Aston Villa
2003–04 season
ChairmanDoug Ellis
ManagerDavid O'Leary
StadiumVilla Park
FA Premier League6th
FA CupThird round
League CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerJuan Pablo Ángel (16)
Average home league attendance36,621
Second City Derby
46--34--28

During the 2003–04 English football season, Aston Villa competed in the Premier League. Former Leeds United manager David O'Leary was appointed Villa manager in the summer of 2003.

Under O'Leary, Villa made a very sluggish start to the campaign and found themselves in the relegation zone after winning just two of their first 13 league fixtures. They were still in the bottom three in mid-December before O'Leary galvanized them and they gradually climbed the table. Villa had a fantastic second half of the season and, with two matches remaining, had a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. After extending their unbeaten run to eight games by drawing at Southampton, defeat against Manchester United at Villa Park consigned them to sixth place. The Villains finished five points short of a Champions League place and were edged out of a UEFA Cup spot on goal difference by Newcastle United.

Nevertheless, it was still a great achievement by O'Leary, who appeared to get the best out of the likes of Gareth Barry, Lee Hendrie, Jlloyd Samuel and 16-goal Juan Pablo Ángel. The Colombian was the club's leading scorer, while Darius Vassell bagged 9 goals to cement his place in England's Euro 2004 squad. Thomas Sørensen and Gavin McCann both had excellent seasons after moving from Sunderland, while Nolberto Solano quickly became a fans' favourite after his mid-season move from Newcastle.

Among the men to represent Villa for the last time during 2003–04 was Dion Dublin, who netted 48 goals in 155 league games. O'Leary's side reached the last four of the Football League Cup by knocking out Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Chelsea. The semi-final first leg, at Bolton, ended in a disappointing 5–2 defeat. Villa Park goals by Thomas Hitzlsperger and Samuel were not quite enough to prevent the Trotters from clinching a place in the final. Manchester United came from behind to knock Villa out of the FA Cup in a third round tie at Villa Park. Despite narrowly missing out on qualifying for Europe, the mood around Villa Park was extremely positive in the summer of 2004. With the likes of Liam Ridgewell, Steven Davis, Peter Whittingham and the Moore brothers (Stefan and Luke) forcing open the first team door, David O'Leary had an abundance of young talent at his disposal.

Kit

Kit Supplier Sponsor
DiadoraRover / MG*

*Rover sponsored the home shirts, MG sponsored the away

Transfers

Transferred in

Date Pos Player From Fee
24 July 2003CMGavin McCannSunderland£2,250,000
8 August 2003GKDenmark Thomas SørensenSunderland£2,250,000
29 January 2004RMPeru Nolberto SolanoNewcastle United£1,500,000
£6,000,000

Loaned in

Date Pos Player From Loan End

Transferred out

Date Pos Player To Fee
1 July 2003AMNorway Øyvind Leonhardsen-Released
1 July 2003CMRepublic of Ireland John McGrathDoncaster RoversFree transfer
1 July 2003LBRepublic of Ireland Steve StauntonCoventry CityFree transfer
1 July 2003CMIan TaylorDerby CountyFree transfer
1 July 2003LBAlan WrightMiddlesbroughFree transfer
23 October 2003CBTurkey Alpay ÖzalanSouth Korea Incheon UnitedFree transfer
13 December 2003GKWales Boaz MyhillHull City£50,000
23 December 2003LBDanny JackmanStockport County£70,000
6 January 2004GKFinland Peter EnckelmanBlackburn Rovers£150,000
15 January 2004CMRepublic of Ireland Mark KinsellaWest Bromwich AlbionFree transfer
21 January 2004CFCroatia Boško BalabanBelgium Club BruggeFree transfer
31 January 2004CMMorocco Mustapha HadjiSpain EspanyolFree transfer
25 March 2004CBJonathan BewersNotts CountyFree transfer
£270,000

Loaned out

Date Pos Player To Loan End
6 August 2003GKWales Boaz MyhillMacclesfield Town6 September 2003
1 September 2003AMMorocco Hassan KachloulWolverhampton Wanderers31 May 2004
4 September 2003CFPeter CrouchNorwich City7 December 2003
7 November 2003GKFinland Peter EnckelmanBlackburn Rovers31 December 2003
15 November 2003LBWales Rob EdwardsCrystal Palace21 December 2003
21 November 2003GKWales Boaz MyhillStockport County11 December 2003
11 December 2003CFRepublic of Ireland Peter HynesDoncaster Rovers10 January 2004
12 December 2003CFLuke MooreWycombe Wanderers12 January 2004
8 January 2004LBWales Rob EdwardsDerby County31 May 2004
23 January 2004CFRepublic of Ireland Peter HynesCheltenham Town23 February 2004
13 March 2004GKRepublic of Ireland Wayne HendersonTamworth23 March 2004
19 April 2004GKRepublic of Ireland Wayne HendersonWycombe Wanderers31 May 2004

Overall transfer activity

Final league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
4 Liverpool 38 16 12 10 55 37 +18 60 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round[lower-alpha 1]
5 Newcastle United 38 13 17 8 52 40 +12 56 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
6 Aston Villa 38 15 11 12 48 44 +4 56
7 Charlton Athletic 38 14 11 13 51 51 0 53
8 Bolton Wanderers 38 14 11 13 48 56 −8 53
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ↑ Since Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as 2003–04 FA Cup winners went to First Division club Millwall, who were the FA Cup runners-up.

Players

First-team squad

Squad at end of season[1][2]

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 Denmark DEN Thomas Sørensen
2 DF Wales WAL Mark Delaney
3 DF England ENG Jlloyd Samuel[notes 1]
4 DF Sweden SWE Olof Mellberg
6 MF England ENG Gareth Barry
7 MF England ENG Lee Hendrie
8 MF England ENG Gavin McCann
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin
10 FW England ENG Darius Vassell
11 MF Peru PER Nolberto Solano
12 MF Germany GER Thomas Hitzlsperger
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK Netherlands NED Stefan Postma
14 FW Sweden SWE Marcus Allbäck
15 DF Ecuador ECU Ulises de la Cruz
16 FW England ENG Peter Crouch
17 MF England ENG Peter Whittingham
18 FW Colombia COL Juan Pablo Ángel
23 FW England ENG Stefan Moore
24 DF England ENG Liam Ridgewell
27 DF Norway NOR Ronny Johnsen
31 FW England ENG Luke Moore

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
5 DF Turkey TUR Alpay Özalan (to Incheon United)
19 FW Croatia CRO Boško Balaban (to Club Brugge)
20 MF Morocco MAR Mustapha Hadji (to Espanyol)
25 GK Finland FIN Peter Enckelman (to Blackburn Rovers)
26 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Mark Kinsella (to West Bromwich Albion)
No. Pos. Nation Player
28 DF England ENG Danny Jackman (to Stockport County)
— GK Wales WAL Boaz Myhill[notes 2] (to Hull City)
— DF England ENG Jon Bewers (to Notts County)
— DF England ENG Ryan Amoo (to Northampton Town)

Reserve squad

The following players did not appear for the first team this season, and spent most of the season playing for the reserves.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF Northern Ireland NIR Steven Davis
22 MF Morocco MAR Hassan Kachloul (on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers)
29 DF Wales WAL Rob Edwards[notes 3]
30 MF England ENG Stephen Cooke
No. Pos. Nation Player
39 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Wayne Henderson
— MF Scotland SCO Colin Marshall (on loan to Clyde)
— FW Republic of Ireland IRL Peter Hynes (on loan to Doncaster Rovers and Cheltenham Town)

Youth squad

The following players did not appear for the first team this season, and spent most of the season playing for the youth team, but may have also appeared for the reserves.

Under-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
— GK England ENG Antoni Pecora
— GK England ENG Andrew Yarnold
— GK Finland FIN Jon Masalin
— DF England ENG Stuart Bridges
— DF England ENG Gary Cahill
— DF England ENG Scott Cormell
— DF England ENG Lee Grant
— DF England ENG Nick Green
— DF England ENG James O'Connor
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Kevin Mulcahy
— MF England ENG Neil Kilkenny[notes 4] (on trial from Arsenal)
— MF England ENG Kyle Nix[notes 5]
— MF Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen Foley-Sheridan
— FW Scotland SCO Alan Brazil (on loan to Coleraine)
— FW Northern Ireland NIR Jamie Ward[notes 6]
— FW Finland FIN Mika Ääritalo
— FW Ivory Coast CIV Amadou Kouman
— MF   John Grady

Under-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
— GK England ENG Jake Meredith
— GK Austria AUT Bobby Olejnik
— DF England ENG Ashley Edkins
— DF England ENG Paul Green
— DF England ENG Michael Tuohy
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Stephen O'Halloran
— DF Denmark DEN Magnus Troest
— MF England ENG Morgan Evans
— MF England ENG Craig Gardner
— MF England ENG Nigel Julien (on trial)
— MF England ENG Dan McDonald
— MF England ENG Michael Noakes
— MF England ENG Isaiah Osbourne
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF England ENG Charlie Reeves
— MF England ENG Jay Sztybel
— MF Belgium BEL Christian Tshimanga Kabeya[notes 7]
— FW England ENG Gabriel Agbonlahor
— FW England ENG Scott Bridges
— FW England ENG Shane Paul
— FW England ENG Sam Williams
— DF   Seyi Morgan
— DF   Matt Saunders
— MF   Luke Sampson
—   Abdiligan Abshir
—   Ross Hughes

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 Republic of Ireland IRL Lee Boyle
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Pierre Ennis (to Dublin City)
— DF France FRA Youness Bengelloun (on trial from Paris Saint-Germain)
— DF Israel ISR Tal Ben Haim (on trial from Maccabi Tel Aviv)
— MF England ENG Ishmel Demontagnac
— MF England ENG Daryl Taylor
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Republic of Ireland IRL Kenneth Browne
— MF Malta MLT André Schembri (on trial from Hibernians)
— MF Colombia COL Freddy Grisales (on trial from Atlético Nacional)
— GK   Matthew Allen
— MF   Rowan Caney

Statistics

Appearances and goals

As of end of season[3]
No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremiershipFA CupLeague Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK Denmark DEN Thomas Sørensen 4503801060
13 GK Netherlands NED Stefan Postma 200+200000
Defenders
2 DF Wales WAL Mark Delaney 30023+200050
3 DF Trinidad and Tobago TRI Jlloyd Samuel 4533821061
4 DF Sweden SWE Olof Mellberg 3913311050
15 DF Ecuador ECU Ulises de la Cruz 32020+801030
24 DF England ENG Liam Ridgewell 1305+60000+20
27 DF Norway NOR Ronny Johnsen 27121+21102+10
Midfielders
6 MF England ENG Gareth Barry 4343631160
7 MF England ENG Lee Hendrie 3723221040
8 MF England ENG Gavin McCann 3522801062
11 MF Peru PER Nolberto Solano 1001000000
12 MF Germany GER Thomas Hitzlsperger 38522+1030+102+32
17 MF England ENG Peter Whittingham 39120+120104+21
Forwards
9 FW England ENG Dion Dublin 28312+113004+10
10 FW England ENG Darius Vassell 391026+69105+11
14 FW Sweden SWE Marcus Allbäck 1917+81001+30
16 FW England ENG Peter Crouch 1846+104001+10
18 FW Colombia COL Juan Pablo Ángel 392333161057
23 FW England ENG Stefan Moore 1212+610+101+20
31 FW England ENG Luke Moore 700+700000
Players transferred or loaned out during the season
5 DF Turkey TUR Alpay Özalan 614+210000
20 MF Morocco MAR Mustapha Hadji 100+100000
26 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Mark Kinsella 20200000

Last updated: 31 June 2004
Source: Competitions

Pre-season

Date Opponents Home/
Away		 Result
F – A		 Scorers Competition
22 July 2003 FC TPS Turku Finland A 3 – 0 Ángel (2), Vassell Friendly
24 July 2003 Pitea Sweden A 8 – 0 Allbäck (3), Crouch (3), Alpay, Hendrie Friendly
26 July 2003 Umea Sweden A 4 – 0 Vassell, Hendrie, Hitzlsperger, McCann Friendly
28 July 2003 Bodens BK Sweden A 4 – 2 Mellberg, Vassell, Makumbu (og), Crouch Friendly
1 August 2003 Walsall A 1 – 2 Vassell Friendly
2 August 2003 Tamworth A 4 – 1 Kachloul (2), Cooke, Crouch Friendly
5 August 2003 Scunthorpe A 5 – 0 Allbäck (3), Ángel, De la Cruz Friendly
9 August 2003 Leeds N 2 – 2 Kachloul, Hitzlsperger (Aston Villa win 4–2 on pens) Friendly, Dublin Cup
10 August 2003 St Patricks Republic of Ireland N 6 – 0 Ángel (3), Allbäck, Whittingham, Hitzlsperger Friendly, Dublin Cup

Season results

Date Opponent Venue Result
F–A		 Competition Scorers Attendance
16 August 2003 Portsmouth A [1–2] Premier League Barry (pen) 82' 20,101
24 August 2003 Liverpool H [0–0] Premier League 42,573
27 August 2003 Arsenal A [0–2] Premier League 38,010
30 August 2003 Leicester City H 3–1 Premier League Thatcher (og) 8', Ángel 10', 16' 32,274
14 September 2003 Manchester City A 1–4 Premier League Ángel 31' 46,687
20 September 2003 Charlton Athletic H [2–1] Premier League Alpay 37', Samuel 55' 31,410
23 September 2003 Wycombe Wanderers A 5–0 League Cup Whittingham 14', Ángel 31, (pen) 50', 55', Vassell (pen) 86' 6,072
27 September 2003 Chelsea A [0–1] Premier League 41,182
5 October 2003 Bolton H [1–1] Premier League Ángel 58' 30,229
19 October 2003 Birmingham A [0–0] Premier League 29,546
25 October 2003 Everton H [0–0] Premier League 36,146
29 October 2003 Leicester H 1–0 League Cup Hitzlsperger 75' 26,729
1 November 2003 Newcastle A 1–1 Premier League Dublin 11' 51,975
8 November 2003 Middlesbrough H [0–2] Premier League 29,898
23 November 2003 Tottenham A [1–2] Premier League Allbäck 66' 33,140
29 November 2003 Southampton H [1–0] Premier League Dublin 45' 31,285
3 December 2003 Crystal Palace H 3–0 League Cup Symons (og) 22', McCann 70', Ángel 79' 24,258
6 December 2003 Manchester United A 0–4 Premier League 67,621
14 December 2003 Wolves H 3–2 Premier League Ángel 21', 24', Barry 48' 36,964
17 December 2003 Chelsea H [2–1] League Cup Ángel 16', McCann 78' 30,414
20 December 2003 Blackburn Rovers A [2–0] Premier League S. Moore 62', Ángel 75' 20,722
26 December 2003 Leeds United A [0–0] Premier League 38,513
28 December 2003 Fulham H 3–0 Premier League Ángel 33', Vassell 67', 82' 35,617
4 January 2004 Man Utd H [1–2] FA Cup Barry 19' 40,371
6 January 2004 Portsmouth H [2–1] Premier League Ángel 22', Vassell 85' 28,625
10 January 2004 Liverpool A [0–1] Premier League 43,771
18 January 2004 Arsenal H [0–2] Premier League 39,380
21 January 2004 Bolton A 2–5 League Cup Ángel 20', 56' 16,302
27 January 2004 Bolton Wanderers H [2–0] League Cup Hitzlsperger 10', Samuel 88' 36,883
31 January 2004 Leicester City A 5–0 Premier League Vassell 50', 60', Crouch 57', 68', Dublin 64' 31,056
07 February 2004 Leeds United H [2–0] Premier League Ángel (pen) 45', Johnsen 59' 39,171
11 February 2004 Fulham A [2–1] Premier League Ángel 13', Vassell 32' 16,153
22 February 2004 Birmingham H 2–2 Premier League Vassell 21', Hitzlsperger 47' 40,061
28 February 2004 Everton A [0–2] Premier League 39,353
14 March 2004 Wolves A 4–0 Premier League Hitzlsperger 7', Mellberg 18', Ángel 24', 59' 29,386
20 March 2004 Blackburn Rovers H [0–2] Premier League 37,532
27 March 2004 Charlton Athletic A [2–1] Premier League Vassell 24', Samuel 54' 26,250
4 April 2004 Manchester City H [1–1] Premier League Ángel 21' 37,602
10 April 2004 Bolton Wanderers A [2–2] Premier League Crouch 18', Hendrie 53' 26,374
12 April 2004 Chelsea H 3–2 Premier League Vassell (pen) 39', Hitzlsperger 49', Hendrie 52' 41,112
18 April 2004 Newcastle United H [0–0] Premier League 40,786
24 April 2004 Middlesbrough A [2–1] Premier League Barry 45', Crouch 89' 31,322
2 May 2004 Tottenham Hotspur H [1–0] Premier League Ángel 5' 42,573
8 May 2004 Southampton A [1–1] Premier League Ángel (pen) 39' 32,054
15 May 2004 Manchester United H [0–2] Premier League 42,573

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. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Kilkenny was born in Enfield, England, but was raised in Australia and also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally through his grandparents. He represented England at U-18 and U-20 level and the Republic of Ireland at U-19 level before making his international debut for Australia in June 2006.
  5. ↑ Nix was born in Sydney, Australia, but was raised in England and represented England at U-16, U-18, U-20, and C level.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Kabeya was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), but also qualifies to represent Belgium internationally and represented them at U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-19 level.

References

  1. ↑ "FootballSquads - Aston Villa - 2003/04".
  2. ↑ "Aston Villa Player Database".
  3. ↑ "Aston Villa players: Premier League 2004".


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.