Will The Next Mug Step Forward?

David O’Leary joined Aston Villa in May 2003 following the departure of Graham Taylor.

His appointment appeared rushed and was a surprise because Doug Ellis – the Menace of B6 – had promised they would take their time over the appointment and not make a decision until July.

O’Leary took Villa to 6th in the 2003/04 season with 15 wins, 11 draws and 12 losses but missed out on Europe due to Millwall’s FA Cup final appearance.

The next season saw a decline in position after O’Leary was forced to shed even more of the squad. We finished 10th with 12 wins, 11 draws and 15 losses.

The 05/06 was a total disaster despite the arrival of Milan Baros. In fairness to O’Leary the squad was small but the negativity had spread and as well as a humiliating 3-0 cup defeat at the hands of Doncaster, Villa were sucked into a relegation battle finishing 16th with the worst start to a season for 30 years. 10 wins, 12 draws, 16 losses.

O’Leary was Doug’s 13th manager, unlucky for some. Ellis promised O’Leary would be his last manager, so lets hope he is true to his word. No, of-course he won’t be, he’ll be there to herald the next golden era any day now.

Tommy Docherty: 1968-70;
Vic Crowe: 1970-74;
Ron Saunders: 1974-82;
Tony Barton: 1982-84;
Graham Turner: 1984-86;
Billy McNeil: 1986-87;
Graham Taylor: 1987-90;
Jozef Venglos: 1990-91;
Ron Atkinson: 1991-94;
Brian Little: 1994-98;
John Gregory: 1998-2002;
Graham Taylor: 2002-2003,
David O`Leary: 2003 – 2006.

Next mug to fall for the Ellis spin? 2006- (potentially 2008 or 2009).