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2002–03 Aston Villa F.C. season
English football club season
English football club season
| Field | Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| club | Aston Villa | ||||
| season | 2002–03 | ||||
| manager | Graham Taylor | ||||
| chairman | Doug Ellis | ||||
| league | Premier League | ||||
| league result | [16th](2002-03-fa-premier-league) | ||||
| cup1 | FA Cup | ||||
| cup1 result | [Third round](2002-03-fa-cup-third-round-proper) | ||||
| cup2 | League Cup | ||||
| cup2 result | [Quarter-finals](2002-03-football-league-cup-quarter-finals) | ||||
| cup3 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | ||||
| cup3 result | [Semi-finals](2002-uefa-intertoto-cup-semi-finals) | ||||
| league topscorer | Dion Dublin (10) | ||||
| season topscorer | Dion Dublin (14) | ||||
| pattern_la1 | pattern_b1=_vneck | pattern_ra1= | |||
| leftarm1 | 88A7E0 | body1=970045 | rightarm1=88A7E0 | shorts1=FFFFFF | socks1=88A7E0 |
| pattern_la2 | pattern_b2=_collar | pattern_ra2= | |||
| leftarm2 | FFFFFF | body2=FFFFFF | rightarm2=FFFFFF | shorts2=88A7E0 | socks2=FFFFFF |
| prevseason | [2001–02](2001-02-aston-villa-f-c-season) | ||||
| nextseason | [2003–04](2003-04-aston-villa-f-c-season) |
Main article: History of Aston Villa F.C. (1961–present)
The 2002–03 English football season was Aston Villa's 11th season in the Premier League, and their 15th consecutive season in the top division of English football.
Fans had hoped that the return of successful former manager Graham Taylor would spark a serious challenge for honours once more, but the actual result was Villa's worst Premier League campaign in eight years, with the club in serious danger of relegation throughout the season. Survival was only achieved in the penultimate game of the season with a victory over already-doomed Sunderland; Taylor was soon on his way out of the club for good.
There were debuts for Ulises de la Cruz (89), Ronny Johnsen (49), Marcus Allbäck (35), Mark Kinsella (21), Øyvind Leonhardsen (19), Stefan Postma (13), Joey Guðjónsson (11), and Rob Edwards (8).
A season low was the 3–0 defeat by local rivals Birmingham City at St Andrews. A first-half goal from Clinton Morrison saw Birmingham in control at half time, before a comedy of errors saw a throw-in by Olof Mellberg roll under the foot of Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman and into the net to gift Blues a 2–0 lead. Geoff Horsfield added a third later in the game thanks to bad defending from Alpay Özalan. This game was followed by the visit to Villa Park. The game kicked into life when Villa striker Dion Dublin was sent off in the 51st minute for headbutting Robbie Savage. In the 74th minute, Australian Stan Lazaridis scored his first goal of the season, and three minutes later, a poor header back by Jlloyd Samuel allowed Horsfield to run onto the ball, beat Enckelman and score from close range. The game ended with another sending off, as Villa's Joey Guðjónsson lunged at Upson with a two-footed tackle.
Kit
| Kit Supplier | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| Diadora | Rover / MG* |
*Rover sponsored the home shirts, MG sponsored the away
Transfers
Transferred in
| Date | Pos | Player | From | Fee | **£5,500,000** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 May 2002 | GK | Stefan Postma | NED De Graafschap | £1,500,000 | |
| 18 May 2002 | CF | Marcus Allbäck | NED Heerenveen | £2,000,000 | |
| 8 July 2002 | CF | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | Free transfer | |
| 26 July 2002 | RB | Ulises de la Cruz | SCO Hibernian | £1,000,000 | |
| 23 August 2002 | CM | Mark Kinsella | Charlton Athletic | £1,000,000 | |
| 29 August 2002 | CB | NOR Ronny Johnsen | Manchester United | Free transfer | |
| 30 August 2002 | AM | Øyvind Leonhardsen | Tottenham Hotspur | Free transfer |
Loaned in
| Date | Pos | Player | From | Loan End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 January 2003 | CM | Joey Guðjónsson | Real Betis | 31 May 2003 |
Transferred out
| Date | Pos | Player | To | Fee | **£5,000,000** |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2002 | GK | DEN Peter Schmeichel | Manchester City | Free transfer | |
| 5 August 2002 | DM | NED George Boateng | Middlesbrough | £5,000,000 | |
| 6 August 2002 | AM | Paul Merson | Portsmouth | Free transfer | |
| 20 December 2002 | RM | Steve Stone | Portsmouth | Free transfer | |
| 10 January 2003 | CF | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | Free transfer |
Loaned out
| Date | Pos | Player | To | Loan End |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 July 2002 | CM | NIR Gavin Melaugh | Rochdale | 31 May 2003 |
| 9 August 2002 | GK | WAL Boaz Myhill | Bristol City | 5 November 2002 |
| 27 September 2002 | CF | Michael Boulding | Sheffield United | 1 November 2002 |
| 21 November 2002 | GK | WAL Boaz Myhill | Bradford City | 1 January 2003 |
| 29 November 2002 | CM | IRL John McGrath | Dagenham & Redbridge | 31 May 2003 |
| 10 January 2003 | CF | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | 12 February 2003 |
Overall transfer activity
Expenditure
£5,500,000
Income
£5,000,000
Balance
£500,000
Squad
First Team
| # | Name | Position | Nationality | Place of birth | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | Apps | Gls | Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Enckelman | GK | FIN | Turku | FIN TPS | 1 February 1999 | £200,000 | 28 | 0 | |||||
| 13 | Stefan Postma | GK | NED | Utrecht | NED De Graafschap | 14 May 2002 | £1,500,000 | - | - | |||||
| 37 | Boaz Myhill | GK | WAL | USA Modesto, CA | Academy | 1 July 2001 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 39 | Wayne Henderson | GK | IRL | Dublin | Academy | 1 July 2001 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 2 | Mark Delaney | RB | WAL | Haverfordwest | WAL Cardiff City | 9 March 1999 | £250,000 | 98 | 1 | |||||
| 3 | Alan Wright | LB | ENG | Ashton-under-Lyne | Blackburn Rovers | 10 March 1995 | £1,000,000 | 318 | 5 | |||||
| 4 | Olof Mellberg | CB | SWE | Gullspång | ESP Racing Santander | 19 July 2001 | £5,000,000 | 36 | 0 | |||||
| 5 | Alpay Özalan | CB | TUR | İzmir | TUR Fenerbahçe | 28 July 2000 | £5,600,000 | 60 | 0 | |||||
| 11 | Steve Staunton | LB | IRL | Dundalk | Liverpool | 6 December 2000 | Free transfer | 319 | 17 | |||||
| 15 | Ulises de la Cruz | RB | ECU | Piquiucho | SCO Hibernian | 26 July 2002 | £1,000,000 | - | - | |||||
| 21 | Jlloyd Samuel | LB | TRI | San Fernando | Academy | 1 January 1999 | 43 | 0 | ||||||
| 24 | Liam Ridgewell | CB | ENG | Bexleyheath | Academy | 1 July 2002 | - | - | ||||||
| 27 | Ronny Johnsen | CB | NOR | Sandefjord | Manchester United | 29 August 2002 | Free transfer | - | - | |||||
| 30 | Rob Edwards | LB | WAL | ENG Telford | Academy | 1 July 2002 | - | - | ||||||
| 6 | George Boateng | CM | NED | GHA Nkawkaw | Coventry City | 20 July 1999 | £4,500,000 | 134 | 5 | |||||
| 6* | Gareth Barry | LM | ENG | Hastings | Academy | 1 January 1998 | 149 | 4 | ||||||
| 7 | Ian Taylor | CM | ENG | Birmingham | Sheffield Wednesday | 21 December 1994 | £1,000,000 | 273 | 40 | |||||
| 10 | Paul Merson *(c)* | AM | ENG | Harlesden | Middlesbrough | 8 September 1998 | £6,750,000 | 144 | 19 | |||||
| 12 | Thomas Hitzlsperger | LM | GER | Munich | GER Bayern Munich | 5 August 2000 | Free transfer | 13 | 1 | |||||
| 17 | Lee Hendrie | RM | ENG | Solihull | Academy | 1 July 1995 | 185 | 20 | ||||||
| 18 | Steve Stone | RM | ENG | Gateshead | Nottingham Forest | 11 March 1999 | £5,500,000 | 120 | 7 | |||||
| 20 | Mustapha Hadji | LM | MAR | Ifrane Atlas-Saghir | Coventry City | 7 July 2001 | £4,500,000 | 32 | 3 | |||||
| 22 | Hassan Kachloul | AM | MAR | Agadir | Southampton | 1 July 2001 | 31 | 2 | ||||||
| 26 | Mark Kinsella | CM | IRL | Dublin | Charlton Athletic | 23 August 2002 | £1,000,000 | - | - | |||||
| 28 | Øyvind Leonhardsen | AM | NOR | Kristiansund | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 August 2002 | Free transfer | - | - | |||||
| 29 | Peter Whittingham | RM | ENG | Nuneaton | Academy | 1 July 2002 | - | - | ||||||
| 31 | Stephen Cooke | CM | ENG | Walsall | Academy | 1 July 2000 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 33 | Joey Guðjónsson | CM | ISL | Akranes | ESP Real Betis | 20 January 2003 | Loan | - | - | |||||
| 38 | John McGrath | CM | IRL | Limerick | Academy | 1 July 1999 | 3 | 0 | ||||||
| 40 | Keith Fahey | LM | IRL | Dublin | Academy | 1 July 2002 | - | - | ||||||
| 8 | Juan Pablo Ángel | CF | COL | Medellín | ARG River Plate | 13 January 2001 | £9,500,000 | 45 | 17 | |||||
| 9 | Dion Dublin | CF | ENG | Leicester | Coventry City | 5 November 1998 | £5,750,000 | 127 | 41 | |||||
| 10* | Darius Vassell | CF | ENG | Birmingham | Academy | 1 January 1998 | 102 | 21 | ||||||
| 14 | Marcus Allbäck | CF | SWE | Gothenburg | NED Heerenveen | 18 May 2002 | £2,000,000 | - | - | |||||
| 16 | Peter Crouch | CF | ENG | Macclesfield | Portsmouth | 27 March 2002 | £5,000,000 | 7 | 2 | |||||
| 19 | Boško Balaban | CF | CRO | Rijeka | CRO Dinamo Zagreb | 24 October 2001 | £5,800,000 | 11 | 0 | |||||
| 23 | Michael Boulding | CF | ENG | Sheffield | Grimsby Town | 8 July 2002 | Free transfer | - | - | |||||
| 25 | Stefan Moore | CF | ENG | Birmingham | Academy | 1 July 2001 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 32 | Luke Moore | CF | ENG | Birmingham | Academy | 1 January 2003 | - | - | ||||||
| 42 | Peter Hynes | CF | IRL | Dublin | Academy | 1 July 2001 | 0 | 0 |
*squad number was re-used following a players departure. Note: Stats and ages are correct as of July 1, 2002.
Players
First-team squad
:Squad at end of season
Left club during season
Reserve squad
:The following players made most of their appearances for the reserves this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-17s, or may have appeared for the first team in a friendly.
U-19 squad
:The following players made most of their appearances for the U-19s this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-17s.
U-17 squad
:The following players made most of their appearances for the U-17s this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-19s.
Other players
:The following players did not play for any Aston Villa team this season.
Statistics
Appearances and goals
:As of end of season |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred out during the season
Starting 11
Results
Pre-season
| Date | Opponents | Home/ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Away | Result | ||||
| F – A | Scorers | Competition | |||
| 20 July 2002 | FC Zurich SWI | A | [0 – 2](http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/astonvilla/reports/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/02/07/21/SOCCER_Villa.html&TEAMHD=astonvilla&DIV=prem&TEAM=ASTON--VILLA&RH=Aston--Villa&PREV_SEASON=2001) | Intertoto Cup | |
| 27 July 2002 | FC Zurich SWI | H | [3 – 0](https://www.xtratime.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-81806.html) | Boulding (33), Allbäck (52), Staunton (77) | Intertoto Cup |
| August 2002 | Lille FRA | A | [1 – 1](http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/astonvilla/reports/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/02/07/31/SOCCER_Villa.html&TEAMHD=astonvilla&DIV=prem&TEAM=ASTON--VILLA&RH=Aston--Villa&PREV_SEASON=2001) | Taylor (83) | Intertoto Cup |
| August 2002 | Lille FRA | H | [0 – 2](http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/astonvilla/reports/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/02/08/07/SOCCER_Villa.html&TEAMHD=astonvilla&DIV=prem&TEAM=ASTON--VILLA&RH=Aston--Villa&PREV_SEASON=2001) | Intertoto Cup |
FA Premier League
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August 2002 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 41,183 | |
| 24 August 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | 35,384 | |
| 28 August 2002 | Manchester City | H | 1–0 | 33,494 | Vassell 64' |
| 1 September 2002 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 22,113 | |
| 11 September 2002 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–0 | 26,483 | de la Cruz 70', S Moore 83' |
| 16 September 2002 | Birmingham City | A | 0–3 | 29,505 | |
| 22 September 2002 | Everton | H | 3–2 | 30,023 | Hendrie 7', 48', Dublin 85' |
| 28 September 2002 | Sunderland | A | 0–1 | 40,492 | |
| 6 October 2002 | Leeds United | H | 0–0 | 33,505 | |
| 21 October 2002 | Southampton | H | 0–1 | 25,817 | |
| 26 October 2002 | Manchester United | A | 1–1 | 67,619 | Mellberg 35' |
| 3 November 2002 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–0 | 23,004 | |
| 9 November 2002 | Fulham | H | 3–1 | 29,563 | Ángel 20', Allbäck 66', Leonhardsen 83' |
| 16 November 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–0 | 27,091 | |
| 23 November 2002 | West Ham United | H | 4–1 | 33,279 | Hendrie 29', Leonhardsen 59', Dublin 72', Vassell 80' |
| 30 November 2002 | Arsenal | A | 1–3 | 38,090 | Hitzlsperger 64' |
| 7 December 2002 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | 33,446 | |
| 14 December 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–1 | 40,391 | Vassell 16', Hitzlsperger 90' |
| 21 December 2002 | Chelsea | A | 0–2 | 38,284 | |
| 26 December 2002 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 | 33,991 | Dublin 41' |
| 28 December 2002 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–0 | 33,637 | Dublin 11' |
| 1 January 2003 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | 31,838 | Dublin 8', Vassell 80' |
| 11 January 2003 | Liverpool | A | 1–1 | 43,210 | Dublin (pen) 49' |
| 18 January 2003 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–1 | 38,576 | |
| 28 January 2003 | Middlesbrough | A | 5–2 | 27,546 | Vassell 24', 81', Guðjónsson 31', Barry 47', Dublin 90' |
| 2 February 2003 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–0 | 29,171 | Dublin 2', 40', Barry 81' |
| 8 February 2003 | Fulham | A | 1–2 | 17,092 | Barry 3' |
| 22 February 2003 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–3 | 26,257 | |
| 3 March 2003 | Birmingham City | H | 0–2 | 42,602 | |
| 15 March 2003 | Manchester United | H | 0–1 | 42,602 | |
| 22 March 2003 | Southampton | A | 2–2 | 31,888 | Hendrie 30', Vassell 36' |
| 5 April 2003 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 | 42,602 | K Touré (own goal) 71' |
| 12 April 2003 | West Ham United | A | 2–2 | 35,029 | Vassell (pen) 36', Leonhardsen 52' |
| 19 April 2003 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | 39,358 | Allbäck 11', 78' |
| 21 April 2003 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | 52,015 | Dublin 69' |
| 26 April 2003 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 40,167 | Allbäck 49' |
| 3 May 2003 | Sunderland | H | 1–0 | 36,963 | Allbäck 80' |
| 11 May 2003 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 40,205 | Guðjónsson 40 |
Final standings
FA Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 January 2003 | Round 3 | Blackburn Rovers | H | [1 – 4](https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/2607183.stm) | Angel 41' | 23,884 |
League Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 October 2002 | Round 2 | Luton Town | H | [3 – 0](http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=372392) | De La Cruz 9', Dublin (2) 35', 48' | 20,833 |
| 6 November 2002 | Round 3 | Oxford United | A | [3 – 0](http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=375611) | Taylor 74', Barry 77', Dublin 86' | 12,177 |
| 4 December 2002 | Round 4 | Preston North End | H | [5 – 0](http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=378652) | Vassell 44', 55', Dublin 80', Ángel 84', Hitzlsperger 87' | 23,042 |
| 18 December 2002 | Round 5 | Liverpool | H | [3 – 4](http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=380018) | Vassell 23' (pen), Hitzlsperger 72', Henchoz 88 (o.g.) | 38,530 |
Transfers
In
| # | Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | MF | ISL Joey Guðjónsson | ESP Real Betis | Loan | January 2003 |
| 14 | FW | SWE Marcus Allbäck | NED SC Heerenveen | £2,000,000 | July 2002 |
| 27 | DF | NOR Ronny Johnsen | ENG Manchester United F.C. | Free | July 2002 |
| 15 | DF | COL Ulises de la Cruz | SCO Hibernian F.C. | £1,000,000 | July 2002 |
| 26 | MF | IRE Mark Kinsella | ENG Charlton Athletic F.C. | £1,000,000 | July 2002 |
| 28 | MF | NOR Øyvind Leonhardsen | ENG Tottenham Hotspur F.C. | Free | July 2002 |
| 13 | GK | NED Stefan Postma | NED De Graafschap | £1,500,000 | July 2002 |
| 23 | FW | ENG Michael Boulding | ENG Grimsby Town F.C. | Free | July 2002 |
Out
| # | Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | MF | ENG Paul Merson | ENG Portsmouth | Free | June 2002 |
| 6 | MF | NED George Boateng | ENG Middlesbrough | £5,000,000 | June 2002 |
| 1 | GK | DEN Peter Schmeichel | ENG Manchester City | Free | June 2002 |
| 19 | FW | CRO Boško Balaban | CRO Dinamo Zagreb | Loan | June 2002 |
| 43 | DF | ENG Liam Ridgewell | ENG Bournemouth | Loan | August 2002 |
| 24 | MF | IRE John McGrath | ENG Dagenham & Redbridge | Loan | November 2002 |
| N/A | MF | ENG Jay Smith | ENG Southend United | Free | November 2002 |
| 18 | MF | ENG Steve Stone | ENG Portsmouth | Free | December 2002 |
| 23 | FW | ENG Michael Boulding | ENG Grimsby Town | Free | January 2003 |
| 7 | MF | ENG Ian Taylor | ENG Derby County | Released | August 2003 |
References
Notes
References
- "Aston Villa". [[Soccerbase]].
- "FootballSquads – Aston Villa – 2002/03".
- "Aston Villa Player Database".
- "All Aston Villa players: 2003".
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