Deano/Big Ron Ryder Cup story

[Nelly]

I loved Saunders, what a player. Sometimes when we dally with the ball I get frustrated when there seems to be a shot on. Well Saunders would have taken the shot and scored. How much confidence do you need to score the massive looped effort here!

[Chris Jameson]

I remember him saying it was obviously a step down joining Villa from Liverpool when he signed. Never warmed to him after that.

I don't remember that, I actually remember him saying we were a massive club

He definitely said it on a live interview on the day he signed on Radio Five or whatever it was called at the time.

[PeterWithesShin]

A good player but nothing more imo. Same scoring ratio as Savo and less league goals for us than Joachim. I often thought his last name was GoalDrought. Always strikes me as a nice bloke though.

[john e]

Deano's a good story teller though,
bet he's a great after dinner speaker, although I've never heard him

[PeterWithesShin]

Deano's a good story teller though,
bet he's a great after dinner speaker, although I've never heard him

He's the kind of bloke I can imagine it would be great to have a few pints with down the pub.

[Deano's Mullet]

Fun story. Funny how the memory goes,  Deano, we didn't win that Oldham game 2-0 but drew it 1-1. I remember this because Guy Whittingham had a perfectly good header chalked off for offside and I remember thinking we should be beating teams like Oldham. Dalian scored in a 1-1 the year before and we lost both home games to Oldham in the Prem League. I always remember just after BFR was sacked in 1994-95 a Sky Sports reporter, might even have been Nick Collins, got pushed over by the D Men while filming, Deano on his knees behind Collins, Dalian applying the push. He did see the funny side of it as I remember it was aired on Sky.

[mal]

****pedant alert****

'On one occasion he hit David Beckham with a shoe, accidentally. On several others he smashed tea cups but never has a story emerged of Ferguson, quite literally, scolding someone.'

One assumes that if he  'smashed tea cups' he might have been in the middle of scolding someone and that he was 'quite literally' doing that.

If they however mean 'scalding', as in being burnt by a hot liquid, someone, then I dare say they may be right. Wouldn't put it past the red-faced windbag.

While I am nit-picking actually he threw (not hit with) a boot (not a shoe). The standards of contemporary journalism seem to be sinking somewhat.

[supertom]

Deano wasn't prolific but a solid striker who always worked hard and would get you double figures. A 10-15 kind of guy rather than a 20 goal a season forward. He's still one of my favourites though given he significantly contributed to one of our most recent pieces of silverware, and the first I got to witness as a Villa fan. I always really liked Dalian too, but I was too young to take into account he was a bit of a lazy bugger.

[Deano's Mullet]

Deano wasn't prolific but a solid striker who always worked hard and would get you double figures. A 10-15 kind of guy rather than a 20 goal a season forward. He's still one of my favourites though given he significantly contributed to one of our most recent pieces of silverware, and the first I got to witness as a Villa fan. I always really liked Dalian too, but I was too young to take into account he was a bit of a lazy bugger.

He played in a team that for the most part had no wingers so a lot of the time he would drift out wide - Dalian certainly wasn't going to do it. Look at that season review for 92-93 and you'll remember lots of his early goals came from Froggatt crosses. BFR sold him eventually, Tony Daley too. In 93-94 BFR often played three up front at first with Whittingham joined Deano and Dalian and that just didn't work. His most prolific year was his third year when for the most of the time he had Staunton on the left wing and setting him up with a lot of goals. 100% for effort I agree but when he was in a hot streak he was the most dangerous striker in the country, when he wasn't it was hard going. As BFR said I have never ever seen a player hit woodwork as much as Deano did, that Spurs 0-0 alone he was unlucky in not only having a decent lob ruled out unfairly for offside but he hit the post 3 times I think.

[DesBremner]

Loved him when he was with us
Remember him more for the throw in off of the other teams back which led to a goal
Oh for a bit of creativity like he had in our current squad.........

[PeterWithesShin]

Loved him when he was with us
Remember him more for the throw in off of the other teams back which led to a goal
Oh for a bit of creativity like he had in our current squad.........

He did that playing for Sheff Utd.

[The Left Side]

and Derby

[Matt C]

Deano. That goal against Ipswich.

[KevinGage]

For a forward, he rarely tried to place the ball into the corner. 

He was more of a instinctive player, and seemed to prefer to lash it.  That might be part of the reason why he could go long stretches without scoring.

I always liked him at Derby and then the Redscouse.  He was a busy player, an irritant who would never let defenders settle.  That's perhaps part of the reason why he was so popular with Villa fans - probably more popular than more talented players like of Dalian and later Collywobbles.  Maybe it's a Brummie thing, I dunno.  But Villa fans have always appreciated work ethic, and Deano's was without question -even if he was going through a goal drought. 

Whereas with the likes of Dalian and Stan, if they weren't at the top of their game, they were prone to poodling about.

[TheMalandro]

Classy player and always worked hard.