Bill Howell: History shows Villa will have to fight to keep flying
Martin O'Neill
FEW could argue against it having been a superb start to the season for Martin O’Neill’s Villa, who are lying in joint-third with Manchester United in the Premier League – if you take away the small matter of goal-difference.
Four straight away wins with some winnable fixtures lying in wait will surely serve to increase expectations which are already bigger than at any time over the last decade.
Brian Little’s Villa were the last to gatecrash the top in the mid-nineties, can O’Neill’s do likewise?
The statistics below highlight just how difficult it may be to hang on to their fine start.
VILLA sit joint-third with Manchester United having taken 38 points from 20 matches. The last time they were in such a lofty perch come New Year’s Day? When they were top of the pile under John Gregory.
They had taken 39 points from their opening 20 matches of the 1998/99 season having just beaten mid-table Sheffield Wednesday to go into the New Year in top spot – two points clear of Chelsea and four clear of Manchester United and Arsenal.
The only other time Villa have been in the top three by the turn of the year was in the inaugral season of 1992/93 when they took 35 points from their opening 20 matches.
Back then they were then beaten at Coventry City on Boxing Day but saw off Arsenal to go into the New Year in third. Norwich were top with 41 points and Manchester United were second on 38 points.
Apart from those two golden seasons the nearest Villa have come to the top three was last year.
They were sixth, having taken 36 points from 21 matches – still 14 points behind leaders Arsenal with the other big three in their wake.
In 1996/97 Brian Little’s side were also sixth at the turn of the year having beaten Wimbledon 5-0, then lost to Chelsea on Boxing Day and drawn 2-2 at Arsenal.
Liverpool were top with 42 points, Manchester United were five points adrift in second with Arsenal third with 37.
Wimbledon were in fourth with 37, Newcastle in fifth with 34 and Villa in sixth having also picked up 34 points from their opening 20 matches.
Villa’s most consistent position by the end of a calendar year is eighth, occurring three times.
