Aston Villa F.C.

• Name:Aston Villa
• Nickname:The Villans
• Formed:1886
• Stadium:Villa Park
• Manager:Paul Lambert
• League Titles (7):1894, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1900, 1910, 1981
• FA Cups (7):1887, 1895, 1897, 1905, 1913, 1920, 1957
• League Cups (5):1961, 1975, 1977, 1994, 1996
• European Cups (1):1982
• European Super Cups (1)1983
• Biggest Signing:£18m, Darren Bent from Sunderland, January 2011
• Biggest Sale:£12.5m, Dwight Yorke to Manchester United, August 1998
• Leading Goalscorer:Harry Hampton, 215
• Leading Appearances:Charlie Aitken, 561
• Official Club Website:AVFC.co.uk
  
  
  HISTORY
  
  
  Villa are the fourth most successful English club with their 20 trophies placing them behind only Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.
  Under the management of George Ramsay, they won five league titles and three FA Cups in seven seasons from 1894 to 1900 including a Double in 1897 — the second English team to achieve that feat.
  A sixth league title followed in 1910 as well as three more FA Cup wins in 1905, 1913 and 1920.
  But Villa then struggled despite the presence of the club record goal scorer Billy Walker and were relegated for the first time in 1936.
  The Midlands outfit were back in the top flight after two seasons but it took them until 1957 to win their next trophy — the FA Cup against Manchester United.
  But relegation followed two seasons later and despite winning Division Two at the first attempt and victory in the first-ever League Cup final in 1961 they were sent back down to the second tier in 1967.
  Villa slumped even further in 1970 as they fell down to Division Three for the first time.
  They eventually clawed their way back up the football ladder and boss Ron Saunders guided the club back into the top flight and won the League Cup in his first season in charge in 1974.
  
  
  
  
  Under Saunders, Villa won the title in 1981 using just 14 players all season and having finished in the top five of Division One just once since the war.
  The following year Tony Barton took over as manager and guided the club to victory in the European Cup with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.
  But they were relegated for a fourth time in 1987 before new boss Graham Taylor won promotion at the first attempt.
  Villa are one of the seven clubs to have been in every Premier League season since its introduction.
  Ron Atkinson led them to second in the first season under the new format they and won the League Cup in 1994.
  Another League Cup win came in 1996 under Brian Little but the nearest John Gregory got to glory was an FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea in 2000.
  Doug Ellis sold his stake in the club to American Randy Lerner in 2006 after 23 years as chairman.
  Martin O’Neill then guided Villa to three successive sixth place finishes and a League Cup final but the club have struggled since his resignation in 2010.