"Big-6 Clubs"? All Of Them Have To Thank Aston Villa

It is quite clear - as we all know - that the motive behind this Super League idea is to do with money. It is also clear that those who run the 12 teams listed have (1) no sense of thanks to those who came before them and (2) awareness of how much Aston Villa has been behind the success of football.

For the best part of 50 years - until the end of the Second World War and possibly later - Aston Villa was the most famous football club in the world. By the time the Second World War had passed, Aston Villa had lost some of its lustre and ability to keep pace with developments in football and it took another 25 years of internal change and no little pain to become a great playing club once more. 

In 1981 the club won the Football League championship again, after a long moratorium, and then - the following year - won the European Cup (against Bayern Munich in the final), and thereby joined only Celtic, Manchester United, Liverpool and (yes) Nottingham Forest as former British winners. Only Chelsea has since been admitted into that list.

On top of that, the Villa won the European Super Cup soon after - against Barcelona.

Since Aston Villa was formed in 1874 and since the Manchester clubs and Chelsea (and Arsenal) did not appear under their current names until 30 years later, there is, surely, only one club that deserves the title of England's greatest football club. Aston Villa were famous throughout Britain even in the 1880s, and were the first Midland FA Cup winners, and apart from blips have been challenging for major trophies ever since.

Yes, in individual eras, there have been other great clubs too over the history of football in England - Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, Arsenal (from the 1930s), Manchester United (particularly from the 1940s) and Liverpool (from the 1960s), and Everton also deserves more than a mention. That was until the creation of the Premier League in 1992 stimulated a movement towards a new era of money-making clubs that have brought about the currently proposed fiasco.

But there is one more highly significant contribution that Aston Villa made to world football. Through Aston Villa's retiring chairman - William McGregor - the world's first football league came about in 1888, initially as 12 teams in one league, but with the least successful clubs subject to a re-election method. And in the last 23 years of his life, McGregor remained a key member of the Football League management and contributed hugely to the development of that institution. They formulated a pattern of operation that was both popular and successful. Yes, even the relegation and promotion system proved to be popular because it increased the level of excitement and interest in the game.

So, with all that history - and a lot due to the inspiring efforts of Aston Villa and its officers - six clubs now declare themselves to be the 'big clubs' in England and see themselves as able to throw away all the experience and lessons learnt before and think themselves worthy of being members of a 'super' breakaway league. What nonsense. They could not even have the courage to discuss the issue with their fans.

McGregor's (and The Three Musketeers') cry of "All for one and one for all" must surely prevail.

The visit of Manchester City to Villa Park tomorrow could produce an interesting reaction from Villa fans, though outside the ground.

UTV!