Cyrille Regis: Ugo Ehiogu had time for everyone
Cyrille Regis came up against Ugo Ehiogu’s towering frame plenty of times in training when the pair played under Ron Atkinson at Villa.
And the Albion legend was ‘absolutely gutted’ when he heard the news, because two months ago he had caught up with Ehiogu at an FA Youth Cup semi-final between Tottenham and Chelsea.
Speaking after his death, Regis recalled with fondness the shy teenager who was anything but on the pitch.
“When Ron Atkinson went to Villa he brought me in from Coventry and the next player he brought in was Ugo,” said Regis. “Ron must have seen him at Albion and really fancied him.
“I remember this young 18-year-old coming at Villa Park, who was a little bit shy.
“He was very quietly spoken, very polite, but always a gentleman. He had good traits of integrity and honesty and he was a really good friend, he struck up a relationship with Dwight Yorke and a couple of other young players there at the time.
“But he was also a really good footballer, and excellent player. That combination at the back with Paul McGrath was superb.
“He understood the game and read it well, but crucially, he always wanted to learn. He was an intelligent player, knew his strengths and weaknesses, knew when to give it to players who could play.
“I was absolutely gutted to hear that he had passed away. Having bumped into him at the Spurs v Chelsea FA Youth Cup semi-final in March.
“I spoke to him for 10 or 15 minutes. We had a chat about life, not just football. I was so saddened to hear he had passed.”
