League Cup-winning former Aston Villa captain Chris Nicholl has died at the age of 77, his former club Walsall have announced.
Nicol, who played and managed Southampton before taking over as Saddlers manager, suffers from dementia, caused by brain damage caused by repeatedly heading the ball during his long career. That’s what I was thinking.
The former central defender’s death was confirmed in a statement on Walsall’s official X account, which said: “We are shocked to learn of the passing of former manager Chris Nicholl. Chris managed the Saddlers from 1994 to 1997. He won promotion to Division Two in the memorable 1994-1995 season. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this incredibly sad time.”
Born in Wilmslow, Nicholl won 51 caps for Northern Ireland and began his career with Northern Ireland as part of the 1982 World Cup in Spain, but started his career at Burnley but was also capped by both Villa and Saints. He played in over 200 games with the team. He also played 42 games for Halifax and 97 for Luton Town, finishing his playing career at Grimsby.
A reliable defender, he scored a 40-yard strike as Villa won the 1977 League Cup with a 3-2 second-second rematch win over Everton that went into extra-time at Old Trafford. He is famous for scoring a goal with a piledriver.
Nicol moved into Dell’s management team in the summer of 1985 when he was appointed to replace Rory McMenemy, and it was he who promoted emerging talents such as Alan Shearer, Matt Le Tissier and Rod Wallace into the first team.
Sacked in May 1991, he was away from the game for three years before being appointed manager of Walsall, after which he served as assistant manager of the Northern Ireland national team during McMenemy’s reign.
A statement on the Irish FA’s X account said: “We are disappointed to learn of the passing of Chris Nicholl. To my family and friends.”
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In 2017, Nicol spoke to Shearer as part of a BBC documentary about his fears about the damage he sustained during his playing days. He said, “I have brain damage from heading a football. I have problems with my memory. We all forget regular things, where our keys are. But we forget where we live.” It’s different if it happens. It’s been happening for the last four or five years, and it’s definitely getting worse. That’s worrisome.”
