Most underrated Villa Players | Page 2 | Vital Football

Most underrated Villa Players

Villan57 said:
I agree but ask a Villa fan for his best Villa side in the last 35 years and I bet Platt doesn't make most of the teams as he seems forgotten about, same as Southgate, Yorke etc
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It's to do with the legacy isn't it. All top players but for one reason or another they have left us with a bitter taste and it's tarnished what they did.

I wondering if they were under rated anyway , I don't think they were at the time.

I'd say Des Bremner was under rated as he never got much praise even when he was playing , but we couldn't have done without him.
 
sirdennis said:
It's to do with the legacy isn't it. All top players but for one reason or another they have left us with a bitter taste and it's tarnished what they did.

I wondering if they were under rated anyway , I don't think they were at the time.

I'd say Des Bremner was under rated as he never got much praise even when he was playing , but we couldn't have done without him.
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Dez is a classic underrated player, in a Midfield that contained Morty and Sid it's hard for him not to be really. He still lives in the area and is Villa to the core, which is vastly different to Southgate and Platt. Hence how fans feel about him despite him playing for the dark side
 
Tonev. Two footed genius at whipping balls in that go out of play, often for a throw in. You don't see talent like that every day.
 
crimsondonkey said:
Tonev. Two footed genius at whipping balls in that go out of play, often for a throw in. You don't see talent like that every day.
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Always makes me smile when I have to look up a player that I'll have seen play for us on numerous occasions.

I remember the name but even after looking at pictures, not the face!

Also, on topic, I always liked Alan Wright. His performances often belied his stature. Also this goal at one of my favourite games:
 
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DeanoVilla said:
That's one way to look at it.

The other way would be that he was never gifted with natural football ability. He basically had pace and nothing else, and had to work extremely hard to be a premier league striker. He did remarkably well to become our clubs record premier league goalscorer despite not being blessed with natural talent.

You can't ignore the succession of terrible managers he had to play under after MON. Did anyone thrive under McLeish or Lambert? It wasn't only Gabby's form that dipped. Also wasn't he shoved out wide as soon as we signed Darren Bent? Of course his goal numbers are going to drop.
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He might have started out as someone that was just quick but he'd developed into a proper player, when he wanted to anyway. You only have to look at the shape he got himself into to see how much he cared. He clearly saw himself as our main man but instead of taking that mantle to mean he should drive the team on he seemed to just think it meant he didn't have to try as hard.
 
Villan57 said:
I agree but ask a Villa fan for his best Villa side in the last 35 years and I bet Platt doesn't make most of the teams as he seems forgotten about, same as Southgate, Yorke etc
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He played for us before my time but on the few occasions I've seen anyone talk to him about his time at Villa it's almost seemed like he'd rather people forget about it. Which is bizzare seeing as we signed him from crewe who were 3rd or 4th tier and by the time he left he was the England captain.

If you look at his record for us he was doing Lampard at Chelsea numbers in terms of goals, as a player before some smartarse says anything.
 
Villan57 said:
Not sure what we did to him to make him so bitter, but he was learning Italian long before he left so we never sold him against his will. As a Goal scoring midfielder, he's had no equal at VP.
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Bruce Rioch, Paul Merson and Mike Tindall?
 
DeanoVilla said:
Gareth Southgate. Because of the way he left, and also because of the man he became, people just forget what an immense centre back he was for us.

Never discussed when we talk about the clubs best CB's but right up there with Mellberg, Laursen, Ehiogu for me.
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Southgate is a good shout. Turned into a bit of a knob - Can understand why he dislikes villa as he signed a long term deal on the basis that the club had financial clout to build a top team but the funds never materialised.

Very good CB though.
 
remote said:
Southgate is a good shout. Turned into a bit of a knob - Can understand why he dislikes villa as he signed a long term deal on the basis that the club had financial clout to build a top team but the funds never materialised.

Very good CB though.
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If he'd of played under Unai back in the day maybe England wouldn't have bottled so many opportunities over the last few tournaments 🤷‍♂️
 
sirdennis said:
Did you see Sid ? Or Sir Dennis.

Platt once said his ambition was to make a run that Sid didn't see.

Never happened of course.
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Yes . Saw both but far too young to appreciate them early on in the league and European cup days.
Sid though obviously came back and was with us under GT so I got to appreciate him properly then . Exhibit A the ball to Platt for the 2nd v Inter in 1990.
 
Villan57 said:
I agree but ask a Villa fan for his best Villa side in the last 35 years and I bet Platt doesn't make most of the teams as he seems forgotten about, same as Southgate, Yorke etc
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Yorke would definitley be in mine. Best striker we had since the Shaw & Withe days. He just turned into a bit of a dick when he got all the fame and fortune
 
Merd said:
His years also overlapped with our decline which he was a big part of. By the end of his career he was a joke and really didn't give a toss. Think he was over rated by some personally because of his derby goals. Not on my list for sure.

Ian Taylor for me, not the most gifted, but always put in a shift and should be up there with some of the other legends.
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That’s the thing with Gabby and infact Southgate. Anyone with half a brain at the time could see that they were more than decent as players and it’s after or away from the pitch that some have an issue which has stupidly clouded their judgement as it does in these modern times . Look what some of our fans think of Emi. Some just can’t separate the playing side to other stuff.

I don’t think either Gabby or Southgate are underrated by fans at all in the playing sense and ability. But some clearly can’t separate that from other stuff that went on.
 
Melon Donkey said:
That’s the thing with Gabby and infact Southgate. Anyone with half a brain at the time could see that they were more than decent as players and it’s after or away from the pitch that some have an issue which has stupidly clouded their judgement as it does in these modern times . Look what some of our fans think of Emi. Some just can’t separate the playing side to other stuff.

I don’t think either Gabby or Southgate are underrated by fans at all in the playing sense and ability. But some clearly can’t separate that from other stuff that went on.
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You could put David James in that category as well. He was excellent for the 2 seasons we had him but forced a move and hasn't said a good word about us since. Especially galling as he was essentially seen as a joke when he joined us and when he left he was on the verge of being England's number 1.

The high esteem he's seen in now was built here but I'd bet that most non Villa fans would remember he played for us.
 
I thought Petrov was extremely under-rated pre diagnosis.

I seem to remember on here there was only really me and a user by the name of James06 who really highly rated him in the seasons before he fell ill. A lot of users labelled him a crab saying he only passed sideways, which I always felt was very unfair.

After he fell ill, obiviously everyone threw their support his way and rightly so, and he became a hero and a legend, but I'd say the vast majority didn't rate him before hand.

Very underrated player. Bit like Gareth Barry and Douglas Luiz in midfield. Just oozed class kept things ticking over.
 
JW1985 said:
You could put David James in that category as well. He was excellent for the 2 seasons we had him but forced a move and hasn't said a good word about us since. Especially galling as he was essentially seen as a joke when he joined us and when he left he was on the verge of being England's number 1.

The high esteem he's seen in now was built here but I'd bet that most non Villa fans would remember he played for us.
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Never liked him.
Never remember him being particularly special tbh.
But I think I’m in the minority when it comes to him so I guess I am under rating him then !.
 
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