Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Chipsticks on April 05, 2012, 09:06:12 PM
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So today we've had 'worst villa news' and 'worst thing to happen on your birthday' and this place is in dire need of brightening up, so what's the best piece of Villa-related news you've ever heard?
For me it's probably, and I regret now to say, the news that we'd got O'Neil as manager. We were in a similar place to where we are now, and that just gave everyone at the club a monumental lift that I don't think has been matched ever since. In second place is when I heard "Darren Bent is currently undergoing a medical at Villa Park", probably the best signing we've made while I've been following the Villa.
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I'll always remember getting a text off my Aunty while on holiday in Edinburgh saying MON has become the Villa manager. I thought it was a brilliant move.
Signing Stan Collymore.
How crazy to think these two moments turned out so bloody shite.
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"Let me be the first to congratulate". Followed by Brian becoming manager. Then SGT, then MON.
Off the top of my head anyway, i'm sure there's a lot more.
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"Darren Bent is currently undergoing a medical at Villa Park."
This was one of those moments that left me with a Cheshire cat grin.
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In Dec 1968 When Doug and Pat Matthews took over the club and then appointed Tommy Docherty as manager. We came out of the dark ages the minute Doug parked his Roller in the club car park.
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That the Villa would be able to play in the European Cup Final (after crowd trouble at Anderlecht)
Graham Taylor being appointed as Aston Villa manager (the Evening Mail had an Extra Late Final that day , I hadn't seen that before or since)
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There are lots but I loved Atkinson getting the job. He was just destined to be our manager at some point.
I was driving a van for my Dad having just graduated and being otherwise unemployed, and was near Aston when they announced it, so headed to the ground. They let us on the pitch to be in the photo shoot with BFR, Doug and a bottle of champagne.
I loved the swagger he got us playing with. That first match away at Sheffield Wednesday, what a performance that was. I wish we played now with even a tenth of the style that side showed at times.
McLeish should watch this goal where every Villa outfield player touches the ball and have a think about the shameful guff he serves us up.
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I was well happy when MON came in followed quickly by RL, really thought we would be the team to crack top 4 and really bought into the 'proud history, pride future bollocks.
The other best bit of news was when we signed Luc Nilis, a top draw striker from abroad who I thought could push us up the table and it looked like he was going to be a star after his goal against Chelsea at home (think another quality player scored in same game, George Weah), was at Ipswich when he broke his leg, still the worst injury I've seen at a game.
Milner coming in on a permanent after his Loan spell would be another for me.
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I had tears in my eyes the day O'Neill came in. I remember Adrian Chiles on Midlands Today commenting on it. He looked pig-sick.
The second, as already mentioned, was Collymore signing. I was about as excited as it was possible to be about a signing. Villa fan, brilliant striker, stonking away kit on signing day...where did it all go wrong?
I also remember being very excited about Schmeichel signing for us. No idea why.
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There are lots but I loved Atkinson getting the job. He was just destined to be our manager at some point.
I was driving a van for my Dad having just graduated and being otherwise unemployed, and was near Aston when they announced it, so headed to the ground. They let us on the pitch to be in the photo shoot with BFR, Doug and a bottle of champagne.
I loved the swagger he got us playing with. That first match away at Sheffield Wednesday, what a performance that was. I wish we played now with even a tenth of the style that side showed at times.
Wonderful days. From one Friday when he turned us down to the following Friday when he said yes, listening to BRMB then going out on a monumental piss up, smoking cigars in celebration in the curry house.
I was actually relieved when he left because it had gone so wrong, but inbetween times, along with the SGT period, were some of the greatest times I ever had watching Villa and memories I will cherish forever.
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We should have won the league that season. What a great team Ron assembled and we played some brilliant stuff.
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There are lots but I loved Atkinson getting the job. He was just destined to be our manager at some point.
I was driving a van for my Dad having just graduated and being otherwise unemployed, and was near Aston when they announced it, so headed to the ground. They let us on the pitch to be in the photo shoot with BFR, Doug and a bottle of champagne.
I loved the swagger he got us playing with. That first match away at Sheffield Wednesday, what a performance that was. I wish we played now with even a tenth of the style that side showed at times.
McLeish should watch this goal where every Villa outfield player touches the ball and have a think about the shameful guff he serves us up.
Blimey Charlie, we are a million miles away from that kind of football.That squad is much stronger , but Big Ron would still have the current squad playing entertaining football.
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The Big Ron era was a top one for me. It was really the first era I can really remember even though I'd been going for a couple of season with my dad and it's was the time I had my first season ticket in the holte k block with my dad.
Two big moments from Big Rons reign that rally stand out for me are Tranmere at home in league cup semi 2nd leg, I remember be in trinity road stand after pen shoot out being so happy that I was going to wembley and the second is being at wembley and beating Manure to win the league cup when it still meant Something and stopping them winning the domestic treble.
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The final whistle in Rotterdam will take some beating.
A non Villa related 'Best moment', watching Johnny Wilkinsons drop goal sail through the posts
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One of my best was a Friday night phone call off my mum to say we'd been reinstated to the league cup after going out on pens two days earlier v West Ham. Convinced we've been paying for that good fortune ever since.
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Just realised ive posted twice in this thread with about 5-6 best moments, Think having to put up with the last two season and this thread has made nostalgic.
Right now if I heard that McLeish had been sacked or resigned it might top everything else for a short while.
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That the Villa would be able to play in the European Cup Final (after crowd trouble at Anderlecht)
Graham Taylor being appointed as Aston Villa manager (the Evening Mail had an Extra Late Final that day , I hadn't seen that before or since)
Both of those, plus Big Ron changing his mind about leaving Wednesday a few days after saying he'd stay there.
Graham Taylor's appointment came as such a big surprise because everyone, including all the press at press conference to announce his arrival, was convinced Doug was going to unveil Dave Bassett. Then at the same time Graham Taylor walked into the room Watford announced that Taylor had left them and Bassett would replace him - brilliantly stage-managed by the two clubs. It would have been TV gold had SSN been around back then.
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Brian Little will resign as Leicester manager to take over at Aston Villa.
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In Dec 1968 When Doug and Pat Matthews took over the club and then appointed Tommy Docherty as manager. We came out of the dark ages the minute Doug parked his Roller in The club car park.
December 1968 was arguably the most significant month in our 138 year history.
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A future best moment...Alex Mcleish has resigned from Aston Villa....
Until then, getting the pen at Wembley in 94, at that moment I realised I was going to see my team lift some silverware for the first time in real life
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Ipswich losing their last match of the season, which meant it didn't matter that the Arsenal had beaten us 2-0. We were champions!!
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A future best moment...Alex Mcleish has resigned from Aston Villa....
This
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When MON took over.
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One of the best pieces of news: Juninho flying into Birmingham to hold a meeting with Villa.
One of the worst pieces of news: Juninho flying back out again without signing.
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In Dec 1968 When Doug and Pat Matthews took over the club and then appointed Tommy Docherty as manager. We came out of the dark ages the minute Doug parked his Roller in The club car park.
December 1968 was arguably the most significant month in our 138 year history.
Not even arguably. I remember thinking just after Brian Tiler scored with that header against Cardiff on a snowbound pitch Boxing Day this is what being a supporter is all about ,we are now on the move. Anything is possible one day man could even land on the moon. Mind you that was a bit far fetched!
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When Mark Bosnich saved the Tranmere penalty!
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When Mark Bosnich saved the Tranmere penalty!
Rewind to 87 minutes, Daley crosses the ball to Atkinson to head home and take it to extra time - the roar and bedlam that followed in the holte end was as good as anything I've experienced. They say every dog has its day - that was our day.
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In order for me - Bosco Jankovic's goals, getting the thumbs up to play in the European cup final after the trouble, signing Garry Thompson because I always rated him, appointing Graham Taylor, bringing Sid back from Bari, signing Paul McGrath (I thought he was very good, I didn't realise just how good), signing Cascarino (it seemed like a statement of intent at the time), Big Ron's appointment, signing Dean Saunders (a statement of intent that worked out a bit better) and the arrival of MON.
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One of the best pieces of news: Juninho flying into Birmingham to hold a meeting with Villa.
One of the worst pieces of news: Juninho flying back out again without signing.
I used that on the worst news thread.
If we're sticking to news as opposed to games, then I'd list the signings of Stan Collymore, Paul Merson and Juan Pablo Angel as news stories that really give me a sense of euphoria. The news that MON had been appointed manager probably was one of the best days in my villa supporting life. I was excited about Darren Bent joining us, but I'm not sure it compared with the youthful thrill a 10-14 year old experiences. Hence Collymore, Merse and JPA probably rank higher.
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Ipswich losing their last match of the season, which meant it didn't matter that the Arsenal had beaten us 2-0. We were champions!!
This. God bless Bosco Jancovic.
I'd also go for Sir Graham's appointment first time around. We were recently relegated, in a right mess and he turned us around and set us on a path towards a reasonable early-to-mid 1990's.
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I'd also go for Sir Graham's appointment first time around. We were recently relegated, in a right mess and he turned us around and set us on a path towards a reasonable early-to-mid 1990's.
For me this was only good news in retrospect. When we appointed him I wasn't too keen, didn't really see him as anything more than a decent second division manager and certainly not someone to take us straight back up. And his start was pretty bad as well, including a defeat to Blues if I remember correctly.
I was wrong as usual!
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without doubt for me it was when I picked up the sun and read that Villa had axed Graham Turner.
second up though, was in August 1991 when we beat Arsenal 3-1 at home in the early days of Big Ron, I was in Germany at the time and on an all day-er and once I heard of the score did not stop singing "we're gonna win the league" all day and night.
Few weeks later, Dwight Yorke scored one of the best ever Villa goals seen at Villa Park, against Forest. 91/92 was a decent season alright.
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MO'Ns arrival
Hearing the breaking news that DO'L had gone
Reading that we were to wear Acorns on our shirts, I beamed a proud smile at work that day.
Stan Collymore signing
As a 12 year old lad being told by my dad that I couldn't go to Wembley in 94' because it had sold out, only for him to casually drop our tickets onto the table later that evening
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Either hearing on the news we had announced the Acorns deal or the moment my mom told me Deano was on the phone!
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When my old man said "son, we are going to Rotterdam".
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When Sir Graham came back. Shame.
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MON taking over, knowing the days of in house figthting and playing better fan had finished. Wait a minute...
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Mentioned on here before, but the signing of Dean Saunders was a big one at the time. He was a top player back then and you had the feeling that something a bit special was about to happen. Beating Liverpool 4-2 with him scoring twice on his home debut only confirmed it.
I also remember how big the news that we had drawn Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup in the 1990 / 91 season was. That Inter Milan side had Matthaus, Kilnsmann and Brehme who had all just won the World Cup with Germany that summer and also contained Italian stars of that tournament like Bergomi, Zenga and Berti. I started watching Villa as a six year-old in 1986, so that was the first season I had seen them play in Europe and after a pretty drab first round game (against Banik Ostrava I think) we got that draw. I don't think I have ever been as excited in the build up to a game as that one.
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There:s been none until Lerner gets rid of the trash Faukner Mc Leish.
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There:s been none until Lerner gets rid of the trash Faukner Mc Leish.
None? Ever?
You are totally obsessed, I can recommend a good psychiatrist.
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Randy buying the club,O'neill becoming manager and when it broke on sky sports news were buying bent for 18million.
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That my old man had tickets for Villa v barcelona '77