Sure you did pal
A hero.
Spencer Prior was the Leicester chap. [quote=“Bandage, post:526, topic:23585, full:true”]
@mickee321, I’m posting without using wiki as a source but did big Ugo Ehiogu (RIP) straddle the Villa teams of McGrath, Teale, Richardson, Atkinson etc and the League Cup winning team of 1995? Or did he only come on board after Big Ron left? He died aged 44 so he would have been a very young player if he was around the early 1990s.
I remember him as a staple of Brian Little’s 3-5-2 system. Do you remember how the three centre back system spread through the EPL like wildfire in the latter part of the 1990s? Did it start with Hoddle using it for England in the qualification for France '98 or was a club manager behind it?
Martin O’Neill had Elliott, Walsh (cc @Big_Mick_McCarthy) and someone else. Liverpool tried it with donkeys like Stig Inge Bjorneby (spelling?), Ruddock, Wright among the centre halves and with McAteer as the right wing back.
Villa had Southgate, Ehiogu and AN Other (Staunton?). Ultimately a young Gareth Barry joined them as the left centre back of the three. Do you remember the little midget left wing back called Alan Wright? Who else? Bosnich in goal. Who was right wing back? The likes of Mark Draper, Garry Parker, Guy Whittingham were in midfield. Crazy Sasa Curcic pulling strings in there too. Merson did a stint at Villa at one stage. Dion Dublin came along then from Coventry, didn’t he? Probably replaced the ineffectual Savo Milosovic? But that may have been after Little’s time.
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He won two league cups with villa I think?
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-live-steve-bruce-12918825
Steve talking about Ugo in today’s conference … Very sad.
The League Cup was a serious achievement back then
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Can’t believe I didn’t think of Dwight Yorke - sure he was their main man. Gary Charles was the right wing back for a time. He went off the rails and ended up in prison for a while if I recall correctly.
I mainly associate Ugo Ehiogu with that pinstripe kit Villa had between 1993 and 1995 though I don’t recall him featuring much if at all before the 94/95 season.
Villa won the League Cup in '94 and '96, not '95 when Liverpool won it.
Garry Parker was always a player I liked. He made his name with Forest in the late 80s. He was more associated with the 92/93 team than the later Brian Little team, I’m not sure he was even still there by that time. A skilful midfield player with a devastating shot.
Ian Taylor, Andy Townsend and Mark Draper were the midfield three when Villa pummelled Manchester United on the opening day of the 95/96 season.
I mainly associate the 3-5-2 with the Liverpool and Middlesbrough teams of 1995/96. I think Liverpool were the first to use it when Babb and Scales were signed by Roy Evans not long into the 94/95 season. The system ultimately didn’t work particularly well in England and had been mainly abandoned by all teams who had used it by 1997.
Argentina used 3-5-2 when they won the 1986 World Cup so the idea was not a new one.
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The bit I wrote about Garry Parker above brought to mind this classic FA Cup tie in 1992.
The bit from 2:43 on where managers Ron Atkinson and Arthur Cox are interviewed together pre-match by a local correspondent in a sheepskin coat is class. Grizzled old English football men, old English football values. 
“He thinks yer crap!”
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Bobby Robsons England turned to 3-5-2 during the 1990 World Cup. I’d say 3 games in, possibly v Belgium in the round of 16. Butcher, Parker and someone else were the three. Someone help me out
Des Walker and Mark Wright played throughout knock out stages of that tournament, so did Stuart Pearce.
Maybe I’m wrong with Butcher. Walker and Wright did play alright. Will look it up
Wow! Butcher capt for one. Parker and Pierce wing backs. Platt and Gazza with Beardsley in the hole. Lineker up top and Waddle where ever.
The whole 3 centre backs fad at Liverpool was to accommodate John Barnes. Barnes was held in such high esteem that as long as he could be effective anywhere in the team, the team was built around him. So when Barnes played as the midfield playmaker his obvious defensive frailties were compensated by adding another body to the centre of defence.
Barnes was disbanded 2 years later and so were the 3 centre halves.
Great memories for me. I have been obsessed by football for a long time but in the 94/95 season it was at his height. Liverpool beat Palace 6-1 away in the opening game of that season - the day before Leitrim played Dublin in the All Ireland semi in 1994. Liverpool bought Phil Babb the day that the IRA announced their ceasefire. I remember reading about it on the soon to be defunct Irish Press at the time.
That’s unreal. Those old school regional BBC radio and TV reporters were the business.
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Arthur Cox was some man in fairness.
Bryan Robson getting injured in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups improved England no end both times.
Glenn Hoddle and Peter Reid complemented each other nicely in '86 and England brushed aside Poland and Paraguay. Reidy couldn’t handle Diego though.
Ray Wilkins’ absence through suspension after getting sent off against Morocco was another unplanned selection bonus. But John Barnes was utilised too late.
Then David Platt was a revelation in Robson’s absence in 1990. Neither Parker or Wright started that tournament against Eire either.
Robson was there for all three games in Euro '88 and England lost all three.
So, Bryan Robson - shit player?
He only got on the England team because his father was the manager.
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Always thought he was a typical gruff northerner . No bad thing either. Always wondered why he had a corporate box in Croker and why NAMA paid him so much money .
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