The start of the nineties saw the return of English Football into European competitions, and after enjoying brief moments in Uefa Cup, Villa were looking for more continued success. A disappointing 1990/91 season had seen Josef Vengelos depart and Villa were now looking for their 5th Manager in just 7 years.
We pick up the story in the Summer of 1991. This would see a new Manager, a new side and shortly afterwards a new era in English Football.
Obvious Choice
There was only one man who looked destined to take the job and his name was Ron Atkinson. Atkinson started in the youth team before becoming an electrician. He then went into the professional game as the captain of Oxford United. A huge Centre half, he was known as ‘the Tank’.
He then started to make his name as Manager, first having a successful spell at Non-League Kettering and then Cambridge United taking them up from fourth to third and then on their way to second before landing a big job in the top division. His most famous exploit at Cambridge was acquiring a player from Barry Fry for the payment of a pitch roller!
He took over at West Bromwich Albion in 1978 and led an exciting team with stars such as Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham, Brendon Batson and the future captain of England, Bryan Robson. West Brom were consistently near the higher reaches of the division and enjoyed many European adventures.
In 1981, he left to take over at Manchester United. Desperately seeking to bring a league title since the Sir Matt Busby era, his 5 years brought two FA Cup wins but not the big one. They finished in the top four of all his seasons in charge. After a difficult start to the 1986/87 season, he was sacked to make way for Sir Alex Ferguson.
A brief return to West Brom and then a short time at Atletico Madrid followed before returning back to 1st Division with Sheffield Wednesday. He was unable to keep them up in 1990 but the following year, he won his 1st League Cup against Manchester United 1-0. Wednesday also achieved immediate return to the top flight and now he was the wanted man by Doug Ellis at the Villa.
At first, he wanted to stay at Wednesday. However, after some more thinking time, he changed his mind and the exciting times would begin.
Revolving Door
Despite Ron’s best efforts, David Platt would depart for a fresh challenge in Italy. In Plato’s move to Bari, £5.5M would change hands, a record fee at the time. With a pocket full of money, having reflected on the current squad, he felt a fresh team would be needed and could be afforded.
Some big names going out included Derek Mountfield, Kent Nielsen, Gordon Cowans, Chris Price, Stuart Gray and Tony Cascarino.
Coming in- lots of exciting youngsters and but also experience to strenthen and spearhead the new team. Firstly, a double signing from Spanish side Real Sociedad – Striker Dalian Atkinson, and experienced Midfielder Kevin Richardson who had won league titles in the 80s with both Everton and Arsenal. Steve Staunton would arrive from Liverpool to take his place at left back with Shaun Teale joining from Bournemouth to be at the heart of central defence with Paul McGrath. Young promising players such as Ugo Ehiogu and Neil Cox joined, with Regis rejoining his old boss. Other key players such as Earl Barrett and Garry Parker would join later in the season.
Awkward Start
With ex legend Andy Gray and Tony Barton joining the backroom team, the league computer played a trick on Big Ron. His opening game as Villa Manager was away at? Yes, you guess it, Sheffield Wednesday. They were now managed by Player Manager Trevor Francis and made a dream start, racing into 2-0 lead.
Villa bounced back and goals from Regis, Dalian Atkinson (ex Wednesday player) and a winner from Staunton clinched a 3-2 victory.The first season brought its challenges, particularly with goal scoring. Dalian Atkinson spent large spells on the treatment table, and a young star from Trinidad and Tobago topped the goalscoring charts for Villa.
Dwight Yorke joined in 1989 after impressing Villa when they played on pre season tour under Graham Taylor. He started to make his name in that season, scoring 17 goals in total.
A Good Effort
Despite the struggles in front of goal, Villa finished 7th, a massive improvement from the previous season. There would be further changes to make us more competitive and that mirrored the trend in the elite of English game.
A New Ball Game
Since the 80s, there had been much talk of elite teams breaking away from the Football League to create a super league. In February 1992, that became a reality. The top 22 clubs would form a brand new Premier League which would bring more revenue to the cubs especially from tv rights as Sky would be the domain force.
Ironically this would affect Villa, as Andy Gray left coaching to become the main commentator for the network. The Premier League would be the new top division with rebranding of the three football divisions below.
The Competition
The scene was set and we wanted to be the first ever champions of the Premier League. The competition would be Leeds United who were defending their title, Manchester United who were still looking for that elusive league title under Ferguson, Arsenal who had won the championship twice in last four seasons and Liverpool, who were not the dominant force they used to be under beleaguered Graeme Souness.
For all you youngsters asking about Tottenham Hotspur, Man City and Chelsea. Tottenham were rebuilding after the sales of Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne, Man City were trying to be competitive under Player Manager Peter Reid as was Chelsea under Ian Porterfield, who would go on to be the first Manager to be sacked in the Premier League.
Oh Deano
The pre season would see one big name coming in from Liverpool, midfielder Ray Houghton, with another name from Anfield being strongly linked. The investment would certainly be justified after a difficult start to the season which saw only 1 win from opening six games.
Ron Atkinson desperately needed a Striker to partner the now fully fit Dalian. Regis was in the Autumn of his career, Yorke was being used more as a winger and the gamble of bringing in West Ham legend Frank McAvennie for free hadn’t worked.
Ron made a passionate speech before the 1st home win of the season, a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace. Yes, youngsters we have beaten Crystal Palace before! The man he wanted was Dean Saunders.
Saunders, a Welsh International, was a proven goalscorer at clubs such as Oxford United, Derby County and now Liverpool. He was signed for £2.5M and set to business up front.
Scoring 6 in his first four league games including a double against Liverpool in a 4-2 home win saw Villa climbing and the challenge was on!
Surprise Threat
Aston Villa enjoyed a 13 game unbeaten run in all competitions before a visit from top of the table team on 28th November. Lots of team were mentioned earlier under the earlier heading ‘The Competition’ but this one wasn’t mentioned.
That was because the Premier League started, they were fancied for the drop. For the 2nd time in 12 years, one of Villa’s main threats had come from East Anglia. This time not Ipswich Town, but their arch rivals Norwich City.
Their defence may have been leaky but they had exciting attacking players under Mike Walker. They raced into a 2-0 lead before we fought back to bring it back to 2-2. Norwich then quickly retook the lead and took the 3 points.
Norwich would be fighting for the title along with Manchester United. Eric Cantona‘s surprise move from Leeds United rejuvenated the team, setting up an exciting 3 way tussle for the first ever Premier League title.
The Match
Aston Villa had enjoyed two 1-0 successes at home against Manchester United, first in the League Cup and then the Premier league in the Autumn. Now the big match was at Old Trafford on 14th March 1993 with both teams going for it. We took the lead with stunning goal from Steve Staunton. However we couldn’t hold on, with Mark Hughes getting the equaliser. The points were shared.
The top of table saw us both change top place constantly. We held on to top of the table by one point ahead of Manchester United with Norwich’s dream effectively ended after a 3-1 home defeat to United. Then came April.
April 10th 1993
Both challengers had awkward home matches. We took on Midlands rivals Coventry City whilst United were at home to double cup finalists Sheffield Wednesday.
Despite suffering our heaviest defeat of season, a 3-0 drubbing at Coventry on Boxing Day, the Sky Blues were ideal opponents as they had never won at Villa Park.
We huffed and puffed but to no avail, a goalless draw. At first this looked not the worst result with Man Utd trailing 1-0. Even a Steve Bruce equaliser in the 86th minute, looked like Villa would hold on to top position. Then came Fergie time! It seemed that every United game ended with Fergie on the touch line tapping his watch, either to encourage the ref to blow the whistle, or to continue the game until United had scored.
Now youngsters, the addition of what seems like hours of injury time is a common thing now but in 1993, it was anyone’s guess how long it would be!The 96th minute hit the clock and Gary Pallister deflected a cross, found the head of Bruce and they would have all the momentum now.
Not Quite Enough
The next two matches would see United matching our wins as we won 1-0 at Arsenal and come back to win at home against Manchester City 3-1.
We trailed by just a point with 3 games to go and then came April 21st.
We would face a tricky away match at big spending Blackburn Rovers whilst Man United had an away match at relegation threatened Crystal Palace.
We needed a big performance and sadly we lost it at the worse possible stage. Trailing 3-0 at half time, there was no response. Now all attention would turn to London.
At 0-0, a draw would still give us a chance. However goals from Mark Hughes and Paul Ince gave them a 2-0 win and they put one hand on that league title which they had waited 26 years for.
The next match confirmed it. With Oldham Athletic staring at the drop, they came to Villa Park to win 1-0 in the start of their great escape.
As for us, the dream was over. The 2nd time in 3 years our dreams were killed off in our last home game. We finished 2nd in the first ever Premier League, which still remains our best ever finish. A return to Europe was achieved as well.
We Want Success
The following season saw three signings coming in. The return of Gordon Cowans, for a third and final time at Villa Park, Guy Whittingham from Portsmouth and a £2.3M arrival from Chelsea of experienced Midfielder Andy Townsend.
Villa enjoyed a solid enough start to the season, only losing once in 7 games before a return to the Uefa Cup.
Like Vengelos, Ron Atkinson’s first game in charge of European competition would come against Czech opposition (at the time) in Slovan Bratislava.
The first leg brought a useful 0-0 draw before the return at Villa Park. Goals from Dalian Atkinson and Townsend proved more then enough in a 2-1 win. The next round would be more challenging.
This was against a useful Deportivo La Coruna team from Spain. Again Villa were away in the first leg and again got a useful draw, this time with a precious away goal from Dean Saunders. Now to finish the job.
Turning Point
The second leg saw big hopes at Villa park and not for first time, disappointment for home supporters. A 1-0 defeat sealed exit out of Europe.
Two league wins followed, which saw us in 2nd place behind defending champions Manchester United.
Then came a home match against a struggling Southampton side. A dismal performance on a dismal night, saw Saints take a 2-0 win thanks to a double from Matt Le Tissier. This inconsistency in the league would go on throughout the season.
All Is Not Lost
This may not have been the best time in the league for Villa but we were proving to be a useful Cup side.
We reached the semi-finals of the League Cup thanks to wins over rivals Birmingham City (2-0 aggregate), Sunderland, holders Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, with the last 3 wins being on the road.
Since the last domestic cup success in 1977, we hadn’t played at Wembley since the Charity Shield in 1981 and hadn’t made the semi-finals of the competition since we succumbed to eventual winners Oxford United in 1986.
Now, standing in our way of long awaited return to Wembley, were First Division promotion challengers Tranmere Rovers.
The first leg was at Tranmere and the battle already looked lost. Tranmere were heading for a 3-0 victory ahead of the 2nd leg until Dalian Atkinson struck to give us a massive lifeline ahead of the return.
Bosnich The Hero
The second leg started with a mountain to climb as described by the gaffer. It looked pretty simple enough with goals from Saunders and Shaun Teale to bring the overall score level.
Then came a Tranmere attack with star forward John Aldridge being brought down by Mark Bosnich.
Bosnich stayed on but Aldridge scored, to put Tranmere ahead on aggregate. The game went on and it looked as if all Villa’s efforts were to be in vain.
Then right at the end, Dalian Atkinson struck again and the game was 3-1 to Villa and 4-4 on aggregate. The game went into extra time but nothing could separate the sides.
Then came Penalties. Mark Bosnich was brought in by Ron Atkinson after a brief spell at Manchester United. He had to wait for his chance to become number 1, replacing the veteran Nigel Spink. Now was his chance to shine.
The first 5 penalties went in, with Villa leading 3-2. Then Brennan stepped up and Bosnich saved, Advantage Villa. With the next two going in, up stepped Ugo Ehiogu.
A chance to be the hero, he struck the bar and Tranmere were still alive. Aldridge scored and then came the skipper, Kevin Richardson. Blasting his penalty into row Z, Liam O’Brien needed to score and Tranmere were going to Wembley.
Bosnich had other ideas. He pulled off a great save when we needed it most. As Tony Daley stepped forward, the fans were praying. He scored and all the pressure was on Ian Nolan. He stepped up – and Bosnich saved again. Everyone connected to the club went wild, Villa were back at Wembley for the first time in a cup final for 17 years. ‘Oh Ozzie Ozzie Bozzie’ sang the elated Villa fans!
We Meet Again
The opponents would be Manchester United who easily saw off Sheffield Wednesday in the Semi-Finals. They were aiming to be the first side to win the domestic treble and went into the Final heavy favourites.
Our form in the league was still patchy and we had lost 3 in row before the Final itself. The first of the poor run came in a 1-0 home loss to Ipswich Town. On the same day, Man Utd beat Charlton Athletic 3-1 in the FA Cup Quarter Final but their win came at a massive cost.
Star goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel’s moment of madness bringing down Kim Grant from outside the area and handling the ball, saw him receive a straight red and a suspension for the Final. Ex Villa keeper Les Sealey was in between the posts.
A Masterpiece
Aston Villa were able to pull out the strongest team with exception of one big surprise in the midfield. Out came the experienced heads of Garry Parker and Ray Houghton for a youngster who impressed at rivals West Bromwich Albion earlier in the season.
Graham Fenton came into the midfield to bring some more energy but the chance of an upset looked remote, with our indifferent league form and with Man Utd achieving a league double over us earlier in the season.
The game was played a quick pace. The players were tough but played fair, a credit to both clubs. Aston Villa struggled to begin with until a lovely flick from Dean Saunders saw Dalian Atkinson run through to poke it into the net and we took a precious half-time lead.
The second half was played at same tempo with United looking not quite their normal selves. A free kick came our way in the last quarter of the game. Dean Saunders put his foot out and flicked it in, 2-0 up and on set for victory.
Man Utd wouldn’t give it without a fight and Mark Hughes pulled on back to give us nervous ending. Mark Bosnich then pulled off a wonderful save from Hughes to keep us ahead.
Whilst trying to withhold the pressure, we still looked dangerous on the break. It was our final break which led to a sequence of events that graced the Final, Tony Daley struck the post before the ball came back to Dalian Atkinson. This was cleared off the line and at first this seemed like a good block.
Then as closer inspection, saw Man United Winger Andrei Kanchelskis handled on the line. A penalty was awarded and Kanchelskis was sent off. He stayed off the pitch to see Saunders with the chance to clinch the trophy.
He put it past Sealey and this would be Villa’s day. Ron Atkinson 2nd League Cup win and a second over his ex employers. Kevin Richardson lifted the trophy up and the fans celebrated a first trophy win since 1983 and our first domestic trophy since the league title back in 1981.
New Beginnings
The end of the season fizzled out with the last big talking point coming at the last game of the season, at home against Liverpool. The Holte End would be terraced for the final time ahead of being built into all seater stadium.
The tragic events of Liverpool fans at Hillsborough back in 1989 had led to the Taylor Report the following year, which required all clubs in top two tier of the Football pyramid to be all seater Stadiums.
It would be another happy day as we came back from a goal behind to win 2-1 with Dwight Yorke scoring a double. Our final position was 10th, so not bad, but more had to be achieved for the following season.
New Signings
It was clear that more goals and better skill at holding up the play was needed. The signing to fit the bill came as a bit of surprise, 32 year old John Fashanu from Wimbledon. Fashanu had enjoyed a decent record at Wimbledon and had been the thorn in Villa sides plenty of times before.
The other major addition was Left back Phil King, reuniting with Big Ron, who he played for at Sheffield Wednesday. There were some goodbyes to be made as well with Steven Frogratt and Neil Cox leaving as well as Tony Daley, who would rejoin with his ex Villa Manager Graham Taylor, now at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The scene was set.
The Italian Job (Part 2)
We started the season well and were unbeaten in the first 5 league games of the season before the start of Uefa Cup campaign. That test couldn’t have been harder.
The first round saw us matched up with current holders Inter Milan. Inter Milan had knocked out Norwich City in the previous season but this was not a great side compared to 1990 and they had struggled domestically.
This time the first leg was at San Siro. A difficult assignment, time to hold our nerve. We met with the challenge extremely well until a controversial moment. Nigel Spink was judged to bring a forward down and a soft penalty was awarded. Dennis Bergkamp scored to give Inter a slight advantage going into the 2nd leg.
We were all set for second leg and the crowd was pumping. A tight game came alive right near the end of first half with Ray Houghton striking past Pagulica to bring the scores level.
Villa created many more chances to win the game but no further goals arrived. For the second time this year, Villa would face a nervy battle on penalties.
With Inter going first, the scores were at 3-3 with Parker, Townsend and Staunton all scoring for Villa. Then advantage to us with the 4th Inter penalty going over the bar. This was immediately squandered as Guy Whittingham saw his penalty saved.
Inter’s fifth penalty struck the top of the bar and came out and now it was all on Phil King. Kevin Keegan in commentary for ITV, suggested he gave a good smack. He did, King smacked it straight and true. Another Villa win, another massive pitch invasion and another win. The holders were out and we were through. The next day’s newspaper headline was the inevitable but very satisfying ‘King of Europe’.
The Final Stand
The next round would see us against relatively unknown opposition from Turkey in Trabzonspor. The first leg would be away again and the atmosphere was hot and daunting, just like Man Utd had found themselves in European Cup the previous season at Galatasaray.
Again the performance was good but a lack of concentration from a corner saw the hosts take the first leg 1-0.
Sadly this would be a regular occurrence for us in the season. Not scoring enough goals and poor defensive moments led to us losing 6 out of 7 Premier League games after the start of Uefa Cup Campaign.
With four teams going down this season, as the league would reduced from 22 to 20 teams, the pressure was on Big Ron, who was already having a frosty relationship with the Chairman, never the easiest of colleagues.
The second leg saw us create chances but we had to wait for our moment until the 75th minute. Dalian Atkinson’s header saw a defender sacrificing himself to prevent a Villa goal. Another penalty at Villa Park and Steve Staunton took it. He didn’t look confident and that showed, as it was saved, but then the ball came out to Ugo Ehiogu who slid in to see the keeper save it again before Atkinson finally struck it home. Game on.
With the game looking like it would enter extra time, Trabzonspor won a late corner. A series of opportunities to clear was wasted and Orhan scored the goal to put us out. Trailing 2-1 behind and now with the Turks also holding an away goal advantage, it was too late for miracles. Or was it?
Ehiogu scored almost immediate to put us back in the lead on the night but still needing one more goal. Incredibly there were two big chances, one from Ehiogu again and by McGrath. They were saved and after six minutes of injury time, Trabzonspor held on to win on away goal rule. This was a killer blow and it wouldn’t be the last that this rule would cost us dear.
So we were out of the Uefa Cup, and after two more league defeats to Man Utd and Wimbledon, Ron Atkinson was out of a job as well.
Big Fat Ron’s Claret & Blue Army
Ron left after just over 3 years but what a ride it had been. He came in, completely rebuilding a new team that challenged for the title and brought glorious cup moments both domestically and on European Nights.
So many memories for fans which I can personally vouch for myself, starting my personal love for the club from the beginning of the year which saw us bring the League Cup back to Villa Park. My first visit to Villa Park came just after the League Cup win and I still have the League Cup programme which I took to that game for signing.
Ron showed great trust in his team and the players. There could be no doubt it had an abundance of experience but come November 1994, the age of the team was starting to show and probably a fresh approach was needed.
Possibly from a former player or players to come in to avoid us going from being contenders for the title to contenders for relegation in just over 2 seasons?
Next Edition- The Boys Are Back In Town