My Hero : Brian Little

My Hero : Brian Little

In my time watching Aston Villa there have been many players who possessed the qualities which made them heroes to supporters. The flair of Tony Daley, Gordon Cowans’ exquisite skills, the goalscoring ability of Andy Gray and Peter Withe. And above them all, the most supremely talented footballer it has ever been my privilege to watch.

Brian Little made his debut during the third division championship, scoring in his first match against Torquay. He was also instrumental in winning the F. A. Youth Cup that season, in a side which included John Gidman, Bobby MacDonald and Jake Findlay. The next two seasons saw Little gradually improving, before the arrival of Run Saunders in the summer of 1974 was the catalyst which sparked both Villa and their number eight into action of the highest quality.

For Villa , the centenary season of 1974 - 75 heralded a long overdue promotion back to division one, with a first ever European campaign as a bonus courtesy of winning the League Cup. For Little it was recognition that he was one of the brightest young stars in football. Ten goals in six matches, a hat - trick on his twenty first birthday and highest second division goalscorer earned him a call up into the England squad for the Home Internationals. It is part of Villa Park folklore that he came on as substitute against Wales, set up an equaliser for David Johnston and for twenty minutes looked like the answer to Don Revie's prayers., then was never picked again. Kevin Keegan, who had run away from the squad sulking after being dropped, was brought back to play against Scotland while Brian was never again to appear in an England shirt at any level. Perhaps if he had thrown a tantrum he might have received the awards his talents deserved; anyone who witnessed Keegan’s creation of a holier - than - thou image in years to come were entitled to do so with a degree of cynicism.

The following season was a disappointment as Villa struggled on their return to the first division. Little suffered some minor injuries, his partner Keith Leonard the major one which was to end his career. Andy Gray was bought as a replacement and a new partnership was born.

1976- 77saw what many people regard as villa's most exciting post - war side, and it was during this time that Little really made his reputation. The League Cup was again won, and if ever a trophy has been won single - handily then this was it. Little scored ten goals in the competition, including an overhead kick against Manchester City which had drew comparisons with any great forward of any era. The semi-final against Queens Park Rangers was one of the hardest fought ties imaginable. Over two legs both sides were equally matched, then in the replay at Highbury little played the finest game of his career, scoring all the goals in a 3 - O victory. The final, and the first replay, were eminently forgettable games. The second replay will never be forgotten as long as the club exist. Chris Nicholl's forty yard equaliser, both sides scoring within a minute and a last gasp winner. But despite Little's brilliance there was still no further England call up. He was at the peak of his career, and there was only one way he could go.

Again a successful season was followed by one of disappointment, the only high spot being a run to the U.E.F.A. Cup quarter final where a goal by Little in the Nou Camp put Villa agonisingly close to a famous victory against Barcelona. Little was becoming increasingly injury prone, as was Gray, and Ron Saunders was re - building again. In 1979 Birmingham City sold Trevor Francis to Nottingham Forest for £1 million and unbelievably Little was lined up as a replacement.

By divine intervention the transfer fell through on medical grounds, but while Villa supporters breathed a sigh of relief their good fortune was not to last. On March 19 1980 Villa played Wolves in a game which only went ahead because we lost to West Ham in the last minute of an F.A. Cup quarter final two days earlier and the replay would have taken precedence. Little injured his knee, and while it seemed a minor knock at the time he never played again. In February 1981, as the team were on the threshold of winning the highest honours in football, its finest player announced his retirement.

His testimonial in May 1982 showed the full extent of his loss to football, as playing on one leg he destroyed an England XI who were shortly to play in the World Cup. That tournament would have been a fitting stage for the talents of Brian Little, yet the career of one of the most brilliant players Villa Park has ever seen had been cut short at the age of twenty seven.

But the story doesn't end there. Little joined first the club's commercial staff and then became youth team coach. After a bust - up with Graham Turner Little was to join Wolves, where he was briefly manager and is still held in high regard for his work there when they appeared in danger of extinction. Little then joined Middlesborough before becoming manager of Darlington, whom he took from the Vauxhall Conference to the third division in successive years, a unique achievement. Then he moved on to Leicester, and transformed a team who were relegation candidates, in to play-off victors, with the aid of a backroom staff who are heavily Villa influenced. We are all now familiar with the next step he took, even if it wasn't as clean-cut as it should have been.

Little took over an aging Coca-Cola Cup winning team that had managed to lose 8 of their last 9 matches. If his new charges at Villa thought they were getting a push-over who couldn't handle big names, they were wrong. One footballer who turned up 5 minutes late for training in a woollen hat was told that if happened again he would be fined a weeks wages. It wasn't long before that player was spending the football season in Turkey.

Brian Little is simply unique. Over a decade has now passed since his last appearance for the club, yet he remains as popular as ever. When Darlington played at Kidderminster in their Conference winning season the ground was packed with Villa supporters, for many of whom Little was no more than a few minutes of magic captured on film or a story from another new generation who believe that players are not as good as they used to be. No one else has managed to retain such an affection in the hearts of Villa supporters, or for so long, but that should be no surprise.

We have had many great players wearing the number eight shirt, but when it comes to picking the all - time Villa team there can he only one man who could possibly take that place. And he could walk on water at the same time