Honouring Ron Saunders

[meregreen]

Rename the Doug Ellis stand. That would be so sweet to those of us who thought the sycophantic gesture from Steve Stride to his master was never merited. Ron was instrumental in our greatest decade. 

[John]

On 26/04/2021 at 23:40, The Fun Factory said:

I thought it was very low key the events Villa did on his passing. It was acceptable but we hardly went out of our way to mark our most successful manager (well certainly post war) in our history.  When you compare to what United did with Busby, Clough at Forest etc.

Maybe it was partly because it was a long time ago that Saunders managed Villa and the fact he distanced himself from football after his retirement. He rarely visited Villa Park  as I think he fell out of love of the game and also because he did not get along with Ellis. He kept himself to himself and not many in the modern media would have probably heard of him which is a great pity.

Some sort of recognition is needed at Villa Park for that whole 1974-1984 era with Saunders, Barton and the players. We have 1 mural in the Holte End and that's it to cover a decade which had  1 promotion, 2 league cups, our only title in the last 100  plus years, and the European Cup and Super Cup. Which we will probably never achieve again.

Sir Ron and the team that he managed, were not made at all welcome at Villa Park during the time that HDE was at the helm. Below suggests to me, that Ron would have come along more often, had he felt he would have been made as welcome, as he should have been: 

   

[TRO]

On 18/12/2019 at 02:45, A'Villan said:

Rename the new training ground?

It would inspire players and coaches alike to aspire to the levels of achievement we enjoyed under Saunders' tenure.

Every time we step foot on the pitch to prepare and better our play we are reminded that we've won it all as a consequence of his work.

I agree.

I loved his Mantra of 110% work rate.....and the team lived by that.

 

[Sulberto21]

37 minutes ago, John said:

Sir Ron and the team that he managed, were not made at all welcome at Villa Park during the time that HDE was at the helm. Below suggests to me, that Ron would have come along more often, had he felt he would have been made as welcome, as he should have been: 

   

What a man. 

[Zatman]

On 26/04/2021 at 23:40, The Fun Factory said:

I thought it was very low key the events Villa did on his passing. It was acceptable but we hardly went out of our way to mark our most successful manager (well certainly post war) in our history.  When you compare to what United did with Busby, Clough at Forest etc.

Maybe it was partly because it was a long time ago that Saunders managed Villa and the fact he distanced himself from football after his retirement. He rarely visited Villa Park  as I think he fell out of love of the game and also because he did not get along with Ellis. He kept himself to himself and not many in the modern media would have probably heard of him which is a great pity.

Some sort of recognition is needed at Villa Park for that whole 1974-1984 era with Saunders, Barton and the players. We have 1 mural in the Holte End and that's it to cover a decade which had  1 promotion, 2 league cups, our only title in the last 100  plus years, and the European Cup and Super Cup. Which we will probably never achieve again.

He stopped managing at 54 which is really incredibly young for a manager, Roy Hodgson was 40 at the time and is still managing in the top flight today

Its a bit of a loss to football though maybe cements his legend as well

[The Fun Factory]

5 minutes ago, Zatman said:

He stopped managing at 54 which is really incredibly young for a manager, Roy Hodgson was 40 at the time and is still managing in the top flight today

Its a bit of a loss to football though maybe cements his legend as well

Bobby Robson was about a year younger and he managed until 2004 which is a bit crazy.

[PaulC]

I think he was burnt out with the game and he lost interest anyway and what i never understood was we comemerate the european cup triumph so much more than the league title win when that was so much harder to win

[danceoftheshamen]

Still miss watching his team. The lethal counter attacks and stunning finishing of    
Gary Shaw, Withe & Morley. Those electric jinking runs down the left from Morley and the rigid brick wall defence of McNaught and Evans. Then the guile of Sid and brute effort of Des Bremner all  brilliantly captained by Mortimer. 

Wonderful memories 

[The Fun Factory]

In the Guardian obituary it quoted Saunders saying ' the moment I left West Brom I put football behind me,” he said. “I don’t pay much attention to it any more.'

However as mentioned if he and Ellis had got along then he may have come back to Villa Park more often. Ellis  couldn't stand not being Mr Aston Villa and Saunders thought Ellis as a egotist and too domineering.  Has he stayed on and won the European Cup he probably would have walked anyway once Ellis regained control of Villa in 1983. Four years later we were relegated.

[meregreen]

On 29/04/2021 at 01:34, danceoftheshamen said:

Still miss watching his team. The lethal counter attacks and stunning finishing of    
Gary Shaw, Withe & Morley. Those electric jinking runs down the left from Morley and the rigid brick wall defence of McNaught and Evans. Then the guile of Sid and brute effort of Des Bremner all  brilliantly captained by Mortimer. 

Wonderful memories 

Agree with your assessment of that great team. But have to say, my favourite Saunders team was the team of the late 70s. Gray Little Gidman Mortimer etc. Fantastically entertaining times. Those Saunders teams of 74 to 82 were always worth watching. For such a dour man, and his public persona was always granite faced, he could put together amazingly entertaining teams. What might have been if he had been allowed to build on that success we’ll never know. 

[TRO]

On 29/04/2021 at 01:34, danceoftheshamen said:

Still miss watching his team. The lethal counter attacks and stunning finishing of    
Gary Shaw, Withe & Morley. Those electric jinking runs down the left from Morley and the rigid brick wall defence of McNaught and Evans. Then the guile of Sid and brute effort of Des Bremner all  brilliantly captained by Mortimer. 

Wonderful memories 

and its that balance, that galvanised it all.

[TRO]

On 28/04/2021 at 22:07, PaulC said:

I think he was burnt out with the game and he lost interest anyway and what i never understood was we comemerate the european cup triumph so much more than the league title win when that was so much harder to win

They were both phenomenal achievements.

He had a rolling contract, he earned it, but they tried to continue with contracts that stuck the carrot in front of the Donkey, I think he was marred by the disingenous nature of that...I think he thought, he was giving his best, without the carrot.

I think he felt a disconnection with the management.

Edited May 5, 2021 by TRO

[AvfcRigo82]

On 12/12/2019 at 23:24, OutByEaster? said:

Personally I'm not one for renaming stands - if Ron has one, shouldn't McGregor? shouldn't Ramsay? A club with our history is not short of legendary figures and there are only four edges to the pitch - plus I like the history of the names Trinity, Witton and Holte - say those names to football fans anywhere and they'll know where you are - and so would their grandads. That's not to say that Ron isn't important to me or to the club - it's just not a thing I like - maybe due in part to the only example we've had.

I'd like to see a statue;  a big 'un. 

 

I am a tad late in posting in this thread and I have not read all of the pages so my thoughts have probably been suggested already.

I would be happy to see either or both a statue and renaming of a stand for Ron Saunders.

I think it would be great to change the Doug Ellis Stand to the Ron Saunders Stand considering the history between the two.

Equally, Renaming the Trinity Stand to the William McGregor stand.

While we're on the subject, I would even go as far to rename the North Stand as the Paul McGrath stand. He is the best defender I have seen in a Villa shirt in my lifetime. It's your stand M'Lord!

 

[Sulberto21]

The Ron Saunders performance centre. Sounds good and makes sense. He demanded nothing less than the best.

[Mark Albrighton]

Not a big fan of putting up statues or renaming stands after people. A manager wins the league one season gets a stand named after him, if another manager wins the league 20 years later, presumably he needs a stand named after him as well? Where’s George Ramsey in all this? William McGregor is honoured but Ramsey barely gets a look in. 

I have the same thoughts about players too. People can say “Well Paul McGrath is the best players we’ve ever had.” But in the 1890’s there would have been those saying “That Archie Hunter will never be bested!”. Who’s to say in 100 years time people will be saying “I’m sure Cowans and McGrath were good for their time...but come on, the 1980’s? Football was a bit primitive back then...” In fact, I think it’s a given they’ll be saying that.

I’m happy to concede the McGregor statue is an exception, literally no one can or will ever do what he did and the subsequent impact he had on football everywhere. 

You want to honour Ron Saunders, the European cup winning team, the ‘57 team, the 19th century lot, the likes of Dalian and Ugo....do more within the ground, the concourse I’m thinking. Try and do better than the few old pictures that are often hung on beams over head where you can barely see their faces. Big, proper murals, acknowledgements and the like everywhere.

[PaulC]

On 30/04/2021 at 14:25, meregreen said:

Agree with your assessment of that great team. But have to say, my favourite Saunders team was the team of the late 70s. Gray Little Gidman Mortimer etc. Fantastically entertaining times. Those Saunders teams of 74 to 82 were always worth watching. For such a dour man, and his public persona was always granite faced, he could put together amazingly entertaining teams. What might have been if he had been allowed to build on that success we’ll never know. 

Thats my favourite ever Villa team as well. Cropley,  Deehan and not forgetting Carradas as well to the names you mentioned.