Villa seasons where nothing much happened.

[SoccerHQ]

Think I've said it before on Villa Memories but 2000-01 season to me consists of Luc Nilis goal v Chelsea at the Holte and relegating Coventry at the end which was hilarious.

30 + other games I have no clue what happened, who was playing for us at the time or what the issues were off the pitch. Just looking at some of the results...Leicester 0 Villa 0, Southampton 2 Villa 0, Derby 1 Villa 0, Villa 1, Boro 1 etc. All sounds incredibly exciting stuff although looking at Villa 2 Man. City 2 I get the feeling that was the game Ginola stripped off to reveal his six pack?

Even the McLeish season had a few more exciting matches than that so ironic that Gregory expressed his regret about not going for it in the cup final and yet his tactics became even more defensive the following season when you look at how we generally ended 99-00.

Have I missed anything then from that season? 2013-14 is another season where we weren't as awful as the other two under Lambert but apart from beating Arsenal on opening day and also winning 3-2 v Man. City can't think of much that happened although stuff like losing 4-1 at home to Stoke must've been pretty bad at the time.

Any other non-descript seasons as plenty of times we've finished mid table but still been loads happening on and off the pitch to keep everyone entertained. Not an age thing either as can recall so many good or bad games from 97-2002 period generally.

[The Man With A Stick]

Just looked at the fixtures from that season and apart from Everton away (when Merson scored) and the Celta Vigo fiasco I don't remember any other games than the Cov and Chelsea ones.  Can remember the £ protests against Ellis prior to Angel signing but other than that... nothing.  Don't remember any of the cup exits either which is just weird.

[AV82EC]

The McLeish season - Chelsea away.

Thats it, thats the post.

[ADVILLAFAN]

Did we finally beat Leicester in 2001? Around that time they knocked us out of the League Cup, with their band of merry men (thugs), such as Gerry Taggert, Elliott, Savage and co.

[eamonn]

Favourite first Villan, favourite shit season....what's happened to our main forum?! Be gone to Memories with you!
The future is Cash, and lots of him/it, 'Buendia' - literally a 'good day'. There's no need to reminisce about Eirik Bakke, Mathieu Berson and co. Wave those problems goodbye!

Seriously though 2000/01...I remember some parts quite vividly. I started my first part-time job (and tentatively began wasting my life on here), so it's easier to recall the games when tying it to that.

I think the start of the season was alright. There was a lovely goal from Hendrie in a win at Ipswich, over-shadowed by poor Luc Niilis's career-ender as he careered into Richard Wright. A fine 4-1 home win at the end of September against Derby, the transfer-listed Julian Joachim getting a brace. In fairness to Southgate, despite having also handed in a transfer-request the previous June, he had a fine year at the back and was deservedly our player of the season.

You did start to get the feeling that Gregory's personality was beginning to rub some players up the wrong way (Ugo - who I think got his move that summer, and Ginola, barely months after joining).
 
January, we finally completed the exciting signing of Angel, after it seemed to drag on forever. Soon followed by a horrible 0-3 reverse to Liverpool in their crappy orange change strip. I think they scored all their goals in the first half. Ginola subbed by Gregory at half-time, John McGrath making his only (?) first team appearance as a sub.

Darius Vassell announcing his arrival gradually as the season went on, including in a 3-0 win at Bradford.
A mad end of season 3-3 draw down at Charlton, again, I think Ginola and Hendrie with late goals. Almost a revenge for losing 4-3 at VP to the same opposition a year earlier.
Finishing-up with a 3-0 defeat up at Newcastle. Pretty sure in his post-match interview Gregory warned there would be changes ahead and he wouldn't stand for such performances. In fairness, at the end of October the following season we were top of the table. That was short-lived (another 3-0 tonking by the Toon in early November '01 I think) and Gregory of course was gone by the end of winter 01/02.

[Axl Rose]

Soccer HQ, I think we had a conversation about this season not so long ago? Can't remember the thread!

This season coincided with my first year at uni in Aberystwyth, and for some reason, it's the first season I started going regularly to Villa Park. What are student loans for I suppose? It just reminds me more of good days with loads of new mates who didn't support Villa (first-year flatmates were Spurs, Man Utd, Leeds, Everton, Arsenal) slowly but surely falling in love with the club I love.

Yeah, the football wasn't anything spectacular, but sending Cov down, and beating Leicester were highlights. I also remember a 2-1 win at home to Ipswich, taking our seats in the Lower Holte, and finding myself sat next to one of my best mates from high school. Incredibly random, and a Liverpool fan at that!

[Villan82]

2003/2004 aside, the first half of the 2000s were a bit meh. The attendances were down on what they were in the 90s.

[SoccerHQ]

Just looked at the fixtures from that season and apart from Everton away (when Merson scored) and the Celta Vigo fiasco I don't remember any other games than the Cov and Chelsea ones.  Can remember the £ protests against Ellis prior to Angel signing but other than that... nothing.  Don't remember any of the cup exits either which is just weird.

Good recall on the £ protests so that was something (and seemingly got us Gilles De Bilde on loan before Angel signed which sums up that season very well).

Was amazed just looking at some old archive on freelibrary that Gregory did his timewarp interview about Doug in December 2000...honestly though it was in 2001 and he left about two months later so incredible he did that and still was in charge for over a year.

And like you I had no idea who we went out in the cups to that year aswell...apparently Man. City at home in league cup and Leicester at home in FA cup, a rare year in that period when it wasn't Man. United.

[Richard E]

13.7 billion BC - 1873 AD were nothing to write home about.

[SoccerHQ]

The McLeish season - Chelsea away.

Thats it, thats the post.

It wasn't so bad up to the infamous Spurs game with Hutton on right of midfield. Before then Norwich 3-2 game was a good watch and we were at least beating the bottom half teams pretty comfortably and scoring a few goals. Awful after that although always remember the Bolton home game for everyone just having enough and mass protest about McLeish for last 15 minutes.

16/17 was also a very forgettable season. Bit of intrigue and optimism at the start given the spending and our first season outside top flight for 30 years but we had those two long winless runs and generally terrible standard of games. At least next two seasons in championship were far more interesting.

[SoccerHQ]

Soccer HQ, I think we had a conversation about this season not so long ago? Can't remember the thread!

This season coincided with my first year at uni in Aberystwyth, and for some reason, it's the first season I started going regularly to Villa Park. What are student loans for I suppose? It just reminds me more of good days with loads of new mates who didn't support Villa (first-year flatmates were Spurs, Man Utd, Leeds, Everton, Arsenal) slowly but surely falling in love with the club I love.

Yeah, the football wasn't anything spectacular, but sending Cov down, and beating Leicester were highlights. I also remember a 2-1 win at home to Ipswich, taking our seats in the Lower Holte, and finding myself sat next to one of my best mates from high school. Incredibly random, and a Liverpool fan at that!

Ah yes you were the Steve Stone fanboy weren't you (wink). Must've been the start of the Delaney long term injuries as Stone went from standard expensive squad player to pretty much firsy choice as marauding right wing back.

[Damo70]

The McLeish season - Chelsea away.

Thats it, thats the post.

It wasn't so bad up to the infamous Spurs game with Hutton on right of midfield. Before then Norwich 3-2 game was a good watch and we were at least beating the bottom half teams pretty comfortably and scoring a few goals. Awful after that although always remember the Bolton home game for everyone just having enough and mass protest about McLeish for last 15 minutes.

16/17 was also a very forgettable season. Bit of intrigue and optimism at the start given the spending and our first season outside top flight for 30 years but we had those two long winless runs and generally terrible standard of games. At least next two seasons in championship were far more interesting.

Wasn't the Bolton McLeish protest game the same game when Stephen Warnock was getting pelters from the crowd?

I reckon we would have gone down that year if McLeish hadn't brought Robbie Keane in on loan. His goals kept us up that year.

[dcdavecollett]

...and his performances, too. What a difference he made!

[SoccerHQ]

2003/2004 aside, the first half of the 2000s were a bit meh. The attendances were down on what they were in the 90s.

2002/03 and 2004/05 would've been very forgettable seasons but for the SHA games which stick in the mind for all the wrong reasons.

2003/04 was pretty good though, full of highs and lows and us getting closer to top 4 at the end than any of the O'Neill seasons.

[Villan82]

2003/2004 aside, the first half of the 2000s were a bit meh. The attendances were down on what they were in the 90s.

2002/03 and 2004/05 would've been very forgettable seasons but for the SHA games which stick in the mind for all the wrong reasons.

2003/04 was pretty good though, full of highs and lows and us getting closer to top 4 at the end than any of the O'Neill seasons.

This is a bit of a controversial one, and has never occurred to me before until this very minute, I wonder if O'Leary had had MON's type of backing in 2004/05 would he have cracked the top four?