Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: LTA on October 27, 2015, 10:32:17 PM
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One of my all time favourite nights at Villa Park. Not necessarily a great game, but a spine tingling atmosphere against a very good Inter team. Amazing to think Big Ron would be gone weeks later.
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All Time Great Night.
I think there was only about 29,000 as the Holte was being redeveloped but it sounded like 90,000
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Was first match I took my then partner to......think she thought it would be like this every game!
I remember the guy in front of us turning to my mate during the penalties and asking:
'you ok mate?' - my friend replied 'yes mate' - to which the guy said 'well you look like shit!' - classic, still makes us laugh!
Great night.
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Great night - but not as good as Inter at home fours years earlier 😎
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This really was one of the all time truly memorable occasions at VP.
Sorry Lucky, but I thought it was as good if not better than the 2-0 win four years earlier. In that tie, although we took a deserved 2-0 lead over there, I always worried about them getting an early goal, which of course was exactly what happened. That return really was bad news for us - their second (and equalising goal) was never a free kick to them in the first place and for the their winner Mcgrath had seen their player take the ball over the goal line before he crossed it.
Anyway, we more than got our revenge four years later, and yes the old ground really was rocking that night - I was at the front of the upper doug, level with the Witton End penalty area and the noise was defeaning - I'll always remember the booing and whistling whenever they had the ball.
Like everyone else I feared the worst against a multi starred team in a penalty shoot out, but of all people - Phil King was our hero. There's a tremendous shot of Big Ron and Doug side by side, by the tunnel, immediately afterwards, and when I watched it back later seeing them together makes it hard to think that as was said earlier, Ron was gone in a few weeks.
I wonder what would've happened if we hadn't lost to Trasponspor (then an unknown team) in the way that we did, in the next round.
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I was in the north stand upper. Great night. Guy whittingham and Ray Houghton s best games in a villa shirt.
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I was in the Witton Lane upper, my one and only time. Great night!
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Lower North because of the Holte being rebuilt (wasn't some of the lower tier open for the first time that night?), right behind the goal so a great view of the pens. Although it was a great night, the first Inter game was better.
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Both Inter games were special, but I think the 94 one tops it, because we won the tie on the night. Was in the Witton, and I remember watching it back as soon as we got home, and the crowd noise seemed just as loud on TV. I recall the commentators kept commenting on the noise we were making. Will we ever see those days again?
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Upper Witton for me and an absolute belting atmosphere!
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Lower North because of the Holte being rebuilt (wasn't some of the lower tier open for the first time that night?), right behind the goal so a great view of the pens. Although it was a great night, the first Inter game was better.
I thought the front first 10 rows or so of lower Holte were open for our first game of the 94-95 season against Southampton (1-1 draw with Le Tiss getting a late equaliser for them)
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Both Inter games were special, but I think the 94 one tops it, because we won the tie on the night. Was in the Witton, and I remember watching it back as soon as we got home, and the crowd noise seemed just as loud on TV. I recall the commentators kept commenting on the noise we were making. Will we ever see those days again?
Fully agree Dave - I was at all the big evening games from 1971 onwards until the mid 1990s and for me this was probably the best ever atmosphere - and yes both Alan Parry and Kevin Keegan kept commenting on the noise levels - 1990 was good, but as I said earlier it was a first leg game.
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All Time Great Night.
I think there was only about 29,000 as the Holte was being redeveloped but it sounded like 90,000
30,533
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Saturday Night by Whigfield was at No.1 in the singles charts at the time.
Now people of certain age will have that tune going round their head for hours :)
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Saturday Night by Whigfield was at No.1 in the singles charts at the time.
Now people of certain age will have that tune going round their head for hours :)
I could never get that dance
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21 years ago. Where does the time go?
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https://youtu.be/3CJ06T2fUUc
For those who always mock Villa Park for having no atmosphere, that night proved that when we click, it's as raucous as anywhere.
I don't have any recollection of the 1990 game, but 94 was a brilliant night. How cool and calm was Phil King? Amazing to think he hardly played for us again after that.
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This really was one of the all time truly memorable occasions at VP.
Sorry Lucky, but I thought it was as good if not better than the 2-0 win four years earlier. In that tie, although we took a deserved 2-0 lead over there, I always worried about them getting an early goal, which of course was exactly what happened. That return really was bad news for us - their second (and equalising goal) was never a free kick to them in the first place and for the their winner Mcgrath had seen their player take the ball over the goal line before he crossed it.
Anyway, we more than got our revenge four years later, and yes the old ground really was rocking that night - I was at the front of the upper doug, level with the Witton End penalty area and the noise was defeaning - I'll always remember the booing and whistling whenever they had the ball.
Like everyone else I feared the worst against a multi starred team in a penalty shoot out, but of all people - Phil King was our hero. There's a tremendous shot of Big Ron and Doug side by side, by the tunnel, immediately afterwards, and when I watched it back later seeing them together makes it hard to think that as was said earlier, Ron was gone in a few weeks.
I wonder what would've happened if we hadn't lost to Trasponspor (then an unknown team) in the way that we did, in the next round.
We outplayed Tranbzonspor at Villa Park, they they scored with literally their only attack of the game.
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I remember both 1990 and 1994 games against Inter.
The first was a stunning win against a team that comprised something like eight Italia 90 semi finalists from Italy and West Germany. The other was nerve wracking - I'd been to the away leg and seen Nigel Spink's careless slide gift Inter the penalty that gave them their first leg lead. Then I nearly missed the second leg through food poisoning.
I'm trying to remember who scored for us in the second leg. Was it Garry Parker? I remember my mate saying Ray Houghton was a greedy get for going for goal at one point before we'd scored. Or have I mixed the two up?
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Ray Houghton scored to level the aggregate score at 1-1
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Ray Houghton scored to level the aggregate score at 1-1
I was at the home legs (90 & 94) but me and my friends also caught an official coach to the 1st leg. There was some kind of transport strike so the San Siro was pretty sparse but still an amazing venue. We lost out to a Ruben Sousa penalty. The return leg was incredible and in my experience, only bettered by the Tranmere semi which will stay with me always. My bro often recalls how I was dancing in the Trinity upper with an elderly gentleman. Like two Whirling Dervishes.
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I was at the home legs (90 & 94) but me and my friends also caught an official coach to the 1st leg. There was some kind of transport strike so the San Siro was pretty sparse but still an amazing venue. We lost out to a Ruben Sousa penalty.
Yep, the gate was something like 22000 in a 80000+ seater stadium. I vaguely remember everyone in the Villa end singing "shit ground, no fans" at various times throughout that night.
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I was at the home legs (90 & 94) but me and my friends also caught an official coach to the 1st leg. There was some kind of transport strike so the San Siro was pretty sparse but still an amazing venue. We lost out to a Ruben Sousa penalty.
Yep, the gate was something like 22000 in a 80000+ seater stadium. I vaguely remember everyone in the Villa end singing "shit ground, no fans" at various times throughout that night.
That's right Chris. We started that chant outside the ground. I remember they gave us a natty silk scarf as we entered the stadium and all the policeman were about 5 feet tall.
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I was at the home legs (90 & 94) but me and my friends also caught an official coach to the 1st leg. There was some kind of transport strike so the San Siro was pretty sparse but still an amazing venue. We lost out to a Ruben Sousa penalty.
Yep, the gate was something like 22000 in a 80000+ seater stadium. I vaguely remember everyone in the Villa end singing "shit ground, no fans" at various times throughout that night.
That's right Chris. We started that chant outside the ground. I remember they gave us a natty silk scarf as we entered the stadium and all the policeman were about 5 feet tall.
It think I might still have that scarf somewhere. It was a bit flimsy as I remember.
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1990 and 94 were both great but 1994 edges it for me - I preferred BFR's team even though it was on the decline and we actually won the tie whereas the 2-0 in 1990 is tainted by the fact we actually lost in the end. Nothing will top Kent Nielsen's goal though.
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I was at the home legs (90 & 94) but me and my friends also caught an official coach to the 1st leg. There was some kind of transport strike so the San Siro was pretty sparse but still an amazing venue. We lost out to a Ruben Sousa penalty.
Yep, the gate was something like 22000 in a 80000+ seater stadium. I vaguely remember everyone in the Villa end singing "shit ground, no fans" at various times throughout that night.
That's right Chris. We started that chant outside the ground. I remember they gave us a natty silk scarf as we entered the stadium and all the policeman were about 5 feet tall.
They also kept us at a service station all afternoon and coined us throughout the match
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If I remember right the service station was in Switzerland not Italy. The rumour was going round that the game was going to be off because the pitch was waterlogged. There was a big electrical storm during the game.
As we were heading away in the coach after the game there was a home fan in the next lane so busy giving it large to us that he took his eyes off the road and went straight into the car in front. His face when he realised too late he was going to hit it was a picture!
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If I remember right the service station was in Switzerland not Italy. The rumour was going round that the game was going to be off because the pitch was waterlogged. There was a big electrical storm during the game.
As we were heading away in the coach after the game there was a home fan in the next lane so busy giving it large to us that he took his eyes off the road and went straight into the car in front. His face when he realised too late he was going to hit it was a picture!
It was in Switzerland. The price for a sandwich and a coffee was eye watering, much like the coach toilet. I think we had breakfast in Luxembourg on the way back but can't be certain.
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I was in the Upper North against Inter. My first UEFA Cup match. Wonderful, wonderful night!
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on TV and club football its the only time i have ever heard a commentator and his sidekick both shout "YESSS!!!" when the home nation team won. in our case after that penalty shoot out. Parry and Keegan were totally on Villa's side and some of the commments particularly towards the end of the game and the shootout were very funny and cool - especially from Alan Parry.
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on TV and club football its the only time i have ever heard a commentator and his sidekick both shout "YESSS!!!" when the home nation team won. in our case after that penalty shoot out. Parry and Keegan were totally on Villa's side and some of the commments particularly towards the end of the game and the shootout were very funny and cool - especially from Alan Parry.
Don't forget Keegan was doubly chuffed as it was a Thursday night game and we played his Newcastle 2 days later.
For a while I thought of him as our lucky commentator - IIRC he was the expert for the 1994 league cup semi and final plus the above Inter
tie.
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yeah Pat ! and Alan Parry did quite a few Villa games in the early 90s, he was a decent commentator, some really witty remarks too - that Inter game had more than a few.
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Saturday Night by Whigfield was at No.1 in the singles charts at the time.
Now people of certain age will have that tune going round their head for hours :)
I was of a certain age where I found Whigfield, ahem, interesting to look at.
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Brian Moore covered the final
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1990 and 94 were both great but 1994 edges it for me - I preferred BFR's team even though it was on the decline and we actually won the tie whereas the 2-0 in 1990 is tainted by the fact we actually lost in the end. Nothing will top Kent Nielsen's goal though.
I would have to go with the game in 90, simply because of the quality of the side we not only beat but totally outplayed that night. I would also probably go with it for a more sentimental reason, in that it was the first season I had seen Villa play in Europe due to the ban on English clubs. I can't split that and the Tranmere 2nd leg as my favourite ever Villa game.
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https://youtu.be/3CJ06T2fUUc
For those who always mock Villa Park for having no atmosphere, that night proved that when we click, it's as raucous as anywhere.
I don't have any recollection of the 1990 game, but 94 was a brilliant night. How cool and calm was Phil King? Amazing to think he hardly played for us again after that.
Sent shivers down my spine, thanks for that.
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Aye, that Inter Milan team in 1990 had half the Italian national side and three German internationals in it.
The 1994 side was still decent - I think they had won the UEFA Cup the previous season - but they were struggling in the league.
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Aye, that Inter Milan team in 1990 had half the Italian national side and three German internationals in it.
The 1994 side was still decent - I think they had won the UEFA Cup the previous season - but they were struggling in the league.
The Inter Milan team that night:
Walter Zenga, Sergio Battistini, Giuseppe Bergomi, Riccardo Ferri, Andreas Brehme, Lothar Matthäus, Nicola Berti, Paolo Stringara, Fausto Pizzi, Jürgen Klinsmann, Aldo Serena
Goodness knows what that team would be worth now, as in Brehme, Matthaus and Klinsmann they had three players who had just won the World Cup a few months earlier and were easily among the best players in the world in their respective positions.
I was only ten at the time, but I remember the footage on Central News of them arriving at the airport and a picture in one of the papers of Klinsmann standing alone on an empty Holte End. The atmosphere was electric that night and the only real shame was that Inter didn't bring many fans and the bottom of the North Stand was practically empty, when there could have been more Villa fans there.
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Yeah they had the whole of the Lower North and brought about 20 fans. I remember there being rumours around the ground just before KO that they'd been kicking off in town, so were expecting there to be hundreds of them. They didn't being many more for the second game.
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Remember Bergomi being asked about the draw back in 94 and he said something like 'It's way too early to face a side as strong as Aston Villa,' or words to that effect.
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I was at the home legs (90 & 94) but me and my friends also caught an official coach to the 1st leg. There was some kind of transport strike so the San Siro was pretty sparse but still an amazing venue. We lost out to a Ruben Sousa penalty.
Yep, the gate was something like 22000 in a 80000+ seater stadium. I vaguely remember everyone in the Villa end singing "shit ground, no fans" at various times throughout that night.
That's right Chris. We started that chant outside the ground. I remember they gave us a natty silk scarf as we entered the stadium and all the policeman were about 5 feet tall.
They also kept us at a service station all afternoon and coined us throughout the match
I went to that one in 94/Milan on the official Villa bus... I'm sure it was bergkamp who scored the penalty though?
What a trip that was so many memories. Was it Switzerland we stayed? Im sure there was a hotel that when we arrived had about 20 flags outside. The next morning there was none!