Jarpie Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 39 minutes ago, PaulC said: Its interesting that at the time Vic Crowe was sacked Brian Clough applied for the job. I know we achieved great things under Ron but would we have had even greater success under Brian clough. If you think what he did at forest, Villa a much bigger club, he could have made us into a Liverpool, but we'll never know. Winning the title and the European cup should have been the platform for us to go on and have continued success but it wasn't we just went downhill until the great Graham Taylor arrested the situation and theres one man to blame for that imo. Well maybe the Bendalls too. I don't think Clough would've lasted long in Villa, especially with Deadly Doug. No idea how other board members in Villa were at the time though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Reading this thread has me in tears 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DaveAV1 Posted March 30, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted March 30, 2017 15 hours ago, TRO said: Interestingly Vic did leave a bit of a legacy in terms of the youth. Vic Crowe doesn't get enough recognition for what he did for the club. He started the revival when he took over from Tommy Doc. At the time we were bottom of division 2 but he almost kept us up from a pretty hopeless position. The following season he restored some pride in the club and got us to the League Cup Final. The following season we stormed the old 3rd division, I think we got 70 points when it was only 2 for a win. Those of us old enough will always have fond memories of that season, my Dad had just started to take me to games. I particularly remember Bournmouth at home which we came back to win 2-1 after a great diving header from their Ted Macdougal, played in front of over 57000. We were outside and a bloke stopped my Dad and asked if he he wanted 2 tickets for the Witton Lane. The bloke pointed at the Holte and said, "The boy won't see a kick in there today". So Dad bought them at face value. That season we averaged either 4th or 5th highest crowds in the whole of England at home and away we were painting towns claret and blue. Nobody had ever seen anything like it in the 3rd division. Vic Crowe made the lion roar again! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DaveAV1 Posted March 30, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted March 30, 2017 Correction I think the crowd was 48000, a record for the 3rd division only beaten when Shefield Wednesday played Shefield United at Hilsborough a few years later. 57000 was the last game of the season vs. Sunderland when we'd won the league cup in 75 and got promoted. Another amazing day! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 @DaveAV1 I have loved reading your last couple of posts mate. I don’t go as far back as those days but it just reaffirms that we do support an amazing club with amazing supporters and shows how enjoyable a successful season in the lower divisions can be. Hopefully we will soon be able to look back on a successful season in the second tier and rave on about how we stormed to the title and fully restored the pride in this club and sold out many a game whilst doing it. I think now like then if we can get promoted then off the back off that the whole place can lift off and we could again be successful in the top flight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 4 minutes ago, markavfc40 said: @DaveAV1 I have loved reading your last couple of posts mate. I don’t go as far back as those days but it just reaffirms that we do support an amazing club with amazing supporters and shows how enjoyable a successful season in the lower divisions can be. Hopefully we will soon be able to look back on a successful season in the second tier and rave on about how we stormed to the title and fully restored the pride in this club and sold out many a game whilst doing it. I think now like then if we can get promoted then off the back off that the whole place can lift off and we could again be successful in the top flight. Thanks Mark. I'm just a sloppy old Villa fan. Hopefully the time is almost here to make some more happy memories! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) 22 hours ago, PaulC said: Yes Little, Gidman, Macdonald, Pimblett was a great prospect too. Paul, sadly Frankie liked his pop too much.....sad could have been a good player. Edited March 30, 2017 by TRO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Yep saw the game at Norwich where we won 4-1. I think it was his debut and he was 17 and he ran the game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldivisvilla Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 Definitely the best time to have been a Villa fan. The second Saunders team was probably the best i reckon, as someone previously has said Gray, Little and Deehan as a forward line, scored goals for fun. Was in the Witton end for that Liverpool game, all 5 were scored at that end in the first half and we also hit the bar twice in the second half. If i remember correctly we also stuck 5 up Arsenal and Wrexham that season. That team also included the great Alex Cropley. Oh happy days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 3 minutes ago, baldivisvilla said: Definitely the best time to have been a Villa fan. The second Saunders team was probably the best i reckon, as someone previously has said Gray, Little and Deehan as a forward line, scored goals for fun. Was in the Witton end for that Liverpool game, all 5 were scored at that end in the first half and we also hit the bar twice in the second half. If i remember correctly we also stuck 5 up Arsenal and Wrexham that season. That team also included the great Alex Cropley. Oh happy days. Yes that is my all-time fav Villa game. 5-1 at ht against the best side in Europe amazing. I loved Alex Cropley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) 7 hours ago, DaveAV1 said: Correction I think the crowd was 48000, a record for the 3rd division only beaten when Shefield Wednesday played Shefield United at Hilsborough a few years later. 57000 was the last game of the season vs. Sunderland when we'd won the league cup in 75 and got promoted. Another amazing day! We got 59,000 in a midweek game in the cup against Southampton, we were like sardines....I think Peter broadbent & Lionel Martin scored and we won 2-1......Tommy doc was manager. Edited March 30, 2017 by TRO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 23 hours ago, PaulC said: Yes Little, Gidman, Macdonald, Pimblett was a great prospect too. and Keith Leonard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) 9 hours ago, PaulC said: Yes that is my all-time fav Villa game. 5-1 at ht against the best side in Europe amazing. I loved Alex Cropley. For me, possibly of my favourite Villa Player of all.....albeit Macca was so special. I remember when he came and soon after, I was saying to myself......We have gone up a gear, we went to a different level IMO.....he was so special. I was introduced to him through Andy all them years ago....I was always in awe. Edited March 30, 2017 by TRO 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 30, 2017 Moderator Share Posted March 30, 2017 5 hours ago, PaulC said: Yep saw the game at Norwich where we won 4-1. I think it was his debut and he was 17 and he ran the game. Pedant alert : It was his 2nd league game and that was the last game of that season (30/04/75). Goals from Leonard, Gidman, McDonald & Carrodus. His league debut was a 2-0 home win v Bristol City 3 months earlier (11/01/75). Goals from Little & Hamilton. His senior debut was in the FA Cup on 04/01/75 at Oldham. A 3-0 win with goals from Little, Nicholl & Graydon. /Pedant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) 32 minutes ago, TRO said: We got 59,000 in a midweek game in the cup against Southampton, we were like sardines....I think Peter broadbent & Lionel Martin scored and we won 2-1......Tommy doc was manager. Woow so even as we were tumbling we still got massive crowds. The time under Tommy Doc was just before I started going. Vic was the first manager I remember. I recall stuff in the papers about the big protests before Ellis came in and saved us. I view Doug with mixed feelings but I've got a soft spot for the old rogue. I think it was Graham Taylor who said that his problem was he wouldn't just go the extra mile and we missed opportunities because of that. But there's been worse and we don't need long memories to recall one here or look far across the city to see totally disasterous chairmen. Lets hope that the current man at the top can help us fulfill a few dreams. Especially for the lads and lasses who are too young to remember those wonderful days of the 70s, early 80s and even the 90s. Up The Villa Edited March 30, 2017 by DaveAV1 Spelling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMcKenna Posted March 30, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted March 30, 2017 (edited) Some years ago, I had the tremendous pleasure of sitting and chatting with Ron for ten minutes at the Former Villa Players Association 50th Anniversary. We chatted about the great years leading up to winning the league and he was on tremendous form. Towards the end of our chat I asked if it was true that he left because of Ellis's pending return to the club and he just smiled and said "it was years ago". Throughout our chat people were coming up to him and asking for his autograph and he asked them politely to wait till we had finished. Will never forget it. He was with his daughter who subsequently took a great photograph of us together. Ron Saunders is one of my all time heroes who genuinely felt that the fans were the most important thing about the club. I agree that it is a disgrace that he is not properly acknowledged at VP. Maybe we need to do something about that....? Edited March 30, 2017 by MikeMcKenna 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 17 hours ago, Grasshopper said: Reading this thread has me in tears Opening up this thread on the latest page to read this...You nearly gave me a heart attack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 3 hours ago, DaveAV1 said: Woow so even as we were tumbling we still got massive crowds. The time under Tommy Doc was just before I started going. Vic was the first manager I remember. I recall stuff in the papers about the big protests before Ellis came in and saved us. I view Doug with mixed feelings but I've got a soft spot for the old rogue. I think it was Graham Taylor who said that his problem was he wouldn't just go the extra mile and we missed opportunities because of that. But there's been worse and we don't need long memories to recall one here or look far across the city to see totally disasterous chairmen. Lets hope that the current man at the top can help us fulfill a few dreams. Especially for the lads and lasses who are too young to remember those wonderful days of the 70s, early 80s and even the 90s. Up The Villa Yes then next week we probably got about 12,000 at home against someone like Charlton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 3 hours ago, DaveAV1 said: Woow so even as we were tumbling we still got massive crowds. The time under Tommy Doc was just before I started going. Vic was the first manager I remember. I recall stuff in the papers about the big protests before Ellis came in and saved us. I view Doug with mixed feelings but I've got a soft spot for the old rogue. I think it was Graham Taylor who said that his problem was he wouldn't just go the extra mile and we missed opportunities because of that. But there's been worse and we don't need long memories to recall one here or look far across the city to see totally disasterous chairmen. Lets hope that the current man at the top can help us fulfill a few dreams. Especially for the lads and lasses who are too young to remember those wonderful days of the 70s, early 80s and even the 90s. Up The Villa My sentiment too Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 The last 5 years have probably done more for Ellis' reputation than any years he spent at the club. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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