Graham Taylor unexpectedly returns as Villa boss nearly 12 years since his last match in charge of the club. 

Since leaving in 1990 Taylor has received significant reputational damage as England boss and in sudsequent club managerment roles.

Despite that however Taylor was welcomed on the strength of his past Villa achievements alone as he is greeted with a euphoric reception for his transformative work on the club between 1987-90 but few are fooled that the appointment of a veteran manager with little understanding of modern football and footballers is anything but an effort to shore up the power base of a cynical Chairman. That Taylor is used as a pawn in this way is distinctly uncomfortable.

Villa are now unbeaten in five - including this creditable draw with Chelsea but are yet to win in the post-Gregory era.

Villa lose for the first time since John Gregory's departure having drawn one and lost one under Graham Taylor but remain in 7th place.

Olof Mellberg makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W6 D11 L8, 1 Assist and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Mustapha Hadji makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (17 Starts) to make it W12 D6 L7, 3 Goals, 1 Assist and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Thomas Hitzlsperger comes off the bench to make his 2nd appearance in a Villa shirt 13 months after his debut.

The fall out from Doug Ellis' appalling own goal continues to rage as despite a first win in five since John Gregory's departure the game is overshadowed by reports that Villa scorer and much loved Juan Pablo Ángel wants out after becoming disillusioned with the running of the club.

Villa win for the 1st time in 5 to hand new boss Graham Taylor his 1st Villa victory since 1990 with Juan Pablo Ángel and Darius Vassell once again doing the damage.

George Boateng secures his 50th win in a Villa shirt on his 123rd appearance (115 Starts) to make it W50 D38 L35, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 27 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Juan Pablo Ángel contributes his 20th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 34th start (38 Appearances) to make it W15 D10 L13, 16 Goals, 4 Assists and 4 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.70 starts so far in his Villa career. 

Thomas Hitzlsperger makes his 1st start in a Villa shirt (3 Appearances) to make it W1 D0 L1 so far in his Villa career.

Villa, with one win in six since John Gregory's departure, are humiliated by relegation threatened Blackburn at Ewood Park yet manager Graham Taylor appears worryingly detached and unbothered.

Villa lose for the 2nd time in 4 games under Graham Taylor as the reality of his rushed appointment was brought to bear not only by his results but also by his worryingly passive post match comments after defeat to a side firmly mired in the relegation places. 

Peter Schmeichel concedes 3 goals for the 6th time this season on his 37th appearance and is now without a clean sheet in 14 games to make it W14 D7 L10, 1 Goal, 37 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.19 goals per game and 9 Clean Sheets (29%) so far in his Villa career.

Jlloyd Samuel makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (37 Appearances) to make it W13 D12 L12, 3 Assists and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the 3rd time in 5 games under Graham Taylor to fall back to 8th in the table.

Dion Dublin scores his 40th goal in a Villa shirt on his 124th appearance (101 Starts) to make it W46 D37 L41, 40 Goals, 15 Assists, 9 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.25 games played so far in his Villa career.

George Boateng makes his 125th appearance in a Villa shirt (117 Starts) to make it W50 D38 L37, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 29 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Mustapha Hadji contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 28th appearance (19 Starts) to make it W13 D6 L9, 3 Goals, 2 Assists and 4 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 5.60 games played so far in his Villa career.

Outplayed by bottom club Ipswich, Villa manage to draw at Portman Road under Graham Taylor to leave them with one win in eight Premier League games since John Gregory's departure.

Peter Schmeichel keeps his 1st clean sheet in 16 games on his 33rd appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W14 D8 L11, 39 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.18 goals per game and 10 Clean Sheets (30%) so far in his Villa career.

Dion Dublin makes his 125th appearance in a Villa shirt (102 Starts) to make it W46 D38 L41, 40 Goals, 15 Assists, 10 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.45 games played so far in his Villa career.

Mark Delaney makes his 75th start in a Villa shirt (91 Appearances) to make it W35 D29 L27, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 12 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Villa fail against a relegation threatened club for a second successive game to leave them with one win and four defeats in nine Premier League games under Graham Taylor but at least the new boss begins to show some interest and passion at the predicament Villa are in.

Peter Crouch, 21, makes his debut in a Villa shirt having joined from Portsmouth for a fee of £6,750,000 just a few days earlier to become the 758th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Ian Taylor scores his 40th goal in a Villa shirt on his 269th appearance (237 Starts) to make it W115 D71 L83, 40 Goals, 16 Assists, 47 Bookings and 2 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.80 games played so far in his Villa career.

Peter Schmeichel concedes 3 goals for the 7th time this season on his 34th appearance to make it W14 D8 L12, 1 Goal, 42 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.24 goals per game and 10 Clean Sheets (29%) so far in his Villa career.

Thomas Hitzlsperger contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 7th appearance (5 Starts) to make it W1 D1 L5 and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Villa put in an improved performance under Graham Taylor but their run extends to one win in ten Premier League games since John Gregory's departure.

Peter Crouch scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on his 2nd appearance to make it W0 D1 L1 and 1 Goal so far in his Villa career.

Boško Balaban makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (2 Starts) to make it W4 D3 L3, 0 Goals and 0 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa's terrible run since the departure of John Gregory continues as they lose for the fourth time in six games under Graham Taylor to leave them with one win in eleven Premier League games as they slump to 10th in the table.

Villa make it 5 defeats in 9 games under Graham Taylor. 

Former Villa malcontents Benito Carbone and Ugo Ehiogu both score for the second time this season against their old club.

For Carbone it's his second goal against Villa and second win against his old side playing for two different sides this season. 

Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, 38, makes his 36th and final appearance in a Villa shirt before joining Manchester City on a free transfer in July 2002. Schmeichel became the first goalkeeper to score for the club but his performances between the posts were a far cry from the days when he was considered the World’s best. Conceding 3 goals on 7 occasions and having an acrimonious relationship with Graham Taylor meant Villa saw a shadow of the player he once was and he left with a record of W14 D9 L13, 1 Goal, 45 Goals Conceded at a rate of 1.25 goals per game and 10 Clean Sheets (28%).

Steve Staunton makes his 300th start in a Villa shirt (312 Appearances) to make it W129 D84 L99, 19 Goals, 35 Assists, 17 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Peter Crouch contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 3rd appearance to make it W0 D1 L2, 1 Goals and 1 Assist at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.50 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the fifth time in seven games under Graham Taylor to leave them with one win and six defeats in twelve Premier League games since John Gregory's departure as the pitiful stupidity of the Ellis regime is laid bare.

Steve Staunton suffers his 100th defeat in a Villa shirt on his 313th appearance (301 Starts) to make it W129 D84 L100, 19 Goals, 35 Assists, 17 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Hassan Kachloul makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (30 Appearances) to make it W11 D11 L8, 2 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Peter Enckelman makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (23 Starts) to make it W8 D9 L8, 21 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.84 goals per game (1.06 in League football) and 10 Clean Sheets (40%) (38% League) so far in his Villa career.

Thomas Hitzlsperger makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (8 Starts) to make it W1 D2 L7 and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Villa now have 1 win in 11 games under Graham Taylor. 

Villa stop their run of defeats with a draw at already relegated Leicester City.

Meanwhile the career of one of the strangest signings in Villa's history came to an end. Bert Kingaby (1905-06) and Gary Penrice (1991-92) had been odd signings but Boško Balaban took this to another level. What made the Balaban case more concerning than curious were allegations about fees and funds not tying up and claims of mystery beneficiaries of a transfer that was as ill-suited as it was overpriced. Three signings of this ilk in 115 years was probably not bad going but in a surprising turn of events they became a far more regular occurrence over the following decade. Graham Taylor and his successors David O'Leary, Martin O'Neill and Paul Lambert all made signings - some more than once - who rivalled Balaban in mystifying observers and who were clearly out of their depth in the top flight. Over the following decade Michael Boulding (Taylor), Eric Djemba Djemba (O'Leary), Moustapha Salifou and Habib Beye (O'Neill) and Joe Bennett and Jordan Bowery (Lambert) confounded the footballing world and led many to question the judgement of successive Villa bosses.

Boško Balaban makes his 11th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (2 Starts) to make it W4 D4 L3, 0 Goals and 0 Assists across his 8 months in and around the first team.

Thomas Hitzlsperger scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on his 11th appearance (9 Starts) to make it W1 D3 L7, 2 Goals and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Darius Vassell contributes his 25th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 99th appearance (40 Starts) to make it W36 D26 L37, 18 Goals, 7 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.96 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it 2 wins in 12 and are now unbeaten in two games - their best run since Graham Taylor returned.

Graham Taylor continues to refuse to play Juan Pablo Ángel as Taylor's achilles heel - the clash of football cultures, 1980s vs. 2000s - becomes ever more apparent.

Darius Vassell scores a brace to collect his 20th goal in a Villa shirt on his 100th appearance (41 Starts) to make it W37 D26 L37, 20 Goals, 7 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.70 games played so far in his Villa career.

Goalkeeper Boaz Myhill, 19, makes his 12th and final squad appearance for Villa as an unused substitute before moving on to Hull City for £68,000 in January 2004.

Villa boss Graham Taylor ends the season with the worst record of any permanent manager. Taylor has achieved a win rate of 23% after winning just 3 of his 13 games in charge as he continues to struggle to deal with the vast cultural differences between 1980s football and 2000s football.

That, concerning, as it was, was not the full story. 

Taylor had lowered the average age of the Villa XI which in recent seasons had risen to alarming heights, and he had begun a more focused team selection policy than the ever changing merry-go-round under John Gregory. 

The flip side however was that Taylor made the nonsensical decision of effectively marginalising Villa’s best player, Juan Pablo Ángel, and lent on the talents of the likes of Paul Merson and Lee Hendrie far less than a progressive, attacking manager would. 

Taylor’s purchase of the likeable Peter Crouch sadly typified the stereotype of the “big man up front” to which Taylor was so wedded, however Crouch’s ability made the consequence of that decision far less impactful on the style of football than it could have been. 

Still though the wretched run under Taylor until the final three games showed that he was not the long term solution to Villa’s Doug Ellis shaped problems and that a different approach was desperately needed to help this kernel of a strong team blossom in 2002-03. 

The process towards that nucleus of a team had been begun by John Gregory as he began to marginalise, and dispose of, the troubled malcontents that had blighted Villa’s squad in recent seasons. 

A core team of Crouch, Hitzlsperger, Mellberg, Delaney, Barry and Ángel, supported by Hendrie, Samuel and Vassell with a sprinkling of old heads for experience and guidance from the likes of Merson, Stone and Dublin promised much if the right calls were made over the close season.

George Boateng makes his 125th start in a Villa shirt (133 Appearances) to make it W52 D41 L40, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 29 Bookings so far in his Villa career but is unlikely to add many more as he puts in a transfer request, allegedly in the dressing room after final whistle.

Goalkeeper Wayne Henderson, 18, makes his first squad appearance for Villa after coming through the youth ranks following his move from Cherry Orchard in 1999.

Peter Enckelman secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 28th appearance (26 Starts) to make it W10 D10 L8, 25 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.89 goals per game (1.11 in League football) and 10 Clean Sheets (36%) (32% League) so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose in their opening Intertoto Cup game as Graham Taylor remains in charge despite a torrid few months as caretaker manager in 2001-02.

Villa face FC Zürich for the first time in competitive football, Zürich become the 148th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 32nd continental European opponents and their second from Switzerland following their meeting with FC Basel in 2001-02.

Midfielder George Boateng, 26, makes his 134th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (126 Starts) before following Gareth Southgate, Ugo Ehiogu and Benito Carbone to cash rich but success poor Middlesbrough in return for a fee of £6,210,000. Sadly, like the aforementioned, Boateng had agitated for a move throughout the season and copying the Southgate playbook had become a destabilising influence in the dressing room, something that was exacerbated with the instant underachievement seen under Graham Taylor. That the allegation remains that Boateng handed in a transfer request just after the final whistle of the final game of the season sums up the premeditated and disruptive behaviour of the Boro group. Like his fellow exiles Boateng’s career would stagnate at a succession of lower level clubs having left Villa with a record of W52 D41 L41, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 29 Bookings. As Boateng himself admitted “I didn't fancy coming to Boro …. when we played Middlesbrough I felt the games were really easy for me because when we played Middlesbrough with Villa it was always a comfortable win.” Despite his premature departure Boateng would return to Villa to join the coaching staff the following decade apparently a changed man. 

Forward Michael Boulding, 27, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after joining from First Division Grimsby Town on a free transfer to become the 759th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football. Boulding’s signing, a surprise transfer if ever there was one, has been met with equal measures of bewilderment and anticipation to see just what player Graham Taylor might have unearthed after 23 goals in 113 appearances across 3 seasons in the lower leagues of English football and having been Grimsby’s leading scorer with 11 goals in 2001-02 as they just avoided relegation to the third tier.

Hassan Kachloul, 29, makes his 32nd and final appearance in a Villa shirt (25 Starts) to make it W11 D12 L9, 2 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings across his Villa career before being released under David O’Leary in June 2004. Kachloul was just one of many players discarded by Graham Taylor despite being of significantly greater quality than their replacements and was forced to sit on the sidelines for 2 years aside from a short loan to Wolves.

Jlloyd Samuel is sent off for the 1st time in a Villa shirt on his 44th appearance (29 Starts) to make it W14 D14 L16, 3 Assists, 6 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa once again overturn a two goal deficit to qualify for the Intertoto semi final.

Paul Merson, 34, makes his 144th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (125 Starts). Merson, a player with ability and influence far beyond the rest of the squad, who even as a cameo substitute could deliver a power of good to the team, was discarded. As a result in one move the team was robbed of much needed creativity. Merson would join Portsmouth on a free transfer the following month as Graham Taylor prematurely called time on a player considered to be one of the most talented and charismatic to have pulled on the claret and blue of Villa. Merson left with a record of W54 D46 L44, 19 Goals, 23 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.43 games across his Villa career.

In sum then, this also ran Intertoto game, had implications far beyond the result on the pitch and signalled the huge challenges ahead for Villa.

Forward Stefan Moore, 18, makes his competitive debut in a Villa shirt after coming through the ranks of youth football to become the 760th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Swedish international forward Marcus Allbäck, 29, makes a goalscoring Villa debut after joining from SC Heerenveen for a fee of £2,700,000 earlier this month to become the 761st player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Forward Michael Boulding, 27, scores on his home debut on what is his second and final appearance in a Villa shirt 6 days after his debut and despite only having arrived at the club 26 days earlier. Boulding who had 23 goals in 113 appearances across 3 seasons in the lower leagues of English football was a curiosity, an ex-tennis player who Graham Taylor immediately promoted to first team football and who clearly was not of sufficient calibre to cut it in the top flight despite his scrambled goal in the win over Zürich. Boulding would remain at the club until the new year without making any further squad appearances and on his departure from Villa he would return to plying his football trade in tiers 2 and mostly 3. 11 years later, Jordan Bowery would make a similar transition from the lower leagues into Premier League football under Paul Lambert but this time would be afforded a full season before once again time was called on the unlikely step up.

Peter Crouch contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 9th appearance to make it W3 D2 L4, 2 Goals and 3 Assists at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.80 games played so far in his Villa career.

Mark Delaney makes his 100th appearance in a Villa shirt (84 Starts) to make it W38 D31 L31, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 13 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Olof Mellberg secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 37th appearance to make it W10 D14 L13, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa face LOSC Lille for the first time in competitive football, Lille become the 149th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 33rd continental European opponents and their third from France following their meetings with FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Stade Rennais F.C. in previous campaigns.

Villa score a crucial away goal through Ian Taylor but concede in the last minute to leave the tie in the balance. 

Goalkeeper Stefan Postma, 26, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after joining from De Graafschap for £2,000,000 earlier this month to become the 762nd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Peter Crouch makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W3 D3 L4, 2 Goals and 3 Assists at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.00 games played so far in his Villa career.

In less positive news, Graham Taylor’s clear out of the Gregory era team continued as 30 year old midfielder Steve Stone is shown the door and follows Paul Merson to Portsmouth on a free transfer. Stone, seemingly underused by John Gregory despite his high fee signing from Forest, and then jettisoned early by Taylor, made 121 Appearances (86 Starts) across his 5 seasons with Villa to leave with a record of W42 D40 L39, 7 Goals, 13 Assists and 15 Bookings.

Villa suffer a shock outright defeat at home to Lille in the Intertoto Cup to render their away goal useless and end any European hopes before the season began.as question marks are already raised about the wisdom of keeping veteran boss Graham Taylor on for a second season.

Villa lose a second successive game under Graham Taylor but there is at least evidence of a player in his new signing Peter Crouch.

Right back Ulises de la Cruz, 28, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after joining from Hibernian FC for £2,430,000. de la Cruz excruciatingly described by Graham Taylor as the "Ecuadorian David Beckham" becomes the 763rd player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Alpay Özalan makes his first return to the side since injury ruled him out of the 2000-01 in December 2000 to make his first appearance under Graham Taylor and his 61st appearance in a Villa shirt. Özalan’s Villa record now stands W24 D18 L19 and 16 Bookings.

Villa lose for the 3rd consecutive game and 8th time in 15 league games under Graham Taylor as concerns mount about the season ahead. 2001-02 showed Taylor to be the wrong man at the wrong time and nothing so far makes that look like changing.

The continued trend for half time substitutions suggests one of 3 things. A lack of understanding or knowledge of the opposition’s tactics necessitating a change; panic in even the slightest adversity; or a tendency to field the wrong team in the first place. None of which give a feeling that the club is in the right hands.

Whatever is the cause the impact is disjointed performances and what seems like extreme tactical unfamiliarity for those thrown onto the pitch - not helped by the calibre of the new signings being brought into the club. 

Honest and uncomplicated attitudes may be a refreshing change but these are not additions that materially improve the playing quality of the squad and it is therefore difficult to see exactly what Taylor is trying to achieve.

Irish international midfielder Mark Kinsella, 30, makes his Villa debut after joining from Charlton Athletic for a fee of £1,040,000 in July 2002 to become the 764th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Meanwhile, off the pitch Olof Mellberg is already forced to disabuse rumours of major unrest at the direction of the club under the manager and Chairman.

Villa stop a run of three defeats as they win for the first time in five to secure their first Premier League win of the season by beating top-flight no hopers Manchester City, climbing to 13th under Graham Taylor.

Peter Schmiechel returns to Villa Park following his acrimonious departure under Graham Taylor.

Villa lose for the third time in four Premier League games under Graham Taylor and have failed to score in each of those defeats. 

This latest defeat, courtesy of Peter Enckleman conceding a second half penalty, came against bottom club Bolton as Villa tumbled back to 16th place.

Villa win for the second time in five Premier League games as Graham Taylor makes five changes in an attempt to inject life into Villa's poor start. 

Villa secure only their 5th win in 18 Premier League games under Graham Taylor but make it back to back victories at Villa Park. 

Villa score more than a single goal in a game for the first time this season.

Centre back Ronny Johnsen, 33, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after moving from Manchester United on a free transfer in July 2002 to become the 765th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Ulises de la Cruz surprises as he scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on only his 4th appearance (3 Starts) to make it W1 D0 L3 and 1 Goal so far in his Villa career.

Stefan Moore scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on his 3rd appearance (0 Starts) to make it W2 D0 L1, 1 Goal and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Jlloyd Samuel makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (31 Starts) to make it W16 D15 L19, 3 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Alpay Özalan plays for the first time in a month after Graham Taylor has all but overlooked the Turkey international so far in 2002-03. Özalan secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 62nd appearance to make it W25 D18 L19 and 16 Bookings.

Villa lose for the 10th time in 19 Premier League games under Graham Taylor, winning just 5. 

Villa fail to score for the 4th time in 6 League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa lose against Birmingham for the first time in 7 games and for the first time at St Andrews' since 1984.

This latest defeat however, despite the form of the team under Graham Taylor, was totally unexpected and represented Villa’s first reverse against their neighbours in over 15 years. 

The major talking point however was referee David Elleray’s decision to allow a goal that wasn’t. 

Olof Mellberg took a throw in with the intention of passing the ball back to ‘keeper Enckelman however Enckelman, for unknown reasons, failed to connect with and allowed the ball roll past his foot and into the net. 

As such the ball hadn’t been touched from the throw-in and was officially a dead ball. 

Obviously a dead ball meant no goal could be conceded.

Elleray however either misinterpreted the rules or misread the passage of play - he would never admit either - and erroneously awarded the goal to Birmingham. 

Few recall anything other than Enckelman but the the real mistake was Elleray’s seemingly forgotten misapplication of the rules. 

On the night however, despite a questionable offside decision ruling out a Villa equaliser, Graham Taylor’s side put in a performance of little quality that had become the norm over the previous six months and Birmingham, nearly two decades in the making, recorded a deserved win over their more decorated neighbours. 

Considered by many of the Blues’ persuasion to be the greatest night in their history, the victory triggered scenes of jubilation across Small Heath.

In 2023, in AVFC History’s conversation with Darius Vassell, the player whose goal Elleray incorrectly disallowed, the former Villa striker recollected in minute detail the validity of his goal and revealed that the real anger of that night amongst the Villa team was Elleray’s performance and his 57’ decision.

Steve Staunton makes his 325th appearance in a Villa shirt (313 Starts) to make it W134 D86 L105, 20 Goals, 36 Assists, 22 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Juan Pablo Ángel makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (42 Starts) to make it W19 D11 L20, 17 Goals, 6 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.17 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Alpay Özalan plays successive games for the first time under Graham Taylor and first time since December 2001 to make it 63 appearances in a Villa shirt, W25 D18 L20 and 17 Bookings.

Villa recover from their St Andrew's embarrassment to beat Everton and record their third win in seven Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa win just their 6th League game in 20 under Graham Taylor (losing 10) but make it 3 successive home wins to climb to 10th in the early table.

Öyvind Leonhardsen, 32, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after signing on a free transfer from Tottenham Hotspur in July despite Graham Taylor believing the player had already retired. The latest leftfield, underwhelming and questionable Taylor signing becomes the 766th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Darius Vassell contributes his 30th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 109th appearance (48 Starts) to make it W40 D27 L42, 22 Goals, 8 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.63 games played so far in his Villa career.

Lee Hendrie secures his 80th win in a Villa shirt on his 193rd appearance (148 Starts) to make it W80 D51 L62, 22 Goals, 17 Assists, 32 Bookings and 3 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 5.03 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the 5th time in 8 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they are beaten by second from bottom Sunderland.

Villa fail to score for the 5th time in 8 League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa now have 11 losses in 21 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa seek respite from their League troubles as they see off Second Division side Luton Town to reach the League Cup third round.

Darius Vassell makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (111 Appearances) to make it W41 D27 L43, 22 Goals, 8 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.70 games played so far in his Villa career.

Lee Hendrie makes his 150th start in a Villa shirt (195 Appearances) to make it W81 D51 L63, 22 Goals, 18 Assists, 33 Bookings and 3 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 5 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Marcus Allbäck makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (5 Starts) to make it W4 D1 L5 and 1 Goals at a goal involvement rate of one for every 10.00 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa draw for the first time this season to leave them with just three wins in nine Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they fall to 14th in the table.

Villa fail to score for the 6th time in 9 League games under Graham Taylor.

Meanwhile, more questions are asked of the wisdom of Taylor's recent signings as Injury prone Ronny Johnsen, 33, leaves the field injured after 14’, to be replaced by Öyvind Leonhardsen, 32, who lasts 31 minutes before himself being subbed off at half time.

Villa lose for the 6th time in 10 Premier League games under Graham Taylor to fall to 15th in the table.

Villa fail to score for the 7th time in 10 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa lose for the 12 time in 23 League games under Graham Taylor. 

Villa have now won 6 in 23 League games under Graham Taylor. 

Villa’s latest defeat under Graham Taylor comes against a Southampton side who had not won away from home since March 2002.

Olof Mellberg makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W14 D16 L20, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Ulises de la Cruz makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (8 Starts) to make it W3 D1 L6 and 2 Goals so far in his Villa career.

Mark Kinsella toils to his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt to make it W4 D1 L5, 0 Goals, 0 Assists and 0 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Alpay Özalan features for the first time in over a month and for only the 4th time under Graham Taylor to make it 64 appearances in a Villa shirt, W25 D18 L21 and 17 Bookings.

Villa put in their best performance of the season, unrecognisable from recent fare, but are held at the last at Old Trafford to leave them with just three wins in eleven Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa score for the 1st time in 3 games under Graham Taylor.

Villa now have 6 Premier League wins in 24 under Graham Taylor.

Olof Mellberg scores his 1st goal in a Villa shirt on his 51st appearance to make it W14 D17 L20, 1 Goal, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Mark Kinsella contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 11th appearance to make it W4 D2 L5, 0 Goals, 1 Assist and 0 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Stefan Moore makes his 1st start in a Villa shirt on his 7th appearance to make it W4 D1 L2, 1 Goal and 2 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa record their 3rd draw in 5 winless games to make it just 3 wins in 12 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa fail to score for the 8th time in 12 games under Graham Taylor.

Villa now have 6 wins in 25 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Peter Enckelman keeps his 10th Premier League clean sheet on his 44th appearance (31 League Games) to make it W15 D13 L6, 40 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.91 goals per game and 16 Clean Sheets (36%) (32% League) so far in his Villa career.

Villa seek respite from their League troubles under Graham Taylor but still need a late cavalry charge to see off Third Division Oxford as things turn nasty off the pitch.

Ian Taylor collects his 50th booking in a Villa shirt on his 278th appearance (246 Starts) to make it W117 D75 L86, 42 Goals, 16 Bookings and 2 Red Cards at a rate of a card every 5.35 games so far in his Villa career.

Stefan Postma keeps his 1st clean sheet in a Villa shirt on his 3rd appearance to make it W1 D1 L1, 2 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.67 goals per game and 1 Clean Sheet (33%) so far in his Villa career.

Dion Dublin secures his 50th win in a Villa shirt on his 137th appearance (111 Starts) to make it W50 D41 L46, 45 Goals, 15 Assists, 11 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.28 games played so far in his Villa career.

Mark Delaney secures his 40th win in a Villa shirt on his 110th appearance (94 Starts) to make it W40 D34 L36, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 13 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Juan Pablo Ángel secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 54th appearance (43 Starts) to make it W20 D14 L20, 17 Goals, 6 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.35 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Villa win for the first time in 6 Premier League games to make it 4 wins in 13 under Graham Taylor and climb back to 14th in the table.

Villa secure their 4th Premier League win of the season. 

Villa make it 7 wins in 26 League games under Graham Taylor. 

Villa score 3 or more goals for the 3rd time 26 League games under Graham Taylor.

Öyvind Leonhardsen scores his 1st goal and contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 8th appearance (4 Starts) to make it W4 D3 L1, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Marcus Allbäck contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 12th appearance (5 Starts) to make it W6 D1 L5, 2 Goals, 1 Assist and 1 Booking at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.00 games played so far in his Villa career.

Jlloyd Samuel secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 60th appearance (41 Starts) to make it W20 D18 L22, 3 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa are held for the fourth time in six Premier League games to make it four wins in fourteen under Graham Taylor.

Villa fail to score for the 9th time in 14 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa, unbeaten in 4, now have 7 wins in 27 under Graham Taylor.

Villa win for the 2nd time in 3 to make it 5 wins in 15 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they climb to 11th in the table.

Villa have now won 8 of 28 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa extend their unbeaten run to 5 games and make it 5 League wins so far this season under Graham Taylor. 

Villa have score 3 or more goals in only 4 of their last 28 League games under Graham Taylor. 

Dion Dublin scores his 100th Premier League goal. 

Lee Hendrie contributes his 42nd goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 199th appearance (153 Starts) to make it W82 D53 L64, 23 Goals, 19 Assists, 34 Bookings and 3 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.85 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the first time in 6 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa's mini revival under Graham Taylor suffers a setback at leaders Arsenal to drop back to 15th place.

Ian Taylor makes his 250th start in a Villa shirt (282 Appearances) to make it W119 D76 L87, 42 Goals, 17 Assists, 53 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Thomas Hitzlsperger contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 24th appearance (19 Starts) to make it W7 D6 L11, 2 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Ulises de la Cruz contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 11th appearance (8 Starts) to make it W3 D1 L7, 2 Goals and 1 Assist so far in his Villa career.

Lee Hendrie makes his 200th appearance in a Villa shirt (154 Starts) to make it W82 D53 L65, 23 Goals, 19 Assists, 34 Bookings and 3 Red Cards at a goal involvement rate of one for every 4.87 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Ronny Johnsen makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (9 Starts) to make it W5 D2 L3 and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Steve Staunton makes his 325th start in a Villa shirt (338 Appearances) to make it W140 D90 L108, 20 Goals, 36 Assists, 25 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Darius Vassell scores a brace to collect his 25th goal in a Villa shirt on his 117th appearance (55 Starts) to make it W43 D29 L45, 25 Goals, 9 Assists, 12 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.44 games played so far in his Villa career.

Juan Pablo Ángel contributes his 25th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 57th appearance (44 Starts) to make it W23 D14 L20, 19 Goals, 6 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.28 games he has played so far in his Villa career.

Thomas Hitzlsperger makes his 25th appearance in a Villa shirt (20 Starts) to make it W8 D6 L11, 3 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose consecutive Premier League games to make it five wins in seventeen under Graham Taylor as they fall back to 15th in the table.

Villa fail to score for the 10th time in 17 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa suffer their 14th defeat in 30 League games under Graham Taylor.

Peter Enckelman makes his 50th appearance in a Villa shirt (48 Starts) to make it W18 D14 L18, 46 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.92 goals per game (1.06 in League football) and 18 Clean Sheets (36%) (31% League) so far in his Villa career.

Lee Hendrie collects his 35th booking in a Villa shirt on his 202nd appearance (156 Starts) to make it W83 D53 L66, 23 Goals, 19 Assists, 35 Bookings and 3 Red Cards at a rate of a card every 5.31 games so far in his Villa career.

Villa win for the first time in 3 Premier League games to make it 6 wins in 18 under Graham Taylor as they remain 15th in the table.

Villa secure their 9th win in 31 Premier League games under Graham Taylor courtesy of a last gasp Thomas Hitzlsperger special.

Euphemistically called 'ticketing problems'. More accurately it was yet another example of the parsimonious and incompetent way the club was being run. An out of touch Chairman cut back on turnstiles to reduce costs. Cue queues. As unnecessary as it was embarrassing it was yet another sign that the 2002-03 season was a watershed one with incompetence prevalent on and off the pitch. As strange as it may sound the Ellis apologists, of whom there were still a few, began to waver in their support - not because of his myriad failures to support his managers and the fans' ambition - but because they were made to wait in the cold to watch another Villa capitulation under Graham Taylor.

Thomas Hitzlsperger scores his 5th goal in a Villa shirt on his 28th appearance (23 Starts) to make it W9 D6 L13, 5 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Peter Enckelman concedes his 50th goal in a Villa shirt on his 52nd appearance (50 Starts) to make it W19 D14 L19, 51 Goals Conceded at a rate of 0.98 goals per game (1.05 in League football) and 18 Clean Sheets (35%) (30% League) so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the 3rd time in 4 in all competitions to leave them with 6 wins in q9 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they remain 15th in the table.

Villa fail to score for the 11th time in 19 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa fall to their 15th defeat in 32 League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa have now won 9 of their last 32 League games under Graham Taylor.

Dion Dublin suffers his 50th defeat in a Villa shirt on his 146th appearance (120 Starts) to make it W54 D42 L50, 47 Goals, 17 Assists, 14 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.28 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the 4th time in 5 in all competitions to leave them with 6 wins in 20 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they fall to 16th in the table.

Villa lose for the 16th time in 33 League games under Graham Taylor, having won 6 top flight games this season.

Jlloyd Samuel makes his 50th start in a Villa shirt (69 Appearances) to make it W23 D19 L27, 4 Assists, 8 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Mustapha Hadji makes his 25th start in a Villa shirt (39 Appearances) to make it W14 D8 L17, 3 Goals, 2 Assists and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa win for the 2nd time in 6 Premier League games to make it 7 wins in 21 Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they climb back to 14th in the table.

2002 ends with 10 wins in 34 Premier League matches under Graham Taylor.

Rob Edwards, 20, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after graduating from the youth team set up to become the 767th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Thomas Hitzlsperger secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 31st appearance (26 Starts) to make it W10 D6 L5, 5 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa win consecutive Premier League games for the first time for the first time this season to make it eight wins in twenty two Premier League games under Graham Taylor but they remain 14th in the table.

Villa open the New Year with a win - their second in succession, and 3rd in 6 League games under Graham Taylor. 

Villa now have 11 wins and 16 defeats in 35 Premier League matches under Graham Taylor at a rate of 1.17 points per game. Taylor’s predecessor John Gregory left with a record of 1.58 points per game.

Dion Dublin scores his 50th goal in a Villa shirt on his 149th appearance (123 Starts) to make it W56 D42 L51, 50 Goals, 17 Assists, 14 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.23 games played so far in his Villa career.

Juan Pablo Ángel secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 46th start (63 Appearances) to make it W25 D14 L24, 19 Goals, 7 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.77 starts so far in his Villa career.

Jlloyd Samuel secures his 25th win in a Villa shirt on his 71st appearance (52 Starts) to make it W25 D19 L27, 4 Assists, 9 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Mark Kinsella secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 22nd appearance (16 Starts) to make it W10 D3 L9, 0 Goals, 2 Assists and 0 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Stephen Cooke makes his second appearance in a Villa shirt 2 years, 10 months, and 24 days after his debut to make it W1 D0 L1 so far in his truncated Villa career.

Graham Taylor's difficult second coming continues as Villa are routed at home by Blackburn, even more embarrassing than the result was that the defeat was inspired by a shadow of his former self Dwight Yorke.

Liam Ridgewell, 18, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after graduating from the youth team to become the 768th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Juan Pablo Ángel scores his 20th goal in a Villa shirt but suffers his 25th defeat on his 47th start (64 Appearances) to make it W25 D14 L25, 20 Goals, 7 Assists and 6 Bookings at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.77 starts so far in his Villa career.

Dion Dublin makes his 150th appearance in a Villa shirt (124 Starts) to make it W56 D42 L52, 50 Goals, 17 Assists, 14 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.24 games played so far in his Villa career.

Darius Vassell suffers his 50th defeat in a Villa shirt on his 124th appearance (64 Starts) to make it W45 D29 L50, 28 Goals, 9 Assists, 12 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.35 games played so far in his Villa career.

Villa make it three Premier League games unbeaten but are held at Anfield to make it eight wins in twenty three Premier League games under Graham Taylor as they climb to 13th in the table.

Alan Wright makes his 325th appearance in a Villa shirt (320 Starts) to make it W141 D86 L98, 5 Goals, 26 Assists and 23 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Dion Dublin makes his 125th start in a Villa shirt (151 Appearances) to make it W56 D43 L52, 51 Goals, 17 Assists, 14 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 2.20 games played so far in his Villa career.

Darius Vassell makes his 125th appearance in a Villa shirt (61 Starts) to make it W45 D30 L50, 28 Goals, 9 Assists, 12 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.38 games played so far in his Villa career.

Stefan Moore makes his 10th appearance in a Villa shirt (2 Starts) to make it W5 D3 L2, 1 Goal and 2 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the first time in four games and have now failed to score in 12 of their last 24 Premier League matches. 

Graham Taylor now has a record of 17 defeats in 37 Premier League games since returning to Villa.

Villa record their biggest win of the season, winning for the 1st time in 3 games under Graham Taylor. 

Villa make it 12 Premier League wins in 38 matches under Graham Taylor.

Joey Guðjónsson, 22, makes a goalscoring debut after joining from Real Betis on loan for the remainder of the season earlier this month to become the 769th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Darius Vassell scores a brace to collect his 30th goal in a Villa shirt on his 127th appearance (62 Starts) to make it W46 D30 L51, 30 Goals, 9 Assists, 12 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.26 games played so far in his Villa career.

Thomas Hitzlsperger contributes his 10th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 35th appearance (30 Starts) to make it W12 D7 L16, 5 Goals, 5 Assists and 4 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Olof Mellberg secures his 20th win in a Villa shirt on his 67th appearance to make it W20 D20 L27, 1 Goal, 3 Assists and 3 Booking so far in his Villa career.

Jlloyd Samuel makes his 75th appearance in a Villa shirt (56 Starts) to make it W26 D20 L29, 5 Assists, 9 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Less than a month after being humiliated by the same opposition at home, Villa, apparently rejuvenated, put Blackburn to the sword to record successive victories and climb to 11th in the table under Graham Taylor.

Villa make it 10 wins in 26 Premier League games under Graham Taylor

Joey Guðjónsson contributes his 1st assist in a Villa shirt on his 2nd appearance to make it W2 D0 L0, 1 Goal, 1 Assist and 1 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Ulises de la Cruz contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 21st appearance (13 Starts) to make it W7 D2 L12, 2 Goals, 3 Assists and 2 Bookings so far in his Villa career.

Villa lose for the second time in four games to make it ten wins in twenty seven Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

Villa lose for the second successive game and have now failed to score in 13 of 28 league matches under Graham Taylor this season.

As the fans finally lose patience, Graham Taylor records a 19th Premier League defeat in 41 games.

Alpay Özalan features for the first time in over 4 months and for only the 5th time in 50 games under Graham Taylor to belatedly make it 65 appearances in a Villa shirt, W25 D18 L22 and 17 Bookings. Özalan would not feature under Taylor again.

Villa lose for the 3rd successive game having failed to score in 14 of 29 league matches under Graham Taylor 

Villa are beaten for the 20th time.in 42 Premier League games under Graham Taylor.

The once venerated manager is no longer the subject of deference as his defeatist, dismissive and self absorbed response to defeat exacerbates the chasm that this most torrid of seasons had begun to create.

Villa lose home and away to Birmingham for the first time since 1978.

Dion Dublin is sent off for the 2nd time in a Villa shirt on his 156th appearance (130 Starts) to make it W58 D43 L55, 54 Goals, 18 Assists, 15 Bookings and 2 Red Cards at a goal involvement 

Joey Guðjónsson is sent off for the 1st time in a Villa shirt on his 5 appearance to make it W2 D0 L3, 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 4 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a rate of a card every game he has played so far in his Villa career.