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