Gordon Cowans - still going

[dubont]

Just trying to butter up the Villa fans so they don't demand he goes to prison for his war crimes in Iraq.

Wasn't aware of Clive Allen's war crimes but he did break my little heart with his opening day hat-trick against us in '86.

I remember that game, there was an air of mild optimism that we might not be that bad this season, that didn't last long.

About 3 minutes, if I recall.

[Mister E]

I might have mentioned it before, but when he played for us the first time, I was so sick of people not realising how great he was, I almost wanted him to move to a club where he’d get the credit he deserved.

He was massively hard done-by in terms of praise and recognition outside of B6. Looking at the England teams he played in, there were some pretty average players: he might well have formed a perfect partnership with one of Hoddle or Devonshire but other journeymen seemed to be favoured (Sammy Lee, John Gregory, for example).
I'm still as ever convinced it was that he played for an unfavoured club.

[Brazilian Villain]

Nice of Tony Blair to give him that praise.

Don't think it was Tony, he'd have described Sid as the 'People's Player'.

[RamboandBruno]

Just trying to butter up the Villa fans so they don't demand he goes to prison for his war crimes in Iraq.

Wasn't aware of Clive Allen's war crimes but he did break my little heart with his opening day hat-trick against us in '86.

Bob Wilson was one of the pundits for the BBC at the time, a few of them had to predict who they thought would do well. He predicted us as dark horses for the league after we’d bought Garry Thompson, Neil Cooper, Martin Keown to add to the players already there like Mark Walters, Steve Hunt, Paul Birch, Steve Hodge etc.
I was 12, had my first season ticket after a few years of paying on the door and I believed Wilson. Clive Allen burst my bubble pretty quickly and then it got worse.
Anyway, i had the pleasure if seeing Sid second time around more regularly than first time. Him, Platt, McGrath in the same team, times were had, what a player

[kippaxvilla2]

If we hadn’t gone down we might never have had SGT.  I remember him controversially telling the players to wash their own kits in his first season.

[Chip Butty 111]

For a player of short stature, devoid of pace and slight of build he was remarkable. Gifted with both feet , a sublime tackler and a wonderful football brain. One of the best creative midfielders ever. And one of us..

[jon collett]

Listening to Keown’s audio book at the moment and obviously started with the Villa chapters.

Don Howe had a go at him for signing for Villa when they met with England U21s. I remember Howe getting quite nasty with Villa when C*v manager.

I wonder how many great Villa players from early 80s didn’t get England caps because of Howe’s anti Villa malign influence?

[Accent Guy]

Listening to Keown’s audio book at the moment and obviously started with the Villa chapters.

Don Howe had a go at him for signing for Villa when they met with England U21s. I remember Howe getting quite nasty with Villa when C*v manager.

I wonder how many great Villa players from early 80s didn’t get England caps because of Howe’s anti Villa malign influence?

Yes, him and Greenwood cost arguably the greatest team in our history, a bucket load of caps, and robbed a relatively poor England side of some really talented players. That said, our star English players did seem to get a fair few injuries around those times.

[sid1964]

I remember the 82 world cup - Greenwood picking both Keegan and Brooking who were both injured and not fit to play in the games.

How can a team that had just won the European Cup and the league the previous season be so under represented in an England squad

Yesterday on youtube I watched the Sunderland home game from the season we won the league - watching Cowans, Morley and Shaw was a joy and I was there as well!

[Chap]

Unfortunately Keegan and Brooking were media darlings🤔

[Mister E]

The best game I recall from Sid was the first away game in August 1978, at Spudddds. They'd just brought in Rickie Villa and Ardiles. We won 4-1 and Cowans was the midfielder who looked like a world-cup winner.

[London Villan]

What was Greenwood's problem with Villa? Seems odd that an England team that didn't actually qualify for a world cup for 20 years wouldn't use English players that actually won things...

[nick harper]

I remember the 82 world cup - Greenwood picking both Keegan and Brooking who were both injured and not fit to play in the games.

How can a team that had just won the European Cup and the league the previous season be so under represented in an England squad

Yesterday on youtube I watched the Sunderland home game from the season we won the league - watching Cowans, Morley and Shaw was a joy and I was there as well!

Watch the away game from that season. Cowans plays the most delicious first time through ball for Dennis to run onto and score. He was simply a genius.

[kippaxvilla2]

Anyone remember that cross field pass away to Wimbledon during the SGT era.  Incredible and one we scored from.  I remember it was our first win over Wimbledon they always seemed to beat us.

[Exeter 77]

That pass is right at the beginning of this clip.