OutByEaster? Posted April 24, 2020 Moderator Share Posted April 24, 2020 At a previous Heritage and History supporters group meeting, the club discussed filling the 11 framed spaces in the brickwork on the side of the Holte End with an All Time Aston Villa XI. We've agreed to help them create a shortlist for each position which they'll allow season ticket holders and members to vote on. Therefore, we would like to start this process by asking for your help in creating a shortlist of players for each position. To help a little in narrowing selection, the club have created some parameters from the outset. There have been many players and many formations played over the years. The club see a 4-4-2 as the simplest interpretation of how to fill a side. The use of roman numerals is deliberate. Players will have worn all sorts of numbers and that number would relate to a different position not only depending on the formation - with the introduction of modern squad numbers anything goes! To make the short list, we would ask that players have done at least one of these things: Played at least 100 times for Villa Won a major trophy with Villa Played in a promotion season with Villa Please try and take in to account the “ALL TIME” element, and don’t restrict this to players you have seen play. The Harry Hamptons of our history should be taken in to account. You don't have to name ten, the idea is that we come up with a list of ten that season ticket holders and members can vote on - name as few or as many as you'd like. So, your thoughts on midfielders, one left sided, one right sided and central midfielders - i'll add an ongoing list to this post, so you can see who we're recommending. We have until 7th May. Left midfield Tony Morley Jack Grealish Ashley Young Mark Walters . . . . . . Centre MIdfield Gordon Cowans David Platt Ian Taylor Andy Townsend Dennis Mortimer Gareth Barry Bruce Rioch Pat McMahon Alex Cropley . Right Midfield Ray Graydon Charlie Athersmith Ray Houghton Tony Daley Des Bremner Paul Merson . . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted April 24, 2020 Author Moderator Share Posted April 24, 2020 I reckon this is the hard one, for me, Cowans and Morley are the players I grew up on, Mortimer lifted the cup and so much more, Barry was our best midfielder for a decade and I loved watching Tony Daley, I love watching Grealish but beyond that there's just opinions - it's not like goalscorers who have a handy number next to them - it's one where for me, people I've seen play have an advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCollins29 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Cowans, Platt, mortimer, morley, jonny dixon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattyvilla Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 cowans , platt , barry , morley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straggler Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Cowans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Ashley Young should get a mention, he was topping the asists charts for us and was always in top 2 or 3 in the league 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir_gary_cahill Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Grealish hands down the best midfielder I’ve seen in a Villa shirt, I wonder how he would’ve looked in a better side. I’ve never seen a side so reliant on player, I hope to God, we keep him and build the side around him but at the same time, I wouldn’t begrudge him a move but I think that him and his family love the club Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir_gary_cahill Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 1 minute ago, Zatman said: Ashley Young should get a mention, he was topping the asists charts for us and was always in top 2 or 3 in the league I think Grealish is even more influential than he was in a Villa shirt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) Ashley Young was in a far better side than Grealish though so hard to compare influence to be fair. Edited April 25, 2020 by nick76 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 He doesn’t fit into an all time XI at all but in my known memory of watching the Villa which is 35 years (although I’m 43), Ian Taylor is a legend....Villa fan, personality and played like one of us and still a legend afterwards. He embodies Villa more than some of the greats that will be mentioned. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir_gary_cahill Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 6 minutes ago, nick76 said: Ashley Young was in a far better side than Grealish though so hard to compare influence to be fair. Agreed, Grealish is Villa through and through though, he’s one of us out there. I’ll say it now, I don’t know if others will agree but if we had Grealish back in 08/09 when we nearly got in the Champions League, we would’ve got it with him in the side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 1 minute ago, sir_gary_cahill said: Agreed, Grealish is Villa through and through though, he’s one of us out there. I’ll say it now, I don’t know if others will agree but if we had Grealish back in 08/09 when we nearly got in the Champions League, we would’ve got it with him in the side I doubt it, he was only 12 at the time just joking, I know what you meant 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir_gary_cahill Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 1 minute ago, nick76 said: I doubt it, he was only 12 at the time just joking, I know what you meant I asked for it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 33 minutes ago, nick76 said: He doesn’t fit into an all time XI at all but in my known memory of watching the Villa which is 35 years (although I’m 43), Ian Taylor is a legend....Villa fan, personality and played like one of us and still a legend afterwards. He embodies Villa more than some of the greats that will be mentioned. And scored in the last cup final we won. Deserves some kind of recognition, if not in this context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 37 minutes ago, KentVillan said: And scored in the last cup final we won. Deserves some kind of recognition, if not in this context. Completely agree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Only2McInallys Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) Ray Graydon ?Won 2 league cups ,scored winner against Norwich in the final in first one.Won 2 promotions and was top scorer 2 years in a row. Cowans and Grealish definates for me.2 of the best players who have ever played for Villa (sorry God) For endeavour ,passion and skill Taylor Edited April 25, 2020 by Only2McInallys 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 For me Alex Cropley moved us up a few gears from the doldrums.....He could tackle and scheme in equal measures, until that dreadful tackle by Ally Brown finished him. i know he may not qualify for the criteria......but a fine, fine, player, who Imo transformed us at the time, back to respectability.....wouldn't be right to not mention him. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 This proved so very difficult. We could with our illustrious history, select a number of exceptional sides, whereas other clubs such as Small Heath, would struggle to field a decent 5-a-side team! My four are: Dennis Mortimer, Gordon Cowans, Johnny Dixon and Peter McParland. I really wanted to select Bruce Rioch, Tony Morley and Jack, to name but three from a long list of midfield players, that I've had the pleasure of seeing play for us. Of the many great Villa players from the more distant past, I'm sure the likes of Frank Moss (snr), Joe Bache, Jimmy Crabtree, Charlie Athersmith, Jimmy Gibson and Eric Houghton, would have been high on the lists of many HEITS, who were thrilled by the performances of these players. We clearly need a bigger wall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 David Platt Pat McMahon McMahon stood out for me as a young lad, Platt later for his strike rate and work rate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhan_Zhuang Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) For me it was Platt, that's when I started regularly going to Villa Park. 50 goals in 120 games from midfield is some record, legend for me. I know obviously about Cowans too but he was a bit before my time, well his best years. Edited April 25, 2020 by Zhan_Zhuang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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