In the summer of 2003, changes were made after an incredibly poor 2002/2003 season under Graham Taylor which had seen the club fight against relegation for most of the season and only secure survival with one game to go with Villa ending up in 16th place. It was the first time Villa had finished so low in the Premier League since the mid 90’s and Doug Ellis was keen to ensure that Villa did not finish that low again.
In order to achieve this. he turned to David O’Leary who had spent 19 years at Arsenal as a centre-back before moving on to Leeds for two seasons before retiring due to injury. In his time at Arsenal he won two League titles, two FA Cups and two League Cups.
After retiring in 1995, he moved into management with Leeds in 1998 before being dismissed in 2002 after spending £100 million on players but winning no trophies. However, he never finished outside the top six with Leeds and led them to the Champions League semi-finals in 2001.
2003/04
His first season did not start well at all, by November 2003 Villa were hovering around the relegation zone and were struggling to pick up points. However, a dramatic surge in form during the second half of the season saw Villa reach the Carling Cup semi-finals, before being knocked out by Bolton Wanderers. The remarkable form during the second half of the season, mainly thanks to Juan Pablo Angel’s 18 league goals saw Villa finish 6th, just three points off Champions League qualification. However, Villa did not get Uefa Cup football due to the success of Millwall and Middlesborough in the cup.
2004/05
Expectations were high for the 2004-2005 season as Villa looked to bring European football back to the West Midlands. Signings in the summer of 2004 included future club legend Martin Laursen. Due to inconsistent form, however, Villa could never really mount any sustained pressure on those competing for European football as Villa finished off the pace in 10th place. This season also included the forgettable signing of the likes of Matheu Berson and Eric Djemba-Djemba and the two derby defeats to Birmingham City.
2005/06
By the time the 2005-2006 season arrived, O’Leary began to feel the pressure on him as he spent big on the likes of Milan Baros for a then club record of £7 million. However, the 2005-2006 season never really got going for Villa as they hovered around the relegation zone for most of the season despite never actually dropping into it.
As Villa were knocked out in the League Cup by Doncaster Rovers in an embarrassing 3-0 defeat and in the FA Cup in a replay by Manchester City, fan resentment against O’Leary and Doug Ellis grew as it would be another season without a trophy or European qualification.
By the time the season had concluded with a win against already relegated Sunderland, O’Leary knew his time was as good as up and in the summer of 2006, he left by mutual consent as rumours swirled of disagreements between himself and Doug Ellis over the future of the club.
Life After Villa
After leaving Aston Villa, O’Leary managed Al Ahli for 8 months before he was relieved of his duties in April 2011 along with assistant Roy Aitken.
Looking back on O’Leary’s time at Villa, things would have probably been incredibly different had we qualified for the Champions League in 2004 or even the Uefa Cup. However, Villa didn’t and his failure to get the best out of the players at his disposal plus Doug Ellis’ unwillingness to invest in the team is the one of the main reasons as to why over his three-year tenure as Villa boss, his own and his team’s fortunes declined to go from challengers for European places, to fighting to stay in the Premier League.
