Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Mellin on April 19, 2024, 10:30:05 PM
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Three. Fucking. Years.
Was thinking about this today. How it's crazy where we are now and how three full seasons in the Championship already feels like a lifetime ago. I was one of the "we need to be relegated for a refresh" lot, but after one season was desperate to get back. We did not belong.
I was at Pride Park for a 0-0 with a half fit Kozak up front. Might've been under Bruce. Nothing happened and we had zero quality. Vividly remember watching that and thinking we might not see the Prem for another 10 years, maybe more, nevermind the upper reaches of it. We were so, so bad. You could see we weren't going up that season and were at serious risk of staying down for some time.
Alan Hutton at home to that lot. Unbelievable moment. Was so chuffed for him. Clearly meant so much. Equally, Hourihane at home to the Baggies, which I watched in Cafe Benidorm with supporters from both sides, and, obviously, Jed Steer away. Primordial Emi Martinez.
Remember watching Liverpool in the Champions League final in London, having lost to Fulham, me and a close friend not sharing a word. Fearing the worst, but not knowing how bad our situation really was. The taxman waiting on the steps of Villa Park.
But, finally, full circle, back to Derby. I was sat on my own for that final. Missed both goals, as I'd had some dodgy food the night before, so had to go celebrate in the toilet twice over. The tension of the last 10 minutes, but knowing deep down we were going home. Then at full time, a random old boy hugging me half to death, cheeks stained with tears and worn by years of sacrifice at the alter of claret and blue. Have a perfect still of his face in mind, but never seen before or since. Back to the Green Man and singing "We've got McGinn" in the beer garden for an hour solid until voices were hoarse and we could no longer. Then the last train back from Euston, rammed full of Villa even past midnight.
Some nice memories really. I'm glad it happened. I think we needed the clean slate, plus it gave a couple of savvy investors the opportunity to snaffle a bargain. But I'm also glad it's over, and wish never to return. So let's do that winning the UCL and qualifying for the Champions league thing. Then I can have a quiet word with my old self, stood in a cold and quiet Pride Park, and just let him know not to worry, everything's coming up Millhouse.
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It was shit. Every second. Getting pumped at home by the likes of Barnsley, QPR and Albion. Nearly going out of business. It may have ended well but it was still shit.
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We were lucky to get out of it. Losing to Fulham was a blessing in disguise.
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I remember being in the car, right in front of the Villa coach leaving Carrow Road, and seeing the most miserable looking potato headed man in the world at the front. I was tempted to flip him the v's like an absolute ledge, but to be fair to him I don't think he could have looked anymore depressed. We were fucking shit that day, like many under him.
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Aaron Tshibola. Remember him?
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Being fucked by Sheffield Utd and Billy Sharp for most of the game then stealing the last 8 minutes. Cabbage gate and Glenn Whelan taking a penalty. Continually conceding later and later goals under Di Matteo until he got sacked. It was all shite. I didn't enjoy any of it really.
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Being fucked by Sheffield Utd and Billy Sharp for most of the game then stealing the last 8 minutes. Cabbage gate and Glenn Whelan taking a penalty. Continually conceding later and later goals under Di Matteo until he got sacked. It was all shite. I didn't enjoy any of it really.
My 30th birthday. Glad I stayed until the end!
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Aaron Tshibola. Remember him?
Mr Burns shudder
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Once we got rid of that eejit Di Matteo it wasn't too bad.
After half a decade of grimly surviving in the Prem, it was nice to go into the games expecting to win again and also playing some sides I'd never seen before.
Remember one season where Uncle Albert Adomah had scored more goals than Blues by about Christmas.
Making new enemies, like those weirdos Bristol City.
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Honestly, I did enjoy some parts. Remember that last minute screamer by Snodgrass against SU?
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Honestly, I did enjoy some parts. Remember that last screamer by Snodgrass against SU?
Yeah, we were pretty poor that day, then Snoddy snatched it at the death.
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Not a great deal of good memories until Smith came in, to he honest.
Things I hated:
Playing Brentford and them looking like they were playing football we could only dream of ever playing.
As AD touched on above, having to put up with tinpot clubs and touchy, wanky, weirdo fanbases. The likes of Bristol City, Burton, Blues and Wolves
Crappy streams
Crappy managers like Bruce and having to listen to some fans saying he did a good job.
Having Micah Richards
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Gollini, Elphick, Hutton, Baker, Cissokoh, Bacuna, Gardner, Westwood, Ayew, McCormack, Gestede
Our first XI for our first championship game away at Sheff Wed.
Shudder
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That hutton goal vs blosers was the obvious highlight next to the play offs.
That game away to sheff wed when we scored two late was also a crazy game.
There was also one game which sticks out that game against rotherham. We scored a unbelievable team goal in that game.
Glad we are out of it and hope we nevee gi back but there was some fun times in the league. Got to say thw games were more entertaining down there
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Aaron Tshibola. Remember him?
yes, I'll raise you with André Moreira
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Our best signing in championship for me was uncle Albert
Kodja was also good until he got injured then wasnt the samw when he came back.
Loan signing it was tammy hands down
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Snodgrass did us a good turn. Also JT (soz)
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Whilst I never want to go back and the 10 game winning run & play off win somewhat adds rose tinted glasses I did kind of enjoy the Championship…playing against teams and players we wouldn’t normally with players like Jack / McGinn / JT / Chester / Snodgrass / Tammy / Mings was fun at times….not always tho lol
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Incredible to think that SJM and Tyrone Mings were championship players for us.
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Damn forgot we signed mcginn in championship- actually he was best signing in championship. What a absolute bargain. For his faults bruce did get a couple gems in like him and hourihane
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First season three games in v Huddersfield .1-0 up and in the final ten minutes. I thought we were at the start of a winning streak which would take us back up.Then Gollini's clearance hits a Huddersfield player on the back and bounces in from outside the area. I realised then it was going to be a long haul back.
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5-5 v Forest
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Playoff Final we had Mings, McGinn, Hourihane, Grealish, El Ghazi and Abraham playing.
Not a bad Prem squad!
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Good idea this, so many memories good and bad, and enough time gone and progress made now to reflect.
Started taking my kids when they were very young in the last couple of premier league years before relegation. They both are still season ticket holders but my son is more everything Villa obsessed. Thankfully he was too young to remember 14/15 and 15/16 but still has a big soft spot for Benteke, so something must linger. So the championship years are his defining years as a supporter. He still talks about the 5-5 with Forest as being his favourite game, his first away day with me was the Friday night at Bristol City, shit performance but drew 1-1 with Bjarnsson equalising, the fans mocking Bruce with the song ‘we’ll be there or thereabouts’, he was gone not long after.
Before all of that I remember the really bad times, I was at Pride Park one pre xmas when they beat us 2-0, we didn’t lay a glove on them, awful. The Fulham play off final, was the lowest Ive ever been after a football match, the most miserable drive back to Brum and took me days to get over the actual defeat and then the realisation that Shit Shoes might of totally fucked us. I also remember the start of the 18/19 season being down in Devon for a mates wedding, watched us beat Hull away in the pub, with Grealish seemingly waving goodbye, only for our new owners tontell Spurs to do one a few days later.
When Dean Smith took over, i remember when he walked out against Swansea and I felt quite emotional, he was one of us and the first decent managerial appointment we’d made since 2006 when O’Neil came in.
The 10 game will always live with me, the first really good times being a Villa fan for over a decade. Sheffield Wednesday away and Tammy & Albert getting two last minute goals, Hourihanes belter against Albion in the play offs, the tension of the penalties. And then the emotion of going up.
So many poor players, but also some un sung heroes for the Villa, Chesterand Hourihane being the main one’s, but Hutton, Snodgrass, Terry (despite it all), Steer, even Whealen, Adomah, Kodja, El Ghazi and of course Tammy. And some actual all time Villa legends came to the fore in McGinn and Mings.
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we had a strong mentality in the last 2 seasons in that league
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The worst bit was when we heard about the financial problems created by that loon Xia. Thankfully the fears went away pretty quickly when we were bought by the real deal.
As others have said, McGinn and Mings were bought in, it was great to have a Villa fan as the manager for a time, and I’ll always be fond of the likes of Chester, Terry, Adomah, Kodjia, Snodgrass, Abraham, El Ghazi, Hourahane, and my favourite ever ‘limited’ player, Hutton.
We also saw Grealish finally get his act together on a consistent level during that second season, and he became a joy to watch.
It is what it is, it came after a dismal 5 years in the Prem and in hindsight I think we had to endure it to get to where we are now.
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5-5 v Forest
We turned up a bit late for this. Heard a huge roar as we approached the ground, then as we made our way across to our seats* in the bottom corner of the Holte, Abraham scored what was apparently his second. It was only at that point that I saw the scoreboard to discover it wasn't 2-0, it was actually 2-2.
*shit memory: getting kicked out of my top-dollar perch in the UT. Spat my dummy out, bought the cheapest seats instead, but using the relocation allowance and my Villa Cash towards the season ticket meant for that first year in the second division it cost me £7 a game.
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We had Lewis Grabban on loan and unless my memory's playing tricks I'm sure he didn't do too bad for us, but we lost to Fulham and he wasn't staying, and came back to haunt us in the 5-5 with Forest.
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Sheffield Wednesday away and Rotherham away on that run was absolutely class.
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The Di Matteo experience was awful, 90+ minute equalisers and defeats leading to us winning 2 games in eleven and enduring that awful 90 minutes at Preston where we lost 2-0 and it could have been more.
Bruce - what can you say, at times really meat and potatoes football relying on a bit of magic from someone, at times some eye bleedingly awful stuff and then he’s put together a half dozen game of fairly decent stuff. The best thing I can say is he stabilised it in that first season but not being competitive with the top 2 in his second season for automatic promotion was scandalous and he should have been sacked immediately after the Play Off defeat. However when it came he fully deserved it.
Smith - will be fondly remembered taking us up, got us playing decent football and made what I think was our most important signing of that era in Tyrone Mings. He galvanised us under the new owners and deserves a huge amount of credit.
It had to be endured and sometimes suffered but for younger supporters like my son maybe it’s been their early 70s experience and hopefully they get some long overdue trophy celebrations to wallow in over the next few years.
One of the best nights was that 1-0 away at Sheff Utd and the last minute Snodgrass curler. Special mentions to the Sheff Weds/Rotherhsm away South Yorks double header for victories 6 and 7 in the 10 game run, absolutely mental.
Fulham in the final was low but the Wigan 3-0 under Deano was my lowest point and I just remember sitting in the pub afterwards thinking we’re never getting out of this fucking league.
When we were struggling on Thursday night I just kept thinking back to those times and I actually smiled to think how far we’ve come.
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we had a strong mentality in the last 2 seasons in that league
I think that was the little spoken about influence of signing John Terry. He'd have reversed the dressing room from Santa video clown show to professional and focused. One of many pivotal decisions.
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Games I remember......
Rotherham (h) 3-0 Our first win in such a long time it felt like a cup win and Rudy Gestede looked like a striker. Blues fans on Moor St platform after bravely trying to show their colours whilst surrounded by Villa.
1-0 Wigan. The worst game in history settled by a wonder goal stunner from Grealish in the last minute.
4-2 Norwich,.Hourihane hat trick
The game at Blues where they threw claret and blue clappers at our players.
4-1 vs Wolves and 3 straight home wins vs Blues
The final vs Fulham, a great day until actual kick off.
Being outplayed by Albion at home but beating them in the playoffs.
Derby at Wembley. Couldn't get a ticket for that one so telly had to suffice.
I generally enjoyed it, even the first year it was nice to win lots of games again even though we lost a few few. The following year we still won 24 games despite blowing it at Wembley.
It was fun but I never ever imagined five years on we would be where we are now. Thank you, Fulham x 2 and thank you Mr Emery.
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That last minute penalty at Reading to give us our first away win in forever.
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Only just came across this thread.
Those days do feel like 50 years ago as opposed to five so puts the present "struggles" hugely into perspective.
I guess it's similar to living through us going down to division two in the early 70s and then see us winning the league and conquering Europe less than a decade later?
I remember at the time loads on here liking us being down there and not really wanting to get promoted as not many ever thought we'd be that competitive at prem level again so would rather stay down and win 20 games every season.
In reality we're now pretty much winning as many games as we did down there. In 16/17 we only actually won 16 out of 46 games and had two dismal runs that got Di Matteo the sack and then Bruce had about a 12 match winless run in the early part of 2017.
Just shuddering at that team posted for Sheff Weds. Again people genuinely thought it was good enough to go up and had underestimated the league quality.
17/18 was better as we finally went on a good winning run and Grealish became intergral in the second half of the season but I've never felt as low as I did after losing a game as after 2018 play off final. Not just the loss but you really feel we'd go into the wilderness for a decade given how bad the financial situation was. Thankfully NSWE then turned up....
It seems from that 10 match winning run in spring 2019 we've become good again in seasons at timing runs just when it really matters so I'm still hopeful of getting over the line still this season as feels we're still riding the wave of momentum created five years ago.
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I liked it because I lived in West London and I got to go to loads of away games. I hated it because we lost most of those away games and because Steve Bruce was our manager for most of it.
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5 years ago today was the semi-final first leg. The noise when Conor Hourihane's equaliser went in was as loud as anything I can recall in an all-seated Villa Park.
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I was monumentally hungover at that first leg. As is often the case, a Villa win was the best hangover cure. I remember saying to everyone at the Barton's afterwards "see you at Wembley", being utterly convinced it was true and so it proved.
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I hated every second of it.
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It had its moments.
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I never felt joy though. At most, relief - especially when it was over.
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I never felt joy though. At most, relief - especially when it was over.
Excellent description. Sitting in Villa Park with the Upper Trinity closed was grim.
Five years later you can hardly get a ticket!
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I have a few DVD's from those three seasons in the Championship and was watching some of them recently.
There was some real shockers amongst them including a 3-1 defeat to Luton in the League Cup first round in that first season down there.
Luton were in the fourth division (League One) at the time and they ran rings around us.
I knew it was going to be a tough season.
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I have a few DVD's from those three seasons in the Championship and was watching some of them recently.
There was some real shockers amongst them including a 3-1 defeat to Luton in the League Cup first round in that first season down there.
Luton were in the fourth division (League One) at the time and they ran rings around us.
I knew it was going to be a tough season.
Okore scored a comedy own goal in that so that basically ruled him out of being any part of our comeback.
Elphick was another massive disappointment. Probably a sign of how bad things had got with signings that a squad player at Bournemouth was being lauded as the new McNaught/Allan Evans and in reality he was as good as you'd expect a squad player from Bournemouth to be e.g. not very.
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There are DVDs of our Championship Years?
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There are DVDs of our Championship Years?
Scream, Scream 2 and Scream 3.
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But those 10 wins in a row ❤️
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I'm surprised there hasn't been a book covering our Championship odyssey.
Pitch Publishing seem to have found a niche in publishing Football nostalgia books about clubs or countries:
https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/upcoming-releases?page=%2C%2C5
Was actually thinking of buying one about the Al Fayed years at Fulham that I think they have published in the last few months and you also have Scotland at Euro 96 etc.
Of course Dave and Percy on here produced some great themes 15-20 years ago to give perspectives on seasons/managers but it's been a bit of a dry spell since for most recent Villa topics.
I don't think there's a book out there that deals with the O'Neill/Lerner fall out years? I'm sure now he's been out of Football for a fair number of years Paul Faulkner could give a chapter's worth of thoughts, maybe McLeish aswell?
Same with the Championship years. Keith Wyness seems to be giving a running commentary of Everton's takeover currently so I imagine he would be willing to share his unique perspective on our two seasons.
David Bernstein also just released a book about his time being Chairman of Man. City in the late 90s. You forget he was here for a few months in an advisory role just before we were relegated.
So much material and then can slot in our renaissance to the present day to tie things up.
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I'm surprised there hasn't been a book covering our Championship odyssey.
Pitch Publishing seem to have found a niche in publishing Football nostalgia books about clubs or countries:
https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/upcoming-releases?page=%2C%2C5
Was actually thinking of buying one about the Al Fayed years at Fulham that I think they have published in the last few months and you also have Scotland at Euro 96 etc.
Of course Dave and Percy on here produced some great themes 15-20 years ago to give perspectives on seasons/managers but it's been a bit of a dry spell since for most recent Villa topics.
I don't think there's a book out there that deals with the O'Neill/Lerner fall out years? I'm sure now he's been out of Football for a fair number of years Paul Faulkner could give a chapter's worth of thoughts, maybe McLeish aswell?
Same with the Championship years. Keith Wyness seems to be giving a running commentary of Everton's takeover currently so I imagine he would be willing to share his unique perspective on our two seasons.
David Bernstein also just released a book about his time being Chairman of Man. City in the late 90s. You forget he was here for a few months in an advisory role just before we were relegated.
So much material and then can slot in our renaissance to the present day to tie things up.
You never know...
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Is there any chance of a list being published somewhere of the best books about Villa? A recommended reading list, if you will.
I don't really know where to start.
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You dropping a hint there Dave?
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Is there any chance of a list being published somewhere of the best books about Villa? A recommended reading list, if you will.
I don't really know where to start.
Children of the Revolution and start from there.
This era is ripe for a sequel given how the last decade has gone.
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First season three games in v Huddersfield .1-0 up and in the final ten minutes. I thought we were at the start of a winning streak which would take us back up.Then Gollini's clearance hits a Huddersfield player on the back and bounces in from outside the area. I realised then it was going to be a long haul back.
I was there for that one. And the thrill fest of drawing with Brentford
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Remember us trying to get a winner and bringing on Chris Samba up front.
He was blowing out his arse after 5 minutes and a bloke behind me said "fair play though, he's pull a hell of a shift in".
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Is there any chance of a list being published somewhere of the best books about Villa? A recommended reading list, if you will.
I don't really know where to start.
Let me do you a favour.
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Dr. Tony Xia
@Dr_TonyXia
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Oct 18, 2019
Also very FUNNY how some people talk when they wanted to take Villa into administration which would have meant -12 points &a very bleak future, but asking for extra payment for himself. I NEVER regretful for what I tried for beloved AV including the best exit in circumstances!
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The way Leeds lost today was pretty much an exact replica of that Fulham game. Concede after 20 or so minutes (similar goal) and then spend the rest of the game with most possession without many shots.
Rumours of financial Armageddon aswell. Problem for them is they've already had a takeover but still hamstrung from deals put together by previous ownership so interesting how it all plays out in next six months.
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Maybe we should put in a cheeky 50p bid in for Somerville and see what happens.
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Maybe we should put in a cheeky 50p bid in for Somerville and see what happens.
He won't leave Leeds as he's a smalltown boy.
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There's one for the memory banks!
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Maybe we should put in a cheeky 50p bid in for Somerville and see what happens.
He won't leave Leeds as he's a smalltown boy.
Excellent
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Weird I mentioned the Pitch Publishing books in the post a few months ago. Just clicked on that link and there's a book about our second place finishes under SGT and Big Ron so will get that in a few weeks:
https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/upcoming-releases?page=%2C%2C5
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Would quite like to read about our second tier seasons from 1973-1975. Nearly going up under Vic Crowe, then struggling and then Ron Saunders taking us up and winning the League Cup.
Assume there isn't a book about this period though.
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I would have thought that Richard Whitehead's excellent 'Children of the Revolution' would be your best bet.
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Thanks Dave, will have to have a look for that one.
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COTR is almost certainly the best Villa book of all time.
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Thanks Dave, will have to have a look for that one.
I've got it, I've probably lent it you. If not, will have a look for it at some point.
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Never liked it. We had been ever present in the premier league but that was now gone needlessly in my opinion. Followed by the lowest league finish I've seen supporting villa.
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Thanks Dave, will have to have a look for that one.
I've got it, I've probably lent it you. If not, will have a look for it at some point.
Could you not just have shouted that down to the bottom bunk?!
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We did have bunk beds back in the day. Think that stooped when we moved out from by Cockshut Hill in 1988.
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I'm surprised there hasn't been a book covering our Championship odyssey.
I always thought that there would be interest in a Tony Xia piece as there is so much still not known about who him and who was behind him.
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Sheffield Wednesday away and Tammy & Albert getting two last minute goals,
A game also memorable for me in that when I heard the result, next the pool in a hotel in Cape Verde, I immediately looked for the goals on Sky site, the wifi must have dropped out and phone switched over to roaming, outside the EU. A bill for the thick end of £500 swiftly followed.
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I'm surprised there hasn't been a book covering our Championship odyssey.
I always thought that there would be interest in a Tony Xia piece as there is so much still not known about who him and who was behind him.
Think Gregg Evans did a piece for the Athletic with Wyness a few years ago on Xia so that's probably the best you'll get or a chapter in a future book.