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{{Infobox Football club
|clubname = Aston Villa F.C.
|image = [[Image:Aston Villa.png|150px|Crest of Aston Villa Football Club]]
|fullname = Aston Villa Football Club
|nickname = The Villa, The Villans,<ref name=BBCVillans>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4127422.stm |title=Premiership club-by-club guide |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2008-04-09}}</ref> The Lions
|founded = 1874<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/sport/clubs/villa/club_info.shtml|title=Aston Villa Football Club information|publisher=[[BBC]]|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
|ground = [[Villa Park]]<br />[[Aston]]<br />[[Birmingham]] B6 6HE<br/>[[England]]
|capacity = 42,640<ref>{{cite news|url=http://ds.dial.pipex.com/town/park/yfh45/aston.htm|title=Villa Park information|publisher=Internet Football Ground Guide|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
|chairman = {{flagicon|United States}} [[Randy Lerner]]
|manager = {{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Martin O'Neill]]
|league = [[Premier League]]
|season = [[Premier League 2006-07|2006–07]]
|position = Premier League, 11th<!--This parameter is the last COMPLETED season-->
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'''Aston Villa Football Club''' (also known as '''''The Villa''''' and '''''The Villans''''')<ref name=BBCVillans/> is an [[England|English]] professional [[football (soccer)|football]] club based in [[Aston]], [[Birmingham]], who currently play in the [[Premier League]]. The club was founded in [[1874 in football (soccer)|1874]] and have played at their current home ground, [[Villa Park, England|Villa Park]], since [[1897 in football (soccer)|1897]]. Aston Villa were founding members of the [[Football League]] in [[1888 in football (soccer)|1888]] and the [[Premier League]] in [[1992 in football (soccer)|1992]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10265~422987,00.html|title=Villa History|publisher=AVFC.co.uk|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> The club was floated by the previous owner and chairman [[Doug Ellis]], but in [[2006 in football (soccer)|2006]] full control of the club was acquired by [[Randy Lerner]].

They are one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in England, having won the First Division Championship seven times and the [[FA Cup]] seven times.<ref name=Fahist/> Villa are also one of only four English clubs to win the [[European Cup]], which they did in [[1981-82 in English football|1982]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/EuroWinDetail/0,,10265~676380,00.html| title=European Cup Win|publisher=AVFC.co.uk|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Aston Villa is the fourth most successful club in English football history, having won 20 major honours,<ref name=alltimetable>{{cite web |url=http://www.toffeeweb.com/history/records/alltime_total.asp| title= All-time English League Table| publisher=Everton Supporters Website |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> although most of these were won before the [[Second World War]] and the most recent was in 1996.

They have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with local rivals [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], although [[West Bromwich Albion]] is actually the closest professional football club. The [[Birmingham Derby]], also known as the '''Second City Derby''' between Aston Villa and Birmingham City has been played since 1879.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.footballderbies.com/honours/index.php?id=27|title=Aston Villa V Birmingham City|publisher=Football Derbies|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> The club's traditional [[Kit (football)|kit]] colours are claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts and sky blue socks. Their traditional crest is of a rampant gold lion on a sky blue background with the club's motto 'Prepared' underneath; a modified version of this was adopted in 2007.<ref name="new crest"/>

==History==
<!-- When adding things to the history section, maybe the detail you are adding would be better placed in one of the split sections. As the history section is meant to be a brief history written in [[WP:SUMMARY]] style.
-->
{{dablink|For more details on this topic, see [[History of Aston Villa F.C. (1874-1961)]] and [[History of Aston Villa F.C. (1961-present)]].}}
[[Image:AVilla1899.jpg|thumb|left|The Aston Villa team of the late 19th century]]

'''Aston Villa Football Club''' were formed in March, [[1874 in football (soccer)|1874]], by members of the Villa Cross [[John Wesley|Wesleyan]] Chapel in [[Aston]] which is now part of [[Birmingham]]. The four founders of Aston Villa were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood.<ref name=OffHist7488>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10265~422987,00.html |title=Villa History 1874&ndash;1887 |publisher=AVFC.co.uk |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's [[Rugby football|Rugby]] team. As a condition of the [[game|match]], the Villa side had to agree to play the first half under rugby rules and the second half under football rules.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.astonvilla-mad.co.uk/news/loadsngl.asp?CID=ED21 |title=Aston Villa's history |publisher=Villa Fanzine|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Villa quickly became one of the best teams in the Midlands, winning their first honour, the [[Birmingham Senior Cup]] in 1880, under the captaincy of Scotsman [[George Ramsay]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HallOfFame/0,,10265,00.html |title=George Ramsay entry in Villa Hall of Fame |publisher=AVFC |accessdate=2007-07-10}}</ref>

The club won its first [[FA Cup]] in [[1887 in football (soccer)|1887]] with captain [[Archie Hunter]] becoming one of the game's first household names. Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in [[1888 in football (soccer)|1888]] with one of the club's directors, [[William McGregor]] being the league's founder. Aston Villa emerged as the most successful English club of the Victorian era, with numerous League titles and FA Cup wins.<ref name=Offhist8899>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10265~423093,00.html |title=Villa History 1888&ndash;1899 |publisher=AVFC.co.uk |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> In 1897, the year Villa won [[The Double]], they moved into their present home, the Aston Lower Grounds.<ref name=AlmVilPrk>{{cite web |url=http://astonvilla.blogfootball.com/theAlmanac/park |title=Villa Park History |publisher=Villa fans Almanac |accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref> Supporters coined the name "Villa Park"; no official declaration listed the ground as [[Villa Park, England|Villa Park]].<ref name=AlmVilPrk/>

Aston Villa won their sixth [[FA Cup]] in [[1920 in football (soccer)|1920]], soon after though the club began a slow decline that led to Villa, at the time one of the most famous and successful clubs in world football, being relegated in 1936 for the first time to the [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]. This was largely the result of a dismal defensive record: they conceded 110 goals, 7 of them coming from [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal's]] [[Ted Drake]] in an infamous 1&ndash;7 defeat at Villa Park.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=the+club&article=357268&lid=History&Title=Arsenal+Facts|title=Arsenal Facts|publisher=Arsenal.com|accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref> Like all English clubs, Villa lost seven seasons to the [[World War II|Second World War]], and that conflict brought several careers to a premature end.<ref name=OffHist0039>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10265~423103,00.html |title=Villa History 1900&ndash;1939 |publisher=AVFC |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> The team was rebuilt under the guidance of former player [[Alex Massie]] for the remainder of the 1940s. Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years came in the 1956&ndash;57 season which included an unexpected FA Cup run that would culminate in them defeating the 'Busby Babes' of [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in the final. The team were relegated though two seasons later, in 1958&ndash;59, and a complacency had set in at Villa Park. This was soon overcome as Villa returned to the top flight in 1960 as Second Division Champions and the following season Villa won the inaugural League Cup.<ref name=Offhist4567>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10265~423136,00.html |title=Villa History 1945&ndash;1967|publisher=AVFC.co.uk |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
[[Image:82team.jpg|thumb|right|The 1982 European Cup winning squad celebrate the 25th anniversary of their win.]]
The late 1960s brought a period of turmoil at the club with fan pressure leading to a takeover and managerial changes. This started with Villa being relegated for the third time, under manager [[Dick Taylor (football manager)|Dick Taylor]] in [[1967 in football (soccer)|1967]]. The following season the fans called for the board to resign as Villa finished 16th in the Second Division. With mounting debts and Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two, the board sacked [[Tommy Cummings|Cummings]] (the manager brought in to replace Taylor), and within weeks the entire board resigned under overwhelming pressure from fans. After much speculation, control of the club was bought by [[London]] financier [[Pat Matthews]], who also brought in [[Doug Ellis]] as chairman. However, new ownership could not prevent Villa being relegated to the Third Division for the first time at the end of the [[1969-70 in English football|1969&ndash;70]] season. In the [[1971-72 in English football|1971&ndash;72 season]] they returned to the Second Division as Champions with a record 70 points. In 1973 [[Ron Saunders]] was appointed manager and by 1977 he had taken them back into the First Division and Europe.<ref name=Offhist6786>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10265~423145,00.html |title=Villa History 1967&ndash;1986 |publisher=AVFC.co.uk |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>

Villa were back amongst the elite and enjoyed much success under Saunders, winning the league in the [[1980-81 in English football|1980&ndash;81]] season. To the surprise of commentators and fans, Saunders quit halfway through the [[1981-82 in English football|1981&ndash;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]] who guided them to 1&ndash;0 victory over [[Bayern Munich]] in the [[1982 European Cup Final|European Cup final]] in Rotterdam. Villa remain to this day one of only four English teams to have won the European Cup, along with [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/competitions/UCL/history/Season=1981/intro.html |title=1981–82 season European campaigns |publisher=UEFA |accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref> This marked a pinnacle though and Villa declined for most of the 1980s, culminating in relegation in 1987. This was followed by promotion the following year and second place in the football League in 1989.<ref name=Offhist86pres>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/ClubHistory/0,,10265~423155,00.html|title=Villa History 1986&ndash;2006|publisher=AVFC.co.uk |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>

Villa were one of the founding members of the [[FA Premier League|Premier League]] in 1992, and finished runners-up to Manchester United in the inaugural season. In the rest of the nineties however Villa went through three different managers and their league positions were inconsistent, although they did win two League Cups.<ref>League tables relating to Premiership at [[Soccerbase]]</ref> Villa reached the FA Cup final in 2000 (for the first time since 1957) but lost 1&ndash;0 to [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] in the last game to be played at the old [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]].<ref name=Fahist>{{cite web |url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/History/Postings/2006/01/FACup_History.htm |title=FA Cup history |publisher=Football Association (FA) |accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref> Once again Villa's league position fluctuated under several different managers and things came to a head in the summer of 2006 when [[David O'Leary]] left in acrimony.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/irish/5196872.stm |title=David O leary parts ways with Villa |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref> [[Martin O'Neill]] soon arrived to a jubilant reception. After 23 years as chairman and single biggest shareholder (approximately 38%), [[Doug Ellis]] finally decided to sell his stake in [[Aston Villa]] to [[Randy Lerner]], the owner of [[National Football League|NFL]] franchise the [[Cleveland Browns]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/5356730.stm |title=Lerner set to complete Villa deal |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |date=27-9-2006 |accessdate=2007-02-03}}</ref> The arrival of a new owner and manager marked the start of a new period of optimism at Villa Park and sweeping changes occurred throughout the club including a new crest, a new kit sponsor and team changes in the summer of 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=407236&cc=5739|title=Villa secure new kit deal with Nike|publisher=ESPNsoccernet|date=2007-02-07|accessdate=2007-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/CrestTest/0,,10265,00.html|title=New Crest|publisher=AVFC|date=2007-05-02|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>

== Club colours & crest==
[[Image:Aston Villa FC.png|thumb|left|100px|<center>Old crest (1992–2007)</center>]]
{{Football kit box |
align = right |
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pattern_b = _lightbluehalf|
pattern_ra = |
leftarm = 7B3F00|
body = 7B3F00|
rightarm = 00BFFF|
shorts = FFFFFF|
socks = 464646|
title = <center>Villa's proposed kit of 1886<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Aston_Villa/Aston_Villa.htm|title=Villa Kit History|Publisher=Historical Kits.co.uk|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref></center>
}}
The club colours are claret shirt with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, and sky blue socks with claret and white trim. Villa's colours at the outset were generally comprised of plain shirts (white, grey or a shade of blue), with either white or black shorts. For a few years after that (1877&ndash;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. This remained the first choice strip for six years. On Monday, [[8 November]] [[1886]], an entry in the club's official minute book states:
{{cquote|(i) Proposed and seconded that the colours be chocolate and sky blue shirts and that we order two dozen.
(ii) Proposed and seconded that Mr McGregor be requested to supply them at the lowest quotation.}}
The chocolate colour later became claret.<ref name=histkit>{{cite web|url=http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Aston_Villa/Aston_Villa.htm|title=Villa Kit History|publisher=Historical Kits.co.uk|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
[[Image:Aston Villa.png|thumb|right|100px|<center>Current crest (2007-)</center>]]
Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours. The main theory surrounding the colours suggests that with the Scottish influence of characters such as [[George Ramsay]] and [[William McGregor]] the kit was created from the combination of the maroon of [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Hearts]] and the blue of [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]], with the Scottish lion rampant included in the badge.<ref name=histkit> The kit for the 2007&ndash;2008 season will be manufactured by [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eufootball.biz/Sponsorship/080207-Aston-Villa-signed-kit-deal-with-Nike.html|title=Villa sign Kit deal with Nike|publisher=eufootball|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Aston Villa's success inspired some other clubs to adopt claret as their home colours, most notably [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] and [[West Ham United]].

A new crest was revealed on [[2 May]] [[2007]], for the [[2007-08 in English football|2007&ndash;08]] season and beyond. The new crest includes a [[Star (football crest)|star]] to represent the European Cup win in 1982, and has a light blue background behind Villa's 'lion rampant'. The traditional motto "Prepared" remains in the crest, and the name Aston Villa has been shortened to AVFC, FC having been omitted from the previous crest. [[Randy Lerner]] had got fans to help with the design of the crest.<ref name="new crest">{{cite web|url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/CrestTest/0,,10265,00.html|title=New Crest|publisher=AVFC|date=2007-05-02|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> The three kits that carry the new crest were unveiled on [[17 July]], [[2007]], in [[The Mailbox]], Birmingham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/HeadlinesDetail/0,,10265~1074481,00.html |title=Kit launch 2007 |publisher=AVFC |accessdate=2007-07-17}}</ref>

==Stadium==
[[Image:Villaparkfromtopofholte.jpg|thumb|left|Villa Park from the top of the [[Villa Park#Holte End|Holte End]]]]
{{main|Villa Park}}
Aston Villa's current home venue is [[Villa Park, England|Villa Park]], which is a [[UEFA Stadia List|UEFA 4-star rated stadium]], having previously played at Aston Park (1874&ndash;1876) and Perry Barr (1876&ndash;1897). Villa Park is currently the largest football stadium in the Midlands, and the eighth largest stadium in England. It has hosted 16 England internationals at senior level, the first in 1899, and the most recent in 2005. Thus it was the first English ground to stage international football in three different centuries.<ref name=favillaprk>{{cite web| url=http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2004/11/England_vHolland_VillaPark.htm| title=England international matches at Villa Park |publisher=FA|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Villa Park is the most used stadium in FA Cup semi-final history, having hosted 55 semi-finals. The Club have planning permission to extend the North Stand; This will involve the 'filling in' of the corners to either side of the North Stand. If and when completed, the capacity of Villa Park will be increased to approximately 51,000. [[Image:Bodymoorheath.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Aston Villa's new redeveloped [[Bodymoor Heath]] training facilities]]
The current training ground is located at [[Bodymoor Heath]] in north [[Warwickshire]], the site for which was purchased by former Aston Villa Chairman [[Doug Ellis]] in the early 1970s from a local farmer. Although Bodymoor Heath was state-of-the-art in the 1970s, by the late 1990s the facilities had started to look dated. In November 2005, Ellis and Aston Villa plc announced a state of the art [[Pound sterling|GB£]]13 million redevelopment of Bodymoor in 2 phases. However work on Bodymoor was suspended by Ellis due to financial problems, and was left in an unfinished state until new owner Randy Lerner made it one of his priorities to make the site one of the best in world football. The new training ground was officially unveiled on [[6 May]], [[2007]], by current manager Martin O'Neill, current team captain [[Gareth Barry]] and 1982 European Cup winning team captain [[Dennis Mortimer]], with the Aston Villa squad moving in for the 2007&ndash;08 season.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/HeadlinesDetail/0,,10265~1021732,00.html|title=O'Neill "New Facilities are second to none" |publisher=AVFC|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>

==Club ownership==
The first shares in the club were issued towards the end of the 19th century as a result of legislation that was intended to codify the growing numbers of professional teams and players in the Association Football leagues. FA teams were required to distribute shares to investors as a way of facilitating trading amongst the teams without implicating the FA itself. This trading continued for much of the 20th century until [[Doug Ellis]] started buying up many of the shares in the 1960s. He was the chairman and substantial shareholder of "Aston Villa F.C." from 1968&ndash;1975 and the majority shareholder from 1982&ndash;2006. The club was [[Initial public offering|floated]] on the [[London Stock Exchange]] in 1996, and the share price fluctuated in the ten years after the flotation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Aston-Villa-plc-Company-History.html |title=Financial history of Aston Villa |publisher=Fundinguniverse.com |accessdate=2007-07-10}}</ref> In 2006 it was announced that several consortia and individuals were considering bids for Aston Villa.<ref name=EndEllisEra/>

On [[14 August]], [[2006]], it was confirmed that [[Randy Lerner]] had reached an agreement of [[Pound sterling|GB£]]62.6 million with Aston Villa for a takeover of the club. A statement released on [[25 August]] to the [[London Stock Exchange|LSE]] announced that Lerner had secured 59.69% of Villa shares, making him the majority shareholder. He also appointed himself Chairman of the club.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1855979,00.html |title= Editorial on Doug Ellis's Reign |publisher=David Conn, The Guardian |date=2006-08-23 |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> In Ellis's last year in charge Villa lost GB£8.2m before tax, compared with a GB£3m profit the previous year, and income had fallen from GB£51.6m to GB£49m.<ref name=EndEllisEra>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/4792189.stm | title=End of Ellis era |publisher=BBC |date=2006-09-19 |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Randy Lerner took full control on [[18 September]] as he had 89.69% of the share. On [[19 September]], [[2006]], Aston Villa plc executive Chairman [[Doug Ellis]] and his board resigned to be replaced with a new board headed by Lerner.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19092006/3/lerner-takes-villa-chairman.html |title=Lerner takes over as Villa Chairman |publisher=yahoo |date=2006-09-19 |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
===Board Officials===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name
!Nationality
!Role
|-
|[[Randy Lerner]]||{{USA}}||Chairman
|-
|[[Charles C. Krulak|Charles Krulak]]||{{USA}}||Non-Executive Director
|-
|[[Bob Kain]]||{{USA}}||Non-Executive Director
|-
|[[Michael Martin]]||{{USA}}||Non-Executive Director
|}

== Supporters ==
{{see also|Birmingham derby}}
The new chief executive Richard FitzGerald has stated that the ethnicity of the supporters is currently 98% white. The new regime is aiming to improve the support from amongst ethnic minorities in the next few years. A number of organisations have been set up to support the local community including ''Aston Pride''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.villatrust.org.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=208 |title=Q + A with Chief Executive |publisher= Villa Trust |date=2007-04-10 |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> A ''Villa in the community'' programme has also been set up to encourage support amongst young people in the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/CommunityDetail/0,,10265~90039,00.html |title=Villa in the community |publisher=Aston Villa F.C |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> The new owners have also initiated several surveys aimed at gaining the opinions of Villa fans and to involve them in the decision making process. Meetings also occur every three months where supporters are invited by ballot and are invited to ask questions to the Board.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.eglobalpanel.com/index.php |title=Aston Villa Supporters Survey Website |publisher=Aston Villa F.C. |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>

Like many English football clubs Aston Villa has had several [[Football hooliganism|hooligan firms]] associated with it: ''Villa Youth'', ''Steamers'', ''Villa Hardcore'' and the ''C-Crew'', the latter being very active during the 1970s and 1980s. As can be seen across the whole of English football, the hooligan groups have now been marginalised.<ref>{{cite book |title=Villains: The Inside Story of Aston Villa's Hooligan Gangs |last=Brown |first=Danny |coauthors=Milo Brittle |publisher=Milo Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-1903854594}}</ref> In 2004 several Villa firms were involved in a fight with [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|QPR]] fans outside Villa Park in which a steward died.<ref name="icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk">{{cite news |last=Wells |first=Tom |title=Steward dies after clash between rival firms |publisher=icBirmingham |date=2004 |url=http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/mercury/tm_objectid=14994517&method=full&siteid=50002&headline=death-of-a-steward-----what--really--happened-name_page.html=SectionID=62&ArticleID=1894678 |accessdate=2007-08-06}}</ref> The main groupings of supporters can now be found in a number of domestic supporters' clubs. This includes the Official Aston Villa Supporters Club which also has many smaller regional and international sections.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/FanClubs/0,,10265~63179,00.html |title=Official Supporter Associations |publisher=Aston Villa |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> There were several independent supporters clubs during the reign of Doug Ellis but most of these disbanded after his retirement.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2006/08/23/ellis_rolls_away_from_his_nice.html |title=Doug Ellis rolls away from his nice earner |last=Conn |first=David |publisher=The Guardian |date=2006-08-23 |accessdate=2007-07-04}}</ref> The club's supporters also publish [[fanzine]]s such as ''Heroes and Villains'' and ''Holtenders in the sky''. The latter fanzine is named after a popular match day [[football chant|chant]] that is predominantly sung in the Holte End. The use of the [[abbreviation]] Itsotp (in the shirt, on the pitch) is believed to have originated on Aston Villa [[messageboard]]s in relation to the transfer speculation that has become the norm during transfer windows.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.villatalk.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=28915 |title=Villa messageboard debating itsotp |publisher=Villatalk.com |accessdate=2007-07-02}}</ref>

Aston Villa's arch-rivals are [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], with games between the two clubs known as the '[[Birmingham derby|Second City Derby']].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.footballderbies.com/honours/index.php?id=27 |title=The Second City Derby |publisher=Footballderbies.com |accessdate=2007-07-04}}</ref> Today, Villa also enjoy less heated local rivalries with [[West Bromwich Albion]], [[Wolverhampton Wanderers]] and [[Coventry City]]. (These five clubs plus [[Walsall F.C.|Walsall]] are collectively referred to in the West Midlands as the 'Big Six'.) Historically though, West Bromwich Albion have been one of Villa's greatest rivals, a view highlighted in a fan survey, conducted in 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.footballfanscensus.com/issueresults/Club_Rivalries_Uncovered_Results.pdf |title=Club rivalries uncovered |publisher=footballfancensus |format=pdf |accessdate=2007-08-08}}</ref> The two teams contested three FA Cup finals in the late 19th century. Through the relegation of West Brom and Birmingham to the The Championship in the 2005&ndash;06 season in the [[FA Premier League 2006-07|2006&ndash;07]] Premiership season Villa were the only Midlands club in that League. The nearest opposing team Villa faced during that season was [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]], who played {{convert|62|mi|km}} away in [[South Yorkshire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/4968920.stm |title=Is West Midlands Football in decline? |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2007-07-04}}</ref> For the [[Premier League 2007-08|2007&ndash;08 season]] Villa will once again have a local derby after Birmingham were promoted on [[29 April]] [[2007]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/6605665.stm |title=Birmingham and Sunderland promoted |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2007-07-04}}</ref> There will also be an East Midlands versus West Midlands fixture against [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/6702447.stm |title=Rams celebrate promotion |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2007-06-30}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
Many television programmes have included references to Aston Villa over the past few decades. In the sitcom ''[[Porridge (TV series)|Porridge]]'', the character [[Lennie Godber]] is a Villa supporter.<ref> Porridge episode 1: ''The last time he (Lennie Godber) prayed was for his parents to stay together, for him not to go to jail, and for Villa to win the FA Cup. The next day, his parents split, he was sent down, and Villa got knocked out."</ref> In the first episode of ''[[Yes Minister]]'' [[Jim Hacker]] MP says he needs to get off early to watch Aston Villa play. However, in a later episode, he launches a campaign to save his local team, the fictional "Aston Wanderers". During episodes of the ''[[Fast Show]],'' Villa supporter Mark Williams is regularly pictured behaving antisocially while wearing a shirt of rival club, Birmingham City, so as to further damage their reputation. When filming began on ''[[Dad's Army]],'' Villa fan, [[Ian Lavender]] was allowed to choose [[Frank Pike|Frank Pike's]] scarf from an array in the BBC wardrobe, he chose a claret and blue one - Aston Villa's colours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/ian-lavender/person/62798/biography.html |title=Ian Lavender biography |publisher=tv.com |accessdate=2007-07-04}}</ref>. [[Prince William]], the president of [[The Football Association]] is a Villa fan.

Aston Villa has also featured on several occasions in prose. Joseph Gallivan's book "Oi, Ref" is about a referee who is a Villa fan who conspires to turn an FA Cup Semi-Final in his team's favour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oi-Ref-Novel-About-Football/dp/0340708611 |title=OiRef synopsis and book reviews |publisher=Amazon |accessdate=2007-07-04}}</ref> Stanley Woolley, a character in [[Derek Robinson]]'s Booker shortlisted novel [[Goshawk Squadron]] is an Aston Villa fan and names a pre-war starting eleven Villa side. Together with [[The Oval]], Villa Park is referenced by the poet [[Philip Larkin]] in his poem about the [[First World War]], [[MCMXIV]].<ref>''As if they were stretched outside
The Oval or Villa Park,'' '''Philip Larkin, MCMXIV,'''</ref>

==Statistics==
{{main|Aston Villa F.C. statistics and records}}
To date Aston Villa have spent 98 seasons in the top-flight, the only club to have spent longer in the top-flight is [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] with 105 seasons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soccerbase.com/head2.sd?team2id=942&team1id=154 |title=All time results between Aston Villa and Everton|publisher=Soccerbase|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> As a result, Aston Villa versus Everton is the most played fixture in English top-flight football. Aston Villa is one of an elite group of seven clubs that has played in every [[Premier League|Premiership]] season, they are: [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], Aston Villa, [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]]. Aston Villa is sixth in the [[All-time FA Premier League table]]. Aston Villa is the fourth most successful club in English football history, having won 20 major honours.<ref name=alltimetable/>

Aston Villa currently hold the record number of league goals scored by any team in the English top-flight; 128 goals were scored in the [[1930-31 in English football|1930&ndash;31 season]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,13854,1393009,00.html| title=Villa's record breaking goal tally of 128 top-flight goals in 1930/31|publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref> Villa legend [[Archie Hunter]] became the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup in Villa's victorious 1887 campaign. Villa's longest unbeaten home run in the [[FA Cup]] spanned 13 years and 19 games, from 1888 to 1901.<ref> Aston Villa - A Complete Record 1874&ndash;1988, David Goodyear and Tony Matthews (Breedon Books 1988) (p.168) </ref>

Aston Villa are one of four [[English Football League teams|English]] teams that have won the [[UEFA Champions League|European Champions Cup]]. The other three are [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]], [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]. They did so on [[May 26]] [[1982]] in [[Rotterdam]], beating [[Bayern Munich]] 1&ndash;0 thanks to [[Peter Withe]]'s goal. Villa became the first club ever to beat Bayern Munich in a final.<ref>For more information and references see [[European Cup 1981-82]]</ref>

==Club honours==
[[Image:AstonVilla1896-97.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The Aston Villa team of 1896&ndash;97 with the [[Football League First Division|First Division Championship]] and the [[FA Cup Final 1897|FA Cup]].]]
[[Image:1895FACUP.JPG|200px|thumb|right|The Aston Villa team of 1894&ndash;95 with the [[FA Cup Final 1895|FA Cup]].]]
{{main|Aston_Villa_F.C._statistics_and_records#honours}}
Aston Villa have won European and domestic league honours. The club's last major honour was in 1996 when they won the [[Football League Cup|League Cup]]. The youth team however won the FA Youth Cup in 2002.<ref name=AVFChonours>{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Honours/0,,10265,00.html |title=AVFC club Honours |publisher=AVFC |accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref>
===European===
*'''[[UEFA Champions League|UEFA Champions League Winners (Former European Cup)]] 1'''</b>:
**[[European Cup 1981-82|1982]]
*'''[[European Super Cup|European Super Cup Winners]] 1'''</b>:
**[[European Super Cup#Two-legged finals|1982&ndash;83]]
*'''[[Intertoto Cup|InterToto Cup Winners]] 1</b>''':
**[[Inter-Toto Cup#1995-2005|2001]].<ref name=AVFChonours/>

===Domestic===
'''League titles'''
*'''[[Football League First Division|First Division Champions]] 7<ref>Up until 1992, the top division of [[Football in England|English football]] was the [[Football League First Division]]; since then, it has been the [[Premier League]].</ref>'''</b>:
**[[1893-94 in English football|1893&ndash;94]], [[1895-96 in English football|1895&ndash;96]], [[1896-97 in English football|1896&ndash;97]], [[1898-99 in English football|1898&ndash;99]], [[1899-00 in English football|1899&ndash;1900]], [[1909-10 in English football|1909&ndash;10]], [[1980-81 in English football|1980&ndash;81]]
*'''[[Football League Second Division|Second Division Champions]] 2<ref>Now known as the English Championship</ref>'''</b>:
**[[1937-38 in English football|1937&ndash;38]], [[1959-60 in English football|1959&ndash;60]]
*'''[[Football League Third Division|Third Division Champions]] 1<ref>Now know as English League one</ref>'''</b>:
**[[1971-72 in English football|1971&ndash;72]]<ref name=AVFChonours/>
'''Cups'''
*'''[[FA Cup|FA Cup Winners]] 7'''</b>:
**[[FA Cup Final 1887|1887]], [[FA Cup Final 1895|1895]], [[FA Cup Final 1897|1897]], [[FA Cup Final 1905|1905]], [[FA Cup Final 1913|1913]], [[FA Cup Final 1920|1920]], [[FA Cup Final 1957|1957]]
*'''[[Football League Cup|League Cup Winners]] 5'''</b>:
**[[Football League Cup#Finals|1961]], [[1975 Football League Cup Final|1975]], [[1977 Football League Cup Final|1977]], [[Football League Cup Final 1994|1994]], [[Football League Cup Final 1996|1996]]
*'''[[Charity Shield|Charity Shield Winners]] 1'''</b>:
**[[1981-82 in English football#Honours|1981]]*(shared)

==Players==
===Current squad===
:''As of [[01 April]] [[2008]].''<ref name="First Team Squad">{{cite web
| title = First Team Squad
| url = http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/FirstTeam/0,,10265,00.html
| publisher = Aston Villa FC
| accessdate = 2007-12-23}}</ref>
<ref name="Aston Villa complete Salifou move">{{cite news
| title = Aston Villa complete Salifou move
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/6973403.stm
| publisher = BBC Sport
| date = [[2007-08-31]]
| accessdate = 2007-09-03}}</ref>
{{football squad start}}
{{fs player| no= 1 | nat=Denmark | pos=GK| name=[[Thomas Sørensen]]}}
{{fs player| no= 3 | nat=Netherlands | pos=DF| name=[[Wilfred Bouma]]}}
{{fs player| no= 4 | nat=Sweden | pos=DF| name=[[Olof Mellberg]]}}
{{fs player| no= 5 | nat=Denmark | pos=DF| name=[[Martin Laursen]]}}
{{fs player| no= 6 | nat=England | pos=MF| name=[[Gareth Barry]]|other=[[captain (football)|captain]]}}
{{fs player| no= 7 | nat=England | pos=MF | name=[[Ashley Young]]}}
{{fs player| no= 9 | nat=England | pos=FW | name=[[Marlon Harewood]]}}
{{fs player| no=10 | nat=Norway | pos=FW | name=[[John Carew]]}}
{{fs player| no=11 | nat=England | pos=FW | name=[[Gabriel Agbonlahor]]}}
{{fs player| no=13 | nat=England | pos=GK | name=[[Stuart Taylor (footballer born 1980)|Stuart Taylor]]}}
{{fs player| no=14 | nat=England | pos=FW | name=[[Nathan Delfouneso]]}}
{{Fs player| no=15 | nat=England | pos=DF | name=[[Curtis Davies]]|other=on loan from [[West Brom]]}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player| no=16 | nat=England | pos=DF | name=[[Zat Knight]]}}
{{Fs player| no=17 | nat=Togo | pos=MF | name=[[Moustapha Salifou]]}}
{{fs player| no=18 | nat=England | pos=MF | name=[[Wayne Routledge]]}}
{{fs player| no=19 | nat=Bulgaria | pos=MF | name=[[Stiliyan Petrov]]}}
{{fs player| no=20 | nat=England | pos=MF | name=[[Nigel Reo-Coker]]|other=[[Vice-captain (football)|vice-captain]]}}
{{fs player| no=22 | nat=England | pos=GK | name=[[Scott Carson]]|other=on loan from [[Liverpool F.C.]]}}
{{fs player| no=23 | nat=Czech Republic| pos=MF | name=[[Patrik Berger]]}}
{{fs player| no=26 | nat=England | pos=MF | name=[[Craig Gardner]]}}
{{Fs player| no=27 | nat=England | pos=MF | name=[[Isaiah Osbourne]]}}
{{fs player| no=28 | nat=Scotland | pos=FW | name=[[Shaun Maloney]]}}
{{fs player| no=29 | nat=Ireland | pos=DF | name=[[Stephen O'Halloran]]}}
{{fs player| no=33 | nat=Hungary | pos=MF | name=[[Zoltan Stieber]]}}
{{fs end}}
;Out on loan
{{football squad start}}
{{fs player| no= 8 | nat=England | pos=FW | name=[[Luke Moore]]|other=on loan at [[West Bromwich Albion F.C.|West Bromwich Albion]]}}
{{football squad end}}
<!-- DO NOT change SQUAD NUMBERS without a REFERENCE, the change will be REVERTED -->


* For the Reserve team and details on the Academy, see [[Aston Villa F.C. Reserves and Academy]]
* For recent transfers, see [[List of English football transfers 2007-08]].
* For a list of the more notable players, and of the team's past captains, see [[List of Aston Villa F.C. players]].
* For a list of all past and present players, see [[:Category:Aston Villa F.C. players]].

== Notable players ==
{{main|List of Aston Villa F.C. players}}
There have been many players who can be called notable throughout Aston Villa's history. These can be classified and recorded in several forms. The Halls of Fame and PFA Players of the Year are noted below. For all players with over 100 appearances for Aston Villa, see [[List of Aston Villa F.C. players]] and for those players that only played for Aston Villa see [[One-club man]].

Several Aston Villa players have won the [[PFA Players' Player of the Year]] award. At the end of every [[England|English]] [[football (soccer)|football]] season, the members of the [[Professional Footballers Association]] (PFA) vote on which of its members has played the best football in the previous year. In [[1976-77 in English football|1977]] [[Andy Gray (footballer born 1955)|Andy Gray]] won the award. In [[1989-90 in English football|1990]] it was awarded to [[David Platt]], whilst [[Paul McGrath (footballer)|Paul McGrath]] won it in [[1992-93 in English football|1993]]. Two Villa players have won the [[PFA Young Player of the Year]] which is awarded to players under the age of 23. In [[1976-77 in English football|1977]] [[Andy Gray (footballer born 1955)|Andy Gray]] won the award and in [[1980-81 in English football|1981]] [[Gary Shaw]] received it. Only one Villa player has been inducted into the [[English Football Hall of Fame]], housed in the [[National Football Museum|The National Football Museum]] in [[Preston]], [[England]]. This was [[Danny Blanchflower]] who was inducted in 2003. Aston Villa though, have provided more [[England national football team|England]] internationals than any other club, 66 to date.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamClubs/ClubsMostCapped/AstonVillaMostCapped.html| title=A list of every Villa player to play for England |publisher=England Football online|accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref></small>

;'''Aston Villa Hall of Fame'''
This was voted for by fans and to this date there has been one induction of 12 players in 2006.<ref>{{cite web | title=Hall of Fame| url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HallOfFame/0,,10265,00.html|publisher=Aston Villa F.C. |accessdate=2007-06-26}}</ref>
{{col-begin-small}}
{{col-4}}
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[William McGregor]]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[George Ramsay]]
* {{flagicon|Wales}} [[Trevor Ford]]
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Eric Houghton]]
{{col-4}}
* {{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Peter McParland]]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Charlie Aitken]]
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Brian Little]]
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Ron Saunders]]<ref>Saunders was never a player for Aston Villa; he was the manager from 1974 to 1982.</ref>
{{col-4}}
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Peter Withe]]
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Dennis Mortimer]]
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Gordon Cowans]]
* {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Paul McGrath (footballer)|Paul McGrath]]
{{col-end}}

;'''[[Football League 100 Legends]]'''
The '''Football League 100 Legends''' is a list of "100 legendary [[football (soccer)|football]] players" produced by [[The Football League]] in 1998, to celebrate the 100th season of League football.
{{col-begin-small}}
{{col-4}}
* {{flagicon|Northern Ireland}} [[Danny Blanchflower]]
* {{flagicon|Wales}} [[Trevor Ford]]
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Archie Hunter]]
{{col-4}}
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Sam Hardy]]
* {{flagicon|Republic of Ireland}} [[Paul McGrath (footballer)|Paul McGrath]]
{{col-4}}
* {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Peter Schmeichel]]
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Clem Stephenson]]
{{col-end}}

==Management==
===Current management and coaching staff===
:''As of [[18 September]] [[2007]].''<ref name="WHO' WHO">{{cite web
| title = WHO' WHO
| url = http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/WhosWhoDetail/0,,10265~423221,00.html
| publisher = Aston Villa FC
| accessdate = 2007-06-28}}</ref>
[[Image:O'Neill, Martin.jpg|thumb|right|Aston Villa's manager [[Martin O'Neill]], appointed in 2006.]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name
!Nationality
!Role
|-
|[[Martin O'Neill]]||{{NIR}}||Manager
|-
|[[John Neilson Robertson|John Robertson]]||{{SCO}}|||Assistant Manager
|-
|[[Steve Walford]]||{{ENG}}||First Team Coach
|-
|[[Kevin MacDonald (footballer)|Kevin MacDonald]]||{{SCO}}||Reserve Team Coach
|-
|[[Seamus McDonagh]]||{{IRL}}||Goalkeeping Coach
|-
|[[Gordon Cowans]]||{{ENG}}||Head Youth Team Coach
|-
|[[Tony McAndrew]]||{{SCO}}||Youth Team Coach
|-
|[[Ian Storey-Moore]]||{{ENG}}||Chief Scout
|-
|[[Alan Smith (physio)|Alan Smith]]||{{ENG}}||Physiotherapist
|-
|[[Stuart Walker]]||{{ENG}}||Physiotherapist
|}

===Notable managers===
{{Details|List of Aston Villa managers}}
The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge or have been notable for Villa in the context of the League, for example [[Josef Venglos]] who holds a League record.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
!rowspan="2"|Name
!rowspan="2"|Nationality
!colspan="2"|Period
!rowspan="2"|Played
!rowspan="2"|Win
!rowspan="2"|Draw
!rowspan="2"|Lose
!rowspan="2"|Win%<ref>Win% is [[Rounding|rounded]] to [[Decimal|two decimal places]]</ref>
!rowspan="2"|Honours
|-
!From
!To
|-
|align=left|[[George Ramsay]]
|{{SCO}}
|align=left|August 1884
|align=left|May 1926
|align=left|-
|align=left|-
|align=left|-
|align=left|-
|align=left|-
|align=left|6 [[FA Cup]]s, 6 [[Football League First Division|Division One championships]]
|-
|align=left|[[Jimmy Hogan]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|November 1936
|align=left|September 1939
|align=left|124
|align=left|57
|align=left|41
|align=left|26
|align=left|45.97
|align=left|[[Football League Second Division|Division Two Champions]]
|-
|align=left|[[Eric Houghton]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|September 1953
|align=left|November 1958
|align=left|250
|align=left|88
|align=left|97
|align=left|65
|align=left|35.2
|align=left|[[FA Cup|FA Cup winner]]
|-
|align=left|[[Joe Mercer]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|December 1958
|align=left|July 1964
|align=left|282
|align=left|120
|align=left|99
|align=left|63
|align=left|42.55
|align=left|[[Football League Second Division|Division Two Champions]], [[Football League Cup|League Cup winner]]
|-
|align=left|[[Ron Saunders]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|June 1974
|align=left|February 1982
|align=left|353
|align=left|157
|align=left|98
|align=left|98
|align=left|44.76
|align=left|2 [[Football League Cup|League Cups]], [[Football League First Division|Division One champions]]. Also in 2006 was inducted into the ''Aston Villa Hall of Fame''.<ref name=AVHOF>The ''Aston Villa Hall of Fame'' was voted for by fans and to this date there has been one induction of 12 players in 2006.</ref>
|-
|align=left|[[Tony Barton]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|February 1982
|align=left|June 1984
|align=left|130
|align=left|58
|align=left|48
|align=left|24
|align=left|44.62
|align=left|[[European Cup 1981-82|European Cup]], [[European Super Cup]]
|-
|align=left|[[Jozef Venglos]]
|{{TCH}}
|align=left|July 1990
|align=left|May 1991
|align=left|49
|align=left|16
|align=left|18
|align=left|15
|align=left|32.65
|align-left|First manager not from Britain or Ireland to take charge of a top-flight club in England.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/134664.stm|title=Venglos first foreign coach|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-06-27}}</ref>
|-
|align=left|[[Ron Atkinson]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|July 1991
|align=left|November 1994
|align=left|178
|align=left|77
|align=left|56
|align=left|45
|align=left|43.25
|align=left|[[Football League Cup|League Cup winner]]
|-
|align=left|[[Brian Little (footballer)|Brian Little]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|November 1994
|align=left|February 1998
|align=left|164
|align=left|68
|align=left|51
|align=left|45
|align=left|41.46
|align=left|[[Football League Cup|League Cup winner]]. Also in 2006 was inducted into the ''Aston Villa Hall of Fame''.<ref name=AVHOF/>
|-
|align=left|[[John Gregory (footballer)|John Gregory]]
|{{ENG}}
|align=left|February 1998
|align=left|January 2002
|align=left|190
|align=left|82
|align=left|56
|align=left|52
|align=left|43.15
|align=left|[[Intertoto Cup|Intertoto Cup winner]]
|}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}
==References==
*{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/default.stm |title=Current statistics page for Aston Villa |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2007-08-03}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.soccerbase.com/teams2.sd?teamid=154 |title=Information and career statistics |publisher=Soccerbase |accessdate=2007-08-03}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.astonvilla.dk/history/top_frame.htm |title=Aston Villa fansite with history and appearance records |publisher=Christian Jahnsen |accessdate=2007-08-03}}
*{{cite web |url=http://web.telia.com/~u27301997/start.html |title=Comprehensive Aston Villa Player database |publisher=Jörn Mårtensson |accessdate=2007-08-03}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HallOfFame/0,,10265,00.html |title=Aston Villa Hall of Fame |publisher=AVFC |accessdate=2007-08-03}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Honours/0,,10265,00.html |title=Official website - Club honours |publisher=AVFC |accessdate=2007-08-09}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Aston Villa FC.ogg|2007-09-04}}
{{Commons|:Category:Aston Villa FC|Aston Villa F.C.}}
*[http://www.avfc.co.uk/ Official Aston Villa website]
*[http://www.avlfc.com/ Aston Villa Ladies website]
*[http://www.premierleague.com/aston-villa.html Aston Villa - Premierleague.com]
*[http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Aston_Villa/Aston_Villa.htm Graphical History of Aston Villa kits]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/default.stm Aston Villa BBC]
*[http://home.skysports.com/club.aspx?clid=7&cpid=8 Aston Villa Sky Sports]
*[http://www.eyerevolution.co.uk/virtual_tours/aston_villa_football_club/index.php/ Virtual tours of Villa Park]

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[[Category:Aston Villa F.C.| ]]
[[Category:English football clubs]]
[[Category:Sport in Birmingham, England]]
[[Category:Football (soccer) clubs established in 1874]]
[[Category:Football League founder members]]
[[Category:Premier League clubs]]
[[Category:FA Cup winners]]

{{Link FA|ro}}

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Revision as of 14:02, 11 April 2008

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