Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: PeterWithesShin on March 27, 2026, 04:52:54 PM
-
Hibernian Football Club
@HibernianFC
5m
Everyone at Hibernian FC is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Hibs legend Alex Cropley, at the age of 75.
A member of the Hibs Hall of Fame, Alex made 199 appearances for the Club and was an instrumental part of the iconic 'Turnbull's Tornadoes' side that won the League Cup in 1972.
Cropley scored 49 goals for Hibs, including the fourth in our 0-7 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle on New Year's Day 1973.
Rest in peace, Alex 💚
-
(https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/MczbEcz7Naj6g540NjQ2Ng==/alex-cropley-aston-villa-197778-440nw-3117139a.jpg)
-
https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2026/march/27/news-tribute-to-alex-cropley
-
God bless Alex and thanks for the memories.
-
Great player. Don’t know of one person who saw him play that didn’t say the same
-
One reckless
tackle assault and his career was all but open. Such a shame. Such a talent.
HEITS
-
Very sad great player RIP
-
Alex was an excellent player fierce in the tackle and a tremendous distributor of the ball. Condolences to his family.
-
RIP.
-
Really sad news. One of my all time favourites, a lovely footballer on the ball with the heart of a lion but fair with it.
Condolences to his all his family and friends.
HEITS
-
RIP Alex.
-
One of my indelible sporting memories is not a sight but a sound. I'm watching Aston Villa play West Bromwich Albion one grey day in 1977. The derby is always intense, but today there seems a kind of malevolence to the match, and to the crowd; you would not want to be out there. In the Villa midfield is a slight figure called Alex Cropley, a Scot who is in the form of his life. The previous season he had inspired Villa to a 5-1 win over Liverpool, the champions , and this afternoon he is making the Albion side - the team of John Wile and Len Cantello, one of the most uncompromising ever to take to a football field - look like park players.
There is nothing of Cropley, he is in that mould of footballer that is quick and wiry, playing in spaces, seeing gaps, but he is fearless, too, never stepping back from a challenge. The Villa fans have a favourite song, through which, in the company of my dad, I tend to mumble, though I appreciate the sentiment: ' Five-foot eight, not much weight, Alex Cropley's fucking great, la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.'
In my memory, I'm half-humming this and straining to see the pitch when a ball falls from the sky exactly between Cropley and an Albion player named Ally Brown , both running at full pace from opposite directions about 10 yards apart; an instant later Cropley meets the ball and Brown meets Cropley with all the force at his will, a force that seems to have built up steadily with each challenge in the match , and is looking for a way to escape. It is then I hear the sound, an other-worldly noise, easily loud enough to silence 35,000 people in a state of high excitement, like the gunshot that starts a race. This is not a start, though; it's an ending of sorts. It is the sound of Alex Cropley's breaking leg, a sharp crack that snaps tibia and fibula and leaves the lower portion of his shin skewed at a vicious angle to the upper part.
I can still hear it now, that crack that seemed to echo in an absolute chill quiet . I don't remember any of the goals of that game, or of that season, but I'll never forget that sound; it was the first moment in my life as a spectator, I suppose, when sport suddenly seemed like mortality. Major injuries always announce themselves immediately; teammates know the worst has happened, so do fans, so does the player. The suspension of disbelief that surrounds the match is punctured, the injury allows a different, messier register of understanding back into a stadium. What has seemed play, suddenly is real; where all before was speed and recklessness, now all is care and slowness.
Cropley, who was 26 , played a few times more, but not with any of his previous grace and pace; what had once looked wiry about him and his legs now looked as if it would easily snap. The more heartless Albion fans developed a chant about the incident : 'Alex, Alex Crippley.' Cropley drifted out of the game; he had played for Scotland twice
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jan/06/features.sport20
-
I can't add to Rudy's post.
-
RIP Alex Cropley, thanks for some fantastic memories.
I think his son has occasionally posted on here, so I extend my deepest condolences to him and his family.
#HEITS
-
His son posted on this thread about Alex
https://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=51261.0
-
I didn’t see him but I believe the people who did. Go well.
-
One of my favourite ever Villa players.He offered us a real different class and guile allied to fearless tackles. A driver in our upward quest to greatness.
-
My favourite player of that era. Loved him. Remember listening to Tony Butler as the news came in. I keep asking my dad how long broken legs took to heal, a long time he said and he was right. RIP Alex
-
Before my time , but the generation above me talk fondly of him so that's good enough for me.
RIP
-
As a little kid my favourite player was Brian, followed by Alex. I was there when that scum broke his leg with an assault rather than a tackle and heard the snap of his leg. I'll always believe they set out to injure our players that day.
-
A wonderful, classy player whose physique belied his tenacious tackling ability.
RIP.
-
This is such sad news. Alex Cropley was a wonderful footballer whose courage in the tackle belied his slight frame. Ì was at that game with Albion, and agree with PWS that Albion set out to injure our players that day. I was also at many of the other games in which Alex Cropley established himself as one of our greatest players in that never to be forgotten era. I remember particularly our League Cup Semi Final ties with QPR, and Frank Mclintock trying to throttle Cropley. What a player he was.
-
One of the first eleven Villa players I ever saw live. Even at a young age I could appreciate his passing and his wholehearted approach to tackling. A great player.
-
Absolute fabulous player. He was core to that late 70s side.
-
Absolutely gutted with this news. My all time Villa hero, I was 11 when he signed and obviously very impressionable but I’ve not seen a better midfield player than him in my time watching us. John McGinn has proven to be a fine successor to the “wee fella” but no one surpasses Crops in my eyes. Slots into a midfield 3 with Sid and Dennis Mortimer in my ultimate Villa Xl
-
RIP to a great player.
I was at the match described in the Guardian article on page 1 of this thread. Brown’s “tackle” was worse than described, it was a lunge from behind as Cropley brought the ball forward from his own half. The attendance was in excess of 43,000, not 35,000 as described.
-
Agree with all the sentiments above, fantastic player who could do everything. I loved him.
From my book, Gangsters, Geezers & Mods:
In those pre-Sky Sports days, Saturdays were for watching football and Sundays were for playing it, and I would rise with the sun to don the replica Villa shirt that served me so well. The number 10 on the back was ironed on in praise of Chico Hamilton and remained contemporary throughout Alex Cropley’s reign as my favourite player. It was his identity I adopted during our impromptu kickabouts and, as my admiration grew, I aspired to pass as accurately and tackle as ferociously as the diminutive Scot. With my claret and blue caser at my feet, I’d set off for the rolling acres of Aston Park where about twenty playmates in Villa colours would be waiting, along with a couple of bluenoses. One of them was Jeremy, whose obsession with his hero Trevor Francis rivalled mine with Cropley. From the laughable cheap blue kit to the troubled complexion, he WAS Francis, his boils and pimples so numerous he looked more like the picture of his hero I kept on my dartboard than the not-so-great man himself. Half-time coincided with Sunday dinner and Star Soccer, then it was back out for the second half.
When the ball became invisible in the fading light, the match, by now a twenty-a-side affair, would reconvene under the brightness of street lights until bedtime.
All was well with the world. The Holte End was never louder, the Villa were never better, and Blues? Well let’s just say they never change. My happiness was unbounded until the fateful day when Ally Brown broke Cropley’s leg and my heart in an unspeakable act of thuggery, the mere memory of which has me reaching for my old shin pads. A 3-0 win over West Brom in no way compensated for the loss of such a player, and it was with a heavy heart that I trudged on to Aston Park the next morning. There before me was Jeremy and his Blues mate. As everybody knows, children can be cruel, and as I approached I could tell from their smirks and whispers that they were about to prove it.
“It’s Alex Cripple-y,” said one twat. “Alex, Alex Crop-er-ley,
“Can’t play football properly,” sang the other one.
Defiantly I sprinted towards them. That day, for once, I was not Alex. They were Alex. I was Ally Brown.
-
Emblematic of our rise through the seventies. RIP, Alex.
-
Another Villa player whose career was ended far too soon, nearly 27 when that injury happend and was never the same after and hardly played again before retiring at 31.
-
RIP Alex
Used to love watching him play a real
class act a great player , definitely one
of my favourite players , a very sad day
-
RIP My dad is struggling at the moment , dont think I will tell him this news as he bloody loved him , probably his fave player.
-
There's nothing more to be said. A magnificent player, a modest man.
-
Before my time, but have heard the stories and always have time to listen to those who have seen a legend play in the flesh. Alex Cropley is always described, to everyone I've heard talk of him, as if he belonged in the very top tier.
RIP.
-
Before my time but whatever I’ve read on here a real loss following the act of thuggery that ruined his career.
RIP.
-
Alex was such a great player. His tackling and distribution were first class. Very sad to hear this news. RIP Alex.
-
Not just a fantastic player for the club, but also helped Cowams to develop into a legend as well.
Really sad news.
-
One of my favourite players in my favourite Villa team ever.
-
A few years before my time, but have heard all the great things about him. RIP HEITS
-
Very sad news, due to injuries, didn't play too many games for us, but still one of the most popular players to have played for the Villa.
RIP Alex
-
I notice from Pravda that Geoff Vowden has passed away too. As a kid at the time I vaguely remember him from the Division 3 promotion year. What I do remember is being fascinated by his surname starting with a V. Coming from an Irish background it seemed so exotic.
-
Not just a fantastic player for the club, but also helped Cowams to develop into a legend as well.
Really sad news.
Yes. No finer a mentor. If you think about it they were both of slight build but got stuck in as good as anyone. Alex suffering due to some premeditated thuggery by a West Bromwich Albion thug and Sid by some Mexican thug in Spain. Fortunately Sid recovered, Alex not so lucky after his GBH incident.
-
I notice from Pravda that Geoff Vowden has passed away too. As a kid at the time I vaguely remember him from the Division 3 promotion year. What I do remember is being fascinated by his surname starting with a V. Coming from an Irish background it seemed so exotic.
The equaliser in the 1972 win over Bournemouth in front of 48,000.
-
A very fine player with the rare ability to combine skill and a ferocious desire to win the ball fairly in a tackle, (unlike Ally Brown).
I always thought he was the prototype for Sid and I wonder what he could have been for us had he not had his career cut short in a dirty game. That fateful afternoon was a really dirty affair, and Barry Davies, commenting on the game for BBC onMOTD, said after that injury that th e game was so I’ll tempered that the referee should blow up early for half time. Barely had he spoken those words when Gidman scored our second.
A neighbour of mine, an Albion fan and a really decent bloke, told me of an afternoon when Brown was out walking and saw Cropley coming towards him so he crossed the road and pretended not to have seen him. Summed him up I reckon.
RIP Alex
-
Really sad news. One of my all time favourites, a lovely footballer on the ball with the heart of a lion but fair with it.
Condolences to his all his family and friends.
HEITS
Perfectly put. I share these thoughts.
-
RIP Alex. Thanks for the memories.
-
RIP Alex Cropley. I was privileged to see him play a few times, and like many others have said, he was one of my favorites. Skillful and fully committed.
Sincere condolences to his family.
-
I notice from Pravda that Geoff Vowden has passed away too. As a kid at the time I vaguely remember him from the Division 3 promotion year. What I do remember is being fascinated by his surname starting with a V. Coming from an Irish background it seemed so exotic.
The equaliser in the 1972 win over Bournemouth in front of 48,000.
Geoff Vowden did a fine job for that Villa side. He was a very experienced player when we signed him and overcame a lot of stick because of who we bought him from. However he scored some really important goals including that one against Bournemouth and, later that season the goal that secured promotion at Mansfield. A good, hard working player who holds an important place in Villa's history.
-
Alex Cropley....just typing the name creates a vision of a wonderfully gifted, talented player, a delight on the ball, an eye for goal and a tough tackler...a perfect player for any team, but he was ours and every Villa fan who saw him play, loved him.
If not for that incident he would have been our best player, and a regular Scottish international, for many years to come.
Special memories.
Thank you Alex Cropley.
RIP
-
I notice from Pravda that Geoff Vowden has passed away too. As a kid at the time I vaguely remember him from the Division 3 promotion year. What I do remember is being fascinated by his surname starting with a V. Coming from an Irish background it seemed so exotic.
The equaliser in the 1972 win over Bournemouth in front of 48,000.
Geoff Vowden did a fine job for that Villa side. He was a very experienced player when we signed him and overcame a lot of stick because of who we bought him from. However he scored some really important goals including that one against Bournemouth and, later that season the goal that secured promotion at Mansfield. A good, hard working player who holds an important place in Villa's history.
Absolutely GB!
Always think of him as a quiet but significant part of our rise from Div 3!
RIP Geoff.
-
I did see Alex play (including the 5-1 Liverpool game) , but was too young to appreciate his talent. I've always thought Gordon Cowans is the most naturally gifted Villa player I've seen in my time. To hear older supporters say he was better than Sid is some tribute. I'm at the Hibs game next weekend (booked before his passing) so will join in the tribute. RIP Alex.
-
I did see Alex play (including the 5-1 Liverpool game) , but was too young to appreciate his talent. I've always thought Gordon Cowans is the most naturally gifted Villa player I've seen in my time. To hear older supporters say he was better than Sid is some tribute. I'm at the Hibs game next weekend (booked before his passing) so will join in the tribute. RIP Alex.
I haven't heard any say he was better than Sid. I don't think he had Sid's passing-range or shooting ability but he certainly shared with the younger man a tenacity and intensity that made them both great players.
-
I notice from Pravda that Geoff Vowden has passed away too. As a kid at the time I vaguely remember him from the Division 3 promotion year. What I do remember is being fascinated by his surname starting with a V. Coming from an Irish background it seemed so exotic.
The equaliser in the 1972 win over Bournemouth in front of 48,000.
Geoff Vowden did a fine job for that Villa side. He was a very experienced player when we signed him and overcame a lot of stick because of who we bought him from. However he scored some really important goals including that one against Bournemouth and, later that season the goal that secured promotion at Mansfield. A good, hard working player who holds an important place in Villa's history.
Indeed he does. 22 goals in 97 league appearances, and very important ones among them.
-
I’m told that Alex was similar to Sid? Sadly, I never saw him play but hope he’s at peace. Thanks for being a Villan Alex. RIP.
-
My early days watching Villa, Andy Gray, Brian Little, and Alex Cropley were my heroes.
He was tenacious in the tackle, fast and just exciting to watch.
RIP Alex
-
My dad is 98 and says he’s the best midfielder he’s seen for the Villa. Creative player and dominant like Johnny Giles.
I’m too young to remember really but he did score in my second game against Arsenal.
-
I did see Alex play (including the 5-1 Liverpool game), but was too young to appreciate his talent.
Same here. https://x.com/AvfcArchive/status/2037576735529619652
-
I saw Alex Cropley play many times, tenacious, fearless with a cultured left foot
RIP Alex
-
I’m told that Alex was similar to Sid? Sadly, I never saw him play but hope he’s at peace. Thanks for being a Villan Alex. RIP.
They were similar in that both were slightly built but could tackle harder than you would have expected from their physiques. Both technically wonderful footballers.
-
I notice from Pravda that Geoff Vowden has passed away too. As a kid at the time I vaguely remember him from the Division 3 promotion year. What I do remember is being fascinated by his surname starting with a V. Coming from an Irish background it seemed so exotic.
The equaliser in the 1972 win over Bournemouth in front of 48,000.
Geoff Vowden did a fine job for that Villa side. He was a very experienced player when we signed him and overcame a lot of stick because of who we bought him from. However he scored some really important goals including that one against Bournemouth and, later that season the goal that secured promotion at Mansfield. A good, hard working player who holds an important place in Villa's history.
Geoff Vowden was a big part of Villa’s fight back following our relegation to division 3 in 1970, scored so many important goals.
RIP Geoff
-
My dad is 98 and says he’s the best midfielder he’s seen for the Villa. Creative player and dominant like Johnny Giles.
I’m too young to remember really but he did score in my second game against Arsenal.
1-0? Late goal? Think we might have heard the cheer as we left early. (I was in my mate’s dad’s car so it wasn’t my decision).
-
My dad is 98 and says he’s the best midfielder he’s seen for the Villa. Creative player and dominant like Johnny Giles.
I’m too young to remember really but he did score in my second game against Arsenal.
1-0? Late goal? Think we might have heard the cheer as we left early. (I was in my mate’s dad’s car so it wasn’t my decision).
That’s right! 1977
-
I’m told that Alex was similar to Sid? Sadly, I never saw him play but hope he’s at peace. Thanks for being a Villan Alex. RIP.
They were similar in that both were slightly built but could tackle harder than you would have expected from their physiques. Both technically wonderful footballers.
Many thanks Dick. Must have been some player as Sid is my favourite ever player for Villa.
-
My dad is 98 and says he’s the best midfielder he’s seen for the Villa. Creative player and dominant like Johnny Giles.
I’m too young to remember really but he did score in my second game against Arsenal.
1-0? Late goal? Think we might have heard the cheer as we left early. (I was in my mate’s dad’s car so it wasn’t my decision).
That’s right! 1977
Funny what you remember. We were parked under the bridge past the Yew Tree and heard the roar from there.
-
My dad is 98 and says he’s the best midfielder he’s seen for the Villa. Creative player and dominant like Johnny Giles.
I’m too young to remember really but he did score in my second game against Arsenal.
1-0? Late goal? Think we might have heard the cheer as we left early. (I was in my mate’s dad’s car so it wasn’t my decision).
That’s right! 1977
That season I think we had scored in every home game until this one. Looked like ending scoreless until Alex Cropley popped up with a nice goal - that is the goal of his I always remember because very late goals seemed rare at that time
-
RIP Alex. HEITS.
-
A fabulous player. He was a joy to watch. I can still recall the sight of him being carried off after that horrendous tackle and Ron Saunders holding his hand walking alongside the stretcher. A sad day indeed. RIP Alex.
-
In a game at the Hawthorns, I once saw him carry the ball into a clutch of Albion players. The situation didn't seem too promising, but he just dribbled through them and came out on the other side.
Always remember Alex collecting the ball from the back of the net in the LC Final at Old Trafford after Everton's late equaliser, clenching his fist at his team-mates as if to say, "Well, we're just going to have to win it all over again!"
What a player!
-
What a player, Lion hearted, skilful never shirked a challenge
like many others, I remember hearing that crack.
To his family condolences , you had a husband/father who has a special part in many memories
-
What a player, Lion hearted, skilful never shirked a challenge
like many others, I remember hearing that crack.
To his family condolences , you had a husband/father who has a special part in many memories
I thought I was imagining that crack myself
-
What a player, Lion hearted, skilful never shirked a challenge
like many others, I remember hearing that crack.
To his family condolences , you had a husband/father who has a special part in many memories
I thought I was imagining that crack myself
I recall it, horrible. He was a courageous and skilful player with a magic left foot. Yes many memories of his time with us.
-
Before my time.but i've read and heard nothing but good things about him.
-
I’d forgotten, but he was very good very quickly with us, and I don’t remember him having to take time to settle in. I could never work out why Arsenal had let him go.
-
The tragedy of his injury was that he was absolutely on top form going into that game and must have had a great chance of making the Scotland squad for the WC.
Oddly enough. Alex had missed the away game against Athletic Bilbao in the midweek (replaced by John Gregory, as I recall) but was fit again for the Albion game.
-
Before my time as well, RIP sounded like a fine player and a great guy.
-
I’d forgotten, but he was very good very quickly with us, and I don’t remember him having to take time to settle in. I could never work out why Arsenal had let him go.
In the short time he was at Arsenal he suffered two broken legs so I'm guessing they had enough concerns about his long term fitness to gladly recoup virtually the transfer fee from us that they'd paid Hibs.
-
I’d forgotten, but he was very good very quickly with us, and I don’t remember him having to take time to settle in. I could never work out why Arsenal had let him go.
In the short time he was at Arsenal he suffered two broken legs so I'm guessing they had enough concerns about his long term fitness to gladly recoup virtually the transfer fee from us that they'd paid Hibs.
Cheers Dick. I never knew that.
-
I’d forgotten, but he was very good very quickly with us, and I don’t remember him having to take time to settle in. I could never work out why Arsenal had let him go.
In the short time he was at Arsenal he suffered two broken legs so I'm guessing they had enough concerns about his long term fitness to gladly recoup virtually the transfer fee from us that they'd paid Hibs.
Cheers Dick. I never knew that.
I vaguely remember that at the time and wondered why we made such a gamble on a player. Like another wonderful player we signed much later with an iffy injury record I’m so glad we did. And yes, he was great from the off.
-
A minutes applause today at the Hibs game
(https://i.ibb.co/fYZX49SP/IMG-1945.png) (https://ibb.co/fYZX49SP)