Soccer

Former Aston Villa and Northern Ireland defender Chris Nicholl dies aged 77

Nicholl was capped 51 times by Northern Ireland and represented them at the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain

Northern Ireland's Chris Nicholl and Scotland striker Kenny Dalglish during their drawn World Cup qualifier in October 1981 at Windsor Park, Belfast. Photograph: SNS Group via Getty Images
Northern Ireland's Chris Nicholl and Scotland striker Kenny Dalglish during their drawn World Cup qualifier in October 1981 at Windsor Park, Belfast. Photograph: SNS Group via Getty Images
PA Sport Staff
Sun Feb 25 2024 - 20:57

League Cup-winning former Aston Villa skipper Chris Nicholl has died at the age of 77, former club Walsall have announced.

Nicholl, who later played for and then managed Southampton before taking charge of the Saddlers, had been living with dementia, which he attributed to brain damage caused by repeatedly heading balls over his lengthy career.

The former central defender’s death was confirmed in a statement on Walsall’s official X – formerly Twitter – account which said: “We are devastated to learn that former manager Chris Nicholl has passed away. Chris led the Saddlers from 1994 to 1997 and won promotion to Division Two in what was a memorable 1994-95 campaign. Our thoughts are with his family & friends at this incredibly sad time.”

Wilmslow-born Nicholl, who was capped 51 times by Northern Ireland and represented them at the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain, began his career at Burnley, but made more than 200 appearances for both Villa and the Saints. A dependable defender, he famously scored with a 40-yard piledriver as Villa lifted the 1977 League Cup with a 3-2 second replay victory over Everton which went to extra time at Old Trafford.

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Nicholl moved into management at the Dell when he was appointed as Lawrie McMenemy’s replacement during the summer of 1985, and it was he who promoted the emerging talents of Alan Shearer, Matt Le Tissier and Rod Wallace to the first team.

Sacked in May 1991, he spent three years out of the game before being appointed by Walsall, and he later had a spell as assistant manager with Northern Ireland during McMenemy’s reign.

A statement on the Irish FA’s X account said: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Nicholl. He played 51 times for us, including the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time”

In 2017 Nicholl told Shearer as part of a BBC documentary of his fears over the damage he had suffered during his playing career.

He said: “I am brain-damaged from heading footballs. My memory is in trouble. Everyone forgets regular things, where your keys are. But when you forget where you live that’s different. I’ve had that for the last four or five years, it is definitely getting worse. It bothers me.”