Virgil van Dijk

[Doc_Piptorious]

Had enough of sparring with Dan & now you’re into Spuddy

Jealous?

[Paul12]

Probably explains why he never progressed beyond the United / Villa level he played at for the majority of his career.

In those days, was there a level beyond ManUre?

[spud_gun]

In those days, was there a level beyond ManUre?

When McGrath played for them?

Yeah, they were dog****.

[SB]

Jealous?

I wasn’t entering the affray in the Elon Musk thread. I showed my dislike of Twitter by deleting the app long before he bought it.

[brightred]

Had enough of sparring with Dan & now you’re into Spuddy

Spuddy is dissing McGrath. We can't be having that.

[Big-Red-Ed]

Villa may have finished seconds a couple of times but from what i can remember they weren't in with a shout of actually winning the title. They also were a bit of a YoYo club. Second one season mid table the next.



My point being if McGrath had applied himself properly he could have been regarded as one of the best. Instead we get some romanticised bollocks of him being a good CB whilst playing hanging / pissed.

Totally agree. I hate wasted talent in anything. My point being he was so talented that even without applying himself he was head and shoulders above most top players. He stood out even at world cup level.

YNWA

[SB]

Spuddy is dissing McGrath. We can't be having that.

Can’t really remember him tbh. We didn’t have much in the way of coverage back in the day

[Doc_Piptorious]

Can’t really remember him tbh. We didn’t have much in the way of coverage back in the day

Or in the way of electricity, running water and brekkie rolls.

On the plus side you were around to witness the invention of the wheel, which happened in 1998 in Oz.

[Charly]

Bit like us in the 1990s then or a bit like a certain Robbie Fowler in the 1990s?

To be fair, Fowler was banging away 30 a season in his very early 20s until he started getting injury problems... and his finishing and touch was pretty sublime.

[Irishnev]

When McGrath played for them?

Yeah, they were dog****.

They finished a close second (I think) to United one season and he won player of the year. The booze was a huge issue but also his body was broken - so be of those “if he played now” scenarios to see how good he would have been with a proper support structure/fitness help

He was superb for Ireland in 1994 and was the reason why we spent a fortune in Phil Babb his autobiography “Back from the brink” is a superb read

[Doc_Piptorious]

To be fair, Fowler was banging away 30 a season in his very early 20s until he started getting injury problems... and his finishing and touch was pretty sublime.

I'm not debating how good Fowler was, just saying that being in an average or poor team does not make an excellent player any less excellent.

Fowler was an excellent player that for the most part played in teams either flopped or failed when it came to the crunch.

McGrath was the same imo.

[Charly]

McGrath played in an era where Gary Mabbutt and Steve Bruce were thought of as good defenders. He was definitely up there.

[spud_gun]

Are we just randomly naming good centre backs who may or may not have had a drink problem?

[brightred]

David O'Leary was good but didn't have a drink problem. Pure as the driven snow.

[Doc_Piptorious]

Are we just randomly naming good centre backs who may or may not have had a drink problem?

Colin Hendry