By Brian Sears 28 October 2010 A remarkable sequence of results has unfolded in the 12 Premier League derbies between Aston Villa and Birmingham over the past eight years, a period only denied four further meetings by temporary Blue absences from the top flight. For the first six of those meetings, Birmingham hardly put a […]
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Former Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier confirmed as Martin O’Neill’s successor at Aston Villa
8 September 2010 The former Liverpool manager, Gérard Houllier, who last worked in English football at Liverpool – with whom he parted company in May 2004 – has this evening been confirmed as the successor to Martin O’Neill at Aston Villa. Houllier famously led Liverpool to a cup treble in 2000-01, and after leaving Anfield […]
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‘Aston Villa: the sound a disappointed frog makes when it realises that no matter how hard it tries, its tongue just won’t reach a tasty fly’
By Jonnie Baker 14 April 2010 Once the storm of burning rage following Tottenham’s magnificent bottling of another FA Cup semi-final had eventually subsided, it was widely agreed that the events of Sunday were very ‘Spursey’. Very much in the mould of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Flog through the earlier rounds, treat a lower league […]
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‘Villa and Newcastle, once bright lights, now Dim and Dimmer’
By Martin Kelner 9 May 2016 The final few shirt-sleeved weeks of the season are tough for the teams at the foot of the Premier League, but there was no call for what Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce did when Matic put Chelsea 2-1 ahead just before half time at the Stadium of […]
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Villa’s relegation at Old Trafford will be a fitting way to go down
By Brian Sears 15 April 2016 Barring victory for Aston Villa this weekend combined with defeat for Norwich, then Villa’s relegation to the Championship will be confirmed as mathematical fact on Saturday. The seven ‘ever present’ clubs of the Premier League era will be six and we dealt with Villa’s demise here. You don’t need to go […]
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Festive front-running Foxes fancied for top three but Villa doomed
By Brian Sears 24 December 2015 Christmas is a time for reflection and a time to look forward and neither offers any merriment for Aston Villa. Ten points away from safety as things stand, they can look to no precedent in the Premier League era (the ‘monied’ era, since 1992) for a club with single-digit points at Christmas […]
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As Cherries become No47 up top, Villa remain worst ever-present Premier League team
By Brian Sears 1 May 2015 Barring one of the most absurd sets of results this weekend that the game of football has ever seen, Bournemouth’s promotion to the Premier League will be confirmed. They play at Charlton while Middlesbrough are at home to Brighton and it would need a loss for Bournemouth coupled with […]
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Newcastle seek 20th Premier League win against Villa in 20th shared season
By Brian Sears 13 September 2013 Newcastle have been in the Premier League for 19 of the completed 21 PL seasons since the top division was revamped in 1992-93. They missed that inaugural year, and then the 2009-10 season. Of all the teams they’ve played in those 19 seasons, this weekend’s opponents Aston Villa have […]
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Villains and Saints promote youth as Hammers and Fulham help the aged
By Brian Sears 13 September 2013 If you win nothing with kids then Aston Villa and Southampton will win nothing – but their fans might appreciate they are trying to succeed with promising young players. There’s a huge contrast in the age of Premier League starting line-ups so far this season, from nippers Aston Villa (average […]
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Manchester City eye landmark home record against ‘generous’ Villa
By Brian Sears 16 November 2012 If Manchester City can avoid defeat at home to Aston Villa this weekend they will stretch their season’s unbeaten record to 12 games, and stretch their unbeaten home record to 36 games – the second-best unbeaten home league run in the 21-year history of the Premier League. Only Chelsea […]
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