Sometimes, in sport as in life, a helping hand can come from the most unexpected source. In the sporting arena, that helpful gesture might occasionally even emanate from within the opposition camp, giving an unexpected boost ahead of a difficult task. You’ll have doubtless heard of the phenomenon whereby some Rentagob ex-player for this or that Rovers, City or United will unwisely open their piehole and give major and unintended motivation to the next opponents of that ex-player’s former employers.
One such instance of this occurred last night in the wake of Leeds United’s slightly unfortunate home defeat to Wolves. Former Aston Villa player Gabriel “Gobby” Agbonlahor, the proud owner of two losers’ medals as the fruits of his less than glittering career, seemingly couldn’t resist the opportunity to mock Leeds United, heedless of the fact that, for the Villans, providing an extra incentive for Leeds United ahead of Friday night’s Villa Park summit was possibly the very last thing Dean Smith’s charges would have wanted. But good old Gobby, showing the kind of intellect needed to work at TalkSport, went ahead anyway – and, should Villa lose their impressive 100% record at the hands of United, it could be that Mr. Agbonlahor will find the blame fairly and squarely laid upon himself.
It’s a strange situation just now with Leeds and Villa, with the Villa fans in particular seeming to wish to generate an unnatural rivalry between their own club and the Whites, who habitually look west to Trafford or south to Chelsea for their own bêtes noires. With United still acclimatising themselves to the Premier League, and with Villa putting last season’s narrow and distinctly dodgy escape from relegation behind them with four wins in four games this time around, you might suppose the fans of Agbonlahor’s former club would be looking elsewhere themselves for rivalry fodder. But there it is, and we can probably trace this odd situation back to Villa’s rather fortunate promotion season, when Leeds missed out on doing the double over them only because of Marcelo Bielsa’s FIFA Fair Play Award-winning gesture of allowing the Villans to walk the ball in for an equaliser at Elland Road.
The reverse fixture at Villa Park had ended up with Leeds triumphant, having come back from two down – but in truth, United were the better team throughout, something that had Smith grinding his teeth on the touchline before muttering ungraciously about the Whites celebrating as though they’d won the title itself. Whatever the roots of the situation, Villa fans – who may well have something of a chip on their collective shoulder about the media adulation of Bielsa – have lost no opportunity to gloat over the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs this season, with warnings of premature exultation falling on deaf ears. But that’s fans for you.
It’s different when ex-players join in. The comments circulate more widely, and with much more chance of being noted inside the dressing room of the club targeted for such unwise trolling. You can safely bet your mortgage on the fact that Liam Cooper & Co will be well aware of Gobby’s online ramblings, including the assertions that Leeds United are more myth than legend, as well as his notion that Bielsa gets too much credit, which should more properly be laid at the feet of Dean Smith. As I said, you can forgive blinkered fans for spouting that kind of rubbish – but when an ex-player of your next opponent does it, then it can make the troops thus slighted imitate the actions of the tiger. It’s certainly not the kind of thing Agbonlahor’s former employers would have wished him to do, as they will be uncomfortably aware that Friday night’s challenge may just have become even more difficult.
Obviously, as a United fan, I hope so. I hope that Leeds will hand Villa a right pasting to ruin their 100% start, and I hope that Gobby’s words will be rammed well and truly back down the orifice whence they originated, to emerge a day later, via a natural excretory process, in the form of a TalkSport match summary. Villa are a good team, so this desirable outcome is by no means guaranteed. But if it did happen, then this blogger would be well chuffed – along with, I suspect, those well-motivated men from Elland Road.
Marching On Together
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Would have taken the words right out of my mouth if I had been eloquent enough to think of them!However, you get the drift.Gobby ex so called footballer talks out of his arse!!
LikeLike
I wish I’d said that!
LikeLike
To be honest as a Villa fan I thought the same myself
LikeLike
This idiot is the best example yet of why ex footballers should not be pundits. Just because they played the game does not make them intelligent, or knowledgeable about it. In most cases they only played the game because they didn’t have the intelligence to do anything else.
He is clearly trying to get headlines and bring attention to himself, but rather than say something incisive or articulate, he has chosen to show his immaturity and lack of class in this way. Well, he got what he wanted, though not in a way that would make his parents proud.
That Talksport allow this cretin to sully their airwaves only serves to prove that you get what you pay for, but their reputation as the steerage of the media will hardly be changing any time soon given the quality currently in their ranks.
For Agbonlahor to compare Dean Smith to Bielsa is like comparing himself to Lionel Messi, and really should result in an extended stay in a secure facility. His reading of the game alone merits a severe spanking at least.
Wolves won the game having been outplayed for long periods of it, scoring with a deflected shot that a baby could have hit harder. They had 32% possession and 7 shots against a side playing only their 5th game in the top flight. Leeds had 13. Fact.
I have to say that I have no issue with Wolves here. They have a good team, a very classy manager, one who understands and acknowledges the brilliance of Bielsa, who appreciates that what he has got out of these players is nothing short of miraculous. The football we have seen at Elland Road these last 2 years has been from a different planet compared to what we had before, and only one man is responsible for that. Most purists would surely agree with that. Only a fool would say otherwise. Enter the fool.
Incidentally, this particular fool scored 75 goals in his 341 career appearances. For a striker that is decidedly average, about 7 or 8 a season. Hardly anything to write home about, if indeed Agbonlahor can actually write.
Patrick Bamford on the other hand, who ‘just runs around a lot’ has 83 and counting in 235, with his best days still ahead of him..
We all know that former players do tend to exaggerate their own achievements while downplaying those of others, but most of them at least try to do it in a meaningful and cohesive way. Not this guy, who seems incapable of putting a sentence together without help, and who’s arrogance is overshadowed only by his ignorance, and who has now shown the world exactly who he is. Nobody.
LikeLike
Villa fan here. Post came up on News Now. Good article. Personally I have no issue with Leeds, and I know many other Villa fans who dont either. It’s an unnecessary rivalry between us which for me all stems from that match you referred to when we walked in a goal. Have to say if the tables were turned I dont think we would have done the same but who knows and if we had met in the playoff final I dont think we would have come out victorious. I think there are lots of similarities between us. Stadium size, passionate loud and overall great support, captained by homegrown lads who love their club. (if only we had managed to tempt Kalvin) but i’m quite glad he stayed as its good for football like ourselves with Grealish. Gabby should really shut his mouth as its embarrassing to us Villa fans. I hope it’s a good game on Friday i’m expecting an end to end game that could go either way and I hope that we both have decent seasons and start breaking up that annoying top 6 bubble.
LikeLike
Gobby forgot to mention he was looking in the mirror when he made this statement.
LikeLike
Well said Rob. Gobby wants the pundits to get out of Bielsa’s arse but would that stop him talking out of his? Oh, that’s his face is it? C’mon Leeds
LikeLike
Warning: this comment contains cloacal content. When footballers are invited as pundits on talk shows the old adage, ‘opinions are like arseholes: everyone has one and they’re all full of shit”, comes to mind. Agbumyerhole’s opinions are of no more value than those of that other Leeds knocker, German Anus, on MOTD. However, if their gobshiting serves as a team talk for Leeds, let them rip!
LikeLike
Andrew!! 🤣
LikeLike
hi rob
superbly written or should i say as if… ‘gobby’….. roat’
“you can’t educate pork!
i echo adam the villa fans response, its great at the mo’ that villa/everton are at the top & doing well with WW tucked in behind them also, with the real member of the so called (spurs??) big six, LUFC, not far off & playing fearless swashbuckling footie as per the marcelo mantra!
this will continue at villa park even with half the team out injured & a proper game between TWO famous & proper clubs slugging it out, a refreshing change me’thinks?
please muniks,city, scousepool, arse’ & chelski piss (sorry spurs your only 4th in London even behind AFC-WHUFC-CFC…….YIDFC so not mentioned above of course!) off to your euro jp morgan funded super league & bore each other to death every two weeks while the ‘real’ league can get back to where it once was in 1991/2 (the last proper league title 42 games & an even playing field when the likes of LUFC/AVFC could compete on level terms & win titles before ‘sky’ killed real football & created the ‘munik money monster love in!!
now known as the ‘let’s have rammed down our throats every time a ball goes out of play the….
sky sports left wing ‘schwartzer’ channel, a DARK’ organisation now! sickening, i know i’m ‘WHITE’ in saying this….. oops sorry ‘gobby’ meant RIGHT!
long may it continue at the top…. LUFC/AVFC/EFC/WWFC/WHUFC/LCFC et al?
Kent WHITE since 1969
(everyone knows a LEEDS fan wherever you live in the U.K hence BIG SIX)
& with 16 long years down under where the real football is still played out IMO…for now?)
LikeLike