Zat Knight will be missed by Aston Villa
SPEAKING of central defenders may I bid a fond farewell to Zat Knight who left the Villa camp on Friday to join up with new club Bolton on tour in Holland.
Ever since his arrival at Villa Park was shrouded in controversy after spending the morning of his signing in a police cell, Knight has been made a scapegoat.
It's true that the lanky Brummie is prone to the odd costly lapse in concentration, but the criticism of Knight is often unfair and completely over the top.
Knight should equally be remembered for his debut goal against Chelsea and his last minute equaliser against Arsenal in two cracking Villa Park encounters.
And, for all his faults, there have been numerous occasions where the former Fulham defender has been a commanding presence at the back for Villa.
Knight's departure so early in the Peace Cup tour suggests that defensive reinforcements are imminent otherwise Martin O'Neill would not have sanctioned his departure.
In allowing Knight to join Gary Cahill at the Reebok Stadium, the manager has undoubtedly lined up a more reliable player for a first-team role. Which is fair enough because Knight's annoying knack of switching off at vital moments will always prevent him from reaching the very pinnacle of the game.
But, in my opinion, Knight was an ideal player to have in reserve and, in the market Villa are in, are there really any more able deputies out there than him?
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Zat Knight is a AWFUL PLAYER im glad to see him go he cost us alot of goals last season and is possibly one of THE WORST PLAYERS EVER !
Zat Knight is a Villa fan who tried his hardest for the club and that has to be applauded. It turned out that he provided adequate cover for us but now we're trying to raise the bar and get better players in the entire squad so the cover is better than adequate.
Also - to be selling him for more than £3 Million is some business you can't just turn down either. Would have been nice to have seen Cahill come back as part of the deal though... MON's biggest mistake so far.
Davies his the worst defender ive ever seen at Villa Park in 50 years ive been watchind and he cost 10million , swap Knight for him now.
Zat Knight is a terrible defender and will make beating Bolton that much better. He lacks concentration on the field and often loses track of his mark, thus resulting in shots and goals.
Knight Missed-You must be joking.
In 50+ years as a Villa fan I can safely say he is the worst player ever to wear a Villa shirt & boy over the years I have seen some rubbish @ Villa Park. As a footballer he did not have a redeeming feature. Zero comittment, zero skill & zero interest. Strolled around the pitch believing his own hype. He was a total nightmare, more ducked headers than I have ever seen. Every single Villa defeat last year had Knight's fingerprints . Thank God he's gone