Firstly, apologies for the terrible pun. It doesn’t even spell “guard” correctly I know.
Anyway, to the case in hand. As we are all aware, we have a young and well praised youngster on our books (deja vu anyone) who is quietly going about his business whilst earning the praise of Alex McLeish and Peter Grant.
Whatever people think of McLeish and Grant, their statements detailing that Gary Gardner is likely to see first team action in the coming months could be either music to your ears, or another situation where a hyped player gets put under more pressure than they can handle.
Speaking personally, I do rate Gary Gardner very highly. Whilst I know that being successful at reserve level, and even England U21 is nothing compared to the Premier League in terms of quality, Gary Gardner has done well against every hurdle he has come across.
So whilst I don’t necessarily think he will be Villa’s answer to Lionel Messi, Gardner certainly has a lot of potential. Potential that I hope will be fulfilled at the club as he was already looked at by several of the elite European clubs in the past few years.
A Real Star Is Born
In the eyes of some, Gary Gardner could be what Villa are lacking. Whilst Villa have what seems like an abundance of central midfielders, it appears that they all have issues that make partnerships quite challengeing to construct. The likes of Petrov are getting old, Delph currently lacks a certain “je ne sais quoi”, Ireland is lacking workrate (yes, still), leaving only the likes of Barry Bannan to pick up the slack.
Which is probably why Bannan was, and still is (barring the drink driving issue), perceived to be a future star for Aston Villa.
Anyway, Bannan aside, and as John Clark discussed earlier this week, one of the real surprise packages has been Chris Herd. Appearing out of nowhere and getting on with a job as a defensive midfielder with relative easy, Herd hasn’t brought the fireworks that a more creative midfielder may have done, but he’s done well, and he plays hard. So hard in fact, that in the Wolves game he almost tried to take out one of the posts.
The reason I talk about Herd is that, in my opinion at least, he would work very well alongside someone like Gary Gardner. With Herd’s steel and work rate, combined with Gardner’s undisputed talent and composure that belies his years, here are a midfield duo that could be together for ten years. When money is tight, all I can say is thank God for small graces like these.
The Start Of Something Wonderful
Now before anyone thinks I am hyping young Gary to mammoth levels, I should balance it with pragmatism. We do have a talented crop of youngsters, but I’m not considering, at present at least, that we have a Manchester United Class of ’94 on our hands.
Gardner will do well. Defining well means stating some terms. For me, well is what Gabby Agbonlahor managed, and what Stefan Moore didn’t – become a solid Premier League player with the potential to play for the national team.
Like Agbonlahor, Gardner has a love of the club to fuel his engine as well as a professional determination. We all know workrate can get you places alone, but fusing that with a love for Aston Villa is the closest thing us fans can get to perfection. It may not be buying Lionel Messi, but having players in the shirt who know what that badge means when they kiss it or hold it up to the crowd means a lot for us.
We like to see fans to play for us because it reminds us of our own childhood dreams. I’m sure many of you, just like me, used to have dreams of scoring at the Holte End as a kid, running into the crowd, and dreaming of fans chanting your name.
Obviously for me, like many of us, it is late in the day for that to happen, but seeing the likes of Agbonlahor, Albrighton, and Gardner is the next best thing for me. It may be somewhat unorthodox, but I’d love to see a return to that kind of football. It stands totally at odds with how the game has gone, but I believe it would mean something to the fans. It’d certainly mean something to me.
So whilst Gary Gardner’s career is fledgling, and his Premier League career is yet to begin, for once, I think we really might be seeing the birth of a real star of a player, and this time he’s a fan. Gabby proved what talent and love for the club can do, and this season he has excelled.
Who knows – in a few years time, we might well have another Villan who has the heart of a lion playing week in, week out.
Here’s to you Gary – the future awaits.
Final Thought
As a final thought, we ask that you take a moment to remember those men who gave their lives so that we may have the freedoms we enjoy today, as well as remembering those who continue to serve our country at home and abroad.
In honour of them, I have changed the style of the site for the period of the day, and uploaded a short video of the “Last Post” for those that wish to use the minute to pay tribute to those who gave their lives. Given all these men and women gave for us, honouring them is the least I can do, and I am proud to have the poppy on our site in memory of them.
Lest We Forget.
The Author
