villa89 Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 On 15/10/2018 at 15:32, MikeMcKenna said: He was only ever Herbert Douglas Ellis who viewed Villa as his personal cash machine and as means to boost his ego. Hear Hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thabucks Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Loathe him.....hate him or ambiguous ..... (I’m in the first category) he is part of our history like it or not.... from a personal perspective I thought today’s dawn of a new era was a fitting send off to a a man who did so much for us in many ways but also was so destructive .... history should not rewrite itself on that point either. However, today is not the day for any of that... Doug RIP.... Holte Ender in the Sky ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post markavfc40 Posted October 20, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 20, 2018 (edited) He got a good send off today in fairness although whether it was deserved is debatable. I am glad they went with the minutes applause as it meant those that didn't want to join in could simply not participate. Given my views on him I personally couldn't be a hypocrite so kept my hands in my pockets. Edited October 20, 2018 by markavfc40 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westholmevillan Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 On 16/10/2018 at 22:18, dont_do_it_doug. said: You won't find many people under the age of 40, who up until fairly recently, disliked Ellis as much as me. I went on all the marches as a teenager, I rallied against his every move, against the revisionist history of his reign. I thought he was a penny pincher and a narcissist who put his own interests above those of the club, above those of it's fans. In my older age I have come to think he wasn't such a bad football club owner, certainly not as bad a human being as I once thought after all. Maybe it is whimsical notions like actually challenging for league titles, cup finals and putting trophies in the cabinet that have changed my mind. Or perhaps it was seeing his roller at away games in the depths of winter, knowing I could barely stand to watch the bilge on display in the driving snow never mind what a trudge it must be for a 90 year old man. Maybe I have become the revisionist. He wasn't necessarily a bad bloke, he was a bloke who made bad decisions at often the most inappropriate times and he outstayed his welcome by quite a few years all told, but in the end that isn't enough for me to sit here and disparage the man personally. A man who gave so much to charity, decades of his life to the club (good and bad) and as painfully misguided as he was at times genuinely thought he was doing what was required to make Aston Villa successful. Even if I have no doubt that personal success, financial or otherwise, was never too far from his mind. One thing he could do was spot a football manager. Ron Saunders, Ron Atkinson, Brian Little, John Gregory. Even Jozef Venglos can be looked on as an innovative move by a man determined to squeeze every ounce out of our resources. I would go as far as to say Dean Smith feels very much like an Ellis appointment. Ultimately he leaves behind a wife, a family, and my condolences go out to them. I hope they take solace from the fact he had a bloody good innings and more importantly he lived his dream, even if those dreams didn't always tally with my own. What a great post! That's exactly how I viewed Sir Doug. Definitely a 'marmite man' always kept us financially sound if nothing else! His worst decision was destroying the beautiful Trinity Road stand! RIP Sir Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Davkaus Posted October 20, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 20, 2018 I showed the man the minimum level of courtesy and joined in with the minute;'s applause, but the Holte End singing "there's only one Doug Ellis" made me feel a little unwell, frankly. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 17 minutes ago, Davkaus said: I showed the man the minimum level of courtesy and joined in with the minute;'s applause, but the Holte End singing "there's only one Doug Ellis" made me feel a little unwell, frankly. Yes, I felt a bit uneasy hearing the Holte sing that. He fully deserved a decent send off though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted October 20, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted October 20, 2018 46 minutes ago, Davkaus said: I showed the man the minimum level of courtesy and joined in with the minute;'s applause, but the Holte End singing "there's only one Doug Ellis" made me feel a little unwell, frankly. So many people don't really remember now. My lad is 16 and just assumed he was a great Villa man. I gave the applause and left it at that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post meregreen Posted October 20, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted October 20, 2018 Stayed inside the stand. Took my seat after the minute was over. Wouldn’t disrespect a man now dead, but gave him as much thought as he gave the fans when alive. Too many bad memories of his tenure to do anymore. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post romavillan Posted October 20, 2018 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted October 20, 2018 8 minutes ago, meregreen said: Stayed inside the stand. Took my seat after the minute was over. Wouldn’t disrespect a man now dead, but gave him as much thought as he gave the fans when alive. Too many bad memories of his tenure to do anymore. Fair do's, I've stayed out of this thread but you know the way the 82 captain and Barton's family got treated by him isn't exactly worth a rousing round of applause is it? That's saying nothing of is performance as chairman either. Too many stories to mention but if people wanted to pay their respects they've done it now I hope and we can get on with our future instead, hopefully a future where the witton lane stand gets a more appropriate name. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screwdriver Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 not to mention the destruction of the original trinity road stand. I didn't enter the stadium till 3.05 as a statement of disrespect. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Made In Aston Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 11 hours ago, romavillan said: hopefully a future where the witton lane stand gets a more appropriate name. Now he is dead it is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Doug knew this would be the most likely scenario when he named it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts