Eamonn Deacy - RIP

[eamonn]

Nice touch.

[SteveD]

I remember him as being totally committed and a little unorthodox shall we say, but boy for a fairly small guy he got stuck in. Don't have to look much further to see where Ron Saunders got the inspiration for his "110% effort" maxim from. It's touching to see how he was regarded by his teammates and his own self-effacing attitude but obviously a huge affection for the club stayed with him. That story of him calling Saunders up every New Year is lovely.

[cdbearsfan]

RIP.

[joe_c]

Almost 30 years ago, March or April 1982, my dad took me and my two sisters to the annual West Midlands Galwayman’s Dinner and Dance at the de Vere Hotel in Coventry. We were shown to our seats and being kids aged 7, 9 and 11 we of course all squabbled at the prospect of Sitting next to the strangers. The strangers turned out to be Eamon and his companion for the evening , a team mate from the reserves called Nigel Spink. Of course I insisted on sitting next to the Villa players at that point and they were both pleasant and polite throughout the evening and somewhere in the roof, there may still be the menu they both signed for me.

Just out of interest, does anyone know whether he would then have got winners medals for the League championship and the EC. I recall he played a few games in the league, and appeared in the early rounds of the EC.

As noted in Dave Woodhall's book, Champions 1980/81 Revisited, Ron Saunders handed a medal to Eamonn at the civic reception, at which point he cried his eyes out.

As I recall, I think he didn’t have one originally as he didn’t think he deserved it but the rest of the team of course insisted he get one because of course he did hence the emotional reaction.

I don’t remember the only goal that he scored for us (against Norwich?) but I do remember it featuring in a top ten goals run down that appeared in H&V some years later that told of a flowing move from one end of the pitch to the other with Deacy finishing with a 20 yard screamer, the description concluding “whatever Eamon kicked, stayed kicked.”

RIP

[The Left Side]

RIP, I never got to see him play but he sounded a true Villa Man!

[darren woolley]

Very sad news RIP.

[Dave Cooper please]

In school playground thirty-a-side football games I was always either John Gidman or Eamonn Deacy. Gidman was an obvious one, I was full-back in the school team. Deacy was always an odd one to my glory-hunting Leeds and Liverpool supporting mates, they hadn't even heard of him, but I remember a game where he came on as sub (can't remember who we were playing) and just about his first act of the game was to boot their winger up into the air, after which he seemed a lot less keen to get to the touchline! I loved the bloke. RIP Eamonn.

[lordmcgrath5]

"Eamonn used to ring Ron every New Year's Eve at midnight, including this past one, to thank him for his time at Villa and the success he had brought. I've just chatted to the gaffer and he's absolutely gutted with the news, as I am."

Sounds like an absolute gem of a bloke with an abiding love for the Villa. RIP.

[dave shelley]

R.I.P. Eamon, so sad, so young.  As I've posted on here before; I had the privelege of refereeing Eamon about twenty years ago here in Ireland.  He was playing for Galway United (sadly now extinct as of this coming season) reserves in the Connaught Senior League.  After the game I went into the dressing room and quietly thanked him for the part he played in giving me the proudest sporting moment of my life.  Eamon was unassuming and modest and probably a little embarrassed but it made my day.

It's funny but with most football fans we are all divided in opinion regarding players; we either think they're great or not so great, but with Eamon I never ever spoke to a Villa fan who didn't think Eamon was worth a place in the Villa team set-up.  He was unfortunate to be at Villa at a time when full back was not the problem it is today.

My take on the story of how Eamon came to be at Villa is that he wrote to all the then first division clubs asking for a trial and the only reply he got was from Villa.  He even paid his own fare over.  Sorry if this has already been posted but my P.C. is playing up and I can't spend the time waiting for it to load to enable me to read the rest of this thread.  I have to wait until it is fixed.
Farewell Eamon, Gentleman.

[Ger Regan]

For anyone how may be interested, or knows someone who might be:

Funeral arrangements for the late Eamon Deacy : Reposing at Conneelys Funeral Home, Flood Street on Thursday evening from 4.00pm - 7.00pm. Removal afterwards to the Augustinian Church. Funeral Mass Friday morning 11.00am, burial afterwards in the New Cemetery, Bohemore.

[Chico Hamilton III]

It's been mentioned on the main evening news over here (Ireland).

It's strange how things turn out.

Trapattoni was the Juventus manager in 1982 when Deacy was wading through the greatest club side we've seen at Villa Park.

I wonder if he remembers Deacy from that game?

[Dave Javu]

Might be my memory playing tricks on me, but once during a match I remember him jumping on the ball with both feet just as an opponent was to boot the ball upfield. The ball of course remained stationary. So did the follow-through of the other player's leg - it must have hurt.

At the time, I found this to be hilarious, but I think the player involved was injured for some time.

It would no doubt be a red card these days, but I think resulted in little more than a stern telling off from the ref.  That for me typified Eamon's, erm...innovative approach to the game. All in all, he was definitely a player you wanted on your side, rather than one you wanted to play against.

[Oscar Arce]

Just to agree with everyone about Eamonn, he was a totally committed player with the unnasuming attitude everyone eludes to, but more than that, he had a humilty and a sense of absolutely how lucky he was to be getting paid for something that all of us would do for nothing..playing for our beloved Villa.
He was unlucky in that he was around at that time, but always when called upon did a great and solid job, I'm sure he came on a couple of times and even filled in at centre back.
The story of his medal was that he initially refused it because he thought he didn't deserve it, that sums up the man and he puts people like Ireland and N'Zogbia to shame.
He went back to Galway to serve in his family's greengrocer's shop rather than play for anyone else when he felt he had done his best for Villa.
God bless Eamonn Deacy, a true Villa man, and rest in peace.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Then I saw him play and just thought he was ace, he still didn't look like he should be there but he was reliable as hell and gave everything.

There was just that feeling of, "That's what I'd be like if I ever got to wear a Villa shirt" , i.e. that you'd leave the pitch hardly able to stand up because you'd tried so hard.  Obviously that was just a romantic dream for someone like me, who struggles to avoid falling over whilst walking along the street a lot of the time.  But Eamon Deacy did it.

So true. He was the only ex-Villa player I ever wanted to meet and at some point I wanted to make a pilgramage to his shop in Galway, thank him and buy him a pint. Sadly now that will never be possible but his contribution will stay with us forever. As I mentioned earlier, he was truely loved by the Villa Park faithfull, everybody encouraged him and he never failed to deliver.

A very special player during a very special time for our club. He will never be forgotten.

[johnc]

For anyone how may be interested, or knows someone who might be:

Funeral arrangements for the late Eamon Deacy : Reposing at Conneelys Funeral Home, Flood Street on Thursday evening from 4.00pm - 7.00pm. Removal afterwards to the Augustinian Church. Funeral Mass Friday morning 11.00am, burial afterwards in the New Cemetery, Bohemore.

Cheers Ger. I have a meeting in Parkmore in the afternoon so will try and get along to the church beforehand