Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: dave.woodhall on November 25, 2013, 12:37:50 AM
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http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-brian-little-hopes-6335506
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Brilliant player and loved him as our manager, legend.
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I wish I had been around when he was playing, but I loved him as our manager. Finished higher than all of the people after him and brought in silverware, so for me, our best manager of recent(ish) times. Plus he's a proper Villa bloke. Happy birthday, sir.
(Cheers again to Curious Orange for uploading this!)
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Best wishes Brian on your 60th - a great player and a great man too!
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God, really, another marker in the all too quick passing of time. That night at QPR (well, Highbury actually) is etched on my brain as one of my best as a teenager ever. Football wise, that is!!!
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His playing days were before my time but I loved him as our manager.
Happy Birthday Sir Brian.
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Happy Birthday Sir Brian. He still walks on water
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A great Villa man. Really loved the side he put together and the football we played.
Never hear an ounce of bitterness from him and still loves the game and the club.
hard to fathom his decline as a manager since Villa, thought he would be ideal for Lambert as an assistant manager or upstairs at the club.
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Sir Brian.....what a player and what a manager !
Happy Birthday. UTV
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He comes across to me as having almost too much integrity for football nowadays. Or at least the premier league.
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My favourite Villa player and I loved his sides when he was a manager. happy birthday Sir Brian!
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Also nineteen years to the day since he became Villa manager.
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Happy 60th Brian. Watched you from the youth team to an England international (criminal that you did not get selected more often) I have nothing but total respect for you. A great footballer, decent human being and the best Manager in my era bar Sir Ron. Thank you for making my life good by your association with the Villa.
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Happy 60th Brian. Watched you from the youth team to an England international (criminal that you did not get selected more often) I have nothing but total respect for you. A great footballer, decent human being and the best Manager in my era bar Sir Ron. Thank you for making my life good by your association with the Villa.
Olaftab - i don't think i could have described my affection for this man any better. My life has certainly been enriched by his presence....i had been watching Villa since mid 60's but this man became my first real Villa hero.
Loved him as a mere 16/17 year old in that youth team that done the devil's own Blues and winning the cup at Anfield and i still love him as a 60 year old - great great Villan.
Incidentally in the video clip above showed another great Villa man who is no longer with us - running across the pitch and shaking Sir Brian's hand - Terry Weir - he would have taken some great shots that night!!!
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Happy Birthday Sir Brian.
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Happy birthday Sir Brian, still my favourite all time Villa legend.
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Wishing Bri a very happy birthday, loved and respected always, Mr. Villa.
For those of my generation (same age as Bri) he represents the wonder and joy of our climb back to the top from those 3rd Division days. I sat with him at Bradford City as we won 1-0, saw him direct play v Torquay at 17 (I think), delighted in his two should have been three) goals at Hillsboro when we were promoted and I introduced my now wife to the Villa and was thrilled by 29 shots on goal when he was manager v West Ham, I think.
God bless you, SuperBri.
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Picture of him with his 3 very young kids on twitter celebrating his 60th this weekend.
Great man, good manager and obviously superb footballer
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Happy birthday Sir Brian, the best Villa player I ever saw, legend.
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Favourite all time player! Happy Birthday Sir Brian of Little!
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His playing days were before my time but I loved him as our manager.
Happy Birthday Sir Brian.
I hated it. I was always expecting it to go horribly wrong for him, and I didn't want it to end badly.
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I love Brian. My first football hero. And still my hero. Just a shame it went so wrong with him as manager. I was worried we'd lose him to England, instead his managerial career went downhill at a shockingly rapid rate. Always struck me as a genuinely nice guy, maybe that was his problem as a manager, he was just too nice and had too much integrity. I love you Brian.
And i'll always pretend that you weren't going to sign for small heath.
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Happy birthday Brian, I was too young to ever see you as a player but have extremely fond memories of your managerial years. Amazing days, along with BFR my favourite Villa boss ever.
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Can't wait for the Brian Little Stand.
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Happy Birthday Sir Brian
Out of interest, anyone around at the time know how many fans we took to Hihgbury vs QPR and also vs Everton at Hillsborough and Old Trafford?
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maybe losing John Gregory from his backroom staff was a significant part in Little's struggles at the end of his Villa reign?
He certainly had issues with cretins like Collymore and Curcic, and Milosevic (though wouldnt put Savo in the same category as other two).
Maintaining discipline probably wasnt his strongest attribute as a manager, which begs the question why he thought he could get the best out of Collymore and Curcic. These werent the only players acting like clowns off the pitch at the time, Charles, Bosnich, Draper maybe more were causing problems too if I recall.
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I think he had some issues in his private life too around the same time didn't he?
Still, a good tenure as manager they were fun times.
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God, really, another marker in the all too quick passing of time. That night at QPR (well, Highbury actually) is etched on my brain as one of my best as a teenager ever. Football wise, that is!!!
Me too-that was probably my best ever game as a fan. Old Trafford final was good too, but Highbury was truly special.
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My favourite villa player and one of our best managers. Such a pity he wasn't in charge when Randy was splashing the cash.
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One of my happiest times watching our Brian was when we beat QPR 3 0 at Highbury in 1977 in the league cup semi final, he got a brilliant hat trick, what a player and what a great night.
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One of the best players I've ever seen play; magical at times.
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He said he woke up one day and knew it would be his last day managing the Villa. Joe Kinnear mimicked the pocketing of three points a few days earlier when Wimbledon beat us 2-1. I think Brian had just had enough of the pressure that was coming down on him.
That season was frustrating. We showed in fits and starts under Brian how good we could be and under Gregory that spring everything clicked and we were sensational for the last three months. I bet both men regret resigning now though.
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I think he has said he had some personal problems which were weighing heavily on him at the time he resigned. He was very open about wanting another crack at the time SGT left and before DOL was appointed.