Favourite Memories

As a lot of talk seems to be focussing purely on the club’s plight and if we are/are not going to be relegated/stay up, I thought I’d write a post on a different side of things.

A view of brighter days

Many of us have been Villa fans now for many years now, and have witnessed some good (and some not so good) memories during that time. Whether you remember our last FA Cup win in 1957, our triumph in Europe in 1982, or even more recent events like our Coca-Cola Cup wins in ’94 & ’96, there is always something to make us smile and think of the good times.

For me, I probably have two stand out moments and they are Savo’s bolt from the blue in the ’96 League Cup final, and Gary Cahill’s overhead kick against Birmingham City. I’m too young to remember 1982 with any kind of memory, and wasn’t even born when we last won the FA Cup.

Savo’s Golden Moment

Whether you remember Savo for the chants to the tune of the Outhere Brothers’ track “Boom, Boom, Boom”, or for his often erratic form, there is one moment of his Aston Villa career which stood out for me. It was 1996, and Brian Little had led Aston Villa to the second League Cup final in two years where they faced a Leeds United team with players like Tony Yeboah, Lucas Radebe, and (our own current assistant manager) Gary McAllister. Villa on the other hand had players like Bosnich, McGrath, and Yorke. Given the quality in both teams, it promised to be a fair competition, and the game started as quite a balanced affair. However, on the 20 minute mark, Villa were about to do something completely out the blue. What happened was probably Savo’s finest moment of his Villa career.

Gary Cahill takes his place in Villa history

My second favourite memory has two main reasons. The first is that it was an outstanding goal that I had the fortune to witness, and the second being that it came against Birmingham City. Gary Cahill, at the time a promising defender (and now, as we all know, a solid defender who sadly doesn’t play for us anymore), was included for the match against Blues. Whilst he was shown to be skilled as a defensive player, nobody expected what was to come from him. His overhead kick was not only one of the finest goals I have ever seen Villa score, but it was a goal that will be talked about in pubs, clubs, and workplaces because of the fact that it was against our local rivals.

Apologies for the foreign commentary, but it was the only video I could find that was in good quality.

A small medley of top Villa goals

And for my penultimate statement, I will leave you with a heartwarming list of the top ten goals of recent seasons. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it (especially if you like the Goo Goo Dolls).

Some indicators on past success vs current ambiguity?

Looking back on some of the spine of the team back then, it is perhaps indicative of why we won back then, and perhaps have lacked the solidity in recent years. Villa have always seemed to be based on a solid defensive line (albeit with a lack of goals), but recently the lack of the defence has probably been part of the main reason why recent years haven’t been as good.

Anyway, what’s your favourite memory of the boys in claret & blue? Let us know via the comments below.