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"Aston Villa" redirects here. For the French musical group, see Aston Villa (band).
Aston Villa Football Club play at Villa Park in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. They currently play in the FA Premier League. Aston Villa were founding members of Football League in 1888 and of the Premier League in 1992. It is one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in England.

History


Formation by Villa Cross Cricketers

Aston Villa Football Club was formed in March 1874 by members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Aston, Birmingham. Members of the Aston Villa cricket team were looking for a way to stay fit during the winter months and decided to adopt the new sport of football. The 'Four Founding Fathers' were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood. Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team and as a condition of the match, the Villa side had to agree to play the first half under rugby rules and the second half under football rules. Villa managed to hold St Mary's to a scoreless draw up to half time and in the second half won the historic affair by one goal, scored by Jack Hughes. Villa won their first honour, the Birmingham Challenge Cup in 1880, under the captaincy of Scotsman George Ramsay.

Rise to Prominence

The club won its first FA Cup in 1887, under the captaincy of another Scotsman, Archie Hunter. English football had become professional in 1885. However, the Scottish draper and director of Aston Villa, William McGregor had become frustrated with one-sided friendly matches and low attendances for all games but FA Cup ties. He saw that in order to keep interest in the game alive the top teams needed to play each other in a league much like American baseball teams did. So he wrote to the 12 leading clubs in England proposing the formation of a league. The reason the Football League was never called the English League is because McGregor intended Scottish and Welsh teams to join eventually. Welsh teams, most notably Cardiff City, did so but Scottish teams did not. Naturally, Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 finishing runners-up.

Victorian and Edwardian Golden Age

It didn't take long for Villa to lift their first League Championship trophy, and this was achieved in 1893/94. This would signal the start of Aston Villa's 'Golden Age' and by the start of the First World War the club had won the League Championship six times and the FA Cup five times, including in 1896/97, a League and Cup Double, a feat which would not be repeated for more than 60 years. The captain during this era was John Devey.

Villa attracted such big crowds that a new ground was needed. The club could regularly expect 25,000 people to attend home games, at a time when the FA Cup Final would attract only about 20,000. The League and FA Cup winners had previously played at Wilson Road (Birchfields), then in 1878 moved to Perry Barr, where they stayed until 1897. In 1897, they moved to their current home ground, the Aston Lower Grounds. It would be a number of years before it was officially known as Villa Park.

Footballing Giants of Inter-War Years

Although they remained a major force after the war, winning their sixth FA Cup in 1920, the club began a slow decline. This can be attributed in large part to a complacency which culminated in the unthinkable, the most famous and successful football club in the world being relegated to the Second Division in 1936. However, throughout the 1920's and into the 1930's the club had many fine international players (in 1933/34 Villa had no fewer than 14 full internationals) and continued to challenge for honours, Villa were FA Cup runners-up in 1924 and second in the League in 1931 and 1933. Throughout this period the Villa Park crowds were entertained with attacking football and goals galore, in season 1930/31 Tom 'Pongo' Waring scored 49 of Aston Villa's 128 league goals, however Villa were denied the title by the sensational Arsenal team of the 30's.

The Unthinkable Relegation

The club's decision to appoint their first manager coincided with relegation for the first time in 1935/36. This was largely due a dismal defensive record, they conceded 110 goals, 7 of them coming from Arsenal's Ted Drake in the infamous 1-7 defeat at Villa Park. However 'The Grand Old Man' of football was crowned Second Division Champions in 1937/38 under the guidance of Jimmy Hogan; Aston Villa were back where they belonged by the outbreak of The Second World War. Seven seasons were lost and many careers were finished due to the conflict and Aston Villa went about rebuilding the team under the guidance of former player, Alex Massie. The remainder of the 1940s and the 1950s saw Villa try to re-establish themselves as a top team. However, Villa could only be described as average during this period, although they had some good players and attendances were high. Season 1956/57 saw Villa go on an unexpected FA Cup run that would culminate in them defeating the 'Busby Babes' of Manchester United in the final. It was Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years.

Mid-Century Mediocrity

However this success proved to be a false dawn with the team finishing 14th in the league the following season. Eric Houghton was sacked (after refusing to resign) when relegation loomed in 1958/59. His successor Joe Mercer was unable to prevent the club being relegated for the second time in 1959. Again a complacency had set in at the club, the famous Aston Villa had won the FA Cup for a record seventh time, this only served to fuel the belief that Villa were too good to go down. A return to the top flight was assured however in 1960 when Villa were crowned Second Division Champions. Season 1960/61 saw Villa win the inaugural League Cup and finish respectably in the league, this was achieved with an exciting nucleus of youth players who became known as 'Mercer's Minors'.

1960's: Decline and Fall

The slow decline continued throughout the 1960s due to a deep seated malaise; the club had failed to adapt to the new football reality, they had a non-existent scouting network, coaching was conducted in the same way as it had been 40 years earlier and the 5 man board contained 3 members over the age of 70. It was the board who decided that they couldn't refuse offers for their two most valuable players, Phil Woosnam and Tony Hateley. Without their goals Villa were in real trouble and were relegated for the third time, under manager Dick Taylor in 1967. The fans' calls for the board to resign became more and more urgent when Villa finished 16th in the Second Division in 1968. In a desperate attempt to avert total disaster, relegation to the Third Division, the manager, Tommy Cummings was given £200,000 to spend on new players, and with supporters boycotting Villa's home games in protest at the board, debts mounted. Events on the pitch came to a head in November 1968, with Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two; the board sacked Cummings and within weeks the entire board resigned due to overwhelming pressure from fans. After much speculation, control of the club was bought by London financier Pat Matthews, he also brought in Doug Ellis as chairman and Tommy Docherty as manager. However, despite breathing new life into the club and initial success, Docherty was unable to lift the team out of the danger zone and he was sacked after just a year in charge. His successor Vic Crowe, was unable to prevent Aston Villa from being relegated to the Third Division for the first time in its history. Amazingly the following season Villa reached the League Cup final after beating Manchester United in the semi-final. They were eventually defeated in the final by two late Tottenham goals.

Crowe: Rising From the Ashes

The only way was up for Villa and in 1971/72 they were crowned Third Division champions at the end of a brilliant season. The team narrowly missed out on a second successive promotion when they finished third on their return to Second Division football in 1972/73. However the following season Villa struggled and Doug Ellis sacked Crowe replacing him with Ron Saunders.

Saunders: Back on Top

Aston Villa's centenary season provided the double success of a League Cup final victory over Norwich and promotion to the First Division after an absence of eight seasons in 1974/75. Villa were back and due to their League Cup success were in Europe for the first time. Although Villa were knocked out in the first round by Antwerp, Saunders was assembling a team that would go on to win the European Cup seven years later. Villa won the League Cup again in 1977 by beating Everton after two final replays. The following season saw Villa reach the quarter-final of the UEFA Cup where they held their own against Spanish giants, Barcelona. That night, at the Nou Camp, the nightmare of the previous 10 years were finally laid to rest ; Aston Villa were back amongst the footballing elite.

The 1980s was another mixed era in the history of Aston Villa Football Club, but it is most fondly remembered as a period in which the club scaled new heights as Champions of Europe. Villa won their first League Championship for 71 years, fighting off competition from Liverpool and Ipswich, in 1980-81 under the managership of Ron Saunders. It was a side brimming with talent such as midfield dynamo Gordon Cowans; skillful winger Tony Morley; Captain Dennis Mortimer; and the skrikeforce partnership of Peter Withe and local lad, Gary Shaw. To everyone's surprise, Saunders quit halfway through the 1981-82 season, (after falling out with the chairman), with Villa in the quarter final of the European Cup. He was replaced by his softly-spoken assistant manager Tony Barton.

Barton: European Glory

In May 1982, just three months after being appointed manager, Barton guided Villa to a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in Rotterdam. While Peter Withe scored the winner in the 67th minute, the key player that night was Nigel Spink, the 23-year-old reserve goalkeeper who had only played one match for the club in five years since joining from Chelmsford City. First-choice keeper Jimmy Rimmer suffered a shoulder injury and was substituted after just 10 minutes. But Spink went on to make a number of fine saves in the game from the lethal Bayern strikeforce, which included Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. Other key players in this Villa side included Des Bremner and Gordon Cowans. Barton remained in charge for two seasons after the European Cup triumph, and was sacked at the end of 1983-84 after Villa had finished tenth in the First Division. In came Shrewsbury manager Graham Turner as his successor.

Turner: Sliding Down the Table

Graham Turner was unable to reverse the decline at Aston Villa and his first two seasons at the helm brought disappointing bottom-half finishes. After a dismal start to the 1986-87 season he was sacked and replaced by Manchester City's Billy McNeill.

McNeill: Relegated Again

McNeill's reign at Villa Park was even more difficult and short lived than Turner's reign. He was unable to save Villa from relegation and they went down to the Second Division in bottom place, just five years after winning the European Cup. McNeill handed in his notice and moved to Celtic just after the end of the season. Chairman Doug Ellis persuaded Watford manager Graham Taylor to take over the reins and set about bringing good fortunes back to the club.

Taylor: Another Revival

Taylor's first season at Villa ended in automatic promotion as Second Division runners-up, being pipped to the title by Millwall. A key player in the promotion-winning side was 22-year-old midfielder David Platt, a former Manchester United reserve who had been signed from Crewe Alexandra for £200,000 just after Taylor's arrival. Platt's impressive goalscoring record and Taylor's managerial know-how ensured that Villa avoided relegation in their first season back in the top flight, and the following season (1989-90) they emerged as surprise contenders for the title. For a few weeks during the second half of the season, Villa led the league but eventually finished in second place - nine points behind champions Liverpool. Taylor then departed for the England manager's job and was succeeded by Czech coach Jozef Venglos - the first foreign manager in the First Division.

Venglos: Setback

Jozef Venglos - the first foreign manager ever to take charge of an English top-flight club - spent one season as manager of Aston Villa (1990-91). He stepped down after they finished just two places above the First Division relegation zone and David Platt was sold to Italian side Bari for £5 million. Aston Villa's new manager was Ron Atkinson, who had achieved considerable success with West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United and more recently Sheffield Wednesday. Villa progressed to finish sixth in 1991-92 and book their place in the new Premier League.

Atkinson: Chasing Honours

Atkinson spent heavily, making expensive additions to the squad including Earl Barrett, Dean Saunders, Andy Townsend, Dalian Atkinson, Kevin Richardson, Ray Houghton and Shaun Teale. The policy nearly paid off in 1993 when Aston Villa finished runners-up to Manchester United (Atkinson's old club) in the inaugural Premier League. During that season, the strike partnership of Saunders and Atkinson was an instant hit with the Villa Park faithfull and established itself as one of the most feared in the Premiership.

Villa gained their revenge over United with a 3-1 League Cup final victory the following season (which prevented United from winning a unique domestic treble) to secure a second successive UEFA Cup campaign. It was fine compensation for Atkinson's men, who had finished tenth after a slump in league form. Atkinson was sacked in November 1994 with Villa battling relegation, just 18 months after they had almost won the league.

Little: More Success

Atkinson's successor Brian Little did well to keep a demoralised team in the Premiership and in the summer of 1995 reshaped the squad by selling most of the club's older players and buying in many younger players. New arrivals included Alan Wright, Gary Charles, Ian Taylor, Mark Draper, Savo Milosevic, Gareth Southgate and Tommy Johnson. Several home grown players were also progressing well, especially striker Dwight Yorke and defender Ugo Ehiogu.

Aston Villa made huge progress in 1995-96 under Brian Little. They won the League Cup, reached the FA Cup semi finals and finished fourth in the Premiership. Dwight Yorke was now established as a world class striker and other players like Ugo Ehiogu and Gareth Southgate were already gaining international recognition. Villa's form dipped slightly in 1996-97 and they finished fifth, but still qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Gregory: Much optimism but little success

Brian Little quit in February 1998 with Villa standing 15th in the Premiership, and his successor John Gregory, a former Aston Villa coach who had left to take charge of Wycombe Wanderers 18 months earlier, revitalised the club's fortunes and they finished seventh in the Premiership and qualified for the UEFA Cup; due to the progress of other teams in the top seven it was the first time that a seventh placed club has automatically qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Despite the £12.6million sale of Dwight Yorke to Manchester United in August 1998, John Gregory had guided Aston Villa to the top of the Premiership by the middle of the 1998-99 season. New signings Paul Merson and Dion Dublin were proving to be worth the money, while 18-year-old defender Gareth Barry was easily the most competent young player in the Premiership that season. But Villa's form slipped during the final weeks and they finished sixth - not even enough for a UEFA Cup place.

Villa reached the FA Cup final in 2000 (for the first time since 1957), but lost 1-0 to Chelsea in a poor game. 2000-01 saw Villa finish eighth in the Premiership, although they did eventually qualify for the UEFA Cup after a successful campaign in the Intertoto Cup over the summer of 2001. Gregory quit the club in January 2002 with Villa occupying an increasingly familiar place around the middle of the Premiership.

Taylor returns

Chairman Doug Ellis made a surprise decision to appoint Graham Taylor as manager for the second time after Gregory's sudden resignation in January 2002. Villa finished the 2001-02 season in eighth place, which was similar to most of their other Premiership finishes.

Taylor quit as manager for the second and final time after the end of the 2002-03 season. Villa had just finished 16th in the Premiership, losing twice to arch rivals Birmingham City. Only their fine home form had saved them from relegation.

O'Leary: Underachievement and Uncertainty

David O'Leary, who had taken Leeds United to the semi-finals of the 2000-01 Champions League, was drafted in as Taylor's replacement. After a poor start to the season, O'Leary transformed the team's fortunes and by Spring 2004 they were in contention for a UEFA Champions League place. But a 2-0 home defeat against Manchester United saw them finish sixth in the Premiership and narrowly miss out on a UEFA Cup place. Since then, though, Aston Villa's fortunes have dipped and they only finished 10th in 2004-05.

Pacy striker Darius Vassell moved to Premiership side Manchester City on 27 July, 2005, for a reported fee of £2 million, and was replaced within a month by Euro 2004 Golden Boot winner Milan Baros, who arrived from Liverpool for a fee of £6.5 million (with a further £0.5 million dependent on appearances). Influential winger Nolberto Solano left the club prior to the transfer deadline to return to Newcastle United. James Milner was a part of the transfer and was on loan at the club for the 2005/2006 season -- a decision on whether to make the move permanent is pending and is looking in doubt due to the stalling of the £1 million sale of Mathieu Berson to Auxerre after their manager was sacked. Off the field, the club's future is uncertain, and elderly chairman Doug Ellis, who was treated for cancer in 2005, is seeking to sell his stake.

David O'Leary's future at Villa Park has been thrown into doubt due to Villa's poor form in the 2005-06 season, which saw them caught up in a relegation battle. The fight to avoid relegation was won at the end of April, but many of the club's fans, together with the club's board, have higher expectations. Still, some supporters argue that since Villa don't invest as heavily as many Premier League clubs in the transfer market, it is unrealistic to expect the team to return to the upper reaches of the league table. Many fans fear that Villa will be relegated in 2006-07 unless there is a change of chairman and manager during the close season. Early season ticket sales are 8,000 down from this time last year.

Frustration within the club appears to be coming to a head. On 14 July, a group of Villa players took the unprecedented step of criticising the chairman's alleged parsimony and lack of ambition in an interview with a local newspaper. The club immediately dismissed the report as "ridiculous", but it emerged over the following few days that a group of senior players had indeed instigated the move. Angered at a lack of transfer activity and continued cost-cutting, the players, whose identities haven't been revealed, on 17 July requested a meeting with the chairman. The club has launched an internal inquiry into the matter. Manager David O'Leary has declined to comment save to say he was surprised by the players' move, but he is believed to share their concerns.

The Mirror reported on 18th July that David O'Leary was about to be sacked and replaced by Alan Curbishley.

Club Honours


  • FA Cup 1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957

  • First Division Champions 1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1898-99, 1899-1900, 1909-10, 1980-81

Club Colours & Crest


The club colours are claret shirt with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, sky blue socks with claret and white trim. They were the original wearers of these famous colours and other teams, notably West Ham and Burnley, adopted the same colours. Villa's colours at the outset were generally comprised of plain shirts, either white or grey or a shade of blue, with either white or black shorts. For a few years after that (1877-79) The team wore several different kits from all white, blue and black, red and blue to plain green. By 1880 black jerseys with a red lion embroidered on the chest were introduced by William McGregor. Some believe Villa legend George Ramsay played a part in the introduction of the Scottish 'Rampant Lion'. This remained the first choice strip for six years. On Monday, 8 November 1886, an entry in the club's official minute book states: Proposed and seconded that the colours be chocolate and sky blue shirts and that we order two dozen. Proposed and seconded that Mr McGregor be requested to supply them at the lowest quotation. The chocolate colour later became claret.

Local Rivalries


Aston Villa's arch-rivals are Birmingham City, games between the two clubs are known as the Second City Derby. Villa also have a less heated rivalry with local neighbours, West Bromwich Albion. Other nearby clubs include Wolverhampton Wanderers and Walsall. As of season 2006/07 Villa will be the only Premiership club in the Midlands. The club's nearest Premiership rivals will be Sheffield United.

Managers


Secretary/Committee Period
George RamsayAug 1884 - May 1926
W J SmithAugust 1926 - May 1934
Manager Period
Jimmy McMullanJune 1934 - October 1935
Jimmy HoganNovember 1936 - September 1939
Alex MassieAugust 1945 - August 1950
George MartinDecember 1950 - August 1953
Eric HoughtonSeptember 1953 - November 1958
Joe MercerDecember 1958 - July 1964
Dick TaylorJuly 1964 - May 1967
Tommy CummingsJuly 1967 - November 1968
Tommy DochertyDecember 1968 - January 1970
Vic CroweJanuary 1970 - May 1974
Ron SaundersJune 1974 - February 1982
Tony BartonFebruary 1982 - June 1984
Graham TurnerJuly 1984 - September 1986
Billy McNeillSeptember 1986 - May 1987
Graham TaylorMay 1987 - July 1990
Jozef VenglosJuly 1990 - May 1991
Ron AtkinsonJuly 1991 - November 1994
Brian LittleNovember 1994 - February 1998
John GregoryFebruary 1998 - January 2002
Graham TaylorFebruary 2002 - May 2003
David O'LearyMay 2003 - Present

Captains


Captain Period
George Ramsay1876 - 1884
Archie Hunter1884 - 1891
John Devey1891 - 1898
Jimmy Crabtree1898 - 1902
Howard Spencer1902 - 1906
Joe Bache1906 - 1914
Andy Ducut1919 - 1921
Frank Moss1921 - 1927
Billy Walker1927 - 1933
Alec Talbot1933 - 1934
Eric Houghton1934 - 1936
Tom Griffiths1936 - 1937
Alex Massie1937 - 1938
George Cummings1938 - 1949
Dicky Dorsett1949 - 1951
Danny Blanchflower1951 - 1955
Johnny Dixon1955 - 1959
Vic Crowe1959 - 1964
Alan Deakin1964 - 1966
Charlie Aitken1966 - 1973
Chris Nicholl1973 - 1974
Ian Ross1974 - 1976
Leighton Phillips & Chris Nicholl1976 - 1977
Dennis Mortimer1977 - 1984
Allan Evans1984 - 1989
Paul McGrath1989 - 1992
Kevin Richardson1992 - 1995
Gareth Southgate1995 - 2000
Steve Staunton & Paul Merson2000 - 2003
Olof Mellberg2003 - present

Current squad


(captain)

Youth Team squad


Players signed

Players sold

Players out on loan

Greatest Players


1880s

1890s

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

  • Andy Gray (Forward) - Impressive Scottish Striker who collected a League Cup winner's medal and the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 1977
  • Ray Graydon (Forward)
  • Jimmy Rimmer (Goalkeeper) - Experienced goalkeeper who collected a European Cup winner's medal in 1982 despite having to come off with an injury
  • Andy Lochhead (Forward)
  • John Deehan (Midfielder)
  • Brian Little (Forward) - Promising forward whose playing career was halted by injury, but he later made his mark as manager

1980s

  • Des Bremner (Midfielder) - Industrious and talented midfielder
  • Gordon Cowans (Midfielder) - Midfielder in 1981 league title and 1982 European Cup triumphs
  • Allan Evans (Defence)
  • Colin Gibson (Defence)
  • Tony Morley (Midfielder)
  • Dennis Mortimer (Midfielder) - Captain of the 1981 League Championship and 1982 European Cup winning teams
  • Mark Walters (Midfielder)
  • Nigel Spink (Goalkeeper) - Rose to fame after coming on as a substitute in 1982 European Cup triumph and spent 14 more years on the club's payroll, although his first-team chances were gradually restricted by the emergence of Mark Bosnich
  • Peter Withe (Forward) - Striker who scored the winning goal for Villa in the 1982 European Cup final
  • Gary Shaw (Forward) - Talented striker who helped Villa win the league in 1981 and the European Cup a year later
  • Alan McInally (Forward) - Scottish striker who moved to Bayern Munich in 1989
1990s
  • Tony Daley (Midfielder) - Left winger who had a decent career at Villa but his career was ruined by injury at subsequent clubs
  • Dion Dublin (Forward) - Bullish centre-forward who played for Villa between 1998 and 2004
  • Paul McGrath (Defender) - Tough centre-back who played for Villa between 1989 and 1996, helping them win two League Cups as well as finish second in the league on two occasions
  • Paul Merson (Midfielder) - experienced midfielder who played for Villa between 1998 and 2002
  • David Platt (Midfielder) - Dynamic attacking midfielder who helped Villa win promotion in 1988 and finish second in the league in 1990
  • Gareth Southgate (Defender) - Reliable defender who helped Villa win the League Cup in 1996
  • Steve Staunton (Defender) - Irish wing-back who had two spells at Villa, the first of which yielded two League Cup winner's medals
  • Mark Bosnich (Goalkeeper) - Australian goalkeeper who was Villa's first choice between the sticks for much of the 1990s and collected two winner's medals in the League Cup
  • Ugo Ehiogu (Defender) - played in the centre of Villa's defence between 1991 and 2000 and was a League Cup winner on two occasions
  • Alan Wright (Defender) - talented full back who joined Villa from Blackburn in February 1995 and collected a League Cup winner's medal the following year
  • Ian Taylor (Midfielder) - reliable midfielder who played in the 1996 League Cup winning side
  • Andy Townsend (Midfielder) - Solid midfielder and captain who served Villa between 1993 and 1997, collecting two League Cup winner's medals in the process
  • Dwight Yorke (Forward) - Trinidadian striker who joined Villa in 1989 and gradually developed into a world class striker, he remained at the club until being sold to Manchester United for £12.6million in 1998
  • Dean Saunders (Forward) - striker whose goals helped Villa finished second in the Premiership in 1993 and win the League Cup a year later

2000s

  • Olof Mellberg (Defender) - Swedish defender and captain of the Villa side
  • Gareth Barry (Defender/Midfielder) - talented young defensive midfielder who signed from Brighton at the age of 17 and has been a first team regular since 1998-99
  • Juan Pablo Angel (Forward) - Colombian striker who is Villa's record signing at £9.5million who has been a regular goalscorer since his arrival during the 2000-01 season
  • Darius Vassell (Forward) - pacy centre forward who was controversially sold to Manchester City in the summer of 2005
  • Milan Baros (Forward) - Czech striker who joined from European Cup winners Liverpool in the summer of 2005 as Vassell's replacement
  • Nolberto Solano (Midfielder) - Peruvian midfielder who was Villa's top goalscorer in 2004-05

  • Steven Davis (footballer) (Midfielder) - Talented Northern Irish central midfielder who rose to fame after some clinical displays for Aston Villa in the 2005/06 season. With a speciality in passing, tackling and dribbling, in the 2005/06 season, Davis became an all-round complete midfielder as he notched 8 goals, most notably, a stunner against Charlton Athletic in a 1-0 victory. His displays earned captaincy for Northern Ireland, and on 21 May 2006, Davis became the Northern Irish youngest ever captain, aged just 21. He was also rewarded with the Player Of The Year trophy at Aston Villa - also in May 2006.

Appearance Records


NameGames
1Charlie Aitken 660
2Billy Walker 531
3Gordon Cowans 528
4Joe Bache 474
5Allan Evans 469
6Nigel Spink 460
7Tommy Smart 452
8Johnny Dixon 430
9Dennis Mortimer 406
10Billy George 402

All Time Leading Goalscorers


NameGoals
1Billy Walker 244
2Harry Hampton 242
3John Devey 187
4Joe Bache 185
5Eric Houghton 170
6Tom 'Pongo' Waring 167
7Johnny Dixon 144
8Peter McParland 120
9Billy Garraty 112
10Dai Astley 100
11Len Capewell 100
12Dwight Yorke 97

Season-By-Season Record


Season Division Position Significant Events
1886-87 - - FA Cup Winners
- - -
Founding member of the Football League
1888-1889 Football League 2nd Runners Up
1889-1890 Football League 8th -
1890-1891 Football League 9th -
1891-1892 Football League 4th -
Football League renamed Division One upon expansion
1892-1893 Division One 4th -
1893-1894 Division One 1st Champions
1894-1895 Division One 3rd FA Cup Winners
1895-1896 Division One 1st Champions
1896-1897 Division One 1st Double Winners
1897-1898 Division One 6th -
1898-1899 Division One 1st Champions
1899-1900 Division One 1st Champions
1900-1901 Division One 15th -
1901-1902 Division One 8th -
1902-1903 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1903-1904 Division One 5th -
1904-1905 Division One 5th FA Cup Winners
1905-1906 Division One 8th -
1906-1907 Division One 5th -
1907-1908 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1908-1909 Division One 7th -
1909-1910 Division One 1st Champions
1910-1911 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1911-1912 Division One 6th -
1912-1913 Division One 2nd Runners Up & FA Cup Winners
1913-1914 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1914-1915 Division One 14th -
English football is postponed due to World War 1
1919-1920 Division One 9th FA Cup Winners
1920-1921 Division One 10th -
1921-1922 Division One 5th -
1922-1923 Division One 6th -
1923-1924 Division One 6th -
1924-1925 Division One 15th -
1925-1926 Division One 6th -
1926-1927 Division One 10th -
1927-1928 Division One 8th -
1928-1929 Division One 3rd -
1929-1930 Division One 4th -
1930-1931 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1931-1932 Division One 5th -
1932-1933 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1933-1934 Division One 13th -
1934-1935 Division One 13th -
1935-1936 Division One 21st Relegated
1936-1937 Division Two 9th -
1937-1938 Division Two 1st Champions
1938-1939 Division One 12th -
English football is postponed due to World War 2
1946-1947 Division One 8th -
1947-1948 Division One 6th -
1948-1949 Division One 10th -
1949-1950 Division One 12th -
1950-1951 Division One 15th -
1951-1952 Division One 6th -
1952-1953 Division One 11th -
1953-1954 Division One 13th -
1954-1955 Division One 6th -
1955-1956 Division One 20th -
1956-1957 Division One 10th FA Cup Winners
1957-1958 Division One 14th -
1958-1959 Division One 21st Relegated
1959-1960 Division Two 1st Champions
1960-1961 Division One 9th League Cup Winners
1961-1962 Division One 7th -
1962-1963 Division One 15th -
1963-1964 Division One 19th -
1964-1965 Division One 16th -
1965-1966 Division One 16th -
1966-1967 Division One 21st Relegated
1967-1968 Division Two 16th -
1968-1969 Division Two 18th -
1969-1970 Division Two 21st Relegated
1970-1971 Division Three 4th -
1971-1972 Division Three 1st Champions
1972-1973 Division Two 3rd -
1973-1974 Division Two 14th -
1974-1975 Division Two 2nd Runners Up & League Cup Winners
1975-1976 Division One 16th -
1976-1977 Division One 4th League Cup Winners
1977-1978 Division One 8th -
1978-1979 Division One 8th -
1979-1980 Division One 7th -
1980-1981 Division One 1st Champions
1981-1982 Division One 11th European Champions
1982-1983 Division One 6th European Super Cup Winners
1983-1984 Division One 10th -
1984-1985 Division One 10th -
1985-1986 Division One 16th -
1986-1987 Division One 22nd Relegated
1987-1988 Division Two 2nd Runners Up
1988-1989 Division One 17th -
1989-1990 Division One 2nd Runners Up
1990-1991 Division One 17th -
1991-1992 Division One 7th -
Founding member of the Premier League
1992-1993 Premier League 2nd Runners Up
1993-1994 Premier League 10th League Cup Winners
1994-1995 Premier League 18th -
1995-1996 Premier League 4th League Cup Winners
1996-1997 Premier League 5th -
1997-1998 Premier League 7th -
1998-1999 Premier League 6th -
1999-2000 Premier League 6th FA Cup Finalists
2000-2001 Premier League 8th -
2001-2002 Premier League 8th Intertoto Cup Winners
2002-2003 Premier League 16th -
2003-2004 Premier League 6th -
2004-2005 Premier League 10th -
2005-2006 Premier League 16th -

Trivia


  • To date Aston Villa have spent 96 seasons in the top-flight, the only club to have spent longer in the top-flight being Everton, (103). As a result, Aston Villa versus Everton is the most played fixture in English top flight football - Villa's 4-1 defeat away at Goodison Park in March 2006 was the 182nd such match between the two clubs.

  • Aston Villa have scored more FA Cup goals than any other club.

  • Aston Villa have provided more England internationals than any other club, 63 to date.

  • Aston Villa's 128 goals scored in season 1930/31 is the record number of league goals scored by any team in the English top-flight.

  • Aston Villa's Bob Chatt scored the winner in the 1895 FA Cup Final after just 30 seconds. It remains the fastest ever goal scored in an FA Cup Final.

  • Villa Park was the first English ground to stage international football in three different centuries.

  • In February 2005 Aston Villa was named in the top 20 richest clubs in the world in terms of income.

  • In October 2005 Villa was approached by a consortium, thought to include the Irish property speculators Brian and Luke Comer, about a possible takeover which would value the club at around £64.4 million. Recent attempts to secure a deal, however, have been dismissed.

Future events


Aston Villa will be the first competitive visitors to Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium when the 2006-7 season kicks off on Saturday August 192006.

Aston Villa will host Reading F.C. on Wednesday August 23 2006. This will be Reading's first ever away game in the Premiership, and indeed in top flight football at all.

Related Links


English football clubs | Sport in the West Midlands | Birmingham, England | Aston Villa F.C. | FA Premier League | Companies listed on the London Stock Exchange | 1874 establishments | Football League Founder Members | FA Premier League clubs

أستون فيلا | Aston Villa FC | Aston Villa | Aston Villa | Aston Villa | Aston Villa Football Club | Aston Villa Football Club | Aston Villa F.C. | Aston Villa F.C. | אסטון וילה | Aston Villa FC | アストン・ヴィラ | Aston Villa FC | Aston Villa | Aston Villa FC | Aston Villa F.C. | Aston Villa FC | Aston Villa FC | สโมสรฟุตบอลแอสตันวิลลา | Aston Villa F.C. | 阿士東維拉足球俱樂部

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Aston Villa F.C.".

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