There’s been a lot of doom and gloom around Aston Villa being in the Championship this season, from Jamie Carragher saying last season the side was ‘the worst in Premier League history’ to Paul Merson flapping his gums about how Villa could go down again; it doesn’t make for convincing reading.
It also makes it much more difficult to remember that Villa have been here before, and bounced back a much stronger force.
It was the baby steps of one of the best Villa teams’ in modern times, and a shining example on how relegation can do wonders for a club,
It was also the last time Graham Taylor would have success as a manager, with the former Watford boss never given the same respect after being sacked by England.
With that in mind here’s a profile of the 1987-88 Villa squad that got promoted at the first time of asking, and then almost went on to win the league two seasons after.
