Gary Gardner’s prospective move to the club on loan has caused a stir among the fanbase.
The player is having his medical at the club, and he is due to sign on the dotted line at some point today.
As you can imagine, fans on Twitter were very much split on whether the 26-year-old should be welcomed at St Andrew’s:
Juke signed on deadline day, so far, so good. As long as Gary Gardner puts in minutes and contributes, I'm all for it. In Monk we trust #BCFC
— William Wright Heatley (@will_heatley) 9 August 2018
I’d actually be happy with signing Gary Gardner, we need to be realistic and he’s better than what we currently have on my opinion. #bcfc
— Alex Dagnan (@Daggy_5) 9 August 2018
Some say GG's a Villa fan, others say hes been down the Blues even when Craig wasnt playing for us. Whatever happens we have to back him. Same with Camp. Massively underwhelmed but what can you do. Getting behind the boys works wonders, look at last season!! #KRO #BCFC
— – (@RacingJamesUK) 9 August 2018
If Gary Gardner does come in I won’t judge him on where he’s come from but how he plays in a Blues shirt… it’s as simple as that! (Queue the Yaya & Kolo Toure sing ????????) #bcfc
— Sean Ferris (@SeanFerris1) 9 August 2018
Give anyone who puts on a Blues top a chance…. No matter where they've come from or what they've done. If Garry Monk wants him then that's good enough for me! #BCFC
— Kieran Lynch (@KieranBcfc89) 9 August 2018
We could do so much worse than Gary Gardner. #bcfc
— Tim (@VasseII) 9 August 2018
Il give Gary a chance if he puts 100% in for us #BCFC
— Georgey T ???????? (@GeorgeTasker14) 9 August 2018
Some don’t want him to join us:
Don't want #GaryGardner at #BCFC it will divide the fans . Monk don't do it
— R Peg (@Had_it_2_Here) 9 August 2018
Gary gardener?! He’s the only player that will get boo’d when brought on as sub! We’ll be getting gabbie next FFS ????♂️????♂️????♂️ #BCFC #KRO
— ROSS MANTON ™ ???????????????????????????? (@The_Manton) 9 August 2018
What did you expect him to do? Score and then go away sobbing his heart out. Troy Deeney is a Blues fan and has a tattoo of the Blues crest on his ankle. When he scored at the Tilton he went celebrating like a mad man In front of us. Footballers are professionals #BCFC #KRO
— Gary J. Richards (@TheGJRichards) 9 August 2018
I’m sorry but I don’t know if I’ll be able to back Gary Gardner , bloke scored against us and ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with them lot a few years back. Not for me thanks ???????? #BCFC #KRO
— Conner (@ConnerBcfc02) 9 August 2018
It’s a difficult one for me. From a purely footballing perspective, I get where Garry Monk is coming from. We are limited to loan deals and free transfer signings, and we need to strengthen the centre of midfield in light of David Davis’s injury.
From that point of view, making a move for Gardner is a sensible choice considering the limited options he has available to him. However, the midfielder’s long association with Villa does make it more difficult. He won’t be welcome with open arms by all fans as the tweets demonstrate above.