Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine

Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: montague on February 15, 2014, 12:14:51 AM

Title: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: montague on February 15, 2014, 12:14:51 AM

Never seen this footage before.  VP graced by one of the all time greats.

Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: villan from luton on February 15, 2014, 12:22:22 AM
Not watched the footage, but remember the evening fairly well with my beer goggles on :) . Cruyff performed a master class exhibition and was given a standing ovation when he left the field. Sir Ron brought on a rugged Scottish lad with less than ten mintes left and we turned a 2-0 loss into a draw. He turned out to be a decent penalty taking centre half
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: montague on February 15, 2014, 12:26:45 AM
And the second leg - when will we return there again?

Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: villan from luton on February 15, 2014, 01:35:01 AM
We were unlucky second leg, had a top player sent off early on, got the lead but they were a class team, As for going back there again, my kids bought me a present last November to go to Barcelona in April, got to take the fecking missus though :-)
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: ez on February 15, 2014, 11:34:06 AM
Thanks for posting that. My dad took me to this game when I was 13. He always liked to leave before the end and I remember hearing the cheers for the villa goals as we walked along Witton Lane. This is the first time I've seen the villa goals.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: PeterWithesShin on February 15, 2014, 11:57:00 AM
I was at this game, but I was only 7 so sadly remember nothing of it. If I could I wonder if that Barcelona side would replace Juventus '83 as the best side i've seen at VP? Or even Spartak Moscow in second place in the foreign sides at VP.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Witton Warrior on February 15, 2014, 12:00:24 PM
Tremendous night - this is what football is all about!
It was great to see Cruyff doing his stuff and for us to come back like that at the end.
I was 18 - life was good.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: SashasGrandad on February 15, 2014, 05:56:44 PM
Best performance by an opposition player at Villa Park - by a country mile.

He was all over the pitch - helping his defence, controlling midfield, and scoring. Totally out classed all the other players on the field.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: villan from luton on February 15, 2014, 10:15:35 PM
Totally agree SashasGrandad, best performance I have ever seen in my many years of watching football
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: darren woolley on February 15, 2014, 10:31:45 PM
It's the first time I've seen that I would love it if we could get games like that at Villa Park again.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: villan from luton on February 15, 2014, 10:57:41 PM
Darren, we are still one of the select clubs that have won the premier European trophy and that was when it was only the real champions that competed. It is such a shame that we are going through tough times, but I started watching my beloved club in the old third division and I still take great pride telling all and sundry that I am an Aston Villa fan
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Damo70 on February 16, 2014, 11:07:51 AM
I was at this game, but I was only 7 so sadly remember nothing of it. If I could I wonder if that Barcelona side would replace Juventus '83 as the best side i've seen at VP? Or even Spartak Moscow in second place in the foreign sides at VP.

I remember as a twelve year old being stunned and impressed by Spartak's passing and movement. I had never seen anything like it before and that includes the Juventus team earlier that year.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: class_of_82 on February 16, 2014, 05:51:52 PM
I seen pele at villa park in 74 but for me cruyf gave a masterclass in the art of football.and boy how good was that Spartak Moscow team? for me possibly collectively the best I have seen at villa park totally blew me away with there passing. Did we go out in last few minutes to a Dennis Mortimer own goal against them ???
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Richie on February 17, 2014, 01:50:06 PM
I seen pele at villa park in 74 but for me cruyf gave a masterclass in the art of football.and boy how good was that Spartak Moscow team? for me possibly collectively the best I have seen at villa park totally blew me away with there passing. Did we go out in last few minutes to a Dennis Mortimer own goal against them ???

Deflection off Dennis' arse with 20 seconds to go.

We would have got through on away goals. But to be fair they played us off the pitch.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Damo70 on February 17, 2014, 03:38:35 PM
I seen pele at villa park in 74 but for me cruyf gave a masterclass in the art of football.and boy how good was that Spartak Moscow team? for me possibly collectively the best I have seen at villa park totally blew me away with there passing. Did we go out in last few minutes to a Dennis Mortimer own goal against them ???

Deflection off Dennis' arse with 20 seconds to go.

We would have got through on away goals. But to be fair they played us off the pitch.

If I remember right Mark Walters scored a good goal in the first leg and I think Colin Gibson got the other.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: WarszaVillan on February 17, 2014, 03:45:24 PM
I've never seen any clips of the first leg of the Super Cup at the Nou Camp. I remember listening to it on the radio and being pleased with a 1-0 loss.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Damo70 on February 17, 2014, 03:54:38 PM
I don't think I ever have either and one or two others on here have said the same. There must have been TV cameras there though.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Pat McMahon on February 17, 2014, 08:39:15 PM
I was at this game, but I was only 7 so sadly remember nothing of it. If I could I wonder if that Barcelona side would replace Juventus '83 as the best side i've seen at VP? Or even Spartak Moscow in second place in the foreign sides at VP.

PWS that Juve team were different class to Barca. They had a good chunk of the 1982 World Cup winning team plus Platini and Boniek and completely mastered us. They had a colossus of a centre half called Sergio Brio whose sole responsibility was to maul and batter Peter Withe. I don't think either touched the ball all night and I bet Brio ever played again - he wasn't exactly blessed with finesse. They seemed to have brought him out of an abattoir just for the evening.

The Cruyff Barca game was tough, but Allan Evans terrorised them for 10 minutes and we sneaked a draw. Juventus would have broken his nose twice and mysteriously been nowhere within 10 yards of him.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: the-farmer on February 17, 2014, 09:34:48 PM
I was there, but unfortunately only being 10 at the time I don't remember much about it
Thanks for posting it.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: dave shelley on February 17, 2014, 09:54:59 PM
I remember getting back to the pub afterwards and couldn't believe the amount of them that had left before the final whistle and didn't know we'd drawn the match.

The abiding memory for me though was the Cruyff performance and the standing ovation he deservedly received when he was substituted.  Both were magnificent.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Dave Cooper please on February 18, 2014, 09:33:50 AM

 They had a colossus of a centre half called Sergio Brio whose sole responsibility was to maul and batter Peter Withe. I don't think either touched the ball all night and I bet Brio ever played again - he wasn't exactly blessed with finesse. They seemed to have brought him out of an abattoir just for the evening.

You do Sergio Brio a misjustice. He played nearly 400 times for Juve and is one of only a very small handful of players to have won every International Club competition.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Damo70 on February 18, 2014, 11:31:06 AM

 They had a colossus of a centre half called Sergio Brio whose sole responsibility was to maul and batter Peter Withe. I don't think either touched the ball all night and I bet Brio ever played again - he wasn't exactly blessed with finesse. They seemed to have brought him out of an abattoir just for the evening.

You do Sergio Brio a misjustice. He played nearly 400 times for Juve and is one of only a very small handful of players to have won every International Club competition.

I don't know if Brio went on to play for Italy but I seem to remember that when we played them he was the only one of the starting eleven who wasn't a full international.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Broughty-Villian on February 18, 2014, 12:08:48 PM
my first ever night game.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: ADVILLAFAN on February 18, 2014, 12:58:48 PM
Best performance by an opposition player at Villa Park - by a country mile.

He was all over the pitch - helping his defence, controlling midfield, and scoring. Totally out classed all the other players on the field.

Better than Kinsella when he was at Charlton then?
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Damo70 on February 19, 2014, 11:15:59 AM
Best performance by an opposition player at Villa Park - by a country mile.

He was all over the pitch - helping his defence, controlling midfield, and scoring. Totally out classed all the other players on the field.

Better than Kinsella when he was at Charlton then?

I remember Tony Woodcock having at half decent game at VP about thirty years ago.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: SteveN on February 19, 2014, 11:26:04 AM
Best performance by an opposition player at Villa Park - by a country mile.

He was all over the pitch - helping his defence, controlling midfield, and scoring. Totally out classed all the other players on the field.

This subject has come up before on H&V and like many of the older generation I agree that Cruyff was by far the best player I have ever seen at Villa Park.  In my view one of the greatest players ever.  There was something about him that I have not seen in any other player, the ability to dominate games and those around him.  Maradonna did it on his own, but Cruyff brought the best out of others in his team.

That Barcelona team were not that great, but he was, the Juventus team were far stronger and probably the best I've seen at Villa Park.  The Celta Vigo team that ripped us apart at the Hawthorns wer not too shabby either.
Title: Re: Villa 2 Barcelona 2 1978
Post by: Damo70 on February 19, 2014, 11:31:28 AM
The Liverpool side from around '81 to '84 put in some very impressive team performances at VP too. Against a Villa team that was still pretty strong at the time.
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