Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: claretandbeer on July 09, 2013, 05:20:54 PM
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Holiday news about the Villa can,obviously ,be mixed.The Benteke news was easy to file under 'bad' and easy to access via t'internet.
My first bad news about the Villa on holiday was as a young kid opening a Daily Sketch at Weymouth and finding a score line ,no report,West Ham 7 Villa 2. I hadn't even heard of West Ham.Needless to say,Villa were relegated that year.
Happier news came 20 years later,when on holiday in Greece 2 days after the game v Spurs and their Argie WC stars,my mate came back with a Daily Heil and a broad grin..4-1.
On the same holiday we couldn't convince these Norwegian lads that we had stuffed the League and European Cup winners Liverpool 5-1 until my mate produced from his wallet an Evening Mail headline with the score and better still Ouzo was 10p a glass and pour your own.
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I distinctly remember being in Salou when Dr Jo joined; I was telling everyone he was 'the one'...
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Worst day for me was being on a cruise many years ago and not being able to get the west brom v villa result - no mobiles at the time and no connection to the outside world - took 34 hrs before i got the news of a draw at the hawthorns.
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I distinctly remember being in Salou when Dr Jo joined; I was telling everyone he was 'the one'...
Ah the famous from behind the curtain - How many of you know who he is ?
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Seem to remember finding out that we'd won away at Newcastle and Shearer had either missed a penalty or been sent off.
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I was in Javea, Spain, the week after the ex wife and I split up and Woodhall called me to say O'Leary was the new manager. With hindsight it was a really great week and then the pug nosed twat joined.
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Seem to remember finding out that we'd won away at Newcastle and Shearer had either missed a penalty or been sent off.
On the subject of penalties when did a villa keeper last save a penalty in a league game ?
Cant recall friedal , Guzan or given saving one .
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drove to wales for our summer holiday, on the saturday, and on the monday Da told me to pack bags were of to rotterdam, Mom was in on it too and didnt mind. got back to wales on the friday she wasnt happy with that tho.
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Seem to remember finding out that we'd won away at Newcastle and Shearer had either missed a penalty or been sent off.
On the subject of penalties when did a villa keeper last save a penalty in a league game ?
Cant recall friedal , Guzan or given saving one .
Guzan last December? very forgettable match a week after we won 3-1 at Anfield.
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Driving in Devon as the news came on the radio that "Martin O'Neil, the Aston Villa Manager, has left the club"... swerve!
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Seem to remember finding out that we'd won away at Newcastle and Shearer had either missed a penalty or been sent off.
On the subject of penalties when did a villa keeper last save a penalty in a league game ?
Cant recall friedal , Guzan or given saving one .
Guzan last December? very forgettable match a week after we won 3-1 at Anfield.
Did you have to remind me :(
Man of the match and we lost 8-0.
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I basked in Bologna the break we bought Bouma, Baros, Berger and Bakke.
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I basked in Bologna the break we bought Bouma, Baros, Berger and Bakke.
Bloody brilliant.
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I was in the USA the summer of 1977. ( Didn't go anywhere near Elvis.) Anyway, I was in a remote part of New England, log cabins, etc. The only bit of British sports news that reached me was Virginia Wade winning Wimbledon.
And, for some really strange reason, and you'd have to ask the Burlington Times (Vt) why, the fact that Villa beat QPR 2-1 in the first game of the season. I've just had to look it up because I remember them printing the result but not what it was! I also remember leading the entire camp in a lap of honour, but that was probably later on onto the evening after pitchers of local beer had been taken.
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I can remember that we beat Bradford 1-0 to boost chances of promotion in May 1988 and I had to telephone the club to get the score. I cannot remember the country where I was holidaying!
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I remember being on holiday in France around the time we were getting MON in, I remember the first thing my Dad, two brothers and I did once we reached Birmingham Airport was to run towards a newspaper stand and celebrated when we read the news.
Coincidentally, I was also on holiday when I heard the news that he'd walked out on us.
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Being on a school cruise at 14. It was pretty much a live action version of the Inbetweeners throughout with virginity lost and many other shenanigans.
All let down by seeing a newspaper on a bulletin board on the ship, informing me that we'd lost 3-0 to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi in 96. Obviously we were having a pretty top drawer season so I had fully expected us to trounce the scouse bastards. Of course the paper was a couple of days out of date so I'd been eagerly waiting to hear the result whilst abroad.
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Sept 1992 - Villa signed Dean Saunders then walloped Liverpool, we were in Greece and that was a good holiday.
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I was in Vegas when we appointed Houiller and remember feeling a bit underwhelmed by the appointment really.
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I basked in Bologna the break we bought Bouma, Baros, Berger and Bakke.
Bloody brilliant.
Bostin.
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Three sporting to mind. Beating Arsenal in one of our first games back up in 1988. Signing Fashanu in 94 and having a bunch of Geordies laughing at me as a result.
Not strictly a holiday this one but was in Tokyo for work when we had that six-pointer against Bolton last year. The game was at about 3am Japan time and I woke up to an earth tremor at about half four. Leaned over to get my phone, scrolled through Twitter to see the two goals they'd scored in a minute and I genuinely thought we were down.
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I was in Vegas when we appointed Houiller and remember feeling a bit underwhelmed by the appointment really.
I woke up in The Bellagio with about 10 messages on thenphone telling me that O,Neill had gone. I thought all my mates had got together tomplay ampractical joke. Funnily enough it didnt make the sports news over there
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I remember being in Puerto Andratx when someone saw my shirt and told me Fashanu had signed...
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I was in Vegas when we appointed Houiller and remember feeling a bit underwhelmed by the appointment really.
I woke up in The Bellagio with about 10 messages on thenphone telling me that O,Neill had gone. I thought all my mates had got together tomplay ampractical joke. Funnily enough it didnt make the sports news over there
Posh git. We were slumming it in Circus Circus.
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I was in Javea, Spain, the week after the ex wife and I split up and Woodhall called me to say O'Leary was the new manager. With hindsight it was a really great week and then the pug nosed twat joined.
Imagine how bad the holiday turned when Woodhall called
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Butlin's Barry Island 1975 our first venture into Europe and we were walloped 4-1 by the mighty Royal Antwerp. Also there for our 2-1 first game win at QPR in 1977.
At Mr A's backpacker hostel in old town Jerusalem when I found we'd lost 6-0 at forest in 1986.
A memorable holiday in Montenegro in 2006 during which Ellis sold to Randy, O'Neill was lined up as boss, I got engaged and our son was conceived, despite me spending a fair amount of time in internet cafes keeping up with developments.
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1980 I was in Austria playing table soccer when I eventually found out from a team-mate that we had lost to Wet Spam in the quarter-finals of the cup to a dodgy late penalty.
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I remember seeing my first english papers (having not viewed the internet all week) flying out of Marrakech airport and hearing that Gaz Baz had left.
Gut and Ted
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Remember being on Greek island of Kos a few years ago, Gerard had gone a month or so earlier, Martinez had turned us down and I was being bombared with text rumours, an interesting text came from a mate saying that Randy had flown to Italy to talk to a candidate, me and my pal thought it must be Ranieri or Ancelotti but on my last day it was confirmed that the other scottish manager had got the job, Randy had flown to Italy to visit him on his holiday, what a gut wrenching end to a great break.
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Delayed flight from a Greek island in 1987. Having checked out of the hotel we were taken to a crappy hotel to lie on the grass and sleep on plastic chairs near the pool whilst being fed cheap rubbish. I was trying to get some kip on the floor around 5am and my mate turned up having got hold of a paper to inform me that we had lost 0-2 at home to the Noses.
I was in Borneo in 2010 when Houllier was appointed. Luckily the orang utangs made that day worthwhile.
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Accessing a dodgy streaming website in a hotel foyer in Slovenia to see Wilfred Bouma writhing in agony with his foot almost 180 degrees from where it should be.
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I was in Cornwall when SOTC rang me to say we'd sold Gareth Barry to Man City.
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I was in Ipsos when we heard about Deano's home debut goals and the spanking of 'The Mighty Reds YNWA'. What a night that was! Deeeeeeeeaaaaaannnnnooo!!!!
A year later, we were in a benitses bar called Cheers on the night when Rico scored the winner at the Sty. The gaffer at Cheers was a Bluenose!! :D
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Holiday on O’ahu island, Hawaii May 2000.
My late Uncle (in LA) generously paid for the whole family to have a big slightly delayed millennium get together in a really lovely beach house, stunning setting.
Flights booked yonks in advance, to fly out Saturday 20th May 2000. What were the odds we were going to make our first FA cup final in 43years? Went to the Bolton semi, would have not got a ticket probably, but oh the wrench…
Flight from LHR at *3pm* !!!
To make it worse signs at check-in offering us big cash to take a later flight, but I was rightly discouraged, family were waiting for us at the other end. And we had a plan already.
My kind uncle arranged for a colleague in LA to videotape it and FEDEX the tape out to Hawaii.
3 or 4 days later, late at night we get in, the tape has arrived. Result entirely avoided.
#7 Ian Taylor FA cup final shirt put on, all except the older women settle down for our most surreal cup final watching session Polynesian-style.
You know what happened next. That desolate feeling of not even having put up a fight...
Still, it was a good spot to recover in :)
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Holiday on O’ahu island, Hawaii May 2000.
My late Uncle (in LA) generously paid for the whole family to have a big slightly delayed millennium get together in a really lovely beach house, stunning setting.
Flights booked yonks in advance, to fly out Saturday 20th May 2000. What were the odds we were going to make our first FA cup final in 43years? Went to the Bolton semi, would have not got a ticket probably, but oh the wrench…
Flight from LHR at *3pm* !!!
To make it worse signs at check-in offering us big cash to take a later flight, but I was rightly discouraged, family were waiting for us at the other end. And we had a plan already.
My kind uncle arranged for a colleague in LA to videotape it and FEDEX the tape out to Hawaii.
3 or 4 days later, late at night we get in, the tape has arrived. Result entirely avoided.
#7 Ian Taylor FA cup final shirt put on, all except the older women settle down for our most surreal cup final watching session Polynesian-style.
You know what happened next. That desolate feeling of not even having put up a fight...
Still, it was a good spot to recover in :)
oh yeah and that shirt is now one of the donations at the hospital we link with in Uganda.
on that 2008 trip, coming back in the pitch darkness walking when probably not safest idea, I hear football commentary coming from a tiny roadside shack - the most shed like bar you can imagine at the side of a dirt road - a bit of dutch courage meant finding cold beer and seeing Villa on sweetly beating Spurs... 2-1.
Other memory is with my Baggie mate a week or two later trying to understand Swahili (maybe) commentary on a National Park Ranger’s radio of us playing them… and winning :D
And proudly wearing the first Acorns shirt lots that trip!
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In Kuala Lumpur, in 35+ heat when the news that Martin O'Neill was about to become Villa manager.
Some cheeky scamps were suggesting that it was all a ruse and that we'd end up with Souness.
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I think I was in Jamaica when Gareth Barry moved to citeh.
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Slightly ot as not Villa related, but I will never forget the day when I bought a paper whilst on holiday in villamoura (well slightly villa related) and learned of the death of the great Brian clough.
Remember it like it was yesterday and it remains my saddest loss to date of any of the football characters around whilst growing up.
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Spent the whole summer of 95 aged 15 eagerly awaiting BL's first full season, how would we get on against Man U in the opener? I was on holiday in Malta, only way to find out the result was to buy the Sunday Mirror the next morning at an extortionate 2 pounds from the market near Valetta's main bus station.
I can still remember how the nervous, trembly sensation of dread turned instantly to ecstasy as i turned to the back page to see that we had won 3-1!
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I sarted getting texts from delighted baggies/noses when i was lying on a sunbed in Crete, O`neill had just resigned.
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Not news but I watched the derby at The Sty where Gabby got his first late winner against them at a taverna in Rhodes.
The time difference meant kick off was at two. I spent the morning chilling on the beach before heading to said taverna for a nice fish lunch.
There was me, the wife and a handful of locals in there but they did have Sky Sports.
As you may imagine, I celebrated in fine style by letting out a blood curdling scream and dancing a jig around the square the taverna sat in.
I then sat with my head in my hands, and uttering expletives, for the final five minutes until the whistle went.
The locals were amused and bemused by my actions in equal measure.
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I was in Sydney for New Year and loving the quirky idea of being able to watch a Villa game that was played in 2010, live, whilst I was already in 2011.
As it happened we were knackered, couldn't face staying out, and watched it on the hotel telly. I battled with my drooping eyelids until Drogba converted a penalty for Chelsea, and then thought sod this, I've done the 'this year/next year' thing, I'm not going to lie here fighting to stay awake just to watch us get thrashed.
I checked my phone when I got up and had a text from Jane saying 'We're fantastic aren't we?'............
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MO'N being appointed manager as I landed on some Greek island and being very pleased indeed with this news.
Getting tonked by Newcastle on my return to the UK a few years later resulting in the mobile being switched off and a drive back home in silence.
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On a short break in Swansea in August 2010, in a bar, half an eye on the TV in the far corner saw something along the lines of "Martin O'Neill resigns..................."
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Was stuck in Calais for nearly 2 days (French fishermen blockade) when MON walked out. Which made a bad situation worse.
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I distinctly remember being in Great Yarmouth with my mum and dad and reading in the paper about Sid's leg break in 1983.
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I was in Sydney for New Year and loving the quirky idea of being able to watch a Villa game that was played in 2010, live, whilst I was already in 2011.
As it happened we were knackered, couldn't face staying out, and watched it on the hotel telly. I battled with my drooping eyelids until Drogba converted a penalty for Chelsea, and then thought sod this, I've done the 'this year/next year' thing, I'm not going to lie here fighting to stay awake just to watch us get thrashed.
I checked my phone when I got up and had a text from Jane saying 'We're fantastic aren't we?'............
It was 2011/12
/pedant
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I distinctly remember being in Great Yarmouth with my mum and dad and reading in the paper about Sid's leg break in 1983.
On a similar note, I remember being in Salou and seeing tabloid pictures of Luc Nilis' horror injury at Ipswich.
Also, having to wait until the Sunday newspapers to see how Villa had done at Middlesbrough. A late Alpay own-goal losing us two points I think. Remember being very pissed off at that. Most of the rest of the paper was concerned with the petrol crisis in Britain at the time.
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I remember early this year being in Wanaka on a mountain biking holiday and receiving a text from a mate half way up a mountain saying Villa were unlucky and should have won today. It was the draw away at Swansea in Jan.
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I was in a shop in Jersey chatting to the owner when in the background Radio One News announced that Andy Gray had signed for Wolves . He wasn't listening to it and thought a national tragedy had occured from my reaction (and posible wobbly lower lip!)
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I remember early this year being in Wanaka on a mountain biking holiday and receiving a text from a mate half way up a mountain saying Villa were unlucky and should have won today. It was the draw away at Swansea in Jan.
Wanaka is one of the best places I can think of for getting bad news. Absolutely stunning.
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A recent one. I was having a pint at The Quay in Minehead. Away for my lads third birthday at Butlins Minehead when the Benteke about turn news came through.
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I remember being in France in 1985 and ringing home to see if Neil Webb and Garry Thompson had signed yet. They had. For Forest and Wednesday.
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I remember being in France one summer when we signed Fashanu. My brother was really excited and a a young and naive little brother, I decided to share his excitement. It may have been the red boots
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Sept 1992 - Villa signed Dean Saunders then walloped Liverpool, we were in Greece and that was a good holiday.
I think I was in Kavos at that time !