Aston Villa once nearly landed their very own celebrity owners

Wrexham have created plenty of headlines since Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over the club - but did you know that Aston Villa might have ended up with their very own celebrity owners? It has emerged that 1960s showbiz brothers Mike and Bernie Winters were interested in taking over at Villa in 1967 - before Doug Ellis stepped in. The duo put together a consortium in a bid to buy the famous club. This rare black and white photograph (above) has shone light on a long-forgotten moment in Villa’s history.

Taken on May 11, 1967, it depicts the day the siblings, whose showbiz career was played out under the shadow of Morecambe and Wise, attempted to buy the club. They lost out to Ellis, which is probably for the best. The club could have ended up with Bernie’s oversized dog Schnorbitz as mascot.



“Would they have been a good fit?” asks the editor of fans’ Facebook site Down Memory Lane. “Absolutely not, we were a joke at the time – and they were distinctly unfunny. “It says a lot about a comedy act when the funniest member is a bloody big dog.

” The London brothers – ever-presents on 1960s and early 1970s TV schedules – led a consortium who wanted to take control of the club. It was a time of crisis both on and off the field. Superfans Brian Evans and John Russell spearheaded protests over the way the club was being run.

A meeting was even scheduled at Digbeth Town Hall, where supporters were set to demand Villa be put up for sale. Bernie Winters and his St Bernard Dog Schnorbitz But their wish was granted before the gathering took place. The bombshell came too late to save the Claret and Blues from relegation to the old second division.

“Mike and Bernie Winters did try to pull together a consortium to buy Villa,” confirms Vlilla's fan Facebook page historian. “Villa were in the s***. As I understand, the club was close to going to the wall.

My research shows we were on our knees financially. “The Digbeth Town Hall meeting never went ahead because a telegram was sent by the president, saying the club was up for sale. “I don’t know where the picture was taken.

” Doug Ellis in 1967 Even Villa author and expert John Farrelly is a little stumped by the image. “I’m aware of it, I’ve seen it,” he says. “But I don’t have details of Mike and Bernie’s bid.

” Mike and Bernie’s interest surprised diehards, not least because they both supported Spurs. The captioned picture of the suited brothers says simply: “English comedy double act Mike and Bernie Winters pose for a photograph after submitting their bid to buy Aston Villa FC.” Born Mike and Bernie Weinstein, the pair were resident comedians on pioneering pop programme Six-Five Special and also hosted variety show Big Night Out.

They landed several of their own comedy series, including Mike and Bernie’s Show (1968-71), Mike and Bernie’s Scene (1970) and The Mike and Bernie Show (1972). But their 1971 sitcom, Mike and Bernie, was savaged by the critics. Bernie died, following a battle with cancer, in 1991.

Mike, who moved to Miami, passed away in 2013. How they would have fared at the helm of Villa will never be known, but they had one thing going for them. Sir Doug Ellis was relentlessly barracked by a section of fans.

For the Winters, that would’ve been water off a duck’s back. They spent a career being heckled. Aston Villa daily newsletter.

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