Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: SteiniJ on July 31, 2014, 11:26:11 PM
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http://www.svt.se/sport/fotboll/mellberg-slutar-med-fotbollen
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I reckon this will be easier to understand than the original article:
Former Aston Villa defender and Sweden international Olof Mellberg has retired after an 18-year career.
The 36-year-old won league titles at AIK Stockholm and Olympiakos and also represented Racing Santander, Juventus, Villarreal and FC Copenhagen.
Mellberg said: "Today I ended my contract with FC Copenhagen, which will be the last in my football career."
The centre-back was capped 117 times for his country before retiring from international football after Euro 2012.
He spent seven years with Villa, making 263 appearances, before leaving for Juventus in 2008.
Good work Olof. A cracking career and a well-deserved retirement.
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With his experience, knowledge, winning mentality and feelings for the club I would love to have him back in a coaching capacity. I know we have a defensive coach but I wouldn't mind Olof's input too. If he could sort our defence out into the best defensive unit in the PL I would give him the job as manager of Villa, manager of Sweden, Prime Minister of Sweden and put him in charge of the task force for world peace.
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Best wishes for the future, Olof.
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All the best Olof the Viking
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Class act, too.
Who can forget his gesture West Ham away.
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I'll never forget his arms aloft as he left the pitch against small heath
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Yes a great moment a Villa Park.I remember thinking what's O'Neil doing taking him off.then realised it was Mellberg's chance to put all that shite to bed with the blose, especially Bruce who had said Mellberg wouldn't get in the blose team- fat pr!ck
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should forget about his matches against Birmingham. Remember his 100% commitment - a legend for that.
We badly need somebody with his values and inspiration.
Every Scandinavian I have met seem to have this calmness and discipline. Not that I've met Bendtner of course.
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My favourite Olof moment was his goal from a corner against Spurs. He simply pushed Dawson away headed in from about six yards and celebrated by standing still with his arms in the air, smiling.
Not a great player but a player with a great heart, love him to bits. Class act.
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Class act, too.
Who can forget his gesture West Ham away.
Indeed. I gave the shirt I got to my nephew. I was also at The Emirates to see Olof score the first ever goal there. Happy memories - would love to get him and Laursen on the coaching team
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Quality player, great man. Always gave his all for us and was consistently good. To be fair to him he was solid for us at right back too when pubehead put him out there. There haven't been that many players we've signed in the last two decades that you could look at and feel they developed a genuine love of the club, but Olof was one of them. It was more than just a paid gig for him. Class act.
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Quality player, great man. Always gave his all for us and was consistently good. To be fair to him he was solid for us at right back too when pubehead put him out there. There haven't been that many players we've signed in the last two decades that you could look at and feel they developed a genuine love of the club, but Olof was one of them. It was more than just a paid gig for him. Class act.
Was going to say this, just shows his committment again that he really adapted to playing out of position like that.
Great player for us, and he had a great career both at club and international level. Good luck to him in whatever he does in the future.
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I was also at The Emirates to see Olof score the first ever goal there.
I was in a car park near the beach at Harlech. It was the only place in North Wales I could get Radio 5. You could hear my cheer in Ireland.
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Also, for decking Freddie ljungberg.
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I'll never forget his arms aloft as he left the pitch against small heath
yes, that is an image that will live for a lifetime
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Class act, too.
Who can forget his gesture West Ham away.
Indeed. I gave the shirt I got to my nephew. I was also at The Emirates to see Olof score the first ever goal there. Happy memories - would love to get him and Laursen on the coaching team
I too was at both those games, seeing Mellberg bag the first at the Emirates right in front of us was amazing....and the shirts at West Ham was brilliant......I just need Olof to sign mine and then I can get it framed with the match ticket :)
UTV
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My mate said to me last night I wonder how long it will take for fans to start to say let's have him back as a coach.
Making me chuckle already reading it
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Would people class him as a Villa legend? It's a tough one for me, but I think I would.
Anyway, I miss him loads. Probably my favourite player whilst he was here.
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(http://i30.tinypic.com/soshtj.jpg)
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Would people class him as a Villa legend? It's a tough one for me, but I think I would.
Anyway, I miss him loads. Probably my favourite player whilst he was here.
Think I would. Played in some good Villa teams, and some not so good ones, but always performed to a high standard no matter the manager or the position of the club at the time. Shame win didn't win anything during his time here.
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Would people class him as a Villa legend? It's a tough one for me, but I think I would.
No.
Decent player, nice bloke, had a real affinity for the club, but legend? I wouldn't say so.
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My lasting image was Savage mobbing round the back of noses handbagging Olof and trying to gouge his eyes out. Yes THAT Savage permanently on the BBC passing opinions about everything and everybody in football.
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I would. I
Would people class him as a Villa legend? It's a tough one for me, but I think I would.
No.
Decent player, nice bloke, had a real affinity for the club, but legend? I wouldn't say so.
I don't think a 'legend' necessarily has to have been a world class player, or have won a trophy for the club. I think when it's obvious that someone has a complete affinity for the club (and in particular the supporters) and clearly gave their all whilst wearing the shirt, along with gestures like the shirts at West Ham away, i think they can be considered a club legend.
I'd certainly rather think of Mellberg in that sense than someone like David Platt.
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I would. I Would people class him as a Villa legend? It's a tough one for me, but I think I would.
No.
Decent player, nice bloke, had a real affinity for the club, but legend? I wouldn't say so.
I don't think a 'legend' necessarily has to have been a world class player, or have won a trophy for the club. I think when it's obvious that someone has a complete affinity for the club (and in particular the supporters) and clearly gave their all whilst wearing the shirt, along with gestures like the shirts at West Ham away, i think they can be considered a club legend.
I'd certainly rather think of Mellberg in that sense than someone like David Platt.
This for me. If you think about an manageral example, like Brian Little. Villa have likely had much better managers than Little over the years who didn't produce as much. Something just clicked with him. Its like that with Mellberg, not sure anyone would say he was world class, but he was still a very good player, who remained consistent over his career.
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I don't think a 'legend' necessarily has to have been a world class player, or have won a trophy for the club. I think when it's obvious that someone has a complete affinity for the club (and in particular the supporters) and clearly gave their all whilst wearing the shirt, along with gestures like the shirts at West Ham away, i think they can be considered a club legend.
I'd certainly rather think of Mellberg in that sense than someone like David Platt.
I think you can judge a club by the stature of its legends.
For me the word "legend" implies more than the things you've outlined above, but ultimately, I guess it's all subjective.
I just think it gets bandied about far too often these days.
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This for me. If you think about an manageral example, like Brian Little. Villa have likely had much better managers than Little over the years who didn't produce as much. Something just clicked with him.
Brian Little isn't just remembered at Villa Park for managing us, though, is he?
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On a wider point, beyond Mellberg, I think it's hard to apply "legend" status to players on the basis of how many games they played for us when they're being paid tens of thousands of pounds a week to be so "loyal".
That's not a dig at Mellberg, far from it, I like the bloke too, it's more a comment on how that bond between players and fans is totally different nowadays compared to, say, the 1970s.
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I think you can judge a club by the stature of its legends.
For me the word "legend" implies more than the things you've outlined above, but ultimately, I guess it's all subjective.
I just think it gets bandied about far too often these days.
I think you're right, and it's probably a sad indictment that none of our bona fide legends are form the recent past.
Let's face it, we still sing about Alan Alan McInally who played a whopping 59 games for the club!
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I think you can judge a club by the stature of its legends.
For me the word "legend" implies more than the things you've outlined above, but ultimately, I guess it's all subjective.
I just think it gets bandied about far too often these days.
I think you're right, and it's probably a sad indictment that none of our bona fide legends are form the recent past.
Let's face it, we still sing about Alan Alan McInally who played a whopping 59 games for the club!
And thousands of our fans never saw play even once because they are too young. To them he is a Sky pundit with an affection for the club.
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This for me. If you think about an manageral example, like Brian Little. Villa have likely had much better managers than Little over the years who didn't produce as much. Something just clicked with him.
Brian Little isn't just remembered at Villa Park for managing us, though, is he?
he walked on water....after that I'm struggling ;)
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Alan McInally got a leg up the legendary ladder above better players like Gerry Hitchens or Cyrille Regis by having a six syllable name which fitted our song.
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Alan McInally got a leg up the legendary ladder above better players like Gerry Hitchens or Cyrille Regis by having a six syllable name which fitted our song.
That's a very good point! I wonder if Benteke was persuaded to sign his extension last summer with the motivation that he may one day cement his status by replacing AM in the ditty...?!
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That's not a dig at Mellberg, far from it, I like the bloke too, it's more a comment on how that bond between players and fans is totally different nowadays compared to, say, the 1970s.
The world's a smaller place now though, I guess. Even in the 1970s leaving a football club must have represented a fairly major upheaval for a player. Certainly, the opportunity to move abroad (let alone to a different continent) wouldn't have crossed too many players' minds.
If some of them had been around now, maybe the likes of Charlie Aitken would have gone to the MLS to see out his playing days, or Pongo doing an 'Emile' and jetting off to Oz...!
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I had been thinking about this recently and I think we need an additional strata of classification, kind of like the steps to canonisation. So if we were to categorize centre halfs (halves?) for example and this is my off the top of my head subjective list)
Venerable - Olof Mellberg
Blessed - Allan Evans
Saint - Paul McGrath
I think what paulie says about "affinity" is key, particularly in recent years where there has been little real success on the field and you have to think about intangibles such as player's qualities as people and attitude and whether they get what it means to be Villa when considering their place in the Pantheon and why for example Stilian Petrov would be afforded entry and Andy Townsend might not.
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That's not a dig at Mellberg, far from it, I like the bloke too, it's more a comment on how that bond between players and fans is totally different nowadays compared to, say, the 1970s.
The world's a smaller place now though, I guess. Even in the 1970s leaving a football club must have represented a fairly major upheaval for a player. Certainly, the opportunity to move abroad (let alone to a different continent) wouldn't have crossed to many players' minds.
If some of them had been around now, maybe the likes of Charlie Aitken would have gone to the MLS to see out his playing days, or Pongo doing an 'Emile' and jetting off to Oz...!
Charlie did though Russell, he played for New York Cosmos, not the MLS I grant you.
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All the best Olof with the next stage of your career.
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That's not a dig at Mellberg, far from it, I like the bloke too, it's more a comment on how that bond between players and fans is totally different nowadays compared to, say, the 1970s.
The world's a smaller place now though, I guess. Even in the 1970s leaving a football club must have represented a fairly major upheaval for a player. Certainly, the opportunity to move abroad (let alone to a different continent) wouldn't have crossed to many players' minds.
If some of them had been around now, maybe the likes of Charlie Aitken would have gone to the MLS to see out his playing days, or Pongo doing an 'Emile' and jetting off to Oz...!
Charlie did though Russell, he played for New York Cosmos, not the MLS I grant you.
I stand corrected!
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Olof is absolutely a legend and was a superb defender. It's a shame he spent far too long at right back.
Zlatan has given him plenty of love on his Facebook page. Zlatan and Olof love is pretty much my homoerotic dream, if I had such a thing. *cough* Right, who likes boxing and other manly heterosexual things. BOOBS.
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Would people class him as a Villa legend? It's a tough one for me, but I think I would.
Anyway, I miss him loads. Probably my favourite player whilst he was here.
Not a chance. Good player and I'd love to have a centreback as strong and assured as he was at his peak, but Villa legend? Nah!
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Alan McInally got a leg up the legendary ladder above better players like Gerry Hitchens or Cyrille Regis by having a six syllable name which fitted our song.
Not sure what the relevance of comparing him with Hitchens is. Yes, he was a great player but if we're going to still sing about players who last played for us more than sixty years ago plenty of others would be ahead of him in the queue, and while I liked Regis, McInally contributed far more for Villa than he did. We'd have gone straight back down in 1989 without his goals (admittedly most of which came before the New Year), we'd probably have sacked Taylor, never signed McGrath and God knows what division we'd have spent most of the time in since.
I think a lot of the liking for McInally is that he still seems to hold the club in genuine affection, the same can't be said about the aforementioned Platt or players who played for a myriad of clubs in England whose affections are therefore watered-down slightly. So it's unlikely that we'd still sing about Dean Saunders, for example, as people associate him as much with the likes of Derby and Oxford as much as they do with us.
It helps that the song is fairly catchy, likewise the Carew song still gets sang from time to time. I also like that we include the original players as a reminder that Villa were singing the ditty well before those song-stealing twats from London who frequent the Old Trafford Gift Shop.
I wouldn't class either Mellberg or McInally as a club "legend" though. I'd reserve that for players who you'd include in the top fifty or so players ever to play for us, or at least those who made a massive difference such as Peter Withe for scoring the most important goal in our history.
I think McInally, and Mellberg, can both fairly be regarded as cult heroes at the Villa though, and I reckon they'd be happy enough with that.
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Olof is absolutely a legend and was a superb defender. It's a shame he spent far too long at right back.
Zlatan has given him plenty of love on his Facebook page. Zlatan and Olof love is pretty much my homoerotic dream, if I had such a thing. *cough* Right, who likes boxing and other manly heterosexual things. BOOBS.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2 hours ago · Edited
The day Olof Mellberg decided to quit the national team it was a great loss to Swedish football and the team. But to me personally it was an even greater loss. When I had him on the team I never had to look back because I knew he was behind me and I could concentrate on what was going on up ahead.
Olof was the person that trigged and challenged me. This drove me to want to do more on the pitch.
Olof had a winner mentality like no other. He simply refused to lose, not only in football but in practically everything. And when he did lose, which rarely happened, he refused to admit it. I think this mentality was what took him a long way in his carreer.
I’ve been doubly lucky when it comes to Olof. Firstly because I got to play with him, and secondly because I got know the person Olof Mellberg, not only the player.
If Olof in my opinion is the best Swedish defender of all times, I think the person Olof is even better.
It is sad that Olof now chooses to end his career because I’m sure he has much more to give.
I wish Olof Mellberg and his family all happiness and love in the future.
Thank you my friend.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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I don't think a 'legend' necessarily has to have been a world class player, or have won a trophy for the club. I think when it's obvious that someone has a complete affinity for the club (and in particular the supporters) and clearly gave their all whilst wearing the shirt, along with gestures like the shirts at West Ham away, i think they can be considered a club legend.
I'd certainly rather think of Mellberg in that sense than someone like David Platt.
I think you can judge a club by the stature of its legends.
For me the word "legend" implies more than the things you've outlined above, but ultimately, I guess it's all subjective.
I just think it gets bandied about far too often these days.
It's also going to be based on the age of the person talking about it. Somebody who is 16 years old is going to have his own definitions of what constitutes a 'legend' which are unlikely to match your own. You can pick from title winners and European Cup winners, he doesn't have that frame of reference.
It's not his fault that he's not old enough to have seen players that people in their 40s and 50s consider their own 'legends', nor that he has a relatively poor selection of his own to work from compared to anybody in their 30s and older.
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I did like Olof, he gave me a shirt at West Ham a few years back (and another 3000 people!)
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Cult hero rather than legend. I don't know what the difference is, but I'd say the latter is remembered by everyone even if they never saw him play while the former is remembered by a section of our support (think McGrath compared to Ian Taylor or Sid/Eamonn Deacy).
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He was no slouch either. The big man had pace.
I remember Michael Owen, in his pomp, pushing the ball past him for a clear run at goal. I think everyone expected the inevitable Owen goal. However, Olaf turned and still beat Owen to the ball.
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He was no slouch either. The big man had pace.
I remember Michael Owen, in his pomp, pushing the ball past him for a clear run at goal. I think everyone expected the inevitable Owen goal. However, Olaf turned and still beat Owen to the ball.
Then Owen pulled up injured and was out for six months.
Probably.
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Cult hero rather than legend. I don't know what the difference is, but I'd say the latter is remembered by everyone even if they never saw him play while the former is remembered by a section of our support (think McGrath compared to Ian Taylor or Sid/Eamonn Deacy).
I think that's pretty much spot on.
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It's not his fault that he's not old enough to have seen players that people in their 40s and 50s consider their own 'legends', nor that he has a relatively poor selection of his own to work from compared to anybody in their 30s and older.
I agree with this. I'm only 20, so I can't really comment on people like Little, Withe etc. as I never got to see them play, although, of course, I value the opinion of those who did.
Mellberg is a legend for me. Alright, we didn't win a trophy, or crack the top 4, but he gave me many happy memories supporting us. A really great defender, I wish him all the best.
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My mate said to me last night I wonder how long it will take for fans to start to say let's have him back as a coach.
Making me chuckle already reading it
I'm far from the first to say it and dare say I'm a long way from being the last, so looks like you and your mate will have endless hours of mirth to look forward to
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How uncanny is that,
Just finished downloading the 2nd series of Vikings off the net and the 1st thing I read is about mellberg the Viking.
Always be in my all time villa squad and I been going down since 67
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Birmingham Mail (http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/revealed-aston-villa-legend-olof-7548023)
Olof Mellberg: My memories of Aston Villa
Revealed: Aston Villa legend Olof Mellberg remembers his time at Villa Park
Aug 01, 2014 11:46 By Bill Howell
As Olof Mellberg prepares to wave farewell to football, we look back at his best memories of playing for Aston Villa.
Who has been your best central defensive partner?
Martin Laursen. When I came here, myself and Alpay started together but first I got injured, then he got injured and then he left for various reasons! So it would probably have to be Martin Laursen and myself, especially at the end of my last season it worked really well. We seemed to complement each other really well. We understood each other quite well too.
Your favourite Villa player?
David Ginola. The most talented rather than anything else would have to be David Ginola. He had everything. Even though he was at the end of his career, he was really fit and strong and great technical ability - and the goals he scored were unbelievable.
I have never seen such a talent. It was a shame he stopped playing because he had a few years in him with the physique he had. He probably wasn’t at the top of his game when he was here but you could definitely see his talent. He had great presence and he was a great character off the pitch as well.
Best game for Villa?
Villa 5 Blues 1. I felt we really dominated that game from the first minute and because of how special those games are, to perform like we did under pressure makes it even better.
Best atmosphere?
Villa 3 Blues 1. I will always remember this last derby game. I wasn’t involved when we won 3-1 at home and Gary Cahill scored that wonder goal. I sat in the stands and you feel the atmosphere in a different way when you’re watching it from the stands.
There is always a great atmosphere at the away games as well. It’s special when you see all the travelling fans.
The fans who go to the away games are really up for it - they sing from the first minute we come out in the warm-up to the very last minute.
Most influential person on your Villa career?
John Gregory. John signed me and if he hadn’t have signed me, I probably wouldn’t be here. He was the one who followed me for quite a long time. He came down to Spain and he watched me with the national team on a few occasions so he was the one who really wanted to sign me. But a lot of players have influenced me as well. When I came to Villa, I got a great start and I really felt welcome.
Favourite Villa goal?
Middlesbrough away in 2007-08. I took the ball down in the box and had a good finish. The one I scored against Manchester United at Old Trafford from a corner was special as well (2002). We got a point from there by drawing 1-1 which doesn’t always happen so it was a good result and special to score in a big game like that. The goal I scored at Arsenal was similar because we got a draw and it was special because it was the first goal at the Emirates.
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Very good player, but not a legend. His send-off at West Ham was special. His vocal dislike of Small Heath, the ovation he got as he left the pitch in the 5-1 win & the very real enjoyment captured in his clenched fists leaves some fond memories.
Best wishes for the future Olof.
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He was no slouch either. The big man had pace.
I remember Michael Owen, in his pomp, pushing the ball past him for a clear run at goal. I think everyone expected the inevitable Owen goal. However, Olaf turned and still beat Owen to the ball.
Then Owen pulled up injured and was out for six months.
Probably.
No, mate. Olaf had him fair and square
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(http://i30.tinypic.com/soshtj.jpg)
'I'VE JUST GOT THE FEELING THAT I DONT LIKE BIRMINGHAM CITY AT ALL'
Legendary
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I very much agree with him being a Cult Hero rather than a Villa legend.
All the best for the future Ollie.
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I think Dave makes a solid point that I would agree with that every era essentially have its own legend in the eyes of those watching. The older you are the greater the body of evidence there is to choose from. For a 20yr they won't have seen many of the greats of Aston Villa past play so they can only draw on what they see or what they might have heard about or caught clips of.
For me Mellberg represents a better time at the club and especially in relation to the manner of his departure. Given the very recent history of Aston Villa it is easy to look back at him and the players he played with in even more favourable light than he might have been afforded otherwise. If we took a vote of all truly great Villa players, he would be just outside what would be considered a true legend, maybe in the same bracket as Taylor, Platt and Laursen. Cult heroes. Super players but just outside legendary status in my opinion.
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Cult hero sounds good. Like I think someone said earlier, I think he'd like that.
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Eight years at the one club is rare in this day and age. Particularly if it's a player who wasn't on the clubs books as a kid.
He's not in Cowans/ McGrath/ Shaw territory for me, but if others want to call him a legend, I have no issue with that.
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I was at the Emirates and at OT when he scored goals for us that seemed so significant at the time - he was a splendid player: not gifted in the way that some are, but he had great reading of the game, and good positioning. And he had the heart for our club: I loved the fact that he left shirts on the seats for the Villa fans at WHU.
I've watched Villa since 1967 and have seen some great CB: McGrath, Psycho Evans, Southgate, Laursen, Nielsen ... and others. Mellberg will always be a favourite for me for his attitude and commitment: he's not a great but certainly a Cult Hero.
And he played in better times than currently ...
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It was 7 seasons he was with us. Which as you say is still pretty impressive these days.
I fully get why he would be considered a legend to younger fans.
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Olof thank you for the 263 matches in the famous Claret & Blue shirt. Never doubted you and you never let us down. Good luck with the rest of your life. I hope it's a wonderful journey for you from here on. Viking the footballer, Viking the great man, Viking the King Olof lives on.
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Legend, cult hero, whatever you want to call him, Olof is the sort of player I really miss at the club. We could really do with another signing of his, or Laursen's ilk at the back. For all the talk of Ron potentially leaving, which wouldn't be good for us, he's not in the class of Olof or Laursen that's for sure. It's about time we started signing players this good again.
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Thanks Olof.
A great defender and a Villa hero.
It's great to know you loved us too!
All the very best for the future.
UTV!
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Fuck me. The boner cable repair man is here and has just erased a number of our excellent wins including the 5-1 vs Blues.
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TC and I are on that clip. Happy days
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Cult hero rather than legend. I don't know what the difference is, but I'd say the latter is remembered by everyone even if they never saw him play while the former is remembered by a section of our support (think McGrath compared to Ian Taylor or Sid/Eamonn Deacy).
Yep, think Laursen will go in the same group and Gabby if he can be arsed anymore.
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Unfortunately people are starting to forget how much of a cult hero Gabby is and has been for the club. I hope he finds his form again.
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Its a bit unfair to say that just because someone is younger or didn't see a certain player that they can't understand why they are legends. I wasn't alive when Chinatown was released, but I have still seen it, and consider it a masterpiece. Its the same here. I either wasn't around or was very young when these players were playing, but I have still seen Videos of them since and know about what they did for the club.
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I don't think anyone is saying that. I obviously never saw Pongo or Devey but know they are right at the top of Villa legends.
The point is, someone younger will class a player like Ollie as a legend, when he probably isn't. He qualifies as a very good player for us and a cult hero, imo. The problem is the terms legend and world class etc are thrown around so much these days it kind of dilutes what it means. Plus we all have different opinions of what makes a legend. Plenty think Deano, Merson, Dublin are Villa legends for example while I don't. And some folks will love a player and that makes them a legend in their opinion. I've always loved Tony Daley as an example, but he is a cult hero of mine rather than a Villa legend.
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very nice piece about what Zlatan thinks of our Olly
Zlatan Ibrahimovic gives tribute to former Aston Villa defender
Paris Saint-Germain superstar has paid tribute to former Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg after the Swede announced his decision to retire.
The former Villa centre-back officially ended his playing career earlier this week after a lengthy career that included spells with Villarreal, Olympiacos and Juventus.
The 36-year-old won a mammoth 117 caps for the Swedish national side, and PSG striker Ibrahimovic played alongside his former teammate for 11 years.
Mellberg, who was one year into a two-season contract with FC Copenhagen confirmed his intentions on Thursday.
He said: "Today I ended my contract with FC Copenhagen, which will be the last in my football career."
Following the announcing, Ibrahimovic issued an open letter to the veteran defender, and thanked him for their time spent together with the European nation.
Often praised and derided in equal measure for being cocksure and aloof throughout his playing career, the sublimely-gifted Ibrahimovic showed a different side to his personality with his heartfelt message to his friend.
He said: “The day Olof Mellberg decided to quit the national team it was a great loss to Swedish football and the team. But to me personally it was an even greater loss. When I had him on the team I never had to look back because I knew he was behind me and I could concentrate on what was going on up ahead.
"Olof was the person that triggered and challenged me. This drove me to want to do more on the pitch.
"Olof had a winner mentality like no other. He simply refused to lose, not only in football but in practically everything. And when he did lose, which rarely happened, he refused to admit it. I think this mentality was what took him a long way in his carreer.
"I’ve been doubly lucky when it comes to Olof. Firstly because I got to play with him, and secondly because I got know the person Olof Mellberg, not only the player. If Olof in my opinion is the best Swedish defender of all times, I think the person Olof is even better.
"It is sad that Olof now chooses to end his career because I’m sure he has much more to give. "I wish Olof Mellberg and his family all happiness and love in the future."
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I don't think anyone is saying that. I obviously never saw Pongo or Devey but know they are right at the top of Villa legends.
The point is, someone younger will class a player like Ollie as a legend, when he probably isn't. He qualifies as a very good player for us and a cult hero, imo. The problem is the terms legend and world class etc are thrown around so much these days it kind of dilutes what it means. Plus we all have different opinions of what makes a legend. Plenty think Deano, Merson, Dublin are Villa legends for example while I don't. And some folks will love a player and that makes them a legend in their opinion. I've always loved Tony Daley as an example, but he is a cult hero of mine rather than a Villa legend.
I'm assuming here that, like myself, you're around the 50+ mark, PWS?
We forget that youngsters use the word differently to us, too.
If a chap drinks a pint in under 10 seconds, he's regarded as a legend.
My lads show me these home made YouTube clips they're found. "Look at this, Dad. What a legend"
As supertom says, Legend or Cult Hero, it doesn't matter. In some ways they are the same.
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Best today luck to Olof - happy retirement.
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Best of luck in your retirement Olof. One of my favourite players growing up,how we could do with him now.
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I don't think anyone is saying that. I obviously never saw Pongo or Devey but know they are right at the top of Villa legends.
The point is, someone younger will class a player like Ollie as a legend, when he probably isn't. He qualifies as a very good player for us and a cult hero, imo. The problem is the terms legend and world class etc are thrown around so much these days it kind of dilutes what it means. Plus we all have different opinions of what makes a legend. Plenty think Deano, Merson, Dublin are Villa legends for example while I don't. And some folks will love a player and that makes them a legend in their opinion. I've always loved Tony Daley as an example, but he is a cult hero of mine rather than a Villa legend.
I'm assuming here that, like myself, you're around the 50+ mark, PWS?
We forget that youngsters use the word differently to us, too.
If a chap drinks a pint in under 10 seconds, he's regarded as a legend.
My lads show me these home made YouTube clips they're found. "Look at this, Dad. What a legend"
As supertom says, Legend or Cult Hero, it doesn't matter. In some ways they are the same.
50+? Sod off!
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Despite the team being up and down throughout his seven years, he was a beacon of consistency, commitment, and character.
A warrior and a gentleman, King Olaf.
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I don't think anyone is saying that. I obviously never saw Pongo or Devey but know they are right at the top of Villa legends.
The point is, someone younger will class a player like Ollie as a legend, when he probably isn't. He qualifies as a very good player for us and a cult hero, imo. The problem is the terms legend and world class etc are thrown around so much these days it kind of dilutes what it means. Plus we all have different opinions of what makes a legend. Plenty think Deano, Merson, Dublin are Villa legends for example while I don't. And some folks will love a player and that makes them a legend in their opinion. I've always loved Tony Daley as an example, but he is a cult hero of mine rather than a Villa legend.
I'm assuming here that, like myself, you're around the 50+ mark, PWS?
We forget that youngsters use the word differently to us, too.
If a chap drinks a pint in under 10 seconds, he's regarded as a legend.
My lads show me these home made YouTube clips they're found. "Look at this, Dad. What a legend"
As supertom says, Legend or Cult Hero, it doesn't matter. In some ways they are the same.
50+? Sod off!
Ooops :-[
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I don't think anyone is saying that. I obviously never saw Pongo or Devey but know they are right at the top of Villa legends.
The point is, someone younger will class a player like Ollie as a legend, when he probably isn't. He qualifies as a very good player for us and a cult hero, imo. The problem is the terms legend and world class etc are thrown around so much these days it kind of dilutes what it means. Plus we all have different opinions of what makes a legend. Plenty think Deano, Merson, Dublin are Villa legends for example while I don't. And some folks will love a player and that makes them a legend in their opinion. I've always loved Tony Daley as an example, but he is a cult hero of mine rather than a Villa legend.
I'm assuming here that, like myself, you're around the 50+ mark, PWS?
We forget that youngsters use the word differently to us, too.
If a chap drinks a pint in under 10 seconds, he's regarded as a legend.
My lads show me these home made YouTube clips they're found. "Look at this, Dad. What a legend"
As supertom says, Legend or Cult Hero, it doesn't matter. In some ways they are the same.
50+? Sod off!
49?
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(https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/3313607424/h10E6B886/)
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I don't think anyone is saying that. I obviously never saw Pongo or Devey but know they are right at the top of Villa legends.
The point is, someone younger will class a player like Ollie as a legend, when he probably isn't. He qualifies as a very good player for us and a cult hero, imo. The problem is the terms legend and world class etc are thrown around so much these days it kind of dilutes what it means. Plus we all have different opinions of what makes a legend. Plenty think Deano, Merson, Dublin are Villa legends for example while I don't. And some folks will love a player and that makes them a legend in their opinion. I've always loved Tony Daley as an example, but he is a cult hero of mine rather than a Villa legend.
I'm assuming here that, like myself, you're around the 50+ mark, PWS?
We forget that youngsters use the word differently to us, too.
If a chap drinks a pint in under 10 seconds, he's regarded as a legend.
My lads show me these home made YouTube clips they're found. "Look at this, Dad. What a legend"
As supertom says, Legend or Cult Hero, it doesn't matter. In some ways they are the same.
50+? Sod off!
49?
Born in '49.
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Which century?
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I tend to have a favourite player (legend) per era (which I categorise by manager). So Olof is my David O'Leary era legend\cult-hero.
With no great consideration, my other eras might look like this:
Joe Venglos - Chris Price
Ron Atkinson - Dean Saunders
Brian Little - Dwight Yorke
John Gregory - Ian Taylor
Graham Taylor - Peter Schmeichel (until he got rid of him for Enkleman). To be honest, struggling to think of anyone from this era...
David O'Leary - Olof Mellberg
Martin O'Neill - Martin Laursen
Gerard Houllier - Marc Albrighton
Alex McLeish - Gabby Agbonlahor
Paul Lambert - Christian Benteke
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Houllier - Bent
McLeish -Keane
MON has a few: Ash, Carew, Milner, Barry, Gabby could all be considered key in that short era
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Overall fantastic for us between 01-04 before he had a dip for a few years partnering Ridgewell- sound familiar?
Had a decent year playing RB aswell under MON.