We have taken abuse from some of our less illustrious neighbours and some boring club up on Tyneside on our board this weekend, but you know what? Our club is unlike those others. Our club has character. We have set records we have been innovative, which other British club put a charity as sponsor on its shirt? We have done things that most clubs don’t want: Notts County has a sentence in its history where a highlight for the club was beating Villa on the 1981-82 season when we were defending our league title. But love us or hate us our club never does anything ordinary.
After humble beginings, Villa hit the jackpot when a wizard of a player named Archie Hunter arrived from Scotland to play for Calthorpe, but couldn’t find the ground and stumbled upon the Villa lads with George Ramsey and all of a sudden Villa had a good football team. Calthorpe soon disappeared and fans came out to see the two Scots as Villa had to find a bigger space for them to attend.
In 1888 who was responsible for the league formation? Oh yes. Villa’s William McGregor.
Four years later, Villa set a bad trend, crowd violence, not sure we were first in this, probably not, but after losing badly to West Brom in a FA cup final irate Villa fans smashed Jimmy Warners pub windows accusing my Great Great Uncle of fixing the game.
That decade was kind to Villa who won the league five times.
In 1895-96 Villa had another first unwanted record. Having won the FA cup the season before, Villa had it stolen and became the one and only club to win the the thing and lose it.
In 1899, Villa one upped itself in losing the cup. It lost its kit! Four Villa players entered a bet with a lad they didn’t know. Ran a race against the kid on lost. With no money the only way they could settle the bet was that they were carrying the entire team’s kit. This was the Champions kit and worth a fortune. It ended up at West Ham and that’s why we share the same kit.
Villa also lent its kit to Crystal Palace around this time which they kept until the 70’s when they went for a more Barcelona style.
In 1929 23000 people showed up between Vila reserves and Birmingham reserves.
135 Ted Drake became the first player to score seven goals in a game that darned Arsenal thrashed us 7-1.
In 1938 Villa was rightly criticized for going to Nazi Germany for a friendly, but the player’s stance in not offer the salute will go down in club folk lore.
1958 another record that bears Villa’s name as our player Stan Crowther became the only player to ever play for two teams in the FA cup in the same season after Villa generously sold him to Utd after their tragic loss in the Munich air disaster. The league allowed them to use him and they went on to win the Cup and of course the rest is history with them.
1961. Villa become first team to win League Cup
1966. Villa player, Phil woosnam, leaves and emigrates to set up “soccer” in the US.
1968 Doug Ellis steps in as Villa are in crisis.
1969-70. Albion and Blues fans laugh at Villa’s tumble to the Third Division
1970-72 Villa enjoys Division 3. Set crowd records almost everywhere they go, set the record for highest ever 3rd division match, beat Best and Charlton for a trip to Wembley. Meanwhile Newcastle, Albion and Blues are all in Division 1 and bored.
1970’s Villa fans enjoy seeing Pele, Beckenbauer, Mueller and Cruyff all visit Villa Park. Albion and Blues? Not so much. Villa win FA youth cup and Southern Junior floodlit cup 3 times.
1973 Villa miss out on promotion to division 1, a year after finishing 3rd the rules change to 3 up and 3 down. It was the luckiest bullet Villa ever dodged.
1975. The first ever League cup semi-finals to feature 4 non top flight teams included, you guessed it Villa.
1977 Only League Cup final to go to 3 games. Villa involved.
1981,1982 and 83 After the local green eyed ones had laughed in previous seasons as Gidman, Deehan, Little and Gray all wanted out of Villa Park and were sold (Littles transfer to Blues was voided as he failed injury fitness test) Villa replenished the squad with the funds and won the League and then the European Cup. Oh, yes the super cup too.
1984 Villa and Spartak became the first sides to have their game broadcast into space and watched on the space station.
1999 West Ham lose quarter final after winning it. They fielded an ineligible player. Villa moved into semi-final.
2005 Villa fans look on in amusement as two Newcastle players fight each other instead of the opponent in a game at St James Park
2008. Villa still hold the Inter Toto cup. As last winner.
Thru present. Villa supply more England Internationals than any club.
Villa and Everton hold record for most games between clubs in top flight.
2015 Many fans laugh at Villa’s losing the FA cup and say Villa’s performance is most inept in history of competition. Hey, it’s another record!