144-510: Olive Grove was The Wednesday F.C. 's first permanent football ground, home to the club for just over a decade at the end of the 19th century. It was located on the site of what is now Sheffield City Council 's Olive Grove Depot, near Queens Road in the centre of Sheffield . (The Wednesday FC became Sheffield Wednesday later) In November 2009 it was announced that the world's oldest football club, Sheffield F.C. , plan to return to its Sheffield roots with an 'iconic' 10,000 capacity stadium 1/4 of
288-448: A Scottish Lion Rampant embroidered on the chest were introduced by Villa's Scottish leaders William McGregor and George Ramsay . This remained the first choice strip for six years. On Monday, 8 November 1886, an entry in the club's official minute book states: (i) Proposed and seconded that the colours be chocolate and sky blue shirts and that we order two dozen. (ii) Proposed and seconded that Mr McGregor be requested to supply them at
432-635: A big kick at the ball'. Ramsay was influenced by the Scottish club, Queen's Park , who pioneered what became known as 'combination football' in his native Glasgow , the intricate passing game he introduced was a revolutionary move for an English club in the late 1870s. Villa began to establish themselves as one of the best teams in the Midlands, winning their first honour, the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1880 . The club would go on to lift
576-411: A branch. The White Rose of York was depicted below the branch alluding to the home county of Yorkshire and the sheaves of Sheffield (Sheaf field) were shown at either side of the owl's head. The club's Latin motto, Consilio et Animis , was displayed beneath the shield. This translates into English as " By Wisdom and Courage ". The crest was changed in 1970 to a minimalist version designed by
720-545: A condition of the match, the Villa side had to agree to play the first half under Rugby rules and the second half under Association rules. Villa won their first game 1–0. The infant club's fortunes changed forever when a young Scotsman called George Ramsay stumbled across the Villa players' practice match in Aston Park in 1876. He was asked to make up the numbers, and they were amazed by his skills; they had never seen such
864-415: A decline in the club's culture and style of play, which alongside a tolerance of ill-discipline in the players led to Villa's relegation. Rinder's first act was to travel to Austria to recruit the progressive coach Jimmy Hogan as manager. Within two seasons, Hogan had guided Villa back to the top flight as Second Division champions playing attractive free-flowing football. Hogan outlined his philosophy: "I am
1008-419: A dismal defensive record: they conceded 110 goals in 42 games, 7 of them coming from Arsenal's Ted Drake in an infamous 1–7 defeat at Villa Park. The club made seven signings and spent a staggering sum for the time of £35,500 trying to retain top-flight status at all costs, but were unable to buy their way out of trouble. Aston Villa, at the time one of the most famous and successful clubs in world football,
1152-403: A display of close ball control before. When the game was over, the Villa players surrounded him and invited him to join the club and become their captain. Word spread about how fine a player Ramsay was, spectators began turning up to watch the little man nicknamed ‘Scotty’. He also took charge of training, Ramsay later described the newly formed club's approach to the game as 'a dash at the man and
1296-557: A large financial incentive to sign. He was sold for £85,000 in summer of 1961, his replacement, Derek Dougan was not a success and Villa slid backwards. Mercer's forced retirement from the club in July 1964, following a stress-induced stroke, signalled a period of deep turmoil and malaise. The most successful club in England had failed to keep pace with changes in the modern game; three of the five-man board of directors were over 70 years old,
1440-429: A local art student, and this logo was used by the club, with variations, until 1995, when it was replaced by a similar design to the original crest. It again featured a traditionally drawn owl perched on a branch although the design of both had changed. The sheaves were replaced by a stylised SWFC logo that had been in use on club merchandise for several years prior to the introduction of the new crest. The Yorkshire Rose
1584-428: A mainstay of the Villa team throughout the rollercoaster of relegations and subsequent revival was fan-favourite Charlie Aitkin , who made 659 appearances at left back for the club between 1959 and 1976, making him Villa's all-time record appearance holder. Aston Villa were back among the elite as Saunders continued to mould a winning team, finishing 4th in the league and winning a further League Cup in 1976–77 , with
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#17327727005031728-513: A mile away from the original Olive Grove Ground. Prior to the opening of the ground, Wednesday had used several other sites, including Sheaf House and Bramall Lane , before newly formed rivals Sheffield United took up permanent residence there. It was decided that the club should have its own stadium to avoid paying a percentage of gate receipts to the owners of the grounds used. Having their own stadium would also make it easier for Wednesday to accommodate their ever-growing fan base. Olive Grove
1872-412: A new badge for the following season. The new badge's usage was later clarified to be exclusive to on-field kits and training wear by club president of business operations, Chris Heck, with the existing badge continuing to be utilized as the primary in all other channels. In May 2024, the club reverted to a shield-shaped badge. Tables of kit suppliers and shirt sponsors appear below: Aston Villa's kit
2016-503: A permanent ground. Other locations included Myrtle Road , Heeley and Hunter's Bar . Major matches were played at Sheaf House or Bramall Lane , before Sheffield United made it their home ground. Sheffield Wednesday's first permanent home ground was at Olive Grove , a site near Queen's Road originally leased from the Duke of Norfolk . The first game at Olive Grove was a 4–4 draw with Blackburn Rovers on 12 September 1887. Extensions to
2160-567: A pinnacle though and Villa's fortunes declined sharply for most of the 1980s. Doug Ellis returned as chairman and majority shareholder in November 1982. The club was saddled with significant debts and questions had been raised by the police regarding fraudulent financial activity surrounding the building of the North Stand at Villa Park from 1980 to 1982. The cost of the work was £1.3 million. An internal investigation found that £700,000 of
2304-464: A reputation that was cemented when they won the inaugural Sheffield FA Challenge Cup in 1877. In 1880 the club entered the FA Cup for the first time, and they soon became one of the most respected sides in the country. But although they had had Lang on their books a decade earlier, the club officially remained staunchly amateur, and this stance almost cost the club its very existence. By the middle of
2448-559: A rural area to the North West; an alternative was a return to Sheaf House . Both new sites could not be obtained, but a new one became available in Owlerton, and work soon began on Owlerton Stadium, later to be renamed Hillsborough , now one of the most famous football stadia in the country. In November 2009, Sheffield FC announced, after months of speculation, they planned to build a 10,000 capacity stadium at Olive Grove. This move
2592-400: A series of winding up orders for unpaid tax and VAT bills, with the club's existence under severe threat. It was not until 29 November 2010, when businessman Milan Mandarić agreed to buy out the old owners, that the club could move forward. Mandarić appointed former Wednesday player Gary Megson as manager partway through the 2010–11 season, and while Megson only stayed in the job for
2736-526: A similar looking owl but with more defined eyes to make it look cuter. Ozzie Owl was reintroduced as Wednesday's main mascot during the home game with Charlton Athletic on 17 January 2009. The current mascots are Ozzie and Barney Owl. In 2012, Ollie Owl also made his return to the scene, as the club announced him Mascot for the Owls work with children in the local community. Originally, Wednesday played matches at Highfield , but moved several times before adopting
2880-515: A successful partnership with the lightning-fast winger Charlie Athersmith and marshalling Villa's defence was the tough-tackling Scotsman James Cowan , who had an unrivalled sense of timing and anticipation. In 1897 , the year Villa won The Double , they moved into their present home, the Aston Lower Grounds. Supporters coined the name "Villa Park"; no official declaration listed the ground as Villa Park . Success continued into
3024-523: A sum of £889 6s 9d was paid by the crowd to see Wednesday win 4–0. 53°21′58″N 1°27′56″W / 53.36611°N 1.46556°W / 53.36611; -1.46556 The Wednesday F.C. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield , South Yorkshire , England. They compete in the EFL Championship , the second level of
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#17327727005033168-540: A teacher and lover of constructive football with every pass, every kick, every movement an object." He used to tell his players that "football was like a Viennese waltz , a rhapsody. one-two-three, one-two-three, pass-move-pass, pass-move-pass.". Unfortunately, the Second World War ended Hogan's project to restore Aston Villa to the top of the English game. Like all English clubs, Villa lost seven seasons to
3312-464: A three-year absence. On the eve of Villa's Premier League return, Recon Group 's minority share ownership was bought out by NSWE, meaning Xia no longer had any stake in the club. Villa's first season back in the Premier League saw a significant overhaul of the squad, with 12 players signed during the summer transfer window. The team battled relegation for most of the season, but stayed up on
3456-699: A view to improving the club's youth development and coaching facilities. Following a 14th-place finish in the Second Division, Crowe was replaced in August 1974 by Ron Saunders . He was a fitness fanatic, whose brand of no-nonsense man-management proved effective, with the club winning the League Cup the following season and, by the end of season 1974–75, he had taken Aston Villa back into the First Division and into Europe. One player who had been
3600-465: A year head of schedule, with new coach Carlos Carvalhal leading the club into the end of season play-offs at the end of the 2015–16 season. Wednesday were beaten in the final by Hull City at Wembley . They made the play-offs again the following season, but lost on penalties to the eventually promoted Huddersfield Town in the semi-final. The club were favourites to be promoted in the 2017–18 season, but injuries and poor results saw them drop to
3744-557: A year, what was mostly his side won promotion back to the Championship in May 2012, under the stewardship of new manager Dave Jones . In 2014 the club was again taken over by a new owner, Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri , purchasing the club from Milan Mandarić for £37.5m. Chansiri stated his intention to win Premier League promotion for the 2017–18 season – the football club's 150th anniversary – and came close to achieving that goal
3888-687: Is a professional football club based in Aston , Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League , the top tier of English football . The team have played at their home ground, Villa Park , since 1897 . Aston Villa are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in England, having won the Football League First Division seven times, the FA Cup seven times, the League Cup five times, and
4032-462: Is widely assumed that the club's nickname changed to The Owls in 1899 after the club's move to Owlerton, it was not until 1912, when Wednesday player George Robertson presented the club with an owl mascot, that the name took hold. A monkey mascot introduced some years earlier had not brought much luck. Since its founding the club has played their home games in blue and white shirts, traditionally in vertical stripes. However, this has not always been
4176-400: The 12th highest capacity in England. The club had intended to increase Hillsborough's capacity to 44,825 by 2012 and 50,000 by 2016 and make several other improvements in the process, but due to England's failed World Cup bid, this is now not the case. The stadium has hosted World Cup football in 1966 , the 1996 European Championships and 27 FA Cup semi-finals. The Kop at Hillsborough
4320-501: The 2007–08 season and beyond. The new badge includes a star to represent the European Cup win in 1982, and has a light blue background behind Villa's 'lion rampant'. The traditional motto "Prepared" remains in the badge, and the name Aston Villa has been shortened to AVFC, FC having been omitted from the previous badge. The lion is now unified as opposed to fragmented lions of the past. Randy Lerner petitioned fans to help with
4464-590: The 2014–15 season , when Lambert was sacked in February 2015 after the team managed just 12 goals in the first 25 league games, the lowest in Premier League history. Tim Sherwood succeeded him, and steered the club away from relegation while also leading them to the 2015 FA Cup Final . However, the club sold two of its star players Christian Benteke and captain Fabian Delph in the summer transfer window and did not adequately replace them. Villa struggled in
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4608-531: The Barnsley boss Danny Wilson as their new manager, after being rejected by both Gerard Houllier and Walter Smith who joined Liverpool and Everton respectively. Wilson's first season at the helm brought a slight improvement as they finished 12th in the Premiership. An expensively assembled squad including Paolo Di Canio , Benito Carbone and Wim Jonk failed to live up to the massive wage bill
4752-600: The Edwardian era , with Villa lifting the FA Cup for the fourth time in 1904–05 , and a sixth league title in 1909–10 . A further FA Cup triumph was achieved on the eve of the First World War in 1913, with the club narrowly missing out on winning a second Double , finishing runners-up in the league. Star-players during this era included Howard Spencer , the cultured defender who captained both Villa and England, and
4896-595: The English football league system . Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of The Wednesday Cricket Club (itself formed in 1820), they were known as The Wednesday Football Club until 1929. Wednesday is one of the oldest surviving football clubs in the world of any code, and the second-oldest professional association football club in England. In 1868 its team won the Cromwell Cup , only the second tournament of its kind. They were founding members and inaugural champions of
5040-635: The Europa Conference League in his first season. In the 2023–24 season, Emery led the club to the Conference League semi-finals , and a 4th-place finish in the league, securing participation in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1982–83. The club colours are a claret shirt with sky blue sleeves, white shorts with claret and blue trim, and sky blue socks with claret and white trim. They were
5184-470: The European Cup and European Super Cup once. Aston Villa has been a leading English club since the 1880s, when they were pioneers of the modern passing game. This short, quick combination passing style was introduced by Scotsman George Ramsay , who was appointed as the world's first professional football manager in 1886. The club was influential in the sport's move to professionalism in 1885, and it
5328-719: The Football Alliance in 1889, before joining The Football League three years later. In 1992, they became founder members of the Premier League . The team has spent most of its league history in English football's top two flights, though they have not played in the top tier since being relegated in 2000. The Owls, as they are nicknamed, are one of the most successful teams in English football by major honours, having won four league titles , three FA Cups , one League Cup and one FA Community Shield . Wednesday have also competed in UEFA cup competitions on four occasions, reaching
5472-519: The Fourth Division . It was not until the appointment of Jack Charlton as manager in 1977 that the club started to climb back up the league pyramid. Charlton led the Owls back to the Second Division in 1980 before handing the reins to Howard Wilkinson , who took the club back into the top flight in 1984, after an absence of 14 years. Wednesday enjoyed success in its return to the top flight, finishing 8th in their first season back and then 5th
5616-451: The 2015–16 season, and Sherwood was sacked following six consecutive defeats. He was replaced by Rémi Garde , who left after just five months with Villa lying bottom of the table; his reign included a club-record 19 game winless run. The club was relegated at the end of the season, ending their 29-year stay in the top flight. In June 2016, Chinese businessman Tony Xia bought the club for £76 million. Former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo
5760-535: The Championship by defeating Barnsley in the 2023 play-off final . Moore departed from the club on 19 June by mutual consent. Moore was replaced by Xisco Muñoz , however, he was sacked after 12 games with the club winless during his tenure. Early in the season, following fan protests, owner Chansiri said he would put no more money into the club, unhappy with fans' treatment towards him and his family. On 31 October 2023, Chansiri, citing cashflow problems, asked Wednesday fans to raise £2m by 10 November 2023 to help
5904-488: The Championship, Paul Sturrock 's side won the 2005 play-off final by defeating Hartlepool United 4–2 after extra time at the Millennium Stadium . Ultimately however, the club's perilous financial position ensured another drop to League One was not too far away – five years after the play-off win of 2005, the Owls were again relegated to League One. Between July and November 2010, Sheffield Wednesday faced
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6048-459: The Committee, Aston Villa Club House, 6 Witton Road, Aston’ Villa received 150 applicants for the role, but with his strong association with the club George Ramsay was the overwhelming choice of the membership. Thus on 26 June 1886, Aston Villa appointed what has been described as the world's first professional football manager. The following season Aston Villa rose to national prominence, as
6192-425: The Midlands and north of England: Accrington , Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley , Derby County , Everton , Notts County , Preston North End, Stoke , West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite Villa founding the league, by 1893 they had yet to win it. Villa Committee Member Frederick Rinder was the instigator of a club meeting at Barwick Street in February 1893 that removed
6336-488: The Month for August 1996. But the club failed to mount a serious title challenge and they faded away to finish seventh in the final table. Pleat was sacked the following November with the club struggling at the wrong end of the Premiership, and Ron Atkinson briefly returned to steer the Owls clear of relegation. At the end of the 1997–98 season, Ron Atkinson's short-term contract was not renewed and Sheffield Wednesday turned to
6480-456: The Premier League and reached the finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup, but were on the losing side to Arsenal in both games, the FA Cup final going to a replay and only settled in the last minute of extra time. This prevented the Owls from making another appearance in European competition. Still, the 1992–93 season established Sheffield Wednesday as a top club. Midfielder Chris Waddle
6624-546: The Second World War, and that conflict brought several careers to a premature end. Bumper crowds flocked to Villa Park following the war, 76,588 people attended the FA Cup quarter-final between Villa and Derby County in March 1946, which is the all-time record attendance at Villa Park. The team was rebuilt under the guidance of former player Alex Massie for the remainder of the 1940s. Star players of this era included
6768-566: The Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Handsworth : which is now part of Birmingham . The four founders of Aston Villa were Jack Hughes, Frederick Matthews, Walter Price and William Scattergood, who were members of the chapel's cricket team looking for a way to stay fit during the winter months. Due to the lack of local football teams Aston Villa's first match was against the local Aston Brook St Mary's Rugby team. As
6912-467: The adjacent railway forced the club to move to their current ground in 1899. Since 1899 Wednesday have played their home games at Hillsborough Stadium in the Owlerton district of Sheffield. The stadium was originally named Owlerton Stadium but in 1914 Owlerton became part of the parliamentary constituency of Hillsborough and the ground took on its current name. With 39,732 seats, Hillsborough has
7056-399: The age of 71, his replacement Billy Smith was unable to continue Ramsay's success, in reality several other football clubs had caught up with Aston Villa, most notably Arsenal , who the club finished runners-up to in the league in 1930–31 and 1932–33 . Despite missing out on the league title, Villa Park crowds were entertained by attacking football, the 128 goals scored in 1930–31, remains
7200-415: The all-time top-flight record to the present day. A remarkable 49 of the league goals that season were scored by centre-forward Tom 'Pongo' Waring , with another 30 goals from winger Eric Houghton . The club appointed Jimmy McMullan as manager in 1934, however, the move proved disastrous, resulting in Villa's first ever relegation in 1935–36 after 48 years in the top flight. Villa struggled largely due to
7344-440: The attendance was simply listed as "Good" or "Poor" and when figures were recorded these were only estimates. However, an attendance of 20,000 was recorded at the FA Cup 3rd round match against West Bromwich Albion on 14 February 1891 and this was probably a record for the stadium. The record receipts for a match at Olive Grove were for the third round FA Cup tie played on 29 February 1896 between The Wednesday and Everton when
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#17327727005037488-502: The board at the lack of funds available to him to strengthen the team and fell out with the chairman Ron Bendall over the terms of his contract. He was replaced by his softly-spoken assistant manager Tony Barton who guided the club to a 1–0 victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in Rotterdam courtesy of a Peter Withe goal in the 67th minute. Ten minutes into the final, Villa's first choice goalkeeper, Jimmy Rimmer ,
7632-538: The board, as the other directors sided with Saunders. He was ousted as chairman in 1975 to make way for Sir William Dugdale . He remained on the board until 1979, when he left the club after a protracted power struggle with majority shareholder Ron Bendall . With Ellis gone, Saunders became all-powerful as manager. Villa achieved a seventh top-flight league title in 1980–81 , with players such as Gordon Cowans , Tony Morley and captain Dennis Mortimer leading
7776-659: The case and there have been variations upon the theme. A monochrome photograph from 1874 to 1875 shows the Wednesday team in plain dark shirts, while the 1871 "Rules of the Sheffield Football Association" listed the Wednesday club colours as blue and white hoops. A quartered blue and white design was used in 1887 and a blue shirt with white sleeves between 1965 and 1973. Wednesday's socks have been predominantly black, blue or white throughout their history. The club's away strip has changed regularly over
7920-466: The club appointed former Birmingham City manager Garry Monk as the new manager, who achieved a 16th-place finish in a season that was interrupted from March to June by the COVID-19 pandemic . On 31 July 2020, Sheffield Wednesday were found guilty of breaking EFL spending rules and began the 2020–21 season on -12 points, though the deficit was later reduced to -6 upon appeal. On 9 November 2020, Monk
8064-551: The club became founder members of the Football Alliance , of which they were the first champions in a season where they also reached the 1890 FA Cup final , losing 6–1 to Blackburn Rovers at Kennington Oval , London. Despite finishing the following season bottom of the Alliance, they were eventually elected to the expanded Football League in 1892. They won the FA Cup for the first time in 1896 , beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 at Crystal Palace . Owing to an expansion of
8208-471: The club had neglected its scouting network and coaching structure and the club's finances were in a parlous state. This led to the club selling its top striker Tony Hateley to Chelsea for £100,000 in October 1966, without his goals Villa were relegated for the third time in its history, under manager Dick Taylor in 1967. The board even sold the club's training ground outside Villa Park for housing, leaving
8352-570: The club has played all its home matches at Hillsborough stadium , a near-40,000 capacity stadium in the north-west Sheffield suburb of Owlerton . Wednesday's biggest rivals are Sheffield United , with whom they contest the Steel City derby . Although no contemporary evidence has been found to support the claim, it is commonly believed that "The Wednesday Cricket Club" was formed in 1820. Nevertheless, an 1842 article in Bell's Life magazine states
8496-474: The club lasted for the rest of his life and eventually led to his becoming the club's chairman. He also became president and chairman of the Football Association , and was known as the "Napoleon of Football". Clegg played for England in the first-ever international match , against Scotland in November 1872. This completed a unique double for the club, who could lay claim to having a player in
8640-485: The club pay an outstanding HMRC debt and cover wages. Danny Röhl was announced as Munoz's successor and oversaw a revival on form, eventually confirming safety from relegation on the final day of the season. In their early years, the club was nicknamed The Blades, a term used for any sporting team from the city of Sheffield, famous the world over for its cutlery and knives. That nickname has been retained by Wednesday's crosstown rivals, Sheffield United . Although it
8784-498: The club to a then record seventh FA Cup Final win, defeating the 'Busby Babes' of Manchester United 2–1 with Northern Irish winger Peter McParland scoring both goals. The team continued to struggle for consistency in the league though, which led to Eric Houghton being sacked in December 1958. His replacement Joe Mercer could not prevent the club being relegated for only the second time in their history in 1958-59 . However, under
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#17327727005038928-483: The club to its first top-flight title in 71 years. Remarkably, they did so using just 14 players, with seven players being ever-presents. Villa's Birmingham-born forward Gary Shaw was named 1980-1981 PFA Young Player of the Year . To the surprise of commentators and fans, Ron Saunders quit halfway through the 1981–82 season, with Villa in the quarter final of the European Cup. Saunders had expressed his exasperation with
9072-468: The club was bought by London financier Pat Matthews, who brought in Doug Ellis as chairman in December 1968. Ellis later recalled that "you could write your name in the dust, window frames were rotting, the smell of failure and imminent financial ruin hung in the air"; one of their first acts was to raise £205,835 in a share issue which cleared the club's debts. Doug Ellis's first managerial appointment
9216-548: The club was founded as far back as 1816. The club was so named because it was on Wednesdays that the founding members had a half-day off work. They were initially based at the New Ground in Darnall , and often went by the name of Darnall Wednesday , but also played at Hyde Park . In 1855 they were one of six clubs that helped build Bramall Lane , and held a wicket there for many years. Famous players to have represented
9360-526: The club was paying and things eventually came to a head when Italian firebrand Di Canio was sent off in a match against Arsenal and proceeded to push the referee on his way off. Danny Wilson was sacked the following March with relegation looking a certainty for the Hillsborough club, following a disastrous 1999–2000 season where they had been hammered 8–0 by Newcastle United as early as September. His assistant Peter Shreeves took temporary charge but
9504-583: The club's highest post-war league finish. In 1966 the club reached its fifth FA Cup final, but they were beaten 3–2 by Everton, having led 2–0. Off the field the club was embroiled in the British betting scandal of 1964 in which three of its players, Peter Swan , David Layne and Tony Kay , were accused of match fixing and betting against their own team in an away game at Ipswich Town . The three were subsequently convicted and, on release from prison, banned from football for life. The three were reprieved in
9648-436: The club's lack of youth development, recruitment and training methods. When Danny Blanchflower put in a transfer request in 1954 he said that "the club had grown fat and lazy on its old traditions and the decay was eating at the once solid foundations". Despite narrowly avoiding relegation the season before, Aston Villa's first trophy for 37 years came in the 1956–57 season when another former Villa player, Eric Houghton led
9792-527: The club's opening 11 games, Dean Smith was dismissed. Aston Villa appointed former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard as head coach on 11 November 2021. After a poor start to the 2022–23 season, in which Villa won just twice and scored only seven goals in their opening 11 games, Gerrard was sacked in October 2022, and replaced by four-time Europa League -winning Spanish manager Unai Emery . He led Villa to 7th place and qualification for
9936-556: The colouring of the detail inverted. In 1999, the minimalist version was brought back, albeit inside a crest, and with the addition of a copyright symbol in 2002. In 2016, new owner Dejphon Chansiri again changed the club crest, opting for a similar design to the 1956 badge. Over the years Sheffield Wednesday have had several Owl -themed matchday mascots . Originally it was Ozzie the Owl and later two further Owls, Baz & Ollie, were added. All three were replaced in 2006 by Barney Owl,
10080-507: The committee of his own club, Aston Villa, as well as to those of Blackburn Rovers , Bolton Wanderers , Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion , suggesting the creation of a league competition that would provide a number of guaranteed fixtures for its member clubs each season. Following two meetings between representatives of the leading clubs, the world's first Football League season began in September 1888 with 12 member clubs from
10224-421: The committee running the club at the time. All fourteen committee members resigned and were replaced by a committee of five led by Rinder after he gave a rousing speech criticising the board's tolerance of ill discipline and players' drinking. On the pitch, manager George Ramsay was moulding a team that became renowned for its short, quick combination passing which saw Villa win its first league title in 1893–94 ;
10368-531: The completed stadium was against Blackburn Rovers on 12 September 1887, resulting in a 4–4 draw, with Wednesday coming back from 4–1 behind. Whilst at Olive Grove, Wednesday entered league football for the first time in 1889 by playing in the new Football Alliance . They won 15 out of their 22 matches to clinch the title in the first season, before finally being granted admission to the Football League in 1892. The first game at Olive Grove at this level
10512-407: The cricket club include Harry Sampson, who scored 162 on ice in 1841, Tom Marsden , who scored 227 for Sheffield & Leicester vs Nottingham in 1826, and George Ulyett , who represented the club in the first ever international test match before becoming one of only a select band of players who played for both sections of The Wednesday Club. On the evening of Wednesday 4 September 1867, a meeting
10656-399: The cricketing side of the club in terms of popularity—the two sections went their separate ways in 1882 after a dispute over finances and the cricket club ceased to exist in 1925. On 1 February 1868, Wednesday played their first competitive football match as they entered the Cromwell Cup , a one-off four-team competition for newly formed clubs. A week after their semi-final, they went on to win
10800-464: The cup, beating the Garrick club in the final after extra time, the only goal being scored in diminishing light at Bramall Lane . This was one of the first recorded instances of a match being settled by a " golden goal " although the term was not in use at the time. A key figure during the formative years of the football club was Charles Clegg , who joined the Wednesday in 1867. His relationship with
10944-477: The decade, Wednesday's best players were leaving in their droves to join clubs who would pay them, and in January 1887 they lost 0–16 against Halliwell with just 10 players in their team. An emergency meeting was held, and the board members finally agreed to pay its players. The move to professionalism took the club from Bramall Lane, which had taken a share of the ticket revenue, to the new Olive Grove . In 1889
11088-402: The design of the new badge. On 6 April 2016, the club confirmed that it would be using a new badge from the 2016–17 season after consulting fan groups for suggestions. The lion in the new badge has claws added to it, and the word "Prepared" was removed to increase the size of the lion and club initials in the badge. In November 2022, following a fan-led vote, the club announced it would adopt
11232-477: The early 1970s, with Swan and Layne returning to Hillsborough, and, though their careers were virtually over, Swan at least played some league games for The Owls. Wednesday were relegated at the end of the 1969–70 season ; this began the darkest period in the club's history, eventually culminating in the club dropping to the Third Division for the first time in its history, and in 1976 it almost fell into
11376-469: The end of the season, bringing Wednesday's nine-year spell in the Championship to an end. After failing to win promotion in their first season back in League One, Wednesday finished third in the 2022–23 season. In the play-off semi-finals, Wednesday lost 4–0 in the first leg against Peterborough United but won the second leg 5–1 before prevailing on penalties. Wednesday then won promotion back to
11520-467: The final day with a 17th-place finish, staying up on the final day. In Villa's second season back in the Premier League, Smith oversaw an 11th-place finish, but was unable to persuade star player and captain Jack Grealish to remain at the club after Manchester City's British-record £100 million bid triggered his release clause. Following a poor start to the 2021–22 season, which saw seven losses in
11664-483: The final season at Olive Grove was a disaster; the team lost more than half of their 34 matches and were relegated from the top tier of English football for the first time. Things looked very bad for the club. In the spring of 1899 shares in Wednesday were issued to raise capital for a brand new stadium. Two sites were proposed for the development – Carbrook , in the North East of the city, and Owlerton , then
11808-441: The final, with goals from Dalian Atkinson and Dean Saunders , but the team struggled for form in the league and Atkinson was replaced by former Villa striker Brian Little in November 1994. Little assembled a young side which included players as Gareth Southgate , Steve Staunton , Ian Taylor and Dwight Yorke , leading the club to a fifth League Cup triumph in 1996, beating Leeds United 3–0 at Wembley. Villa finished fourth in
11952-616: The finished 10th and 16th, leading to O'Leary leaving in the summer of 2006. After 23 years as chairman and single biggest shareholder (approximately 38%), Ellis sold his stake in Aston Villa due to ill-health at the age of 82. American businessman Randy Lerner , owner of NFL franchise the Cleveland Browns , completed his takeover in September 2006. The arrival of a new owner in Lerner and of manager Martin O'Neill marked
12096-418: The first Midlands team to win the FA Cup in 1887. Villa's captain, the powerful Scottish centre-forward Archie Hunter became one of the game's first household names, being the first player to score in every round of the FA Cup. Aston Villa were one of the dozen teams that competed in the inaugural Football League in 1888 with one of the club's directors, William McGregor being the league's founder. Following
12240-437: The first attempt but the real highlight of the season was a League Cup final victory over Atkinson's old club Manchester United. Midfielder Sheridan scored the only goal of the game, which delivered the club's first major trophy since their FA Cup success in 1935. As of 2022 they remain the last team to win one of English football's major trophies while outside the top flight. Atkinson moved to Aston Villa shortly after promotion
12384-476: The first international games of both cricket and football. In 1876 Wednesday acquired Scot James Lang . Although he was not employed by the club, he was given a job by a member of the Sheffield Wednesday board that had no formal duties. He is now acknowledged as the first professional football player in England. With Lang in their team the football club became one of the strongest in the region,
12528-491: The formidable strike partnership of Brian Little and Andy Gray , who became the first player to win both the PFA Young Player of the Year and PFA Players' Player of the Year in the same season. The 1970s was an era of boardroom unrest at Villa Park. Ron Saunders had a strained relationship with Doug Ellis , resenting Doug's perceived interference in football matters. Over time Ellis became an isolated figure on
12672-491: The fourth English club to win the European Cup , in 1981–82 , followed by the European Super Cup in 1982 . Aston Villa were a founding member of the Premier League in 1992 , one of just three clubs to have been a founding member of both the Football League and the Premier League. The club regularly qualified for European football in the 1990s, but following a period in which the club struggled to compete with
12816-439: The high levels of spending of the leading clubs, Doug Ellis sold his stake in the club to American billionaire Randy Lerner , whose ownership of the club ended with Villa's first and only relegation from the Premier League in season 2015–16. The club returned to the Premier League in 2019. During their history Villa has spent 111 seasons in the top-flight, the second highest of any club, and provided 78 England internationals, also
12960-450: The lack of investment in the team led to him publicly accusing Ellis of being "stuck a time warp"; their relationship remained strained until Gregory resigned in January 2002. Ellis appointed Graham Taylor for a second spell in February 2002, but a 16th-place finish in the league led to his replacement with David O'Leary in June 2003. After a sixth-place finish in his first season, Villa
13104-484: The league and took the club to an FA Cup final in 2000 with a side that included David James , Dion Dublin , Paul Merson and Gareth Barry but was unable to assemble a team capable of challenging for Champions League places. At the end of the season Villa's captain Gareth Southgate handed in a transfer request, claiming that "if I am to achieve in my career, it is time to move on." Gregory's frustration at
13248-510: The league that season, and fifth the season after. Following a dip in form, Doug Ellis sacked Little and replaced him with another former Villa player John Gregory in February 1998. One of his first matches in charge was the UEFA Cup quarter-final against Atlético Madrid , which Villa lost on away goals over two-legs. In the summer of 1998, Yorke was transferred to Manchester United for £12.6 million. Gregory managed four top-eight finishes in
13392-459: The local railway lines, the club was told that they would have to find a new ground for the 1899–1900 season . After a difficult search the club finally bought some land in the village of Owlerton , which at the time was several miles outside the Sheffield city boundaries. Construction of a new stadium (now known as Hillsborough Stadium ) was completed within months and the club was secured for
13536-537: The lower half of the table. Carvalhal left by mutual consent in December 2017, and was replaced by Dutch manager Jos Luhukay a month later. The team finished in an uneventful 15th place at the end of the season. Luhukay was sacked in December 2018 after a run of only one win in 10, which left the team 18th in the table. He was replaced by former Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce who saw an upturn in form to finish 12th. However, Bruce controversially resigned in July 2019 to manage Newcastle United . On 6 September 2019,
13680-408: The lowest quotation. The chocolate colour later became claret. Nobody is quite sure why claret and blue became the club's adopted colours. Several other football teams adopted their distinctive colours including West Ham United , Burnley , Scunthorpe United and Turkish club Trabzonspor . Crystal Palace also played in Villa's colours until the 1970s. A new badge was revealed in May 2007, for
13824-428: The mid-1930s; the 1940s and 1950s were generally a period of mediocrity followed by a steep decline in the 1960s which culminated in a takeover of the club by Doug Ellis in 1968 and Villa's first and only relegation to the third tier of English football in 1969–70. Villa returned to the elite from the mid-1970s under manager Ron Saunders , who led the club to a seventh top-flight league title in 1980–81. They became only
13968-457: The next century. In a strong decade, Wednesday won the League in the 1902–03 and 1903–04 seasons and the FA Cup again in 1907 , beating Everton 2–1, again at Crystal Palace. When competitive football was suspended in 1915 because of the outbreak of World War I , the club participated in several regionalised war leagues, until 1919, when competitive football resumed. They were relegated from
14112-455: The offer to take over as England manager in 1990. Villa were one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, one of just three clubs to have been founding members of both the Football League in 1888 and the Premier League, along with Blackburn Rovers and Everton . Villa finished runners-up to Manchester United in the inaugural season under manager Ron Atkinson . His side lifted the League Cup in 1994, beating Manchester United 3–1 in
14256-554: The one-club man Harry Parkes , the Welsh centre forward Trevor Ford and inside-forward Johnny Dixon , however the club only achieved mid-table finishes throughout the forties and fifties, never finishing higher than 6th place in the league. The board came in for increasing criticism during this time, with the 1953 AGM described by the Sports Argus as "the longest and liveliest Villa meeting". Shareholders and supporters criticised
14400-471: The opening day of the 2010–11 season , O'Neill resigned as manager, despite three consecutive 6th-place finishes, due to frustration in the lack of investment in the squad, following the sale of star players Gareth Barry , James Milner and Ashley Young . His replacement Gérard Houllier stepped down due to ill-health in September 2011, to be replaced by Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish , despite fan protests against his appointment. McLeish's contract
14544-500: The original wearers of the claret and blue. Villa's colours at the outset were royal blue caps and stockings, royal blue and scarlet "striped" (in the context of the time, hooped) jerseys, and white knickerbockers, one of the club rules including a provision that "no member can take part in a match without wearing the above uniform". For a few years after that (1877–79) the team wore several different kits from all white, blue and black, red and blue to plain green. By 1880, black jerseys with
14688-449: The professionalisation of football in 1885, clubs needed regular income to pay their players' wages. Frequently friendlies were cancelled due to opponents' FA Cup or county cup matches or clubs simply failed to honour a fixture in favour of a more lucrative match elsewhere. McGregor took action after seeing Villa matches cancelled, to the increasing frustration of the club's fans, on five consecutive Saturdays. In March 1888, he wrote to
14832-471: The prolific strike force of Joe Bache and Harry Hampton who between them scored 382 goals in claret and blue. In January 1920, Billy Walker scored twice on his Villa debut in a 2–1 FA Cup first-round win over QPR ; the club won the FA Cup for the sixth time that season and Walker went on to establish himself as Villa's star player of the 1920s, scoring a record 244 goals in 531 appearances, captaining Villa and England . George Ramsay retired in 1926, at
14976-574: The quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1963. In 1991, they defeated Manchester United 1–0 in the Football League Cup final as a second-tier team. As of 2022, they remain the last team to win one of English football's major trophies while outside the top flight. In the 19th century, they played their matches at several stadiums around central Sheffield, including Olive Grove and Bramall Lane . Since 1899,
15120-445: The root cause of the disaster was the failure of local police to adequately manage the crowds. A memorial to the victims of the disaster stands outside Hillsborough's South Stand, near the main entrance on Parkside Road. After many years of dispute about the facts, in June 2017 six men responsible for safety were charged with criminal offences including manslaughter and misconduct in public office. The club's move to Owlerton in 1899
15264-400: The scale we previously were". In 2015, Sheffield FC relaunched their campaign to move back to Olive Grove, with funds dependent on donations from supporters. Clubs including Aston Villa , FC St. Pauli and Hertha BSC have all voiced their support of the campaign. Due to poor record keeping, it is difficult to give an accurate figure for the record attendance at Olive Grove. For many games
15408-474: The season after that the club won its second FA Cup in 1894-95 . This was followed by back-to-back League titles in 1895–96 and 1896–97 . Aston Villa emerged as the most successful English club of the Victorian era , winning no fewer than five League titles and three FA Cups by the end of Queen Victoria 's reign in 1901. Villa's captain during this era was Birmingham-born forward John Devey , who enjoyed
15552-680: The season later, qualifying for European football only to be disqualified due to England's ban in Europe due to the Heysel Stadium disaster . On 15 April 1989 the club's stadium was the scene of one of the worst sporting tragedies ever , at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest , at which 97 Liverpool fans were fatally crushed in the Leppings Lane end of the stadium. The tragedy resulted in many changes at Hillsborough and all other leading stadiums in England; it
15696-500: The second highest of any club. Aston Villa is currently ranked 5th in the all-time English top flight table, since its creation in 1888 and is the seventh most successful club in English football by competitive honours. Villa have a fierce local rivalry with Birmingham City and the Second City derby between the teams has been played since 1879 . There is also a local rivalry with West Bromwich Albion , with matches between
15840-664: The sides known as the West Midlands derby . The club's traditional kit colours are claret shirts with sky blue sleeves, white shorts and sky blue socks. Their traditional club badge is of a rampant lion. The club is currently owned by V Sports , a company owned by the Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris , the American billionaire Wes Edens , and American investment company Atairos. Aston Villa Football Club are believed to have formed on 21 November 1874 , by members of
15984-551: The start of a new period of optimism at Villa Park and sweeping changes occurred throughout the club including a new badge, investment in state-of-the-art facilities at the Bodymoor Heath Training Ground and significant investment in the squad in the summer of 2007. The first Cup final of the Lerner era came in 2010 when Villa were beaten 2–1 in the League Cup Final . Just five days before
16128-437: The stewardship of Mercer, Villa returned to the top-flight in 1960 as Second Division Champions with a talented young side which became known as 'Mercer's Minors'. The following season Aston Villa became the first team to win the Football League Cup with England centre-forward Gerry Hitchens scoring an impressive 42 goals in 1960-61 . Hitchens' goals brought him to the attention of Italian club Inter Milan , who offered him
16272-463: The team in the position of training on borrowed training pitches of local factory teams. The following season the fans called for the board to resign as Villa finished 16th in the Second Division. With mounting debts and Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two, the board sacked Tommy Cummings (the manager brought in to replace Taylor), and within weeks the entire board resigned under overwhelming pressure from fans. After much speculation, control of
16416-434: The team winning the FA Cup for the third time in the club's history in 1935 . When World War II began, the club entered non-competitive war leagues, returning to competitive football in 1946. The 1950s saw Wednesday unable to consistently hold on to a position in the top flight and this period became known as the yo-yo years . After being promoted in 1950 they were relegated three times, although each time they returned to
16560-517: The top flight by winning the Second Division the following season. The decade ended on a high note with the team finishing in the top half of the First Division for the first time since World War II. In 1961, the club ran toe-to-toe with Tottenham Hotspur at the top of the table for the majority of the season – Wednesday became the first team to beat Spurs all season – before finally finishing in second place, which still (as of 2023) remains
16704-411: The top flight for the first time in 1920, and did not return until 1926, and in the 1927–28 season they looked like going down again before securing a haul of 17 points from their last 10 matches to secure safety. Wednesday went on to win the League title the following season ( 1928–29 ), which started a run that saw the team finishing lower than third only once until 1936. The period was topped off with
16848-452: The tournament to Russia meant that Sheffield FC, who currently play at Dronfield's Coach and Horses ground, had to shelve the plans. But the club remain determined to make the move, and admit that Olive Grove "is still an option". "England not getting the 2018 World Cup was a blow", Sheffield FC chairman Richard Tims told The Telegraph. "We’re just weighing up our options at the moment. We are still looking at moving home, but not quite on
16992-558: The trophy 9 times in the next 12 seasons. Following the professionalisation of football in 1885, the club decided that it needed a full-time paid manager. The following advert was placed in the Birmingham Daily Gazette newspaper in June 1886: 'Wanted: manager for Aston Villa Football Club, who will be required to devote his whole time under direction of the committee. Salary £100 per annum. Applications with reference must be made not later than June 23rd to Chairman of
17136-450: The two-legged semi-final to reach the 1971 League Cup Final , in which the team played well but were defeated by two late Tottenham Hotspur goals. There was a renewed sense of optimism at Villa Park as the club was promoted to the Second Division as champions with average attendances of 30,000 and a record 70 points in 1971–72 season . Off the pitch, the board purchased the new 20-acre Bodymoor Heath Training Ground in December 1971, with
17280-422: The years. Traditionally, white was the second choice for many teams, including Wednesday, although the club has used a multitude of colours for its change strip over the years, including yellow, black, silver, green and orange. Since 1912, the owl has become a theme that has run throughout the club. The original club crest was introduced in 1956 and consisted of a shield showing a traditionally drawn owl perched on
17424-427: The £1.3 million worth of bills were unaccounted for. A later report by accountants Deloitte found that there were "serious breaches of recommended codes of practice and poor site supervision". Ellis immediately set about trying to reduce the club's overheads. He informed the players that they needed to take pay cuts and told the manager Tony Barton that there was a need to reduce the playing staff. Saunders' team
17568-468: Was Wednesday's 5–2 win over Accrington . However, the club experienced a poor season and narrowly avoided relegation from the First Division . Despite steady improvement on the pitch over the following years, the days would soon be numbered for Olive Grove. Plans were made to expand the railway track beside the ground, and as a result, Wednesday's lease would not be renewed. To make matters worse,
17712-426: Was a Villa director, William McGregor , who founded the world's first Football League in 1888 . George Ramsay's trophy haul of six League Championships and six FA Cups established Aston Villa as the most successful club in England, a position it held from the 1890s until the 1970s. Villa scored 128 goals in season 1930–31 , which remains the all-time top-flight record, however the club began its first decline in
17856-402: Was a risky one, as it moved the club several miles away from the city centre, but its loyal followers continued to make the journey to the new ground, and the club has been one of the best supported in England ever since. However, official attendances were not taken at Football League games until the 1920s. Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa )
18000-406: Was achieved, and handed over the reins to 37-year-old striker Trevor Francis . Wednesday finished third in the First Division at the end of the 1991–92 season, booking their place in the following season's UEFA Cup and becoming a founding member of the new FA Premier League . 1992–93 was one of the most eventful seasons in the history of Sheffield Wednesday football club. They finished seventh in
18144-457: Was appointed as the club's new manager, but was sacked after just 12 games following a poor start to the season. He was replaced by former Birmingham manager Steve Bruce . Bruce led the team to finish fourth in the 2017–18 season, but lost in the 2018 EFL Championship play-off final to Fulham . Following failure to secure promotion to the Premier League , the club faced significant financial difficulties. Following rumours that administration
18288-450: Was broken up and not adequately replaced, culminating in the club being relegated in 1987, just five years after Villa had been crowned European champions. However, Villa bounced back quickly, achieving promotion the following year under Graham Taylor and a runners-up position in the top-flight in the 1989–90 season with a fine side that included Paul McGrath , Tony Daley and David Platt . Following this success, Graham Taylor accepted
18432-401: Was frustrating, as they finished 15th in the Premiership despite an expensively-assembled line-up which included the likes of Marc Degryse , Dejan Stefanovic and Darko Kovacevic – who all had disappointing and short-lived tenures at the club. An excellent start to the 1996–97 season saw the Owls top the Premiership after winning their first four games, and David Pleat was credited Manager of
18576-540: Was held at the Adelphi Hotel to establish whether there was interest among the club's members to form a football club to keep the team together and fit during the winter months. The proposal proved very popular, with over 60 members signing up for the new team on the first night. They played their first match against The Mechanics on 19 October the same year, winning by three goals and four ' rouges ' to nil. It soon became apparent that football would come to eclipse
18720-467: Was imminent, Xia looked to sell the club. On 20 July 2018 it was announced that the NSWE Group , a consortium consisting of Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and the American billionaire Wes Edens , were to invest in the football club. They purchased a controlling 55% stake in the club, and Sawiris took over the role of club chairman, appointing Christian Purslow as CEO. In October 2018, Bruce
18864-459: Was injured and young substitute keeper Nigel Spink was called into action, having only made one previous appearance in the first team. Spink performed superbly, keeping a clean sheet, and helping Villa become only the fourth English club to lift the European Cup. The following season the defence of the European Cup ended in a quarter-final defeat to Juventus , but Villa won the European Super Cup , beating Barcelona 3–1 on aggregate. This marked
19008-421: Was moved to above the owl's head to make way for the words Sheffield Wednesday . The word Hillsborough was also curved around the top of the design. The club motto was absent on the new design. The crest was encased in a new shape of shield. This crest remained in use for only a few years, during which several versions were used with different colours, including a white crest with blue stripes down either side and
19152-450: Was produced by local manufacturers until 1974, when Umbro became the first kit supplier to have its logo on a Villa shirt. Aston Villa's first shirt sponsor was Davenports Breweries in the 1982–83 season. Aston Villa forwent commercial kit sponsorship for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons; instead advertising the charity Acorns Children's Hospice , the first deal of its kind in Premier League history. The partnership continued until 2010 when
19296-501: Was re-opened in 1986 by Queen Elizabeth II and was once the largest covered stand of any football stadium in Europe. On 15 April 1989, at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest , 94 Liverpool fans (later increasing to 97) were crushed to death after the terraces at the Leppings Lane end of the ground became overcrowded, in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster . The following report concluded that
19440-543: Was relegated in 1936 for the first time in its history. Following relegation to the Second Division, the Villa board brought back the ageing former club chairman Fred Rinder , who said on his return "Villa have been a great club, are still a great club, and always will be a great club". He was vocal in his criticism of the board for its "almost total neglect of the reserve team, instead relying on paying big fees for ready made players". He believed that this change in policy from scouting and developing young homegrown talent led to
19584-429: Was required that terracing would be replaced with seats in stands, and that perimeter fencing should be removed. In Ron Atkinson's first full season as manager, 1989–90, Sheffield Wednesday finished 18th in the First Division and were relegated on goal difference , despite the acquisition of the talented John Sheridan and the fact they had pulled towards mid-table at one stage of the season. They regained promotion at
19728-419: Was sacked after a poor start to the season and was replaced by Tony Pulis . However, Pulis was also dismissed after only 45 days in charge on 28 December 2020. After a few months with Neil Thompson as caretaker manager, Darren Moore was appointed as the club's third permanent manager of the season in March 2021. Despite taking the fight to the final day, Moore could not prevent relegation to League One come
19872-399: Was sacked after winning only once in a nine match stretch. He was replaced by Brentford manager and boyhood Villa fan Dean Smith , who led the team to fifth place, and reaching the playoffs again—helped on by a club-record 10 league game winning streak. They reached the 2019 EFL Championship play-off final and defeated Derby County 2–1 to gain promotion back to the Premier League after
20016-426: Was situated near Bramall Lane ; just south of the city centre next to the railway tracks on Queens Road, on land leased from the Duke of Norfolk . However, it was in no fit state to host football matches and over £5,000 had to be spent developing the site. Even then, the ground still lacked basic facilities; early on the players even had to get changed at a local pub before matches. The first match to be played at
20160-454: Was speculated for quite some time, as the club wished to return to its roots in Sheffield. The world's oldest football club had hoped that England 's bid to host the 2018 World Cup would be successful, and that spin-off grants would enable them to complete an ambitious multi-million pound bid to move back 'home' to Olive Grove in 2010. Despite the club having never played a single home match here. But FIFA 's decision late in 2010 to award
20304-417: Was terminated at the end of the 2011–12 season after Villa finished in 16th place, and he was replaced by Paul Lambert . In February 2012, the club announced a financial loss of £53.9 million, and Lerner put the club up for sale three months later. With Lerner still on board, but unwilling to spend following the stock market crash of 2008, the club was uncompetitive for several seasons, culminating in
20448-522: Was the outspoken Scottish manager Tommy Docherty , who after initial success, was sacked after 13 months in charge with the club at the foot of Second Division. His replacement was former club captain and reserve team manager Vic Crowe , who could not prevent Villa being relegated to the Third Division for the first time in its history at the end of the 1969–70 season. The following season Villa surprised everyone by beating Manchester United in
20592-411: Was unable to stave off relegation, with a 3–3 draw at Arsenal in May 2000 being enough to see the Owls tumble into the First Division. Having spent large sums building squads that were ultimately ineffective, the club's finances took a turn for the worse, and in 2003 they were relegated for a second time in four years, to the Second Division. The club spent two years in the third tier before returning
20736-412: Was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year , and the strike partnership of David Hirst and Mark Bright was one of the most feared in the country. Francis was unable to achieve any more success at the club, and two seasons later he was sacked. His successor was former Luton , Leicester and Tottenham manager David Pleat . David Pleat's first season as Sheffield Wednesday manager
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