Unpopular Villa players

[bertlambshank]

Can I have 2.
1.stinking sack of monkey shit.
2.Poker playing cockney wanker who played for Ireland.

[villan from luton]

Ken McNaught was very unpopular when he arrived as he had replaced a great clubman in Chris Nicholl. He suffered a very tough start, we had a new keeper in Jimmy Rimmer as well. I think he started to turn the fans on his side when he scored the two goals v Gornik Zabrze in UEFA Cup that season, but was not a favourite for some time.

Ron Saunders did back him massively. He had been superb for Everton in the league cup final at Wembley the season before especially, but did have a tough start, but Sir Ron was proved right
I am sure I remember Saunders saying I signed the bloke he will come good.And I might be wrong but didn't Mc Naughton score two goals against  someone and the Mail (the Birmingham version) said that will pay for the fences ? in front of the Holte End

[silhillvilla]

David Geddis took a while to warm the fans up I recall. Ended up a cult hero mind you, tarnished by a move to SHA.

[Damo70]

Geddis' problem was he took over the number nine shirt after Gray and Deehan left in '79 and then scored a total of two goals in twenty games. His four in nine the following season when he was cover for Withe and Shaw included two winners and two against Blues. I remember being surprised when he dropped a division to go to Barnsley but he ended up scoring a lot of goals in Blues promotion season a couple of years later for Saunders.

[SW9-VILLA]

With all the froth about Suarez, Terry etc. lately, I was thinking are there any players from Villa teams past and present who were as immensely dislikeable as those types of players? Alpay is the only one I can think of, but even that's a bit unfair as it was only after that England game that he became public enemy No. 1.

No obvious jokes about AM please.

[Monty]

I got the feeling other fans hated Gavin McCann. Also it wasn't just us who dislike Hutton for his vile attempts at 'tackling'.

Oh, and Ash was viewed as a diver (still is I think). I remember having defend him against the opinons of a group of friends of varying allegiances.

[PeterWithesShin]

I've merged it with this thread which covers a similar thing.

[Lambert and Payne]

Apart from Alpay, its only other midlands teams who have given our players second thoughts really. Not many people talk about our players or seem particularly bothered by it

[martin o`who??]

I seem to remember a bloke called Stylian Petrov not exactly being flavour of the month in his first season.

[Des]

Remember banana gesturing for the holt to sing up. Give us something to sing about you useless little twat

[ez]

Geddis was slated for a while.

[Mortimer's Bear]

Barry Bannan is fast becoming one of our most unpopular players in my lifetime.

[curiousorange]

Barry Bannan is fast becoming one of our most unpopular players in my lifetime.

Indeed. The slide from 'he could be special' to 'he's one of the worst players I've ever seen' for some has been rapid.

[SoccerHQ]

Dunno if he's been mentioned in this thread but Staunton back in his second spell surely? Remember the glee when he got sent off harshly for Liverpool at one of the season at VP and then we signed him later that season I think! Can't say I was too fond of him when he came back anyway.

Alpay, a villa career of two halves. 2000-02, very popular. Always just to come to the Holte pre game and fire us up, was a Turkish thing. Then came back from the World cup and had a bust up with Taylor and barely played again before O'dreary inexplicabably played him ahead of Mellberg at Pompey in his first game. He scored later on in the season and told the fans to shut up aswell!

[richtheholtender]

Dunno if he's been mentioned in this thread but Staunton back in his second spell surely? Remember the glee when he got sent off harshly for Liverpool at one of the season at VP and then we signed him later that season I think! Can't say I was too fond of him when he came back anyway.

Alpay, a villa career of two halves. 2000-02, very popular. Always just to come to the Holte pre game and fire us up, was a Turkish thing. Then came back from the World cup and had a bust up with Taylor and barely played again before O'dreary inexplicabably played him ahead of Mellberg at Pompey in his first game. He scored later on in the season and told the fans to shut up aswell!

Cracking volley against Charlton. A prick, but a very good defender.