Proud tradition Formed in 1874, Aston Villa are the most successful of all of the West Midlands clubs - and the only club in the region to have won the European Cup. Villa boast a long, proud tradition including seven league championships and seven FA Cup triumphs. In 1896/7 they achieved the accolade of winning the league and FA Cup double, a feat none of Villa's Midlands rivals have managed to emulate. George Ramsay was the secretary-manager who led the club to their early glories during an amazing 42-year period before finally handing the baton to WJ Smith in 1926.
 | | Aston Villa by Geoff Tristram |
Villa Park became the club's home in 1897 - and over more than a century it has become the regular site of FA Cup semi-finals, hosted games at the 1966 World Cup and the 1996 European Championships. League Cup triumphs Villa's success in the FA Cup received some happy echoes with no fewer than five League Cup triumphs following their first victory in 1961 when Joe Mercer was in charge at Villa Park. Four further Similar conquests were to follow between 1975-1996. The 1975 and 1977 proved a prelude to the greatest years in the history of the club as the league title was regained in 1981 and followed up with an the unforgettable lifting of the European Cup twelve months later. Ron Saunders was at the helm for the League title, using only fourteen players all season. Despite defeat at Arsenal on the final day of the season, Villa saw their only rivals Ipswich fail to win their last fixture at Middlesbrough, leaving their charismatic captain Dennis Mortimer to lift the championship trophy. Peter Withe and local lad Gary Shaw were among the heroes - their strike partnership yielding 38 goals, helped by the wing supply from Tony Morley. Kings of Europe
 | | Big Ron: '94 League Cup success |
The following season saw the astonishing European run - one that survived the unexpected departure of Saunders, succeeded by his assistant Tony Barton. Rotterdam will forever hold a place in Villa hearts, for it was there that Withe scored the winner to defeat Bayern Munich in the final - ensuring Villa maintained what had become an English domination of Europe's premier competition. The triumphs enjoyed by Saunders and Barton have proved extremely difficult to follow, although Graham Taylor came close in his first spell at the club when he led a group of rising stars to the runners-up spot in the league in 1990. Further league cup successes were enjoyed in 1994, when Ron Atkinson led the club to a memorable final victory against Manchester United; and in 1997 when Savo Milosevic's stunning goal started the scoring in a 3-0 victory over Leeds United. Record signing
 | | O'Neill's coming has signalled a new era for Villa |
Since then an FA Cup final appearance against Chelsea in 2000 has proved the pinnacle of the club's achievement to date. However, the arrival of American billionaire Randy Lerner as the new club owner and chairman in summer 2006, coupled with the appointment of Martin O'Neill as team manager, led many supporters to believe Villa's good times could well be on the way back. This belief was solidified when Villa broke their transfer record in January 2007 by signing England Under-21 international Ashley Young for £9.65 million. | 
