Quote from: dave.woodhall on April 06, 2020, 11:34:07 PMQuote from: tomd2103 on April 06, 2020, 11:32:17 PMQuote from: Villan82 on April 06, 2020, 01:05:03 AMQuote from: Simon Page on April 05, 2020, 03:58:05 PMThe odder one for me is the 95/6 team as we did, at least try, to strengthen that. It could be the age old Villa problem of being behind the curve. Football was changing but we still wanted to recreate the Saunders era.The 90s, oh, what a missed opportunity they were for Villa. Somebody said '90 was the real missed opportunity and, maybe by a shade, we looked more like champions in '90?I was more disappointed that Brian Little's team didn't 'kick on'. Even though we finished 5th in 1996-97, at the time, it seemed somewhat disappointing after our superb season in 95-96. We were poor in the cups in 96-97.1997-98 was really disappointing. Nothing seemed right. Little didn't seem himself that year and the performances were poor. At the time, it seemed the signing of Collymore upset things. Overall, as others have said, on the three occasions where we had a chance to push on and become champions ('90, '93 and '96-'97) we just didn't buy the top player(s) that would give us that edge. I often think the summer of 1997 was a real missed opportunity. I think we were a midfielder and an upgrade on Savo away from being an exceptional side. Instead we ended up with Collymore being shoe-horned into the side with Yorke and Milosevic.Yep. Quite firmly established in the higher reaches of the top flight at the time, though not always finishing there, we were behind the curve bringing in top quality foreign players when we could have probably attracted them. Arsenal were bringing in Bergkamp, Chelsea brought in Gullit, Zola, Vialli, Newcastle signed agin ola, Asprila etc. That was the time to show some real ambition, but not to be sadly.The next chance we got were the early years under Lerner, but not to be again. The big problem was that we didn't really have anything to attract them. Never was the London factor so important.The marker around that time was that we were never going to get anywhere with Taylor in the side on a regular basis.
Quote from: tomd2103 on April 06, 2020, 11:32:17 PMQuote from: Villan82 on April 06, 2020, 01:05:03 AMQuote from: Simon Page on April 05, 2020, 03:58:05 PMThe odder one for me is the 95/6 team as we did, at least try, to strengthen that. It could be the age old Villa problem of being behind the curve. Football was changing but we still wanted to recreate the Saunders era.The 90s, oh, what a missed opportunity they were for Villa. Somebody said '90 was the real missed opportunity and, maybe by a shade, we looked more like champions in '90?I was more disappointed that Brian Little's team didn't 'kick on'. Even though we finished 5th in 1996-97, at the time, it seemed somewhat disappointing after our superb season in 95-96. We were poor in the cups in 96-97.1997-98 was really disappointing. Nothing seemed right. Little didn't seem himself that year and the performances were poor. At the time, it seemed the signing of Collymore upset things. Overall, as others have said, on the three occasions where we had a chance to push on and become champions ('90, '93 and '96-'97) we just didn't buy the top player(s) that would give us that edge. I often think the summer of 1997 was a real missed opportunity. I think we were a midfielder and an upgrade on Savo away from being an exceptional side. Instead we ended up with Collymore being shoe-horned into the side with Yorke and Milosevic.Yep. Quite firmly established in the higher reaches of the top flight at the time, though not always finishing there, we were behind the curve bringing in top quality foreign players when we could have probably attracted them. Arsenal were bringing in Bergkamp, Chelsea brought in Gullit, Zola, Vialli, Newcastle signed agin ola, Asprila etc. That was the time to show some real ambition, but not to be sadly.The next chance we got were the early years under Lerner, but not to be again. The big problem was that we didn't really have anything to attract them. Never was the London factor so important.
Quote from: Villan82 on April 06, 2020, 01:05:03 AMQuote from: Simon Page on April 05, 2020, 03:58:05 PMThe odder one for me is the 95/6 team as we did, at least try, to strengthen that. It could be the age old Villa problem of being behind the curve. Football was changing but we still wanted to recreate the Saunders era.The 90s, oh, what a missed opportunity they were for Villa. Somebody said '90 was the real missed opportunity and, maybe by a shade, we looked more like champions in '90?I was more disappointed that Brian Little's team didn't 'kick on'. Even though we finished 5th in 1996-97, at the time, it seemed somewhat disappointing after our superb season in 95-96. We were poor in the cups in 96-97.1997-98 was really disappointing. Nothing seemed right. Little didn't seem himself that year and the performances were poor. At the time, it seemed the signing of Collymore upset things. Overall, as others have said, on the three occasions where we had a chance to push on and become champions ('90, '93 and '96-'97) we just didn't buy the top player(s) that would give us that edge. I often think the summer of 1997 was a real missed opportunity. I think we were a midfielder and an upgrade on Savo away from being an exceptional side. Instead we ended up with Collymore being shoe-horned into the side with Yorke and Milosevic.Yep. Quite firmly established in the higher reaches of the top flight at the time, though not always finishing there, we were behind the curve bringing in top quality foreign players when we could have probably attracted them. Arsenal were bringing in Bergkamp, Chelsea brought in Gullit, Zola, Vialli, Newcastle signed agin ola, Asprila etc. That was the time to show some real ambition, but not to be sadly.The next chance we got were the early years under Lerner, but not to be again.
Quote from: Simon Page on April 05, 2020, 03:58:05 PMThe odder one for me is the 95/6 team as we did, at least try, to strengthen that. It could be the age old Villa problem of being behind the curve. Football was changing but we still wanted to recreate the Saunders era.The 90s, oh, what a missed opportunity they were for Villa. Somebody said '90 was the real missed opportunity and, maybe by a shade, we looked more like champions in '90?I was more disappointed that Brian Little's team didn't 'kick on'. Even though we finished 5th in 1996-97, at the time, it seemed somewhat disappointing after our superb season in 95-96. We were poor in the cups in 96-97.1997-98 was really disappointing. Nothing seemed right. Little didn't seem himself that year and the performances were poor. At the time, it seemed the signing of Collymore upset things. Overall, as others have said, on the three occasions where we had a chance to push on and become champions ('90, '93 and '96-'97) we just didn't buy the top player(s) that would give us that edge. I often think the summer of 1997 was a real missed opportunity. I think we were a midfielder and an upgrade on Savo away from being an exceptional side. Instead we ended up with Collymore being shoe-horned into the side with Yorke and Milosevic.
The odder one for me is the 95/6 team as we did, at least try, to strengthen that. It could be the age old Villa problem of being behind the curve. Football was changing but we still wanted to recreate the Saunders era.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MtH1JsUiMiUJust found this newly uploaded video, BFRs final Villa Park game as our boss - we played pretty well but couldn't find a way past Gary Walsh in goal other than the Dalian deflection and we should have had a penalty at the death. Crazy seeing the modern upper Holte part constructed. Both Martin Tyler and Andy Gray discuss during the video some of the things going against Villa that season and how we as supporters had labelled the team Dad's Army.
Quote from: Deano's Mullet on April 14, 2020, 04:25:47 PMhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MtH1JsUiMiUJust found this newly uploaded video, BFRs final Villa Park game as our boss - we played pretty well but couldn't find a way past Gary Walsh in goal other than the Dalian deflection and we should have had a penalty at the death. Crazy seeing the modern upper Holte part constructed. Both Martin Tyler and Andy Gray discuss during the video some of the things going against Villa that season and how we as supporters had labelled the team Dad's Army.Gray seemed exasperated with our front two. Certainly Yorke made a huge impact when he came on, brilliant save from Walsh from his shot. Walsh was goalkeeping coach for us in recent years under Bruce and key to recommending Johnstone and Nyland.Was Bosnich injured? Spink should have done better with at least one. Not helped by Townsend and King turning away from the shots on goal. That aside compared the game at Old Trafford two years previous, King was in for Small, Ugo for Teale, Townsend for Parker. Maybe BFR needed to make more radical surgery on the team post the league cup win. Staunton on left wing was a strange one, Jack Charlton used play him there at times too.Little didn't improve things much that first season, barely survived relegation for a finish. Hard to believe for that group of players.
Didn't Richardson get a good offer from abroad? He played for Big Ron 18 months later at Coventry so wasn't anything personal between the two. I imagine with Townsend coming in he just needed to be moved on.
Quote from: SoccerHQ on April 15, 2020, 01:57:43 PMDidn't Richardson get a good offer from abroad? He played for Big Ron 18 months later at Coventry so wasn't anything personal between the two. I imagine with Townsend coming in he just needed to be moved on.We (Big Ron ) bought both Richardson and Dalian from Real Sociedad (they had both spent a season there along with John Aldridge who spent two seasons there). Richardson was one of the first of BFR's 92/93 Villa team to leave when he followed BFR to Coventry.
Quote from: Damo70 on April 15, 2020, 02:03:12 PMQuote from: SoccerHQ on April 15, 2020, 01:57:43 PMDidn't Richardson get a good offer from abroad? He played for Big Ron 18 months later at Coventry so wasn't anything personal between the two. I imagine with Townsend coming in he just needed to be moved on.We (Big Ron ) bought both Richardson and Dalian from Real Sociedad (they had both spent a season there along with John Aldridge who spent two seasons there). Richardson was one of the first of BFR's 92/93 Villa team to leave when he followed BFR to Coventry.Our transfer business in 94/95 was very strange (cheers wiki). Only King and Fashanu joined in the summer with Daley, Froggatt, Kubiciki and Cox leaving. Left us very light on the wings anyway.Once Little came in, he signed Charles and Johnston, Carr and Wright. In order of departure, Whittingham, Barrett, Parker, Richardson, Houghton and Boden? all had left before the end of March. In hindsight I guess that was far too much change in very short space of time mid season. Did we switch to three at the back quickly after Little came in does anyone recall?
I enjoyed that Villa v Utd clip. Thank you.I cannot now remember, did Yorke immediately become our top striker after Little came in? BFR favoured Atkinson and Saunders to the end. Yorke probably should have been the star striker earlier than he was (based on that clip!)