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Aston Villa Boss Getting Quite A Bit Of Stick Over Treatment Of Jack Grealish

Gary Reilly
By Gary Reilly
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The charge is unprofessionalism. The punishment is temporary banishment. Jack Grealish will have plenty of time to think about what he's done over the next couple of weeks as his involvement in Aston Villa's fight for survival will be minimal until Remi Garde decides he's served his time.

He may only be new to the Premier League but the Frenchman had to have known what he was doing. Grealish being dropped in such a public manner was always going to draw a lot of attention. It's the modern football equivalent of being left in the stocks on the town square and Garde better hope it works because it could backfire significantly.

Although he hasn't shown much of it so far this year, there's a reason Grealish already has such a high profile. There's the potential for an excellent footballer there and Aston Villa can't afford to let that slip away just so a new manager can stamp his authority on things. First and foremost, it's Grealish's job to ensure he's as professional as possible but Garde is playing a risky game by feeding him to the wolves like he has today.

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And while he's been commended for his hard nosed approach from many fans, the feeling summed up by Darren O'Dea is also very prevalent.

Former Villa favourite Paul Merson has also been less than complimentary about the Villa manager's treatment of the youngster. Speaking to Sky Sports News, Merson blamed Garde for first allowing Grealish to leave Goodison Park separately from the rest of the squad and also for his decision to publicly admonish the 20 year old.

I blame Remi Garde, Grealish should have been on the bus home. He knew that player wasn't going out for a meal, he should have told him that he had spoilt his weekend so he would spoil it for him too.

Remi Garde is cutting his nose off to spite his face, Grealish should have been fined two week's wages and told to prove himself. Villa need all their talented players on the pitch, Grealish could have been inspired to win those wages back in bonuses.

It must be said, it's not Garde's job to babysit his players so that first bit of criticism is perhaps stretching it a bit too far but the public nature of Grealish's punishment is certainly open to debate. He gets to stamp his authority on the situation but, given Grealish's crimes were hardly shocking, the long term negative effects could vastly outweigh the short term gain.

Grealish could return to the squad in a couple of weeks and the pressure on him will be even greater. Merson has offered to speak with the 20 year old privately and there is quite a bit of merit in that approach.

I would love to sit down for an hour with Jack, he is a top talent, but it goes very quickly. George Graham said the same to me when I was doing the same and worse than Grealish.

I probably didn't listen enough, and that career goes quickly.

Either way Grealish could go down a similar route to the one Merson knows all too well but the tough love approach that Garde is favouring is a risky one if he wants to get the most out of an obviously talented footballer over the next few years.

See also: A Bad Week Has Now Become Even Worse For Jack Grealish

See also: Euro 2016 Already Out Of The Question For Grealish After Nightclub 'Controversy'

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