Peak Villa?

[ccfcman]

I'm 38 and so didn't get to enjoy 1982, the Coca Cola Cup was the first trophy I saw us lift. I always have a soft spot for the MON European days and then we hit the skids.

I wonder, especially for some of the older lads. Does this feel like peak Aston Villa (to date)?

I simply cannot recall a time with such a level of optimism, it almost feels as if the likes of Doug Ellis and Alex McLeish never existed. On top of this our squad is really strong, we have one of the great managers of our time, owners that really seem clued in and ffs, Monchi is Sporting Director! Monchi! Haha, it's comical how far we've come in 18 months let alone 18 years.

I loved those Bluenose bashing 00s with Gabby, Ashley Young, Stan and John Carew but this feels like it's on another level. I cannot wait for the next optimism thread!

What a glorious time to be a Villa fan.

Edited July 23, 2023 by ccfcman

[Don_Simon]

The summer of Savo et al was incredibly hopeful. There were summers under MON too, after sixth place finishes, that were hopeful.

Here's hoping this isn't another false dawn...

[villa82]

I remember 1981-82. Also remember some good years with big fat Ron. Great football.

[El Segundo]

 

Whilst 80-82 was our peak in terms of achievement I wouldn't say there was a great deal of hope or expectation at the start of the 1980-81 season and the achievements that followed were somewhat out of the blue, and perhaps aided by Ellis not being around.  Then Ellis soon returned and ruined it.

Past periods where there was a lot of hope and expectation for me were:

1976-1978-ish, Saunders team with Andy Gray/Dennis Mortimer/Alex Cropley/John Gidman etc. when we played some of the most exciting football we've ever played - but it didn't last after Gray and Gidman left.

Taylor's first season back in the first division with Platt, Cowans, McGrath etc. when we finished second - ended when Taylor left for England and Ellis appointed Venglos.

Big Ron's era with Saunders/Dalian/Mcgrath/Yorke, also second and won the League Cup.  Just went downhill after some of the players got too old and we signed the likes of Fashanu.

The early part of the Lerner/O'Neil era up to the "Marlon Harewood moment" where it became obvious to me O'Neill was a dick and that Lerner would fund whatever dickery he pursued.

I'd say now is the first time we've had the full package of elite manager and coaches, top players, wealthy and ambitious owners, top notch academy, state of the art training facilities, and the stadium sold out every game.   It does feel like we could be on the verge of some good times, but then there are 6 or 7 other clubs in similar positions so it's still a battle.

 

 

 

[Wainy316]

95 to 98 we were very competitive and looked like we'd push on.  We come very close to but missed out on some very big signings (possibly deliberately  -cheers Doug) in that time.  Roberto Carlos, Paul Gascoigne and Juninho were all a whisker away from being Villa players.

 

95/96 is my personal favourite Villa side and I'm the same age as the OP.

 

 

 

 

[villan95]

The Villa team circa 2008 were my favourite (until now at least) Had Laursen being a rock in defence as well as the biggest goal threat I've seen from set pieces. Barry orchestrating everything from midfield. Ashley Young at his exciting best. John Carew in his prime and Gabby when he was still fast and lean.

I know we had a couple of years challenging for top 4 after that but it was never quite as exciting as that team IMO.

Edited July 25, 2023 by villan95

[El-Reacho]

8 minutes ago, Wainy316 said:

95 to 98 we were very competitive and looked like we'd push on.  We come very close to but missed out on some very big signings (possibly deliberately  -cheers Doug) in that time.  Roberto Carlos, Paul Gascoigne and Juninho were all a whisker away from being Villa players.

 

95/96 is my personal favourite Villa side and I'm the same age as the OP.

 

 

 

 

I’m a couple of years older - but peak villa for me was the ‘96 league final with Savo and Yorke up front. Can’t really remember the title challenge of the early 90s that well.

[rjw63]

On 23/07/2023 at 23:26, ccfcman said:

 

I wonder, especially for some of the older lads. Does this feel like peak Aston Villa (to date)?

 

No. But we're heading the right way.

Best I've seen was the Ron Saunders team from 76-81.

Sexiest football probably the BFR early era.

Winning a trophy with a Villa legend as manager was also pretty nice.

[lexicon]

On 24/07/2023 at 01:26, ccfcman said:

I'm 38 and so didn't get to enjoy 1982, the Coca Cola Cup was the first trophy I saw us lift. I always have a soft spot for the MON European days and then we hit the skids.

I wonder, especially for some of the older lads. Does this feel like peak Aston Villa (to date)?

I simply cannot recall a time with such a level of optimism, it almost feels as if the likes of Doug Ellis and Alex McLeish never existed. On top of this our squad is really strong, we have one of the great managers of our time, owners that really seem clued in and ffs, Monchi is Sporting Director! Monchi! Haha, it's comical how far we've come in 18 months let alone 18 years.

I loved those Bluenose bashing 00s with Gabby, Ashley Young, Stan and John Carew but this feels like it's on another level. I cannot wait for the next optimism thread!

What a glorious time to be a Villa fan.

 

I'm about the same age and last season was the best I've seen, hands down. 

[allani]

38 minutes ago, El Segundo said:

 

Whilst 80-82 was our peak in terms of achievement I wouldn't say there was a great deal of hope or expectation at the start of the 1980-81 season and the achievements that followed were somewhat out of the blue, and perhaps aided by Ellis not being around.  Then Ellis soon returned and ruined it.

Past periods where there was a lot of hope and expectation for me were:

1976-1978-ish, Saunders team with Andy Gray/Dennis Mortimer/Alex Cropley/John Gidman etc. when we played some of the most exciting football we've ever played - but it didn't last after Gray and Gidman left.

Taylor's first season back in the first division with Platt, Cowans, McGrath etc. when we finished second - ended when Taylor left for England and Ellis appointed Venglos.

Big Ron's era with Saunders/Dalian/Mcgrath/Yorke, also second and won the League Cup.  Just went downhill after some of the players got too old and we signed the likes of Fashanu.

The early part of the Lerner/O'Neil era up to the "Marlon Harewood moment" where it became obvious to me O'Neill was a dick and that Lerner would fund whatever dickery he pursued.

I'd say now is the first time we've had the full package of elite manager and coaches, top players, wealthy and ambitious owners, top notch academy, state of the art training facilities, and the stadium sold out every game.   It does feel like we could be on the verge of some good times, but then there are 6 or 7 other clubs in similar positions so it's still a battle.

 

 

 

I'd go along almost entirely with this.  It looked like Taylor was close to forming something special - had he not gone to England I think he'd have really had us purring in the early 1990s.  He also seemed like the kind of guy who could work around Ellis (not the easiest thing to do).  I felt a bit sorry for Venglos - I think he might have been the right man but definitely at the wrong time.  Big Ron was let down massively by Ellis - I still maintain that we should have won the league under Big Ron had Ellis spent money on one more signing.  Even under Little I thought we were probably only a couple of good signings away from being really, really competitive and in with a chance.

But this is definitely the best placed we've been as a club that I can ever remember.  We've got ambitious owners who are willing to invest, an ambitious manager and backroom staff, ambitious plans commercially and for development of the stadium and the area.  We're building a good squad - but are hamstrung by the ridiculous nature of FFP which gives the Sly 6 such a massive and unfair advantage and by the fact that we're coming off a decade or more of massive underachievement when the rewards for the teams at the top have grown exponentially.  My worry is that we are so far adrift and that FFP is designed to make it so difficult for clubs like us to challenge the "establishment" that fans will not see 2 or 3 seasons of regularly challenging in the top 6 or 8 being a massive leap forward and will grow restless if we don't qualify for the Champions League.  There have been countless comments about us being top 3 or 4 in terms of form under Emery since he arrived and that we've strengthened since.  Getting carried away with that is the kind of thing that could put pressure on us and the team this season and next.  I'm happy to be being talked about as possible CL candidates and that "independent" journalists / commentators are starting to talk about there being "no reason why Villa couldn't be in the battle for 5th" along with 2 or 3 other teams.  But we need to give Emery, and the team, time.

[MarkLillis]

I was little to young to understand how good we were during 1980/82.

Ive watched and enjoyed all of the other sides mentioned in previous comments with my favourite period being 1992/4 with Big Ron’s confidence and signings making me feel we were a top club.

Now however is on a different level in my opinion if we don’t do anything in the next few seasons I’m a monkeys Uncle…..

[bobzy]

Probably... I think it was the 2007/08 season for me.  We were a really exciting side then and seemed well balanced.  Whatever MON had us doing, we were a really exciting side to watch.  Hammered Blues 5-1 in the derby game, think it was the same season we beat Derby 6-0 as well (might be wrong).  Have a feeling we were 2nd or 3rd top scorers in the league but also conceded a fair few.  A bit Keegan-esque

But yeah, that was the best it's been for me so far.  There was a really excitement about where we were going and how we were playing.  Of course, we followed it up with decent league finishes, failures in Europe and ultimately dropping away.  But that season, we were good.

[Mazrim]

So, I'm 48 now. FFS...

Anyway. My earliest memories were obviously the early 80s and winning the big stuff. But I was aware of the era before with Saunders, Little, Gray etc. I remember the tales of the return from the dark depths under Crowe.
Yes, we floundered for a while in the mid 80s but the late 80s and early 90s restored that hope in spades. We had great teams under Taylor, Atkinson, Little, Gregory... Always just missing that one piece of the puzzle to make a true dynasty.
Alex Fergusson often said he expected us to be their main challenge in those early 90s times. If we had a more visionary chairman to take advantage of the changing times in football we may well have been.

O'Neill was overrated in my opinion. He squandered a big chance to break into the big time with some poor decision making and recruitment (letting Cahill go, buying a back 4 twice in 2 seasons, getting Heskey when we needed a goalscorer...)
Nevertheless they were hopeful times and much more like it after O'Leary's dreary last season (we forget how good his first was mind). We all know what happened towards the end of Lerner's time and the up to NSWE.

 

I guess my point is that we've had more good times than a lot of people realise, particularly in this artificially induced "SKY big 6" era. A myth. The likes of Spurs, Man City and Chelsea were not in our class for most of the time mentioned. Especially Man City and Chelsea. These are traditionally smaller clubs that got lucky with money and timing. Kids wont appreciate that and 10 years is an eternity to them. It doesn't matter.

 

Now, with the immense wealth of NSWE and their obvious acumen, the good times might be coming back, or rather just another great new era in our storied history. All we ever ask for is a plan, a chance - and we have that. We have the right manager and backroom it seems, the right facilities, the right name. We still need a few stars to align and a bit of luck but who doesn't?

We'll have to build the club up to create the revenue needed to recruit and retain the best talent. That's happening. Arguably we could regularly fill or nearly fill a 60,000 stadium. That reflects the fact that we're the biggest club in 100 mile radius in every direction. There's a LOT of people in that area and often our biggest rivals for support are (disappointingly) teams from London and North West and not local. Get a plane from BHX now and you'll see Villa shirts a plenty but also Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool etc. Far more than Blues or WBA or Wolves.
Once I would have said good riddance, plastic rocket polishers etc but the sad truth is football is a business now and we need that massive local regional appetite for successful Premier League football to match up with Villa. That extra revenue is vital.

But its happening. It will happen. Villa Park will expand. Revenue will follow. Success on the pitch will breed success off it and vice versa. As long as the clever people keep making the right calls, Villa has all the raw ingredients to be a top European club. A Giant.

i don't know about "peak" Villa. But Villa can get (back) to the peak. It's the most optimistic I've felt in our off field set up in my lifetime. And yes, I'm pretty pumped about the on field situation too.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Mazrim

[ender4]

Peak Villa was May 2024 when we won the PL, the FA Cup and the Europa Cup for the treble. 

[tomav84]

the MON days for me (wasn't born when we won the European cup). i'd say the MON days of europe every season, challenging for the top 4, walking out of pompey away having won our 7th consecutive away game singing "we're gonna win the league" without any irony...we really believed it at that time. alan shearer saying on MOTD that villa in the top 4 is done, and that we're going to make a push for the league title

and then whelan equalised in the 94th minute and it all went to shite

[HKP90]

I certainly have a soft spot for the 96 team,  and the CC cup win. We also played some wonderful football under Brian Little, using his 532 system, with Alan Wright (who made Tommy Elphick look like a frost giant) bombing on and causing all kinds of terrier-like havok. The team just had a load of personality (actually most sides did at the time).

 

That said, I think our squad and manager at the moment are probably the best they've been since I started watching football, and supporting Villa in 93/94.   

[mjmooney]

2 hours ago, El Segundo said:

Whilst 80-82 was our peak in terms of achievement I wouldn't say there was a great deal of hope or expectation at the start of the 1980-81 season and the achievements that followed were somewhat out of the blue, and perhaps aided by Ellis not being around.  Then Ellis soon returned and ruined it.

Past periods where there was a lot of hope and expectation for me were:

1976-1978-ish, Saunders team with Andy Gray/Dennis Mortimer/Alex Cropley/John Gidman etc. when we played some of the most exciting football we've ever played - but it didn't last after Gray and Gidman left.

That would be the same for me. 

They were simpler times, and all clubs operated on much the same model - coaching was old school everywhere, and although there were rich and poor clubs, the discrepancies were far less marked than today. 

In the intervening years, we - almost imperceptibly at first - began to fall behind, as the TV money revolution kicked in, and the uber-rich started buying clubs. 

Right now, it feels like we've finally made that leap into the modern era. So far, we have little to show for it in the shape of silverware, so compared with Saunders/Barton, there's no comparison as yet. But the way the club is set up is better than it has ever been, from board to coaching to squad. 

Unai still has to deliver, but yes, I am very optimistic that we are well on the way to competing at the highest levels. 

[UpTheVilla26]

I'd say for myself, it would be around when I first started to support Villa/attend games.

I'm 40 now, so it would have been 91/92 when I really got into it. The season after, the 1st as the Premier League, we finished runners up. Won the League Cup in '94, battering Man Utd, and were in Europe most seasons. 

Really felt then we'd kick on and be a top team for years to come. In some ways we were but we were so close to being so much more. As someone mentioned before, we were a whisker away from some massive names coming to VP at that time, but ultimately our best players got cherry picked and we remained in that top 6-10 bracket. 

The last 6-7 months have made me feel like I did back then, the positivity around the club is the best it's been in a very long time. 

Edited July 25, 2023 by UpTheVilla26

[John]

On 23/07/2023 at 23:26, ccfcman said:

I wonder, especially for some of the older lads. Does this feel like peak Aston Villa (to date)?

Not quite peak Villa, but as I've said before, this feels like the late 70s, which led to peak "1980-82 Villa". We're on the march with UE's Army, we're going to win the football league...

[mrchnry]

Love the positivity of this thread but after 2 losses things will go into meltdown. I love football.