Villa man seen stumbling out of spanish bar prior to game.

[Greg N'Ash]

Ah well..............false alarm.  I can see i'm never going to get at that 20 year old Talisker if him and Thatcher have their way.

[WikiVilla]

I dont mind the Doug Ellis Stand now, he deserves it 

The North Stand does need a new name now though

thread ??

[VillaZogmariner]

I did my school work experience at the Villa Souvenir Shop for 2 weeks many moons ago, and met Doug whilst I was working there. (I also met Yorke, Richardson and Big Ron). About 18 months later I was in a queue in the ticket office and Doug was in there and recognised me and spent about 15 mins talking to me and asking how I was finding things now I'd left school. Considering I'd only briefly met him as a school trainee all that time previous I was amazed he knew who I was!

[VillaZogmariner]

It is the Witton Lane stand.

Should be renamed The Dennis Mortimer Stand.

A discussion for another time and place, but I can think of other people more deserving a stand named after them than Dennis Mortimer. (Not taking away his legendary status in Villa history).

[Ross]

Time doesn't diminish the harm he did my club.  I don't wish him or anyone ill for that matter, but I don't buy this 'Uncle Doug' BS, just because, frankly, he is getting old and his health will continue to deteriate until its inevitable conclusion.  He still is the man who never put a penny of his own money into the club and held us back because his ego couldn't let go.  Mr Aston Villa my arse - that title can go to the old timers who have paid to watch the club out of their wage packets for the last 50 or so years.

[dave.woodhall]

I am not going to pretend he was only a force for good for the club - that is far from the truth. However, maybe we should let bygones be bygones.

After the Blackburn semi at home last season, with the crowd on the pitch and the celebrations going on, i sat there to the end, and wandered down to the front row of the Upper Trinity and looked down into the corporate seats.

They were absolutely empty other than for Doug and his Mrs sat there in their seats watching the celebrations. I thought that said quite a lot about what he thought of the club.

I agree and everything he did was maybe not so good,but the things that were good helped us to survive and make us a viable propostion for Mr.Lerner to take the club on.I have nothing but utmost respect for him and am pleased to be a season ticket holder in the stand that carries his name, not  the "Witton Lane Stand" which a few people on here prefer to refer to it .Good on you ,Doug.

I wouldn't go that far, nor anywhere near. Off the top of my head I can think of at least a dozen more deserving names.

[Greg N'Ash]

Time doesn't diminish the harm he did my club.  I don't wish him or anyone ill for that matter, but I don't buy this 'Uncle Doug' BS, just because, frankly, he is getting old and his health will continue to deteriate until its inevitable conclusion.  He still is the man who never put a penny of his own money into the club and held us back because his ego couldn't let go.  Mr Aston Villa my arse - that title can go to the old timers who have paid to watch the club out of their wage packets for the last 50 or so years.

Aye. why is it when people get old everyone goes soft on them? They're still the same person. How much did he pocket from the sale of Villa and over the years in salary? If he was "Mr. Aston Villa" he would have walked away with nowt

[dave.woodhall]

Time doesn't diminish the harm he did my club.  I don't wish him or anyone ill for that matter, but I don't buy this 'Uncle Doug' BS, just because, frankly, he is getting old and his health will continue to deteriate until its inevitable conclusion.  He still is the man who never put a penny of his own money into the club and held us back because his ego couldn't let go.  Mr Aston Villa my arse - that title can go to the old timers who have paid to watch the club out of their wage packets for the last 50 or so years.

Aye. why is it when people get old everyone goes soft on them? They're still the same person. How much did he pocket from the sale of Villa and over the years in salary? If he was "Mr. Aston Villa" he would have walked away with nowt

Of course he should. Don't even try to pretend that you would have.

[Greg N'Ash]

Time doesn't diminish the harm he did my club.  I don't wish him or anyone ill for that matter, but I don't buy this 'Uncle Doug' BS, just because, frankly, he is getting old and his health will continue to deteriate until its inevitable conclusion.  He still is the man who never put a penny of his own money into the club and held us back because his ego couldn't let go.  Mr Aston Villa my arse - that title can go to the old timers who have paid to watch the club out of their wage packets for the last 50 or so years.

Aye. why is it when people get old everyone goes soft on them? They're still the same person. How much did he pocket from the sale of Villa and over the years in salary? If he was "Mr. Aston Villa" he would have walked away with nowt

Of course he should. Don't even try to pretend that you would have.

bollocks. He's a businessman. He'd have milked Blose given half the chance and be driving round in a car with BCFC1 on it

[dave.woodhall]

bollocks. He's a businessman. He'd have milked Blose given half the chance and be driving round in car with BCFC1 on it

Except he had the chance, and didn't. As has been pointed out time and again, it's a strange sort of not caring about a club that sees someone of any age turning up all over the country to watch a football match when he could be doing something a lot more enjoyable somewhere a lot warmer.

[Greg N'Ash]

bollocks. He's a businessman. He'd have milked Blose given half the chance and be driving round in car with BCFC1 on it

Except he had the chance, and didn't. As has been pointed out time and again, it's a strange sort of not caring about a club that sees someone of any age turning up all over the country to watch a football match when he could be doing something a lot more enjoyable somewhere a lot warmer.

well i don't know your finances Dave but if someome gave me 30m in exchange for following a club round till i die i'd probably take it

[dave.woodhall]

bollocks. He's a businessman. He'd have milked Blose given half the chance and be driving round in car with BCFC1 on it

Except he had the chance, and didn't. As has been pointed out time and again, it's a strange sort of not caring about a club that sees someone of any age turning up all over the country to watch a football match when he could be doing something a lot more enjoyable somewhere a lot warmer.

well i don't know your finances Dave but if someome gave me 30m in exchange for following a club round till i die i'd probably take it

He doesn't have to go. That's the entire point. He could do whatever he wants, but it's his choice to watch the Villa. Home, away, first team, youth team, weekend, midweek. Now whatever he did or didn't do as chairman, tell me that's the behaviour of someone who doesn't care about the club.   

[Greg N'Ash]

bollocks. He's a businessman. He'd have milked Blose given half the chance and be driving round in car with BCFC1 on it

Except he had the chance, and didn't. As has been pointed out time and again, it's a strange sort of not caring about a club that sees someone of any age turning up all over the country to watch a football match when he could be doing something a lot more enjoyable somewhere a lot warmer.

well i don't know your finances Dave but if someome gave me 30m in exchange for following a club round till i die i'd probably take it

He doesn't have to go. That's the entire point. He could do whatever he wants, but it's his choice to watch the Villa. Home, away, first team, youth team, weekend, midweek. Now whatever he did or didn't dfo as chairman, tell me that's the behaviour of someone who doesn't care about the club.   

no you're missing the point. He misses the control, he misses the celebrity by association and he misses the money Villa earned him. Now he's just an old fart desperately remembering his glory days. He cares about us in the same way a 1 hit wonder remembers his 30 seconds (years?) of fame, but love?

no.

[atomicjam]

He clearly cares for Aston Villa. Even if he started with money making intentions, even if he was not the best person (the richest) to run the club at times, even if he did bottle it on making that extra transfer happen at times.

If you spend a large portion of your life totally involved in something then you are going to be a part of it and it will be important to you. I wrote to Doug many years ago telling him to move on and he wrote back. It was probably a standard response letter but I did give him a little respect for that.

In the history of Aston Villa he is an important figure and yes it is easy to focus on the penny pinching, money making aspects of his rule. I wanted him out and I wanted a richer more progressive person to take the club on. But in retrospect, after that relegation time, I am not unhappy that we had someone like Doug and not a half arsed owner that would run at the first sign of trouble or financial insecurity. I do however wish my season ticket said Witton on it and not Doug.

What I do not understand is how anyone can dislike an elderly man who spends his free time watching the team he supports

[dave.woodhall]

bollocks. He's a businessman. He'd have milked Blose given half the chance and be driving round in car with BCFC1 on it

Except he had the chance, and didn't. As has been pointed out time and again, it's a strange sort of not caring about a club that sees someone of any age turning up all over the country to watch a football match when he could be doing something a lot more enjoyable somewhere a lot warmer.

well i don't know your finances Dave but if someome gave me 30m in exchange for following a club round till i die i'd probably take it

He doesn't have to go. That's the entire point. He could do whatever he wants, but it's his choice to watch the Villa. Home, away, first team, youth team, weekend, midweek. Now whatever he did or didn't dfo as chairman, tell me that's the behaviour of someone who doesn't care about the club.   

no you're missing the point. He misses the control, he misses the celebrity by association and he misses the money Villa earned him. Now he's just an old fart desperately remembering his glory days. He cares about us in the same way a 1 hit wonder remembers his 30 seconds (years?) of fame, but love?

no.

Do you still reckon he pulls the strings as well?