Robert Hopkins

[garyshawsknee]

Apologies if this has been covered before,but as i'm not from the Birmingham area,and was only very young in the early 80s I need something clearing up for me.

 I'm currently reading the Danny Baker and Danny Kelly book,and there's a part about hard teams,and it has a piece about the mid 80s Blues team.

 Quoted from the book.. '' Winger Hopkins-though a hardcore Birmingham fan-found himself playing for the Blues' hated local rivals Aston Villa.
                                          In his last game for the club he wore a Birmingham badge over the Villa crest on his shirt.When he went to take a
                                          corner in front of the Villa fans,they noticed this piece of sacrilege and began,unsuprisingly,climbing the fences that
                                          in those days girded the playing area,clawing desperately at the winger and howling for his blood.Hopkins laughed
                                          at them,flicked them a V-sign,deliberately booted the ball out for a goal kick and ran off. ''

   Now,as I never really saw him play,I had the image of him as a rodent like weasel,not a hard man. Was anyone at the game? Is this true ?

[Legion]

The part about wearing the badge over the crest is correct. The reaction of the crowd and his subsequent actions I am not sure about.

[Legion]

Yes, he used to wear a Small Heath Alliance shirt underneath his cleaner, more respectable Villa kit. Yes, he did play for our first team.

[Legion]

Wow! Fast editing!!

[garyshawsknee]

Ta,when was this,just after European Cup years ? I can see why his name is mentioned in the same breathe as Hodge!

[Legion]

He was on our books from 1979-1983. Made three appearances and scored one goal.

[garyshawsknee]

Thankgod for Mark Walters!!

[gervilla]

Are there any pictures of the shit with the shits crest on his Villa shirt ?

[luke95]

He was on our books from 1979-1983. Made three appearances and scored one goal.

Did he only make the 3 appearances !, seemed to be around a lot more than that . Must've been on the bench a good few times.   

[Exeter 77]

The goal he scored was was  with his 1st touch in his first game after coming on as sub - against Norwich I think.

[willywombat]

Heard this story before and although the badge bit is correct the rest of it is bollocks as far as I'm aware. garyshawsknee, you are spot on with the rodent analogy although like a lot of small heath scum he hid behind bigger boys

[Oscar Arce]

No you're wrong I played against Robert Hopkins and his mad brothers on Sunday mornings in Acocks Green, his brothers were better players than him believe it or not but they were all complete nobheads for a drink and a fight and you would'nt want to cross them.
Hopkins has a Blues badge on his leg, his socks were rolled down when some Villa supporters saw his tattoo, and went balistic, I think it was at Notts County.
He scored in his first touch against Norwich, correct Exeter, he and that other pillar of society,Noel Blake were at Villa at the same time, and both got sent to the dark side, their preferred home. Blake was accused of nicking player's stuff in the changing room at Bodymoor, allegedly.
You can still See Hopkins driving a knackered old white van round Solihull now and drinking in the area.

[garyshawsknee]

You can still See Hopkins driving a knackered old white van round Solihull now and drinking in the area.

 Is he a painter and decorater now?

[Pete3206]

Rat faced wanker.

[eamonn]

Rat faced wanker.

I thought that was Paul T(a)it.