If Randy had bought Villa five years earlier...?

[SoccerHQ]

I think we'd have done a Leeds without the subsequent fall from grace. Maybe Newcastle is a more accurate comparison given they played in the champions league under Sir Bobby Robson.

A season or two in the champions league, maybe a title challenge and then falling back to 5th or 6th as teams like Chelsea and Liverpool had takeovers.

[SoccerHQ]

Just thinking back to that time, we were very close to getting 4th in 03/04 I remember, I think we finished 3 points off Liverpool that season which was closer than we got in 08/09 or 09/10.

Game that sticks in my mind is a 0-0 at home to Newcastle towards the end, they had a player sent off after 15 minutes but we couldn't break them down as Woodgate as inspired. If we'd won that day, I think we probably would've done it.

[dave.woodhall]

I think we'd have done a Leeds without the subsequent fall from grace. Maybe Newcastle is a more accurate comparison given they played in the champions league under Sir Bobby Robson.

A season or two in the champions league, maybe a title challenge and then falling back to 5th or 6th as teams like Chelsea and Liverpool had takeovers.

That's what I reckon, and it's what I thought we'd do when Randy took over.