After being relegated to the second division, Doug Ellis employed the services of Graham Taylor; he was going to be the man to restore some pride back into this young Villa fan. I was devastated when we got relegated way back in the eighties. Villa was with out a doubt in my mind one of the biggest clubs in the land, which made the drop all the more harder for me to take.
We were genuinely one of the biggest clubs in England, and the stick I got from my Birmingham City and Baggie friends when we got relegated last season, was nothing in comparison to the stick I got all those years ago, it was a real big deal. It would take a monumental effort to get back into the first division, and we managed to do so, at the first attempt, thanks to Graham Taylor.
We finally got promoted on the last day of the season back in 1988; it was an amazing feeling. Villa were top dogs again, and everything was going to be alright.
Thank you Graham Taylor for putting the pride and the passion back into my Villa heart all those years ago, you’ll never know how grateful I was. You were a man of integrity and honour, a football man, a family man, a well-respected man by all. RIP Graham Taylor