Season #2 | 1880-81 | Games #3 - #6
AVFC History
Season #114
| 2002-03 |
Games #4756 - #4802 |
2002-03 Club Summary
President | John Alderson
Chairman | Herbert Douglas Ellis
Manager | Graham Taylor
Secretary | Steve Stride
2002-03 Season Summary
Manager | Graham Taylor |
Games | #4756 - #4802 |
Captain(s) | #674 Steve Staunton |
Top Scorer | 14 | #635 Dion Dublin | 10 League | 4 League Cup | Goals |
Most Appearances | 44 | #628 Gareth Barry | #760 Olof Mellberg |
Final League Position | 16th Premier League |
FA Cup Progress | 3rd Round |
League Cup Progress | 5th Round |
Intertoto Cup Progress | Semi Final |
Biggest Win | 5-0 | Preston North End (h), League Cup |
Highest Home Attendance | 42,602 | Birmingham City | Manchester United | Arsenal |
2002-03 Premier League Table
| 14 | Fulham | P38 | W13 | D9 | L16 | F41 | A50 | GD-9 | Pts 48 |
| 15 | Leeds United | P38 | W14 | D5 | L19 | F58 | A57 | GD1 | Pts 47 |
| 16 | Aston Villa | P38 | W12 | D9 | L17 | F42 | A47 | GD-5 | Pts 45 |
| 17 | Bolton Wanderers | P38 | W10 | D14 | L14 | F41 | A51 | GD-10 | Pts 44 |
| 18 | West Ham United | P38 | W10 | D12 | L16 | F42 | A59 | GD-17 | Pts 42 |
2002-03 Results
| 1 | 21 Jul | a | FC Zürich (ITTO R3 L1) | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 2 | 27 Jul | h | FC Zürich (ITTO R3 L2) | W | 3-0 | Match Report
| 3 | 31 Jul | a | Lille OSC (ITTO SF L1) | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 4 | 7 Aug | h | Lille OSC (ITTO SF L2) | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 5 | 18 Aug | h | Liverpool | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 6 | 24 Aug | a | Tottenham Hotspur | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 7 | 28 Aug | h | Manchester City | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 8 | 1 Sep | a | Bolton Wanderers | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 9 | 11 Sep | h | Charlton Athletic | W | 2-0 | Match Report
| 10 | 16 Sep | a | Birmingham City | L | 0-3 | Match Report
| 11 | 22 Sep | h | Everton | W | 3-2 | Match Report
| 12 | 28 Sep | a | Sunderland | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 13 | 2 Oct | h | Luton Town (LC R2) | W | 3-0 | Match Report
| 14 | 6 Oct | h | Leeds United | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 15 | 21 Oct | h | Southampton | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 16 | 26 Oct | a | Manchester United | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 17 | 3 Nov | a | Blackburn Rovers | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 18 | 6 Nov | a | Oxford United (LC R3) | W | 3-0 | Match Report
| 19 | 9 Nov | h | Fulham | W | 3-1 | Match Report
| 20 | 16 Nov | a | West Bromwich Albion | D | 0-0 | Match Report
| 21 | 23 Nov | h | West Ham United | W | 4-1 | Match Report
| 22 | 30 Nov | a | Arsenal | L | 1-3 | Match Report
| 23 | 4 Dec | h | Preston North End (LC R4) | W | 5-0 | Match Report
| 24 | 7 Dec | h | Newcastle United | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 25 | 14 Dec | h | West Bromwich Albion | W | 2-1 | Match Report
| 26 | 18 Dec | h | Liverpool (LC QF) | L | 3-4 | Match Report
| 27 | 21 Dec | a | Chelsea | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 28 | 26 Dec | a | Manchester City | L | 1-3 | Match Report
| 29 | 28 Dec | h | Middlesbrough | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 30 | 1 Jan | h | Bolton Wanderers | W | 2-0 | Match Report
| 31 | 4 Jan | h | Blackburn Rovers (FAC R3) | L | 1-4 | Match Report
| 32 | 11 Jan | a | Liverpool | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 33 | 18 Jan | h | Tottenham Hotspur | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 34 | 28 Jan | a | Middlesbrough | W | 5-2 | Match Report
| 35 | 2 Feb | h | Blackburn Rovers | W | 3-0 | Match Report
| 36 | 8 Feb | a | Fulham | L | 1-2 | Match Report
| 37 | 22 Feb | a | Charlton Athletic | L | 0-3 | Match Report
| 38 | 3 Mar | h | Birmingham City | L | 0-2 | Match Report
| 39 | 15 Mar | h | Manchester United | L | 0-1 | Match Report
| 40 | 22 Mar | a | Southampton | D | 2-2 | Match Report
| 41 | 5 Apr | h | Arsenal | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 42 | 12 Apr | a | West Ham United | D | 2-2 | Match Report
| 43 | 19 Apr | h | Chelsea | W | 2-1 | Match Report
| 44 | 21 Apr | a | Newcastle United | D | 1-1 | Match Report
| 45 | 26 Apr | a | Everton | L | 1-2 | Match Report
| 46 | 3 May | h | Sunderland | W | 1-0 | Match Report
| 47 | 11 May | a | Leeds United | L | 1-3 | Match Report
2002-03 Season Review
The signings were surprising, the football poor but what most shocked in this most inept of Villa seasons was that the manager - after an appalling run to the end of the previous season - remained in post.
It is arguably doubtful any other manager would have been given a second chance based on the record, style of play and signings of Graham Taylor but such was the bond with the Chairman and the respect from the fans that indeed that second chance was granted.
Predictably it was a disaster.
A season notable for the embarrassing defeats by perennial whipping boys Birmingham City home and away was actually even worse when viewed from a broader perspective.
The season was marked by some of the most questionable signings in the history of Villa. Michael Boulding, a tennis player who had struggled in the lower leagues, Ulises de la Cruz, a limited and at times comical full back, Mark Kinsella an ageing and pedestrian midfielder, Ronny Johnsen, a talented but injury prone centre half, Öyvind Leonhardsen, a player purchased following the manager's surprise that his overdue retirement had not already happened, Marcus Allbäck, a striker without the touch or vision to score in the premier league and the passionate but flawed Joey Guðjónsson.
Unsurprisingly the regular top 8 finishes of the previous decade collapsed into a relegation fight despite the nucleus of a strong team which could and should have been better used.
Juan Pablo Ángel, Olof Mellberg, Lee Hendrie, Gareth Barry, Peter Crouch and Thomas Hitzlsperger were wasted and the careers of influential first team players like Paul Merson, Steve Stone, Hassan Kachloul and George Boateng were prematurely ended.
If that wasn't enough, an apparent scattergun approach to selection - using a scarcely credible 35 players - and the failure to recruit a goalkeeper of sufficient ability crowned what in context must rank as one of Villa’s worst ever seasons.
This state of affairs had been entirely self inflicted. The season had echoes of the dismemberment of the European Cup winning squad through the 80’s and the terrible management appointments that led to inevitable relegation in 1986-87. A manager unsuited to the job dismantled a team - albeit a less feted one - and replaced them with significantly poorer players and set about a selection policy so haphazard that the team could never settle and be allowed to gain form.
Villa had of course had fallow periods before but mostly these had come about through the natural ageing and fall in effectiveness of players impacting a small squad’s performance. The period of 1983-87 was the first in which the club was the master of its own downfall and the irony is that the saviour of that era was the same man who oversaw this latest period of self harm.
The reality however is that the blame cannot be placed at Graham Taylor's door - he simply took a job in which he was no longer capable of excelling. The real root cause was that Chairman Ellis had always seemed to treat Villa like an underling over whom he was patrician and apparently resented the fact that the club was bigger and more important than the individual. Once a management regime was in place that appeared to concur with this world view then the resulting downturn in form was inevitable. Coupled with the strategy to age the squad and remove the talent for short term political reasons - just like in the 80’s - it was hardly surprising that the Taylor project was shortlived and indeed the end of the Ellis era was in sight.
The worst win rate since Billy McNeill’s ill-fated tenure and worse than even the disastrous Graham Turner both of whose calamities ironically Taylor had come in to rectify in his first spell.
Embarrassingly Villa finished behind Birmingham City in the table for the first time since 1974–75.
2002-03 Season Statistics
Games | 47 |
Won | 16 | 34% |
Drew | 10 | 21% |
Lost | 21 | 45% |
Unbeaten | 26 | 55% |
Goals Scored | 61 | 1.30 Goals per game |
Goals Conceded | 60 | 1.28 Goals per game |
Clean Sheets | 13 | 28% |
Average Home Attendance | 32,695 |
Longest winning run | 2 Games |
League winning run | 2 Games |
Longest unbeaten run | 6 Games |
Longest losing run | 4 Games |
Games without a win | 7 Games |
2002-03 Transfers
1 July 2002 - 30 June 2003
Incoming | 10 |
#763 Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | Free | Jul 02 | 27 |
#765 Marcus Allbäck | SC Heerenveen | £2,700,000 | Jul 02 | 29 |
#766 Stefan Postma | De Graafschap | £2,000,000 | Jul 02 | 26 |
#767 Ulises de la Cruz | Hibernian FC | £2,430,000 | Jul 02 | 27 |
#768 Mark Kinsella | Charlton Athletic | £1,040,000 | Jul 02 | 29 |
#769 Ronny Johnsen | Manchester United | Free | Jul 02 | 33 |
#770 Öyvind Leonhardsen | Tottenham Hotspur | Free | Jul 02 | 31 |
#774 Peter Whittingham | Youth Team | Signed professional forms | Jul 02 | 17 |
#771 Rob Edwards | Youth Team | Signed professional forms | Dec 02 | 19 |
#773 Joey Guðjónsson | Real Betis | Loan | Jan 03 | 22 |
Outgoing | 9 |
#757 Peter Schmeichel | Manchester City | Free | Aug 02 | 38 |
#731 Paul Merson | Portsmouth | Free | Aug 02 | 34 |
#742 George Boateng | Middlesbrough | £6,210,000 | Aug 02 | 26 |
#738 Steve Stone | Portsmouth | Free | Nov 02 | 31 |
#763 Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | Free | Jan 03 | 27 |
#705 Ian Taylor | Derby County | Free | Jun 03 | 35 |
#709 Alan Wright | Middlesbrough | Free | Jun 03 | 31 |
#754 John McGrath | Doncaster Rovers | Free | Jun 03 | 23 |
#773 Joey Guðjónsson | Real Betis | End of Loan | Jun 03 | 23 |
2002-03 Squad Changes
Debut Appearances | 12 |
#763 Michael Boulding | Sunday, 21 July 2002 | FC Zürich (a), Intertoto Cup | 27 |
#764 Stefan Moore | Saturday, 27 July 2002 | FC Zürich (h), Intertoto Cup | 18 |
#765 Marcus Allbäck | Saturday, 27 July 2002 | FC Zürich (h), Intertoto Cup | 29 |
#766 Stefan Postma | Wednesday, 31 July 2002 | Lille OSC (a), Intertoto Cup | 26 |
#767 Ulises de la Cruz | Sunday, 18 August 2002 | Liverpool (h) | 28 |
#768 Mark Kinsella | Saturday, 24 August 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur (a) | 30 |
#769 Ronny Johnsen | Wednesday, 11 September 2002 | Charlton Athletic (h) | 33 |
#770 Öyvind Leonhardsen | Sunday, 22 September 2002 | Everton (h) | 32 |
#771 Rob Edwards | Saturday, 28 December 2002 | Middlesbrough (h) | 20 |
#772 Liam Ridgewell | Saturday, 4 January 2003 | Blackburn Rovers (h), FA Cup | 18 |
#773 Joey Guðjónsson | Tuesday, 28 January 2003 | Middlesbrough (a) | 22 |
#774 Peter Whittingham | Monday, 21 April 2003 | Newcastle United (a) | 18 |
Final Appearances | 13 |
#758 Hassan Kachloul | Sunday, 21 July 2002 | FC Zürich (a), Intertoto Cup | 29 |
#742 George Boateng | Sunday, 21 July 2002 | FC Zürich (a), Intertoto Cup | 26 |
#763 Michael Boulding | Saturday, 27 July 2002 | FC Zürich (h), Intertoto Cup | 27 |
#731 Paul Merson | Saturday, 27 July 2002 | FC Zürich (h), Intertoto Cup | 34 |
#738 Steve Stone | Wednesday, 31 July 2002 | Lille OSC (a), Intertoto Cup | 30 |
#709 Alan Wright | Saturday, 22 March 2003 | Southampton (a) | 31 |
#771 Rob Edwards | Saturday, 26 April 2003 | Everton (a) | 20 |
#770 Öyvind Leonhardsen | Saturday, 3 May 2003 | Sunderland (h) | 32 |
#674 Steve Staunton | Saturday, 3 May 2003 | Sunderland (h) | 34 |
#743 Peter Enckelman | Saturday, 3 May 2003 | Sunderland (h) | 26 |
#705 Ian Taylor | Sunday, 11 May 2003 | Leeds United (a) | 34 |
#773 Joey Guðjónsson | Sunday, 11 May 2003 | Leeds United (a) | 22 |
#750 Stephen Cooke | Sunday, 11 May 2003 | Leeds United (a) | 22 |
2002-03 Squad Statistics
Squad Size | 35 | (+7) |
Average Age | 26.1 | (+0.6) |
Average 1st XI Age | 26.64 | -1.05 |
Youngest 1st XI | 24.19 | Leeds United (a) | -0.51 |
Oldest 1st XI | 28.47 | Oxford United (a), League Cup | -1.23 |
Youngest Player(s) | 18 |
Peter Whittingham | 8-Sep-1984
Oldest Player(s) | 34 |
Paul Merson | 20-Mar-1968
2002-03 Scorers
Goals Scored | 61 | League Goals | 42 | FA Cup Goals | 1 | League Cup Goals | 14 | Intertoto Cup Goals | 4 |
| 14 |
Dion Dublin | Goals | 14 | League | 10 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 4 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
| 10 |
Darius Vassell | Goals | 10 | League | 7 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 3 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
| 6 |
Marcus Allbäck | Goals | 6 | League | 5 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 1 |
| 4 |
Gareth Barry | Goals | 4 | League | 3 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
Thomas Hitzlsperger | Goals | 4 | League | 2 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 2 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
Lee Hendrie | Goals | 4 | League | 4 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
| 3 |
Juan Pablo Ángel | Goals | 3 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 1 | League Cup | 1 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
Öyvind Leonhardsen | Goals | 3 | League | 3 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
Ian Taylor | Goals | 3 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 | Intertoto Cup | 1 |
| 2 |
Ulises de la Cruz | Goals | 2 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
Joey Guðjónsson | Goals | 2 | League | 2 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
Own Goal | Goals | 2 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 1 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
| 1 |
Michael Boulding | Goals | 1 | League | 0 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 1 |
Steve Staunton | Goals | 1 | League | 0 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 1 |
Stefan Moore | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
Olof Mellberg | Goals | 1 | League | 1 | FA Cup | 0 | League Cup | 0 | Intertoto Cup | 0 |
2002-03 First Team Squad
#674 | 11 | Steve Staunton | 33 |
#705 | 7 | Ian Taylor | 34 |
#709 | 3 | Alan Wright | 30 |
#716 | 17 | Lee Hendrie | 25 |
#728 | 6 | Gareth Barry | 21 |
#730 | 10 | Darius Vassell | 22 |
#731 | 10 | Paul Merson | 34 | LEFT AUGUST 2002
#735 | 9 | Dion Dublin | 33 |
#738 | 18 | Steve Stone | 30 | LEFT NOVEMBER 2002
#740 | 2 | Mark Delaney | 26 |
#742 | 6 | George Boateng | 26 | LEFT AUGUST 2002
#743 | 1 | Peter Enckelman | 25 |
#745 | 21 | Jlloyd Samuel | 21 |
| - | Jonathan Bewers | 19 |
#750 | 31 | Stephen Cooke | 19 |
| 5 | Alpay Özalan | 29 |
#754 | - | John McGrath | 22 |
#755 | 21 | Thomas Hitzlsperger | 20 |
#756 | 8 | Juan Pablo Ángel | 26 |
#758 | 22 | Hassan Kachloul | 29 |
#759 | 20 | Mustapha Hadji | 30 |
#760 | 4 | Olof Mellberg | 24 |
#761 | - | Boško Balaban | 23 |
#762 | 16 | Peter Crouch | 21 |
#763 | 23 | Michael Boulding | 27 | LEFT JANUARY 2003
#764 | 25 | Stefan Moore | 18 |
#765 | 14 | Marcus Allbäck | 29 |
#766 | 13 | Stefan Postma | 26 |
#767 | 15 | Ulises de la Cruz | 27 |
#768 | 26 | Mark Kinsella | 29 |
#769 | 27 | Ronny Johnsen | 33 |
#770 | 28 | Öyvind Leonhardsen | 31 |
#771 | 30 | Rob Edwards | 19 |
#772 | 24 | Liam Ridgewell | 18 |
#773 | 33 | Joey Guðjónsson | 22 |
#774 | 29 | Peter Whittingham | 17 |
| - | Gavin Melaugh | 21 |
| - | Boaz Myhill | 19 |
| - | Wayne Henderson | 18 |
2002-03 Appearances
| 45 |
#745 Jlloyd Samuel | Appearances | 45 | League | 33 (5) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 4 (0) | Other | 2 (0) | . Player Profile
| 44 |
#728 Gareth Barry | Appearances | 44 | League | 35 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 4 (0) | Other | 4 (0) | . Player Profile
#760 Olof Mellberg | Appearances | 44 | League | 38 (0) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 2 (0) | Other | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
| 39 |
#743 Peter Enckelman | Appearances | 39 | League | 33 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | Other | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
#730 Darius Vassell | Appearances | 39 | League | 28 (5) | FA Cup | 0 (1) | League Cup | 3 (0) | Other | 1 (1) | . Player Profile
| 35 |
#735 Dion Dublin | Appearances | 35 | League | 23 (5) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 4 (0) | Other | 2 (0) | . Player Profile
| 34 |
#716 Lee Hendrie | Appearances | 34 | League | 22 (5) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | Other | 1 (2) | . Player Profile
| 33 |
#755 Thomas Hitzlsperger | Appearances | 33 | League | 24 (2) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 2 (1) | Other | 4 (0) | . Player Profile
| 32 |
#674 Steve Staunton | Appearances | 32 | League | 22 (4) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 3 (0) | Other | 2 (0) | . Player Profile
| 30 |
#769 Ronny Johnsen | Appearances | 30 | League | 25 (1) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 4 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 25 |
#765 Marcus Allbäck | Appearances | 25 | League | 9 (11) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (2) | Other | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
| 24 |
#768 Mark Kinsella | Appearances | 24 | League | 15 (4) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 2 (2) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#767 Ulises de la Cruz | Appearances | 24 | League | 12 (8) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 2 (1) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 23 |
#770 Öyvind Leonhardsen | Appearances | 23 | League | 13 (6) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 3 (1) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 19 |
#705 Ian Taylor | Appearances | 19 | League | 9 (4) | FA Cup | 0 (1) | League Cup | 2 (0) | Other | 3 (0) | . Player Profile
#756 Juan Pablo Ángel | Appearances | 19 | League | 8 (7) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 0 (3) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 18 |
#762 Peter Crouch | Appearances | 18 | League | 7 (7) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 4 (0) | . Player Profile
| 17 |
#740 Mark Delaney | Appearances | 17 | League | 12 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 1 (0) | Other | 4 (0) | . Player Profile
#764 Stefan Moore | Appearances | 17 | League | 7 (6) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 1 (1) | Other | 0 (2) | . Player Profile
| 14 |
#759 Mustapha Hadji | Appearances | 14 | League | 7 (4) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 1 (2) | . Player Profile
| 12 |
#709 Alan Wright | Appearances | 12 | League | 9 (1) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 1 (0) | . Player Profile
| 11 |
#773 Joey Guðjónsson | Appearances | 11 | League | 9 (2) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 9 |
#766 Stefan Postma | Appearances | 9 | League | 5 (1) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 1 (0) | Other | 1 (0) | . Player Profile
#771 Rob Edwards | Appearances | 9 | League | 7 (1) | FA Cup | 1 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 5 |
#751 Alpay Özalan | Appearances | 5 | League | 5 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 4 |
#774 Peter Whittingham | Appearances | 4 | League | 1 (3) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 3 |
#750 Stephen Cooke | Appearances | 3 | League | 0 (3) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 2 |
#763 Michael Boulding | Appearances | 2 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 2 (0) | . Player Profile
#738 Steve Stone | Appearances | 2 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 1 (1) | . Player Profile
| 1 |
#742 George Boateng | Appearances | 1 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 1 (0) | . Player Profile
#731 Paul Merson | Appearances | 1 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (1) | . Player Profile
#758 Hassan Kachloul | Appearances | 1 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (1) | . Player Profile
#772 Liam Ridgewell | Appearances | 1 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (1) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
| 0 |
#761 Boško Balaban | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
Wayne Henderson | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
Jonathan Bewers | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
#754 John McGrath | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
Gavin Melaugh | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
Boaz Myhill | Appearances | 0 | League | 0 (0) | FA Cup | 0 (0) | League Cup | 0 (0) | Other | 0 (0) | . Player Profile
2002-03 'Keepers
Stefan Postma | Appearances | 9 | Conceded | 11 | Ratio | 1.22 |
Peter Enckelman | Appearances | 39 | Conceded | 49 | Ratio | 1.26 |
Graham Taylor’s second season in his second spell as Villa boss was a torrid experience with Villa collapsing to 16th and replacing talent with mediocrity.
Taylor Mk 2's Villa achieved a win rate of 32%, losing 46% of their 60 League and Cup matches under his leadership.
As a result Taylor Mk 2 had returned 1.17 points per game* across his 60 games in charge of Villa. In doing so Taylor Mk 2 was ahead of only the managerial disasters of Billy McNeill (1.05 in 42) and Tommy Cummings (1.06 in 67).
*Rankings based on 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw in all competitions
2002-03 Kits
2002-03 Season Results
Game #4756
Matchday | #1 |
Manager Game | #14 |
Sunday, 21 July 2002
Intertoto Cup | 3rd Round 1st Leg | Away | FC Zürich | Letzigrund, Zurich | 4,560 |
Manager | Graham Taylor |
Referee | Florian Meyer |
FT Result | Lost |
FT Score | 0-2 |
Last 5 Games | LDWWL |
Line Up |
GK Peter Enckelman |
FB Mark Delaney | BOOKED | 45' |
FB Jlloyd Samuel | BOOKED | BOOKED | 85' | SENT OFF | 85' |
LB Alan Wright |
M Gareth Barry | SUB OFF | 81' |
M George Boateng | FINAL |
M Thomas Hitzlsperger | SUB OFF | 73' |
M Steve Stone |
F Michael Boulding | DEBUT | SUB OFF | 57' |
CF Peter Crouch |
CF Dion Dublin |
Substitutes |
M Mustapha Hadji for F Michael Boulding | 57’ |
M Lee Hendrie for M Thomas Hitzlsperger | 73’ |
M Hassan Kachloul for M Gareth Barry | 81’ |
Cards |
Yellow | Mark Delaney | 45’ |
Yellow | Jlloyd Samuel | 85’ |
Red | Jlloyd Samuel | 85’ |
On this day 21 July 2002
Midfielder George Boateng played his final game for the club aged 26 before following Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu to cash rich Middlesbrough in return for a fee of £6,210,000. Boateng played for Villa between 1999-00 and 2002-03 making 135 appearances and scoring 5 goals. Despite his premature departure Boateng would return to Villa to join the coaching staff the following decade.
Forward Michael Boulding made his Villa debut aged 27 after joining from First Division Grimsby Town on a free transfer.
---
Game #4757
Matchday | #2 |
Manager Game | #15 |
Saturday, 27 July 2002
Intertoto Cup | 3rd Round 2nd Leg | Home | FC Zürich | Villa Park | 18,349 |
Manager | Graham Taylor |
Referee | Roberto Rosetti |
FT Result | Won |
FT Score | 3-0 |
Aggregate Result | Won |
Aggregate Score | 3-2 |
Last 5 Games | DWWLW |
Scorers | Michael Boulding | 32’ | Marcus Allbäck | 49’ | Steve Staunton | 77’ |
Line Up |
GK Peter Enckelman |
LB Steve Staunton | BOOKED | 74' | GOAL | 77' |
CB Olof Mellberg |
FB Mark Delaney |
M Gareth Barry |
M Lee Hendrie |
M Thomas Hitzlsperger |
M Ian Taylor |
F Michael Boulding | GOAL | 32' | SUB OFF | 46' | FINAL |
CF Peter Crouch |
F Marcus Allbäck | DEBUT | GOAL | 49' | SUB OFF | 71' |
Substitutes |