The Aston Villa Greatest Ever Team – Part 1: goalkeeper and defenders

‘Legend’ or ‘Greatest Ever’ are terms bandied about pretty recklessly in modern-day sport. It seems a player only has to hang around for a couple of seasons to find themselves suddenly ‘in the conversation’. But surely a club legend has to have made a much more significant impact on the hearts and minds of the club and its fans?

A legend must have won trophies, contributed big moments and done so over a long period of time. Flash-in-the-pan doesn’t cut it for me, no matter how popular, expensive or high-profile they may have been.

When choosing an all-time Villa Legends XI, my initial reaction is that the Class of ’82 ARE the all-time legends: no other Villans can lay claim to having conquered Europe, the pinnacle at club level.

But that would do a disservice to the dozens of players to represent our club over the years. Players of the highest order – McGrath, Platt, Walters, Barry, Merson, Taylor and Petrov spring immediately to mind; Ramsay, Houghton (Eric, not Ray!), Waring, McParland going deeper into the mists of time.

With the club seeking to pay tribute to the very best players in our rich history by creating a ‘Wall of Fame’ at the corner of the Trinity Road and the Holte End stands, fan groups have been asked for their input.

We could argue the toss all day long about the formation, but it’s been decided that for simplicity, 4-4-2 will be the way to go – a goalkeeper, four defenders, a couple of central midfielders, two wingers and two up front.

So let’s start with the keeper and the back four.  Just my opinions these folks, so feel free to join in the debate.

Jimmy Rimmer. Nigel Spink. Mark Bosnich. There are but three.

Villans of a certain vintage will perhaps hanker after the long-lost Nigel Sims, Jim Cumbes or Keith Jones, and there must be honourable mentions for the likes of Brad Friedel. Perhaps Tom Heaton will come into the conversation, but that’s for another time.

The debate on the forum has gravitated towards those first three names and with good reason. Rimmer and Spink were the custodians during the most successful period of our recent [Not that recent! Ed.] past – league title and European Cup, when it actually was a tournament for the champions, the crème de la crème of European football.

Bosnich was perhaps more of a ‘Johnny-come-lately’, but his performances during the heady days of League Cup victories and top-six finishes in the 90s still stand out for many. Have we had a better goalkeeper since? I think not.

There can only be one though, and the general consensus is a toss-up between Rimmer and Spink. Both have very strong claims – Rimmer won the league and got 99% of the way to the European Cup, Spink was the MOTM in Rotterdam and had a long career in claret and blue – but all things considered, the view on Vital is that Jimmy Rimmer is the winner.

Villa have been fortunate enough to have had some truly outstanding full-backs over the years. Kenny Swain and Gary Williams from the Class of ’82. Alan Wright, Mark Delaney, Steve Staunton, John Robson, Stan Lynn, Peter Aldis, Leighton Phillips, Colin Gibson. All of these played over 150 times for the club, some of them skippering the side for good measure.

But none of these come close to the two who most on Vital consider the best – John Gidman and Charlie Aitken. Gidman was a classy right-back for Villa in the 1970s, known for his marauding runs and incredible work-rate, not to mention his defensive qualities. He was a League Cup winner in 1977 but left the club prematurely in 1979 after allegedly falling out with Ron Saunders over an improved contract. Had he remained, he would surely have added the League title and the European Cup to his medal tally.

What can be said about Charlie Aitken? 17 seasons and 660 appearances – a club record which will surely never be beaten? Among his finest moments were the club’s victory over Norwich City in the 1975 League Cup final, winning the Third Division championship in 1972 and promotion back to the top-flight in 1975, when he was named Midland Footballer of the Year.

As with our full-backs, we’ve seen many fine players grace the hallowed Villa Park turf in the role of centre back.

Jimmy Dugdale, John Sleeuwenhoek, Ian Ross, Chris Nicholl, Leighton Phillips, Ken McNaught, Allan Evans, Paul McGrath, Shaun Teale? The Scandinavian trio of Kent Nielsen, Olof Mellberg and Martin Laursen. How about Gareth Southgate or Ugo Ehiogu? We’ve been blessed, for sure.

It’s impossible to look beyond Paul McGrath for one of the centre back slots, surely? Signed by Graham Taylor in the summer of 1989, the Republic of Ireland international cost £425,000 from Manchester United and what a bargain he proved as, despite serious knee problems, he racked up over 320 appearances, winning the League Cup twice in 1994 and 1996.

Alongside God, it’s hard to argue with Allan Evans’ 475 appearances, league title, European Cup and European Super Cup medals (not to mention him being the assistant manager when we won the 1996 League Cup). Initially signed as a striker, the Scot was moved to centre back by Ron Saunders to accompany Ken McNaught, and the rest (as they say) is history.

So the all-time legends XI is taking shape: Rimmer, Gidman, Aitken, McGrath, Evans – quite a back five there, and apart from McGrath, criminally ignored by their countries over the course of their careers. Still, the loss to international football was most definitely Villa’s gain.

Next time, we’ll run the rule over the midfielders and strikers who I think should make up the rest of the Villa Legends.