Lovely story from the OS, also providing more proof as to why Villa are the greatest club in the world:
Former Villa secretary Steve Stride's role as a UEFA delegate took him back to Turkey - and he discovered that we were the inspiration behind Trabzonspor's claret-and-blue kit.
During the official lunch ahead of the Trabzonspor v Apollon Limassol Europa League match, the host club's president gave Steve a special mention.
Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu pointed out that when his club were formed in 1967 they were so short of money they had no kit.
They contacted a number of clubs in Europe and Villa were the only ones to respond, sending a full set.
"I have seen theories on why Trabzonspor wear claret and blue but I'd near heard this, even when we played them in the UEFA Cup in 1994" said Steve.
"But the president assured me it's a fact."
The club also presented Steve with a shirt.
The number, by the way, is associated with the city of Trabzon. All cars registered there have the prefix 61.
http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/BlogsEntry/0,,10265~3597476,00.htmlAlso for you Celeb Villa Fan fans, a bit about another celebrity Villa fan, - Gianluca Pagliuca! He also almost joined Villa ("It was my dream") in 1999.