From Division 2 to champs of Europe in just seven years

TAKE A look at the current table for the Championship in England, and ask yourself the following question: do you reckon any of the teams in the line-up are capable of winning the Champions League a mere seven seasons from now?

Leeds United and Nottingham Forest may have the tradition of European involvement, but it would still take a major leap of faith to assume that either will be following in the footsteps of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool and the like by 2027.

And that’s exactly why the amazing achievement of Aston Villa in winning the European Cup in 1982 is one which never really got the full credit it deserved for some strange reason.

Looking back at this far remove, and given the way the game has developed since, it seems hard to credit that they were crowned the top team on the continent so soon after gaining promotion to the old top flight in England by finishing as Second Division runners-up in 1975.

The Birmingham club also collected the League Cup in that successful season, and it was a foretaste of even better things to come.

However, it didn’t last, and the highs and lows are recalled in ‘Ticket To The

Moon - Aston Villa, The Rise And Fall

Of A European Champion’, written by

Richard Sydenham.

There is a strong emphasis on the roles played by two men who were synonymous with the club, namely manager Ron Saunders and Chairman

Doug Ellis.

However, as the book reminds us, neither were actually in those roles when a Peter Withe goal was enough to beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the

European Cup final on May 26, 1982.

Saunders had guided Villa to the First Division crown after a gap of 71 seasons in 1981, but he left the role in February of the following year, after a 4-1 loss away to Manchester United.

The man who replaced him, Tony Barton, had built a reputation as an astute scout with a particular penchant for finding players in the lower leagues.

And, recognising the fact that he had a talented group at his disposal, he didn’t change anything and it ultimately led to that famous European Cup victory.

Given the squad rotation that is the norm nowadays, it’s worth noting that Villa used a mere 14 players in that 1980-’81 First Division success.

Some of the key men on that talented team were stylish midfielder Gordon Cowans, chief goalscorers Peter Withe and Gary Shaw, exciting winger Tony Morley, veteran goalkeeper Jimmy Rimmer, captain Dennis Mortimer, and dependable defenders Ken McNaught and Allan Evans.

As for Ellis, the man nicknamed ‘Deadly Doug’ in the football world quickly returned as club Chairman after losing power for those few successful seasons, and he shipped most of the blame for the rather quick break-up of the best squad in the club’s history.

However, extensive research by Sydenham, speaking to the main men behind the scenes as well as gaining access to the minutes of club meetings, suggests that he might have been unfairly tarnished.

If - like me - you grew up in an era when Villa, Forest and Ipswich all had arguably their best-ever teams, you will enjoy this forensic look back at how an unlikely dream came true.

The club regressed as quickly as it progressed though, and the chances of a repeat would appear to be slim to none right now. ALAN AHERNE

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