Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: bertlambshank on January 12, 2014, 05:35:56 PM
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Warning bring a brolly.What a bonkers day all round it was.
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Looks like that was a feisty encounter!
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Remember it well. It was my birthday
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I haven't seen any footage of this for probably decades, a real nasty and spiteful affair and as close as you could get to 030303. This was against the infamous mob of Blake, Hopkins, Coton, Harford, Gayle et al and we weren't exactly shrinking violets that day either.
I do recall there being a stoppage in play for an injury (there were many) and a so-called Zulu/headcase came onto the pitch and casually walked towards the Holte End in the pouring rain with his arms aloft chanting something or other until the police came after him in a wild goose chase which ended in a massive cheer when they caught him.
And what an awful penalty from Blake, and I bet he felt a right dick after that celebration which the ref never gave a goal for.
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This was the game that represents all you need to know about us and them. It wouldn't bother me if we never played them again.
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we weren't exactly shrinking violets that day either
We had some hard cases ourselves that day, Withe, Evans, McMahon and McNaught to name four. The difference between those players and the thugs you mentioned was that our lads were capable of playing football, and always did.
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McNaught had moved on to Albion by the time of this match. Steve McMahon is the last real hard knock central midfielder I can remember playing for us. But he could play a bit as well.
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There's a circus in the town, Ronnie Saunders is the clown, Noel Blake is a fucking thief (why btw??) and Birmingham are going down.
I had a letter printed on Jimmy Greaves letter page in Shoot, because he'd said on Saint and Greavsie that he didn't think that they shouldn't use TV evidence to prosecute Noel Blake because that wasn't fair.
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There's a circus in the town, Ronnie Saunders is the clown, Noel Blake is a fucking thief (why btw??) and Birmingham are going down.
I had a letter printed on Jimmy Greaves letter page in Shoot, because he'd said on Saint and Greavsie that he didn't think that they shouldn't use TV evidence to prosecute Noel Blake because that wasn't fair.
Noel Blake was caught rifling the players pockets in the dressing room when he was a youth player at Villa
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There's a circus in the town, Ronnie Saunders is the clown, Noel Blake is a fucking thief (why btw??) and Birmingham are going down.
I had a letter printed on Jimmy Greaves letter page in Shoot, because he'd said on Saint and Greavsie that he didn't think that they shouldn't use TV evidence to prosecute Noel Blake because that wasn't fair.
Noel Blake was caught rifling the players pockets in the dressing room when he was a youth player at Villa
He was looking for a book on how to take a decent penalty
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There's a circus in the town, Ronnie Saunders is the clown, Noel Blake is a fucking thief (why btw??) and Birmingham are going down.
I had a letter printed on Jimmy Greaves letter page in Shoot, because he'd said on Saint and Greavsie that he didn't think that they shouldn't use TV evidence to prosecute Noel Blake because that wasn't fair.
Noel Blake was caught rifling the players pockets in the dressing room when he was a youth player at Villa
He was looking for a book on how to take a decent penalty
Then there would have been the additional challenge of him being able to read it....
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I was there that day and we had got an old second hand Phillips V2000 video recorder a few weeks before. I practically wore out a tape watching that clip over and over again. I hadn't seen the footage in about thirty years though. I had remembered everything in the clip apart from Blake missing a penalty! I can recall the BRMB phone in the night before. They had had a slightly better start than us and were just above us so they were giving it the old balance of power thing. That win restored the natural order if I remember right.
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unless my memory is playing tricks, i dont think they marked the pitch out until just before ko, i remember the ball taking an age to go over the line, i think the Holte sucked it in that day..happy memories, thank you to the poster for finding it
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Interesting bit at the end when Newbon says Saunders claimed he didn't see Blake's head butt at the time. If I remember right he was banned due to the footage and Saunders banned Central cameras from the sty for a while.
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Not seen that for years. Was it played on Easter Monday?
I was on the Holte with a Blose mate. He didn't say a word all game!!
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Not seen that for years. Was it played on Easter Monday?
I was on the Holte with a Blose mate. He didn't say a word all game!!
It was October 15th, Saturday.
I'd forgotten about that blues fan sauntering onto the poitch and walking towards the Holte. I do remember Withe's shot taking ages to cross the line, it was like watching slow motion
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In my youth this game was universally known just as 'The Battle of Brum'.
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There's a circus in the town, Ronnie Saunders is the clown, Noel Blake is a fucking thief (why btw??) and Birmingham are going down.
I had a letter printed on Jimmy Greaves letter page in Shoot, because he'd said on Saint and Greavsie that he didn't think that they shouldn't use TV evidence to prosecute Noel Blake because that wasn't fair.
The chant/song I remember from that day was..
"You must be Fucking Mad, Saunnn-ders, Saunn-ders"
repeated 3 or 4 times.
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Not seen that for years. Was it played on Easter Monday?
I was on the Holte with a Blose mate. He didn't say a word all game!!
The Easter Monday game was the season before.
Another 1-0 win. Gary Shaw.
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Not seen that for years. Was it played on Easter Monday?
I was on the Holte with a Blose mate. He didn't say a word all game!!
The Easter Monday game was the 1982-83 season IIRC - Gary Shaw late winner.
Love the footage as I had never seen it before. I was a student in France and went through all sorts of agony trying to get the result. From the highlights I can only assume that game would have finished with 8 a side today.
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Wow, what a battle
Cant believe I used to go to those games home and away and not be bothered about any trouble. Think it was just part of the experience. Not so brave now.
Remember being at the sty with my girlfriend (now wife) and being chased by the zulu and brick and bottles flying over her company car!
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You have to watch clips like that to remind you that there can be times of pure joy...Had a few hairy moments at the sty but have had far worse at places like west ham..Middlesboro and leeds
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The Steve McMahon "1-0" gesture to Blake at the end was something we'd emulate on a very frequent basis whilst playing football at about that time.
The headbutt, not so much.
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As a 9 year old I almost shat myself that day, the tension was unreal.
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Kevan Broadhurst never played another game after this. An honest hard working player in his mid 20's career finished by McMahon. Comments ?
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According to Wikki he was at Birmingham till '86. As this game was in '83 that means he was there for 3 more years doing nothing?
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That sounds about right. He made numerous failed comeback attempts. Not totally dissimilar to Gary Shaw '83-'88. Although Shaw did manage some first team games in that time and I don't think Broadhurst did.
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I was stood on the Holte that day and loved Blakes penalty miss. A few weeks later (I can't recall who we were playing) I was in the Holte end and who was standing alongside me, yep Noel Blake with his hood up. Big bugger he was.
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A Bluenose I worked with in London was a year below Noel Blake at school and said that he was genuinely scary and pretty wild. Aged 13 he was often battering kids who were 3-4 years older than him.
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I met Noel Blake in a night club, he was actually quite a nice guy, just a few weeks after this game.Coton, Hopkins et al were there as well......now thet were knobs
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Kevan Broadhurst never played another game after this. An honest hard working player in his mid 20's career finished by McMahon. Comments ?
Dont worry he has made their hall of fame.
Yes they have one,but its not very big.
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Isn't Noel Blake, and I stand to be laughed at for all time for this if wrong, one the England Youth coaches these days?
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Isn't Noel Blake, and I stand to be laughed at for all time for this if wrong, one the England Youth coaches these days?
Yep.
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I think he is U-18 coach and Kenny Swain is U-16 coach. One is a Villa legend for winning the league and European cup and the other is a Small Heath legend for once scoring in a victory over Villa and once headbutting a Villa player.
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That Blues side has to go down in history as the most thuggish bunch ever to take part in top flight football. Leeds and Wimbledon side don't come close to them.
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That Blues side has to go down in history as the most thuggish bunch ever to take part in top flight football. Leeds and Wimbledon side don't come close to them.
I can never understand why a strict disciplinarian such as Saunders allowed them to go rampaging around on and off the pitch like they did.
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He took over in '82 and by '83 Dennis and Van Den Hauwe had gone. By '84 Coton, Blake, Gayle and Harford had gone (even though he had signed the latter three) leaving just Hopkins from the wild bunch I think. The question would be whether they went due to their behaviour or finances or both.
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I know my Blues mates idolise that 1982/83 team... sums it up really.
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He took over in '82 and by '83 Dennis and Van Den Hauwe had gone. By '84 Coton, Blake, Gayle and Harford had gone (even though he had signed the latter three) leaving just Hopkins from the wild bunch I think. The question would be whether they went due to their behaviour or finances or both.
This could be an urban myth, but I think Blake was moved on because he was seeing his daughter and Ron was not happy.
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He took over in '82 and by '83 Dennis and Van Den Hauwe had gone. By '84 Coton, Blake, Gayle and Harford had gone (even though he had signed the latter three) leaving just Hopkins from the wild bunch I think. The question would be whether they went due to their behaviour or finances or both.
This could be an urban myth, but I think Blake was moved on because he was seeing his daughter and Ron was not happy.
Wasn't that Howard Gayle?
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He took over in '82 and by '83 Dennis and Van Den Hauwe had gone. By '84 Coton, Blake, Gayle and Harford had gone (even though he had signed the latter three) leaving just Hopkins from the wild bunch I think. The question would be whether they went due to their behaviour or finances or both.
This could be an urban myth, but I think Blake was moved on because he was seeing his daughter and Ron was not happy.
Wasn't that Howard Gayle?
It could have been. I was told that it was Blake by an ITK source. The whole thing is no doubt a bit of a myth.
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It was Gayle. I think part of the problem may have been Gayle's Renault Fuego ending up upside down in a garden in Dovehouse Lane Solihull with Saunders daughter in it at the time. The crash definitely wasn't an urban myth as it was in the papers at the time. Whether Saunders daughter was really in the car at the time may or may not be true.
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I know my Blues mates idolise that 1982/83 team... sums it up really.
He should idolise them. They were one of a select few of Blues sides not to get relegated. Well, not until the next year anyway.