Jack Grealish of Manchester City
Jack Grealish of Manchester City
Aston Villa made sure Jack Grealish's latest return to Villa Park was another unhappy one on Saturday as the Lions posted a third straight home win and a second in as many meetings against out of sorts Manchester City on Saturday.
Villa opened the scoring early through Jhon Duran and that lead was added to by Morgan Rogers. Phil Foden pulled one back, but City have now won one of their last 12 games and have been leapfrogged by Villa in the Premier League table. For Grealish, who has scored a couple of times for England this season, his own personal form for City has continued to take a hit.
The playmaker, adored during his time at the club who developed him through the academy before his departure in 2021, was the subject of plenty of criticism from the terraces, from supporters who used to cheer him on, throughout the course of the afternoon. Grealish completed the full match for the first time this season but couldn't help inspire what would've been a welcome City win.
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Grealish's gesture
One primary reason for Grealish leaving Villa in the first place was to join a club who would be consistently challenging for major silverware - and, in fairness, you cannot question his own trophy cabinet having moved to Manchester three and a half years ago. In that time, he has won three Premier League winners' medals and contributed towards a Champions League success and an FA Cup triumph.
Grealish was routinely booed any time he came into contact with the ball on Saturday, and perhaps in venting his full-time frustrations he offered a retort to the home supporters by holding up three fingers, presumably signalling the number of league titles he's enjoyed since leaving the club.
Regret?
Our Villa writer John Townley considers that Grealish may ultimately regret his decision to bite back at the stick he'd been receiving all afternoon.
“No footballer should be subjected to abuse because they’re literally doing their job. However it comes with the territory that players will get stick, and usually Jack deals with that well," John said post-match. "If anything, he thrived on it wearing claret and blue. You’d just hope that whatever was aimed at him at Villa Park didn’t cross a line.
“Without the full context it’s hard to judge the situation, but what we have got is a picture of boyhood Villa fan Grealish making a gesture back at supporters alluding to the fact he’s won three Premier League titles with City. It’s not AI and this picture will be going nowhere.
“Whether Jack one day returns to the club or not, it will be there for good and therefore that’s a stain. Many fans got over him leaving for City back in the summer of 2021, but that picture will do him no favours winning back a certain section of supporters.”
Enough to make your blood boil
Former England striker Michael Owen wasn't in the least bit amused by the treatment Grealish received from the Villa supporters throughout the afternoon. Owen, who has moved into punditry since retiring, took to social media on Sunday to share his anger at the whole episode.
"I often hear or see things in football that makes my blood boil. Most people will probably feel the same at some point or other. I guess that’s quite natural when you care passionately about something, or in my case, when it’s something that has consumed your entire life.
"The current capitulation of reigning champions Manchester City is enough of a story to fill back pages and jam radio stations up and down the country. But there was another story at Villa Park yesterday that genuinely left me feeling sick to the bottom of my stomach.
"Of course, tarring a set of people with the same brush is not something I’m into. I’ve lived a life whereby myself and my teammates have been stereotyped and it’s pretty annoying. There will always be kind, honest, generous, respectful, caring people in all walks of life just as there will always be nasty, jealous, spiteful, bitter people too. Your job or where you’re from doesn’t necessarily make you fall into a certain category.
"But to those Villa fans who booed Jack Grealish yesterday, you fall into the second category and should hang your heads in shame.
"Here is a lad that came through YOUR academy. Supported The Villa all his life and no doubt still does. He single-handedly dragged YOUR team back into the Premier League when you were bang average at best. He kept you up and in hindsight, showed you ten times more loyalty than you are now showing him. He was hardly ever injured and delivered Man Of The Match performances on a regular basis. He cost you nothing, gave you incredible service and made YOUR club over £100m when he left."
The supporters say
We asked supporters what they made of the exchange and whether Grealish was within his rights to respond, or whether he ought to have dealt with the situation better - as a visiting player who no longer represents Villa, is he simply fair game for home fans?
Chosen in 1957: I don't boo him but I understand fans who do and that's their prerogative. We pay our money to pass on our views and Jack and players like Fabian Delph know that their actions inevitably lead to supporters words of derision.
Mikecooleruler: It was bound to happen, the Villa fans like a lot of banter and can be brutal. It's part of the territory. Grealish made the decision to leave and so therefore he had to live with the consequences. Grealish has a lot to contemplate on, his performances are consistently below par and is becoming a liability.
Duran Duran: One of our greatest players and a true Villa fan. I like to think those that booed did so in a banter way put him off. When retired he’d be welcome back to Villa park and like Ashley Young and Gareth Barry all would be forgiven.
Villaman: He’s proven he’s Villa through and through. We would have gone back down our first season if it wasn’t for him. The boos were the only thing that was wrong today.
Were Villa fans right to boo Grealish? Tell us HERE
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