Mortimer blast for Villa 'snub'.
ASTON VILLA'S European Cup winning captain Dennis Mortimer has hit out at the lack of recognition given by the club to their 1982 final triumph over Bayern Munich in Rotterdam.Mortimer pointed the finger at chairman Doug Ellis for not fully honouring the achievements of nearly 20 years ago and claims that has happened because he was not at the helm when Peter Withe's goal won the trophy.
Villa have belatedly arranged for a photograph of the greatest triumph in the club's history to be on display in the directors' lounge.
But Scouser Mortimer insists it is a case of "20 years too late" and the die-hard fans, who are gearing up for the start of a UEFA Cup campaign against Varteks on Thursday, will still not be able to see the picture.
Mortimer said: "I feel this is all down to one man. Doug was not part of our success and seems to have denied fans the chance to see photos from that game.
"I'm happy it's there now but it's 20 years too late.
"It's not just me who feels this way. All of the 1982 squad are of the same opinion.
"What gets up my nose is that these days chairmen tend to be seen as icons who are responsible for a club's success - whereas without players and supporters they would have nothing."
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | Sport |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Liverpool Echo (Liverpool, England) |
| Date: | Sep 11, 2001 |
| Words: | 226 |
| Previous Article: | Must see TV. |
| Next Article: | I'll back Wakefield to survive. |