Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Kevin_Yahoo on July 09, 2016, 04:10:41 PM
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I'm writing an article about Ulises de la Cruz (it's a kind of Where Are They Now? thing) and I want to get fans' memories about him as a player. Any memories/stories you have - good or bad - please post them here. Doesn't even have to be a story/memory as such, could just be your general view on his time at Villa Park.
I'd want to use some of the your quotes for the article, which will appear on the Yahoo Football website this month. So if you don't want your comments to be used then let me know, and they won't be. All quotes used will be credited to Heroes and Villains.
Some of you may recall I wrote something similar about Alpay last season: https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/blast-past-no-15-alpay-144758636.html
Cheers!
Kevin
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I remember him being presented to the fans at an Intertoto Cup game and he was wearing a white suit.
I remember a good goal he scored against Charlton.
I remember a great long distance effort against he bar he had against small heath in the game we lost 3-0.
I remember him being pretty poor overall and picking up the nickname 'Useless' De La Cruz but that may have been slightly harsh.
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I recall him having a brilliant World Cup in 2006, to the extent that I wanted us to keep him despite him being mediocre to the point of infinity. Then O'Leary fucked off, O'Neill came in and I thought he'd be no great loss on our relentless march to global domination.
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He linked up well with Angel and Solano down the right, though his defensive positioning was weak. I remember that the OPTA stats fir the last O'Leary season had him as our best passer/crosser. Not the greatest but the Useless tag was undeserved.
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I've got one really good memory of UDLC
Away at Middlesbrough, hanging on at 1-1 with ten men after diving George got Solano sent off.
Tommy Sorensen and the Villa defence had been stoic in holding Boro and in injury time we managed to break out.
UDLC took it forward and hit a shot with the outside of his foot that the keeper could only parry into the path of Peter Crouch who scored and won us the game.
Away end pandemonium followed and the end of the game saw the Villa players lined up together singing the "Pigbag" tune that we'd temporarily nicked off them.
Happy days. Feel free to use that one mate!
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I've got one really good memory of UDLC
Away at Middlesbrough, hanging on at 1-1 with ten men after diving George got Solano sent off.
Tommy Sorensen and the Villa defence had been stoic in holding Boro and in injury time we managed to break out.
UDLC took it forward and hit a shot with the outside of his foot that the keeper could only parry into the path of Peter Crouch who scored and won us the game.
Away end pandemonium followed and the end of the game saw the Villa players lined up together singing the "Pigbag" tune that we'd temporarily nicked off them.
Happy days. Feel free to use that one mate!
Blimey, I remember that and you're right, the away end went mental.
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He was a philanthropist and I believe funded a project for running water in his village.
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Yes, he did.
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And sent money home monthly to help his village build schools etc.
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I remember sitting in the Lower Doug and some bloke calling him "Useless" for the entire match. I wanted to punch him (the bloke not DLC).
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Always thought he was a decent bloke; tried hard, although limited. Harshly treated by some fans, never deserved that useless tag.
I came on here to see if there were any updates on Tshibola, instead there's John Carew and Ulises De La Cruz. I thought I was having a life on mars moment. :)
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I remember trying to get these song started for him but got laughed at. Rightly so too.
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I've got one really good memory of UDLC
Away at Middlesbrough, hanging on at 1-1 with ten men after diving George got Solano sent off.
Tommy Sorensen and the Villa defence had been stoic in holding Boro and in injury time we managed to break out.
UDLC took it forward and hit a shot with the outside of his foot that the keeper could only parry into the path of Peter Crouch who scored and won us the game.
Away end pandemonium followed and the end of the game saw the Villa players lined up together singing the "Pigbag" tune that we'd temporarily nicked off them.
Happy days. Feel free to use that one mate!
Blimey, I remember that and you're right, the away end went mental.
Yep. We were down the front and Crouch ran right up to us. Several Villa fans including my mate were arrested and banged up simply for celebrating with Crouch next to the advertising boards. The local police were complete bastards.
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Would be remembered as a better player if his first name had been Bob or Brian and not one easily morphed into a demeaning nickname
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Absolutely. I used to hate those knobs who would shout out "useless", then look around for mob approval.
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Aston Villa scapegoat 2002-2006.
At the time the general feeling was that he played far too many games for us. Probably says more about Mark Delaney’s injury record than his actual playing ability.
My main memory of him was scoring was I thought was a great individual goal in the League Cup (Luton?), only to watch a replay of it showing the ball bobbling about and him somehow ending up in front goal.
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I always like him. Never pulled any trees up. But was a commited pro who was decent going forward and gave us a different option. One of the better performers in a different period for the club. That won't make the article though will it? :-X
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He used to live about 100 yards from us when he was at Reading, a nice chap, had an impromptu kick about with some of the local kids on the village green one summer. I believe he's a politician back in Ecuador now?
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I would rather have a team of players with Ulises De La Cruz's attitude to football and life than a single Micah Richards.
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Was an okay player, never deserved the 'Useless' tag. But we do love making fullbacks our scapegoats down B6.
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As others have said, he was OK. Probably better than most of the full backs we've had this decade though I acknowledge that's hardly awe-inspiring praise. Didn't deserve his nickname and those who used it were tediously unfunny twats.
He also seems to be an excellent human being given his charity work back home.
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As others have said, he was OK. Probably better than most of the full backs we've had this decade though I acknowledge that's hardly awe-inspiring praise. Didn't deserve his nickname and those who used it were tediously unfunny twats.
He also seems to be an excellent human being given his charity work back home.
He was poor and thats being kind
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Always tried his best even if that wasn't good enough , supported poor people in his home country through his foundation work which has already been mentioned. I seem to remember his hair being dyed various shades of orange on a regular basis : )
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Abiding memory is Graham Taylor calling him the Ecuadorian Beckham
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Abiding memory is Graham Taylor calling him the Ecuadorian Beckham
Around the same time he said that he wanted to buy Mark Kinsella, original pointer and precursor of Westwood, together Matt "Matty" Holland "as a pair".
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Abiding memory is Graham Taylor calling him the Ecuadorian Beckham
Around the same time he said that he wanted to buy Mark Kinsella, original pointer and precursor of Westwood, together Matt "Matty" Holland "as a pair".
I remember that too. Always best to ensure you get the better of the two first, lest you end up being lumbered with the rubbish one by himself.
The only time UDLC looked even half competent was when he played behind Solano, but that was because Solano was extremely good, it took a lot of pressure of the full back.
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I really liked Ulises he had a warm smile and a professional attitude.
He was adored in his homeland, my buddy worked with an Ecuadorian lad who started to follow Villa with us. We used to meet in their Ecuadorian Restaurant on the Holloway Road.
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Abiding memory is Graham Taylor calling him the Ecuadorian Beckham
Around the same time he said that he wanted to buy Mark Kinsella, original pointer and precursor of Westwood, together Matt "Matty" Holland "as a pair".
I remember that too. Always best to ensure you get the better of the two first, lest you end up being lumbered with the rubbish one by himself.
The only time UDLC looked even half competent was when he played behind Solano, but that was because Solano was extremely good, it took a lot of pressure of the full back.
See Cascarino T
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My abiding memory is that first Blues league game in 16 years. He hit a thunderous shot out of nowhere that rattled the bar when it was still 0-0. That was about as good as it got that night.
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Known for doing a lot of charity work in impoverished areas of Ecuador.
A decent if not great right-back.
Have a vague memory of him beating about 4 opposition players at home, but can't remember if he scored or not. It was attacking the North Stand anyway.
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Nothing on the pitch, but I do remember him coming out to sign autographs after my only match at Villa Park and, I swear I'm not making this up, inside his coat he had a collection of watches in the manner of some dodgy East-End dealer - "psst... Want a watch, bruv ? Jen-u-ine Bolex..." Didn't make any sales, but did sign everything put in front of him.
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Am I the only one who remembers him wearing a white suite when he was paraded to us at Villa Park? It was an Intertoto cup game in 2002 and we won 3-0 after losing the first leg 2-0. Was it against a team from Zurich?
My minds eye is telling me is was the full John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever!
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my only memory of him,
was when the Holte, started singing your not useless any more, against spuds I think.
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Shit haircut, average wingback. Seemed like a nice bloke. Probably better than Alan Hutton in that position, but not as good as Delaney. Can't really add to that.
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Thanks for your comments guys! Here is the published piece: https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/blast-from-the-past-41-ulises-de-la-cruz-083544485.html
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My memory (bit late now) is that Villa fans were fed up of seeing him in the team and let it be known. The manager kept picking him, and in the end admitted he was playing him because "I've got no one else".
Its amazing how hearing someone does work for charity can sway peoples opinions on playing ability. He was a very poor player, couldn't control the ball and would look to hit it long at the earliest opportunity