Aston Villa

Scroll to the bottom of the page for more Villa links;

By the end of the century Villa had established itself as the powerhouse of English football, winning five League Championships and three FA Cups.

In 1896/97 they also become the second side to do the League and Cup double.

They continued to be a major force in the early part of the twentieth century, winning the League in 1910 the FA Cup in 1905, 1913 and 1920.

By the 1930s, however, the club had entered a period of relative decline, culminating in relegation in 1935 and a brief spell in the Second Division.

During the Fifties the club settled into mid-table obscurity although they did win FA Cup for a seventh time in 1957.

In 1959 they were relegated again but bounced straight back as Division Two Champions.

In 1961 they were winners of the inaugural League Cup, but thereafter a steady decline saw them in the third division by 1970.

The late Seventies, under Ron Saunders, brought a return to Division One, and two League Cup triumphs (1975 and 1977).

Then, in 1981, Villa won the League for the first time in 70 years. The following year, despite Saunders quitting halfway through the season, the club achieved one of their greatest triumphs by lifting the European Cup. This marked a pinnacle from which they declined throughout the eighties, culminating in relegation in 1987.

Villa were founding members of the Premier League and finished as runners-up in the inaugural season. They also won League Cups in 1994 and 1996, and were F.A. Cup runners-up in 2000. On the whole though, their form over the past decade has been inconsistent.

American entrepreneur Randy Lerner bought the club in 2006.