Aston Villa v Bayern Munich 1973

[andyaston]

Reading through some programmes I got handed down to me from the 1970s I came across across an advertisment that interested me. This was inside the Villa v Burnley programme in the 1972/73 season, it stated that we would be playing a friendly verses Bayern Munich on Tuesday 23rd January 1973. Another part of the programme mused on how the club was looking forward to playing the 'Europameisters' with their star player's such as Beckenbauer, Breitner, Gerd Muller and co.

This sounds as good if not better than the famous friendly v Santos but, i've not heard much about this fixture. With Bayern ready to dominate Europe for the next 3-4 seasons and the national team the World a year later which, included many of their players, I thought i'd know more about this game. I don't even know what the score was.

So, can anyone who knows or attended the game enlighten us about this friendly against the 'Euromeisters' 9 years before we beat them and became Euromasters ourselves?

[Pat McMahon]

Andy, my memory is of a 1-1 draw, though like all friendlies and testimonials it doesn't register in the same way at all as say that home defeat to Burnley, which I think we lost 3-0. We had been on the up for a while and hit a glass ceiling that season, finishing 3rd in the days of 2 up 2 down.

I cannot remember anything about the Bayern game - players, kit, nothing.

[Brend'Watkins]

Either a 1-1 draw or they might have nicked it at the end 2-1.  We were 1-0 up for a long time is what I remember.  I think Gerd Muller scored too.

[Flamingo Lane]

I went to that game.  I know the attendance was a disappointing 23,000.  And I'm pretty sure we did lose, 2-1.

[andyaston]

Blimey I hope Pat's right and we hung on for a 1-1 draw. Shame we finished 3rd that season.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Blimey I hope Pat's right and we hung on for a 1-1 draw. Shame we finished 3rd that season.

Bayern wore white and I remember Beckenbaur and Muller playing, Muller scoring, but can't rememeber 1-1 or 1-2!

[willywombat]

Just thinking about that Burnley game. When the team came out they were wearing tracksuit tops for some reason and were roundly booed as the Villa fans mistook them for the Burnley team. So it started badly and got worse! The Bayern Munich game was a pretty dull affair as far as I remember

[pooligan]

Yet another friendly i went to and can hardly remember anything about. I remember Beckenbaur and Muller playing and the latter scoring but that is about all. I remember the Burnley match much better because they played us off the park and i remember lots of villa fans walking out long before the end. We were lucky it was only 3-0 they beat us.We finished 3rd that season as someone mentioned but in truth we were a long way from promotion and was the begining of the end for Vic Crowe.

[DeKuip]

I remember going and watching Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller play, which was a big thing back then, and even remember running on the pitch at the end. I don't remember much else but have dug out the programme from the following game which lists the details....

1-1 John Robson put us in front and Willi Hoffmann scored a late equaliser. Att: 22,699.

Villa: Cumbes, Robson, McDonald, B Rioch (sub Hamilton), Nicholl, Ross, Graydon, Brown, Evans, Vowden, B Little (sub McMahon).
Bayern: Sepp Maier, Johnny Hansen, Paul Breitner, Georg Schwarzenbeck, Franz Beckenbauer, Franz Roth, Franz Krauthausen (sub: Hans Jorg), Edgar Schnieder (sub Bernhard Durnberger), Gerd Muller, Ule Hoeness, Willi Hoffman.

Six of those Bayern players helped West Germany win the European Championships the previous summer AND win the World Cup in 74. Eight of them played in the Bayern side that won the first of three successive European Cups in 74. Beckenbauer of course also played at Villa Park in the 1966 World Cup.

[dave.woodhall]

Coming soon after the Santos game it was a disappointing crowd to watch some of the greatest players in the world. Coincidentally I was reading a story the other day about another team who played Bayern at the same time (I think it was a testimonial for a Spurs player) and there was a poor crowd at that one as well.

[nick harper]

Hard to believe that just over 9 years later we were playing and beating them in the biggest European club competition of all.

[Richie]

Was Paul Breitner the only player who was still in the Bayern team come 26 May 1982 ?

Durnberger sounds familar to me, as does Hoeness ?

[Steve R]

Duernberger played against us in 1982.

The Hoeness that played against us in 73 was Uli Hoeness, an exceptional player for both Bayern and West Germany.

The chap who played against us in 82 was Dieter Hoeness, who got a few caps, but was not a patch on Uli.

I have no idea if they are related.

[Dave Cooper please]

Uli and Dieter are brothers.

[Damo70]

Wasn't Uli their manager in '82?