Aston Villa

Aston Villa (Villa, The Villans)

Club history

Aston Villa were formed in 1874 and are one of the oldest and most successful English football clubs ever, with no fewer than 21 major trophies under their belt, including seven First Division titles and the same number of FA Cups, and are one of only four English sides to have lifted the coveted European Cup trophy. In 1897, Villa won "The Double" and moved into their current home, Villa Park.

Villa's most successful period in the post-war era came in the early 1980s when consecutive seasons saw the club win the top-flight league title, victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final, and then winners against Barcelona in the European Super Cup.

Success was followed by sharp decline during the late eighties and nineties, despite winning two League Cups and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

More recently, a new lease of life was injected into Villa when Martin O'Neil came on board in 2006 following the acrimonious departure of boss David O'Leary. At the same time, after 23 years, Chairman Deadly Doug Ellis sold his majority stake in the club to American businessman Randy Lerner.

At the end of the 2009/10 season, Aston Villa finished in sixth position, qualifying for Europa League action with a side consisting of more England international players than any other club. Martin O'Neill announced he was quitting the club ahead of the 2010/11 campaign, and Villa look likely to start the new season with caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald in charge.