Merry Christmas! We take a look at Christmas Past Aston Villa style to celebrate the festive season.
"“We’ve been to Rotterdam and everywhere; Liverpool and Rome; But now we’re playing Rotherham, Rotherham at home!”"
The Circle of Life
As relegation to the Championship lingered in Summer 2016, the ever-witty Aston Villa faithful serenaded the clubs downfall from the terraces. Without disrespecting the Yorkshire side, a league fixture against them had been unthinkable for many a year. However, this was not always the case. Season-Ticket Holder in K5, Ebeneezer Snooze, has been back in time- 50 years to be precise. He describes what the Ghost of Aston Villa Christmas Past has shown him:
Christmas 1967
It was Christmastime, 50 years ago. All-time record appearance holder, Charlie Aitken, was gracing the defence. However, the club had been without a trophy since League Cup victory in the 1960/61 season. Moreover, Villa had been relegated from the old Division One the previous year. The Christmas period, therefore, did not begin with a trip to Anfield but the very same Rotherham United.
An extremely indifferent start to the campaign had left an immediate promotion charge in doubt. Manager Tommy Cummings’ main aim was to restore the morale of a side that had dropped out of the top division. A brief return to the modern day and comparisons can be drawn to Steve Bruce’s similar objective to return a ‘winning mentality’ to B6. This is a task that has seen been relatively successful this season.
The away trip to Millmoor on 23rd December 1967 saw Villa run-out 2-0 winners. Tommy Mitchison and Brian Greenhalgh were on hand to provide the goals. The victory would contribute to a run of six wins out of seven across part of the winter period. Many Villa fans will hope that a similar run could help both cement our place in the playoffs and try to push on for an automatic promotion place 50 years on.
Cutting Out Inconsistency
The one loss the club sustained during this run of victories came on Boxing Day 1967. Another away trip, this time to Cardiff City, may have been too much for the team. It can only be speculated but perhaps laxer drinking rules for football players may have contributed to a Christmas hangover. Whether it owed to the travel or the booze, Villa struggled to a 3-0 defeat.
Despite a run of four subsequent victories, the team would struggle with more inconsistent form in the second-half of the season. They managed to finish in a mere sixteenth position and only six points from the relegation spots. In fact, the club would suffer yet another relegation before once again reaching Division One at the end of the 1974/75 season.
‘You’re Back In The Room’
Despite the mid-season resurgence during the 1967/68 season, Cummings was unable to really lift Villa back to a level that would see them promoted. Over the last few weeks, some supporters have argued that Bruce also lacks the ability to get the job done. Nevertheless, the manager has some good heads surrounding him in the dugout and has even added another face in Steve Agnew this week. For the sake of the club, both Bruce and the fans will hope that any similarities to 50 years ago stop here…