Aston Villa had the chance to sign former Manchester United striker Andy Cole when Ron Atkinson was Villa manager, according to chairman Doug Ellis. I shook (Bristol City chairman) Leslie Kew's hand on the condition it was subject to the manager's approval and confirmation, he said. Somewhat typically the deal fell down when it came to the manager's involvement. But then you know what you're getting when you employ Big Ron:
I tried to track down our manager (Ron Atkinson) and the next half-hour I made telephone calls to our training ground, Villa Park, his home and his mobile, to no avail. No one seemed to know where he was. To this day I don't know where he was."
Cole certainly proved to be a big loss to the club as he went on to become the second-highest Premier League goalscorer of all time, with 187 goals to his name, when he moved instead to Newcastle United.