Allan Evans drömelva
Serien fortsätter. Han var skotten som gjorde 466 framträdanden för klubben mellan 1977-89 och fick bla. äran att som kapten föra klubben tillbaka till finrummet 1988.
1. JIMMY RIMMER: was without any doubt, the best goalkeeper I ever played in front of, particularly in the two seasons when we won the European Cup. I always felt comfortable with him between the posts.
2. JOHN GIDMAN: had a lot of flair going forward as well as being a good defender. He was sharp and quick and whenever he had the ball he used it intelligently.
3. STEVE STAUNTON: is my choice at left-back, primarly because he is one of the best left-footers I've seen - and such players are not easy to come by. Like John, he could make things happen.
4. ALLAN EVANS: No disrespect to Ken McNaught, my partner during the glory days of the early eighties, but I've picked myself for a selfish reason.
5. PAUL McGRATH: is that reason. I would have loved to play alongside Macca, who was a natural footballer, and a dominant central defender who was like a magnet to a football. He's a lovely guy, too.
6. GORDON COWANS: was one of the best players I've ever seen, let alone played with. He's best known for his sublime passes, with either foot, over distances up to 60 yards, but he was also a little tiger who loved to win a tackle.
7. DES BREMNER: never achieved what you would call star status but he was an invaluable player in the championship and the European Cup campaigns. He provided the midfield work rate needed by any successful team.
8. BRIAN LITTLE: must be the most natural player I've seen. The way he ran with the ball under his control was purely instinctive, something you just can't teach. He had a great goalscoring record, too.
9. ANDY GRAY: just gets my vote ahead of Peter Withe as my other striker. It was hard not to go for the Withe-Gary Shaw partnership but I don't think Villa have had a better centre-forward than Gray, who was aggressive, fearless, tireless and great in the air.
10. DAVID PLATT: edges out Dennis Mortimer in one of the midfield positions. Like Morty, he had a few peers as a magnificent box-to-box player. Both of them had great engines - but Platt gets the nod because of his superior goalscoring ability.
11. TONY MORLEY: was a great guy to have in the squad. He was a real livewire, always having a laugh and a joke. And on his day he could destroy any full-back and provide telling crosses.
Källa: Matchprogram (Aston Villa-Liverpool), The Villa, 100 years news&record!
