Question for more mature Villans re: 1982

[Smirker]

Not sure if this deserves a thread but who cares.

How far away did winning the European Cup seem in the seasons leading up to it?

I ask because it feels all but impossible now. Can't say impossible but as close to that as you can get. Did it feel like that in the late 70s before things turned round?

I hope it did because then it will make me think one day we could see it again.

[dave.woodhall]

We never thought we had a chance until we won the league, because it was what other clubs did. Then it was accepted, because it was what English clubs do. We didn't have that Villans nonsense either.

[Gaztonniller]

The timing of this question with UE's appointment is scary 

[Smirker]

I've been thinking about it for a while.

We never thought we had a chance until we won the league, because it was what other clubs did. Then it was accepted, because it was what English clubs do. We didn't have that Villans nonsense either.

Does it feel further away now than it did then (before winning the league/qualifying)?

[Exeter 77]

The prospect of winning the European Cup in the summer of 1981 seemed a lot more likely than winning the League did in the summer of 1980.

[olaftab]

Winning the European cup was not the big thing in them days. Winning the League was the big event second only to winning the FA cup. Once you were English champions winning the Champions cup was almost expected. Probably most of us dreamt of winning the European cup however we eulogised the FA cup day and night talked about winning it one day and sadly we still do.

[DeKuip]

We were all much younger then and still believed in dreams coming true. At the start of every season I always felt we could win something, so I expect I had that feeling about the European Cup too, especially as we’d beaten and finished above the team that won it in 1981. And the team that had won it the two previous seasons.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Our European adventures during the 70s started with Royal Antwerp giving us a lesson in slick football in 75 but by 77/78 we were holding our own reaching the quarter finals against Barca's Cruyff and Co. By 81 we were confident of our own ability but I don't think anybody thought we'd win the European Cup. What we knew was that it was going to take a very special team to beat us. As Dave said, there was that expectation due to English teams winning it but from memory it was more game by game, okay who's next until suddenly we're on the ferry to Rotterdam.

Even now, every time I watch the final again I'm still bricking it, stomach in knots, shortness of breath, just like I was back then at the game. I really think I was and still am traumatised from that night. Could I survive another European Final? Only if we won it.

[gpbarr]

I never really believed until we beat Anderlecht - and even then when I saw Bayern had thrashed CSKA in the other semi (who’d knocked Liverpool out in the quarters) I was dubious.

My old man (a Blues fan) tried to send me to bed at half time as well - I almost never forgave him 😀

[Cliftonville Villlain]

I always remember a News of the World preview of the runners and riders before the first kick-off in our league winning season. They had us down as dark horses and as a 12 year old I remember thinking naah, too soon. But then we started winning. And winning. And then Bosko Balaban did his thing. But as much as I doubted we would win the league, I was absolutely certain we would win the European Cup the following year. At that time it was felt that English teams are always gonna win it, the First Division's stock was so high. Cloughie proved that anything was possible.

Can we win it again? Of course we can. We haven't won anything of note since 1996, have endured over 20 years of dross, watched both O'Neill and Gerrard squander guilt-edged opportunities, but it's Aston Villa were talking about. Every now and again we're capable of magic. The Grand Old Lady. And as a former son once said, 'Do you wanna bet against us?'

[edgysatsuma89]

I like this question. Being born in '89 and not really getting into football until I was about 10 (not sure why) the idea of winning the league seems completely impossible to me. When we won the league and having just looked the previous 3 seasons we finished 8th, 8th and 7th. Was you all thinking it would be impossible to win the league at the start of the next season? I can't imagine it feels as obscene an idea as doing it now though. I know Leicester happened but even since then it is worse.

[Risso]

It was different back then. Liverpool dominated but lots of teams did well through good coaching. When we won the league in 81, Ipswich were 2nd and West Brom 4th. The following year Watford were 2nd. The year after that, Southampton were 2nd and QPR 5th, etc etc.

[edgysatsuma89]

It was different back then. Liverpool dominated but lots of teams did well through good coaching. When we won the league in 81, Ipswich were 2nd and West Brom 4th. The following year Watford were 2nd. The year after that, Southampton were 2nd and QPR 5th, etc etc.

Cheers for that, gives me perspective. I had no idea any of those teams got to those sort of heights. So West Brom were actually decent? Fuck. I mean I grew up around them but I just naturally tuned them out. Going to have to Google their history out of curiosity and then have a wash.

[PeterWithesShin]

Ipswich finished 3rd in 1980, 2nd in 81 and 2nd in 82. Albion had a very good side back then. QPR should probably have won the league in 1976. The likes of Wolves, Stoke, Swansea finished top 6.

We were pretty shit in 80/81, there was more talk of if we'd be relegated the year after winning the league than winning the European Cup. Apart from Valur, we were probably second favourites every tie.

[Simon Page]

Football was just different* then. Top clubs didn't collect players. You could build a team without the fear that Despot Athletic would come and take them. Hardly any British players moved abroad, or vice versa, and much of the best of the home nations came to England. Domestically it was far more level. West Ham had a fine side in the late 70s early 80s. The equivalent for them in the current era was waving bye bye to Carrick, Cole and Lampard. That's the difference.

I was only a kid but I went into every game with the great uncertainty of we could win, might draw, could lose. Sides having a good season won a lot of home games. Sides having a blistering season also won a handful of away games. Nowadays if FC Squillionairre concede a corner it's a fckn crisis, and if you have anyone vaguely talented they "should move to a richer club". That's why drawing at home to Man City leads to hiring an open-top bus, and gives Pepsi an opportunity to decide if any of your players can provide much needed balance on his Zenith Data Systems Cup squad bench.

Also, British clubs were highly successful in European competition at that time. 70's and early 80's, Man City, Chelsea, Everton, Aberdeen, Rangers, Ipswich, Spurs all won European trophies to go with Villa, Forest and the other one. Leeds, Arsenal, West Ham, Wolves got to finals. So, truth is I probably didn't think we were definitely going to win it, but also had confidence that we could beat anyone on our day. As could a lot of very evenly matched, if technically 'variable', sides

* better