Steve Stride saw it all during his 35 years at Villa Park – from boardroom battles to petty squabbles, from major signings to the player with a dodgy passport. Not to mention another player who secretly recorded a conversation that could have cost Steve his job! Appointed as an administrative assistant in 1972, when the Aston Villa staff comprised just eight people, Stride graduated to the role of secretary seven years later and subsequently became the club’s operations director. One of the most respected secretaries in the country, he was at the heart of everything that happened at Villa Park from 1979 until his retirement in 2007. READ: The book that all Aston Villa fans will want to get their hands onREAD: The brilliant truth behind Aston Villa's stunning Coca Colla triumph over Leeds UnitedNow he has decided to share his memories with Birmingham Live readers.

Source: Metro October 08, 2023 23:09 UTC