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In our ‘Remember When’ series we look back through the BirminghamLive archives for stories from Aston Villa's past.

Here we recall the infamous David Unsworth U-turn when the defender quit Villa to join Everton just six days after arriving at Villa Park from West Ham United in the summer of 1998.

The context

Villa, having ended the 1997-98 Premier League season under John Gregory with a flourish to finish seventh, were in the market for a left-sided defender in July 1998.

Much to Gregory's frustration Steve Staunton had returned to Liverpool, while at that stage he wasn't sure whether a teenage Gareth Barry was ready for regular first team football.

Hence the move for unsettled West Ham United defender David Unsworth, who completed a £4 million switch to Villa on Thursday, July 23 1998.

In his autobiography John Gregory: The Boss, Gregory recalled: "We needed someone and the time was right to follow up the phone calls that had been telling me David Unsworth was available down at West Ham.

"No questions about his ability, as his subsequent form has underlined. But West Ham’s manager Harry Redknapp was having problems because David’s wife was desperate to get back closer to her home city of Liverpool.

"I spoke at length to his agent, Hayden Evans, and we decided to go for it. A top lad, Hayden – a straight guy who I had always got along with in our dealings over his other Villa players, Julian Joachim and Simon Grayson.

"And he was adamant that although there was also interest from Everton, his boy wanted to come to Villa. The Goodison club had not been having the best of times and he felt, career-wise, Villa represented much the best option.

"He cannot believe he is going to get out of this West Ham situation by landing a move to Villa, Hayden told me. He was desperate to sign.

"That’s what I wanted to hear. The only demand from me would be that David eventually find a home closer to work. No problem.

"West Ham got their money back - £4 million was the fee – and David got his move. Everyone was happy."

The U-turn

The following day Villa trained in the afternoon. Unsworth is said to have left Bodymoor Heath at around 4.30pm, but didn't return home to Merseyside until around 7.30pm.

By the time Saturday morning arrived Unsworth, now fully aware of the drudgery of an M6 commute, wanted to speak urgently to Gregory at the training ground.

Gregory remembers: “I think I’ve made an unbelievable mistake,” he says. “What’s that then?” “I don’t think I should have signed for Villa.”

"The words echoed around my head for a moment while I tried to unscramble them. Is this a wind-up?

"I thought something had gone off in the dressing room and for one reason or another, it was not going to work out. But he went on to tell me that he had taken two hours to drive to training that day and he had broken all speed limits to do so.

“I’ve made a mistake. I should have gone to Everton,” he said.

Now I guess I’ll never know the full truth. I imagine that he was already starting to think about the journey time from matches down south or in London.

But I tried to dismiss it. “Don’t be silly,” I said. “It will be fine. You can buy a flat, move down, go home at weekends and then find a house for the family. Your wife will love it down here,” I told him.

The insult

Unsworth informed Gregory there was "no way" his wife would relocate to Villa. The couple had a newborn baby, their second child.

Gregory advised his new signing to take the weekend to think it over - but inside Gregory was fuming.

"I felt insulted," he admitted. "The fact that she would not even be prepared to come down and have a look despite the fact that her husband had just signed for Aston Villa. . . well, that was a lack of respect for us all.

"I know Brum’s reputation but I also know that you do not have to look very far for some beautiful places to live – especially on the kind of money David had just agreed to take from the community’s collective pocket.

"He could buy as many houses as he wanted. This was just unbelievable. He’s dismissing the idea without giving it a chance."

The next step

Unsworth went on to make one appearance for Villa in a friendly at Wycombe - a performance Gregory described as 'reluctant' and it was soon clear that a rapid parting of the ways was the only answer.

Villa entered into negotiations with Everton, who had originally lost out to Villa for the defender's signature.

"This was ridiculous, completely ridiculous," said Gregory in his book.

"It only seemed like yesterday that his father, his agent and the player himself were adamant he did not want to go to Everton.

"Now that was the only resolution to the situation that they wanted.

"I kept hoping and hoping in the days that followed that it would go away; that he would realise what a good club he had joined. But by then, Everton were chipping away and to everyone’s embarrassment, we eventually sold him, somewhat begrudgingly despite the tiniest of profits, to Goodison.

"I could not help but point the finger at Mrs Unsworth when I was cornered by the press about the whole, sorry episode. But I’m sorry, I still think his wife was too much of an influence."

What Gregory told the press

“It’s quite clear that it’s David’s missus who wears the trousers in their house. She refused point-blank to move to the Midlands.

“In my time as a player it used to be a case of ‘pack the china, love, I’m going to a new club somewhere else in the country’.

“It was a case of the family sticking together, because you had to go where the work was and where the money was. But all that seems to have gone out of the window.”

“Apparently it took David three-and-a-half hours to drive home to Merseyside last Friday following his first training session with us.

“It obviously set him thinking, because the poor lad was clearly under the impression that Birmingham was somewhere on the outskirts of Bolton!

“When David eventually arrived home, his dinner was in the dustbin - or perhaps it was in the cat!”

Gregory added: “For David to claim he didn’t realise Everton had bid is a load of cobblers. He’s talking absolute rubbish.

“Everton were always in the picture and if David had asked for a further 24 hours to consider his decision then we would gladly had allowed it.

“At the press conference to announce David’s signing, the lad was obviously chuffed to bits. He kept telling me ‘I can’t believe I’ve come to such a good club’.

“It takes a lot to surprise someone like me in modern-day football, but I have to admit I’m still feeling a bit shell-shocked about the amazing turn of events,” said Gregory.

“But I couldn’t afford to hang on to David in the circumstances, because I’m not interested in any player unless his heart is 100 per cent with Aston Villa."

What happened next

Unsworth finally completed a move to Everton but only after a slight snag with the transfer fee with Villa insisting upon the full amount rather than payment in installments.

Villa offered a full refund to the several dozen supporters who purchased a team shirt bearing Unsworth’s name, with merchandising manager John Greenfield saying: “I’m sorry for supporters who have bought these shirts in good faith.”

In the 1998-99 season Villa went on to finish sixth in the Premier League, mounting a title challenge in the first half of the season, while Everton, for whom Unsworth was a regular were 14th.

From then on whenever Unsworth encountered Villa, he was greeted with chants of 'Does your missus know you're here?' from the unforgiving claret and blue faithful.

As for that troublesome left defensive role, that was filled by a teenage lad called Barry, who as it transpires was ready for it after all!