Popular Post John Posted December 31, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted December 31, 2020 Former Villa boss Tommy Docherty died today following a long illness, aged 92. The Doc managed us from 1968 – 1970 and for me did a lot to get the fans flooding back to Villa Park and to raise the profile of our great club, at a time when we were at a very, very low ebb. RIP Tommy – HEITS. 8 2 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMcKenna Posted December 31, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted December 31, 2020 (edited) Hope I have done this right. Very sad to say the Guardian is reporting the passing of former Villa Manager Tommy Docherty RIP Tommy you gave me one of the best years ever as a Villa fan “He’s up Mrs Brown.... “ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/dec/31/tommy-docherty-former-manchester-united-and-scotland-manager-dies-aged-92 PA Media Thu 31 Dec 2020 16.29 GMT The former Manchester United [Aston Villa] and Scotland manager Tommy Docherty has died at the age of 92 following a long illness, his family have announced. Docherty, who was known as ‘The Doc’, spent nine years as a player with Preston and won 25 caps for Scotland. He went on to manage 12 clubs, including Chelsea, Aston Villa and Derby, and had a stint in charge of Scotland. But he was best known for his five-year spell at Old Trafford, overseeing an FA Cup final win over Bob Paisley’s Liverpool in 1977. Tommy Docherty at the centre of Manchester United’s celebrations after winning the 1977 FA Cup final. Photograph: Allsport Msi/ALLSPORT Docherty died at home in the north-west on 31 December. A family spokesperson said in a statement released to the PA news agency: “Tommy passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at home. He was a much-loved husband, father and papa and will be terribly missed. We ask that our privacy be respected at this time. There will be no further comment. Edited December 31, 2020 by MikeMcKenna 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Condolences to the family. Before my time but a larger than life character who had some successes on the way at Chelsea and post Busby United. Always spoke well about the Villa as I think he had been coached by Jimmy Hogan as a youth player at Celtic. Although the results were not that impressive by all accounts he helped Villa turn around at least by getting people back to Villa Park. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 R.I.P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson1 Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Shame. RIP Tommy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 A couple of quotes from the Doc: After being sacked from the club: "Aston Villa will play in the European Cup one day" After being told by HDE “I'm right behind you.” He responded: “If you don't mind, chairman, I'd rather have you in front of me, where I can see you.” 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 First games at Villa were when the Doc was manager. Used to stand at the bottom of the witton end and the dugouts were at the then Witton Lane stand and when he walked around he used to throw a pocket full of coins on the floor for the kids to collect. There wasnt a lot of money around in those days. . He was a legend. RIP 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 He was before my time when he was Villa manager but growing up in the 80's he was still a big character in the game and outspoken and likes of which we don't see anymore. 92 is a great innings. RIP Tommy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hippo Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Just before my time. From what my dad told me- it was a bold appointment after years in the doldrums - it didn't work out - but it was a mark that we were on our way back ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted December 31, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted December 31, 2020 Before my time but RIP Tommy. Certainly sounds like he got the Villa bug as so many do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazilla Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Villa have got a lot to thank the Doc for. Before he arrived Villa were getting crowds of 12,000, but then he came in and claimed that he could get Villa in the top five of the old first division. I remember him paying £110,000 for the Rioch brothers and standing in the Holte when there were 59,000 watching us beat Southampton in a cup replay. There was never a dull moment with the Doc around and he helped to set Villa on the road to success. RIP. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepyvillian Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 Before my time, but he always had kind words for the club. Always up for a laugh and had a few quips concerning Deadly Doug. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meregreen Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 (edited) Relit the fires in Villa fans bellies. Charismatic manager. Made us believe that our club could rise again. Even though Ellis pulled the plug on his tenure, and we slid into the old Third Division, Those fires stayed lit. Thanks Tommy. Edited January 1, 2021 by meregreen 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post MikeMcKenna Posted January 1, 2021 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted January 1, 2021 As I said in my initial comment, the Doc was responsible for one of my best years as a Villa fan. Unless you were there it is hard to understand how utterly desperate it was in 1968. After playing 18 and winning just two on 9th November we faced Preston at home who hadn’t beaten us at VP for 48 years. I was on the Holte with my two brothers and it was desolate. I think the crowd was around 12,000 and there was zero atmosphere. We lost 0-1 which sent us to the bottom of the then division 2. Immediately after the game there was quite a large protest by fans as they invaded the Trinity making for the directors box. I remember quite a few police piling in and several police horses. It is no word of a lie to say that we thought the club was finished. The game was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back.Then things started to change. The manager Tommy Cummings was fired by the board and within weeks the club was sold to Pat Matthews. As one of a consortium Doug Ellis became chairman and on the 18th December he appointed Tommy Docherty which was quite a coup at the time. Instantly everything changed. Starting 21st December ‘68 we won 5 on the bounce and only lost 1 in the next nine. The fans came flooding back. Just over a month after Docherty arrived we beat Southampton 2-1 in the FA Cup in front of 52,000 at Villa Park- it was incredible. I remember standing on the Holte at the final whistle wondering how the hell we had gone from 12:000 in November to 52000 10 weeks later. I doubt there has ever been as big a transformation in support anywhere in football. It was all down to ‘the Doc’. We avoided relegation and somehow knew the tide had turned and that the sleeping giant was waking even though the club behind scenes was still a mess. I was gutted when Tommy was fired in January 1970 and felt he needed more time. Unfortunately we were relegated in 1970 but Tommy had made us proud again and we knew something special had started. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a m ole Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 If my dad told me to stand for this man I would. RIP Tommy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 6 hours ago, MikeMcKenna said: Just over a month after Docherty arrived we beat Southampton 2-1 in the FA Cup in front of 52,000 at Villa Park- it was incredible. I remember standing on the Holte at the final whistle wondering how the hell we had gone from 12:000 in November to 52000 10 weeks later. I doubt there has ever been as big a transformation in support anywhere in football. One of my favourite ever Villa games that one Mike. Southampton were a decent 1st Division team back then, having finished 7th the season before and with Mick Channon, Terry Paine, Ron Davies and Jimmy Gabriel in the side we beat in front of 59,084 of us, having earned the replay with a 2-2 draw at the Dell. You are 100% correct on the impact his appointment had on the fans. My memory of that was the Boxing Day game with Cardiff and looking around at the 41,250 crowd in the realisation that he had awoken the slumbering lion (our highest gate prior to that had been 20,937 for the first home game of that season). We had beaten QPR in front of 39,854 before that in the 3rd Round and it took a Spurs team containing the likes of Jennings, England, Venables, Mullery, Gilzean and Jimmy Greaves (who scored two) to knock us out 2-3 at White Hart Lane in the 5th Round. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincenzo Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 RIP Doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 (edited) RIP Doc. He was just before my time, I was chosen when Vic Crowe was manager and we were in the third division. I’ve always said that Vic hasn’t had the recognition he deserved in our turn around. Whilst aware that he had been our previous manager, I hadn’t really realised was how it was Tommy who had initially lit the spark and got Villa Park full again. (Thanks for sharing those memories @MikeMcKenna ). Obviously Vic did a great job and reversed our direction. Sadly now that’s three former managers from that era who are now HEITS. Thank you all and enjoy the view from the sky of the latest journey of our great club. UTV. Edited January 1, 2021 by DaveAV1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnbull Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 My first Villa game was in the 69/70 season, I was 9 years old, against Hull on the 20th September. I went a few times but the one that stands out is the Doc's last game, v Portsmouth, 2 days before he was sacked. Villa lost 3-5 and I remember standing in the lower Trinity and the fans chanting " the Doc must go" towards the end of the game. Bit of a sad memory of him really. Just a case of the wrong place at the wrong time for him really 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirSteveUK Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, John said: One of my favourite ever Villa games that one Mike. Southampton were a decent 1st Division team back then, having finished 7th the season before and with Mick Channon, Terry Paine, Ron Davies and Jimmy Gabriel in the side we beat in front of 59,084 of us, having earned the replay with a 2-2 draw at the Dell. You are 100% correct on the impact his appointment had on the fans. My memory of that was the Boxing Day game with Cardiff and looking around at the 41,250 crowd in the realisation that he had awoken the slumbering lion (our highest gate prior to that had been 20,937 for the first home game of that season). We had beaten QPR in front of 39,854 before that in the 3rd Round and it took a Spurs team containing the likes of Jennings, England, Venables, Mullery, Gilzean and Jimmy Greaves (who scored two) to knock us out 2-3 at White Hart Lane in the 5th Round. 1. Strangely, the 4 managers who has the worst win ratio over at least a season in the Ellis+ era were all Scottish - Tommy, McNeil, McLeish & Lambert. 2. Undoubtedly, Tommy - although ultimately unsuccessful on the field - did indeed seem to ignite the club (and the fans) from a collective slumber. 3. That Spurs team also included theexcellent Scottish inside forward John White - hence the Argus headline "WHITE makes it HARTbreak LANE" Edited January 1, 2021 by SirSteveUK 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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