Witton Lane or Doug Ellis?

[dave.woodhall]

Didn't Doug state that somebody wrote in and suggested it as a birthday present or something, at which time he made himself absent from the room while the other directors voted on it?

As the day approached for Doug's 70th birthday, a Doug's 70th Birthday Committee was established.

"But how will we mark the occasion?" one of them was heard to cry. "Whatever can we do for the man who has everything?"

"I know," said another member (believed to be a certain ITV-cum-Sky football, boxing and greyhounds commentator. "We'll name the new stand after him. But it will have to be a secret. He can't know until the big day"

"Bravo." they all cried. "What a good idea! But we must keep it from him. It'll be such jolly fun to see the look on his face when we tell him."

And so it come to pass that at Doug's 70th Birthday Party, shortly after everyone had played Pass the Brown Paper Parcel and Pin the Tail on the Bicycle Kick, the commentator announced that they had a big surprise for Doug. And they handed him a model of the stand, with 'The Doug Ellis Stand' written in crayon along the side.

You should have seen the look on his face!

"Well I never!" said Doug. "This IS a surprise! I never expected this!"

How they all laughed!

And they all lived happily ever after.

The End.
 

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

It did sound utterly phony.  Like a deluded old man trying to justify something unjustifiable.  The birthday present thing rings a bell too, I vaguely remember that being rumoured.  I guess we'll never know.  Maybe the best thing would be to rename it.  Out of interest, what has to happen for that to occur?  Wolves have renamed a couple of stands in the recent past - the Steve Bull Stand is a new one (I think it's the one that used to be the John Ireland Stand).  Was that on a whim of the club owners?  Was it fan pressure that brought it about?  Is it an insult to the family of John Ireland?  Does that matter?  If we changed Witton Lane to the Eric Houghton Stand, for example, and at the same time unveiled the new Doug Ellis Bovril Kiosk, would that be okay?

[martin]

Due to its size and general inadequacy in the 70s and 80s, we always referred to it as the bus shelter.

I guess a generation will go to the grave calling it Witton Lane, another generation will go to the grave calling it the Doug Ellis and the next generation after that will go to the grave asking who was Doug Ellis.

If we're not playing in a concrete circus tent in Elmdon by then, of course.

[darren woolley]

Witton Lane.

[philthebar]

Illogical  - Dougie Ellis and Witton End

[Drummond]

It won't be renamed until they rebuild it. Far too much of a personal insult otherwise.

[E I Adio]

It won't be renamed until after the old geezer shuffles off his mortal coil. (After a suitable period of mourning.)

[pooligan]

Witton Lane and the Witton End. Oh and as far as i am concerned it will always be the City end at Edgbaston .

[Simon Ward]

Witton Lane and the Witton End. Oh and as far as i am concerned it will always be the City end at Edgbaston .

I agree

[Meanwood Villa]

In my view if we're going to name it after anyone it should be George Ramsay. Until then Witton Lane.

[sidcowans10]

Although easily old enough to remember the Witton I never sat in there until it was the Doug Ellis so I m afraid I call it the Doug Ellis

[cheltenhamlion]

Witton Lane regardless of the preposterous story the old codger peddles about its current name.

[Holte132]

My very first match at the Villa was at the Witton End back in the 1970s. It was Boxing Day, home to Nottingham Forest. We were 2-0 down at half-time but came back to draw 2-2. I yelled and shouted so much that I literally lost my voice for 3 days! Wonder why my family encouraged me to go again? These days I'm in the Upper Holte, but still think of the other end as the Witton.

[fbriai]

Witton Lane.

I expect I'll regret this, but what have they renamed the City End to at Edgbaston?

[eamonn]

Maybe the best thing would be to rename it.  Out of interest, what has to happen for that to occur? 

Doug to die and enough time to have elapsed so that we don't look like heartless bastids.