1994–95 Aston Villa F.C. season
Encyclopedia
During the 1994–95 English football season, Aston Villa F.C.
competed in the FA Premier League
.
winners. But the decline continued into 1994-95
and Ron Atkinson
paid for this with his job in November. Within days, former Villa favourite Brian Little
was back at the club as Atkinson's successor, and managed to keep Villa clear of the drop.
Before the season was over, a new era was already in the making at Villa Park
. A number of players now past their best were off-loaded to new clubs; these included Ray Houghton
, Garry Parker
, Kevin Richardson
and Earl Barrett
. The close season saw more players from the Atkinson era pass through the Villa Park exit door: Shaun Teale
, Dalian Atkinson
, Dean Saunders
and John Fashanu
. Little brought in younger players like Mark Draper
, Ian Taylor
, Savo Milosevic
, Nii Lamptey
, Carl Tiler
, Gary Charles
and Alan Wright
to give some much-needed strength to a side of fading stars, as well as giving such much-needed hope to fans of a club which had been rescued from the threat of a rapid decline.
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
competed in the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
.
Season summary
Two seasons earlier, Aston Villa narrowly missed out on the league title. The season after that, they dipped to 10th place in the league but still had success as League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
winners. But the decline continued into 1994-95
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
and Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
paid for this with his job in November. Within days, former Villa favourite Brian Little
Brian Little (footballer)
Brian Little is an English former football player and manager who is currently without a job after being relieved of his duties as manager of Gainsborough Trinity on 22 August 2011. Little has previously managed Darlington, Leicester City, Aston Villa, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City,...
was back at the club as Atkinson's successor, and managed to keep Villa clear of the drop.
Before the season was over, a new era was already in the making at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
. A number of players now past their best were off-loaded to new clubs; these included Ray Houghton
Ray Houghton
Raymond James "Ray" Houghton is a retired Scottish-born footballer who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level, qualifying through his Irish father...
, Garry Parker
Garry Parker
Garry Parker is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Luton Town, Hull City, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Leicester City, mostly in the top division of English football, in the 1980s and 1990s. He was capped by his country at under-21 and B international level...
, Kevin Richardson
Kevin Richardson (footballer)
Kevin Richardson is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Everton, Watford, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Southampton, Barnsley and Blackpool, and also spent a season in La Liga with Real Sociedad. He was...
and Earl Barrett
Earl Barrett
Earl Delisser Barrett is an English former footballer who played in the Football League and Premier League for Manchester City, Chester City, Oldham Athletic, Aston Villa, Everton, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. He played mainly at right back though could also adapt to a central...
. The close season saw more players from the Atkinson era pass through the Villa Park exit door: Shaun Teale
Shaun Teale
Shaun Teale is a former English professional footballer. He is perhaps most famous for being in the League Cup winning team of Aston Villa in 1994.-Playing career:...
, Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Atkinson
Dalian Robert Atkinson is an English former footballer who played as a striker in the Football League and Premier League for Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Manchester City, in La Liga for Real Sociedad, in Ligue 1 for Metz, in the Turkish Super League for Fenerbahçe, in Saudi...
, Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders
Dean Nicholas Saunders is a former Wales international footballer who played as a striker in a professional career which lasted from 1982 until 2001. He is the manager of Doncaster Rovers....
and John Fashanu
John Fashanu
John "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
. Little brought in younger players like Mark Draper
Mark Draper
Mark Draper is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder and represented England at under-21 level. He currently works as the Kit Man at Notts County.-Career:...
, Ian Taylor
Ian Taylor (footballer)
Ian Kenneth Taylor is an English former footballer, best known for his time at Aston Villa. A midfielder, he had a fifteen year career in the Football League and Premier League, making 478 league appearances....
, Savo Milosevic
Savo Miloševic
Savo Milošević is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a striker.After making a name for himself at Partizan, he signed for Aston Villa, and went on to spend the vast majority of the following decade playing in Spain, where he represented four clubs, amassing La Liga totals of 241 games and...
, Nii Lamptey
Nii Lamptey
Nii Odartey Lamptey is a former Ghanaian footballer. He is known foremost for his erratic career, in which he became a superstar as a teenager and then suffered a long string of failures which burnt him out well before his time...
, Carl Tiler
Carl Tiler
Carl Tiler is an English former footballer who played as a central defender. He made more than 250 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, representing nine different clubs.-Playing career:...
, Gary Charles
Gary Charles
Gary Charles is an English former footballer who played at right-back.-Playing career:Charles won two caps for the England team and turned out at club level for Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Aston Villa, S.L. Benfica, and finally West Ham United. Charles was famously fouled by Paul Gascoigne in...
and Alan Wright
Alan Wright
Alan Geoffrey Wright is an English professional footballer. He is a coach in the Centre of Excellence at his first club, Blackpool, a role he assumed in June 2011....
to give some much-needed strength to a side of fading stars, as well as giving such much-needed hope to fans of a club which had been rescued from the threat of a rapid decline.
Squad
Left club during season
In
- John FashanuJohn FashanuJohn "Fash" Fashanu is a British television presenter and ex-footballer of Nigerian and Guyanese descent. In his former career, he was a centre-forward, who scored 134 league goals in a career lasting 17 years...
- , 4 August 1994, £1,350,000 - Phil KingPhil King (footballer)Philip Geoffrey King is an English former professional footballer. He represented England at Under-21 level and in a B international. He was born in Bristol....
- , August 1994, £250,000 - Ian TaylorIan Taylor (footballer)Ian Kenneth Taylor is an English former footballer, best known for his time at Aston Villa. A midfielder, he had a fifteen year career in the Football League and Premier League, making 478 league appearances....
- , December 1994, £1,000,000 plus Guy WhittinghamGuy WhittinghamGuy Whittingham is a retired professional footballer with over 450 appearances for a number of English clubs, after leaving the British Army. He is currently serving as joint caretaker manager of Portsmouth together with Stuart Gray... - Alan WrightAlan WrightAlan Geoffrey Wright is an English professional footballer. He is a coach in the Centre of Excellence at his first club, Blackpool, a role he assumed in June 2011....
- , February 1995, £1,000,000 - Franz CarrFranz CarrFranz Carr is an English former footballer. He was a pacy winger who never quite established himself as a regular in the top flight...
- - Gary CharlesGary CharlesGary Charles is an English former footballer who played at right-back.-Playing career:Charles won two caps for the England team and turned out at club level for Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Aston Villa, S.L. Benfica, and finally West Ham United. Charles was famously fouled by Paul Gascoigne in...
- - Tommy JohnsonTommy Johnson (footballer born 1971)Thomas "Tommy" Johnson is a retired footballer who played as a striker for clubs including Notts County, Celtic and Aston Villa.-Notts County:...
- Nii LampteyNii LampteyNii Odartey Lamptey is a former Ghanaian footballer. He is known foremost for his erratic career, in which he became a superstar as a teenager and then suffered a long string of failures which burnt him out well before his time...
-
PSV Eindhoven,
Out
- Tony DaleyTony DaleyAnthony Mark Daley is an English former footballer, who made the vast majority of his appearances for Aston Villa, playing mainly as a winger, well known for his pace...
- , July 1994, £1,250,000 - Steve Froggatt - , July 1994, £1,000,000
- Guy WhittinghamGuy WhittinghamGuy Whittingham is a retired professional footballer with over 450 appearances for a number of English clubs, after leaving the British Army. He is currently serving as joint caretaker manager of Portsmouth together with Stuart Gray...
- , December 1994, part-exchange - Garry ParkerGarry ParkerGarry Parker is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder for Luton Town, Hull City, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Leicester City, mostly in the top division of English football, in the 1980s and 1990s. He was capped by his country at under-21 and B international level...
- , February 1995 Ray HoughtonRay HoughtonRaymond James "Ray" Houghton is a retired Scottish-born footballer who represented the Republic of Ireland at international level, qualifying through his Irish father...
- - 23 March 1995, £300,000 - Chris BodenChris BodenChris Boden was an English professional footballer.Boden was a trainee at Aston Villa, where he made just one senior appearance. He also played for Barnsley, Derby County, Shrewsbury Town and Hereford United....
- - Neil Cox - Stefan BeinlichStefan BeinlichStefan "Paule" Beinlich is a retired German footballer, who played as a central midfielder.His main asset was a powerful long-range shot, and he often scored from free kicks; he was one of the first players from the country to play in the Premier League, although he would have little impact at...
-
Hansa Rostock - Earl BarrettEarl BarrettEarl Delisser Barrett is an English former footballer who played in the Football League and Premier League for Manchester City, Chester City, Oldham Athletic, Aston Villa, Everton, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. He played mainly at right back though could also adapt to a central...
- - Kevin RichardsonKevin Richardson (footballer)Kevin Richardson is an English former footballer who made more than 500 appearances in the Football League and Premier League, playing for Everton, Watford, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Coventry City, Southampton, Barnsley and Blackpool, and also spent a season in La Liga with Real Sociedad. He was...
- Matthias BreitkreutzMatthias BreitkreutzMatthias Breitkreutz is a former German footballer.Born in Crivitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, he played during his career for Berliner FC Dynamo, SG Bergmann-Borsig, Aston Villa F.C., FC Hansa Rostock, Arminia Bielefeld, 1. FC Saarbrücken, VfB Leipzig, and FC Augsburg.-External links:...
- Hansa Rostock
UEFA Cup
Awards
- January: Manager of the Month, Brian Little