Savo.

[Martin Carruthers]

I used to like it when he controlled a bouncing ball with the sort of back of his knee, deliberately. Hard to explain in writing but I'm sure he did it more than once and it was ace.

[Exeter 77]

Did he make his home debut for us at the Hawthorns in a European game when VP was closed for some reason?

I was never a fan, always thought he was far too slow in both movement and thought. His goal in the cup final aside he was pretty much a massive disappointment

We played them in a pre-season friendly there.

You might be thinking of Luc Nilis.  The pre season friendly v Partizan was Savo's debut and that was at Villa Park.

We beat Partizan 2-0. The game at the Hawthorns was an Intertoto game against Marila Pribram who were a sponsored version of Dukla Prague.

[PeterWithe]

Did they wear their away kit?

[Exeter 77]

Sadly not.

[Meanwood Villa]

My brother and I were inaugural and, to the best of my knowledge, still the only remaining members of the Savo and Gary Charles fan club. Formed the night of Bordeaux at home to offer solidarity to maligned players.

Lovely post algy BTW

Yes, great post about your Granddad algy.

I was always a Savo fan, yes, he was a bit wayward with his shooting at times but he was a player who excited me the way he could glide past players and had a great drop of shoulder and drag back of the ball.

I never liked Gary Charles probably because he never lived up to the player I thought we were getting.

You're not allowed in the club then. It's all or nothing.

[KevinGage]

Loved him as a player.

When he was on it he was outstanding.

Remember one game v QPR at home where he did this nifty drag back and turn in near the corner of the Holte and Trinity and took about three or four of their players out of it.

Other times he could look a bit Heskey, alright.

[dcdavecollett]

He really improved as a player during his time here. When he first came he could barely hang onto the ball, but he soon became grizzly-strong and was a great partner for Yorke. His finishing was a bit variable, as they say.

Typical Villa, though. We sold him to a Spanish club for about £3m, he had a good first season, then went to Italy for £15m!

Good old Doug, always getting the best price for our players.

[Deano's Mullet]

Loved him. Had we not signed Collymore - hindsight is a wonderful thing - I wonder how we'd have done under Sir Brian thst season come the end of the season.

[Chico Hamilton III]

We managed to get tickets to the players’ lounge at Villa Park ( me and Alex-Alex Cropley - long story) after a Chelsea game and I noticed that Savo seemed to be quite separate from the other players, sitting on his own, not really engaging with anyone and looking very left out so I felt a bit sorry for him. I lost any sympathy for him at Ewood Park though. At one point it looked like Villa fans would get on the pitch and give him a hiding.

[Axl Rose]

Definitely a childhood favourite.

[dcdavecollett]

Savo was as strong as a bull, too.

I remember him rag-dolling Sol Campbell on Boxing Day 1997.

[SoccerHQ]

Loved him. Had we not signed Collymore - hindsight is a wonderful thing - I wonder how we'd have done under Sir Brian thst season come the end of the season.

Collymore signing certainly upset the balance, wasn't Yorke shifted to central midfield/number 10 for start of 1997 season?

[Risso]

Loved him. Had we not signed Collymore - hindsight is a wonderful thing - I wonder how we'd have done under Sir Brian thst season come the end of the season.

Collymore signing certainly upset the balance, wasn't Yorke shifted to central midfield/number 10 for start of 1997 season?

Sir Brian Basically tried to play them all up front in a sort of 5-2-3 formation, and to say it didn't work is an understatement, as being 3-0 down at half time to Blackburn showed in graphic and grisly detail. We just got overrun. I think that game we had Draper and the ageing Townsend in midfield, and they just couldn't cope.

[dcdavecollett]

I think Brian was painted into a corner.

He had to give Savo a certain number of starts as he was a non-EU player; he had just signed Stan for a club record fee; Yorke was the club's top scorer and 'glamour' player.

The only way to play them all was to empty the midfield with predictable consequences, as you pointed out.

[Risso]

I think Brian was painted into a corner.

He had to give Savo a certain number of starts as he was a non-EU player; he had just signed Stan for a club record fee; Yorke was the club's top scorer and 'glamour' player.

The only way to play them all was to empty the midfield with predictable consequences, as you pointed out.

We'd obviously been successful with Brian's 5-3-2 formation, but the switch to 5-2-3 ballsed it up properly, and it also coincided with Draper's form dropping off a cliff. The signing that year of Simon Grayson wasn't a good one either, he played for too many games for a player who was nothing more than a hugely underwhelming utility player. Also worth remembering that by the end of the season Joachim had outscored both Milosevic and Collymore.