Got to do this article because I’ve had a picture of assistant manager John Robertson since he arrived with Martin O’Neill in the summer but haven’t seen any quotes from him to use it! Me, cheap? Never!
Robertson, who won the European Cup twice with Nottingham Forest, has spoken about our history and the decision by Martin O’Neill to put up photographs of the 1982 winning team to remind the current players where Villa have been before and where they want to be again.
He said: ‘We don’t think that the history of the club should be put to one side. It should be something that today’s players can aspire to. Villa is a big club, but there are bigger clubs who haven’t won the European Cup. You cannot deny a club’s history and I don’t see a point in trying to do that. Martin has put pictures up of the 82 team in the dining room. They weren’t there before and they should serve as a reminder. Whether the players get there or not, it is something that can be strived for.’
As the official site reminds us, we have three European Cup winners at Villa, the boss Martin O’Neill, Robertson and Gordon Cowan’s who is involved with the youth set up.
Robertson continued: ‘When I was growing up, all I ever wanted to do was play football. I always thought that Europe was for players like Puskas and Di Stefano and didn’t think I could attain that level. They were outstanding players, so for me to hold onto a European Cup winners medal is something that I really treasure. To say you’ve played at that level and been successful is fantastic. That was a great Forest side and they didn’t get the credit they deserve in some quarters.
‘It was the same with the lads at Villa who were a really top team. I work with Sid Cowan’s now and he was a fantastic player. I would hate coming to Villa Park then – they worked so hard and we were chasing our tail.’
Lets hope the winning mentality rubs off and we can make Villa Park a fortress again, when teams come these days they see us as possible points and we often oblige.
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