During 2001–02 , Aston Villa competed in the Premier League (known as the FA Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons). Aston Villa's early season form was good and the Midlanders even went top briefly at the end of October, but followed that with a run of eleven games with only one win, falling out of the title race.
John Gregory announced his surprise resignation after four years as Villa manager on 24 January. A host of names were linked with the vacancy, but in the end it was Graham Taylor , who took Villa to promotion in 1988 and second place in the league in 1990, who was appointed manager. Taylor was unable to improve Villa's form, but two wins against Southampton and Chelsea at the end of the season where enough to see Villa finish eighth thus finishing in the top 10 for the seventh year in succession.
Date
Pos
Player
From
Fee
20 June 2001
AM Hassan Kachloul Southampton Free transfer
7 July 2001
LM Mustapha Hadji Coventry City £4,500,000
12 July 2001
GK Peter Schmeichel Sporting Free transfer
19 July 2001
CB Olof Mellberg Racing Santander £5,000,000
24 August 2001
CF Boško Balaban Dinamo Zagreb £5,800,000
27 March 2002
CF Peter Crouch Portsmouth £5,000,000
£20,300,000
Date
Pos
Player
From
Loan End
Overall transfer activity
edit
#
Name
Position
Nationality
Place of birth
Date of birth (Age)
Signed from
Date signed
Fee
Apps
Gls
Goalkeepers
1
Peter Schmeichel GK Gladsaxe (1963-11-18 ) 18 November 1963 (aged 37) Sporting 12 July 2000
Free transfer
-
-
12
Peter Enckelman GK Turku (1977-03-10 ) 10 March 1977 (aged 24) TPS 1 February 1999
£200,000
14
0
13
Boaz Myhill GK Modesto, CA (1982-11-09 ) 9 November 1982 (aged 18)Academy 1 July 2001
—
-
-
39
Wayne Henderson GK Dublin (1983-09-16 ) 16 September 1983 (aged 17)Academy 1 July 2001
—
-
-
Defenders
2
Mark Delaney RB Haverfordwest (1976-05-13 ) 13 May 1976 (aged 25) Cardiff City 9 March 1999
£250,000
59
1
3
Alan Wright LB Ashton-under-Lyne (1971-09-28 ) 28 September 1971 (aged 29)Blackburn Rovers 10 March 1995
£1,000,000
286
5
4
Olof Mellberg CB Gullspång (1977-09-03 ) 3 September 1977 (aged 23) Racing Santander 19 July 2001
£5,000,000
-
-
5
Alpay Özalan CB İzmir (1973-05-30 ) 30 May 1973 (aged 28) Fenerbahçe 28 July 2000
£5,600,000
36
0
11
Steve Staunton LB Dundalk (1969-01-19 ) 19 January 1969 (aged 32)Liverpool 6 December 2000
Free transfer
281
17
15
Gareth Barry LB Hastings (1981-02-23 ) 23 February 1981 (aged 20)Academy 1 January 1998
—
121
4
25
Jon Bewers RB Kettering (1982-09-10 ) 10 September 1982 (aged 18)Academy 1 July 1999
—
1
0
31
Jlloyd Samuel LB San Fernando (1981-03-29 ) 29 March 1981 (aged 20)Academy 1 January 1999
—
17
0
Midfielders
6
George Boateng CM Nkawkaw (1975-09-05 ) 5 September 1975 (aged 25)Coventry City 20 July 1999
£4,500,000
86
4
7
Ian Taylor CM Birmingham (1968-06-04 ) 4 June 1968 (aged 33)Sheffield Wednesday 21 December 1994
£1,000,000
255
36
10
Paul Merson (c ) AM Harlesden (1968-03-20 ) 20 March 1968 (aged 33)Middlesbrough 8 September 1998
£6,750,000
117
16
14
David Ginola LM Gassin (1967-01-25 ) 25 January 1967 (aged 34)Tottenham Hotspur 30 July 2000
£3,000,000
28
3
17
Lee Hendrie RM Solihull (1977-05-18 ) 18 May 1977 (aged 24)Academy 1 July 1995
—
146
16
18
Steve Stone RM Gateshead (1971-08-20 ) 20 August 1971 (aged 29)Nottingham Forest 11 March 1999
£5,500,000
88
6
20
Mustapha Hadji LM Ifrane Atlas-Saghir (1971-11-16 ) 16 November 1971 (aged 29)Coventry City 7 July 2001
£4,500,000
-
-
21
Thomas Hitzlsperger LM Munich (1982-04-05 ) 5 April 1982 (aged 19) Bayern Munich 5 August 2000
Free transfer
1
0
24
John McGrath CM Limerick (1980-03-27 ) 27 March 1980 (aged 21)Academy 1 July 1999
—
3
0
27
Michael Standing AM Shoreham-by-Sea (1981-03-20 ) 20 March 1981 (aged 20)Academy 1 July 1998
—
0
0
28
Gavin Melaugh CM Derry (1981-07-09 ) 9 July 1981 (aged 19)Academy 1 July 2000
—
0
0
29
Stephen Cooke CM Walsall (1983-02-15 ) 15 February 1983 (aged 18)Academy 1 July 2000
—
1
0
30
Hassan Kachloul AM Agadir (1973-02-19 ) 19 February 1973 (aged 28)Southampton 1 July 2001
—
-
-
Forwards
8
Juan Pablo Ángel CF Medellín (1975-10-24 ) 24 October 1975 (aged 25) River Plate 13 January 2001
£9,500,000
10
1
9
Dion Dublin CF Leicester (1969-04-22 ) 22 April 1969 (aged 32)Coventry City 5 November 1998
£5,750,000
97
35
16
Peter Crouch CF Macclesfield (1981-01-30 ) 30 January 1981 (aged 20)Portsmouth 27 March 2002
£5,000,000
-
-
19
Boško Balaban CF Rijeka (1978-10-15 ) 15 October 1978 (aged 22) Dinamo Zagreb 24 October 2001
£5,800,000
-
-
22
Darius Vassell CF Birmingham (1980-06-13 ) 13 June 1980 (aged 21)Academy 1 January 1998
—
58
7
23
Stefan Moore CF Birmingham (1983-09-28 ) 28 September 1983 (aged 17)Academy 1 July 2001
—
-
-
26
Richard Walker CF Birmingham (1977-11-08 ) 8 November 1977 (aged 23)Academy 1 July 1997
Loan
10
2
42
Peter Hynes CF Dublin (1983-11-28 ) 28 November 1983 (aged 17)Academy 1 July 2001
—
-
-
44
Neil Tarrant CF Darlington (1979-06-24 ) 24 June 1979 (aged 22) Ross County 28 April 1998
£250,000
0
0
Note: Stats and ages are correct as of July 1, 2001.
Source:
Premier League Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
^ Since Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their UEFA Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Chelsea, the losing finalists .
^ Blackburn Rovers qualified for the UEFA Cup as League Cup winners .
Results summary
Overall
Home
Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38
12
14
12
46
47
−1
50
8
7
4
22
17
+5
4
7
8
24
30
−6
Results by matchday Match 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 Ground A H A H A H H A H H A H A H A A H A H H A H A H A H A H A H A A H A H A H A Result D D W D W W W L W W L D D L D L W L L D D W W D D D L W L L D L D L L D W W Position 14 15 8 10 6 4 4 5 3 1 3 3 5 6 7 8 8 8 8 9 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 8 7 7 8 10 10 10 10 9 8
Aston Villa's score comes first [ 2]
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Scorers
18 August 2001
Tottenham Hotspur A
0–0
36,059
26 August 2001
Manchester United H
1–1
42,632
Vassell 4'
8 September 2001
Liverpool A
3–1
44,102
Dublin 31', Hendrie 55', Vassell 86'
16 September 2001
Sunderland H
0–0
31,668
24 September 2001
Southampton A
3–1
26,794
Boateng 9', Ángel 15', Hadji 79'
30 September 2001
Blackburn Rovers H
2–0
27,732
Ángel 46', Vassell 72'
14 October 2001
Fulham H
2–0
28,579
Vassell 50', Taylor 61'
20 October 2001
Everton A
2–3
33,352
Hadji 71', Schmeichel 90'
24 October 2001
Charlton Athletic H
1–0
27,701
Kachloul 9'
27 October 2001
Bolton Wanderers H
3–2
33,599
Ángel 13', (pen) 47', Vassell 43'
3 November 2001
Newcastle United A
0–3
51,057
17 November 2001
Middlesbrough H
0–0
35,424
25 November 2001
Leeds United A
1–1
40,159
Kachloul 35'
1 December 2001
Leicester City H
0–2
30,711
5 December 2001
West Ham United A
1–1
28,377
Dublin 1'
9 December 2001
Arsenal A
2–3
38,074
Merson 21', Stone 34'
17 December 2001
Ipswich Town H
2–1
29,320
Ángel 44', 70'
22 December 2001
Derby County A
1–3
28,001
Ángel 45'
26 December 2001
Liverpool H
1–2
42,602
Hendrie 21'
29 December 2001
Tottenham Hotspur H
1–1
41,134
Ángel (pen) 90'
1 January 2002
Sunderland A
1–1
45,324
Taylor 59'
12 January 2002
Derby County H
2–1
28,881
Vassell 12', Ángel 26'
21 January 2002
Charlton Athletic A
2–1
25,681
Vassell 8', Ángel 42'
30 January 2002
Everton H
0–0
32,460
2 February 2002
Fulham A
0–0
20,041
9 February 2002
Chelsea H
1–1
41,137
Merson 28'
23 February 2002
Manchester United A
0–1
67,592
2 March 2002
West Ham United H
2–1
37,341
Ángel 23', Vassell 90'
5 March 2002
Blackburn Rovers A
0–3
21,988
17 March 2002
Arsenal H
1–2
41,520
Dublin 69'
23 March 2002
Ipswich Town A
0–0
25,247
30 March 2002
Bolton Wanderers A
2–3
24,600
Warhurst (own goal) 15', Taylor 17'
2 April 2002
Newcastle United H
1–1
36,597
Crouch 26'
6 April 2002
Middlesbrough A
1–2
26,003
Ángel 60'
13 April 2002
Leeds United H
0–1
40,039
20 April 2002
Leicester City A
2–2
18,125
Vassell 22', Hitzlsperger 27'
27 April 2002
Southampton H
2–1
35,255
Vassell 8', 42'
11 May 2002
Chelsea A
3–1
40,709
Crouch 21', Vassell 63', Dublin 88'
Round
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Goalscorers
R3 First Leg
14 July 2001
NK Slaven Belupo A
1–2 3,000
Ginola 88'
R3 Second Leg
21 July 2001
NK Slaven Belupo H
2–0 (won 3–2 on agg)27,580
Hendrie 19', 41'
SF First Leg
25 July 2001
Rennes A
1–2 15,753
Vassell 90'
SF Second Leg
1 August 2001
Rennes H
1–0 (won on away goals)30,782
Dublin 5'
F First Leg
7 August 2001
Basel A
1–1 25,879
Merson 59'
F Second Leg
21 August 2001
Basel H
4–1 (won 5–2 on agg)
39,593
Vassell 45', Ángel 55', 79', Ginola 83'
Round
Date
Opponent
Venue
Result
Attendance
Goalscorers
R1 First Leg
20 September 2001
NK Varteks H
2–3 27,132
Ángel 54', 70'
R1 Second Leg
27 September 2001
NK Varteks A
1–0 (lost on away goals)12,100
Hadji 90'
Squad at end of season [ 3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Left club during season
edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The following players did not play for any Aston Villa team this season. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Appearances and goals
edit
Considering starts in all competitions [ 4]
^ Boateng was born in Nkawkaw , Ghana , but also qualified to represent the Netherlands internationally and represented them at U-21 level before making his international debut for the Netherlands in November 2001.
^ Samuel was born in San Fernando , Trinidad and Tobago , but also qualified to represent England internationally and would represent them at U-21 level and be called up to the senior team before switching his international allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago and making his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in September 2009.
^ Tarrant was born in Darlington , England , but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and represented them at U-21 level.
^ Myhill was born in Modesto , California , United States , but was raised in England from the age of 1, qualifying to represent any of the home nations. He represented England at U-17, U-18, and U-20 level before making his international debut for Wales in March 2008.
^ Speranza was born in Giessen , West Germany (now Germany ), and later represented Italy internationally in futsal.
^ Kandaurov was born in Zheleznogorsk , Russian SFSR , Soviet Union (now Russia ), but also qualified to represent Ukraine internationally and made his international debut for Ukraine in August 1992.
^ Edwards was born in Madeley , England , and represented them at U-16 level, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his parents and would make his international debut for Wales in March 2003.
^ Nicolas was born in Westminster , England , but also qualified to represent Cyprus internationally and represented them at U-21 level.
^ Eremenko was born in Rostov-on-Don , Russian SFSR , Soviet Union (now Russia ), but was raised in Finland from the age of 7, gained Finnish citizenship in 2003, and would make his international debut for Finland in October 2003.
^ Ward was born in Birmingham , England , but also qualifies to represent Northern Ireland internationally through his grandfather and represented them at U-19 and U-21 level before making his international debut for Northern Ireland in August 2011.
Hassan Kachloul
Peter Schmeichel
Sporting
Olof Mellberg
Racing Santander
Boško Balaban
Neil Tarrant
David Ginola
Jlloyd Samuel
Thomas Hitzlsperger
Modesto, CA
Nkawkaw
River Plate
