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.
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.
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'.
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.
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.
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'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'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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
| Secretary/Committee | Period |
|---|---|
| George Ramsay | Aug 1884 - May 1926 |
| W J Smith | August 1926 - May 1934 |
| Manager | Period |
| Jimmy McMullan | June 1934 - October 1935 |
| Jimmy Hogan | November 1936 - September 1939 |
| Alex Massie | August 1945 - August 1950 |
| George Martin | December 1950 - August 1953 |
| Eric Houghton | September 1953 - November 1958 |
| Joe Mercer | December 1958 - July 1964 |
| Dick Taylor | July 1964 - May 1967 |
| Tommy Cummings | July 1967 - November 1968 |
| Tommy Docherty | December 1968 - January 1970 |
| Vic Crowe | January 1970 - May 1974 |
| Ron Saunders | June 1974 - February 1982 |
| Tony Barton | February 1982 - June 1984 |
| Graham Turner | July 1984 - September 1986 |
| Billy McNeill | September 1986 - May 1987 |
| Graham Taylor | May 1987 - July 1990 |
| Jozef Venglos | July 1990 - May 1991 |
| Ron Atkinson | July 1991 - November 1994 |
| Brian Little | November 1994 - February 1998 |
| John Gregory | February 1998 - January 2002 |
| Graham Taylor | February 2002 - May 2003 |
| David O'Leary | May 2003 - Present |
| Captain | Period |
|---|---|
| George Ramsay | 1876 - 1884 |
| Archie Hunter | 1884 - 1891 |
| John Devey | 1891 - 1898 |
| Jimmy Crabtree | 1898 - 1902 |
| Howard Spencer | 1902 - 1906 |
| Joe Bache | 1906 - 1914 |
| Andy Ducut | 1919 - 1921 |
| Frank Moss | 1921 - 1927 |
| Billy Walker | 1927 - 1933 |
| Alec Talbot | 1933 - 1934 |
| Eric Houghton | 1934 - 1936 |
| Tom Griffiths | 1936 - 1937 |
| Alex Massie | 1937 - 1938 |
| George Cummings | 1938 - 1949 |
| Dicky Dorsett | 1949 - 1951 |
| Danny Blanchflower | 1951 - 1955 |
| Johnny Dixon | 1955 - 1959 |
| Vic Crowe | 1959 - 1964 |
| Alan Deakin | 1964 - 1966 |
| Charlie Aitken | 1966 - 1973 |
| Chris Nicholl | 1973 - 1974 |
| Ian Ross | 1974 - 1976 |
| Leighton Phillips & Chris Nicholl | 1976 - 1977 |
| Dennis Mortimer | 1977 - 1984 |
| Allan Evans | 1984 - 1989 |
| Paul McGrath | 1989 - 1992 |
| Kevin Richardson | 1992 - 1995 |
| Gareth Southgate | 1995 - 2000 |
| Steve Staunton & Paul Merson | 2000 - 2003 |
| Olof Mellberg | 2003 - present |
(captain)
| 1880s |
| Name | Games | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlie Aitken | 660 |
| 2 | Billy Walker | 531 |
| 3 | Gordon Cowans | 528 |
| 4 | Joe Bache | 474 |
| 5 | Allan Evans | 469 |
| 6 | Nigel Spink | 460 |
| 7 | Tommy Smart | 452 |
| 8 | Johnny Dixon | 430 |
| 9 | Dennis Mortimer | 406 |
| 10 | Billy George | 402 |
| Name | Goals | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Walker | 244 |
| 2 | Harry Hampton | 242 |
| 3 | John Devey | 187 |
| 4 | Joe Bache | 185 |
| 5 | Eric Houghton | 170 |
| 6 | Tom 'Pongo' Waring | 167 |
| 7 | Johnny Dixon | 144 |
| 8 | Peter McParland | 120 |
| 9 | Billy Garraty | 112 |
| 10 | Dai Astley | 100 |
| 11 | Len Capewell | 100 |
| 12 | Dwight Yorke | 97 |
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.
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.".
Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world