The Doug Ellis Stand? That was all my idea...
IN 1994, as Doug Ellis (later Sir Douglas Ellis) approached his 70th birthday one of his great friends, the late comedian Dave Ismay came to my Central TV office with a problem. “As you know,” Ismay explained, “Doug is a millionaire and the Villa board just do not know what to buy him for a 70th birthday present. Any ideas?”
I had one as it happened because as another of Doug’s close friends, the then Aston Villa chairman had confided in me that while other clubs had named stands after their famous players, chairmen and directors he would love to have a Villa Park one called ‘The Doug Ellis Stand’.
Ismay said: “Great idea. I will report back to the board.”
Please take my word for this because selective memories of others have completely airbrushed me out of it. Not that I wanted credit for it at the time.
After it happened there was an outcry among Villa supporters and Doug rang me to say: “I gather it was your idea, what do I do?”
I said: “Nothing! Keep your head down and it will blow over but the stand and your name will not!” Twenty four years later, another of his great friends, former Arsenal director and senior FA member
David Dein spoke at Doug’s funeral. Sir Doug died on October 11 2018 at the age of 94.
Dein recalled how Sir Doug had sought his advice about naming another stand as he could not decide. Dein had suggested the chairman called it the ‘The Other Doug Ellis Stand’.
That summed him up really. Sir Doug had a massive ego but loved wheeling and dealing which he did very successfully. The latter was always in the interest of the club.
He did understand football. Chairman from 1969 to 1975, he was forced to step down from the Villa board in 1979. But not before he had appointed Villa’s most successful manager Ron Saunders.
Sir Doug returned in 1982 after missing Villa’s greatest modern day triumphs – winning the Football League title in 1981 and the European Cup a year later. He remained chairman until 2006 when he sold the club to American billionaire Randy Lerner on August 6 for £62.6 million. He stayed as the club’s President Emeritus (Life President) until his death and kept his place in the Director’s Room on match days.
I was often his guest there until he passed away. But sadly the club only won two major trophies under his chairmanship—the League Cup with manager Ron Atkinson in 1994 and then again under former player Brian Little two seasons later.
My close relationship with Sir Doug really began in May 1974 - a couple of years after I joined ATV as their new sports presenter. He had decided to sack a former Villa legend Vic Crowe who has been manager for four years.
He gave me the story exclusively and we led ATV Today news show live with Doug and myself.
More than two million used to watch it in those days and he knew the power of local TV. Plus of course he loved to appear on it.
The Press went potty at him but neither of us cared. It was a big story and he had given it to me.
Crowe was one of 13 managers that Ellis sacked. At the time it was the second after Tommy Docherty.
It later earned him the nickname from Jimmy Greaves of ‘Deadly
Doug’.
Deadly had selective memory of its origination. His version was that Jimmy coined it on a filmed salmon fishing trip I had requested on Deadly’s Beat.
Jimmy did call him Deadly when the chairman struck a salmon on the head as he laid the fish out on a rock.
But it really started before that, live in the Central TV studio on a Friday night. Jimmy said: “Well Gaz, Deadly Doug has just sacked another manager.”
I was concerned that it might have been actionable but although Ellis was rather shocked watching the show at his Four Oaks home, he was tickled later that evening when he was out and people were affectionately calling him ‘Deadly Doug’.
There are many stories about Deadly – but I will finish this week with one of the original tales.
Tommy Docherty was Villa manager from 1968 to 70. He certainly attracted bumper attendances even if the results did not match them.
Rumours were in the media that Tommy was about to be sacked. The chairman called a press conference to deny it.
Standing behind Docherty, Ellis declared: “I want you gentlemen of the Press to know I am right behind our manager Tommy Docherty.”
The Doc could not resist the quip: “With all due respect, Mr Chairman, I would rather have you in front of me where I can see you!”
Within days Tommy was sacked!
More stories to come next week -some of them absolute classics including English football’s first foreign club manager Dr Jozef Venglos.