Day -668. #WorldCup2018
The beginning of my life as a football fan, or my memories at least, was May 1981 when Aston Villa were crowned Champions of England. Everything went to a higher level of memorable football watching when Villa won the European Cup in May 1982, and the fandom went stratospheric while watching my first World Cup in 1982.
The next milestone was January 1993 when I finally made it to Villa Park and stood on the famous Holte End and watched a 5-1 win against Middlesbrough. Every surge of the crowd around me after each goal was well worth it. I had watched this team on television since 1981, tried to understand the fans' chants, had my favourite players and here I was seeing it all live, listening to the songs and seeing the players up close. It was a great team, top of the league after this win. They had an exciting attacking trio of Dean Saunders, Dwight Yorke and Dalian Atkinson. Watching them live was another world of excitement compared to television. Atkinson performed a quick 360 degree turn with the ball played at speed to his feet in one match which I tried to recreate. After my childhood football heroes, Atkinson was one of my idols of my young adulthood.
Today he passed away, only 48 years old, after being tasered by police outside his father's house in Telford, England. When the news first appeared I had to search all my regular news and sport websites to confirm that it was true. Sadly, it appears there may have been health issues which lead him to not being in a very sound state of mind.
I hadn't heard much about him since he left Villa and tried to recreate his Villa form at a number of clubs, finally retiring in 2001 after a stint in South Korea. So it's rather shocking for him to be back in the news for this reason. I have to, therefore, recall a happier time: Dalian Atkinson at his imperious best, striding the length of the pitch to score the BBC Match of the Day goal of the season against Wimbledon in 1992.
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