• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Aston Villa - League Champions 1981

M

Mark Tooze

master brummie
Especially for Lyn........
Sunday 3rd May 1981 - Villa have won the league championship for the seventh time the day before, despite loosing 2-0 at Arsenal (good old Bosco Jankovich)...... at least half (if not more) of the second city is celebrating big time..........
I am in Victoria Square, along with tens of thousands of others, trying to hand-hold a camera with a huge 500mm telephoto lens on it, to take photos of the Civic reception at the Council House. This is why some are slightly blurred.

The Claret & Blue flag flies high over the council house:-
1637797245398.png

Gary Shaw enjoys the fact Ron Saunders is getting slightly damp:-
1637797376669.png

This one shows Villa's veteran photographer Terry Weir. A lovely man, Terry was kind enough to visit me to give me some tips once - what an archive of his photos must exist (hopefully safe at Villa Park):-
1637797537611.png

Celebrations are now in full swing - Kenny Swain has the trophy and Dennis Mortimer is taking photos of us:-
1637797600006.png
1637797680156.png
 
Last edited:
Des Bremner now has the team mascot:-
1637797798323.png

Gordon Cowans and Ken McNaught now have the trophy. In the background is BRMB's legendary Tony Butler - of whom Jasper Carrott said "He's world famous in Birmingham!
1637797903729.png

Ken McNaught is now winding the crowd up, and the mascot is in grave peril:-
1637798002069.png

I do not know who the happy gentleman is, but he is enjoying himself! Peter Withe looks amused:-
1637798067185.png

Des Bremner has now decided the mascot is a bluenose in disguise.....
1637798125405.png
 
This puts paid to the legend - Ron Saunders did smile sometimes!
1637798199024.png

Jimmy Rimmer hopes that Des Bremner has a good grip:-
1637798242948.png

This is the shot that made the papers on Monday morning:-
1637798312795.png

"Now Peter - look at this and see if you can win us another like it next year".......
1637798369072.png

The "follow-up gig" the year after will follow soon!!
 
Thanks for posting - :heart_eyes: love on behalf of my late Dad, life long Villa supporter, he was probably there.
 
Those photographs bring back some very happy memories Mark, thanks for posting them. I was also there in 81 & 82 and was one of the fans in the Clock End at Highbury with a radio, relaying the score from Ayresome Park to my fellow Villa fans.
1639048027691.png 1639048137379.png
 
I was also at the Clock End that day, in the second-most crowded terrace I ever stood on (beaten by a short head by the away end at Swindon in the FAC cup.....). I remember a girl breaking a leg and having to be passed over peoples heads to the touchline as the terrace was that full the ambulance men could not get to her. The coldest terrace by a country mile was the open away end at Boundary Park Oldham, where the wind howled off the moor and you cursed the fact that the coach had arrived 2 hours before the kickoff. It also had a weird wide gangway half way up the terrace which meant that if you were on the upper half you could see no lower than the crossbar on the goal in front - even if you were 6 foot 2! Add in an early-type plastic pitch which turned the game into a sort of ping-pong and it was not a nice evening.......
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top