Odd Man Out by Graham Denton

Author:Graham Denton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pitch Publishing
Published: 2017-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Boy With the Golden Hair

IN June 1979, as terrorism returned to mainland UK in the shape of letter bombs – 13 such devices being either exploded or defused at post offices in the Birmingham area – matters at Aston Villa were threatening to be explosive in their own way. The uneasy peace existing between Ron Saunders and various members of his playing staff and the board was in danger of breaking out into open hostilities. Just over ten years after the takeover that had transformed the fortunes of the football club, the whiff of revolution, if not exactly bloody, was undeniably in the air once more.

It all started off tranquilly enough. In the same week that month, two new faces arrived. In Tony Morley, the Villa fans who, since Ray Graydon’s leaving, had been chanting ‘We want a winger’ finally got their wish. A promising wideman noted for his bursts of speed and excellent control, Morley, in February 1976, had signed for Burnley from Preston for a club record £100,000, essentially as Leighton James’ replacement. But, plagued by inconsistency at Turf Moor, his career had stalled.

All the while convinced that what Morley really needed was ‘someone to give him the confidence to turn on the style on a more regular basis’, Saunders approached Burnley boss Harry Potts with a £200,000 offer. Morley, having once rejected an opportunity to move to Arsenal believing he wasn’t then ready for the big time, now felt the moment was right. Despite only recently moving into a new house in Lancashire, he had little hesitation in quitting for life in the Midlands.

Also joining was Terry Donovan. During three seasons with his hometown club Grimsby Town, the 21-year-old Eire striker had established himself as a prolific scorer, netting 28 times in 63 league and cup outings with the Blundell Park outfit. Saunders had been in Everton’s youth team around the time that Donovan’s father, Don, was full-back and captain at Goodison. Remembering the Villa manager as ‘a determined young man with a high work ethic, something you could see in the Villa teams Saunders had gone on to produce’, Donovan Snr was delighted with his son’s £70,000 move. ‘I know he [Saunders] is an honest man who is good for young players,’ he said.

But as Saunders’ rebuilding programme got under way, other pieces started to come loose. John Gregory was the first. On signing for Villa, Gregory had stated, ‘To be honest, I’m not fussy where I play.’ A good job. In his two seasons since, Gregory had done what he termed ‘a lot of shifting around’, his versatility a godsend for Saunders in the midst of the club’s chronic injury crisis. Having donned the number 8 shirt against Liverpool on Easter Monday – just before kick-off, Gregory plucked up enough courage to ask Saunders if he could wear it and, to the player’s surprise, Saunders ratified it – the multitasking player boasted a proud record: after only 57 games since joining he’d worn shirts 2 to 12 and played in all ten outfield positions for the Midlanders.

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