George Ramsay

Who was George Ramsay?

George Burrell Ramsay was secretary/manager of Aston Villa Football Club in the most successful period of their history. His record of six League Championships is second only to Sir Alex Ferguson and his record of six FA Cup victories as manager is still standing.

Ramsay later described the newly formed club's approach to the game as 'a dash at the man and a big kick at the ball'. Ramsay was a gifted footballer, and amazed the players with his dribbling and control that day, so much so that he was persuaded to join them and was quickly made captain of the team. Soon people were coming to Villa matches just see him. He also took charge of training which saw dramatic improvement that showed in the results, introducing what was known as the "passing game". This had become the main style of play in Scotland whereas in England most teams relied on what was known as the "dribbling game".

In addition to the introduction of a radical change in playing style, Ramsay, along with John Linsay discovered the Wellington Road ground at Perry Barr in 1876, which meant the club was able to charge admission for the first time.