Alpay - your memories

[dave shelley]

Words I thought I'd never use: "Doug was right".

[chrisw1]

Was very good at first, I really grew to like him.  Major disappointment when he went hatstand.  I was hoping her would turn it around, but the spitting thing did for him.

[remy]

Did remember when he was booted out the club, Ellis saying to the press that he gave him a dressing down on his behaviour and attitude. His mates at the FA hinted that he wasnt welcome in England anymore so word got round that he wasnt to be touched.

[Clark W Griswold]

Cracking defender but one of the early pioneers of the 'let's use Aston Villa as a stepping stone' brigade, which now includes too many to list.

[Fred]

Running to the Holte before a game started and kissing his badge. Turned out it meant nothing
Doug Sacking him after a England game.

[VILLA MOLE]

nuts 

[eamonn]

Didn't he manage the rare feat of scoring for us after being barracked by the home fans at Villa Park all-game and giving them/us the ''hush'' celebration ?

[PeterWithesShin]

Didn't he manage the rare feat of scoring for us after being barracked by the home fans at Villa Park all-game and giving them/us the ''hush'' celebration ?

Charlton at home I think. He was booed onto the pitch.

[itbrvilla]

Went to China didn't he?

[adrenachrome]

For me never has the phrase hero to villain been more apt. Absolutely loved him in that season with Melberg and then it all fell apart after the World Cup. Then the Beckham thing happened at the height of Beckhamania and that was that, contract terminated by Doug and he pretty much fled the country!

That is pretty much my recollection as well. Quite a few supporters had his name on the back of their shirts at one point.

Main bad memory was when SGT 11 picked him to play at right back against  Small Heath, and he got the hump and was fucking around adjusting his shorts.

Most hilarious of his many stupid utterances: "I can play for Leeds".

My Turkish brother in law called it when he arrived. "Very good football but brain of pigeon". 

[Herman]

the only time I have booed at anything Villa was when Alpay scored (against Charlton was it?) when he ran to the crowd with his hand to his ear, what a jump jockey.

Spent most of the time injured only to "recover" in time to play for Turkey, if look up twat in the dictionary, you will find his picture.

I'm with you in his 'celebration' being the only Villa thing I've booed. (Although it was a finger to the lips 'shush' gesture and seemed to last throughout his return from the North Stand penalty area all the way back to the Holte). There'd been a few murmurings in the Holte early in the game when he'd misplaced an easy pass and I guess that was his response to that.

We used to stay behind after the final whistle to let the crowds get away and the big screen repeated his gesture three or four times on some kind of loop for some odd reason. So, I booed again.

[Phil from the upper holte]

He was great Well Olaf, went to the world cup and came back someone else.

Was really glad to see the end of him

[Salsa Party Animal]

He is a very good defender and he had great partnership with Mellberg, but he doesn't have Mellberg's brain or passion or heart. We all love Mellberg, and Alpay could done the same but he burn his bridges.

[supertom]

I thought he was a good player, but certainly not as good as he thought he was when he came back from the World Cup. We were a bloody good club for him to be at. We played at a good level. He had a good partnership with Mellberg. For me though, Olof was a better player and ten times the man Alpay is/was. In truth we struggled for a few years to replace Alpay with a partner as good for the big Viking. It's a shame he turned into such a plonker as he could have partnered Mellberg for a few more years and we may have had a more stable backline in those years between latter Gregory and early O'Leary.

[Somniloquism]

He was so memorable that I forgot he was let go because of the Beckham incident and thought it was the spitting at the fans that caused that.

However having to Wiki and also from some on here, it looked like he was the same at each and every club so we weren't given any special treatment.