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Author Topic: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team  (Read 31156 times)

Offline cdbearsfan

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #150 on: April 11, 2020, 12:03:12 AM »
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.

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.

What? Ian Taylor? As in one of the best midfielders we've had in the last thirty years? That Taylor?

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #151 on: April 11, 2020, 03:36:12 PM »
Taylor and Townsend were fine. Problem was not having a more creative player infront of them rather than another industrious runner like Draper who wasn't as good as those two (although IIRC he got a call up to England squad ahead of Tayls in 1996 for some reason).

Guess that was the idea of signing Sasa Curcic. Him and Collymore could've proved the final pieces to the first 11 but were complete opposite.


Offline Simon Page

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #152 on: April 11, 2020, 03:51:00 PM »
Draper was brilliant in 95/6. And when we stumbled on a front three of Johnson behind Yorke and Milosevic everything clicked. As always, though, we struggled beyond the first XI.

Offline Damo70

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #153 on: April 11, 2020, 06:44:14 PM »
Taylor and Townsend were both excellent for Villa. We let Townsend go too soon in my opinion. As for Mark Draper for me he was one of many Villa players who started his career at the club on fire but went downhill as time went on. In his case he went downhill quite quickly if I remember right.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #154 on: April 11, 2020, 08:54:17 PM »
Boro came in for Townsend and given at that point they were paying Paul Merson more than what he was on at Arsenal a massive pay rise when you're 34 is something he was going to take.


Offline Deano's Mullet

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #155 on: April 14, 2020, 04:25:47 PM »
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MtH1JsUiMiU

Just 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.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2020, 04:29:50 PM by Deano's Mullet »

Offline brontebilly

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #156 on: April 15, 2020, 10:50:22 AM »
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MtH1JsUiMiU

Just 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.

Offline Damo70

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #157 on: April 15, 2020, 01:41:34 PM »
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MtH1JsUiMiU

Just 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.


I was living in Tenerife that season and following Villa via buying an English newspaper every day and havving SKY* in my apartment. He seemed to weed out a number of the old guard quite quickly, I think Kevin Richardson was one of the first to go. Followed by Houghton, Saunders, Atkinson, Spink. I seem to recall we started to pick up under Little and had a particularly good turn of the year and seemed to be flying in the new year. We then suddenly bombed and it went to the last day against Norwich.

*Back in the day of just one SKY sports channel and I religiously tuned in every evening at six pm for the only SKY Sports News bulletin of the day.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2020, 01:44:38 PM by Damo70 »

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #158 on: April 15, 2020, 01:57:43 PM »
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.

Offline Damo70

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #159 on: April 15, 2020, 02:03:12 PM »
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.


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.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2020, 02:08:11 PM by Damo70 »

Offline brontebilly

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #160 on: April 15, 2020, 02:36:22 PM »
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.


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?

Offline LeeB

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #161 on: April 15, 2020, 03:12:20 PM »
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.


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?

Are you getting yer Paul Bodins and yer Phil Kings in a twist there?

Offline Villan82

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #162 on: April 15, 2020, 05:31:48 PM »
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!)

Offline Deano's Mullet

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #163 on: April 15, 2020, 06:36:02 PM »
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!)

It was initially Saunders and one of Fashanu or Atkinson  up until the signing of Tommy Johnson. Yorke featured in most games as a right winger with Staunton on the left and Taylor and Townsend in the middle. It was only the last few games of the season where Dwight featured up front with Saunders, Little has said he knew after Leeds away and Liverpool at home that Yorke would be his no 1 long term.

Offline Deano's Mullet

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Re: The rapid decline of the 92/93 team
« Reply #164 on: April 15, 2020, 06:40:24 PM »
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!)

I think the first few games of 94/95 showed Ron's preference was for Fashanu and Saunders. I remember Andy Gray saying after a couple of games that it certainly made a difference to Saunders' game having a big man up front to win the aerial battles. Then Fashanu got injured around the time of the away leg with Inter and Dalian/Whittifngham/Fenton/Yorke  all interchanged as Saunders' partner up until Ron was sacked. Lamptey made the odd cameo too.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2020, 06:42:04 PM by Deano's Mullet »

 


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