Sir DOUG RIP

[Border villan]

I was around in the 60's. IT was Pat Matthews who saved the club. He has been largely airbrushed from our history in the Doug centric telling of the story.

[Mortimer's Bear]

I don't believe he loved Villa at all and I'm not sure why people think this is beyond doubt.  I didn't want to be a hypocrite so he got no applause from me.

A 94 year old man passed away and after a 50 year association with our club. You didn't have to chant his name but a few rounds of applause to mark his passing would not have been hypocritical in my opinion.

Look, the reality is whilst we've held our tongue on this thread so far out of respect, it seems a lot of us thought he was an utter c*** who took far more out of the Villa than he ever put in.  So by all means tell stories about what a nice chap he was and have some applause for him given his long tenure, but don't expect those of us with long memories to join in. 

I haven't told any stories about him and I don't see him as cuddly uncle Doug, just think its sad that the passing of a 94 year old man who rightly or wrongly had such an affiliation with our club for so long can't be acknowledged. Only my opinion.

[pauliewalnuts]

Doug was also pretty much the last of the old school, local-boy-with-a-few-quid breed of football club owners.

His passing marks the end of that chunk of the game's history.

When i was younger, I used to get very wound up over him, but time passes.

We've also just escaped from a chairman who took us to the bring of financial oblivion, so although we all got fucked off with Doug's parsimony, we've just had an example of how much worse it could have been.

[Mortimer's Bear]

Doug was also pretty much the last of the old school, local-boy-with-a-few-quid breed of football club owners.

His passing marks the end of that chunk of the game's history.

When i was younger, I used to get very wound up over him, but time passes.

We've also just escaped from a chairman who took us to the bring of financial oblivion, so although we all got fucked off with Doug's parsimony, we've just had an example of how much worse it could have been.

Worded far better than I could, but essentially thats the nail on the head for me.

[Ads]

Ultimately, whatever you think of Doug's time, and I don't think very much if it, for all the bad it's solely connected to the stupid game of football.

His biggest crimes are what, really, when you think on. Same for Lerner. Just poor owners of a football club. So what.

I didn't sing his name, but it did make me chuckle. But I don't see how it would be beyond anybody to mark a minute out of the 1440 you got that day to show some respect.

A husband, a father and a grandfather died. He didn't shell out on Robbie Keane, he dismantled the 82 squad. So fucking what now, really.

[Ad@m]

I never expected to see the day when the Holte End would be singing 'there's only one Doug Ellis.'

And I certainly didn't join in. I can be hypocritical with the best of them but that would be a step too far.

RIP and all that but I am not rewriting history for him. And I deliberately left this thread alone for about a week in case anyone gets arsey about a lack of respect.

My feelings exactly.

And mine.

[SaddVillan]

Bought an undervalued asset for a relatively low sum.
Increased its value using other people's money.
Paid himself handsomely whilst doing so
Never invested in, or loaned any of his own money in the club.
Walked away with a substantial profit when he finally sold out.
Leveraged his position as chairman to his advantage throughout.

[Chico Hamilton III]

He paid himself handsomely, ripped down the Trinity, had a massive ego and managed to miss the opportunity of a lifetime to turn us into a genuine modern giant in European football. But he wasn’t as bad as Lerner or Xia. Hardly a ringing endorsement.

[cheltenhamlion]

I was around in the 60's. IT was Pat Matthews who saved the club. He has been largely airbrushed from our history in the Doug centric telling of the story.

Is something I have been tempted to post for some time now.

[villabear]

Without trawling through the thread a couple of things always spring to mind to me whenever Ellis is mentioned.

First was not signing Juninho when we had the chance. I’m convinced we would have won the league that year.

The second always rankles with me, mentioning insurance when ‘thanking’ Luc Nilis on the pitch after his career ending injury. It summed him up to me.

Oh and he pissed me off when he used to say “Preemier league”.

[eamonn]

Was it a minute's silence or applause in the end?

[ktvillan]

I don't believe he loved Villa at all

So why did he go to games home and away after he'd sold the club?

Quite simple - it kept him in the spotlight.  Something he did love was being the centre of attention and boosting his ego.

[Ad@m]

Was it a minute's silence or applause in the end?

Applause.

Quite sensibly I think the club realised what was likely to happen to a minute's silence.

[alftitimus]

I was around in the 60's. IT was Pat Matthews who saved the club. He has been largely airbrushed from our history in the Doug centric telling of the story.

Have to agree. Doug was a 'Salesman' all his life.
If perceivable, a man ahead of terms like 'hype'

I met Doug many times over the years. He gave me a seat alongside him twice 
Once v Chelsea in the Bates era. The pensioner's contingent were across from us when all of a sudden there was a great "ughh" from them and a leaning away from Mr Bates. Nothing to do with the match. I thought a 'salty' comment.
Doug leant sideways,no expression to be picked up by the pappa -(as was our weakest link then) and said
" I believe he has problems with breaking wind"
Then looked back at the match as if nothing happened.

I was never a mad supporter of Doug, I liked him and was grateful for my crumbs.

I wish him Peace now.

R.I.P Doug

 

[SoccerHQ]

Without trawling through the thread a couple of things always spring to mind to me whenever Ellis is mentioned.

First was not signing Juninho when we had the chance. I’m convinced we would have won the league that year.

The second always rankles with me, mentioning insurance when ‘thanking’ Luc Nilis on the pitch after his career ending injury. It summed him up to me.

Oh and he pissed me off when he used to say “Preemier league”.

Juninho was past his best after breaking his leg at Atletico Madrid as he showed in his two later spells at Boro. Still would've excited people of course but don't think he'd have made much more of an impact for us than Carbone did.

Robbie Keane a few months later was the big what if from that period (if anything we'd have made a good profit on him as Coventry did which makes it more baffling why we didn't sign him).

I think at that point we started going from one of the top clubs in the premier league to also rans in the last 6 years of his reign that accelerated from losing the 2000 cup final.

Interesting that at the time John Gregory said it was his decision not to stump up that extra half a million Wolves wanted and to the best of my knowledge he hasn't said anything else in all the years since.