to ghost past opponents as if they were training cones, while Bruce has even labelled him the best player in the Championship.

“That was great to hear but I didn’t feel any pressure with it at all,” says Grealish, smiling. “It gives me a lift and I know the manager is a truthful guy and wouldn’t have just said it. To be mentioned in the same sentence as Gazza was unbelievable in itself, though I know I’m nowhere near that level yet.

“The gaffer said in pre-season he wanted to build the team around me and that’s what you like to hear. To have that belief and trust is massive. I want to repay him by getting Villa promoted.”

Villa are experiencing an untimely wobble, with two defeats following their recent dismantling of leaders Wolves, but Grealish continues to deliver.

In his 19 games he has created 30 goal-scoring chances with a passing accuracy of 85.15, while his dribbling success rate is just under 60 per cent. Now there is end product to go with the X-Factor haircut and trademark rolled-down socks.

“I feel I’m definitely in the best form of my career,” he says, speaking at the EFL’s Day of Action, where Villa are one of the 72 clubs demonstrating how football can have a positive impact on young people’s lives.

“I’ll be honest, in my career I feel like I haven’t been given enough runs of games. I’d play one decent game and then chucked out the team.

“I’ve also had eight managers in four years, if you include [England under-21s head coach] Aidy Boothroyd and Shaun Derry during my loan at Notts County. That’s  ridiculous really. It’s not an excuse but it does affect you. I think only three managers have trusted me, [Tim] Sherwood, [Roberto] Di Matteo and Bruce.

“It’s been my best season and I’ve been the most consistent. People think I’m a No 10 but my favourite position is playing on the left of a three.”

Away from his mission to get Villa promoted, Grealish also dreams of England. He was at the centre of a tug-of-war between England and the Republic of Ireland three years ago, before opting to play for the country of his birth. He is now too old for the under-21s but still harbours ambitions of a senior call-up.

“No matter how well you’re playing it’s difficult for England to pick players from the Championship. I still believe I can play for England one day and there’s lots of time ahead of me to do it,” he says.

Recognition with England would be the next logical step, and add to the recent flow of positive headlines. Earlier in his career he was under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons; there were stories regarding his social life, including a story which carried a picture of him lying on the floor apparently drunk in Tenerife. He was billed as the latest enfant terrible, but the recent lack of front-page news is evidence of maturity.

“Stuff happened in the past and you just have to choose the right moments to go out,” he says.

“When you break through there’s a lot of people clinging on and looking for a free night out. You realise who your friends are, some of them are there just to get you into trouble. I was talking to Lee Hendrie [a former Villa player] about it recently.

“It’s too much hassle to go out now, anyway. I never want to let anyone down, especially my family.”

Grealish still lives in the Solihull family home, with father Kevin, mother Karen, brother Kevan and sisters Holly and Kiera. And while their support remains a significant impact on his career, Grealish also points to the influence of a new team-mate at Villa.

John Terry has been a huge influence on Grealish following the centre-back's move to Villa

“For a young player like me, John Terry is the perfect role model,” he says. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard we were signing him. Sometimes when you see players who have won so much you think they will be a certain way, but JT has been so down to earth and taken me under his wing.

“We talk a lot after training, I’ll ask him stupid questions like who the best player he’s ever faced is. I just want to know. Every day he’s the one here until 4pm, making sure his recovery his right, going in the pool and the ice bath, getting his massages to make sure he’s fully ready for the next day. I’ve never played with anyone as professional as him before.”

Terry’s influence has indeed been vast, helping repair a previously mutinous dressing room, and Grealish believes the former England captain will be vital for the final run-in.

Villa have eight games remaining and Saturday’s defeat at Bolton leaves hopes of automatic promotion looking all but over. Not for Grealish, though.

“We’ve had two bad results after Wolves but we are still looking at the top-two. Anything can happen in this crazy league and we’ve still got Cardiff and Derby at home.

“To be part of the team that was relegated two years ago was the worst feeling in the world. Last season was nowhere near good enough but this season I really think we’re on our way. We still believe we can do it automatically.”

"In his 19 games he has created 30 goal-scoring chances with a passing accuracy of 85.15, while his dribbling success rate is just under 60 per cent." Only 40% of his dribbles end in him being fouled?

"People think I’m a No 10 but my favourite position is playing on the left of a three.” I can't help think if we had Gil opposite him we'd look superb until he'd get squashed. I wonder if Hourihane looks so anonymous because any play down the middle works better via Grealish?

"Terry’s influence has indeed been vast, helping repair a previously mutinous dressing room...". This is interesting too, who was mutinous last season? Gabby, Richards and McCormack are completely missing, is this what the journalist means?

Being linked with a £25m move to Leicester, that's a low fee for someone of his ability in today's money, but unfortunately we might not be in a position to turn it down if we're still a championship club when the transfer window opens. Seeing some suggest that we won't be able to replace him with someone as good for £25m, it doesn't matter how much we get, someone as good good as Grealish isn't going to come to the championship, and a large portion of the transfer might have to on other costs like our huge wage bill anyway.

Losing Grealish would be a disaster. I'd be putting a £40m price tag on him.
If he goes cos we fail to get promoted that'll be another thing I'll lay at Bruce's door cos we absolutely should have finished at least in auto spots with our squad.
Personally I think even if we don't go up he will stay another season.

Well no doubt if we don't go up there will be interest in him, as there will be in a number of our other players, not just from Premier league teams but also from teams with parachute money, who will want to be testing how desperate we are, but the Grealish to Leicester stories come from James Nursey who just seems to write negative articles on Villa, none of which turn out to be true.

My worry isn't if Jack wants to go, but if we financially have no choice (should we not go up)

Selling off our key players is what caused our decline and slide into the Championship. Selling off our key players now is going to guarantee us a few more seasons in this league. Waving bye bye to Terry's huge wage at the end of the season would be a start, as would selling off fringe players and a few that don't work.

FoxyAV wrote:Selling off our key players is what caused our decline and slide into the Championship. Selling off our key players now is going to guarantee us a few more seasons in this league. Waving bye bye to Terry's huge wage at the end of the season would be a start, as would selling off fringe players and a few that don't work.

Personally, I've believed all along that if we don't go up within 2 years we will be set for a long time in the 2nd tier.

I think we will definitely lose:
Terry
Johnstone
Snodgrass
Grabban
Hutton
Samba

And I think the needs to balance the books could see us lose one or more of:
Grealish
Adomah
Kodjia
Chester

And because we will be financially hamstrung we won't have the funds to replace them with players of adequate ability. 

Hence, stuck here for at least 5 years as we slowly rebuild.
That's why I have said all along that getting promoted is literally the be all and end all.

Bruce obviously read my post above regarding a £40m price tag  

Jack Grealish says Aston Villa is the ‘perfect’ place for him to continue his development.

Solihull-born Grealish has enjoyed a wonderful season in claret and blue and heads Villa’s promotion charge.


Top class showings against the likes of Bristol City, Birmingham City and Wolves has led to speculation surrounding Grealish’s future.

Leicester City are reportedly interested in the England hopeful - but boss Steve Bruce says Villa won't entertain anything lower than £40million for their talisman.

But Grealish himself is happy at his boyhood club and only has one thing on his mind.

Grealish said: “I think I’ve had a bit of a stop-start career. I came onto the scene quite early and then I paused for a bit.

“I had a nasty injury at the start of the season and it kind of put stuff into perspective. Not playing football for six months was a big blow.

“I’ve come back and I’m doing quite well at the moment.

“I’ve got the perfect manager, the perfect staff and the perfect team to play with. Hopefully we can get promoted.

Source: Birmingham Mail

Talk in the media that he'll be off to Leicester for £40m, we've dropped so far that moving to Leicester is a step up for our star players, worst thing about it is they're in the position they're in where they can afford to him because they cheated FFP, whereas we can't afford to not sell him because we're unable to cheat the same FFP, so not sure what's 'fair' about that.

I say that's the worst thing, the worst think is in fact probably that we won't be able invest a penny of the transfer fee back into the playing squad. I personally would rather lose a bunch of our other better players if it meant keeping Grealish, would save more on wages that way as well.