28 years ago, hiding from Forest, Turner sacked

[Chico Hamilton III]

Turner was only 37 - always seemed like an old man to me. Don Howe was favourite to take ove from Turner, I seem to recall. Jesus

Football: Villa manager departs in a civilized way
By DENNIS SHAW
659 words
15 September 1986

Graham Turner was dismissed by Aston Villa yesterday, 24 hours after his side had been mauled 6-0 by Brian Clough's vibrant new Nottingham Forest.
In the wake of the club's fifth defeat in their opening six games of the season 37 year-old Turner's three-year contract was terminated with 12 months still to run.
The parting was immediate, anticipated and totally amicable, with Doug Ellis, chairman, paying tribute to his young ex-manager's integrity and Turner speaking warmly of the club he had just been sadly forced to leave and its 'supportive' chairman.
Ellis commented: 'the decision has been reached with great reluctance because of his qualities as a man. I have never worked with anyone of such honesty and integrity. '
Turner had been unlucky to have such injury problems, Mr Ellis added, emphasizing that the club were already considering 'various possibilities' as a replacement.
Turner arrived at Villa Park in August 1984 from his post as player-manager of Shrewsbury Town and with limited qualifications for the massive job he was undertaking, that of revitalizing a club which had recently won the first division, the European Cup and the Super Cup under Ron Saunders and Tony Barton.
Acknowledging this he commented last night: 'When I joined Villa I knew I had to aim for the very top. To be average would not be enough.
'After spending the first year assessing existing staff I began a series of signings which I am sure will prove excellent investments - youngsters like Paul Elliott, Neil Cooper and Steve Hodge would be first choice for any club in the country. '
He added: 'I never shield behind excuses and would not give as a reason the huge injury list we have had but I have never once this season been able to field my ideal team. '
He said his successor would have an 'enviable job'. Turner's decline was nothing short of spectacular after signing nine players for pounds 2.61 million - just over pounds 1 million in excess of sales.
Soaring pre-season confidence after the acquisition of Martin Keown (Arsenal, pounds 200,000) Garry Thompson (Sheffield Wednesday, pounds 450,000) and Neale Cooper (Aberdeen, pounds 350,000) never even began to be matched by performances. Spurs' Clive Allen hit them with three goals at Villa Park on opening day of the season and they never recovered.
Cooper, the Scottish under-21 defender, has been out injured since pre-season but that alone has not explained the horrendous defensive failures.
It did not help Turner's cause, either, that Steve Hodge, their World Cup star, chose to ask for a move on the eve of the Forest game.
Ron Wylie, Turner's coach, is expected to figure in a new managerial set-up.
The manner of Forest's devastating destruction of Villa, even allowing for the glaring inadequacies of Graham Turner's beleaguered men, provided the clearest evidence yet that Brian Clough could soon be back in business in a big way.
It is eight years since Clough last led Forest to the League championship to precede the start of a glorious gallop across Europe. But all the signs at the moment are that the man is once again mixing a very special brew, which given time to ferment, could provide him with his most potent force yet.
Of Saturday's chosen 12, seven cost Clough not a bean. Only Bowyer was there when he arrived. Pearce, Metgod and Webb are proving solid and sound investments. Birtles, originally snapped up for pounds 2,000, represents a huge profit after his abortive flirtation with Old Trafford.

[nordenvillain]

Dennis Shaw - Now there was a journalist in the proper sense that didn't need to make up nonsense to get column inches in the media. Pity the present breed didn't follow his course of honest stories.

[Ron Manager]

For anyone who is interested Dennis is alive and very well now into his eighties. He has been very helpful to me personally with advice. One of lifes good guys, and a veritable legend of Midlands football journalism.

[Dominic22]

I was at this game when we were hammered, it was a miserable day all in.... we got the football special from New Street to Nottingham, which was for those younger members, were the worst trains in British Rails fleet. Just to really give you a feeling of being treated as animals even before we got to the ground....

When we got off we were marched to the ground with a police escort, we were made to stand on the pavement squashed in 5 or 6 deep, if you put a foot on the road you would get knocked back on by the police horse or a wound up copper looking for trouble... half way to the ground we were stopped and the police horse by us started pissing on the road which by very nature splashed up and covered all our legs, the copper just thought it was hilarious and I assume his bit of bi-weekly fun with the traveling fans ... that was before we had to watch us get battered was it 4-0 at half time, I cant recall that now..

[Pete3206]

Should never have been appointed.

[eamonn]

For anyone who is interested Dennis is alive and very well now into his eighties. He has been very helpful to me personally with advice. One of lifes good guys, and a veritable legend of Midlands football journalism.

A young Woodhall may well have been reading him with interest. Similar economy of effort style.

What's with all the "pounds one million" etc. way of referring to monetary amounts? Seems very quaint and archaic.

[Chris Smith]

When I saw the thread title I had visions of Chico up a tree while mobs of Forest fans tried to find him.

[rob_bridge]

Anyone got the line ups from that day?

[Pete3206]

Anyone got the line ups from that day?

This one has the Villa team

[Ian.]

Blimey I can not believe he was only 37. What a crazy appointment he was, in a way even more crazy than TSM.

[peter w]

blokes sitting down playing cards

"Cloughie Cloughie give us a wave"

"The bells are ringing..."

Cheering a corner as if it was a goal

Singing for as long as Everton away in 89-90.

[dave.woodhall]

Blimey I can not believe he was only 37. What a crazy appointment he was, in a way even more crazy than TSM.

In a way it was logical. The old guard, sergeant-major managers (Saunders, Paisley, Clough) were giving way to the younger, tracksuited types such as Sir Graham and David Pleat. Doug obviously wanted to go down that route without stopping to think that those two had done well with small clubs they'd took to the top rather than bringing an inexperienced manager straight in. It was a worse appointment than McLeish but not a more inexplicable one.

[Big Dick Edwards]

The bottom line is Ellis decided Shrewsbury Town's manager was the right man to take over the Champions of Europe. Unbelievable..

[Damo70]

The bottom line is Ellis decided Shrewsbury Town's manager was the right man to take over the Champions of Europe. Unbelievable..

It wasn't even as if he had taken them through the divisions like a SGT or even Dave Bassett. I think his record was one promotion, a sixth place finish in the old second divisions and one or possibly two FA cup quarter finals. I distinctly remember the other names who were being mentioned and as a thirteen year old at the time I wanted John Toshack. I remember Menotti, who managed Argentina to the '78 World Cup being mentioned too.

[ez]

Anyone got the line ups from that day?

This one has the Villa team

Shocking. Only four years after being champions of Europe and Allan Evans is the only one left in that line up.