30 years ago
Football: Italian waiter serves an English dish in near-farcical setting / Dual transfer of Gordon Cowans and Paul Rideout to Bari
By DENNIS SHAW
2 July 1985
The Times
The pounds 850,000 dual transfer of Gordon Cowans and Paul Rideout of Aston Villa to Bari, was the brainchild of a man who happily described himself as 'an Italian waiter' yet could well have World Cup implications.
The deal, concluded at the weekend, has given Cowans the hope of resurrecting an England future, seemingly wrecked by a broken leg and Rideout, the ambition to be promoted from Under 21 to senior international status.
Cowans has signed a contract said to be worth pounds 250,000 over two years to play for the comparatively small Italian south coast club just promoted to the first division. He said of his move: 'Anybody given the chance to treble their income would have taken the same decision.'
Rideout will earn rather less but will nevertheless undergo a dramatic change in his way of life, all as a result of an approach from the license of a local establishment known as Boogies Brasserie in Birmingham.
Gianni Paladini was not taken all that seriously by Aston Villa or the local media when he received permission for Cowans and Rideout to go with him to Bari for the weekend to watch the club's final match of the season.
This fixture was against Pescara in June when a 2-0 victory secured promotion and the right for them to sign two foreign players. Cowans and Rideout were said to be 'disguised at holidaymakers' when the enterprising Sr Paladini presented them for talks with Bari
This episode was regarded by Graham Turner, the Villa manager, as an item of midsummer make believe, which seemed to be reinforced when no official contact was received from Bari before he set off on his holidays to Greece.
It transpires, however, that Mr Ellis was not at all averse to talking in multi-million lira terms.
Now Villa seek a big name replacement and it is regarded as more than mere coincidence that last week Ellis visited Portugal, where Andy Gray, the Everton ex-Villa forward is on holiday
