Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine

Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: rougegorge on February 05, 2017, 10:24:37 AM

Title: Best debuts
Post by: rougegorge on February 05, 2017, 10:24:37 AM
In recent times, our new signings have generally been less than impressive on their debuts, accentuated even more this season.

Whilst average or poor debuts seem to proliferate, it made me think, when did a new player seriously impress on his debut?
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Legion on February 05, 2017, 10:31:43 AM
Luc Nilis.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Richard E on February 05, 2017, 10:33:41 AM
I thought Hogan was pretty impressive last night, showed plenty of promise.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Villafirst on February 05, 2017, 10:34:54 AM
Carbone was brilliant on his debut....
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Dave on February 05, 2017, 10:36:21 AM
Luc Nilis.

Yup, he wasn't bad in that Intertoto match against Dukla Pribram.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: FrankyH on February 05, 2017, 10:38:35 AM
Didier Six
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Tayls_7 on February 05, 2017, 10:43:21 AM
Probably West End Girls by the Pet Shop Boys.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Chris Jameson on February 05, 2017, 10:44:47 AM
The first albums from the Clash, Jam and Pistols all had a lasting effect on me.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: OCD on February 05, 2017, 10:45:09 AM
Petrov
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Smirker on February 05, 2017, 10:53:29 AM
Luna.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Karlos96 on February 05, 2017, 11:07:22 AM
Dion Dublin, got 2 against Spurs on his debut.  Dublin had a great start to his Villa career got a hat-trick the following week against Southampton and then another 2 at home to Liverpool.

Dean Saunders home debut was one to remember I think his actual debut was away at Leeds though.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Charlie8182 on February 05, 2017, 11:19:02 AM
Simon Stainrod, 4 in a 4-1 win albeit against Exeter in the early rounds of the League Cup, 1985/86.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: IAmTheOneIanOlney on February 05, 2017, 11:23:51 AM
Didn't Alpay get man of the match on his debut (away at Leicester, I think)?
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: luke95 on February 05, 2017, 11:49:55 AM
Not 100% certain but didn't Ian Taylor score on his debut at the Holte End & it was the 1st game in front of the new Holte as it is today .
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: PaulTheVillan on February 05, 2017, 12:08:26 PM
Not 100% certain but didn't Ian Taylor score on his debut at the Holte End & it was the 1st game in front of the new Holte as it is today .
think he did against Chelsea
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: PaulTheVillan on February 05, 2017, 12:08:42 PM
Darren Bent
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Axl Rose on February 05, 2017, 12:21:24 PM
Dion Dublin, got 2 against Spurs on his debut.  Dublin had a great start to his Villa career got a hat-trick the following week against Southampton and then another 2 at home to Liverpool.

Dean Saunders home debut was one to remember I think his actual debut was away at Leeds though.

Another vote for Dion. I was at that game, and he had a third goal ruled out.

Carbone against Wimbledon gets a vote, too
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: brian green on February 05, 2017, 01:14:34 PM
Luc Nilis
Sid (his first tackle made the hair of the Holte stand on end)
Didier Six
Milan Baros
Spinky (some game in Holland.  Forget the details).
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Chico Hamilton III on February 05, 2017, 01:44:11 PM
Dion Dublin scoring 2 against Spurs
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: IAmTheOneIanOlney on February 05, 2017, 01:58:00 PM

Sid (his first tackle made the hair of the Holte stand on end)

Has there ever been a finer sight in football than a perfectly timed Gordon Cowans tackle?
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Chico Hamilton III on February 05, 2017, 02:06:00 PM
Sorry for bring a pedant but didn't Spink make his debut against Forest about 3 years before Rotterdam?  Boxing Day game?
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: brian green on February 05, 2017, 02:09:00 PM
No there has not Mr Olney.  I was in full on misery mode when Sid took the field.  My actual words were "fucking hell they have brought on the kid who sells the Argus"   Shirt and shorts hanging off his skeletal frame he did that tackle we came to see a thousand times. In like a steam train, trailing leg under his body out the other side with the ball, pushing up on his trailing leg without breaking stride.  Sheer football poetry.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: TopDeck113 on February 05, 2017, 02:19:05 PM
Reading through the posts, it is noticeable how many great debuts failed to be the prelude to a stellar Villa Park career.  Perhaps we should therefore not be too despondent if our current crop of signings have hardly hit the ground running...
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Can Gana Be Bettered!?!? on February 05, 2017, 02:21:23 PM
Did Carlton Cole score on his debut and look a great player?
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Richard E on February 05, 2017, 02:26:05 PM
Did Carlton Cole score on his debut and look a great player?

Yes, against Southampton. Unfortunately it just turned out to be that Southampton were rubbish.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: olaftab on February 05, 2017, 02:31:13 PM
Darren Bent. And not sure if Dion scored a couple on his debut? Hesky "demolished" Portsmouth.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Lastfootstamper on February 05, 2017, 02:38:37 PM
Sorry for bring a pedant but didn't Spink make his debut against Forest about 3 years before Rotterdam?  Boxing Day game?

I felt I had to flick through to see who it was that had presented an alternative fact.

Can't lie, I'm a little shaken now.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: dave shelley on February 05, 2017, 04:24:18 PM
Sorry for bring a pedant but didn't Spink make his debut against Forest about 3 years before Rotterdam?  Boxing Day game?

Yes, I was there and saw it.  He had a bit of a stinker IIRC.  At least I found a couple of quid on the ground on the way out.  I remember that.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: SoccerHQ on February 05, 2017, 04:30:29 PM
Baros.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: steamer on February 08, 2017, 08:30:58 PM
Andy Gray. Home game L.Cup against utd lost 2-1 Gray scored. we battered them, but as is the way we lost.
I seem to remember Petrov against W,Ham showing promise.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: peter w on February 09, 2017, 10:09:21 AM
Stuart Gray (Andy Gray the II as well?)
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Lobsterboy on February 09, 2017, 01:31:29 PM
I always remember Heskey scoring from about 20 yards on his debut and thinking he was going to be a great signing.

Shows how much I knew!

I think Dion Dublin's debut was probably the best I have ever seen and he went on a run of scoring something like 7-8 goals in his first 4-5 games I think
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: cdbearsfan on February 09, 2017, 02:08:17 PM
Darius Vassell, scored two in about ten minutes after coming on, to turn the game against... Stromsgodset?

Pongo Waring hat-trick on reserve debut against Small Heath, in front of 23,000, before adding a goal on his actual debut.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: stuart r on February 09, 2017, 02:12:55 PM
Zat Knight. Dunno if he had a great game but I remember he scored on his debut in a win against Chelsea having scored an own goal when playing for Fulham against us the previous week. Didn't go that well for him after that but that must have been a sweet moment. Villa fan scoring in front of the Holte on his debut. Pinnacle of achievement.  S'pose it could only have gone downhill after that.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Pat McMahon on February 09, 2017, 02:24:22 PM
Tommy Craig was excellent in his debut, scoring a 30 yarder v Everton around 1978. He was utter bobbins after that.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: PeterWithesShin on February 09, 2017, 02:40:24 PM
Darius Vassell, scored two in about ten minutes after coming on, to turn the game against... Stromsgodset?


Yep, although it was his third appearance.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Lastfootstamper on February 09, 2017, 03:37:43 PM
Robert Hopkins, he got off to a bit of a flier.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: eric woolban woolban on February 09, 2017, 09:16:37 PM
Didn't Dublin nearly score three hat tricks, insofar as the wrongly ruled out offside goal against Spurs and a missed penalty against Liverpool.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: LukeJames on February 09, 2017, 09:28:40 PM
Zat Knight. Dunno if he had a great game but I remember he scored on his debut in a win against Chelsea having scored an own goal when playing for Fulham against us the previous week. Didn't go that well for him after that but that must have been a sweet moment. Villa fan scoring in front of the Holte on his debut. Pinnacle of achievement.  S'pose it could only have gone downhill after that.

Sorry to be a pedant, it was the North Stand  ;D
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: cdbearsfan on February 09, 2017, 09:37:28 PM
Darius Vassell, scored two in about ten minutes after coming on, to turn the game against... Stromsgodset?


Yep, although it was his third appearance.

Brilliant debut though, if you don't count the first two games.
Title: Re: Best debuts
Post by: Godfrey Brian on February 10, 2017, 02:57:59 PM
I confidently predicted that Graham Fenton would make the England team having witnessed his debut v Man City on a snowy Villa Park evening in February 1994 (0-0). He probably peaked a couple of games later when Big Ron picked him for the League Cup Final team. Oh well England's loss and all that..........
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