Gordon Cowans - He Loves The Villa

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/472465/EXCLUSIVE-No-looking-down-for-Aston-Villa-legend-Gordon-Cowans


No looking down for Aston Villa legend Gordon Cowans

The knock on his front door 46 years ago is why Gordon Cowans dreads the thought of Aston Villa being relegated.


Gordon gives Lambert a subtle hint that his time is up.


He was nine years old when Villa scout Neville Briggs first went to the Cowans' family home in Mansfield, Notts. Briggs returned on a regular basis with toys and presents, keeping in touch, and at 15 years old Cowans signed.

Since then Cowans' life has been about giving Villa presents; 527 games in three separate spells. Only two men have played more for the club.

He scored 59 goals, won the European Cup, was a League champion, League Cup and European Super Cup winner, FA Youth Cup winner at 17, academy coach, youth coach, reserve coach, first-team coach and now, at this critical time, assistant manager.

Villa are at Swansea today, five points from the Premier League's bottom three, almost safe but not quite because they haven't won for five games, four of them defeats.

It's been a season of ructions, the latest being the suspension of assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and director of football Gary Kasa amid allegations of bullying.

Cowans, 55, has moved from the youth department and become assistant manager to Paul Lambert with Irish goalkeeper Shay Given also getting his stripes as first-team coach.

The first time Cowans watched Villa was with his school team, as guests of Villa, taken to Villa Park for the game with Mansfield Town in the old Third Division.


Cowans would like more hair but wouldn't want it to be like Shay Given's


Young Cowans was a Mansfield fan because it had become his home as the family moved from the North-east when his dad got a job as a miner the colliery.

Today Gordon Cowans is Mr Aston Villa. Only former chairman Doug Ellis, now 90 and still a regular at games, has an association with the club longer than him.

"I was hooked," said Cowans. "They gave us a tour of the ground and something to eat and then we watched the game in this big stadium.

"When I drive into the training ground now for work, I look round, it's still the same fantastic feeling.

"It's been tough at the club for a number of years. First of all I never want Villa to go down, but to go down on my watch, no...I don't know, I don't know how I'd deal with that.

"Aston Villa is a fantastic club. It's got a heart to it, special, been through some difficult times, but Villa means so much to so many, me included on that list, a wonderful place. We have a duty to make it safe."


Lambert looks on in disbelief knowing he's fucked it all up yet again



Another point would probably do it, a win certainly would.

"Put into words what I feel about Villa? Sometimes you can be sitting watching a match, the songs start, it's difficult to explain, but you feel choked up, the atmosphere, because it does mean so much."

When Cowans walked out for his first match as assistant manager there was a banner on the upper tier of the Holte End. 'Sid's Claret and Blue Army' it read.

He's been 'Sid' for years. It's his middle name and was pounced on when team-mates first got a glance at his passport. Say 'Gordon' now and Sid barely turns round.

"I didn't see the banner at the time, but I have seen it since. My son texted me a picture of it. I was concentrating on the game. But my eyes are that bad these days maybe I couldn't see it..."

Cowans' job is to help the players enjoy training again, something that has been lacking and was identified by Lambert as a reason for successive seasons of struggle. The years before that under Gerard Houllier and Alex McLeish were not good either.

"I know the situation we have been in for the last few months," said Cowans. "You can never go down to Villa Park and feel comfortable and relaxed to watch a game. You are always on edge. For the last four years.

"You are always concerned that we are going to lose, a late goal. Even when we get one or two nil up it's never comfortable. It's been a rough time.

"We could be okay now, but we need to keep fighting. That Southampton game, my first in this role, when the ball was whipped across the box, I did get nervous sitting there. That's normal in football, but this position we are in, yes I'm nervous."

The offer, said Cowans, came out of the blue. "I didn't have to think about it. How could I say no?"

Aston Villa is likely to be up for sale. What would a new owner be buying?

"He'd be getting a fantastic football club, excellent facilities, great fan base, everything in place. He'd be getting my club."

I love Sid.

That is all

He had the ability to tackle from behind without fouling. It was a claw-like tackle. Just occasionally, someone else does it and you immediately think of Sid. Watching Luna's goal at Arsenal, you thought of Dennis.
No bullshit now, when I bought the Div 3 book, I was flicking through it during the Fulham game. When I looked up, with every touch of the ball, I saw momentary glimpses of Brian Tiler, Willie Anderson, George Curtis and others. I wish I could have captured it. What Peter Morris said about his time with Pongo Waring came true for me, maybe just for a few milliseconds, but it happened.

A midfielder from a time when midfielders were expected to do both defensive & attacking duties , a top top player, the word legend get banded about too much in the game of football , but Sid, no contest !
I always think of his equaliser against Juventus , the season after we won the Cup, 45'000 in Villa Park, what an atmosphere !

Arise Sir Sidney  :king:

Uncle Villa wrote:I love Sid.

That is all

This is all i have to say also.
Great man and a great player.

Need a squad full of Sids

Ten out of ten legend. Not got a great track record coaching the first team I'm afraid, but he will always be a legend.