RIP Deadly Doug Ellis | Page 4 | Vital Football

RIP Deadly Doug Ellis

Langoe66 said:
RIP Deadly Doug.....he sometimes made me laugh, he often made me want to bloody cry but nobody can deny he dedicated a very large part of his life to the Villa. I hope the minutes' silence is respected by everyone next week.
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It would be a very sad day at our club if it was not respected. He did a great deal for charities in the Birmingham area as well.
 
Amen Old Trinity + others - end of the day it's only football and I truly believe that.

The ridiculous applaud him stuff going round a few weeks back, no.

Respect his minutes silence - that's not even a question. We're all better than that, I hope.
 
I will respect the minutes silence but that’s all. I grew up watching Villa through the 90’s and he held us back from becoming a real force at a time we so easily could’ve been one with just a bit more investment. I’ve not long seen myself on Central News on ITV at the ‘Ellis Out’ protests many years ago as a kid with a banner I made at school that day. I was so happy the day he sold to Randy Lerner, yes it’s gone south since but it probably would’ve with him charge too. He destroyed the beautiful Trinity Road Stand and renamed the Witton Lane after himself but for what? Absolutely no way do I think there should be a statue of him, I won’t support that. RIP Doug but sorry you won’t be missed from here.
 
RIP Doug..

Sadly his legacy will show that when he returned to become Chairman, after we had become Champions of England and then won the European Cup in successive seasons, he broke up that squad and within 5 years we were relegated. Many of that great squad have repeatedly said with the right investment we could have dominated the English game for years.
 
No matter what we think of Deadly..and yes at the beginning of this thread i said what most Villa fans think..maybe i was over the top when it should be about a guy who thought he was great and Villa through his blood...i think he was in a way..he was a nice guy by all accounts...donated a lot of money to charity so nobody can knock him for that....but fuck me you could piss us off at times...but tbh 94 was a good age and he went home and away to see us play some shite at times..?..there's not many who do that at 94....so respect that if nothing..true fan and will always be....good night oldn...at the game just do right for him and family...we are Villa...true to the lion.... my 40th birthday cake was facing the wrong way...but its the thought that counts..Rip Deadly....part of our past...like all of us..?
 
I have been brought up to adhere to the saying "if you haven't got anything good to say then say nothing".

So...er... yeah.
 
Some interesting stories have come out about his charity work. Apparently, after a tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2005, he provided the money for 42 fishing boats for local people who had lost theirs. He insisted that they should be painted in claret and blue.
 
ironside said:
Some interesting stories have come out about his charity work. Apparently, after a tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2005, he provided the money for 42 fishing boats for local people who had lost theirs. He insisted that they should be painted in claret and blue.
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Yer....read that today...made me laugh...just wanted to paint the world claret and blue i think...
 
I have so many stories about doug and Peter Ellis. Aston Manor brewery and Aston villa. We as a club and fans will do what is right and proper. Amazing how many ex managers and players he out lived.
 
Interesting how many publicly expressed their sadness, including those who to some are untouchable, ala Brian Little. Even Football Focus did a piece on him today.
 
It is interesting how highly Doug is being spoken of by players / managers who served under him. The likes of Saunders, Merson, McGrath, Taylor etc. have utterly sung his praises. Now I’m not suggesting that the opinions of the European Cup winners who were disgracefully shunned by him should be ignored but maybe it shows that things are rarely black and white - there are always shades of grey.

I’m a football fan who grew up in the 90s and whilst I always thought the man lacked the ambition to really go for it when it mattered I never hated him as much as others seemed to. Indeed, when living in Durham and moaning about him once I was met by a load of Geordies saying to me “you moan, but he always puts the money up” - which utterly shocked me! However, whilst everyone remembers us not paying the extra £500k for Robbie Keane it’s easy to forget that he gave Gregory nearly £7m for Steve Stone (outrageous money at the time).

I can’t deny he did well out of us but - shades of grey again - I always felt he acted on what he thought was best. In the end I wanted him gone like everyone else, the game had passed him by and we couldn’t even afford to sign the awful Eirick Bakke. But even then there was something about him that I liked and always did. When he sold to Lerner I believe he gifted the club something like £30m(?).

Since selling the man still turned up every week, regardless of ill health whilst the custodians at the time hid.

He was in no way perfect, but also did a tremendous amount of good for charities and for the city of Birmingham. He was also one of the last of the ‘old-school’ characters in football before the bland commercial state of affairs we find today became the norm.

I didn’t understand the call for applause a few weeks ago and felt it was unnecessary and undeserved. However, now that he’s gone there is no battle to be fought anymore and, like it or not, Doug Ellis will go down in history as a significant figure at Aston Villa, the man deserves his minutes silence as a mark of respect.

I understand those who disagree, but the answer is simple - come up to your seat 2mins later, just before kickoff.

To be honest though, I do have faith that even the most fervent anti-Ellis Villan would have more class than to disrespect the minutes silence.
 
The football cameras will be at the ground and the last thing we need is for some to start booing or being disrespectful in the minutes silence, that would just condemn ALL Villa fans as moronic and obscene. Observe and respect the minutes silence and any thoughts of the merits or lack of ambition or dislike of the man should be put to one side - it's only 60 seconds and I'm sure we can all manage that regardless of personal feelings. Give the man a good send off, and then get behind the team and Dean Smith and let's help get this great club of ours off to a winning start to this new chapter of our club's history.
 
McGrath4Pope said:
I’m a football fan who grew up in the 90s and whilst I always thought the man lacked the ambition to really go for it when it mattered I never hated him as much as others seemed to. Indeed, when living in Durham and moaning about him once I was met by a load of Geordies saying to me “you moan, but he always puts the money up” - which utterly shocked me! However, whilst everyone remembers us not paying the extra £500k for Robbie Keane it’s easy to forget that he gave Gregory nearly £7m for Steve Stone (outrageous money at the time).
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Great. I'd just about managed to wipe the memory of that useless bald twat Stone ever playing for us and you go and remind me.
 
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