golden years? the 70s

[Ron Manager]

The breathtaking football we played in 76-77, and the tonkings we handed out to so many teams at VP that season, not just the 5-1 against Liverpool.

I still maintain that was the most entertaining Villa side I've ever seen.

Agree with the last comment. I was only 12 at the time but that was a truly great season.

Ipswich 5 - 2 with a Gray hat trick stands out for me

Was that the game where their keeper,Laurie Sival (?) lost a fair few teeth in a challenge with Gray?

Laurie Sivell. Only 5'8"  Gray at his most aggressive . Surprised he had any left!

[cdbearsfan]

Great days. Paris Commune, Anglo-Zulu War protest marches, Villa being founded. It was an exciting time to be alive.

[Pat McMahon]

The breathtaking football we played in 76-77, and the tonkings we handed out to so many teams at VP that season, not just the 5-1 against Liverpool.

I still maintain that was the most entertaining Villa side I've ever seen.

Agree with the last comment. I was only 12 at the time but that was a truly great season.

Ipswich 5 - 2 with a Gray hat trick stands out for me

Was that the game where their keeper,Laurie Sival (?) lost a fair few teeth in a challenge with Gray?

Laurie Sivell. Only 5'8"  Gray at his most aggressive . Surprised he had any left!

IIRC Laurie Sivell lost his teeth in the world's dullest game, a 0-0 v Ipswich in our first season back in 75-76. This was the infamous game where a large flock of pigeons settled on the half way line and were undisturbed by the tedium on the pitch. Literally the only action was a pile driver from somebody which hot the bar and rebounded out  where Sivell and Andy Gray clashed.

[class_of_82]

Barbarellas seeing the jam when they was just making it then into the soul room to dance all night
Watching generation x there with whole room chanting "billy is a wanker"
Singing the "when your smiling when your smiling the Holte end smiles with you" which should still be our song
Your new doc martens and Baggie cords for the Boxing Day game
My Morris 1000 pick up 3 in the front 6 in the back to away games
Andy grays debut
Brian littles two goals v Everton to win leAgue cup
Chris Nichols 40 yard equaliser
Villa support At the sty first game in div 1 whole of tilton road roof of tilton up the floodlights big mob in railway end and scoreboard end to ( that's what you call support blue noses)
First pint in the plough at rubbery
Watching in awe as the Barcelona of that time was 5-1 down at half time
76-77 team in full flight ( can we clone john gidman)
18 years of age not a care in the world and folllowing villa everywhere it didn't get any better
48,000 at vp v Bournemouth
54,000 v santos with Chico Hamilton best player on the park

I gotta stop now I'm welling up

[adrenachrome]

The Hole In The Wall! Great memories of that place. And The Cabin: the Villa Special buses used to depart from across the road. In the days when you used to get frisked going into all of the pubs in town, I remember one night there was a very presentable female on frisking duty and many youths were going round for seconds.

[DeKuip]

Saturdays for watching, Sundays for playing.

Only shop open on a Sunday was the paper shop in the morning, and the outdoor at night.... and that was everything you'd need.

Kick-offs always 3 o'clock Saturday and 7.30 Wednesday.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Bog rolls being chucked

[Damo70]

Little blue invalid cars parked next to the pitch. Although that might have been just Stamford Bridge.

[b23]

Little blue invalid cars parked next to the pitch. Although that might have been just Stamford Bridge.

And Highfield Road ?

[class_of_82]

Also the away games in the 70s no booking history no tickets no waiting for general sale you just went and you always got in, thousands upon thousands of us

Those were the days my friend
We took the Stretford end
We took the Kop
We took the fooking lot

[the-farmer]

The breathtaking football we played in 76-77, and the tonkings we handed out to so many teams at VP that season, not just the 5-1 against Liverpool.

I still maintain that was the most entertaining Villa side I've ever seen.

Agree with the last comment. I was only 12 at the time but that was a truly great season.

Ipswich 5 - 2 with a Gray hat trick stands out for me

Dad took me to that, wasn't 1 of the goals a diving header about 6" off the ground.
The following season Dad took me again to the Ipswich game, IIRC I was disappointed Andy wasn't playing but we won that game 6-1

[Big Dick Edwards]

Dad took me to that, wasn't 1 of the goals a diving header about 6" off the ground.
The following season Dad took me again to the Ipswich game, IIRC I was disappointed Andy wasn't playing but we won that game 6-1

I recall Ipswich being in control of that 5-2 game initially but Andy Gray was at his irrepressible best and simply took the game away from them. He was unstoppable.

A significant factor in the 6-1 game was that it was the week before the FA Cup Final and Ipswich rested a lot of their big players. David Geddis came in for them though and I think scored their goal.

[steamer]

1968 - 1978 , my Golden years.
First away game on my own as a 13 year old, the Sty. Rioch,s 35 yarder in the net. It rained bricks as we went in and the Villa infiltrated the Tilton with cops on horses splitting the fans up by the floodlight nearest the Kop. what an introduction.
Unbroken run of games at home.
Running Coaches to away games
more away games than I can remember
Hole in the wall
Any other pub in town that we felt we should visit.
Reading this thread, looking at children of the Revolution, remembering old friends (some no longer with us )
I have a tear in my eye

More adventures than the famous five.

[E I Adio]

The '70's were indeed golden years, regular exciting football, supporters full of optimism and expectation, a constantly entertaining and improving team and slowly but surely moving in the right direction made all the more heart warming and satisfying by having stood through the miserable, desperate, slow motion car crash stuff served up in the '60's.

[adrenachrome]

1968 - 1978 , my Golden years.
First away game on my own as a 13 year old, the Sty. Rioch,s 35 yarder in the net. It rained bricks as we went in and the Villa infiltrated the Tilton with cops on horses splitting the fans up by the floodlight nearest the Kop. what an introduction.
Unbroken run of games at home.
Running Coaches to away games
more away games than I can remember
Hole in the wall
Any other pub in town that we felt we should visit.
Reading this thread, looking at children of the Revolution, remembering old friends (some no longer with us )
I have a tear in my eye

More adventures than the famous five.

The City fans will never mock
When they remember Bruce Rioch