Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, competes in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. The team have played at their home ground Villa Park since 1897. Aston Villa is 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 the European Cup and European Super Cup once.
Gérard Paul Francis Houllier was a French professional football manager and player. Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2001. He then guided Lyon to two French titles, before announcing his resignation on 25 May 2007. He became manager of Aston Villa in September 2010. He also coached the France national team between 1992 and 1993. He assisted Aimé Jacquet in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, was part of UEFA's and FIFA's Technical Committee in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, and technical director for the French Football Federation during the 2010 finals. In June 2011, he stepped down from club coaching, leaving his managerial role at Aston Villa, following frequent hospitalisation over heart problems.
Peter Withe is an English former football manager and striker who played between 1971 and 1990. At Nottingham Forest he won the Anglo-Scottish Cup and Second Division promotion in 1976–77, First Division and the Football League Cup in 1977–78, and the 1978 FA Charity Shield. After a spell at Newcastle it was back to more success at Aston Villa with whom he won the First Division 1980–81, going on to score the only goal in the 1982 European Cup final and also win the 1982 European Super Cup. He played for England 11 times, scoring once, and was a squad member at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
Steven Brian Stone is an English football coach and former professional player.
Phillip Anthony Bardsley is a former professional footballer who played as a full back. He also played international football for the Scotland national team. He is currently assistant manager of Macclesfield.
Kevin Duncan MacDonald is a Scottish former footballer who is the former manager of Swindon Town and caretaker manager of Aston Villa on three occasions. As a player MacDonald was a member of the Liverpool "double" winning side of 1986.
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.
Trevor McGregor Steven is an English former professional footballer who played as a right-sided midfielder. He progressed through the ranks at Burnley, making his debut in 1981 regularly scoring over the next two seasons. Everton boss Howard Kendall, who was building a new team based on youth, decided to make a bid for him. He became known as a member of the successful Everton side of the 1980s and went on to be part of the Rangers '9-in-a-row' team. Steven was also successful with France's Marseille and gained 36 international caps for England. He works as a presenter for RTÉ Sport in Ireland.
Andrew David Townsend is a former professional footballer and sports co-commentator for Premier League Productions and CBS Sports.
Paul Rideout is an English former professional footballer and youth team coach of Major League Soccer side Sporting Kansas City.
Ian Kenneth Taylor is an English former professional footballer and sports television pundit.
Adrian Paul Heath is an English football manager and former player. He most recently served as head coach of Major League Soccer club Minnesota United FC until October 2023. As a player, he is best known for his six seasons at Everton, where he won two First Division titles and an FA Cup. As a manager, Heath initially worked in his native England before moving abroad to Orlando City, an expansion side in the American second division. Orlando City had the best start of any newly founded team in the history of American soccer, winning multiple honours before joining MLS in 2015.
The 1980–81 season was the 82nd completed season of The Football League. This was the final league season with two points for win.
Raymond Walker is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He played 440 games for Port Vale in all competitions between 1986 and 1997, ensuring himself a place in the club's history. He was twice the club's player of the season, and was named on the PFA Team of the Year three times. He was promoted twice with the club and also played a part in the club's highest ever post-war finish in the English Football League. With Aston Villa in the early '80s, he joined Port Vale in 1986, after a short loan spell in 1984. After eleven years at Vale Park he went into non-League football with Leek Town and Newcastle Town.
Barry Ryan Bannan is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for and captains EFL Championship club Sheffield Wednesday.
Daniel Noel Drinkwater is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
During the 1984–85 English football season, Everton F.C. competed in the Football League First Division and finished as champions for the first time in 15 years, also winning the European Cup Winners' Cup.
John Cowan was a Scottish footballer who played in the Football League for Aston Villa and Preston North End.
Aston Villa competed in the Football League First Division during the 1988–89 English football season, having earned a promotion back to the First Division under their manager Graham Taylor. The team saw a slump in performances towards the end of the season, Aston Villa narrowly avoided relegation in the 1988–89 season after a draw on the final day of the season. There were debuts for Chris Price (111), Derek Mountfield (90), Ian Olney (88), Ian Ormondroyd (56), Nigel Callaghan (26), Lee Butler (8) and Darrell Duffy (1).
