2002–03 Aston Villa F.C. season

The 2002–03 season was Aston Villa's 11th season in the Premier League, and their 15th consecutive season in the top division of English football.[1]

Aston Villa
2002–03 season
ChairmanDoug Ellis
ManagerGraham Taylor
Premier League16th
FA CupThird round
League CupQuarter-finals
UEFA Intertoto CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Dion Dublin (10)
All: Dion Dublin (14)

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.

Players

First-team squad
Squad at end of season[2][3]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Finland FIN Peter Enckelman
2 DF Wales WAL Mark Delaney
3 DF England ENG Alan Wright
4 DF Sweden SWE Olof Mellberg
5 DF Turkey TUR Alpay Özalan
6 DF England ENG Gareth Barry
7 MF England ENG Ian Taylor
8 FW Colombia COL Juan Pablo Ángel
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin
10 FW England ENG Darius Vassell
11 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Steve Staunton
12 MF Germany GER Thomas Hitzlsperger
13 GK Netherlands NED Stefan Postma
14 FW Sweden SWE Marcus Allbäck
15 DF Ecuador ECU Ulises de la Cruz
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 FW England ENG Peter Crouch
17 MF England ENG Lee Hendrie
19 FW Croatia CRO Boško Balaban
20 MF Morocco MAR Mustapha Hadji
21 DF England ENG Jlloyd Samuel[notes 1]
22 MF Morocco MAR Hassan Kachloul
24 DF England ENG Liam Ridgewell
25 FW England ENG Stefan Moore
26 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Mark Kinsella
27 DF Norway NOR Ronny Johnsen
28 MF Norway NOR Øyvind Leonhardsen
29 MF England ENG Peter Whittingham
30 DF Wales WAL Rob Edwards[notes 2]
31 DF England ENG Stephen Cooke
33 DF Iceland ISL Joey Guðjónsson (on loan from Real Betis)

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
6 MF Netherlands NED George Boateng[notes 3] (to Middlesbrough)
10 FW England ENG Paul Merson (to Portsmouth)
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF England ENG Steve Stone (to Portsmouth)
23 MF England ENG Michael Boulding (to Grimsby Town)

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.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
37 GK England ENG Boaz Myhill[notes 4]
38 MF Republic of Ireland IRL John McGrath
40 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Keith Fahey
— DF England ENG Leon Hylton
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF England ENG Danny Jackman
— MF Northern Ireland NIR Gavin Melaugh
— FW England ENG Jon Bewers
—   Seyi Morgan

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.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
39 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Wayne Henderson
42 FW Republic of Ireland IRL Peter Hynes
— GK England ENG Antoni Pecora
— GK Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen Gahan
— DF England ENG Scott Cormell
— DF England ENG James O'Connor
— DF England ENG Cameron Stuart
— DF England ENG Oliver Williams
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Pierre Ennis
— MF England ENG Ryan Amoo
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Adam Baptist (on trial to Stoke City)
— MF Scotland SCO Colin Marshall
— MF Northern Ireland NIR Steven Davis
— MF Northern Ireland NIR Jamie Ward[notes 5]
— FW England ENG Mark Atkinson
— FW England ENG Michael Husbands
— FW Scotland SCO Alan Brazil
— FW Finland FIN Mika Aaritalo
— MF   David Nolan

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.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
32 FW England ENG Luke Moore
— GK England ENG Andrew Yarnold
— DF England ENG Stuart Bridges
— DF England ENG Gary Cahill
— DF England ENG Ashley Edkins
— DF England ENG Lee Grant
— DF England ENG Nick Green
— DF England ENG Paul Green
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Kevin Mulcahy
— MF England ENG Craig Gardner
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Kyle Nix[notes 6]
— MF England ENG Sam Williams
— MF Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen Foley-Sheridan
— FW England ENG Gabriel Agbonlahor
— FW England ENG Shane Paul
— FW Ivory Coast CIV Amadou Koman
— MF   Rowan Caney
— MF   John Grady
—   Daniel Bridges

Other players
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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Finland FIN Jon Masalin
— GK Trinidad and Tobago TRI Kelvin Jack (on trial from San Juan Jabloteh)
— DF England ENG Danny Haynes
— DF Finland FIN Lasse Lagerblom (on trial from Lahti)
— MF England ENG Michael Noakes
— MF England ENG Isaiah Osbourne
— MF England ENG Jay Smith (to Southend United)
— MF Belgium BEL Christian Tshimanga Kabeya[notes 7]
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Norway NOR Espen Sögård (on trial from Lillestrøm SK)
— FW England ENG Matt Lewis (on trial from Kidderminster Harriers)
— FW England ENG Lee McGuire (to Bristol City)
— MF Northern Ireland NIR David Scullion
— GK   Jake Meredith
— MF   John Malpass (to Stourport Swifts)
—   Steve Jones (on trial to Stoke City)

Statistics

Appearances and goals
As of end of season[4]
No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremier LeagueFA CupLeague CupIntertoto Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK Finland FIN Peter Enckelman 390330003030
13 GK Netherlands NED Stefan Postma 905+10101010
Defenders
2 DF Wales WAL Mark Delaney 170120001040
3 DF England ENG Alan Wright 1209+10100010
4 DF Sweden SWE Olof Mellberg 441381102030
5 DF Turkey TUR Alpay Özalan 5050000000
11 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Steve Staunton 32122+40003031
15 DF Ecuador ECU Ulises de la Cruz 24212+81102+1100
21 DF England ENG Jlloyd Samuel 45033+50104020
24 DF England ENG Liam Ridgewell 10000+100000
27 DF Norway NOR Ronny Johnsen 30025+10004000
30 DF Wales WAL Rob Edwards 907+10100000
Midfielders
6 MF England ENG Gareth Barry 444353104140
7 MF England ENG Ian Taylor 1929+400+102131
12 MF Germany GER Thomas Hitzlsperger 33424+22002+1240
17 MF England ENG Lee Hendrie 34422+5410301+20
20 MF Morocco MAR Mustapha Hadji 1407+4000001+20
22 MF Morocco MAR Hassan Kachloul 100000000+10
26 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Mark Kinsella 24015+40102+2000
28 MF Norway NOR Øyvind Leonhardsen 23313+63003+1000
29 MF England ENG Peter Whittingham 401+30000000
31 MF England ENG Stephen Cooke 300+30000000
33 MF Iceland ISL Joey Guðjónsson 1129+22000000
Forwards
8 FW Colombia COL Juan Pablo Ángel 1938+71110+3100
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin 351423+510104420
10 FW England ENG Darius Vassell 391128+580+10331+10
14 FW Sweden SWE Marcus Allbäck 2569+115000+2031
16 FW England ENG Peter Crouch 1807+70000040
25 FW England ENG Stefan Moore 1717+61001+100+20
Players transferred out during the season
6 MF Netherlands NED George Boateng 1000000010
10 MF England ENG Paul Merson 100000000+10
18 MF England ENG Steve Stone 200000001+10
23 FW England ENG Michael Boulding 2100000021

Last updated: 30 May 2003
Source: Competitions

Starting 11
No.
 Pos.
 Nat.
 Name
 MS Notes
1 GK Finland Peter Enckelman 39
2 RB Wales Mark Delaney 17
27 CB Norway Ronny Johnsen 29
4 CB Sweden Olof Mellberg 44
21 LB England Jlloyd Samuel 40
26 RM Republic of Ireland Mark Kinsella 18 Steve Staunton has 28 starts
17 CM England Lee Hendrie 27
6 CM England Gareth Barry 44
12 LM Germany Thomas Hitzlsperger 30
9 CF England Dion Dublin 30
10 CF England Darius Vassell 32

Results

Pre-season
Date Opponents Home/
Away		 Result
F – A		 Scorers Competition
20 July 2002 FC Zurich Switzerland A 0 – 2 Intertoto Cup
27 July 2002 FC Zurich Switzerland H 3 – 0 Boulding (33), Allbäck (52), Staunton (77) Intertoto Cup
August 2002 Lille France A 1 – 1 Taylor (83) Intertoto Cup
August 2002 Lille France H 0 – 2 Intertoto Cup

FA Premier League
DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
18 August 2002LiverpoolH0–141,183
24 August 2002Tottenham HotspurA0–135,384
28 August 2002Manchester CityH1–033,494Vassell 64'
1 September 2002Bolton WanderersA0–122,113
11 September 2002Charlton AthleticH2–026,483de la Cruz 70', S Moore 83'
16 September 2002Birmingham CityA0–329,505
22 September 2002EvertonH3–230,023Hendrie 7', 48', Dublin 85'
28 September 2002SunderlandA0–140,492
6 October 2002Leeds UnitedH0–033,505
21 October 2002SouthamptonH0–125,817
26 October 2002Manchester UnitedA1–167,619Mellberg 35'
3 November 2002Blackburn RoversA0–023,004
9 November 2002FulhamH3–129,563Ángel 20', Allbäck 66', Leonhardsen 83'
16 November 2002West Bromwich AlbionA0–027,091
23 November 2002West Ham UnitedH4–133,279Hendrie 29', Leonhardsen 59', Dublin 72', Vassell 80'
30 November 2002ArsenalA1–338,090Hitzlsperger 64'
7 December 2002Newcastle UnitedH0–133,446
14 December 2002West Bromwich AlbionH2–140,391Vassell 16', Hitzlsperger 90'
21 December 2002ChelseaA0–238,284
26 December 2002Manchester CityA1–333,991Dublin 41'
28 December 2002MiddlesbroughH1–033,637Dublin 11'
1 January 2003Bolton WanderersH2–031,838Dublin 8', Vassell 80'
11 January 2003LiverpoolA1–143,210Dublin (pen) 49'
18 January 2003Tottenham HotspurH0–138,576
28 January 2003MiddlesbroughA5–227,546Vassell 24', 81', Guðjónsson 31', Barry 47', Dublin 90'
2 February 2003Blackburn RoversH3–029,171Dublin 2', 40', Barry 81'
8 February 2003FulhamA1–217,092Barry 3'
22 February 2003Charlton AthleticA0–326,257
3 March 2003Birmingham CityH0–242,602
15 March 2003Manchester UnitedH0–142,602
22 March 2003SouthamptonA2–231,888Hendrie 30', Vassell 36'
5 April 2003ArsenalH1–142,602K Touré (own goal) 71'
12 April 2003West Ham UnitedA2–235,029Vassell (pen) 36', Leonhardsen 52'
19 April 2003ChelseaH2–139,358Allbäck 11', 78'
21 April 2003Newcastle UnitedA1–152,015Dublin 69'
26 April 2003EvertonA1–240,167Allbäck 49'
3 May 2003SunderlandH1–036,963Allbäck 80'
11 May 2003Leeds UnitedA1–340,205Guðjónsson 40

Final standings
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
14 Fulham 38 13 9 16 41 50 −9 48
15 Leeds United 38 14 5 19 58 57 +1 47
16 Aston Villa 38 12 9 17 42 47 −5 45
17 Bolton Wanderers 38 10 14 14 41 51 −10 44
18 West Ham United (R) 38 10 12 16 42 59 −17 42 Relegation to Football League First Division
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(R) Relegated

FA Cup
Date Round Opponents H / A Result

F – A

 Scorers Attendance
4 January 2003 Round 3 Blackburn Rovers H 1 – 4 Angel 41' 23,884

League Cup
Date Round Opponents H / A Result

F – A

 Scorers Attendance
2 October 2002 Round 2 Luton Town H 3 – 0 De La Cruz 9', Dublin (2) 35', 48' 20,833
6 November 2002 Round 3 Oxford United A 3 – 0 Taylor 74', Barry 77', Dublin 86' 12,177
4 December 2002 Round 4 Preston North End H 5 – 0 Vassell 44', 55', Dublin 80', Ángel 84', Hitzlsperger 87' 23,042
18 December 2002 Round 5 Liverpool H 3 – 4 Vassell 23' (pen), Hitzlsperger 72', Henchoz 88 (o.g.) 38,530

Transfers

In
# Pos Player From Fee Date
33MFIceland Joey GuðjónssonSpain Real BetisLoanJanuary 2003
14FWSweden Marcus AllbäckNetherlands SC Heerenveen£2,000,000July 2002
27DFNorway Ronny JohnsenEngland Manchester United F.C.FreeJuly 2002
15DFColombia Ulises de la CruzScotland Hibernian F.C.£1,000,000July 2002
26MFRepublic of Ireland Mark KinsellaEngland Charlton Athletic F.C.£1,000,000July 2002
28MFNorway Øyvind LeonhardsenEngland Tottenham Hotspur F.C.FreeJuly 2002
13GKNetherlands Stefan PostmaNetherlands De Graafschap£1,500,000July 2002
23FWEngland Michael BouldingEngland Grimsby Town F.C.FreeJuly 2002

Out
# Pos Player To Fee Date
10MFEngland Paul MersonEngland PortsmouthFreeJune 2002
6MFNetherlands George BoatengEngland Middlesbrough£5,000,000June 2002
1GKDenmark Peter SchmeichelEngland Manchester CityFreeJune 2002
19FWCroatia Boško BalabanCroatia Dinamo ZagrebLoanJune 2002
43DFEngland Liam RidgewellEngland BournemouthLoanAugust 2002
24MFRepublic of Ireland John McGrathEngland Dagenham & RedbridgeLoanNovember 2002
N/AMFEngland Jay SmithEngland Southend UnitedFreeNovember 2002
18MFEngland Steve StoneEngland PortsmouthFreeDecember 2002
23FWEngland Michael BouldingEngland Grimsby TownFreeJanuary 2003
7MFEngland Ian TaylorEngland Derby CountyReleasedAugust 2003

See also

References
  1. "Aston Villa". Soccerbase. Archived from the original on 13 April 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2009.
  2. "FootballSquads – Aston Villa – 2002/03".
  3. "Aston Villa Player Database".
  4. "All Aston Villa players: 2003".

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. Edwards was born in Madeley, England, and represented them at U-16 level, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Wales in March 2003.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Nix was born in Sydney, Australia, but was raised in England and represented England at U-16, U-18, U-20, and C level.
  7. Kabeya was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), but also qualifies to represent Belgium internationally and has represented them at U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-19 level.


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