Will the Brummies be as livid as the mancs as we once again take a view on their club that is based on some facts.
Aston Villa were formed in 1874 by workers at the Ben & Jerry's ice cream factory in Handsworth and where originally called Aston Vanilla after one of the company's wacky flavours, they originally played in claret and blue as they do now and where the only team in Victorian times to run out wearing their hygenic hair nets from the factory. The Clubs motto "Prepared" dates from the cries of the ice cream makers shouting to those next in the production line.
Their current owner is American Randy Lerner who sadly as his name might suggest, didn't make his money by publishing sex manuals for beginners, Lerner also owned the Cleveland Browns American football team until selling them earlier this year, possibly because it was estimated that his personal fortune had dropped to a mere $800 million from the $1.5 billion in 2008.
Villa's first match was against local rivals Aston Brook St Mary's which would make a highly ironical & symetrical ending for them if they should be liquidated after Saturdays visit to Saints, their opponents were a rugby team, that meant that they agreed to play the first half under rugby rules and the second under soccer, they are the only team to find themselves 21-0 down at half time in their first match although by the end it was a more respectable 21-5, it was the last time they agreed to this sort of arrangement.
Villa moved to Villa Park in 1897, after playing firstly in Aston park and then Perry Barr, the ground had a record attendance in 1946 of over 76,000 although now its a shade over 42,000, it is the eigth largest stadium in English football although there is planning permission to increase that to 51,000, but with last seasons average dropping by 15% to 33k that might not be the club's priority.
Villa Park's greatest moment came in on April 13th 2003 when Watford made an attempt to reach the FA Cup final, the grounds most vocal and passionate crowd for many a year silenced the Hornet Hordes and lead directly to Lerner's interest in buying the club, attending the game as a guest of Villa he was immediately enthused by the passion of the red & white clad supporters and decided there and then to buy the club, he was shocked to attend his first game as owner a few years later to find that Villa played in claret & blue.
Villa won the European Cup in 1992 at Feyenoord's ground in Rotterdam, the Dutch police worried about English fans reputation for drink fueled rowdiness at games, hatched a plan to quell this by only selling non alcoholic beer in the ground, but not telling the visiting Villa supporters who drunk gallons of the stuff and behaved in their normal riotous manner, not realising that they were all as sober as judges.
Aston Villa's original rivalry was with Handsworth Haagen Daaz another factory side in what was then the Ice cream capital of the World, although this soon fizzled out and a rivalry with Birmingham City started in what has been named the Second City Derby, although it can be argued that historically at least West Bromwich Albion have been more of a rival, the two clubs having contested three FA Cup Finals in the late 19th century, other hatreds include Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The big four clubs in the greater midlands area have strangly only all been in the top flight on very rare occasions, 2010/11 being the only Premier League season and you have to go back to 83/84 for the last time in the top flight in general.
This is Villa's 101st season in top flight football, the only club to have played more are Everton who are in their 109th campaign, this means that this fixture is the most played in top flight history which possibly accounts for the appathy shown by both sets of supporters towards it.
Aston Villa's official website has to be unique in it donates a whole page listing their famous fans, those include, David Bradley who played Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, Ozzy Osbourne who was born locally, Ian Lavender or Pike from Dad's Army as he is best known, Prince William whose wife is rumoured to have a Villa tattoo on her left breast according to French sources, Nigel Kennedy a well known fiddle player from the 90's, David Cameron a well known fiddler from the 10's and last but not least Tom Hanks who for some reason chose the club and definately intends to attend a game soon.