Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: willywombat on September 21, 2011, 07:02:14 AM
-
In an effort to cheer myself up after last nights debacle, I was looking at footage from the recent past on YouTube. One of the MOTD highlight clips I watched was the home 4-1 victory against Coventry when Savo got his first 3 goals at Villa Park and near the end of the game, Ricardo Scimeca came on as sub for Paul McGrath. I remember when he was coming through thinking that he was going to be the real deal and even remember telling my mate that he was the new Paul McGrath. history has proven that clearly he wasn't! Can you think of anyone else you swore were the next big thing who for one reason or another never rose past the dizzying heights of promising?
-
On Nigel Callaghan's debut performance at Villa Park, I turned around to my sister and friend and stated that he'd be the next Tony Morley. Ever since I have wisely opted not to pass comment on players!
-
I thought Heskey would be ok.
-
I did not like Vic Crowe signing Geoff Vowden from SHA but he got us promoted!
I was embarrassed when Ron Saunders signed Peter Withe!
I thought Stan Collymore was going win us the League!
I thought Sidwell was going to be great for us!
-
I wouldn't say I was thrilled to bits when Malcolm Beard moved from B9 but I really thought he'd play in the first team occasionally
-
I thought sasa curcic was going to be awesome for us - a midfield wizard.
I also thought the purchase of Ian Taylor was a joke at the time.
-
I thought Stan Collymore would be the one to break all scoring records.
-
Luc Nillis would have been a quality player for us, he was already well established in Europe and he did show his quality in the few games he played for Villa before his career was recklessly ended by that buffon Richard Wright.
-
lots of them.
Guy Whittingham, David Ginola, Mustapha Hadji, Sasa Curcic, Milan Baros, Luke Moore, Curtis Davies - all players I thought would be good signings at the time
-
Who's going to admit they wondered why that useless twat Taylor had bought an alcoholic cripple?
-
After Petrov's debut at West Ham i said we'd found ourselves a new David Platt. ::)
-
Guy Whittingham
He might have done alright had BFR given him a run up front. I seem to remember him spending most of his time out on the left wing.
-
Who's going to admit they wondered why that useless twat Taylor had bought an alcoholic cripple?
Fortunately for us he was, even as an alcoholic cripple, the best central defender in the world
-
Who's going to admit they wondered why that useless twat Taylor had bought an alcoholic cripple?
I don't remember thinking that, I just remember thinking 'meh' or whatever the 1989 equivalent of 'meh' was.
I do remember my older brother (a Leeds fan) saying that we had a great player there if we could control him.
-
I was pleased with the signings of Steve Foster, Nigel Callaghan and Sasa Curcic. I wasn't totally against Fashanu, although I thought he was past his best. In his early appearances whilst everyone else was chanting Rambo I was calling Alan McInally 'Dumbo', I thought he looked like a parks player. Not guilty on the God one though, I didn't really care about the drinking stories and thought if we kept him fit he would be a great signing. Talking of God, saying all thnat made me feel like a kid in confession!
-
Ken McNaught - rubbish for a season, then solid as a rock with Allan Evans.
Tommy Craig - rubbish for a season, then rubbish for another season, then sold !
-
Curcic started well before fading badly........
Benito Carbone had a wonder debut but only did it in patches thereafter.
Franz Carr. I always wondered why we bought him and then he answered my question at the City Ground in 1996
-
Curcic started well before fading badly........
Benito Carbone had a wonder debut but only did it in patches thereafter.
Franz Carr. I always wondered why we bought him and then he answered my question at the City Ground in 1996
I was wrong about Curcic,but the wrong way round. I remember coming out the ground after we drew 0-0 against Utd,and saying to my old man,'he could be our Cantona'. He played shit virtually every game after that.
-
Who's going to admit they wondered why that useless twat Taylor had bought an alcoholic cripple?
Yeah, and I didn't think Platt would be any good either.
-
I was chuffed when Curcic signed and Collymore but they just didn't suit the formation!
-
Stefan Moore & Steven Davis - thinking both were superb in the reserves and were shoe ins to be Villa legends
Saying that I dont even trust my views now as I was the one when Man Yoo signed Cantona who that they been done as he was 'no better than Hughes' :-)
-
Paul Rideout, i thought he was going to be a legend.
-
Who's going to admit they wondered why that useless twat Taylor had bought an alcoholic cripple?
Although I had been a Villa fan all my life I was still not a football follower at the time as the only match my older brother was allowed to take me to by my mum to "avoid all the trouble" was the charity one that Doug Ellis played in I think 87. So when my brother said if we win by five clear goals we go up another place and then McGrath ( who was he?) scored an own goal, my thinking was useless something anyway.
-
I thought Neil Cox was going to do well too
-
I thought Breitkrutz would be a star, but his mate Beinlich looked pony.
Guess which one went on to play for Germany?
Also convinced Mark Blake was going to be an absolute star.
-
Gilles De Bilde (Bob de Bilde) exceded all my expectations. Really impressed by his being even as good as mediocre.
-
Nii Lamptey - I thought he was going to be the dogs bollocks but he was in fact just bollocks
-
I thought Breitkrutz would be a star, but his mate Beinlich looked pony.
Guess which one went on to play for Germany?
Also convinced Mark Blake was going to be an absolute star.
Agreed, especially about Mark Blake. He doesn't even figure as a One that Never Made It now.
-
I remember thinking David Hughes and Graham Fenton would have decent careers, even if it was in the lower reaches of the top flight/top of the proper div 2. I also rated Scimeca highly and fancied him to play for England. Also that Encklemann would be our #1 for years.
I wondered why we were wasting money on some unknown from Crewe, I also questioned why we were signing some workhorse in his mid 20s from Sheff Weds, even if he was a Villa fan.
Which is probably why i've spent my life paying to watch footballers rather than getting paid to watch them.
-
Peter Whittingham
After that match against Leicester I had a bet with my mate that he would be in the Euro 2004 squad.
-
Peter Withe. I remembered a lumbering donkey from his Small Heath days and thought Saunders had lost it.
-
Luke Moore - I was sure he would play for England and be our 20 goal a season man.
Steve Sidwell - I was forthright in my belief that he was what our midfield was missing.
Stephen Ireland - Genuinely excited by his signing. Twice the player of Milner I said. He probably is but his head is in the wrong place and he suffers from CBA syndrome.
James Milner - I didn't get it completely wrong. I said he'd be a good player for us. I just thought at the time that David Bentley would have been a better one.
Jermain Jenas - I hope.
-
David James. I thought he'd be a complete disaster for villa but he turned out pretty ok.
-
Stephen Ireland.
I don't think I have ever been so wrong.
(Hangs head in shame)
-
Stephen Ireland.
I don't think I have ever been so wrong.
(Hangs head in shame)
I wasn't happy with him arriving as part of Jimmy's sale. I was kind of hoping they'd throw us a few training bibs and cones with the Milner money. Would have been about as useful as that fool.
-
Charles Nzogbia. I thought he'd be a lot better. Ditto Stephen Ireland.
-
Tony Cascarino, thought he'd be the last piece of the title winning jigsaw :-\
-
Peter Withe for me to. I remember clearly the day we signed him,my brother and old man saying what the hell is Saunders thinking of signing that useless big donkey and agreeing with them. Also at the time i remember being less than impressed with the signings of Jimmy Rimmer and Tony Morley.
A couple of players i thought would become Villa greats but never did,were Andy Blair and a certain Stan Collymore.
-
Is Steven Ireland still getting judged? He's only just started playing properly
I thought Berson would be our midfield magician, he managed a pretty good dissapearing act anyway. Also Balaban, thought he was going to match up to Van Nistolry..
-
I thought Fernando Nelson was going to be brilliant. Although 95/96 was a memorable season, I always thought Gary Charles was a weak link. Nelson was going to be the key to league and European glory. My only memory of him now is that he had substantial hair. I can't recall a single performance of his, and have no idea what happened to him after he left us. I think a year later we signed Simon Grayson, perhaps the least exciting signing I can remember.
-
Wilfred Bouma. After his debut in that horror show at West Ham I wrote him off as being awful.
-
Those I thought would be shit........
Ray Graydon
Ian Taylor
Peter Withe
David Platt
Those I thought would be legends......
Stan Collymore.
Graham Fenton
Steve Hodge.........yes I know.
-
Ciaran Clark - I thought he'd go on to play for England
Andy Gray - I thought he was white
Barry Bannan - I thought he was the mascot
-
Tony Cascarino, thought he'd be the last piece of the title winning jigsaw :-\
Bugger me I remember calling him Scud because he never got anywhere near the target.
-
Simon Stainrod, I thought we'd got a real star at the time having seen him play so well for QPR. We were finally getting player that would be banging goals in left right and centre...a hero in the making. He scored 4 in his debut against Exeter in the League Cup. In hindsight it would have been better if he'd had an injury which finished his career after that so that we could still be thinking now what might have been. But no, he turned out to be rubbish, I mean really rubbish, number 11 on the crap scale.
-
The late John Robson was not popular for a long time then he had a blinder one evening against Man City, nutmegging Mick Channon, and became a bit of a cult hero.
In terms of recent times I thought Petrov would be a bigger signing for us.
-
Collymore - enough said.
-
I thought Alan Thompson was going to be quality. Ditto Steve Stone. Both were tremendously underwhelming. I also thought Milan Baros was going to score the goals to get us into the Champions League.
Paul Merson I thought was washed-up and overpriced. Ashley Young I just thought was overpriced.
-
Bobby Park, Lew Chatterley, Lionel Martin.
All were decent, but they promised brilliance in their early performances.
In modern times: Stephen Cooke.
-
Sidwell - thought he would be our Lampard. Don't laugh.
-
Peter Crouch's dad a Certain Mr Ormondroyd. I thought he was going to be a legend
-
I was positive that Robert Pires would still have twinkle toes and be able to give us flair and invention when it was lacking in the last half hour. I argued that he'd be a great member of the team and that coming from Villareal he'd still be able to play a part. I really believed he'd be a good player for us.
-
I thought Beye would be a decent signing! Played to a decent level most of his career, good defensively, decent going forward and can play anywhere along the back 4. Sounds like a good quality squad player to me.
Well we all know how that's worked out!
-
In the mid 70s I thought Mike Pejic would be awful, but in his (I think about) 20 appearances he was bloody good, until injury forced a very premature retirement.
-
Petrov, I was delighted him he signed him, then have watched him pick the clubs/fans pockets ever since.
-
Ricardo Scimeca - I was convinced he'd play for England.
I still think he'd have made it except the three at the back thing went out of vogue, and none of you can prove that I am wrong!
-
Cyril Regis. If he'd been used of the bench instead of starting matches we might have won the league instead of falling away. scored some important goals for us.
JPA. For months couldnt fathom why we'd bought him, and what exactly he was meant to do. Until we were 2 down v Coventry. after that he could do no wrong in my eye.
-
Stephen Ireland. Was really happy we got him as part of the Milner deal, oh dear!
Balaban aswell. Thought he'd make a great partnership with JPA as at the time he was scoring loads for Croatia and a lot of european clubs were looking at him.
-
[quote
Balaban aswell. Thought he'd make a great partnership with JPA as at the time he was scoring loads for Croatia and a lot of european clubs were looking at him.
[/quote]
Still cant fathom how someone so breathtakingly crap managed to score goals for Croatia
-
Baros and Sidwell for me. Most recently Makoun, but I'm not convinced I'm wrong and more he wasn't given the chance.
-
I seem to remember being extremely non-plussed about the purchase from Man Urinal of an extremely average over-the-hill centre-half with dodgy knees and a drink problem.
He turned out to be quite good in the end.
-
I seem to remember being extremely non-plussed about the purchase from Man Urinal of an extremely average over-the-hill centre-half with dodgy knees and a drink problem.
He turned out to be quite good in the end.
I was totally non plussed about the signing of one of his partners - Shaun Teale. How wrong I was with that one.
-
Collymore,Alan Thompson,but the biggest one for me was Curcic,i was sure he was gonna be our Cantona,instead got a yard taken off his hooter.
-
Saw Des Bremner's debut v Arsenal and he was awful, looked as if he had never kicked a ball in his life. Happy to be proved very wrong. Must admit not happy when we bought Peter Withe, just a journeyman really and a desperate signing, wrong again, ditto Jimmy Rimmer. Curcic and Collymore were two signings I was excited about, but turned out to be a waste of space.
-
Saw Des Bremner's debut v Arsenal and he was awful, looked as if he had never kicked a ball in his life. Happy to be proved very wrong. Must admit not happy when we bought Peter Withe, just a journeyman really and a desperate signing, wrong again, ditto Jimmy Rimmer. Curcic and Collymore were two signings I was excited about, but turned out to be a waste of space.
Which pretty much sums up what you know Lutes