I'd assume McGrath will be number 1 (unless he's been already).He's certainly my favourite player, not just because he was unbelievable, but because he was far from perfect. Much like Botham, I think we quite like our heroes in this country to be a little mad.
Mortimer better than Macca then.WowYou could make a case for Sid being better, I know I would, but Mortimer better than Macca ? I would say I saw virtually all of Paul McGrath's Villa games and about half of Dennis Mortimers to judge them. If being fortunate enough to be captain of a trophy winning side makes you a great then I suppose Dixon is coming up, I didn't see him play but that side seemed to flirt with relegation a lot in that era unlike McGrath's era.My 'who I've seen in the flesh' top 5 would be:1.Sid2.Little3.McGrath4.Platt5.YorkeMy Favourite Player Top 5 would be:1. Andy Gray2.Dean Saunders3.Rambo4. Gabby (I dunno why, derby goals, man u away, goals in big games, I suppose)5. Gary Shaw
Villa's Fab 50 3: Johnny Dixon Career: 1944-1961 Appearances: 430 Goals: 144The biggest tragedy of Johnny Dixon's later life was that he couldn't remember his greatest triumph.Dixon suffered from Alzheimer's disease before his death in January 2009 at the age of 85, and had no recollection of the glorious day at Wembley half a century earlier when he proudly held the FA Cup aloft at Wembley.Thankfully, the occasion will always be cherished by Villa folk.Although it was the club's seventh Cup triumph, it was their first at Wembley - and their last of the 20th century.A few years before his death, the popular Geordie described just how much it meant to him, describing how he was almost in tears a few minutes before the final whistle when he imagined the feeling of being presented with the trophy."It was fantastic when I went up to collect the Cup," he said. "The Queen handed me the Cup and I turned away from her to hold it up. To do something like that just once in a lifetime is tremendous and I will always be grateful for that."Dixon's Villa career had begun a decade earlier when he wrote for a trial because he liked the club's name.He arrived during the war, in August 1944, and 20 months later he scored on his debut against Derby County in the Football League (South).After scoring three goals in five games, he established himself as a regular in the Villa line-up when league football resumed in 1946-47, going on to make an impressive 430 appearances before his retirement in 1961.He also scored 144 goals, including five during the 1957 Cup run, and was on target in a 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in his farewell game - on the day Charlie Aitken made his debut.A classy inside forward, he was Villa's leading scorer on four occasions, including the 1951-52 campaign, when he hit a personal best 28.Dixon also helped Villa to regain top flight status by winning the Second Division title in 1959-60 after they had been relegated the previous season for only the second time in the club's history. Following his retirement, he coached the club's youngsters for six years.All profiles courtesy of Rob Bishop and Frank Holt's comprehensive book: Aston Villa - The Complete Record.
Who ever compiled this list is smoking some grade a shit.
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Topic: Villa's Fab 50 Top Players (Read 78868 times)
