Chris Nicholl

[colhint]

Just saw this. Great man, great player. 

Former Northern Ireland, Southampton and Aston Villa defender Chris Nicholl has passed away.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68395058

[The Fun Factory]

The league cup winner was a screamer.

RIP to a Villa legend.

[juanpablosaliceband]

Condolences to his family. May he rest in peace. 

I was just watching the end of the Carling Cup final and commentary mentioned that it was the latest goal in a league cup final since Brian Little in 1977. So I pulled up the highlights on YouTube. Villa were 1-0 down late on when we equalised through one of the best goals from distance I’ve ever seen. The scorer was no. 5, Chris Nicholl. Embarrassingly, I’d never heard of him. About an hour later, I see a post from the club that he’s just passed away. How strange. It’s a reminder to do more homework on our past players. 

Edited February 25 by juanpablosaliceband

[PerryBarrPet]

17 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

The league cup winner was a screamer.

RIP to a Villa legend.

Yes, what a night. Listening to the Everton fans singing “we all agree Everton are tragic …. tragic, tragic, tragic ……….. tragic.”

[Follyfoot]

59 minutes ago, PerryBarrPet said:

Yes, what a night. Listening to the Everton fans singing “we all agree Everton are tragic …. tragic, tragic, tragic ……….. tragic.”

It wasn’t the winner it was the equaliser. Little got the winner. Will remember this night for as long as I live. We got to the car and my dad said let’s listen to the radio and see what they saying about Villa winning the cup. We open the car door and there are screws on the floor where the radio was meant to be and no radio. Manc thieves

[Paul33]

RIP big man ...... so many great memories ...... a true Villa Park legend and always will be !

[STO]

We use the term legend too much, but in this case, we have it spot on.  Great player, great servant to this magnificent football club.    Rest in peace Chris. 

[Follyfoot]

17 minutes ago, Paul33 said:

RIP big man ...... so many great memories ...... a true Villa Park legend and always will be !

A great time for the Villa. That 77 side was so good. Far more exciting than the team that won the league in my opinion. Virtually unstoppable at home.

RIP big fella.The gaffer will be there to welcome you into the Holte Enders in the sky. Just need to keep you away from Burridges Mrs

[Rugeley Villa]

9 hours ago, Follyfoot said:

A great time for the Villa. That 77 side was so good. Far more exciting than the team that won the league in my opinion. Virtually unstoppable at home.

RIP big fella.The gaffer will be there to welcome you into the Holte Enders in the sky. Just need to keep you away from Burridges Mrs

I’ve heard a few mention the 77 team were  just as good if not better than 81 side 

Edited February 26 by Rugeley Villa

[Lochheads twin]

Very sad news that Chris has passed away.

He was a no nonsense defender but always came across as a gentleman and really nice bloke.

He scored one of my all time Villa goals. How could anyone forget that goal in the League Cup Final replay. How likely was it that a centre half would pick the ball out wide, cut inside and then lash it in from 30 yards!!

I was also at Leicester when he scored all 4 goals and he still did not get the match ball.

Chris was a great servant for Aston Villa and will be fondly remembered by Villa supporters. My condolences to the Nicholl family and his close friends.

HEITS.

[Follyfoot]

3 hours ago, Lochheads twin said:

Very sad news that Chris has passed away.

He was a no nonsense defender but always came across as a gentleman and really nice bloke.

He scored one of my all time Villa goals. How could anyone forget that goal in the League Cup Final replay. How likely was it that a centre half would pick the ball out wide, cut inside and then lash it in from 30 yards!!

I was also at Leicester when he scored all 4 goals and he still did not get the match ball.

Chris was a great servant for Aston Villa and will be fondly remembered by Villa supporters. My condolences to the Nicholl family and his close friends.

HEITS.

Yes, he drew 2-2 with himself 

[John]

Such sad news. He really was an excellent centre half and was captain of the very good Villa team of the late 70s that won that second LCF replay at Old Trafford. My mates and I were standing within a few yards of where he hit that tremendous equalizer. Chris joined us from Luton in 1972, so he played a big part in the rise of our football club from Division 3 to Division 1, also playing in both the 75 & 77 LCF wins. Chris played 252 games for us, won 51 caps for Northern Ireland (for whom he played in the 1982 World Cup) and managed Walsall along with Southampton. My thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.  HEITS!

      

[The Fun Factory]

17 hours ago, Follyfoot said:

It wasn’t the winner it was the equaliser. Little got the winner. Will remember this night for as long as I live. We got to the car and my dad said let’s listen to the radio and see what they saying about Villa winning the cup. We open the car door and there are screws on the floor where the radio was meant to be and no radio. Manc thieves

The twice replayed final, one at Hillsborough, and one at Old Trafford. Amazingly the Wembley final didn't even have extra time.  An aggregate attendance of over 200,000- that will never be beaten.

Edited February 26 by The Fun Factory

[John]

8 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

The twice replayed final, one at Hillsborough, and one at Old Trafford. Amazingly the Wembley final didn't even have extra time.  An aggregate attendance of over 200,000- that will never be beaten.

The semi final went to a replay too, so three games there as well. Cost me a lot of A/L that competition did, but it was well worth it!

Edited February 26 by John

[Follyfoot]

1 hour ago, The Fun Factory said:

The twice replayed final, one at Hillsborough, and one at Old Trafford. Amazingly the Wembley final didn't even have extra time.  An aggregate attendance of over 200,000- that will never be beaten.

The Wembley game was one of the worst football matched I have ever seen 

[Follyfoot]

1 hour ago, John said:

The semi final went to a replay too, so three games there as well. Cost me a lot of A/L that competition did, but it was well worth it!

Little scored 10 goals in the competition that year. Not sure if this is a record

[TRO]

so sorry to hear this news, met him on a few occasions....nice man.

Great stalwart of our club

R.I.P Chris

and heart felt condolences to his friends and family.

[sheepyvillian]

Can't believe Big Chris has gone to join the rest of Villa legends in the sky. Him, and another who has passed, Ian Ross, were the two centre - halfs when my Dad first took me to VP as a young 9yr old kid in 1974. I even went to Wembley that same season where big Chris won us the penalty that resulted in us winning the cup for the second time. 

Then there was the time at Filbert St where he scored all 4 goals in a 2 - 2 draw an achievement that's only happened twice. He was a fine header of the ball, defensively and offensively. I think that the dementia he later suffered after retirement was very likely due to the many years of continually heading a football, which in those days were very heavy to what they are today.

How convenient that we play Luton in our next game, the very team we brought him from, hopefully, he gets the ovation, he fully deserves. 

RIP. Big Man.

Edited February 26 by sheepyvillian

[DaveAV1]

1 hour ago, Follyfoot said:

Little scored 10 goals in the competition that year. Not sure if this is a record

He didn’t score any for  Man U or Liverpool so it has been eradicated from History 

[sheepyvillian]

1 hour ago, Follyfoot said:

The Wembley game was one of the worst football matched I have ever seen 

I remember after that game, every time we played a team who continually passed the ball back to the keeper, the Holte would sing, "you're worse than Everton, you're worse than Everton".