Clocks stop for Gregory

Gregory's sense of humour made him stand out

The timing of Aston Villa manager John Gregory's resignation is surprising, despite his uneasy relationship with chairman Doug Ellis, says BBC Sport's Pat Murphy.

Less than a fortnight ago, I interviewed John Gregory and my first question was, "You don't look beleaguered, John?" and he came straight back with, "I'm a beleaguered grandfather".

That was typical Gregory - he had just become a grandfather, was suitably delighted and cleverly changed the subject away from speculation about his future.

A few minutes later, he was telling the press that he did not necessarily buy into Doug Ellis' latest vote of confidence.

The Villa chairman had responded vehemently to rumours that the Dutchman Louis van Gaal was bound for Villa Park.

Gregory's scepticism confirmed that the relationship between manager and chairmen was still not particularly supportive.

However, it was considerably warmer than a year ago, when some intemperate criticism of Ellis' parsimony in the transfer market nearly hastened Gregory's departure.

Gregory feels that he has taken Villa as far as he can, given the constraints laid down by Ellis.

Aston Villa's grey eminence Doug Ellis

This has been a running story for the past couple of years.

While Ellis points out reasonably enough that he has a business to run, Gregory rails privately at the club's lack of ambition.

Ellis boasts that Villa has the potential to be another Manchester United, while Gregory says, "Prove it, chairman, flash your cheque book".

Thus United bought Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud Van Nistelrooy last summer while Villa signed Hassan Kachloul and Mustapha Hadji.

Caring tutelage

Gregory has bought middle-of-the-range players - good professionals who will run all day yet fail to hit the G-spot of brilliance.

Under Gregory, Villa have been worthy but dull - fit, committed but limited.

He has not been able to unpick that final lock that ushers a side into the Champions League qualification zone.

Instead he has had to grapple with the strains of the InterToto Cup in late summer.

Gregory's critics will claim that the club would have soared into the elite if he had got the best out of Stan Collymore and David Ginola, two gifted mavericks.

But other managers have failed with the brooding Collymore.

And Ginola was forced on Gregory as a piece of vanity buying by Ellis when the Frenchman was en route to being an aged vaudevillian, with his best days behind him.

Gregory helped revive Paul Merson's career

For those who doubt Gregory's ability to coax brilliance out of brittle yet talented players, look no further than Paul Merson, who successfuly surmounted his various addictions.

Ditto Lee Hendrie, who has put his wayward youth and poor disciplinary record behind him.

Both have prospered under Gregory's caring tutelage.

After being sacked by Portsmouth when a young manager, Gregory has never forgotten the difficult year that followed.

He has always been insecure about being out of work, dreading the longeurs that inevitably follow.

So he must have a fall-back procedure in place.

His forte has always been coaching and he was often frustrated with the attendant hassles that go with the job of being a manager.

Beacon

I shall miss John Gregory at Villa Park.

I have known him for more than twenty years, first as Villa player - and he was a very hard worker in midfield, although inclined to be lippy at times - then as Villa's manager.

He was immensely proud to get the job four years ago.

And his catatonic appearance at the end of that epic FA Cup match that Villa lost to United told how much the job was taking out of him, despite his readiness with a quip.

In a grey football world, increasingly populated by grey managers, John Gregory has stood out like a beacon on a foggy day.

His successor will do well to last four years under Deadly Doug and still retain his sense of humour.