Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: pauliewalnuts on October 11, 2018, 11:32:39 PM
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Who is your favourite Villa player - not necessarily the best player we've had, but the one who made you happiest at whichever time in your life?
Must be someone you watched, and no fucking about with "well, it's him, or him or maybe him, I dunno". One name.
I'll start.
Brian Little.
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Andy Gray, no question
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Brian Little.
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Gary Shaw
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Yorke
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Sir Brian. My first hero.
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Dean Saunders
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Gordon Sidney Cowans
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Dwight Yorke
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Gerry Hitchens (aka Scratchins)
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Lord McGrath
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Paul McGrath
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Gary Shaw
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Paul McGrath
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Dalian Atkinson
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Another shout for Gerry Hitchens, I worshipped him.
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Chris Price - the sheer delight of him scoring against Arsenal.
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And his delight when he set up Daleys volley against Everton on the previous season.
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Chris Price - the sheer delight of him scoring against Arsenal.
Cascarino's deftest touch in a Villa shirt.
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Andy Gray
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Chris Price - the sheer delight of him scoring against Arsenal.
And the following season when he tied Andreas Brehme up in a knot.
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Gerry Hitchens, would be worth a king's ransom in today's market.
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Paul McGrath
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Has to be McGrath
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Des Bremner
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Andy Gray.
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Sid Cowans
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Tony Daley
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Dwight Yorke
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Dean Saunders
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Sid Cowans
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Ian Taylor
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Sid Cowans
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Juan Pablo Angel.
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Eamoon Deacy RIP.
Will never forget him kicking Fash the Bash up in the air.
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Brian Little
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Tony Morley. League title and European cup winner, scorer of spectacular goals and flicked the V sign to his manager. Considering I was about eleven around that time what was not to love? About ten years ago I went to watch the old boys team play a charity match in Yardley for a very poorly young lad and I offered a hundred quid to go to the charity for Tony Morley's shirt from the game (the old boys were sponsored by 'Floors to go' but the shirt had his name and number eleven on the back). My wife approached Neil Rioch who was managing the side and he basically said no chance but Tony Morley found out from the boy's dad about my offer and gave me his phone number and arranged to meet me a couple of days later at a school on Chelmsley Wood where he was putting on a coaching session. So I got Tony Morley's shirt, got a photo with him and had his mobile number on my mobile for a while. He also said Neil Rioch was a wanker over the shirt incident. Tony Morley also turned up (with Sid) to the funeral of a close relative of mine earlier this year. I should point out that I did fulfill my promise of the donation.
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Gary Shaw
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Peter McParland
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Brian Little, the first player I ever saw come through the re-vamped youth system and make it to the first-team.
What a player!
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Sid
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Brian Little
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Alan Wright.
He was my first favourite player, for no particular reason. I met him at my first game when I was 8, 1-3 loss to MON's Leicester.
Every player I met was miserable (Staunton in particular), but when I asked Alan for his autograph and showed him his name on the back of my shirt, he looked genuinely chuffed and made a joke about me being taller than him by the time I was 10.
It being my first game, and the lads being a bit grumpy after a loss, I think I was a little scared, to be honest. But meeting my favourite player, and him being the only guy in the room who gave me a smile is one of my fondest Villa memories.
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Mark Walters
I named my first cat and my aspidistra after him
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Wow
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Gary Shaw is the reason why I support Villa, but my first hero was Mark Walters, even cried when he moved to Rangers, though I was only 9 !!
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Alan Wright.
He was my first favourite player, for no particular reason. I met him at my first game when I was 8, 1-3 loss to MON's Leicester.
Every player I met was miserable (Staunton in particular), but when I asked Alan for his autograph and showed him his name on the back of my shirt, he looked genuinely chuffed and made a joke about me being taller than him by the time I was 10.
It being my first game, and the lads being a bit grumpy after a loss, I think I was a little scared, to be honest. But meeting my favourite player, and him being the only guy in the room who gave me a smile is one of my fondest Villa memories.
When I first met my wife and started taking her to the Villa with me occasionally she took an instant liking to Alan Wright. She found it endearing that he was usually the smallest player on the pitch.
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Sir Brian Little
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I didn't actually realise how small he was until I met him! To me, he looked a 'normal' guy in a land of giants.
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I didn't actually realise how small he was until I met him! To me, he looked a 'normal' guy in a land of giants.
I'm sure I heard some story about him having to have the seat adapted in his Ferrari due to his size. Which surprised me as I am not particularly tall and having owned several sports cars they are usually far more suited to smaller/shorter drivers.
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I named my first cat and my aspidistra after him
We had a cat called Chico and Dudley Zoo used to have a polar bear called Chico Hamilton.
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Tony Daley
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Paul McGrath
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Charlie Aitken
And, in very recent times I have been rather enthusiastic about Emile Heskey.
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Dennis Mortimer ;D
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Alex Cropley.He elevated us.The way he could stroke the ball with that left peg has stayed with me ever since.
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Dennis Mortimer........hover boots....the way he used to float over the mud at villa park.
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When I was a yoot dem, David Platt. As I got older, Paul McGrath. No one has overtaken God since.
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I'm slightly too young for Platt and slightly too old for Yorke, so it's Deano for me.
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No man will ever bring me as much pleasure as Nigel Spink did on 26th May 1982. He will always be my special Villa player.
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He would not in any sense be my favourite Villa player, but the one to give me most pleasure was Stan Collymore when he scored that screamer against Atletico Madrid. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was in that single moment.
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He would not in any sense be my favourite Villa player, but the one to give me most pleasure was Stan Collymore when he scored that screamer against Atletico Madrid. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was in that single moment.
That is my favourite goal. It felt like a Tom & Jerry cartoon with the stands bursting open with the noise then coming back in again.
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After much deliberation, I've gone for Juan Pablo.
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He would not in any sense be my favourite Villa player, but the one to give me most pleasure was Stan Collymore when he scored that screamer against Atletico Madrid. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I was in that single moment.
My favourite ever goal.
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Tony Daley's goal at the Stripeys in the cup is my favourite ever Villa goal.
Gordon Sidney Cowans is my favourite ever player.
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Another vote for Brian Little.
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If Dennis Mortimer played in snow he wouldn't leave footprints, but for me It's Gerry Hitchens .
Probably it's because I wore his England kit, the whole lot,cap included, to watch us win the world cup as a kid. And I was too young to see him play,
And Maybe it's because he was my uncle.
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If Dennis Mortimer played in snow he wouldn't leave footprints, but for me It's Gerry Hitchens .
Probably it's because I wore his England kit, the whole lot,cap included, to watch us win the world cup as a kid. And I was too young to see him play,
And Maybe it's because he was my uncle.
There's a road, Hitchens Way, named after him in Highley, Shropshire where he was born, worked as a miner and learned his football.
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If Dennis Mortimer played in snow he wouldn't leave footprints, but for me It's Gerry Hitchens .
Probably it's because I wore his England kit, the whole lot,cap included, to watch us win the world cup as a kid. And I was too young to see him play,
And Maybe it's because he was my uncle.
There's a road, Hitchens Way, named after him in Highley, Shropshire where he was born, worked as a miner and learned his football.
yup spent many a saturday evening in the miners club in Highly as a kid, schweppes ginger beer with a straw and a packet of golden wonder chicken crisps was my go to and sixpence in the one armed bandit.
On a sad note he may not be the most famous person from Highly. One of my mates as a kid when we went there, probably every other week in school hols, was a girl called Leslie Whittle, good friend good pal. 8 months older than me. She was kidnapped and murdered by Donald Neilson aka the black panther. Mucked about with my head for a while, same with my mates.
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Ian Taylor
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David Platt
My favourite goal was Deano's penalty at Wembley in 1994
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Gordon Sidney Cowans.
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Sid has to be favourite in my time, though give Jack time and he might challenge. As I have got older I have appreciated more and more how good, God, Paul Mcgrath was. My late Grandad always went on about Pongo, and before that is the great Dennis Hodgetts of course!
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fav goal was probably Alan Wright's left footed half volley to make it 4 vs Spuds around 2000
fav player who I watched regularly is Paul McGrath
UTV
The Doc
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The youngest Rotters (aged 3) has been brain washed by me to answer "Aston Villa' and Jack Grealish' to any football related question.
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As a kid I loved (in equal measures) Mark Walters, Tony Daley, Didier Six (I know I know) and Gordon Cowans, but my absolute favourite was Gary Shaw, even though when I started going down VP in 1982 he was coming to the end of his brilliance. As an adult, although the hero-worship is long gone, I think Jack Grealish could be better than all of them - he's that good I think.
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Brian Little.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvYibKVfoeG67iNuRwxCkg
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Andy Gray closely followed by David Platt
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Allan Evans. Or maybe Sir Brian. And a little bit of Ray Graydon. As kid I was fascinated and terrified by Andy Lochhead. As were most centre halves I understand.
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Gordon Cowans. Had everything. Could pass, tackle, score goals. Absolutely magic player. Then Paul McGrath.
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Brian Little. Lots of memorable goals and big match winning performances.
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Hitz
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McGrath.
Currently, Mings obviously.
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Paul McGrath.
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As a fan in their mid-20's, for me it's definitely Jack Grealish.
Previously I would have given Laursen the nod, but the way Jack came in, at our darkest hour, as captain and led us to promotion is truly the stuff of folklore. You really couldn't have written it better.
We've had great players in my lifetime who I've loved watching (Laursen, Mellberg, Carew, Young, Milner, Gabby), but ultimately Jack went one better than the lot of them by helping us win something, and achieve a tangible outcome that will live long in the memory.
For me it's one of the reasons that he's so important to the club - he's an absolute icon to an entire generation of young fans; and he stands pretty much alone.
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The player I was happiest to meet and have my picture taken with at BHM in the summer of 1997 was Ugo Ehiogu
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The player I was happiest to meet and have my picture taken with at BHM in the summer of 1997 was Ugo Ehiogu
I met Ugo standing outside a pub in Highgate, London five years ago. He was standing outside having a fag! Lovely guy, shook his hand and wished him well.
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Hard to reply when you're old. I thought about Willie Anderson and Brian Little, but decided on Bruce Rioch.
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Colin Withers - loved the all green keepers kit he used to wear
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Bruce Rioch
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Gary Shaw.
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Peter McParland
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Think I've already said Ian Taylor. Bit favourite goals on no particular order:
Stan Vs Madrid
Savo Vs Leeds
Hits Vs Albion
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Peter Withe. He made a big impression on this then impressionable teenager.
Can still visualise him sweeping the ball into the net after Ray Clemence had dropped a corner during the 1981 Charity Shield and then feeling really chuffed when his name came up on Ceefax when he scored his only England goal versus Hungary.
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Cowans. Country mile
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It's Grealish for me, tbh.
Closely followed by Laursen in second place.
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Grew up idolising Tony Morley with Ian Taylor becoming a huge favourite.
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A tough one as there's a few but if I had to chose one it'd be Paul McGrath. Just the best player I've ever seen play for us, truly world class. Pleased to say he was a really lovely chap when I met him to.
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Sid!!! all day all night - just the best, even watching him in the warm up before the start of the game was a pleasure.
McGrath runs him a close 2nd! - apart form that performance at Coventry (boxing day) he was magnificent!
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A winger who could score Harry Burrows
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Well I knew tony it wouldn’t be burridge.
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Sid Cowans , but I've just watched the BBC video "The Official History of Aston Villa F.C." to cheer me up after today's lame surrender.
I love Dennis Mortimer, watching him score at Everton away , Liverpool at home with a beaming smile (game I was at) and applauding various Tony Morley super strikes the season we won the League. The guy was calmness personified, the greatest Villa captain ever.
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80s - Tony Daley
90s - God
00s - Martin Laursen
10s - Jack Grealish
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Peter withe . . Legend. Closely followed by Tony Morley and Sid. Oh and Dennis Mortimer.
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Grealish. And the best Villa player I’ve seen play.
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Chico