Arsenal v The Villa 1996 League Game

[dave.woodhall]

What's selective about my memory? Before 2006 I had thirteen years as a villa fan and saw the team win two trophies and compete for the league on a few occasions.

Yeah, it was exciting when Lerner bought us and we had four good years. I made some money on shares bought for me when I was a kid. But I won't be getting nostalgic about it the way I do for the mid-1990s and I certainly won't delude myself into thinking villa has a more secure future today than it did in say 2005-2006 when that patently isn't the case.

What's selective is the way that you ignore the good initial times we had with Lerner in charge. As I said in my first point, had we possessed the self-belief and imagination of that point with the team and the wider situation of 1996-98 we could have got the success that was possible then.   

[exiled on the wirral!]

What's selective about my memory? Before 2006 I had thirteen years as a villa fan and saw the team win two trophies and compete for the league on a few occasions.

Yeah, it was exciting when Lerner bought us and we had four good years. I made some money on shares bought for me when I was a kid. But I won't be getting nostalgic about it the way I do for the mid-1990s and I certainly won't delude myself into thinking villa has a more secure future today than it did in say 2005-2006 when that patently isn't the case.

What's selective is the way that you ignore the good initial times we had with Lerner in charge. As I said in my first point, had we possessed the self-belief and imagination of that point with the team and the wider situation of 1996-98 we could have got the success that was possible then.   

Doesn't really count for much now though does it as we slide into Division 2 for the first time in 30 years, but hey ho, at least we have a cracking commercial department.

[dave.woodhall]

What's selective about my memory? Before 2006 I had thirteen years as a villa fan and saw the team win two trophies and compete for the league on a few occasions.

Yeah, it was exciting when Lerner bought us and we had four good years. I made some money on shares bought for me when I was a kid. But I won't be getting nostalgic about it the way I do for the mid-1990s and I certainly won't delude myself into thinking villa has a more secure future today than it did in say 2005-2006 when that patently isn't the case.

What's selective is the way that you ignore the good initial times we had with Lerner in charge. As I said in my first point, had we possessed the self-belief and imagination of that point with the team and the wider situation of 1996-98 we could have got the success that was possible then.   

Doesn't really count for much now though does it as we slide into Division 2 for the first time in 30 years, but hey ho, at least we have a cracking commercial department.

Of course it doesn't count for anything now and no we don't have anymore, and that's the point I'm trying to make.

[exiled on the wirral!]

No I agree Dave, sorry it was more a dig at our much maligned chief executive and his over optimistic views on our current predicament.

[dave.woodhall]

No I agree Dave, sorry it was more a dig at our much maligned chief executive and his over optimistic views on our current predicament.

Fairy nuff. It's bloody frustrating though.

[Darlo Dave]

Savo got both in the 2-2 with arsenal at villa park earlier that year. Win and we'd have gone top but they pulled it back from two down when the ref gave them lots of injury time

I recall Paul Merson performance during their fight back. We just had no answer for him. That was possibly the first time I realised that he wasn't just a Cockney waste of space, but actually a gifted footballer.