The Villa Times - Issue 4

S H O W B I Z N E W S | H I S T O RY S P O T L I G H T | L I O N S C LU B S | H E A LT H & F I T N E S S

VillaTimes The

Issue 4 | £3.00 | www.thevillatimes.com

VILLA’S UNOFFICIAL MAG

Villa History

A Footballers Say Season 82/83 with Colin Abbott

2012 with Brian Little with former player Mark Burke

Pick of the best, so far this season

LSIVE U C X E S N A W O GORDON C

E F I L , L L A B T O O “MY F R AT VILLA” E E R A C & VILLA E H T S T E E M D LEGEN D L E I F D I M LLA D I N V A T L A G E N E M I & T D ’S VILLA REER AN A C S I H T U O B A T I M E S T O TA L K

iew v r e t n I e iv ls u c x E il Ray d A r o t a e r C n a Citizen Kh

w o N y e h T e r Where A U G O I H E O With U G

ZONE, N A F , S E I D LA ORLD PLUS: VILLA W A L L I V , A VILL TRAVEL, MY www.thevillatimes.com

O f fi c i a l ve h i c l e s u p p l i e r

NEW white detailing villans, YOU DIG? ?

The Fiat 500 has a whole new 70s strip this season Villans. The new Colour Therapy range is available with white alloy wheels, white mirror covers, white aerial, a stylish pool ball gear knob and a choice of five 70 s colours. Yet you’ll also find the technology under the bonnet is v ve ery 21st century. The TwinAir engine has such low emissions that you pay no road tax†. The Fiat 500 is a blast from the past with a lion’s roar to the now. How far out is that?

fiat.co.uk/astonvilla

IN 70S COLOURS fiat.co.uk Fiat, the car brand with the lowest average CO2 emissions in Europe^. Fiatt 500 TwinAir, the lowest CO2 emission petrol car engine in the world*. Fuel consumption for Fiat 500 range in mpg (l//100km): Urban 44 4.1 (6.4)) – 64.2 (4.4)); Extra Urban 65.7 (4.3) – 91.1 (3.1); Combined 55.4 (5.1) – 76.3 (3.7). CO2 emissions 119 – 90 g/km. †Under current DVLA regulations there is no charge for Vehicle Excise Duty in the first year of registration and every subsequent year. Vehicle Excise Duty rates are reviewed annually by the government and are subject to change. ^Source: JATO Dynamics. Based on volume-weighted average CO2 emissions (g/km) of the best selling brands in Europe, full year 2011. *According to NEDC standard.

VillaTimes The

Editor Peter Brennan Designer Peter Brennan Web Development Peter Brennan Social Media Kenny Oldham Thanks to Ian Seddon, Peter Withe, Russell Jones, Aston Villa Football Club, Acorns, Joe Hunt, Brian Little, Ugo Ehiogu, Gordon Cowans, Danny Dewery Contributors Ryan Griffiths, Tom Davis, Simon Goodyear, Colin Abbott, Sam Tighe, Adrian Nevett, Mark Burke, James Leyfield Villa Tiimes Photography Mark Little, Katie Doolan, Joe Merchant Images Getty Images, Colour Sport Advertising E: advertising@thevillatimes.com Subscription Go to www.thevillatimes.com E; info@thevillatimes.com The Villa Times Limited, Registered Office address MacNicholas Yard, 138 Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, B60 4JZ. Company registration number; 08111746.

E: info@thevillatimes.com W: www.thevillatimes.com Please note: The Villa Times is not a member of the Aston Villa group of companies and is a unoffical magazine based on Aston Villa Images are suppiled by people’s own scrap books.

The Villa Times Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owners. every effort has been made by the publishers to ensure the accuracy of this publication; the publisher cannot accept responsibility for the errors or omissions. in the interest of inderpendence and impartiality,many features in this publication have been written by third-party experts. Any opinions expressed therein are views of the writers themselves and not necessarily those of Aston Villa and The Villa Times.

Welcome

“Happy New Year” May I start by wishing fellow Villa fans everywhere a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013.

The latest edition is packed with exclusive interviews. We have former England and Villa legend Gordon Cowans, comedian and creator of the hit TV show Citizen Khan, Adil Ray, and Ugo Ehiogu, the ex-Villa and England centre-half. We also meet up with Villa fan Callum Williams from Major League Soccer (MLS) side Sporting Kansas City, which all adds up to give a unique perspective.

We also have some great new features an exclusive insight to the 2012/13 campaign through the eyes of Villan's ex-manager/player Brian Little and a look at some of our stars from the beginning of the Premiership back in 1992. Villa Times brings you up to date with the latest releases in our new Book Shop feature. If that's not enough we cover the season incorporating the 1983 European Super Cup win over Barcelona. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome onboard the Villa Times, photographers Peter Lowe and Joe Merchant and new writers Sam Tighe and Adrian Nevett. Lastly a sincere thanks to my team for making the Villa Times the successful magazine that it is, and in such a short space of time.

Well done to all concerned!

TVT

Peter Brennan, Editor

FOLLOW THE VILLA TIMES ONLINE

www.thevillatimes.com info@thevillatimes.com

News, analysis, interviews, travel, competitions, forum, shopping and much more when you log on to thevillatimes.com Polls, pics, debates and exclusives at facebook.com/villa.times

Taste the game with updates @TheVillaTimes1 thevillatimes.com Issue 4 3

Issue 4

Features 8

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Gordon Cowans Exclusive interview from one of Villa all time greats Gordon Cowans, to discuss life in football and his love for Aston Villa Ugo Ehiogu We catch up with the former England and Villa player to discuss his most memorable matches, hardest players, playing for his country and his time at Villa Park

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Adil Ray We meet up with comedian and creator of the hit TV show Citizen Khan to discuss being a fan, working with fellow Villa fans, his first match and what would he do if he went on Match of the Day.

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2012 with Brian Little Exclusive feature with former Aston Villa legend and manager Brian Little looks at some of the best goals, games, players and key moments of 2012

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Callum Williams We talk to a Villa fan in US soccer, working with MLS team Sporting Kansas City, giving his views on the Major League Soccer, the players and the future of the league and yes his love for Villa.

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History:1982/83 Season Villa Times writer and author of the Nigel Sims and Seventh Heaven books Colin Abbott, tells us of his memories of the european super cup winning year of the 1982/83 season.

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The Season So Far Simon Goodyear goes throught the hi's and low's of the past month, giving his views of the last months action.

QUOTES F O O T B A L L

The Season So Far with Simon Goodyear

“A glut of games and the usual injuries”

T

OF THE MONTH

“The boy on the football turf is a feast for the eyes.

I’d even go one step further: I’d rather see Raulon the pitch than Heidi Klum naked!”

Mario Basler

Simon Goodyear gives his views of the high’s and low’s December’s fixtures and our road to Wembley he month of December always brings a glut of games and the usual injuries and this year was no exception, with long term casualties including Richard Dunne and Charles N’Zogbia. In the opening game of December, away to QPR, the talk was all about their new manager, Harry Redknapp and his home first game in charge of his new team.

After two promising home results against Arsenal and Reading confidence was high going into the busy Christmas period. The Villa boss sprung another surprise by fielding a new formation for the game, ditching his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation to a new 3-5-2, with 3 centre-backs and two wing backs pushing on. The plan seemed to be going well for the first 10 minutes at Loftus Road as Brett Holman took advantage of a loose ball which sat up beautifully for the midfielder to blast into the back of the net from 20 yards. However, the lead didn’t last long as Rangers refused to roll over and scored an equaliser on 18 minutes. From then on, it was all hands to the pump for Villa who managed to hang on for a well-earned point. Still, there was no opportunity to bring on Darren Bent as he sat out the frustrating 90 minutes on the bench.

Paul Lambert is keen to emphasise the positives and eliminate any negativity, but this emerging claret and blue ‘project’ comes with a note of caution and requires patience from the fans and he will say he is building the club up slowly, on and off the pitch over the next few seasons so the result and the display against Rangers wasn’t such a surprise. Next up, however, was a much more tougher game against ‘party poopers’ Stoke City at Villa Park. A solid undefeated run of three games, including two clean sheets and just one goal conceded, the fans were starting to believe in the manager’s argument that Villa can be combative and hard to beat in this unforgiving league. The game itself didn’t have many ‘highs’ as the youthful back five of Lowton, Chris Herd, Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker and Eric Lichaj gave as good as they got in a bruising encounter, while Christian Benteke was born to battle with big defenders like Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross all day long. The biggest cheer of the day was saved for Darren Bent, who received a warm ovation from the Holte End when he finally ended his first team ‘exile’ as a second-half sub, but the record signing barely touched the ball in the 20 minutes he was on the pitch. A goalless draw was a fair result from an uneventful game, given that Stoke had the best defensive record in Europe and Villa have been shy in front of goal in the League.

After witnessing a hat-full of goals in the three previous League Cup games leading up to a quarter-final tie in mid-December away at Paul Lambert’s former club, Norwich, the Villa faithful made their way cross-country in their thousands to witness a spine-tingling match against a Norwich side flying high in the League under the former Blues boss, Chris Houghton. The new Villa manager received a mixed welcome as he walked out at Carrow Road, with a few jeers heard among general applause for the man who masterminded the Norfolk club's rise up to the top flight from the depths of League One in a matter of a few seasons. Who could blame him for wanting to get ‘one over’ his former club and bomb Villa into the semi-finals.

After a lively start, it seemed like the home side were going to spoil the day for Lambert as Norwich striker Steve Morison opened the scoring after 19 minutes but almost immediately Bret Holman replied to level the score. Darren Bent made a rare start, in place of Andreas Weimann and playing alongside Christian Benteke and he seemed to be relishing the leading role until he went off with a hamstring injury after 34 minutes. How cruel can football be sometimes? Norwich were a team in form, having been unbeaten for ten games coming into this game but that didn’t seem to bother the visitors as the young Austrian forward battered the Norwich defense with his pace and eye for goal and with the game heading into extra-time Weimann found the net with 12 minutes to go and to take Villa into the lead and the game was sealed with two quick goals just before full-time. Weimann grabbed his second and Christian Benteke stole the show with a sublime goal to make it 4 – 1 to Villa and secured their path into the semi-final. The Villa faithful sung their hearts out throughout the game as usual and began to dream of another Wembley trip in February.

With more displays like this one, who can blame them?

Lambert’s Lions went into the next game at Anfield full of confidence and with a growing number of admirers of his young side. Anfield has always been a bit of a ‘bogey’ ground for Villa in the past but Saturday 15th December 2012 saw something very special indeed.

Liverpool had won their last three games and their fans were beginning to believe in their own new manager, Brendon Rodgers, just like our fans had started to believe in Paul Lambert. What was witnessed at the most famous ground in the world was a very special performance and a display from one man in particular which opened the eyes of millions across the country.

With Darren Bent injured and out of action until the

"Portugal have a national team called Cristiano Ronaldo and a group of players who run after him."

Carlos Queiroz “Like me or not, I am the only one who has won the world's three most important leagues. So, maybe instead of calling me ‘The Special One', people should start calling me 'The Only One'.”

Jose Mourinho

Only One Jose Mourinho

New Year, Lambert’s new formation of 3-5-2 continued where it left off at Carrow Road. The only difference was that the home side totally dominated the game for the first half hour but if it wasn’t for the young lions at the back, Villa would have been dead and buried before half time. It was the same old story for ‘the Reds’ who found it hard to score. Paul Lambert has always insisted that he has every faith in his Villa squad and that backing paid off.

Enter Christian Benteke. Everyone knew he had potential and we’ve seen glances of it in the previous games; shades of brilliance, determination and bullying of opposition defenses but at Anfield we saw a superstar in the making. Two goals of sheer class by the Belgium international made the national media stand up and take notice of the beauty and the ‘beast’ that is Christian Benteke. The first goal came totally out of nothing. A sweet daisy-cutter strike from 20 yards crept in the corner of Reina’s net but if that was sublime, the second was majestic. Barry Bannan broke into space in the centre circle and fed Andreas Weimann, who slid a pass for Benteke to chase and the Belgian sent a first-time back-heel perfectly into his path for Weimann to beat Pepe Reina. It was a move and a goal to treasure - something we haven’t seen too much as Villa fans in the recent past. Five minutes after the break, it was the plain old strength and determination, (reminiscent, may I say, of a young Emile

“Everyone knew he had potential and we’ve seen glances of it in the previous games; shades of brilliance”

Heskey) which saw him burst into the Liverpool box, defenders literally bouncing off him, to stab the ball past an exposed Reina and make it 3-0 in front of Villa’s elated supporters. If the home-side were shell shocked it was an understatement and there was no way back for Liverpool, except for a consolation goal for their captain Steven Gerrard.

So, could that Saturday afternoon at Anfield come to be regarded as the day this young bunch of starlets finally became men?

With the Christmas period just round the corner a severe test against Chelsea was facing a confident Villa side. Memories of last season were still fresh where Alex McLeish’s side stood no chance against an aging Chelsea side but came away with an unexpected 3 – 1 victory after going one goal down. A six-match unbeaten run in league and cup, culminating in those heady victories at Norwich and Liverpool, came to a painful conclusion in west London against the European Champions, who had to cope with jet lag and a belated League Cup tie in Bradford a few days previously. The onus was on Villa to take advantage of any tired Chelsea defenders but after only 3 minutes Fernando Torres showed why Chelsea paid £50million for him as he headed past Guzan from 15 yards. If Chelsea were tired then they didn’t look it; it was the Villa back 5 who looked jet-lagged. It didn’t get any better either. In fact it was indescribable. It was possibly a game too far for the system Lambert has, with some justification, placed his trust in. The 3-5-2 was very much a 5-3-2 as Chelsea dominated, but even then Villa’s five-boy defense was powerless to prevent a trouncing and a trouncing it ended. It was 3 – 0 at half-time and game over for Villa but for Chelsea, it was just the start. If eight wasn’t enough it could easily have been 12. Embarrassment, capitulation, devasta-

tion, destruction. You name it. It was all of those words and more. This was reminiscent of the 7 – 1 defeat under Martin O’Neill in 2007 but in a way it was worse, far worse. Villa weren’t even in this game and hardly recorded a shot on target.

If Saturday 15th December 2012 went down in Villa folklore history, then Sunday 23rd December 2012 will be described in the Villa history books as a ‘bad day at the office’.

If the weather and the pre-Christmas ‘blues’ couldn’t get any worse for Villa, a Boxing Day encounter against Spurs was always going to be hard. Lambert made a few changes to the side that were embarrassed by Chelsea and still the side had no born leaders and lack experience, with captain Ron Vlaar out on the sidelines and Andreas Weimann also injured. Still clearly suffering from the embarrassing 8-0 thrashing at Chelsea, Villa were beaten again by Spurs side who were head and shoulders above them and it was their nemesis, Jermain Defoe who was once again on the mark for the first goal, even though Villa stood their ground for the first 57 minutes. After that first goal went in Spurs sensed blood and Gareth Bale had no sympathy for the hosts as he grabbed himself a brilliant hat-trick in the space of 15 minutes. It was like damage limitation for Villa as Spurs were rampant and it could have easily been another 8 – 0 if it wasn’t for Brad Guzan in the Villa goal. Fans showed their support for Paul Lambert as they greeted the final whistle amid a murmur of boos from some sections but they all departed with a sense of worry and a feeling that the next game at home to Wigan would be a ‘must win’ game.

In the continued absence of such players as Darren Bent, Richard Dunne, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Charles N'Zogbia and Nathan Baker through injury, the options open to manager Paul Lambert were very limited

going into the Wigan game. Knowing defeat would almost certainly result in Villa dropping into the relegation zone, it was no place for the feint hearted on a cold and wet Saturday afternoon. If the defense was weak and young and missed the experience of Dunne and Vlaar, it was well highlighted in the third minute when Wigan took a shock lead and it seemed to go from bad to worse in the early part of the second half as the visitors closed the game with two goals in the space of five minutes to seal another embarrassing defeat for a depleted Villa side, in need of urgent reinforcements in the next few weeks. Fifteen goals conceded in 3 horrible games after a superb six game unbeaten run was not on the Christmas shopping list for Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. If there was a month of two halves, then December 2012 was that month.

Just when we thought things were clicking into place and Lambert was finally putting his stamp on the side and playing the kind of football the fans wanted to see, the goals rained into the Villa net as much as the wet stuff did from the sky did over Christmas. The Chelsea and Spurs games hurt a lot but we were undone by good sides with quality players but that is no excuse for the ‘freak’ results and the abject performances. Admittedly, injuries have affected us badly with Vlaar, Bent and Dunne out injured for long periods, we have no cover at centre back. Ciaran Clark was a squad player last season and is now captain of a makeshift, rookie defense. The fans truly believe that Lambert is still the right man for the job and that will remain throughout the season. If the ‘R’ (relegation) word is to be banished from the vocabulary then he has to be given an opportunity to rectify the situation in January and should look to recruit some much-needed leaders and experience players we have lacked all season. thevillatimes.com Issue 4 20

19 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

In The Mag In The Mag

6 & 26 Picture of the Month This month we have pictures from Peter Lowe and Joe Merchant 17

Mark Burke former Aston Villa and Wolves player give us his Villa memory and his views of the past month at Villa Park.

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Premiership XI this month we pick some player that grace Villa park since the start of the premiership, with the like of Paul McGrath, Dean Saunders, Nigel Spink and Ashley Young.

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44

49

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Villa Times Player of the Month Sam Tighe picks the Aston Villa's player of the month for the Villa Times Villa Lions latest news from from some of the Worlds lions clubs with articles from the Cleveland Lions Villa World Pictures sent from Villa fans not only from the UK but from across the world.

My Villa We interview Villa fan and Cleveland based Jeromi Rogers about his best moment, match, player and love for the Villa.

4 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

Player of the Month The Villa Times

Player of the Month with

Sam Tighe

A

“What Makes Ashley Westwood Tick?”

Sam Tighe picks the Villa Times player of the month and tells us why shley Westwood shared the official Player of the Month Award with Christian Benteke in November, so what's made the new recruit go from zero to hero in the space of a few short months?

We use the term "zero" liberally of course, as the player himself admits he didn't expect anyone to know who he was after moving from League One side Crewe Alexandra .

Modern football has shifted toward possessionbased formations and players, so it's little wonder that Westwood prospers. Some players are simply born in the wrong era for their skill set, but the 22year-old's metronome-esque style suits Paul Lambert's approach to football perfectly.

Lambert started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, using Westwood as the deepest of three central midfielders and asking him to make short, sharp passes to recycle possession. If you're looking for comparisons, think Joe Allen rather than Leon Britton though.

It wasn't about the Hollywood pass, it was about maintaining an element of control in a game at vital times.

His passing statistics suggest he's taking to that role, and growing in it too. Villa's win over Sunderland saw him complete 35 passes, then against Arsenal he managed 39. The crucial 1-0 win over Reading saw him complete 46, and a lot of those were in the critical minutes after Christian Benteke's winner.

All the while he was receiving a similar number of passes from his teammates, making him something approaching a Michael Carrick in the heart of Villa's midfield.

Then, when an injury to captain fantastic Ron Vlaar threatened to derail the good progress made, Lambert switched to a 3-5-2.

The thinking behind this was largely down to the manager's distrust in an extremely young centre-

ing to stick Chris Herd in and form a three. This mopped up the majority of misplaced passes and defensive mistakes, while it also flummoxed any manager looking for a one vs. one match up with two strikers in a 4-4-2.

The trip to Loftus Road was a real test. It was Queens Park Rangers' first home game with new boss Harry Redknapp in charge, and the Rs were up for it against a young side in a new, unorthodox formation.

Periods of pressure from the home side were culled by meticulously efficient passing sequences from the away side, and Westwood was at the centre of controlling these crucial moments. He was still making significant strides after being thrown into another particularly demanding challenge.

He went from strength to strength, completing 55 passes at Loftus Road, then completely and utterly

dominated proceedings at home to Stoke with 67.

He's averaged an 86.1 percent pass completion rate so far, while the much-lauded Carrick has averaged 88.4.

Some fans shift uncomfortably when Barry Bannan tries a Hollywood ball that doesn't come off, relinquishing possession cheaply and placing his teammates under pressure.

Others shift uncomfortably when Westwood picks the easy pass instead of attempting to slice the opposition open. They're two different players who play two different games, and they complement each other nicely in Villa's burgeoning midfield.

On the evidence of half a season, and given that they're of similar age (22 and 23), it seems Westwood has a more assured future in claret and blue and rightly so.

“All the while he was receiving a similar number of passes from his teammates, making him something approaching a Michael Carrick in the heart of Villa's midfield.”

Match Report

19 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

www.proudtobeavillan.com

Old Trafford, and many journalists and supporters called for Ferguson to be sacked!

Police triumph in annual charity fundraiser ON Remembrance Sunday (11 November) WMP football club hosted the Queen’s Royal Hussars at Tally Ho! for their annual charity football match.

This historical football fixture has been played on this date for over 60 years but this year, more than any other in recent times, it meant an awful lot more to both sides. In early 2012 Corporal Jack Stanley was on active duty with the Hussars in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when he was fatally wounded in an IED attack.

As a result of this tragic loss and to show their support to the Hussars, WMPFC chose the Jack Stanley Foundation as their designated charity for the 2012/13 campaign – further strengthening the bond between the two teams.

The sunny Remembrance morning began with WMPFC and QRH all sporting the ‘United In Duty’ Jack Stanley charity t-shirts for the warm-ups as a large crowd of over 200 started to gather.

Following a poignant and heartfelt minutes silence the game got under way. Defending champions QRH were

“

Ryan

Griffiths

looking to retain the Hydrabad Trophy for a third successive game after last year’s 2-2 draw saw them retain the title.

However, WMPFC started the game like they had a point to prove and opened the scoring after only five minutes of the match. Striker Marcus George (B’ham South) was neatly played through and his cool finish was lifted over the on rushing QRH stopper.

WMPFC soon doubled their lead and took a commanding hold on the game after a poor back pass went straight to striker Thomas Cunningham-Smith (Force CID). After a touch to settle himself, Cunningham-Smith’s 25 yard effort made its way to the back of the net, over the retreating keeper.

It was soon 3-0 when a poor clearance from the QRH keeper went straight to George who neatly finished from a tight angle.

WMPFC then made it four, after midfielders Dan Bates and Ben Smith linked up to see Bates score a rare goal.

Right before the half time break, QRH found a life line.

Some neat midfield play led to the Hussars’s striker finding space inside the penalty area where duly slotted home.

4-1 at the half time break and with the words of the WMPFC management ringing in their ears, WMP came out for the second half knowing that this game was still far from over.

On the hour mark QRH rallied and pulled another goal back to make it 4-2.

The dying stages were made extremely nervy for the

home side when WMP keeper Stuart Parker (B’ham South) gave away a penalty. The spot kick sent Parker the wrong way and made it 4-3 with just minutes to go.

In a fantastic finale WMPFC held on for dear life and a superb goal line clearance from Dan Mroczkowski (Dudley LPU) ensured that WMP held on for the victory and the trophy.

To cap off a fantastic game WMPFC’s Dan Mroczkowski was awarded the first ever ‘Stan Of The Match’ award, in honour of the late Corporal Stanley. The trophy was handed to him

by Jack’s mother who had made the trip down from Bolton for the occasion.

26 years ago Alex Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United, despite winning the FA Cup under their previous manager, United were largely considered to be a club in decline, and Mr Ferguson was the man selected to get them back on track.

After a difficult 3 years, still Man Utd were somewhat in a similar state to when he arrived, things actually got so bad that after a poor run in the league a banner declaring "Three years of excuses and it's still crap...ta-ra Fergie." was displayed at Old Trafford, and many journalists and supporters called for Ferguson to be sacked!

Rumour is that Fergie even went cap in hand and offered his head to the board, they declined, and stated that they believed in what he was doing, later on that season Utd went on to win the FA Cup and Fergie and the board have never looked back, probably the most impressive honour role bestowed to any manager in the game is now Fergie's legacy, a legacy that includes 12 league titles, 5 FA Cups and 2 European Cups I might add The point I'm trying to make is that managers need time (unless you have a spare billion behind the sofa). Lerner's resolve has been tested lately, fans over the last 2 years have questioned his interest in the club, and rightly so. However I do feel that Lerner has been given a dealt a bout of rough justice as people have mistaken shyness for a lack of communication and therefore little interest.

Let me assure you Lerner is committed, you don't invest over £250 million into something if your not interested in it. Proof of this lies within the infrastructure of the club, we can now point to the country's most high rated academy, surely this itself is proff that Lerner is here for the long haul, he built for the future.

When Randy rode into B6, he with Martin O'Neil tried to do it the quick way by throwing a lot of money at it, we all had fun and enjoyed a relative amount of success. The goalposts moved as well with City's Billions and the emergence of Spurs, suddenly we found ourselves as one of three or four competing for the much converted 4th spot and Champions League competition, Randy

found he could no longer compete financially.

What happened to Villa next is actually quite a common business strategy, especially in the US of A. You set a goal as a company, if you miss it you streamline and clear the deadwood and then reassess your strategy. After O'Neils departure we found ourselves with a number of issues, primarily of which was a astronomical wage bill, reaching as high as 90% of the clubs turn over, as well as an ageing squad of players who by all accounts had received an easy ride.

We've had a few years of pain, torture and unrest now, this was the streamlining and cutting of the deadwood processes I mentioned. Now comes the rebuilding.

Having had his fingers burnt by 'throwing' money to try and buy us that 4th spot I doubt we will see that strategy again, think about it, where have we seen progress and investment?

As I mentioned before we have just been credited with the best academy in the country, that represents significant investment in infrastructure, the clubs commercial deals have been of increased value to the club (despite our fall from grace) we have signed one of the youngest and most highly regarded coaches in the British game and the player signings have been of the same ilk as the manager. A European scouting network has been employed and headed up by one of the most respected names in European football.

This all points to building long term, building things properly!

We've seen how quickly it can be unravelled when its not built properly, why would Mr Lerner do that again? It makes no sense to me? I'm sure it makes even less sense to him especially as its his money.

Solid foundations, continuity, and building brick by brick!

It's not quick, and at this stage it can be painful, but evidence suggests that long term it works!

Some of the rhetoric from fans recently has pointed towards yet further unrest, some even calling for Lambert to maybe leave. Surely as a fan base done the moaning thing and still not gotten what we want, let's try a bit of the other eh?

“This all points to building long term, building things properly!”

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 20

1982/83 Season p20

Adil Ray p35

Gordon Cowans p8

Ugo Ehiogu p27 thevillatimes.com Issue 4 5

Picture of the Month

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY November 10th 2012, Aston Villa took on a Manchester United side in a Barclays Premiership clash.

Football clubs from across Great Britain and the Commonwealth, took the time and effort and held a minute silence before Kick Off of every football match played over that weekend, the players also whore black arm bands in respect for all the Fallen Heroes, as depicted in the photograph.

Picture of the Month by Peter Lowe

8 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

The Villa Times catch up with the England and Aston Villa Legend at Bodymoor Heath to discuss his life, career and his love for Aston Villa...

H

ailing from a small County Durham village – West Cornforth – in October 1958, Gordon Sidney Cowans was destined for greatness. At an early age the family moved to Mansfield where dad Walter worked in the mining industry and young Gordon took a shine to local side Mansfield Town, the Stags.

Gordon played schoolboy football and before long started getting noticed - most notably by Villa chief-scout Neville Briggs - his ball distribution was phenomenal for someone so young and how could someone so slight tackle with such tenacity? The Villa scouting network realised they had unearthed an absolute gem and they were keen to sign him at any cost.

Firstly Aston Villa invited Sid’s school team down as guests to Villa Park to watch a Third Division match, they then promptly offered dad Walter the chance to turn his back on mining and run the club’s hostel for it’s young stars as well as take on the role of kit man for the first team.

Gordon signed apprentice forms at the club in the same month as Ron Saunders signed on as club manager (June ’74).

‘Sid’ started on the Villa ladder by turning out in both the Midland Intermediate and Youth Leagues alongside future stars John Deehan and Steve Hunt in the Villa’s centenary season of 1974/75. thevillatimes.com Issue 4 9

Exclusive Interview

[Gordon Cowans] He took another rung up in August of the following campaign when he came on as a substitute in the Coventry City away fixture in the Central League. Cowans then picked up his first of many awards when he was part of the Villa’s Southern Junior Floodlit Cup winning side – beating Ipswich Town 5-2 on aggregate.

1976 or more to the point February 7th of that same year was a defining moment in Gordon Cowans life, at only 17-years of age, Ron Saunders had no reservations throwing young Sid in at the deep end, when he came off the bench and took Frank Pimblett’s place in the Villa’s first team match at Manchester City’s Maine Road. Villa were unlucky that day when their 1-0 lead looked sufficient to land both points but City’s late rally and two goals ensured another defeat on the road. Even though this was the only first team action Gordon would taste this season the Villa had seen enough to offer the precocious talent a professional contract.

The new campaign would see Sid make a few sub appearances before his first full start came in the away game at Ipswich. From that point on he would play the majority of the remaining fixtures, bagging his first senior goal in a 4-0 rout of Midland rivals Derby County.

The highlight of his season was being part of the victorious Cup side - playing in both League Cup Final replays against Everton and winning his second piece of silverware. His stature in the game was raised to a national level when in 1979 Cowans was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

Sid’s place in Villa folklore was cemented when he was one of the ever presents in Aston Villa’s 1980/81 League Championship winning side, the clubs first title for 71 years. In fact he was an ever present for four consecutive seasons - ’79/80 to ’82/83.

He reached the summit of club football in May ’82 when he took his usual berth in the midfield for the European Cup Final against the highly fancied German masters Bayern Munich in Rotterdam. Villa somehow defied all odds and bought the trophy back to Brum. Sid was also instrumental in the following campaign with Villa beating the Spanish giants Barcelona 3-1 on aggregate in the UEFA Super Cup, heady days for Aston Villa.

Sid, by now, was on the radar of several leading European clubs, most notably Napoli, and supporters were delighted when it was confirmed their favourite son was staying put. Football can be a cruel game and just weeks later, August 18th, and playing in the pre-season Zaragoza tournament (Spain) Sid suffered a double fracture of his right leg against Mexican outfit FC America and had to sit out the entire 1983/84 campaign. Putting the hours in at Bodymoor Heath and later pounding out relentless miles in nearby Sutton Park he regained his strength and stamina and was back to his best for the following season. Ultimately his fine performances would take him to Italian 10 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

In the European Cup semi-final we came up against a Spanish midfielder, Juan Lozano side Bari along with Villa striker Paul Rideout.

Fast forward to July 1988, Graham Taylor had just achieved promotion back to the First Division with his Villa side and wanted some much needed experience for life in the top flight. Villa had first refusal on Cowans should Bari choose to sell, he perfectly fit the bill and missing only a handful of games back in English football, helped Villa consolidate their position in Division One. The start of season ’89/90 was unrewarding to say the least, only one win from seven games. Then a sequence of five wins on the bounce and the Cowans/Platt partnership showing real potential and the Villa were soon top of the pile. Unfortunately they ran out of steam towards the end but finishing the season as runners-up to Liverpool far exceeded fans expectations. Taylor left at this stage to manage the National team and knowing what class Cowans could bring to the England midfield he didn’t hesitate in Sid adding to his cap’s tally.

Big Ron Atkinson let him go in November 1991, Dalglish took Sid to Blackburn Rovers where he was a key part of their promotion winning side, defeating Leicester City in the play off Final at Wembley in 1992. He was back at Villa Park in May of the same year for his testi monial against Stoke and duly signed back on for the claret and blue the following month – his third stint. Games were

limited for Gordon and he played his last game for Aston Villa in December 1993.

His England career was restricted to only 10 full caps, which is a bloody insult, when you consider that Glenn Hoddle who couldn’t come close to Sid’s ability at pin-point crossing accuracy and striking of a dead-ball, went on to reach five times that amount. Had Gordon chose to play in London or the northwest he would have reached treble figures!

He represented his country at youth, under21 and ‘B’ level. Bobby Robson, a figure hugely respected in the game gave him his full international call up and described Cowans as “potentially the most complete footballer and midfield man in English football.” England’s loss was definitely Aston Villa’s gain!

Gordon Cowans, a wonderfully gifted footballer, an absolute Villa legend and third on the all time list of appearances for the Claret & Blue is ‘back home’ now coaching the Villa’s youngsters, where there just happens to be another little terrier plying his trade for the Villa cause who carries the same Cowans surname. If young Henry turns out to be half as good as his old man, the lad is destined for a fantastic future!

Questions Best player?

When I was growing up I looked up to Charlton, Best and Law, they were my favourite

players and also the best in the business. Dennis was a natural goalscorer, everything was instinctive, always in the right place. George Best was an absolute genius, two footed and could go past people like they weren’t there and Charlton a roving midfielder who could score goals from anywhere.

Most difficult opponent?

Against Anderlecht in the European Cup semifinal we came up against a Spanish midfielder, Juan Lozano, he was a difficult opponent, good on the ball and technically a very clever player.

I wouldn’t say he was the best player I’d ever come up against but that night in Brussels we couldn’t get near him. In such a lengthy career I have been fortunate to play against some of the biggest names in the game; in 1977 we (Villa) held Barcelona, which included both Johan’s, Cruyff and Neeskens to a creditable 2-2 draw in the UEFA cup. I came up against Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek, key members of the star studded Juventus side in ’83 and during my time in Serie A, I played against possibly the best of them all – Maradona (Napoli).

Most memorable game?

Can only be winning the European Cup with Villa, it just doesn’t get any better than that.

Getting beat never entered our thoughts, we took one game at a time and collectively we believed we could beat anybody – we had that winning mentality instilled into us, and a desire to run non-stop. Bayern were a phenomenal side with great players but we pressed them all over the pitch, rode our luck and we managed to turn them over. The feeling at the final whistle knowing we had won it was absolutely brilliant.

Funniest dressing room incident that’s printable?

During pre-season training, we’d be made to stand in bowls of purple surgical spirit for 30 seconds or so, it was to harden the skin to prevent blisters. The one-day we came off the training pitch into the changing rooms and the bowls were still there; Dave Geddis was already in and was laid in the bath, half asleep with his eyes shut. Tony Morley spotted the bowl and said to Eamonn Deacy, “Bet you wouldn’t throw that over ‘Geds’ head.” Eamonn picked it up, went through and slung it straight over Geddis’ head. Dave went bananas and his blonde hair immediately turned a reddy/pink. He jumped up and chased Deacy out of the changing room, down the corridor and into the canteen, bearing in mind he didn’t have a stitch on – it was hilarious. Had he caught him, he would have killed him. Geddis got changed and rushed off into Birmingham to get his hair sorted!

Are you still involved in football today?

I am coach to Aston Villa’s under-21 development group, pretty much the reserves.

The most talented player you played alongside?

That’s a difficult one. You can talk about wingers, I played with Tony Morley, he was a fantastically gifted winger. And then the strikers, I played with Andy Gray/Brian Little and also Peter Withe/Gary Shaw, both great partnerships. I look at my midfield partners and I was very fortunate to play alongside Dennis Mortimer who was an absolutely fantastic player and then in later years with David Platt as well. Platty sometimes played in midfield or other times off the striker. I’d have to say Denthevillatimes.com Issue 4 11

nis was my best partner - he was brilliant - but I really can’t speak highly enough of David Platt.

Do you still see some of your Villa team-mates?

We’re still very tight and meet up now and then for a drink and obviously see each other at the Villa Park matches. Sometimes we meet up over a pint on a Sunday and spend a bit of time together.

What was it like when you left the Villa?

Towards the end of my career when Ron Atkinson was in charge he actually offered me another years contract but he said I would only play 50% of the games, the rest I’d be on the bench. At the age I was I wanted to finish my career playing football. As much as I loved the club, I didn’t want to be just sat on the bench watching games of football.

What was it like to play for your country?

An absolute honour, you feel so proud and privileged to do it. Obviously I would’ve loved to play more times, I made seven consecutive appearances and then broke my leg. Author, Sid’s 10 caps – an absolute travesty! We all know average Joe’s who have amassed ridiculous amounts of caps and have won them for little more than who they play for, certainly not their ability.

Worst injury?

My broken leg in a pre-season tournament.

That came at a bad time for me, it’s a time when I was going well and in a non-event of a game - the idiot came straight over the top of me. I remember the incident, the ball had been played into Gary Shaw, he set it back to me but played it short; the centre-half has read it and gone straight over the top of the ball, into me. I’ve somersaulted, looked down at my leg and it was at 45 degrees, the pain was indescribable. It was malicious, there was definite intent, no effort to play the ball at all. As soon as I’ve hit the floor I’m holding my leg up, the ball’s rolled loose and one of the other players has ran and booted the ball straight at me. It was horrendous!

“The only disappointment was Paul Rideout and myself went out there to play in Serie A but Bari ended up getting relegated” How did the English game and way of life vary from Italy?

The football in Italy was probably more negative, very defensive and you were taught that once you lost possession everyone dropped deep and got behind the ball. It was a matter of passing and passing, trying to break sides down, a much more patient build up, where as over here we get ball’s into the centre-forward and get runners going off them or get it out to Morley to take people on and get it in the box. My game actually benefited because I was learning again, I liked to play early passes where as the coach would say, “No, no keep the ball, be patient.” It was all a good learning curve. The only disappointment was Paul Rideout and myself went out there to play in Serie A but Bari ended up getting relegated so I ended up with two seasons in Serie B. The main difference over there was that on the pitch and professionally the players were far more focused, you were away for two or three days whether it was a home or away game. My wife Jackie adapted well and loved the lifestyle; she would have been content to stay out there for good but in time I was desperate to get back to English football and where I wanted to be.

What was the half-time team talk like under Ron Saunders if you were losing?

In all fairness that didn’t happen very often, Ron was always very calm though odd times he could raise his voice. Normally he was very focused and tactically aware but would inform certain lads where they were going wrong, what they could do better and put you right on certain things. The thing about Ron was he drilled into everybody their jobs as an individual and each and every one of us knew our roles, what we needed to be doing at any given time – he was very thorough in everything, a real top manager. thevillatimes.com Issue 4 13

The Season So Far with Simon Goodyear

“A glut of games and the usual injuries”

T

Simon Goodyear gives his views of the high’s and low’s December’s fixtures and our road to Wembley he month of December always brings a glut of games and the usual injuries and this year was no exception, with long term casualties including Richard Dunne and Charles N’Zogbia. In the opening game of December, away to QPR, the talk was all about their new manager, Harry Redknapp and his home first game in charge of his new team.

After two promising home results against Arsenal and Reading confidence was high going into the busy Christmas period. The Villa boss sprung another surprise by fielding a new formation for the game, ditching his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation to a new 3-5-2, with 3 centre-backs and two wing backs pushing on. The plan seemed to be going well for the first 10 minutes at Loftus Road as Brett Holman took advantage of a loose ball which sat up beautifully for the midfielder to blast into the back of the net from 20 yards. However, the lead didn’t last long as Rangers refused to roll over and scored an equaliser on 18 minutes. From then on, it was all hands to the pump for Villa who managed to hang on for a well-earned point. Still, there was no opportunity to bring on Darren Bent as he sat out the frustrating 90 minutes on the bench.

Paul Lambert is keen to emphasise the positives and eliminate any negativity, but this emerging claret and blue ‘project’ comes with a note of caution and requires patience from the fans and he will say he is building the club up slowly, on and off the pitch over the next few seasons so the result and the display against Rangers wasn’t such a surprise. Next up, however, was a much more tougher game against ‘party poopers’ Stoke City at Villa Park. A solid undefeated run of three games, including two clean sheets and just one goal conceded, the fans were starting to believe in the manager’s argument that Villa can be combative and hard to beat in this unforgiving league. The game itself didn’t have many ‘highs’ as the youthful back five of Lowton, Chris Herd, Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker and Eric Lichaj gave as good as they got in a bruising encounter, while Christian Benteke was born to battle with big defenders like Robert Huth and Ryan Shawcross all day long. The biggest cheer of the day was saved for Darren Bent, who received a warm ovation from the Holte End when he finally ended his first team ‘exile’ as a second-half sub, but the record signing barely touched the ball in the 20 minutes he was on the pitch. A goalless draw was a fair result from an uneventful game, given that Stoke had the best defensive record in Europe and Villa have been shy in front of goal in the League.

After witnessing a hat-full of goals in the three previous League Cup games leading up to a quarter-final tie in mid-December away at Paul Lambert’s former club, Norwich, the Villa faithful made their way cross-country in their thousands to witness a spine-tingling match against a Norwich side flying high in the League under the former Blues boss, Chris Houghton. The new Villa manager received a mixed welcome as he walked out at Carrow Road, with a few jeers heard among general applause for the man who masterminded the Norfolk club's rise up to the top flight from the depths of League One in a matter of a few seasons. Who could blame him for wanting to get ‘one over’ his former club and bomb Villa into the semi-finals.

After a lively start, it seemed like the home side were going to spoil the day for Lambert as Norwich striker Steve Morison opened the scoring after 19 minutes but almost immediately Bret Holman replied to level the score. Darren Bent made a rare start, in place of Andreas Weimann and playing alongside Christian Benteke and he seemed to be relishing the leading role until he went off with a hamstring injury after 34 minutes. How cruel can football be sometimes? Norwich were a team in form, having been unbeaten for ten games coming into this game but that didn’t seem to bother the visitors as the young Austrian forward battered the Norwich defense with his pace and eye for goal and with the game heading into extra-time Weimann found the net with 12 minutes to go and to take Villa into the lead and the game was sealed with two quick goals just before full-time. Weimann grabbed his second and Christian Benteke stole the show with a sublime goal to make it 4 – 1 to Villa and secured their path into the semi-final. The Villa faithful sung their hearts out throughout the game as usual and began to dream of another Wembley trip in February.

With more displays like this one, who can blame them?

Lambert’s Lions went into the next game at Anfield full of confidence and with a growing number of admirers of his young side. Anfield has always been a bit of a ‘bogey’ ground for Villa in the past but Saturday 15th December 2012 saw something very special indeed.

Liverpool had won their last three games and their fans were beginning to believe in their own new manager, Brendon Rodgers, just like our fans had started to believe in Paul Lambert. What was witnessed at the most famous ground in the world was a very special performance and a display from one man in particular which opened the eyes of millions across the country.

With Darren Bent injured and out of action until the

New Year, Lambert’s new formation of 3-5-2 continued where it left off at Carrow Road. The only difference was that the home side totally dominated the game for the first half hour but if it wasn’t for the young lions at the back, Villa would have been dead and buried before half time. It was the same old story for ‘the Reds’ who found it hard to score. Paul Lambert has always insisted that he has every faith in his Villa squad and that backing paid off.

Enter Christian Benteke. Everyone knew he had potential and we’ve seen glances of it in the previous games; shades of brilliance, determination and bullying of opposition defenses but at Anfield we saw a superstar in the making. Two goals of sheer class by the Belgium international made the national media stand up and take notice of the beauty and the ‘beast’ that is Christian Benteke. The first goal came totally out of nothing. A sweet daisy-cutter strike from 20 yards crept in the corner of Reina’s net but if that was sublime, the second was majestic. Barry Bannan broke into space in the centre circle and fed Andreas Weimann, who slid a pass for Benteke to chase and the Belgian sent a first-time back-heel perfectly into his path for Weimann to beat Pepe Reina. It was a move and a goal to treasure - something we haven’t seen too much as Villa fans in the recent past. Five minutes after the break, it was the plain old strength and determination, (reminiscent, may I say, of a young Emile

“Everyone knew he had potential and we’ve seen glances of it in the previous games; shades of brilliance” 14 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

Q UO TES F O O T B A L L

OF THE MONTH

“The boy on the football turf is a feast for the eyes.

I’d even go one step further: I’d rather see Raulon the pitch than Heidi Klum naked!”

Mario Basler "Portugal have a national team called Cristiano Ronaldo and a group of players who run after him."

Carlos Queiroz “Like me or not, I am the only one who has won the world's three most important leagues. So, maybe instead of calling me ‘The Special One', people should start calling me 'The Only One'.”

Jose Mourinho

Only One Jose Mourinho

Heskey) which saw him burst into the Liverpool box, defenders literally bouncing off him, to stab the ball past an exposed Reina and make it 3-0 in front of Villa’s elated supporters. If the home-side were shell shocked it was an understatement and there was no way back for Liverpool, except for a consolation goal for their captain Steven Gerrard.

So, could that Saturday afternoon at Anfield come to be regarded as the day this young bunch of starlets finally became men?

With the Christmas period just round the corner a severe test against Chelsea was facing a confident Villa side. Memories of last season were still fresh where Alex McLeish’s side stood no chance against an aging Chelsea side but came away with an unexpected 3 – 1 victory after going one goal down. A six-match unbeaten run in league and cup, culminating in those heady victories at Norwich and Liverpool, came to a painful conclusion in west London against the European Champions, who had to cope with jet lag and a belated League Cup tie in Bradford a few days previously. The onus was on Villa to take advantage of any tired Chelsea defenders but after only 3 minutes Fernando Torres showed why Chelsea paid £50million for him as he headed past Guzan from 15 yards. If Chelsea were tired then they didn’t look it; it was the Villa back 5 who looked jet-lagged. It didn’t get any better either. In fact it was indescribable. It was possibly a game too far for the system Lambert has, with some justification, placed his trust in. The 3-5-2 was very much a 5-3-2 as Chelsea dominated, but even then Villa’s five-boy defense was powerless to prevent a trouncing and a trouncing it ended. It was 3 – 0 at half-time and game over for Villa but for Chelsea, it was just the start. If eight wasn’t enough it could easily have been 12. Embarrassment, capitulation, devasta-

tion, destruction. You name it. It was all of those words and more. This was reminiscent of the 7 – 1 defeat under Martin O’Neill in 2007 but in a way it was worse, far worse. Villa weren’t even in this game and hardly recorded a shot on target.

If Saturday 15th December 2012 went down in Villa folklore history, then Sunday 23rd December 2012 will be described in the Villa history books as a ‘bad day at the office’.

If the weather and the pre-Christmas ‘blues’ couldn’t get any worse for Villa, a Boxing Day encounter against Spurs was always going to be hard. Lambert made a few changes to the side that were embarrassed by Chelsea and still the side had no born leaders and lack experience, with captain Ron Vlaar out on the sidelines and Andreas Weimann also injured. Still clearly suffering from the embarrassing 8-0 thrashing at Chelsea, Villa were beaten again by Spurs side who were head and shoulders above them and it was their nemesis, Jermain Defoe who was once again on the mark for the first goal, even though Villa stood their ground for the first 57 minutes. After that first goal went in Spurs sensed blood and Gareth Bale had no sympathy for the hosts as he grabbed himself a brilliant hat-trick in the space of 15 minutes. It was like damage limitation for Villa as Spurs were rampant and it could have easily been another 8 – 0 if it wasn’t for Brad Guzan in the Villa goal. Fans showed their support for Paul Lambert as they greeted the final whistle amid a murmur of boos from some sections but they all departed with a sense of worry and a feeling that the next game at home to Wigan would be a ‘must win’ game.

In the continued absence of such players as Darren Bent, Richard Dunne, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Charles N'Zogbia and Nathan Baker through injury, the options open to manager Paul Lambert were very limited

going into the Wigan game. Knowing defeat would almost certainly result in Villa dropping into the relegation zone, it was no place for the feint hearted on a cold and wet Saturday afternoon. If the defense was weak and young and missed the experience of Dunne and Vlaar, it was well highlighted in the third minute when Wigan took a shock lead and it seemed to go from bad to worse in the early part of the second half as the visitors closed the game with two goals in the space of five minutes to seal another embarrassing defeat for a depleted Villa side, in need of urgent reinforcements in the next few weeks. Fifteen goals conceded in 3 horrible games after a superb six game unbeaten run was not on the Christmas shopping list for Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. If there was a month of two halves, then December 2012 was that month.

Just when we thought things were clicking into place and Lambert was finally putting his stamp on the side and playing the kind of football the fans wanted to see, the goals rained into the Villa net as much as the wet stuff did from the sky did over Christmas. The Chelsea and Spurs games hurt a lot but we were undone by good sides with quality players but that is no excuse for the ‘freak’ results and the abject performances. Admittedly, injuries have affected us badly with Vlaar, Bent and Dunne out injured for long periods, we have no cover at centre back. Ciaran Clark was a squad player last season and is now captain of a makeshift, rookie defense. The fans truly believe that Lambert is still the right man for the job and that will remain throughout the season. If the ‘R’ (relegation) word is to be banished from the vocabulary then he has to be given an opportunity to rectify the situation in January and should look to recruit some much-needed leaders and experience players we have lacked all season. thevillatimes.com Issue 4 15

The Three Amigo’s Peter Withe, Brian Little and John Gidman are

Thursday 21st February at Sacred Heart Club, Aston, Birmingham from 7.30pm

A Spanish themed sports evening come dressed in your sombrero and listen to the former guns slingers Peter Withe, Brian Little and John Gidman talk about past and present all things Villa.

Signed pictures available on the evening.

Tickets at ÂŁ15.00 which includes Spanish buffet

For more information call on 07785 624699 or email: Ianseddon@ipsagents.co.uk

A Footballer’s Say with former Aston Villa & Wolves midfielder

Mark Burke

My Villa Memory

The great Villa side of 1981-8 2

I've just read an article on www.football. com about the great Villa side of 198182.

I know we have all read so much about this team and its players but one point in there really struck me - Dennis Mortimer, our legendary captain describing Gary Shaw; "Gary Shaw also broke into the squad, and I firmly believe that he would have become one of the game’s true greats – a Kenny Dalglish – had he not suffered knee injuries.”

For many current Villa fans they may have only seen brief clips or headers stories about Gary Shaw (the only Brummie to have lifted the European Cup?) but I have to tell you having played with Gary in the reserves at Villa as a young lad while he was recovering from injury, that this was what Paolo Rossi, the legendary Italian World Cup winner, once described as 'a jewel of a player'.

A sublime touch, appreciation of team mates positioning, lightning quick assessment of angles and a sharp crisp finisher.

I remember as young lads we watched Gary in training doing an individual finishing session, we were open mouthed at the precision of it all, ball after ball placed exactly in the corner, leaving an unforgettable impression on young players minds.

No wonder this was a player that clubs such as Real Madrid and Juventus considered buying. So all of you young fans who get a chance go and have a look in YouTube at a striker who goes down as true Villa great and but for injury could have gone on to be one of the biggest names in European football.

“Darren Bent and Gary Shaw” At this moment we look to be still in the transitional period with the manager still stamping his own personality and style on the team.

One interesting aspect at the moment is the managers decision to leave the clubs most costly player out of the team.

From the outside this would look like a strange decision but the manager, indeed any manager sees things as HE sees them, on a daily basis, up close and with certain criteria in mind regarding starting places in his team.

At any club there are so many decisions and issues made that from the outside seem difficult for people to understand but as the manager is the only one privy to all the relevant information he takes the decision as sees it and EVERY manager makes decisions he thinks will benefit the team and make it function better.

The manager makes these decisions in the knowledge that if

they don't work he will take the heat but he needs to go to sleep each night knowing its HIS decision and he is not swayed by outside pressures especially today with a 24 hour/7 days a week football culture ready to dissect every morsel of information fed to them from the ticker running along the bottom of the screen telling them that Swansea's left back has a headache this morning but should be ok after he has taken a paracetamol and had a lie down to the frenzied, manic radio phone in to discuss the latest 'hot' topic for half an hour until the next 'burning issue' comes along to save the next hour of the show if which they were struggling to find a debating point for.

The manager cannot be swayed by all of this madness that surrounds the game, he has to stand firm, make his decision and cross his fingers (a vital part of management being the undefinable element of luck) that it works out. thevillatimes.com Issue 4 17

Player of the Month The Villa Times

A

“What Makes Ashley Westwood Tick?”

S a m T i g h e p i c k s the Villa Times p l a y e r o f t h e m onth and tells us why shley Westwood shared the official Player of the Month Award with Christian Benteke in November, so what's made the new recruit go from zero to hero in the space of a few short months?

We use the term "zero" liberally of course, as the player himself admits he didn't expect anyone to know who he was after moving from League One side Crewe Alexandra .

Modern football has shifted toward possessionbased formations and players, so it's little wonder that Westwood prospers. Some players are simply born in the wrong era for their skill set, but the 22year-old's metronome-esque style suits Paul Lambert's approach to football perfectly.

Lambert started with a 4-2-3-1 formation, using Westwood as the deepest of three central midfielders and asking him to make short, sharp passes to recycle possession. If you're looking for comparisons, think Joe Allen rather than Leon Britton though.

It wasn't about the Hollywood pass, it was about maintaining an element of control in a game at vital times.

His passing statistics suggest he's taking to that role, and growing in it too. Villa's win over Sunderland saw him complete 35 passes, then against Arsenal he managed 39. The crucial 1-0 win over Reading saw him complete 46, and a lot of those were in the critical minutes after Christian Benteke's winner.

All the while he was receiving a similar number of passes from his teammates, making him something approaching a Michael Carrick in the heart of Villa's midfield.

Then, when an injury to captain fantastic Ron Vlaar threatened to derail the good progress made, Lambert switched to a 3-5-2.

The thinking behind this was largely down to the manager's distrust in an extremely young centre-

ing to stick Chris Herd in and form a three. This mopped up the majority of misplaced passes and defensive mistakes, while it also flummoxed any manager looking for a one vs. one match up with two strikers in a 4-4-2.

The trip to Loftus Road was a real test. It was Queens Park Rangers' first home game with new boss Harry Redknapp in charge, and the Rs were up for it against a young side in a new, unorthodox formation.

Periods of pressure from the home side were culled by meticulously efficient passing sequences from the away side, and Westwood was at the centre of controlling these crucial moments. He was still making significant strides after being thrown into another particularly demanding challenge.

He went from strength to strength, completing 55 passes at Loftus Road, then completely and utterly

dominated proceedings at home to Stoke with 67.

He's averaged an 86.1 percent pass completion rate so far, while the much-lauded Carrick has averaged 88.4.

Some fans shift uncomfortably when Barry Bannan tries a Hollywood ball that doesn't come off, relinquishing possession cheaply and placing his teammates under pressure.

Others shift uncomfortably when Westwood picks the easy pass instead of attempting to slice the opposition open. They're two different players who play two different games, and they complement each other nicely in Villa's burgeoning midfield.

On the evidence of half a season, and given that they're of similar age (22 and 23), it seems Westwood has a more assured future in claret and blue and rightly so.

Match Report

Police triumph in annual charity fundraiser ON Remembrance Sunday (11 November) WMP football club hosted the Queen’s Royal Hussars at Tally Ho! for their annual charity football match.

This historical football fixture has been played on this date for over 60 years but this year, more than any other in recent times, it meant an awful lot more to both sides. In early 2012 Corporal Jack Stanley was on active duty with the Hussars in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, when he was fatally wounded in an IED attack.

As a result of this tragic loss and to show their support to the Hussars, WMPFC chose the Jack Stanley Foundation as their designated charity for the 2012/13 campaign – further strengthening the bond between the two teams.

The sunny Remembrance morning began with WMPFC and QRH all sporting the ‘United In Duty’ Jack Stanley charity t-shirts for the warm-ups as a large crowd of over 200 started to gather.

Following a poignant and heartfelt minutes silence the game got under way. Defending champions QRH were 18 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

looking to retain the Hydrabad Trophy for a third successive game after last year’s 2-2 draw saw them retain the title.

However, WMPFC started the game like they had a point to prove and opened the scoring after only five minutes of the match. Striker Marcus George was neatly played through and his cool finish was lifted over the on rushing QRH stopper.

WMPFC soon doubled their lead and took a commanding hold on the game after a poor back pass went straight to striker Thomas Cunningham-Smith.

After a touch to settle himself, Cunningham-Smith’s 25 yard effort made its way to the back of the net, over the retreating keeper.

It was soon 3-0 when a poor clearance from the QRH keeper went straight to George who neatly finished from a tight angle.

WMPFC then made it four, after midfielders Dan Bates and Ben Smith linked up to see Bates score a rare goal.

Right before the half time break, QRH found a life line.

Some neat midfield play led to the Hussars’s striker finding space inside the penalty area where duly slotted home.

4-1 at the half time break and with the words of the WMPFC management ringing in their ears, WMP came out for the second half knowing that this game was still far from over.

On the hour mark QRH rallied and pulled another goal back to make it 4-2.

The dying stages were made extremely nervy for the

Player of the Month

with

Sam Tighe

“

Ryan

Griffiths

www.proudtobeavillan.com

Old Trafford, and many journalists and supporters called for Ferguson to be sacked!

“All the while he was receiving a similar number of passes from his teammates, making him something approaching a Michael Carrick in the heart of Villa's midfield.”

home side when WMP keeper Stuart Parker gave away a penalty. The spot kick sent Parker the wrong way and made it 4-3 with just minutes to go.

In a fantastic finale WMPFC held on for dear life and a superb goal line clearance from Dan Mroczkowski ensured that WMP held on for the victory and the trophy.

To cap off a fantastic game WMPFC’s Dan Mroczkowski was awarded the first ever ‘Stan Of The Match’ award, in honour of the late Corporal Stanley. The trophy was handed to him

by Jack’s mother who had made the trip down from Bolton for the occasion.

26 years ago Alex Ferguson was appointed manager of Manchester United, despite winning the FA Cup under their previous manager, United were largely considered to be a club in decline, and Mr Ferguson was the man selected to get them back on track.

After a difficult 3 years, still Man Utd were somewhat in a similar state to when he arrived, things actually got so bad that after a poor run in the league a banner declaring "Three years of excuses and it's still crap...ta-ra Fergie." was displayed at Old Trafford, and many journalists and supporters called for Ferguson to be sacked!

Rumour is that Fergie even went cap in hand and offered his head to the board, they declined, and stated that they believed in what he was doing, later on that season Utd went on to win the FA Cup and Fergie and the board have never looked back, probably the most impressive honour role bestowed to any manager in the game is now Fergie's legacy, a legacy that includes 12 league titles, 5 FA Cups and 2 European Cups I might add The point I'm trying to make is that managers need time (unless you have a spare billion behind the sofa). Lerner's resolve has been tested lately, fans over the last 2 years have questioned his interest in the club, and rightly so. However I do feel that Lerner has been given a dealt a bout of rough justice as people have mistaken shyness for a lack of communication and therefore little interest.

Let me assure you Lerner is committed, you don't invest over £250 million into something if your not interested in it. Proof of this lies within the infrastructure of the club, we can now point to the country's most high rated academy, surely this itself is proff that Lerner is here for the long haul, he built for the future.

When Randy rode into B6, he with Martin O'Neil tried to do it the quick way by throwing a lot of money at it, we all had fun and enjoyed a relative amount of success. The goalposts moved as well with City's Billions and the emergence of Spurs, suddenly we found ourselves as one of three or four competing for the much converted 4th spot and Champions League competition, Randy

found he could no longer compete financially.

What happened to Villa next is actually quite a common business strategy, especially in the US of A. You set a goal as a company, if you miss it you streamline and clear the deadwood and then reassess your strategy. After O'Neils departure we found ourselves with a number of issues, primarily of which was a astronomical wage bill, reaching as high as 90% of the clubs turn over, as well as an ageing squad of players who by all accounts had received an easy ride.

We've had a few years of pain, torture and unrest now, this was the streamlining and cutting of the deadwood processes I mentioned. Now comes the rebuilding.

Having had his fingers burnt by 'throwing' money to try and buy us that 4th spot I doubt we will see that strategy again, think about it, where have we seen progress and investment?

As I mentioned before we have just been credited with the best academy in the country, that represents significant investment in infrastructure, the clubs commercial deals have been of increased value to the club (despite our fall from grace) we have signed one of the youngest and most highly regarded coaches in the British game and the player signings have been of the same ilk as the manager. A European scouting network has been employed and headed up by one of the most respected names in European football.

This all points to building long term, building things properly!

We've seen how quickly it can be unravelled when its not built properly, why would Mr Lerner do that again? It makes no sense to me? I'm sure it makes even less sense to him especially as its his money.

Solid foundations, continuity, and building brick by brick!

It's not quick, and at this stage it can be painful, but evidence suggests that long term it works!

Some of the rhetoric from fans recently has pointed towards yet further unrest, some even calling for Lambert to maybe leave. Surely as a fan base done the moaning thing and still not gotten what we want, let's try a bit of the other eh?

“This all points to building long term, building things properly!”

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 19

Exclusive Interview

UGO EHIOGU

U

The Villa Times meets up with the former England and Aston Villa Legend Ugo Ehiogu to talk about life at Villa and after football go began his career at West Bromwich Albion as a trainee, turning professional in 1989. After just a few games for Albion in the Second Division, Ron Atkinson brought him to First Division Aston Villa for £40,000 in August 1991. By 1994, he had replaced Shaun Teale as the main central defensive partner to Paul McGrath.

He remained at the club for nine years, making over 300 appearances in all competitions. He was part of the Villa team that won the 1996 League Cup as Villa beat Leeds 3–0. Ehiogu also won a runners-up medal when Villa lost 1–0 to Chelsea in the 2000 FA Cup Final. He joined Middlesbrough from Villa in November 2000 for, at the time, a club record fee of £8 million.

What’s your most memorable game you played and why?

That is so hard to just pick 1 game. My game against Inter Milan u21 at Villa park was my 1st outing at Villa park, I scored 2 goals from defence and it signalled my arrival.

The other game was a home leg of UEFA cup VS Trabsonspor (Turkey) when I scored twice, we were a couple of goals down and on our way out, until the goals went in sparking big celebrations on and off the pitch..

Who was the most influential manager or coach for you? And why?

No question, Big Ron. Ron was knowledgable, funny, witty, fair and wanted the game played in a certain style.. He had an aura about him too.

As a 17 year old inexperienced Londoner, he treated me as an adult and told me that I was good enough therefore old enough when I replaced Shaun Teale Who was the best player you played with?

Dwight yorke. He was to become a very close amigo in time. he was gifted with an amazing natural talent, but still had the drive and hunger to improve. He could of played in any position on the pitch he was that good. He could score headers, tap ins and solo goals and he always played with a smile on his face..

Who was the hardest player you played against?

John Fashanu. I was 19 or 20 at the time, and It was during a game against the Dons at the old Selhurst park , when they excelled in intimidation. They had a throw in down the line which we were jostling for, both trying to get in front of each other. it was then that he threatened to wipe me out if I didnt let him win the fkick on, so of course I let him.

What the most funniest thing to happen 20 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

to you in football and why?

The only thing I can remember funny was warming up at Ipswich before ko and I tried to copy a trick that dwight had done, as I moved the ball I fell over it twisted my back and fell to the turf. As I got up hoping no one saw the whole stand to my left was shouting she fell over Who did you share with on away games and have you any funny stories ?

Once i became a 1st team regular, me and dwight shared a room..after a season I had to change as Dwight had aquired an horrendous snore that would wake me in the middle of the night.

I also doubled up as his buffering pa, when he would get in undated with female callers on his moby You had a good 9 years at Villa, what is the fondest memory of your time at Villa?

I was truly blessed to have been at Vila for over 9 years.. 1996 was a very memorable year, winning the league cup, semi of the Fa cup and finishing 5th in the league was special.

Also Annette and the girls in the training ground canteen, for putting up with my demanding food requirements every day with a smile I recently interviewed John Gidman and he said he was heartbroken to leave Villa we he did, how did you fell?

It was a little different for me, as it was my choice to leave. I had considered the decision in length and decided I had needed a footballing change. It was still a wrench to leave, I was only 6 months away from a testimonial and Villa had been a major and important part of my and my family's life.

What do you think of the current squad and manager?

I was very positive when PLO was appointed, as he had had success pretty much all the way through the league;s and I liked the style and ethos of how his teams played. and he was a top player to boot. the current squad seem mixed with sprinklings of talent and honesty, but major experience is needed to take some of the pressures off them so they can play with moe freedom What was the felling like to have the honour play for your Country?

When I first crossed the line for the full england team it was a very surreal moment. I was ready, but struck with nerves and excitement. I dont remember much of the 15 or so mins I played but I remember the house hold names that were there and that I shared the same pitch with...

Ugo Ehiogu with comedian Danny Baker

“It was still a wrench to leave, I was only 6 months away from a testimonial and Villa had been a major and important part of my and my family's life..”

Villa Managers with Adrian Nevett

Ron Atkinson Including current manager Paul Lambert, 27 others held the hot seat at Villa Park, some successful, some not, here is a outlook on the manager who signed Ugo Ehiogu.

Playing Career Ron was originally signed by Aston Villa at the age of 17, but never played a first-team match for them. He still refers to then Villa coach Jimmy Hogan as his biggest influence. Transferred to Oxford United (then called Headington United) in 1959 on a free. There hee played with his younger brother, Graham Atkinson, as a wing half. "The Tank" as Ron was known, was United's captain through their rise from the Southern League to the Second Division, achieved in only six years from 1962 to 1968; an impressive achievement. He was the first ever footballer to captain a club from the Southern League through three divisions of the Football League.

Are still involved in football?

I have been assisting the coaching at Spurs u16;s sinse Aug on a part time basis. I hope to start my A license this May You own a music label Dirty Hit, and have some exciting acts coming through, what is it like working in the music industry?

Its a defo eye opener when you try and get a s small indipendant label up and running. there is a lot of ugly work needed that may never be rewarded.patience and good management are essential. The true star is my partner Jamie Obourne Questions from Facebook Friends Mark John Brennan which players would he think we could attract in the transfer window?

Young talented players who cant get into their 1st teams but need match experience, free transfers, and what I like to call stalwarts.. These factors are sometimes very dependant on how players see the manager, and the salary on offer. Obviously the bad run in the last few weeks will have weakend the appeal for some players Lee Rogers Why did you move to Middlesboro ?

Boro were not my 1st choice club at the time. JG manager at the time, lets say changed his mind and decided to make things difficult for me by slapping a ridicilous price tag on me and by using some chosen

Managerial Career

“Factors are sometimes very dependant on how players see the manager, and the salary on offer” words for the press and fans, thus making things intollerable between us.. Boro were the only club to match Villa's valuation and they showed a feverent appetite to sign me and after meeting with Bryan Robson and his chairman who told me they would build a team around me, and playing reserve team footy, it became a no brainer.

Rich Brockley Would you consider coming out of retirement.?

I would consider coming out of retirement.

After retiring from playing, he took the reins of Kettering Town at the age of 32. His success led to a move to Cambridge Town, then first division teams West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United, where he won the FA Cup twice. In the 86/7 season he was sacked and went back to West Bromwich Albion, who were then struggling in the second division. Survival was achieved and a good start the following season led to a high profile move to Atletico Madrid. Unfortunately, this did not work out and was dismissed after three months. He then moved on to Sheffield Wednesday, got them relegated / promoted and won the Carling Cup. Taking over from Jozef Venglos, he led Aston Villa to second place in the inaugural FA Premier League season in 1992–93 and to victory in the League Cup in 1994. Despite leading Villa to their first major success since their 1982 European Cup triumph, a mutual disliking between Villa chairman Doug Ellis and Ron that developed from 1992, inevitably resulted in him being sacked on 10 November 1994 following a 4–3 defeat at the hands of Wimbledon. Just three days after Ellis had given Ron a 'vote of confidence' in the media, stating that Atkinson was one of England's top three football managers. By this stage an ageing Villa side, that had so nearly won the league title 18 months earlier, were now among the relegation battlers. He was replaced by Brian Little, who kept Villa in the top flight and built a new younger team.

Further managerial positions took him to Coventry City, back to Sheffield Wednesday and then finally Nottingham Forest where he retired from the game on May 16th 1999.

After Management Ron went onto TV punditry for ITV sport and commentary with Clive Tyldesley, and a chat show called Extra Time with Ron Atkinson. This came to an abrupt halt with a racism row in 2004. He appeared in the BBC Two programme Excuse My French and the Channel 4 reality show Celebrity Wife Swap.

A larger than life character within the game, with his permanent suntan and taste for chunky, gaudy jewellery, he is missed within football and TV for his turn of phrase: his utterances have become known as "Big-Ronisms" or "Ronglish". Always remembered by the Villa faithful for the good times. thevillatimes.com Issue 4 21

Petrov up for prestigious 'man of the year' award Stiliyan Petrov has been nominated in the annual Bulgarian 'Man of the Year' award.

Petrov has been shortlisted because of his position as a "role model to the world, for his humble but strong personality and for his will to stand up and fight his illness."

It is the 22nd year of the competition, with sportsmen, politicians, country leaders, artists and other distinguished men from the country amongst the winners through the years.

Dimitar Berbatov was the last footballer to emerge victorious when he at Manchester United three years ago.

Petrov, fighting hard in his battle with leukaemia, is in the running alongside professional boxer Kubrat Pulev, who is unbeaten in 17 matches as a professional and Petar Petrov, the mechanic who saved over 500 people after the cruise ship 'Costa Concordia' went down in Italian waters.

The nominations were selected by 20 leading Bulgarian journalists - and it is organised by Darik Radio.

Selections have just concluded and votes are now being counted.

The award ceremony will be held on January 21 in Sofia.

Aston Villa Legend, Paul Merson meets the Buttercream & Bows Aston Villa & England Legend and more recently SKY TV pundit Paul Merson was kind enough to present the new kit to the girls and sign a few autographs.He has also agreed to run a training session and pass on his skills.

This is the Buttercream & Bows second season - and have just won our first game in over a year v Brinklow FC. The girls were selected by a TV production group to appear in a potential TV series on The CBBC - but,unfortunately this fell through, another disappointment to the girls who thought they were going to be stars! At least for a while they lived the dream! and were the envy of their school friends.

The team is made up of local girls from different schools and the ethos is about having exercise, fun and learning in a safe friendly environment.Our team is for girls aged School year 7 and 8. They train on Tuesday evenings at Aldridge Secondary School and play Saturday mornings in The Central Warwickshire League. Checkout the team at www.teamstats.net - and search for STARLANDS or follow us on Twitter @STARLANDSGIRLS They are always looking for new players at all ages. If anyone is able to assist with any sponsorship, to be come a team member or other opportunities for the girls please contact Simon at birmkirm@sky.com

GET YOURSELF A SIGNED S EV ENTH H EAV EN B O O K COMPETITION

Written by Colin J. Abbott, author of Nigel Sims' biography, 'In Safe Hands'. – Seventh Heaven, Aston Villa’s victorious '57 Cup campaign. It tells the story of the Villa's journey, from the glue-pot pitch of Luton Town's Kenilworth Road in the 3rd Round, to the palace lawn pitch of the Wembley Empire Stadium for the Final. Ably assisted with the personal accounts and memories of the surviving players of that record breaking side, Nigel Sims, Jackie Sewell, Stan Crowther and Peter McParland, together with the scrapbooks and albums of other members of the '57 side, which now form part of the vast collections of fellow Villan's Mick Tilt and Jon Farrelly.

With relevant extracts from the Football Clubs official Boardroom minutes,

22 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

it all combines to take fans on a nostalgic and wonderful trip. A unique, rarely seen insight into one of Aston Villa's most illustrious occasions.

Question

Who was the player to score the winning goal agaisnt Manchester United in the 1957 FA Cup final?

Please send you answers to info@thevillatimes.com, you can also send you answer on our contact form on www.thevillatimes.com or message us on facebook.com/villa.times Good Luck

WIN!

all ica ntt medic tan nssta con rody’’ss co “Bro o oo much tto e tto erre we needs w n,, but own my ow e with on my pe cop co lp.” to help. me in to cam Acorns ca Ac Nikki, Brody’s mum

At Acorns I can play For parents like e Br Brody ody it ccan be For par ents of a child lik an b e difficult to safe accommodating nd saf fe e and ac commodating to find environments play. environmentss for for their child tto o pla y.

When Brody, who was born without a vital part of his brain, stays at Acorns, his room is decorated with his own things. He is able to ‘go wild’ splashing around in the hydrotherapy pool and, because he is blind, he is stimulated by the touch, sounds and smells of the multisensory room.

The most powerful way you can support more families like Brody ’s to get the specialist care they need is by becoming a regular giver. Regular donations allow us to plan for for our future as we know, day by day, we will have a steady income stream that we can rely on.

It’s this for foresight that helps us maintain our numerous services, such as: emergency care, complementary therapy, family support as well as providing experiences that are educational, therapeutic and fun.

Become an A Aco corrns ns regu reg ular lar give giverr and help o ove ve err 630 63 loca local llife iffe llimi imitted ed cchil hild dre ren n

£5

pe err month ffo orr 12 months pays fo forr all the mat ate erria iallss fo forr 4 arts and crafts wor o kshops For every pound you give, 88p is spent on providing vital carree and support services. We the remaining 12p to raise the next pound.

F For or more more information information and to to become become a regular regular giver giver

www.acorns.org.uk www w.acorns .ac .org.uk/rregulargiving egulargiving or email regulargiving@acorns.org.uk regulargiving@acorns.org.uk Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust. A company limited by guarantee. Company no. 2036103.

Registered charity no. 700859. Registered office: Drakes Court Alcester Road Wythall Birmingam B47 6JR. Tel: 01564 82 5000

History with Colin J Abbott

1982/83 Season

1982

The summer of

T

The summer of 1982 and all was good in the world if you were of claret and blue persuasion; the supporters well and truly had a spring in their step. he summer of 1982 and all was good in the world if you were of claret and blue persuasion; the supporters well and truly had a spring in their step. Not only would the team be defending the European Cup they had won against all-odds in May, but there were further mouth watering spin-off fixtures as a result of their famous Rotterdam victory – Villa would be European representatives playing Uruguayan champions Penarol in the World Club Championship in Tokyo, and then early in the New Year they would face Barcelona (holders of the UEFA Cup-Winners Cup) in the twolegged Super Cup. Villa kicked off the season as Euro Champs at home to Sunderland – a team that had stayed in the top flight by virtue of only two points above the drop zone. The hot and sunny August day lent itself perfectly to the carnival atmosphere inside Villa Park, it had only been 94 days since Rotterdam and for most it felt like last week. A Sid Cowans goal gave the European Champions a slender half-time lead, Sunderland hadn’t read the script, they scored three times after the interval to secure a vital 3-1 away win. This result was just as big a shock as last year’s opener, a

Eamonn Deacy scoring against Norwich City - a rare occurrence!

24 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

ionable Notts County. Far worse was to follow, not only did Villa lose heavily (5-0) at Goodison Park but it was the last game that Kenny Swain played in the claret and blue. Next up, Southampton at the Dell and considering the Saints had lost both of their opening fixtures, it was seen as an easy three points. Wrong, a 1-0 defeat and Villa were bottom of the pile. Fans thought it couldn’t get any worse – it would. Little did they know at the time but within 12 months the side that won the European Cup would be totally decimated, Swain’s departure started the sequence, Rimmer Dec ’82, McNaught May ’83 and Morley Dec ’83 were all shipped out. Cowans wasn’t pushed through the Villa Park revolving doors, he would break his leg in Aug ’83 and sit out the entire 1983/84 campaign. If that pill wasn’t bitter enough to swallow the fact that Morley and McNaught were sold to fierce rivals West Brom served only to rub salt in the wounds.

“The summer of 1982 and all was good in the world if you were of claret and blue persuasion” In the history of European competition I very much doubt that a side that lifted the biggest trophy known to club football was ever broken up as rapidly, it just totally defied logic. The fact that a new chairman took the helm might as some quarters suggest have something to do with it, but it was obvious to fans that quality players exited as inferior replacements were coming in.

This sentiment is shared by certain nameless players of the time.

Villa ran out 4-1 winners in both of their following home fixtures, Luton and Forest, and for good measure they saw off Besiktas, the Turkish champions 3-1 in defence of their European Cup; the match remembered more for the fact it was played behind closed doors, the later

iemerging press photograph’s portraying an eerily empty Villa Park, an unfair punishment metered out to the Midlands side for Anderlecht’s inability to segregate fans who had been permitted to buy tickets at the ground on the day of the European Cup semi-final game played in Brussels. Police tape used to keep opposing fans apart on the terraces. Confidence was rising and so were the team, after consecutive wins at Man City and at home to Swansea City they were up to eighth in the table.

League form would alternate between good four straight wins - and terrible – three consecutive losses, but progression to the quarter-finals of the Euro cup made up for those shortcomings. After disposing of Besiktas, Villa had drawn the Romanian Champions, Dinamo Bucharest.

Shaw was the star of the show and scored both goals in a fantastic 2-0 win in front of 80,000 over there and went one better in the Villa Park leg where he helped himself to a hat-trick and the matchball in a 4-2 win.

In early December Villa found themselves Japan bound to face Uruguay champions Penarol in the World Club Championships or Toyota Cup Final (the author was unable to make the 24,000 mile round trip as his car wouldn’t sell quickly enough). The game was played before a full house in the Tokyo National Stadium on a dreadfully hard and uneven pitch, certainly more suited to the opponents. The Villans acquitted themselves admirably with Sid hitting a post and Morley and Shaw also going close; when the team breached the South American’s defence they were continually thwarted by ’keeper Gustavo Fernandez. Penarol ran out 2-0 winners.

While Villa were in Asia the draw for the forthcoming European Cup was made pairing the defending champions against Italian giants Juve, complete with French captain Michel Platini, Polish ace Zbigniew Boniek and no less than six of

1982 Ke y V ill a Ev e nts

Gary Shaw

Wins the Most Outstanding Young Football Player in Europe, called the Bravo Award Today

Key Events

19 January 1983: Aston Villa lose 1–0 to Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the first leg of the European Super Cup. 26 January 1983: Aston Villa clinch the European Super Cup by beating Barcelona 3–0 at Villa Park.

19 February 1983: Aston Villa beat Watford 4-1 in the FA Cup

Ken McNaught, Gordon Cowans and Gary Shaw

the victorious Italian 1982 World Cup side including World and European Footballer of the Year, Paolo Rossi, a stern test!

A captivated Villa Park crowd saw the team attempt to pull back a single goal deficit from their Barcelona encounter in Spain. Gary Shaw’s goal meant the tie went into extra time; Cowans, converting a penalty put the Aston side in front and the colossus centre-half McNaught bagged Villa’s third of the night to ensure Aston Villa were crowned Super Cup holders.

League form early in the New Year was inconsistent though Villa progressed in the FA Cup to the quarter-final stage after seeing off lower league sides Northampton, 1-0 – where Mark Walters who fashioned his game on Johan Cruyff, scored an absolute blinder - and Wolves by the same score before sealing a thrilling 4-1 victory at home to Graham Taylor’s surprise 3rd placed Watford side. The game remembered for the Hornets playing the tie with black tape covering their shirt sponsors name as the TV cameras were there and advertising wasn’t permitted.

The month of March began with a narrow defeat at home to Juve in the quarter-finals of the Euro Cup. Villa found themselves a goal down after only 40 seconds, Rossi’s goal meant the Birmingham side trailed in a European game for the very first time. Undaunted by the size of the task Villa levelled the match through Cowans only for Boniek to snatch a cruel winner, Juventus taking a slender 2-1 lead back to Italy. Confidence ahead of the Turin return-leg was raised slightly with back-to-back home league wins over Norwich City and Notts County that propelled Villa to fourth in the table. The hugely likable but very modest Eamonn Deacy scored the second Villa goal during the 3-2 victory at home to the Canaries, his solitary strike during his claret and blue career. Villa’s involvement in the FA Cup ended

at Highbury (Arsenal won 2-0 in a game where Villa just didn’t turn up)) only four days before the team were due to play the ‘Old Lady.’ In front of a partisan 75,000 crowd Villa trailed at the interval by two goals, Withe pulled one back in the second-half but the Claret & Blue lost on the night 3-1 (5-2 agg).

With a dozen fixtures left to play Villa could concentrate fully on their league position. Wins at Portman Road and then home to rivals Birmingham were unsurprisingly (due to Villa’s poor away form) followed by a 2-1 defeat at Kenilworth Road even though Luton were second from bottom at kick-off. Villa then beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 to atone their Autumn defeat at the Hawthorns.

Two wins in the last five fixtures, the second of these being in the last game of the season where Villa - complete with Colin Gibson’s only league goal of the season - outsmarted Arsenal 2-1, ensured Villa would play European football again the following campaign - due to their sixth place finish – albeit in the poor relations competition, the UEFA cup. Aston Villa were the only side in the top flight to achieve 17 league wins on their home turf and only League winners Liverpool and second-placed Watford notched up more wins than the Villa’s 21 victories. As in previous years Villa’s away form was poor to say the least and their disappointing performances on their travels garnished only 4 away wins – the same number as relegated Luton Town had managed.

Gary Shaw netted 24 goals including five in Europe and was deservedly named ‘European Young Player of the Year.’ Peter Withe notched up a very commendable 20 and Sid Cowans bagged a season’s personal best of 13. Due to the new and glamorous different cup competitions Villa found themselves in, the team had racked up a staggering 57 first-team games, second only to last seasons tally of 61.

14 May 1983: The First Division season ends with champions Liverpool, who failed to win any of their last seven matches, 11 points clear of second-placed Watford. Manchester United are third, followed by Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. The final day drama comes at Maine Road, where Manchester City and Luton Town both go into the game scrapping to avoid the last relegation place. The home side require a draw to stay up, while the visitors need to win to survive. A late goal from Raddy Antic keeps Luton Town up and relegates a Manchester City side who were top of the league 17 months ago. Leicester City take the final Second Division promotion place behind Queens Park Rangers and Wolverhampton Wanderers after they draw 0-0 with Burnley and closest challengers Fulham lose 1-0 to Derby County. A pitch invasion causes the match at the Baseball Ground to finish early, but the result is allowed to stand.

20 May 1983: Everton sell midfielder Steve McMahon, 21, to Villa for £175,000.

1 June 1983: 19-year-old Swindon Town striker Paul Rideout moves from the Fourth Division to the First in a £200,000 transfer to Villa.

Deaths

13 April 1983 – Gerry Hitchens, 48, former England international striker who scored five goals in seven internationals, and played at club level for Cardiff City, Aston Villa and several teams in the Italian Serie A, including Inter and Torino.

21 March 1983 - Roy Chapman, 49, scored 200 league goals between 1952 and 1969 for Aston Villa, Lincoln City, Mansfield Town, Port Vale and Chester. He player-managed Lincoln City in the mid 1960s and later took charge of Stockport County between two spells in charge of non-league Stafford Rangers. He was the father of fellow footballer Lee Chapman.

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 3

SEVENTH HEAVEN BOOK LAUNCH A Mercer minor? Jimmy in reflective mood at the recent Seventh Heaven book launch.

Jimmy MacEwan,a former Raith Rovers hit-man top-scoring for the Rovers three consecutive seasons in Scotland before moving south of the border and helping Villa regain top flight status in 1960 and also winning the inaugural League Cup in '61 as an outside-right.

Picture of the Month by Joe Merchant

Picture of the Month

“ Benteke was out standing at Former Aston Villa legend and manager Best Game?

Liverpool Dec15th, 3-1 Premier League Liverpool were left stunned after their hopes of challenging for a top-four spot were hit by a loss to Aston Villa. The home side went behind against the run of play when Christian Benteke arrowed a shot in off the post.

Rodgers riled by 'cheap' goals Benteke's backheel set up Andreas Weimann for Villa's second, before the Reds were denied a penalty when Ciaran Clark pulled Daniel Agger's shirt.

Benteke made it three from close range for a resurgent Villa before Steven Gerrard netted a late consolation goal.

Best Performance?

Man City Sept 25th, 4-2 Capital One Cup Manchester City suffered a shock Capital One Cup third round extra-time defeat by Aston Villa.

Mario Balotelli drove in a shot to put the home side in front before Gareth Barry turned an Andreas Weimann cross into his own net for Villa's equaliser.

Aleksandar Kolarov's free-kick put City back ahead but Gabriel Agbonlahor swept in a shot as Villa levelled again.

In extra-time, Charles N'Zogbia slotted in after a parried shot by Agbonlahor, whose deflected strike sealed the win.

Best Goal?

Andreas Wiemann at Liverpool Dec 15th Back heal from Benteke to Weimann, who capitalised on hesitant defending from the home side and chipped

28 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

Liverpool, Bright Future!”

Brian Little gives his pick of the best his effort over the stranded Reina only to see his effort land on top of the crossbar.

Best Save?

Brad Guzan at Newcastle United 1 Aston Villa 1 Magnificent save from Guzan kept Cabaye’s free-kick out of the top corner and justified Lambert’s decision to drop Shay Given.

“Shay is a world-class goalkeeper and my opinion of him has not changed,” said Lambert. “But Brad has made two world-class saves out there and I made a decision I thought was right for the team.”

Your Player of the season, so far?

Cristian Benteke....already a great asset to Villa Christian Benteke has been one of the most talked about strikers this season and he delivered a performance against Liverpool to justify the hype.

Brimming with muscular aggression and providing Aston Villa’s slick build up play with a cutting edge, Benteke found himself being likened to Didier Drogba after scoring two goals and setting up the other in an eye-catching 3-1 win.

Memorable moment?

Winning away at Norwich Dec 11th to reach the semi-final of the Capital One Cup Aston Villa reached their second League Cup semi-final in four years by beating Norwich City and in turn handed boss Paul Lambert victory on his first visit back to his former club.

Both sides had a number of chances to take the lead in a frenetic tie.

But substitute Andreas Weimann's late double and a tidy Christian Benteke strike saw Villa through.

The young Austrian justified Lambert's decision to bring him on when he completed the turnaround for Villa, slotting home from Eric Lichaj's low cross with 10 minutes remaining.

He added his second when Benteke was rewarded for tireless work down the left channel, laying on a simple tap in for his strike partner.

And Benteke's crisp strike eased Villa into the semifinals of a competition they have won five times, the most recent coming in 1996, and will give them a chance to make amends for their defeat by Manchester United in the 2010 final.

The former Villa manager, Brian Little give is views

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or email info@thevillatimes.com for more information

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 29

30 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

Celebrity Interview

We catch up with the comedian, actor and Villa fan to discuss his love for Villa and his new hit TV show Citizen Khan

A

“He’d also ask Hansen to speak clearly with ‘the proper English’ and confuse tanned Lineker for a Pakistani”

dil Ray's career has been combined television and radio presenting, journalism and more recently acting. In 2011 it was announced that BBC1 commissioned a primetime sitcom created, written and performed by Adil - Citizen Khan. As well as introducing since presented from Turkey and Argentina for BBC 2's some ground breaking comedy characters for TV, Adil Explore. can also be heard on BBC Radio 4 hosting documentaries and occasionally popping up on ITV's Lorraine In 2010 Adil appeared once again on BBC 2 as several of sharing his opinions on the day's top stories. his self-created comedy characters, including MC Raa Adil's career began in pirate radio in 1994 moving on to and Mr. Khan in the comedy series, Bellamy's People.

Choice FM a year later. After graduating in 1997 he became the first full time British Asian presenter on com- Questions mercial radio when he landed a spot with Galaxy 105.

Have you had the chance to see Villa play this season, if so what did you think of the game(s)?

In 2002, following spells with Century, Aire and Ministry Not this season. Was going to go to the Reading game of Sound Radio, Adil joined the BBC Asian Network to but had to work last minute. From what I have seen on present their ground breaking late night show. The Adil TV (which is never an accurate look when it’s just the Ray Show championed new music talent without taking highlights) I have been impressed by the work rate of itself too seriously. Its irreverent and comedic approach some of the players especially the young lads. It was prompted huge audience interaction and the show belooking pretty shaky in the prem for a while but the came the launch pad for numerous artists including US mauling by Man City might just have kicked us up the chart-topper Jay Sean. backside. The last few results have taken us in the right direction. At the time of writing we have a big game Honing his comedy skills while maintaining a keen focus against Stoke today. These are usually low scoring on music, Adil took over the Drivetime show in May games. I hope we are brave and really go for the three 2006 and, in early 2009, the prestigious Breakfast Show. today. Kind of games we need to win.

On air from 7am each weekday morning, he continued to break new ground in the comedy arena. Featuring What are your thoughts on new manager Paul sketches, satire and a multitude of humorous characters, Lambert so far? Were you impressed with his The Adil Ray Breakfast Show became the cornerstone of business in the transfer market? the network’s move into the digital age. Adil also apFor me anyone was better than Alex Mcleish. I was one peared as Jungli Mirza in the station's daytime radio soap, of those that had made their mind up that he wasn’t Silver Street. going to work. The problem was he split the fans and he was under pressure to bring results. I think with Lambert Adil’s prominent position as a British Asian entertainer he is young and dynamic and clearly has a longer term made him a natural choice as a key presenter for the plan. I think the likes of Westwood from Crewe will turn BBC 2 series Desi DNA fronting stories across a range of out to be fantastic signings. I do think we miss some exAsian arts and cultural topics. Adil's BBC 3 show, Is It perience though on the park and we might need to ad-

Adil, in his roll as Mr Khan

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 31

Celebrity Villa Fans

Celebrity Interview

other

Prince William Royal Prince

dress the balance.

Have you been surprised by the start to the season the team has made?

I like everyone have been really disappointed by the start. Worst start to the league I can remember. But with a young squad and teams like the Baggies, Swansea, Stoke and West Ham having great starts it shows that the margin for error is so slight nowadays. There is a real danger we could drop into the bottom 3 at any weekend.

If you were given £50 million to spend on new players, who would you buy to help Paul Lambert out?

Hangeland could be available from Fulham at a pretty cheap fee, he probably wants a stab at Europe tho.

Masses of experience at the back.. Would I be shouted at for maybe bringing Barry back from Man City?. The kind of experience we need or Everton’s Fellaini?. Lescott too, if he was available. Upfront I think Demba Ba could be a more effective option if we off load Bent as expected. Schalke are releasing Huntelaar who I think is class or maybe we can try for Bony again from Ivory Coast?. Not sure Lerner will agree to their wage bills though so this might just be fantasy. If he does agree can we get Wesley Sjneider from Inter too? I’ll shut up and get myself a pie.

Where do you think Villa will finish in the Barclays Premier League this season?

15/16 What's it like working with fellow Villa fan Kris Marshall on Citizen Khan?

It’s a real pleasure. He is such a funny guy and really giving on set. He has so much experience and he has been really supportive. We are surrounded by glory hunting Man U and Arsenal fans so it’s good to have some back up.

Do you two ever chat about the team on set?

Do the other stars of the show ever take the mickey out of you both for supporting Villa?

If we have lost we wont mention it. Obviously. If the other actors dared take the mick they would be on the transfer market.

If you could have any Villa player past or present make a cameo appearance in Citizen Khan who would you choose?

I’d get Savo Milosevic as an Eastern European plumber.

Maybe Khan found him on the internet by seeing his videos?. Obviously Savo would keep missing the u bend with his wrench! But if the ‘God’ McGrath ever wants a part he is always welcome. In my eyes he is Villa!.

32 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

What is your fondest Villa memory?

For some reason it’s 92. My first year at Huddesfield Uni and Villa were flying high. Think we led for most of the season then had a dismal end. Finished runners up.

To be away from home I felt really proud of our boys.

What was your first ever Villa game like? What do you remember most about the occasion?

I wasn’t allowed to go to the Villa when I was really young. My Asian Mum thought I’d come back with tattoos or something. My first game was when I was 16..

1990 UEFA game V Inter. I don’t think I said much to my mate, I was nervous like hell.. shocked. It felt amazing to be among so many Villains. I remember the first thing I noticed was how diverse our following was. Mums, Dads, kids.. We won 2-0 and I think I lost my voice when Platt made one of his trademark runs and cool as ice finishes.

“I would love to host Have I Got News For You as Mr Khan!”

What has been your favourite ever moment throughout your career?

I think getting my own sitcom has to be up there.. I still can’t believe it.. But of course scoring a penalty at half time at a Villa Chelsea game. Ok so Hercules was in goal. They all count.

Are there any TV shows around today that you would like to star in?

There is something called Babestation…err kidding. I would love to host Have I Got News For You as Mr Khan!

Would you ever like to appear as a guest panelist on Match of The Day? Yes.. as Mr Khan and get them to talk about Pakistani cricket. He’d also ask Hansen to speak clearly with ‘the proper English’ and confuse tanned Lineker for a Pakistani.

Could you ever see yourself making a football sitcom?

Not a bad idea. Would be great if all the players had different accents and couldn’t understand each other. You could have some fun with their vulgar tastes. Leopard skin Bentley anyone?

David Cameron Prime Minister

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“fantastic league that doesn’t The Villa Ti m e s m e e t s u p w i t h C a l l u m W i l l i a m s , a V i l l a F a n w h o i s now working in t h e M a j o r L e a g u e S o c c e r w i t h S p o r t i n g K a n s a s C i t y Having worked in English football, how is the MLS developing for future soccer in the US? MLS is a fantastic league that doesn’t get anywhere near the credit it deserves. The future of US Soccer is very bright indeed. Every year they have the ‘Superdraft’, which is basically a day when college soccer players are invited to be potentially trialed and signed to professional deals with MLS clubs. A lot of high profiled American players have come through this system, such as Stuart Holden, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard. However, every club now has a youth team and a lot of players are opting to go straight through the youth system rather then college. I mentioned some names already that have come across from MLS. Even our very own Brad Guzan was drafted and played in the league before he moved across. So many players now are trailing and training with teams across Europe in the off season. I’ve lost count the amount of MLS players training with Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga teams. Having watched it now for 2 years, I’d say its definitely very similar to the Championship, in terms of the stadiums, the attendances, the wages and of course the quality of the football. I certainly wouldn’t bet against 1 of the better MLS clubs like Sporting KC, LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake

beating a team like Wigan or QPR. High profiled players coming over always helps also.

The good thing now is that MLS is the most accessible its ever been. The league has huge broadcasting contracts with both NBC and ESPN and when the games aren’t shown nationally on those channels, each team has a local TV broadcast partner, which is where I come in covering Sporting KC. To compare it, it’d be like me hosting and commentating on every Villa home and away game on ITV Central, it works really well.

This years television ratings, both national and local have been wonderful and they just keep getting better. Having watched a lot of different football worldwide, MLS is definitely better then the leagues in Denmark, Norway, Scotland, Sweden etc.

The MLS has attracted some highprofile players from the premiership and around the world in recent years with more to come, how influential is that to the game and has it helped with the increase of support for the game?

Its obviously important to put bums on seats and signing high profiled players will do that.

Beckham was a god send for the league.

Over the 6 years he’s been in MLS, 7 new teams have come into the league, 10 new

THE FOOTBALL QUIZ 1

Angel played for over 5 years in the MLS

soccer specific stadiums have been built with another on theway, 19 youth academies have been created and the total attendances have gone up to 6.07 million from 2.97. I’m not saying it was all his doing, but he certainly helped. People want to see the best players in the world playing.Every time I covered an LA Galaxy game, there was always a certain buzz about the place, because you knew you’d be seeing the likes of Beckham, Keane and Donovan.

I’m sure most reading this will remember the old NASL days when Pele and George Best played over here. That quickly disappeared due to money issues. Now there Is a salary cap in MLS to keep the league stable, but there’s a rule when you can have 2 or 3 players out of the salary cap on your squad (DavidBeckham, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljungberg, Kris Boyd, Rafa Marquez etc).

These are called ‘designated players’. Its obviously benefited the young American players playing with players like this week in, week out. The difference now is that you hear

Try our football quiz now and see how much you know about football Which nationality is Tim 11 Cahill?

Who has the nickname 12 'The Villians'?

Which club did Nolberto Solano play for before his second spell at Newcastle?

2

Which club did Wigan sign 13 Titus Bramble from?

From which club did West Ham buy goalkeeper Robert Green?

3 African country is 4 Which to host the 2010 World

14 play for before joining Liverpool?

For what country does Deco play?

5 did Owen Hargraves play for before joining

Who did Fernando Torres

Cup?

Which team

6

Manchester United?

How did Jonathan Woodgate score the winning goal in the 07/08 Carling Cup Final?

34 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

15 Manchester United before Alex Ferguson?

Who was the manager of

7

8 8.1979Whoandwon1980the Which team won Euro 2004?

European Cup?

Englishman was 16 Which voted European Footballer

9 of the Year in 1978 and 1979?

Who did Fernando Torres footballer moved 10 Which from Barcelona to Real 17 play for before joining Liverpool?

Madrid in 2000?

Nolberto Solano in action while at Villa Who plays at Elland Road Stadium?

get the credit it deserves” good premier league players linked to MLS all the time. But now, the player and the agent consider it alongside a European offer rather thenbrush it aside. I know for a fact that Kaka wants to come to MLS and I’ll be stunned if he isn’t in MLS within the year.

Robbie Keane could have stayed in the Premier League, but wanted a new challenge. I also think players comingover from MLS to the Premier League will also increase the popularity worldwide. I’d recommend every Villa fan to watch out for Wigan’s new number 18,

Roger Espinoza. Honduras international spent the last 5 years with Sporting KC, tough tackling midfielder who will be a benefit to them. As I said earlier, the league is now at that sort of standard. I think we in England have heard more about MLS these past 2 years then every before, with all the loan deals and signings, its been great exposure for the league.

which club did Arse19 From nal sign the legendary Ian

20

Wright?

Who was the manager of Manchester United before Alex Ferguson? did Damien Duff sign 21 Who for in 2009?

Callum at Work

Attendences are High

22

Tell us a little about yourself?

I’m the voice of Sporting KC, but its very different to being ‘the voice of the Villa’. As I said earlier MLS has a TV broadcasting deal with both NBC and ESPN to show games nationally. When those 2 aren’t in town we cover the team on local TV on match day.

Again, as I said earlier, it’d be like me doing every home and away Villa game on ITV

Le Tissier was a player 18 Matt for which team?

Central. I anchor the pre game, half time and post game show on sight and then do fullmatch commentary with an analyst. When ESPN and NBC are in town (usually about 9 times a year) we do the commentary on the radio. I also host a weekly local radio show.

With research, interviews, pre production and travel, it all adds up in the week before we do the match. It’s a lot different doing an away game in MLS compared to doing it in England.

Even if you cover Arsenal or Newcastle away, you know you’ll be home in the evening. In MLS, if you do Seattle or New York away, you know it’s a good 4 hour flight and you have to stay over (which isn’t a bad thing). I worked for BRMB as a broadcast assistant, Beacon Radio as a reporter/commentator before I joined the BBC. 2 years after that and a bit of freelance work I got an offer to work in MLS and snapped up the chance.

How did Sporting Kansas City dolast season?

Sporting KC did very well last year. Basically, the way it works in MLS is you have the Eastern conference and the Western conference.

Every team will play each other but because the country is so big and because this is how it is in every other American sport, this is how it is. The top 5 teams go into the post season play offs to play each other and eventually we crown an MLS Cup winner (which is the equivalent of winning the Premier League). Sporting finished top of the Eastern conference season but were knocked out of

the play offs at the semi final stage. However, they won the US Open Cup (the equivalent of the FA Cup) thus qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League (again, equivalent to our European version).

Can you see MLS clubs linking up with more premiership clubs in the future?

Absolutely, I know Tottenham have a link with San Jose Earthquakes and in the past have sent decent players out on loan in the past. Simon Dawkins stand out, he’s had a good year for San Jose and I’d expect him to return. I know for a while David Bentley thought about coming over as well.

23 Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979? player scored the most Premier 24 Which League Goals?

Which Englishman was voted European

Can you name the four Welsh players that played for Villa in the premier league?

1

2

3

4

country has won the world cup the 25 Which most times?

26 Trevor Francis at Birmingham City?

Who was head-hunted to take over from

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 35

A I L I B A R MEMO

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Villa Showbiz News

Mad Villa fan James is TV Editor at showbiz news agency BANG Showbiz, who he joined as showbiz reporter in 2011. His diverse music taste – ranging from Slipknot to Taylor Swift, with a bit of N-Dubz thrown in – is the envy of his colleagues.

When he's not stalking Caroline Flack, he's reading about what Tulisa and Taylor have been up to and longing for the day NDubz and B*Witched get back together. Follow him on Twitter @JamesJourn

Villa's Irish revolution will taste success

Royal baby will be a Villa fan!

In case you hadn't heard – there is going to be a very special Villa baby born in 2013! No, Hercules and Bella have not been busy at half-time again, but Villa fan Prince William has been! The 30-year-old royal and Duchess Catherine are of course expecting their first child later this year.

News of Catherine's pregnancy was greeted with delight by the majority of the country, and it is fantastic there is going to be another Villa fan in the world.

That's unless Prince Charles – who has previously confessed to being a Burnley FC fan – buys him or her a Clarets babygrow. Or Harry kits the baby out in some of that egg-chasing merchandise.

There have been plenty of rumours doing the rounds about the royal baby, with some people even betting on the possibility of the little one being born with red hair and some are even predicting Catherine could give birth to twins. This would be a fantastic result as it would mean a double influx of Villa fans in one go! Can anyone else see William and Catherine pushing their twins around in a claret and blue double pram? Get the Villa store on standby!

Dynamo drums up support for Villa clash Bradford City fans were treated to a magical surprise when they queued for tickets for the Capital One Cup clash against the mighty Villa over the festive period. Celebrity magician Dynamo – who is a huge fan of the Bantams and one of the nicest guys in showbiz – turned up to greet the Bradford faithful waiting in the freezing cold at Valley Parade.

He said: “I’m definitely feeling the magic of Bradford City’s Capital One Cup run and it was great to come down and entertain the fans. They’ve have been out in force today to get their hands on tickets and it’s great that Capital One recognises this commitment.”

As well as Dynamo's magical antics, the Bradford fans were treated to free bacon butties and cups of tea courtesy of Capital One.

Brendan Gleeson believes Villa can roll back the years and revisit their glory days thanks to an Irish revolution!

The Irish actor – who you may well recognise from his portrayal of Alasator 'Mad-Eye' Moody in the popular Harry Potter film franchise – is delighted with our top talents from the Emerald Isle, who include the likes of Ciaran Clark, Enda Stevens, Shay Given, Richard Dunne and Stephen Ireland.

And he is so confident our latest Irish contingent can taste success at Villa Park, he is backing them to create a more successful chapter in Villa history than when the likes of Paul McGrath – who is his favourite ever player in claret and blue – Steve Staunton, Ray Houghton and Andy Townsend were at the club.

He exclusively told The Villa Times: "My favourite all time Villa player is Paul McGrath. I loved it when there were four Irish internationals at the core of the side; Ray Houghton, Andy Townsend and Steve Staunton were the others at the time. We might get back to that or better with all the Irish lads at the club doing well at the moment."

While l can't see Stephen Ireland achieving such success at the club, you have to admire Brendan's confidence and there is no reason why Clark cannot go on to be a huge part of the club's plans for years to come.

But you could be forgiven for thinking Brendan has been spending a little too much time in Harry Potter's magical land when he says, quite seriously, he believes Paul Lambert can steer Villa to a Champions League trophy win in the future.

He added: "I think we have wonderful prospects. Paul Lambert had great football intelligence as a player and he brings it to bear in his management. His faith in Benteke and the youngsters is inspired and inspirational. The next few years will be golden if everyone sticks together and we get a little luck along the way.

"We have one star on the jersey for a Champions League win. Paul Lambert has one Champions League Winner's medal. Wouldn't it be brilliant if we could double them up together? Anyone who thinks that's a pipedream should remember we were European Champions only 10 years after being Third Division Champions. It can be done."

It certainly seems like a pipedream at the moment but perhaps Brendan could give his mate Potter a nudge and see what he can do regarding the Champions League win? Magic.

Cheers, Brendan!

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 37

IN THIS MONTH

JANUARY 1983

Triple Run Taking Place On Sunday 23rd June at The Three Counties Showground, Malvern The Acorns Triple Run is a running event designed to appeal to all ages, levels of fitness and sporting ability.

The three courses allow members of the family, both young and old to participate. All three races start together and finish at the same finish arch!

The Acorns Triple Run celebrates the strength and determination that we all have within us and often take for granted. In particular it is designed to encourage able bodied and disabled children to participate together.

European Super Cup Winners 1983 “I suppose it’s what you’d call the type of tackle that Barcelona are known for,” reports BBC commentator, Tony Gubba, after a ‘cynical’ challenge from left-back Julio Alberto earned the first of many bookable offences for the Catalan side.

The style Barcelona’s play during their encounter with Aston Villa in the European Super Cup final of ’82 was markedly different to what they now adorn, in a game that produced no fewer than eight yellow cards and three reds.

Contested at a slightly later date than anticipated, the two-legged final eventually got underway during the opening weeks of 1983, with Barcelona, who carried a 1-0 advantage to Villa Park, looking eager to make an impression on the Aston Villa players – quite literally.

Although Peter Withe provided the best goalscoring opportunity of the first half with a shot struck over the bar from a right-wing Gary Shaw cross, it was the fiercely contested challenges that were perhaps the talking point at half-time.

However, Gubba kindly reminds us that they “have a reputation for that kind of thing” as “when danger threatens, Barcelona are quite prepared to be ruthless.”

Their hard-hitting strategy continued into the second-half as Aston Villa kicked off attacking the massed ranks of the allstanding Holte End. Free-kicks became a frequent source of chances, with a header from Allan Evans coming close and a long-range strike from Bernd Schuster hitting the post for Barcelona.

Yet in between, Alberto notched a second yellow card for a deliberate handball – his actions sparking fury from the home section of the 31,570 in attendance. Schuster, the West German international, continued the aggression and picked up a yellow card for himself after giving away a costly free-kick on the edge of the area.

38 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

Evans struck the ball from the set-piece; the rebound lobbed back in by Blair, turned across by Bremner and into the path of a prowling Gary Shaw. Aston Villa had drawn level in the tie with ten minutes to go, much to Barcelona’s anger, who felt Withe had elbowed Migueli in the build-up.

Nevertheless, extra-time is forced and it is Aston Villa who start with a bang. Substitute Mark Walters draws a challenge from Tente in the Barcelona box and a penalty is given. Gordon Cowans gives Villa a 2-0 lead with a rebounded effort, but is subsequently floored by their goalkeeper, Urriti, whose lash out is enough to warrant a further booking.

“Villa had drawn level in the tie with ten minutes to go, much to Barcelona’s anger” Minutes later, Ken McNaught, who himself was elbowed earlier in the secondhalf, meets a Cowans free-kick with a splendid diving header to seal the victory. In the celebrations, Marcos Alonso is dismissed following a call from the fourth official who spots a red card offence.

A blood-stained and battered Barcelona, epitomized by their centre-half Migueli “looking like he’s done a few rounds with Mohammed Ali”, had seemingly lost their cool. Aston Villa cruised to a 3-0 victory to claim the European Super Cup, and boy, had it been earned.

A 5 kilometre multi-terrain fun run or walk through scenic woodland adjacent to the Showground site. All children under the age of 12 years must be accompanied by a participating adult. Participants are asked to raise sponsorship for Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The Malvern Half Marathon Promoted by the Worcester Athletic Club and incorporating Worcestershire County Championships. A predominately flat course, running through villages beneath the picturesque setting of the Malvern Hills.

1km Fun Run This 1 kilometre wheelchair friendly course is designed to cater for chil- If you have any questions please call dren and adults with special needs. Acorns at 0844 984 0405.

Entrants may be self-propelled, walk, run or be pushed around the course.

This outdoor course finishes under the same finish arch as the 5km Woodland Trail and Half Marathon.

The course is well marshalled and participants can make use of specialist facilities in the Fun Run HQ! 5km Woodland Trail

Pints & Pies

Fado Irish Pub 4022 Townsfair Way,Columbus OH 43219. Tel: 614-418-0066 www.fadoirishpub.com/columbus/ Fadó Columbus, located in the heart of Easton Town Center. Now in our 11th year, Fadó has established itself as the premier Irish Pub in Columbus.

Fadó is a great place to enjoy a number of traditional Irish dishes or a cool pint. Irish owned and operated, Fadó is an admirable nod to the great Irish Pub, tying current trends with old-fashioned influences.

Upon entering, the interior decor stands out before anything else, which is all authentic from Ireland. Divided into four sections, Fadó has a spot to fit your mood. If it's quiet and cozy your looking for, or loud and jovial/fun-loving/a little crazy, you will find your niche.

For the best Pint in Columbus, and watch the Villa live visit the Fadó Irish Pub.

Ugo Ehiogu elected Patron

Happy Soul were delighted with Aston Vila legend Ugo Ehiogu agreed to be our 1st patron towards the end of 2012 Happy Soul festival began in South West London, within the NHS in 2006. Its main aim is to use all forms of the Arts eg, flm, comedy, theatre, photography to name a few, to engage with Black & minority ethnic communities , to explore issues in relation to positive mental health and well being in a non-threatening and fun way.

Because of its success across a number of London Boroughs totalling approximately a population of 1.3 million, Happy Soul became a Charity 2 years ago and are now planning to hold Festivals or events across other parts of the UK and further afield, including Sydney and Mumbai.

Most recently Stuart Thomson Director has visited Birmingham to meet senior managers of the Birmingham and Solihull Mental health Trust, to discuss possible events for this year. We see Birmingham as a natural City where we can engage with communities using our tested model and have

Book Shop

fun with communities whilst raising awareness about mental health and well being in communities.

During 2012 we tried , at the request of communities , some different events including a very powerful play about 2 sisters , one who had bi-polar, and how they both dealt with all that threw at them.

We also had our first Happy Soul comedy evening which was a FULL HOUSE and included Birmingham legend John Simmit comedian and ex Teletubbie!

We also held our first football tournament which was a great success and incredibly the Happy Soul team won despite great opposition and no Ugo wasn't a ringer!!

If anyone would like to commission events or read more about Happy Soul, you can have look at our website happysoulfestival.co.uk , or follow us on Twitter @happysoulfest6

Must reads this month: with the new release of Kenny Swain inspiring autobiography

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A Game of Three Halves

The Official Aston Villa Quiz Book

Aston Villa Bobby Thomson Book

Memories Made In Aston

A Game of Three Halves is the official biography of Kenny Swain. It tells the tale of the man who quit teaching to sign for Chelsea, the glamour club of the 1970s, and then moved on to Aston Villa where having converted from striker to a full-back role - he played his part in winning the First Division championship and the European Cup. Today, Kenny works in the England set-up, heading up the FA's talent ID programme, and has helped develop players such as Michael Owen, Joe Cole and Danny Welbeck.

The 1,000 challenging quiz questions that will have your minds hopping through over a hundred years of Aston Villa s history at lightning pace? No stone remains unturned in terms of question topics, from cherished players, memorable managers and thrilling competitions to opponents, transfers, nationalities and awards, interspersed with sneaky bits of trivia to test the knowledge of even the most ardent Villa aficionado.

With a fitting foreword by Graham Taylor OBE, interesting facts and figures and is guaranteed to spark fond memories

This is a story of a typical Scottish lad who, from an early age, excelled in every sport and was born a winner. His football talent shone through at the age of nine, and by the time he was 15 he was spotted by Division One champions Wolverhampton Wanderers. Thomson gives an untold behind-thescenes insight into his public and private life which touches every raw emotion you can think of. This is the real Bobby Thomson – The Real Bobby Dazzler in his own words.

Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a rollercoaster of a ride.

The idea of compiling a book full of fans memoires from the past is somewhat unique; throw in some Villa related poems, historical facts, a bit of trivia, some one-liners, a few original photographs and add to that some excellent stories from a number of former Villa players and a few celebrities, then you’ve got the recipe for an interesting and informative book that all Villa fans (and football fans in general), young or old would really appreciate. Villa’s history is second to none, and the fans have seen some fantastic teams and some exceptional players.

Kenny Swain Biography

By Chris Cowlin

Bobby Thomson Biography

By Simon Goodyear

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 39

Around The Ground

Quick Questions Memorable match?

I have the distinction of being the last coach driver to leave the old Wembley stadium - FA Cup Final 2000 v Chelsea. Approaching the ground that day it was a mass of claret and blue, it was really special and a marvellous atmosphere. I was hoping to be the first at the new one but that didn’t happen; I had to wait until the League Cup Final in 2010 but now with the new set up you don’t really experience the crowds, the entrance is off round the side and with having a security box in the middle of the road under the stadium you have the added hassle of removing the mirrors off the coach in order to get in and out and relying on someone guiding you in.

In Safe hands with John Wood John ‘Nobby’ Wood had a Villa career that stretched 15 years, he was well respected by the players yet to many supporters he remains an unknown quantity. Nobby was responsible for safely delivering to away grounds around the country the Aston Villa first team.

Flights Coaches founded by Ken Flight began their long association with the Villa back in 1957, the year the club won the FA Cup for the seventh time. This partnership would last into the 21st century.

John was driving for the company and when the regular driver was taken off the Villa job in 1996 it was paramount that the replacement had to be one of Flights more experienced drivers, John fit that particular bill superbly and also happened to be a lifelong Villa fan. With being a goalie for his school team young Wood was a big admirer of Nigel Sims and would stand on the Witton End drawing inspiration, recalling a breathtaking save Nigel pulled off one night when managing to tip the ball over the bar while diving back at full stretch. Another highlight for John was meeting another idol of his, Phil Woosnam, who went along to the school to train the kids for a day prior to his going off to play soccer in North America.

He took the reins in ’96/97 and never looked back – unless he was reversing! Standard practice between the Football Club and the Coach Company was a 5-year contract, which more or less covered the cost of the incoming new vehicle, which in this instance was a spanking new Scania Irizar, the state of the art coach costing in excess of £300k. It was one of the first to have Sky TV onboard but the dish could only be up in position (two feet in the air) when the coach was stationary.

John served six managers, from Brian Little to Gerard Houllier and had a great working relationship with each and every one of them. With sitting literally feet away he would hear the conversations onboard but he’d keep them to himself, and this discretion didn’t go unnoticed, the papers would no doubt have had a field day had John been wired.

The nickname ‘Nobby’ came about as joker of the side Tommy Johnson - and John Gregory quickly agreed thought John resembled the spoof cartoon character ‘Nobby Piles’ from the wacky adult Viz comic and before long the entire team had cottoned on and were calling him by the same name.

Up until a few seasons ago John would drive the team into Villa Park and in case of a major incident where the players may have to be evacuated promptly, he was required to hang around until the game was concluded before taking the coach back to the depot. This was great for John, he was getting paid to watch his side and from the comfort of the corner flag where he was literally yards or seconds away from the getaway vehicle.

John takes great pride in his work and on three occasions he has won the prestigious Coach of the Year award.

Held annually, Brighton rally is a competition that is attended from all four corners of the country, where both driver and vehicle are judged, the drivers are required 40 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

“I felt Graham Taylor in his second stint at the helm was the easiest going” to go around a specific course and the one who gets the least penalties against his name is declared the winner, in both 1997 and 2001 victories he entered the coach used to ferry the Villa first team.

What with the cost of the modern coaches, not to mention the spiralling values of the new-age footballers, all concerned were reassured to know that due to John’s ability and defensive driving, Aston Villa’s first team talent remained ‘In Safe Hands.’ “I was never fazed with the responsibility, it was all second nature due to my years of experience.”

Towards the end of the 2010/11 season Nobby was having noticeable trouble with his shoulder. The then Villa physio correctly diagnosed the injury and John had to undergo keyhole surgery for torn tendons in his shoulder, this obviously meant no driving. By the time he was fit and raring to go the latest Flights Hallmark contract was nearing it’s end.

This would later go to another company the Birmingham International group.

Nobby now drives the team coach for both Nottingham Forest and Leicester City youth teams while his eldest son Kev drives the Forest first team coach. He retires later this year and then he can resume his passion of watching his beloved Villa.

Best Manager?

I have the greatest respect for all of them all but I felt Graham Taylor in his second stint at the helm was the easiest going, he made life easy for you, he was a bit older and a bit wiser. He would take the time to go and look for someone if he needed to talk to them – I suppose it’s like in all walks of life, there’s no substitute for experience.

Funny incident?

I remember an incident when we played Steaua Bucharest in a UEFA cup match in 1997. I was responsible for driving the visiting foreign sides to and from training and to Villa Park for the game etc. For match days the procedure was to reverse the coach in off the Trinity Road into the players entrance enclosure and then the gates would be shut before the players disembarked. I drove the team to Villa Park and as I got into position to reverse the vehicle their manager went absolutely ballistic jumping up and down. I didn’t understand what he was saying though I got the impression he wanted me to stop the coach, which I couldn’t do because of security, the crowd were all around by this time. He pressed the door release and had his players jump off in the road. It turned out later through translation it was a superstition thing, it’s supposedly bad luck to reverse into the stadium. In the event Bucharest lost on the night and I thought ‘that did them a lot of good because we beat them.’

Interviewer– I was at the match and I had no idea Nobby had a part to play in Villa’s 2 – 0 victory!

By Colin J Abbott

Graham Taylor while at Villa

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Saving Lives

by Saving Time

Midlands Air Ambulance is the only Charity directly responsible for funding and operating three Air Ambulances serving the communities of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

Midlands Air Ambulance Charity receives no Government or National Lottery funding, £6 million is needed each year to keep the service operational, all of which is donated entirely by the public and local businesses.

Some facts and figures…

Airlifting a casualty to hospital within one hour (the Golden Hour) of an incident greatly increases their chance of survival, that’s why Midlands Air Ambulance is so vital in an emergency situation.

We have a fleet of 3 state-of-the-art aircraft equipped with full life-support equipment on board.

We can reach a Trauma Centre from anywhere in the region in less than 15 minutes.

We have responded to more than 35,000 incidents since 1991 and saved countless lives. £6 million is needed each year to maintain this vital emergency service.

4 in every 10 incidents responded to is funded by a ‘Gift in a Will’.

Find out how YOU can help Saving Lives by Saving Time

Call 0800

8 40 20 40 or visit www.midlandsairambulance.com Unit 16 Enterprise Trading Estate, Pedmore Road, Brierley Hill, West Midlands DY5 1TX

Picture of the Month

PARADISE FORUM Villa Band Paradise Forum at the opening of the Aston Hotel Picture of the Month by Joe Merchant

PREMIERSHIP XI Villa Times brings you the best XI from your favourite team in the Premier League era

Paul McGrath

Nigel Spink A Peter Schmeichel may have played a season at Villa, but by then his powers were waning and he was on his way out.

Spink, on the other hand, is a Villa legend with 362 league appearances for the club between 1977 and 1996. His most famous moment came in the 1982 European Cup final when he came on as an early substitute for the injured Jimmy Rimmer and kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.

Started in goal for the majority of the 1992/93 season - Villa's best in the Premier League.

ON THE BENCH

Shay Given Gareth Southgate Paul Merson Dion Dublin Juan Pablo Angel

44 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

A tough upbringing in an orphanage created a tough-as-nails player. The type of defender who opposition strikers never forgot in a hurry, and a man who put his body on the line despite persistent knee problems, McGrath holds a special place in Villa fans' hearts. His contribution to the 1992/93 run was acknowledged with a PFA Player of the Year award - arguably the highest honour, given that it comes from fellow players. Seven years at Villa translated into 252 appearances in all competitions.

Gareth Barry A bit of a touchy subject for fans who saw Barry leave for Manchester City in a protracted transfer saga, but such is modern football. Having transferred from Brighton & Hove Albion as a youngster, he spent 12 years at the club and was even awarded a testimonial at the age of just 26. An excellent passer of the football who could play at left back, left wing or in the middle of the park, few English footballers in the Premier League era have matched Barry's versatility. Although he was unceremoniously stripped of the armband for his response to Liverpool's advances in 2008, he had already led Villa with distinction for several seasons.

Steve Staunton Marked his Villa debut with a goal, and went on to form a mean pairing with Paul McGrath in the centre of defence. Played just about every minute of the 1992/93 season, and even scored against Manchester United to keep Villa's noses in front in the title race. Even when Villa's form dipped in subsequent seasons Staunton's standards remained high, and he helped them to two League Cup trophies and a UEFA Cup quarter-final

Olof Mellberg Villa's first club captain from outside of Britain or Ireland, for what it's worth. Formed a key part of the defence that helped Villa to a sixth-placed finish in David O'Leary's first season at the club, although the next three season were not so flash.

Picked at right back here, because it was a position he often filled when the team required it.

Ashley Young

Gordon Cowans The prodigal son, Cowans just kept on coming back to Villa no matter where he ended up going, to the extent that he's currently the reserve team manager. As such he's a bit of a nostalgic pick - his best football was played outside of the Premier League, be it at another club or in helping Villa to the European Cup and the European Super Cup. But he cracks the nod nonetheless.competitions.

Arguably the most naturally talented footballer in this line-up, Young struck up an excellent understanding with Gabriel Agbonlahor that created several purple patches. His blinding pace down the wing made him an assist machine, and he was generally at the source of Villa's attacking moves as they finished sixth for three seasons running between 2007 and 2010. Although he sometimes struggled for consistency over the course of a season, he became the first player to win three FA Premiership Player of the Month awards in the same year, and he forged a strong relationship with Martin O'Neill during Villa's recent illfated revival.

Kevin Richardson Richardson certainly got around in club football, but he played more games for Villa than anyone else. Having won the old First Division with both Everton and Arsenal, he nearly completed a rare treble after Ron Atkinson brought him to Villa in 1991. After taking over the captaincy, Richardson took them to the top of the league with six games to go. It didn't work out, but the diminutive midfielder had two more good seasons at Villa, winning the man of the match award as they beat Manchester United in the 1994 League Cup final.

Dwight Yorke He'll always be remembered for his exploits with Manchester United, but his record at Villa was excellent - in nine years at the club he made 232 appearances and scored 73 goals. In 1992/93 he linked up well with Saunders, and if there is a regret it will be that the goals dried up at the end of the season, when Manchester United were able to overhaul Villa in the final six games. The manner of his departure grated at the time, but reviewed in these modern times it looks pretty normal really.

Dean Saunders

Darius Vassell He wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but Sven Goran Eriksson was a big fan and Vassell certainly had his moments. More than anything he had pace, which allowed him to play up front or as a winger who enjoyed cutting to the byline, and he famously never finished on a losing side in a game in which he scored. A Villa fan as a child, Vassell came through the club's School of Excellence and scored a record 39 goals for the youth team in a single season.

Deano scored goals at the best of times and the worst of times for Villa - he was their top goalscorer in the 1992/93 season when they finished second behind Manchester United, and hit 17 in the 1994-95 season as they came one place short of relegation. Arrived as a club record ÂŁ2.5million signing at the start of September 1992, and struck 13 league goals in Villa's best Premier League campaign, but was offloaded when Brian Little replaced Atkinson in 1995.

thevillatimes.com Issue 4 45

Claret & Blue in the

Lions Clubs

Chairmans Day game at Villa Park set for May The annually chairman from the U.K. Lions will take on the Overseas Lions supporters club branches on the sacred turf of Villa Park after the last home game of the season. The UK Lions have a magnificent record of being unbeaten every year so far.

The date has now been set for Sunday May 11th immediatley after the last home game v Chelsea . Forms will be distributed shortly to all Chairman around the world, and for your chance to play on the Villa Park pitch return your forms promptly to book your place!

International Lions Weekend 2013: Northern Ireland From Friday 21 June 2013 to Sunday 23 June 2013 the Northern Ireland Lions are hosting the International Lions Weekend.

Supporters' Clubs from all around the world, including the Bromsgrove Villa Lions, will be descending on Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, for this three day celebration.

During the weekend events will include a BBQ, live entertainment, karaoke, meet with former players, charity football event and much more. for more information please contact the Northern Ireland Lions Club

46 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

West Bromwich Albion Screening On Saturday 19 January 2013 Villa are away at West Bromwich Albion. For supporters not going to the match we have arranged a special screening at The Grapevine. As part of this special screening there will be reserved seating and tables for the Bromsgrove Villa Lions.

At half-time a buffet will be available. We have negotiated a special price of ÂŁ3 each for this. Please let us know if you would like to attend by Monday 14 January 2013 to ensure we have enough seats and food available. The buffet payment of ÂŁ3 per person can be made on the day. To book please email info@bromsgrovevillalions.co.uk

City of Cleveland!

A Villa fans Journey to setting up his own Lions Club in hometown Canton, Ohio It has been a long journey since that first match I ever saw in 1995. My long journey of becoming a Villa supporter has been hard and almost 2 decades long. After that first match it was a decade later till I ever got to see Aston Villa on TV ever again. Being a “football supporter in the states is was very hard as a young child but has become so much easier with the thanks of the American media showing more on the television these days and if your match isn’t on TV there is always the internet now a days.

In 2009 I ended my service in the United States Marine Corps and decided to move back home to Ohio.

In the decision to come home it led me to Columbus, Ohio the capital city of my great state. Columbus has become a little soccer mecca so to speak because of our MLS club the Columbus Crew who does have a connection to Aston Villa with our ex keeper Brad Friedel who used to play for the Columbus Crew.

When I moved to Columbus I found there were a lot of pubs that would show various leagues from around the world and would open up early for the matches.

One of those pubs was Claddagh Irish Pub. Claddagh was the place to go for your soccer fix cause they would open up as early as 6 at times for matches and no matter what American sports where on TV, they would show soccer instead if there was someone that wanted to watch a match. During my time there I met a few other Villa supporters including David Weir and Natalie Weir who are directly related to the late great photographer Terry Weir. More and more Villa fans were popping up here and there overtime and we started to organize a Villa supporter club but still didn’t know anything about the Lions Clubs. With a little study I found out that we could become an Official Lions Club! We became official in 2010 as the Central Ohio Lions, and when we did we ended up finding

other Villa supporters at another pub on the other side of the city. Overtime there had become a major problem at Claddagh’s and we had to move the club and we did to Fado Irish Pub at Easton town center where we had about 32 official members and on the average between 5-15 people who would show up for all matches that were on TV. Yes we were small but we were mighty in voice.

At the end of the 2010 season I had to move back up north to Canton, Ohio my hometown. When I moved I handed the Central Ohio Lions over to a fellow Villa supporter Connor McBride. I have been up here since the end of the 2010 season, not running a club and not really having a chance to watch matches with fellow Villa supporters. I have watched matches on the TV or the internet at home by myself or every now and then with a few friend’s but up here it’s hard to find a pub that will show anything when you live in the city that is home to the American Pro Football Hall of Fame. Up here is hard to find anyone who cares about soccer. Eventually I have met a group of Serbian and Macedonian’s who love proper football but no Villa supporters. I was eventually contacted by the expresident of the Cleveland Lions and asked to take it over at the start of this season. Cleveland is an hour away and it’s been a slow process this season to gather the Villa supporters that were part of it because they never really did anything, but I am now in the process of finding a proper pub to watch matches and get our roster under control. It’s a lot harder than it was to start the Central Ohio Lions, but it is something I love and I can promise the Cleveland Lions will be renewed by the start of the 2013/2014 and we will bleed Claret & Blue in the beautiful city of Cleveland!

John Gregory at Sutton Coldfield Town FC The Sutton Coldfield Branch of the Aston Villa Lions Clubs have organised a Sports Forum with former Player and Manager John Gregory at Sutton Coldfield Town FC on Friday 11th January 2013.

The event has been organised to raise funds for 2 Charities. Cure Leukaemia and Acorns Childrens Hospice and starts at 7pm finishing at 11pm.

Rob Bishop (Aston Villa’s Programme Editor) has kindly agreed to be MC for the night.

Along with his vast knowledge of Aston Villa he will interview John about his time at Villa Park and then after a brief interval, when a buffet has been arranged, there will be a chance for questions from the Audience.

The cost is £12 which includes a donation to both Charities (and buffet) with tickets initially on sale to Members Only.

There will also be a Raffle with all monies raised also being donated. It is hoped there will be some great prizes on offer from Villa Memorabilia to Match tickets.

The Sutton Coldfield Lions are one of the oldest of the many Aston Villa Supporters Clubs (founded in 1978) and boast over 400 Members, many of whom are Season Ticket Holders and regular travellers to away games, both in the UK and Europe.

The Club has been organising Away Match Travel to all Aston Villa Away games either by coach or train for people from the North Birmingham area for over 30 years, although in recent times we have taken fans to matches from as far away as Denmark, Holland, Germany and even the USA. Most of our Members are normally found in the New Aston Social Club on Aston Hall Road before and after Home games.

We do not charge a Membership Fee and try where possible to keep the cost of travel to a minimum.

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thevillatimes.com Issue 4 47

Villa World

Send Us Your Photo to info@thevillatimes.com

Us Villa fans are everywhere this month, Brum, Jamaica, Australia, USA, Ireland and yes Villa Park

Martin with for Villa man Lee Hendrie

ith d Mark w Aaron an ibson G lie ta a N Villa Ladies,

S u tt o n C o ld fi el d V il la Li o n s in V ar te ks .

Se pt em be r 20 01

Steve and son Callum Hill and myself on holiday in Jamaica at the famous Dunn's River Falls Tom Cole and his wife June in the US Portland Timbers Game

before the

Tom Cole in philedelphia during the recent US tour

ds in h with frien Rob Goug SA Portland, U

Come On You Villa..........

Morten Locke rt, from Oslo, N orway and Vid ar Jupskaas at Vill a Park

We at the Villa Times would like to thank you all for sending in your picture, UTV

Send Us Your Picture for Next Month and be in with a chance of winning the new home shirt thevillatimes.com Issue 4 49

us

Jeromi Rogers

My Villa

Who lives in Columbus, Ohio and is a member of Columbus Lions . Here he shares his memories, his favourites and how he came to be a Villa fan.

What was your first memory of watching Villa?

My first memory of watching Villa was in 1994 during the League Cup Final against Manchester United. My biggest memory of that match was because it was the first time ever watching Villa and ever hearing about any of these players and I was just amazed at Paul McGrath and how big of a beast he was in the backline! Another huge memory from this game was that I knew very little of the English game if anything. I was born and raised in an Italian/American family who did still pay attention a little to their birth country club which was AS Roma, but I still didn’t know much about the game outside of just playing as a child. Outside of that it just wasn’t anything in the news or on tv here in the states so it was new to me. I remember having to watch it on a Spanish speaking channel here in the states and honestly just randomly came across the channel that day while I was flipping through cartoon channels! The only real reason I picked Aston Villa to root for that game was honestly because of their colors, the Claret and Blue caught my eye and I was forever stuck after that.

What was the score?

The final score was 3-1 Aston Villa Is this game that started your love for Villa?

It was the game that started my love for Villa, but it wasn’t until I was 18 when I got to really ever see them play again. At that point in my life football had pretty much been put on the backburner in my life because I was a good wrestler and paid more attention to that in my life. I quit football at that point in my life, but still played FIFA and used Aston Villa all the time, but since that Cup Final I hadn’t got to see them on tv. When I turned 18 football started to become more popular here in the United States because of the MLS growing here and there was more International leagues being shown on tv. I joined the Marine Corps at the age 18 so when I got to my first duty station I came across a pub that I was allowed to go into and they showed English games sometimes and I started to slowly see Aston Villa on tv again 50 Issue 4 thevillatimes.com

and it re-sparked my love for that Claret and Blue and I started to pay a lot more attention especially with how advance the internet was at that point it was easier to pay attention to them and keep up with matches!

Is he your all-time favorite player?

I would say my all-time favorite is Paul McGrath because of that first match I ever got to see him play in, and he is a Villa Legend as well!

What do you think of the current set up at Villa Park? And who is your favorite current player?

I believe that once we get fully healthy we will be a whole lot better, but I still feel we need to bring some players in during the Jan. transfer window and during the summer as well. My favorite player as of current would have to be Andreas Weimann for the simple fact that he seems to give his all every match, and my first live match ever was against Fulham at Villa Park last season and he scored the late goal to win it for Villa! I thank Danny Brown for taking me to that match!

At the end of the day I am still a little biased though cause we do have two Americans on the team that I do love as well!

And finally which player has impressed you the most this season so far?

Brad Guzan has to be the answer because I was honestly afraid at how good he really was because he never got much chance sitting behind Brad Freidel and he never got much playing time for USMNT either cause he had to sit behind Tim Howard. Guzan I believe has impressed me the most because I think he has done well with such a weak backline!

“Weimann seems to give his all every match”

Left to Right: David Weir, Natalie Wei r Jason Bickel, and Jeromi Rogers

AstonHotel The

Est 1918

Under New Management Newly Refurbished

LIVE FOOTBALL | LIVE MUSIC | GOOD FOOD

The charming Aston Hotel offers free secure parking, and shows live sports on a big screens and is just 20 metres from Villa Park, home of Aston Villa.

The Hotel has fourteen elegangtly designed en suite letting rooms with TVs and all the required facilities. A full English breakfast is available each morning and a range of drinks are on offer in the newly traditional fitted bar area.

The Aston Hotel is conviently located for all that Birmingham has to offer, with city centre shopping and the famous Broad Street nightlife.

MATCH SPECIAL 1 NIGHT B&B ÂŁ50 2 NIGHTS B&B ÂŁ90

Call 0121 328 2841 for more information, match ticket packages and availability

The Aston Hotel | Witton Rd | Aston | Birmingham | B6 6NS e: info@theastonhotel.org | t: 0121 328 2841 | www.theastonhotel.org

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