Favourite ever Villa player

[steamer]

Would we have won the league if Andy stayed , I think not
The season he left 78/79 he had scored  3 league goals before going.
Next season our leading scorer was shaw with 9
The Catalyst was Withe, he scored 19 league goals the following year when we won the league, shaw alongside him scored 18
Then Withe,s Knee  Won the European cup . yet nobody has posted him as their favourite player.

[dave.woodhall]

Would we have won the league if Andy stayed , I think not
The season he left 78/79 he had scored  3 league goals before going.
Next season our leading scorer was shaw with 9
The Catalyst was Withe, he scored 19 league goals the following year when we won the league, shaw alongside him scored 18
Then Withe,s Knee  Won the European cup . yet nobody has posted him as their favourite player.

History has treated certain players better than others. Andy Gray is revered and his behaviour when he left and afterwards explained away, because "It's what he did on the pitch that matters." Yet Dwight Yorke, equally successful with us and massively more so elsewhere, gets slaughtered.

Equally Peter Withe, as you say, gets overlooked and Gary Shaw doesn't fare much better while Gordon Cowans is more popular now than he was in his playing days.

[WarszaVillan]

Would we have won the league if Andy stayed , I think not
The season he left 78/79 he had scored  3 league goals before going.
Next season our leading scorer was shaw with 9
The Catalyst was Withe, he scored 19 league goals the following year when we won the league, shaw alongside him scored 18
Then Withe,s Knee  Won the European cup . yet nobody has posted him as their favourite player.

History has treated certain players better than others. Andy Gray is revered and his behaviour when he left and afterwards explained away, because "It's what he did on the pitch that matters." Yet Dwight Yorke, equally successful with us and massively more so elsewhere, gets slaughtered.

Equally Peter Withe, as you say, gets overlooked and Gary Shaw doesn't fare much better while Gordon Cowans is more popular now than he was in his playing days.

I think Sid gets the adoration because he came back to us and was very successful a second time - he was a more rounded player in his second spell. He got a lot of stick from the crowd when he was a young player, including during the Championship season when many thought he didn't play that well. Shaw was another to get a lot of criticism from the crowd, especially when he didn't reach the heights of 80/81.

[KevinGage]

McGrath.

Or Simon Nimrod. Can't decide.

[Rioch is King]

Brian Little for me. It is always special when you see a player come into the team as a youngster and see him develop into a really fine player. It’s one of the reasons why so many of us are getting overemotional about Grealish. Him and Little are the most elegant players I’ve seen in a Villa shirt. Also, Little’s goal celebrations were the best.

[dcdavecollett]

Good post.

Brian Little will get loads of support on here. I just think of him as the first player who came through the new youth system set up by the Ellis board, apart from everything else he did for us.

[dave.woodhall]

From when he broke through Brian was a talismanic symbol of our rebirth. He was immensely talented but there was a fragility there that made you want to look after him as well as idolise him. That he got injured when we were on the verge of our greatest moments justadded to the poignancy. As I wrote many years ago, Paul McGrath is worshipped, Dennis Mortimer is respected and Brian Little is loved.   

[dr.chekov]

From when he broke through Brian was a talismanic symbol of our rebirth. He was immensely talented but there was a fragility there that made you want to look after him as well as idolise him. That he got injured when we were on the verge of our greatest moments justadded to the poignancy. As I wrote many years ago, Paul McGrath is worshipped, Dennis Mortimer is respected and Brian Little is loved.   

Yep. He was synonymous with Villa for me. My first hero – in football or anything else.

I still remember my uncle telling me he’d retired. Devastation isn’t the word. A childhood trauma on par with my parents telling me the cat had gone to live on a big farm in the countryside.

At least in those days you got the news from a reliable source rather than having to endure days/weeks of twitter lies/bs before finally knowing the truth.

[JD]

From when he broke through Brian was a talismanic symbol of our rebirth. He was immensely talented but there was a fragility there that made you want to look after him as well as idolise him. That he got injured when we were on the verge of our greatest moments justadded to the poignancy. As I wrote many years ago, Paul McGrath is worshipped, Dennis Mortimer is respected and Brian Little is loved.   

Excellently put Dave. I still love Brian Little and he will always be my football hero. 

[wince]

Ian Taylor

[Rigadon]

Up until about a week ago…

[martin o`who??]

Probably Sir Brian but ask me tomorrow and its Withey, the day after Gary Shaw, day after that Gordon Sidney etc. Etc...

[brian green]

Frankie Broome.

[wittonwarrior]

would be easy for me to say Andy Gray or Bruce Rioch, but have to say  for just the icon he became has to Paul McGrath