When English Football Ruled Europe

[wittonwarrior]

Was still one of the most important players in villa’s history. He won us a league title- was immense

[Damo70]

Was still one of the most important players in villa’s history. He won us a league title- was immense

Absolutely. Some of the saves he made in the title winning season when you look at the DVD of the campaign were magnificent. He wasn't massive for a keeper either. Just bloody good.

[CorkVilla]

Villa's win tends to get overlooked a lot. It was nice to see a documentary that gave equal attention to our victory as it did to Liverpool/Forest. Villa's win is worthy of a full-length doc in its own right. 

[wittonwarrior]

I still think we would have won the league in 1976-77 with rimmer in goal rather than burridge

[Pat McMahon]

Was still one of the most important players in villa’s history. He won us a league title- was immense

Absolutely. Some of the saves he made in the title winning season when you look at the DVD of the campaign were magnificent. He wasn't massive for a keeper either. Just bloody good.

The best I ever saw him make was in the home leg v Anderlecht, turning a close range shot over the bar. Going to Brussels with a clean sheet made a massive difference to us, both in terms of confidence and tactics.

[purpletrousers]

I was lucky enough to be at the final in Rotterdam, and thought the ITV4 programme was really nicely done.

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a good deal of photographic footage of Rotterdam generally out there.  There are just one or two long range shots of the Villa end to be found on the web, and I search for me and my cap (to no avail) amongst the thousands - I recall roughly where I was stood. 

Yep ditto that. Watched it on my phone this eve thanks to a H&V parishioner sharing Villa Boy on Facebook.

I'm away at the moment but there is someone I can ask with a personal archive, I'm not sure if he was at the match.

[Damo70]

Villa's win tends to get overlooked a lot. It was nice to see a documentary that gave equal attention to our victory as it did to Liverpool/Forest. Villa's win is worthy of a full-length doc in its own right.

I respect every English victory in the European Cup, especially Liverpool and Chelsea having to play away to their opponents in the 1984 and 2012 finals. But the story of Forest from the second division in 1975 to 1979 and 1980 double European champions under Clough and the Villa story from third division to champions of Europe in ten years will surely never be matched.

[Damo70]

I was lucky enough to be at the final in Rotterdam, and thought the ITV4 programme was really nicely done.

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a good deal of photographic footage of Rotterdam generally out there.  There are just one or two long range shots of the Villa end to be found on the web, and I search for me and my cap (to no avail) amongst the thousands - I recall roughly where I was stood. 

Yep ditto that. Watched it on my phone this eve thanks to a H&V parishioner sharing Villa Boy on Facebook.

I'm away at the moment but there is someone I can ask with a personal archive, I'm not sure if he was at the match.

I was an eleven year old in the front row of the top tier behind the goal we scored into. Quite central but just to the left of the goal. It was a very warm night. To this day, apart from the end I was in I am not sure who was where in the rest of the ground regarding Villa fans, Bayern fans and neutrals.

[CorkVilla]

Why were there so many empty seats? That's always what it looks like on the YouTube clips anyway.

[Damo70]

Why were there so many empty seats? That's always what it looks like on the YouTube clips anyway.

I think it was down to the recession and people's personal finances, football violence and football attendances in general around that time. But you are right, looking at the TV footage it seems quite empty compared to other European cup finals around those years.

[PeterWithesShin]

Pretty sure that after the trouble in Anderlecht we had ticket restrictions, and the reputation of English fans, especially ours at the time, probably put off a lot of locals going.

[Damo70]

Pretty sure that after the trouble in Anderlecht we had ticket restrictions, and the reputation of English fans, especially ours at the time, probably put off a lot of locals going.

My ID card for the game alongside my first travellers club ID card when I left school for the '87/'88 season's away games are still up on my mum's fridge! In five years I went from a bog standard mousy haired schoolboy look to a blonde mullet Joe Elliott from Def Leppard would have been proud of (although I thought it was more Paul Birch/Kevin Gage at the time).

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It was the recession. Nothing else. Hard times in Brum when a recession wasn't just for a year but three or four years.

[PeterWithesShin]

Anyone else remember this?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Ha! I have a copy at home, stuck in an album sleeve. Which one I have no bloody idea. I'll let you know one day.