Willie Anderson

[Oscar Arce]

Portland Timbers 40 year reunion.
Willie Anderson was one of my earliest Villa heroes, look out for him on this recent video which also includes Peter Withe and Tony Betts.
So many Villa players left for the NASL, Pat McMahon also played for the Timbers and like Willie he never came back.
Willie looks so well these days, must be the Stateside life!

[Bernie]

Willie has worn well hasn't he? Great to see one of my first Villa heroes in such fine fettle- he's seems a pretty good interviewer too

[steamer]

Willie, Willie, Willie Anderson.
Looks really well and seems to have developed into a real character, Withe looks a bit tired.

[BC54 VFC]

That is an amazing watch, Oscar; thanks for posting as I had no idea what had happened to him. I was present at Willie's home debut - against Leicester in February 1967 - relegation season in what was my first full season of watching the Villa. Remember him in the wide open spaces of Wembley in the '71 League Cup Final. A real flair winger who played during a difficult period for the Club. As Oscar and Bernie both say, he looks very well, and a great Scouse/US accent!

[Wearie Willie]

My earliest villa hero too hence choosing wearie willie as user name

[Rudy65]

Bloody hell, Willie looks good for 68. He looks about 50

First hero for me just before Ray Graydon. Went to the opening of a Texaco petrol station in Washwood Heath where Willie and Chico were the star guests. Fell in love with AVFC and have been so since.

Happy days

[bob rowe]

May be wrong, but I remember Willie make his home debut vs Spurs in a 3 3 draw in which he scored. One of my all time Villa heroes.

[Ron Manager]

You always thought something would happen when Willie or Chico received the ball. Willies habit of falling over by the corner flag endered  him to the Holte End.A talented player who had problems getting in Man Utds first eleven because of the genius of George Best.

[castlefields_villan]

Willie, Willie, Willie Anderson.
Looks really well and seems to have developed into a real character, Withe looks a bit tired.

I don't know without checking, but Willie Anderson must be a bit older than Peter With - he's looking good on it - maybe living across the pond is better than people like me (who have never been) think.

Pleased to see Willie looking so good - one of the first characters I remember going to VP in the late 1960s.  (Didn't he join Man Utd around the same time as another winger who was from Belfast ?)

[castlefields_villan]

Willie, Willie, Willie Anderson.
Looks really well and seems to have developed into a real character, Withe looks a bit tired.

Purely by co-incidence "Do You Wanna Dance" by Cliff Richard is on GOLD as I type - was this not the tune we sang this to ?

[Bernie]

Willie, Willie, Willie Anderson.
Looks really well and seems to have developed into a real character, Withe looks a bit tired.

Purely by co-incidence "Do You Wanna Dance" by Cliff Richard is on GOLD as I type - was this not the tune we sang this to ?

  Are you thinking of " With his long black hair and eyes of blue
                                             Scoring goals for me and you
                                             Wi...illie.......Anderson"
 to the tune of "Sorrow" by the Merseybeats (& later, David Bowie)?

[levico]

Great to see the Wombat in fine form.

[BC54 VFC]

May be wrong, but I remember Willie make his home debut vs Spurs in a 3 3 draw in which he scored. One of my all time Villa heroes.

That was his second home match, Bob, exactly a month after his first; you're correct he did score in a 3-3 draw. I remember that Spurs game well. Despite having always been a Villa fan Jimmy Greaves was always a big hero of mine and I was desperate for my dad to take me to that game to see him. Unfortunately my dad was ill with flu so arranged for a workmate of his at IMI who was a steward in the Witton Lane Stand to take me and he duly got me in for free. However, when the line ups were announced Greaves was not playing as he also had flu, and I never got to see him play as we were relegated at the end of that season.

[castlefields_villan]

May be wrong, but I remember Willie make his home debut vs Spurs in a 3 3 draw in which he scored. One of my all time Villa heroes.

That was his second home match, Bob, exactly a month after his first; you're correct he did score in a 3-3 draw. I remember that Spurs game well. Despite having always been a Villa fan Jimmy Greaves was always a big hero of mine and I was desperate for my dad to take me to that game to see him. Unfortunately my dad was ill with flu so arranged for a workmate of his at IMI who was a steward in the Witton Lane Stand to take me and he duly got me in for free. However, when the line ups were announced Greaves was not playing as he also had flu, and I never got to see him play as we were relegated at the end of that season.

What a player Jimmy Greaves was - never mind all the ooooh haaah about Wayne Rooney reaching 50 goals for England - Jimmy Greaves scored 43 in 57 games - that's 0.75 goal a game - an amazing strike rate - always feel so sorry for him when I watch the 1966 WCF.  Of course in those days only the starting 11 played - and of course (and with all due respect to Sir Geoff Hurst) Greaves was going to be one of the main men for us in that World Cup - if you see him on touchline at the end - he clearly doesn't know whether to be happy or sad.

Pleased that I did get to see him play (albeit against the Albion at the Hawthorns) in 1967-68 season.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Willie Anderson was our penalty taker for some time - always put the ball top left corner (from his viewpoint) and scored twelve on the run.
(I did the same during my career at Mercian Secondary, Tamworth)
Then he changed to bottom left and I think it was saved.
Some of you on here have great specific memories of games, opposition, players etc. I don't I'm afraid, and can recall nothing more than the above.
I do remember him falling over the advertising hoardings once...one of our fellow posters used the reference as his location iirc.