Villa's Fab 50 Top Players

[kipeye]

Next up it's Harry Burrows.  Smashing bloke and his piledriver was harder and more lethal than Hitz.

Harry was the replacement for Peter MacParland when he left for Wolves. He scored some great goals but the funniest was against Peterborough United in the Cup in 1961 where Harry messed up a cross  and was as delighted as all of us that it scored and won the game.

Anyone who was in the Witton Lane stand watching Harry in the early 60's will probably remember how in the second half playing towards the Holte End Harry would enjoy occasional banter with the crowd especially if we were winning and he was far enough away to be spotted by Joe Mercer.

Harry was eventually sold to Stoke City where he replaced  Stanley Mathews. I was disappointed when Peter Mac left but Harry soon made up  for that loss. There were a couple of seasons there in the early 60's where Villa sold  Gerry Hitchens and then Peter MacParland breaking up a fantastic partnership.

I always wonder "what if" when players like those two left, but Harry Burrows was the kind of player that would remind me that Aston Villa has always had the knack of finding good players  to replace players who we thought were irreplaceable.

A lesson there perhaps for those of us who wonder who will replace Ashley Young.

Harry Burrows... top bloke

First game I can recall Harry Burrows scored the only goal of the game against Leyton Orient. That was a cross from the left wing too.

[Legion]

28: Chris Nicholl

[Havencheese]

...27 Phil King

For that penalty.

[dave.woodhall]

There are only 27 better players in the club's history than Chris Nicholl? I don't think he was THAT good.

[eamonn]

...27 Phil King

For that penalty.

As opposed to being for the three other appearances he made for us. There's a feature this week on avtv about Phil and the boozer he owns in Swindon.

[Nirog72]

Is the 50 supposed to be in order or is it just 50 players who were great (ie does number 1 have more gravitas than number 50). Sorry if this has already been discussed.

[VillaZogmariner]

There are only 27 better players in the club's history than Chris Nicholl? I don't think he was THAT good.

Well one of them is ALAN WRIGHT!!!

[dave.woodhall]

Dear Lord. Carlton Palmer will be in there soon.

[Matt C]

Is there an Alan Wright from the 1950s or something that I don't know about because it surely can't be the Alan Wright I watched in the 1990s that is amongst our 30 greatest ever players.

[Ads]

Well it was a good goal up at Boro.

[dave.woodhall]

Is there an Alan Wright from the 1950s or something that I don't know about because it surely can't be the Alan Wright I watched in the 1990s that is amongst our 30 greatest ever players.

I'm afraid there isn't. Alan Wright was a decent and under-rated player in a successful Villa side and deserves credit for the number of games he played in a comparatively short time, but 27?

[Mark H]

I know its a strange thing to have to ask in what should be a list in order - but just that are these supposed to be in some kind of order and who decided that order because some of these are random in terms of them being higher than others ??

[andrew08]

Blimey Alan Wright, inch for inch our best ever player.

[The Man With A Stick]

I know its a strange thing to have to ask in what should be a list in order - but just that are these supposed to be in some kind of order and who decided that order because some of these are random in terms of them being higher than others ??

I thought that when Platt appeared so far down the list.  Alan Wright and Phil King, FFS!

[Toronto Villa]

I have it on "good authority" (same good authority gregnash uses by the way) that Bernie Gallacher is 13, Ian Olney is 9 and Gary Penrice is at 7.