collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Gordon Cowans  (Read 11821 times)

Offline Pat McMahon

  • Member
  • Posts: 6756
  • Location: Shanghai - Blarney Stone for Villa games
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #60 on: March 12, 2020, 10:26:10 PM »
One of the very few that truly deserves the title ‘professional footballer’. I never saw him tackle high, argue with a ref, feign injury, attempt to get an opponent booked or sent off, cheat or give anything less than 100%.

Ha! Let's just say his goal celebration was slightly understated. If somebody else scored he was climbing all over them. I will always love Sid.

My favourite memory of Sid, among a wonderful collection of memories, is of him, Shaw and Withe hugging each other and collectively dragging themselves to the ground after the goal in Rotterdam.

Offline Mister E

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 16583
  • Location: Mostly the Republic of Yorkshire (N)
  • GM : 16.02.2025
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #61 on: March 13, 2020, 08:45:00 AM »
Sid is a man that should have been an England legend: that he wasn't was down to narrow-mindedness ("we can't possibly have two ball-players in the side, and we already have Glenn"). He and Hoddle together would have been awesome; sadly, it only happened a few times.
I think Cowans signalled his greatness to the world when - on a balmy August evening in North London, in 1978 - Spuds paraded their 2 new Argentinian midfielders to an expectant White Hart Lane. Ardiles and Ricky Villa had recently arrived after helping their country win the world cup. Aston Villa was their first home game.
We stuffed 'em 4-1 and Cowans was the architect of their destruction!

He was pure class: as Virgil Caine said above - the definition of 'professional'.

Offline russon

  • Member
  • Posts: 3195
  • Location: Desolation Row
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #62 on: March 30, 2020, 07:02:12 AM »
Bumping this thread because I couldn’t stand it lying on page 2 beneath ones labelled ‘Scott Hogan’ and ‘Danny Drinkwater’.

Offline sirlordbaltimore

  • Member
  • Posts: 2845
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #63 on: March 30, 2020, 03:53:24 PM »


The best Villa player i've ever seen, ever met, and ever will.

For a kid to grow up idolising a midfielder rather than the amazing strikers or wingers we had at the same time tells it's own story. Just a wonderful footballer.

Thoughts with Sid and his family. Fight on.


Offline kieron

  • Member
  • Posts: 2780
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #64 on: March 30, 2020, 09:16:30 PM »
Nice bump, which reminds me that I saw him in Aldi Lichfield last week.

Offline Pat McMahon

  • Member
  • Posts: 6756
  • Location: Shanghai - Blarney Stone for Villa games
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #65 on: March 30, 2020, 10:08:25 PM »
Nice bump, which reminds me that I saw him in Aldi Lichfield last week.

I wonder how many modern footballers shop in Aldi.

Offline Steve67

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 12235
  • Location: Down south now. Born in Aston.
  • GM : 01.12.2024
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #66 on: March 30, 2020, 10:13:36 PM »
Bumping this thread because I couldn’t stand it lying on page 2 beneath ones labelled ‘Scott Hogan’ and ‘Danny Drinkwater’.

Quite right too. 

Online FrankyH

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 2050
  • GM : 07.09.2024

Offline Ian.

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 13794
  • Location: Back home in the Shire
  • GM : 07.10.2024
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #68 on: December 03, 2020, 08:37:13 PM »
Poor Sid, absolutely gutted to hear about this. My mom has Alzheimer’s and so did my Nan, it’s a fucking horrible thing.

Offline Damo70

  • Member
  • Posts: 30877
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #69 on: December 03, 2020, 08:57:38 PM »
Five or six years back my wife and I went to a Halloween party at the Aston Social. One of the raffle tickets I bought was number ten. Sid was there and I got him to sign my raffle ticket. My wife asked what I would do if I won. I said I would rather forfeit the prize and keep the ticket. He and Tony Morley also showed their faces at my cousin 'Ginger's funeral wake a few years back. Also another cousin of mine used to go around training new recruits for the bank she worked for and one of her trainees was Sid's daughter. I wish him all the best in the world, he is a top bloke. The only better played than him I ever saw in a Villa shirt was Paul McGrath.

Offline sid1964

  • Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Location: Dudley, not far from the Castle
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #70 on: December 04, 2020, 07:50:58 AM »
Keep fighting Sid - in my opinion the best I saw wearing our shirt.

Online eamonn

  • Member
  • Posts: 29739
  • Location: Down to Worthing...and work there
  • GM : 26.07.2020
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #71 on: December 04, 2020, 09:35:26 AM »
Look forward to reading his memoir next year.

Offline ez

  • Member
  • Posts: 9272
  • Location: Stratford on Avon
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #72 on: December 09, 2020, 09:14:32 PM »
A true villa legend. I didn't know Johnny Giles was his uncle.

Online Lastfootstamper

  • Member
  • *
  • Posts: 11370
  • Age: 58
  • Location: Greater Birmingham
  • GM : PCM
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #73 on: December 09, 2020, 09:31:27 PM »
A true villa legend. I didn't know Johnny Giles was his uncle.

I think he's John Stiles' (son of Nobby) uncle, not Sid's.

Offline ez

  • Member
  • Posts: 9272
  • Location: Stratford on Avon
Re: Gordon Cowans
« Reply #74 on: December 10, 2020, 01:52:18 PM »
I have just seen a tweet from Dawn Astle, Jeff Astle's daughter to the effect that Alex Cropley has now also been diagnosed with dementia.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2020, 01:54:19 PM by ez »

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal