2006–07 Aston Villa F.C. season

Aston Villa
2006–07 season
Chairman	Randy Lerner
Manager	Martin O'Neill
FA Premier League	11th
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Fourth round
Top goalscorer	League: ; Gabriel Agbonlahor (9); All: ; Gareth Barry; Gabriel Agbonlahor (10)
Highest home attendance	42,551 (vs. Tottenham, Man Utd, Liverpool, Sheff Utd)
Lowest home attendance	27,450 (vs. Bolton)
Home colours	Away colours
	← 2005–06 2007–08 →

During the 2006–07 English football season, Aston Villa F.C. competed in the FA Premier League. It was Villa's first season under the management of Northern Irishman Martin O'Neill, who was appointed as manager following the sacking of David O'Leary at the end of the previous season.

Season summary

Villa started life under Martin O'Neill strongly and were the last team in the Premier League to be beaten, going nine matches without defeat and taking points against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea away before a 3-1 loss at Liverpool. A run of 11 games without victory during the middle of the season dragged Villa down to 14th place, putting paid to their early-season hopes of Champions League qualification, but Villa rallied and only lost 3 of their last 15 games to finish comfortably in 11th.

First team squad

Squad at end of season^[1]

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	DEN	Thomas Sorensen
2	DF	WAL	Mark Delaney
3	DF	TRI	Jlloyd Samuel
4	DF	SWE	Olof Mellberg
5	DF	DEN	Martin Laursen
6	MF	ENG	Gareth Barry
8	MF	ENG	Gavin McCann
10	FW	NOR	John Carew
11	MF	BUL	Stiliyan Petrov
12	MF	NIR	Steven Davis
13	GK	ENG	Stuart Taylor
15	FW	ENG	Gabriel Agbonlahor
16	DF	NED	Wilfred Bouma


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
17	FW	ENG	Ashley Young
18	DF	NIR	Aaron Hughes
19	DF	ENG	Liam Ridgewell
20	FW	ENG	Chris Sutton
21	DF	ENG	Gary Cahill
22	FW	ENG	Luke Moore
23	MF	CZE	Patrik Berger
24	DF	ENG	Phil Bardsley (on loan from Manchester United)
25	GK	AUT	Robert Olejnik
26	MF	ENG	Craig Gardner
27	MF	ENG	Isaiah Osbourne
28	MF	SCO	Shaun Maloney
29	DF	IRL	Stephen O'Halloran

Left club during season

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


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
7	MF	ENG	Lee Hendrie (on loan to Stoke City)
9	FW	COL	Juan Pablo Angel (to New York Red Bulls)
10	FW	CZE	Milan Baroš (to Lyon)
14	MF	CMR	Eric Djemba-Djemba (on loan to Burnley)
17	MF	ENG	Peter Whittingham (to Cardiff City)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
20	FW	ENG	Kevin Phillips (to West Bromwich Albion)
24	MF	FRA	Mathieu Berson (to Levante)
28	GK	HUN	Gabor Király (on loan from Crystal Palace)
31	DF	FRA	Didier Agathe (released)

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions^[2]

Considering a 4-4-2 formation

GK: #1, Thomas Sorensen, 31
RB: #4, Olof Mellberg, 41
CB: #20, Gary Cahill, 20
CB: #19, Liam Ridgewell, 22
LB: #16, Wilfred Bouma, 25
RM: #15, Gabriel Agbonlahor, 41
CM: #11, Stiliyan Petrov, 34
CM: #8, Gavin McCann, 31
LM: #6, Gareth Barry, 39
CF: #9, Juan Pablo Angel, 22
CF: #10, Milan Baros, 11 (#12, Steven Davis, has 20 starts)

Squad statistics

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
No.	Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Sorensen	29	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	DF	Delaney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	DF	Samuel	2+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	DF	Mellberg	38	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	DF	Laursen	12+2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	MD	Barry	35	8	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	FW	Carew	11	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	MF	McCann	28+2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	FW	Angel	18+5	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	FW	Baroš	10+7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	MF	Petrov	30	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
12	MF	Davis	17+11	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
13	GK	Taylor	4+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	MF	Djemba-Djemba	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	DF	Bouma	23+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	FW	Young	11+2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	MF	Whittingham	2+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	DF	Hughes	15+4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
19	DF	Ridgewell	19+2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	FW	Sutton	6+2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	DF	Cahill	19+1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
22	FW	Moore	7+6	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	MF	Berger	5+8	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	DF	Bardsley	13	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	MF	Gardner	11+2	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	MF	Osbourne	6+5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	GK	Kiraly	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	MF	Maloney	5+3	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	FW	Agbonlahor	37+1	9	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	DF	Agathe	0+5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

^[3]

Results

Pre-season

Date	Opponents	Home/ Away	Result F–A	Scorers	Competition
21 July 2006	Walsall	A	5–0	Agbonlahor (2), Moore (2), Whittingham	Friendly
25 July 2006	Hull City	A	2–0	Davis, Gardner	Friendly
26 July 2006	Chesterfield	A	2–0	Bridges (2)	Friendly
29 July 2006	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	3–0	Ridgewell, Barry	Friendly
5 August 2006	Hannover	A	0–0		Friendly
8 August 2006	NEC Nijmegen	A	1–2	Agbonlahor	Friendly
11 August 2006	Groningen	A	2–2	Moore, Ridgewell	Friendly

Premier League

19 August 2006 1	Arsenal	1–1	Aston Villa	Islington, London
	Gilberto 84'	Report	Mellberg 53'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,023 Referee: Graham Poll

23 August 2003 2	Aston Villa	2–1	Reading	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Ángel 34' (pen.) Barry 61'	Report	Doyle 4' Sonko 34'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 37,329 Referee: Lee Mason

27 August 2006 3	Aston Villa	2–0	Newcastle United	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Moore 3' Ángel 38'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,141 Referee: Howard Webb

10 September 2006 4	West Ham United	1–1	Aston Villa	Newham, London
	Zamora 52'	Report	Ridgewell 4'	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,576 Referee: Steve Bennett

16 September 2006 5	Watford	0–0	Aston Villa	Watford, Hertfordshire
		Report		Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 18,620 Referee: Mike Dean

23 September 2006 6	Aston Villa	2–0	Charlton Athletic	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Agbonlahor 35' Moore 62'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,513 Referee: Mike Riley

30 September 2006 7	Chelsea	1–1	Aston Villa	Fulham, London
	Drogba 3'	Report	Agbonlahor 45'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,951 Referee: Graham Poll

14 October 2006 8	Aston Villa	1–1	Tottenham Hotspur	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Barry 81'	Report	Davenport 73' Ángel 76' (o.g.)	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,551 Referee: Martin Atkinson

21 October 2006 9	Aston Villa	1–1	Fulham	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Barry 26' (pen.)	Report	Volz 45'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 30,919 Referee: Chris Foy

28 October 2006 10	Liverpool	3–1	Aston Villa	Liverpool, Merseyside
	Kuyt 31' Crouch 38' Luis García 44'	Report	Agbonlahor 56'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,117 Referee: Steve Bennett

5 November 2006 11	Aston Villa	2–0	Blackburn Rovers	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Barry 41' (pen.) Ángel 50'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 30,089 Referee: Howard Webb

11 November 2006 12	Everton	0–1	Aston Villa	Liverpool, Merseyside
		Report	Sutton 42'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 36,376 Referee: Phil Dowd

19 November 2006 13	Wigan Athletic	0–0	Aston Villa	Wigan, Greater Manchester
		Report		Stadium: JJB Stadium Attendance: 18,455 Referee: Steve Bennett

25 November 2006 14	Aston Villa	1–1	Middlesbrough	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Barry 45' (pen.)	Report	Christie 43'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 33,162 Referee: Peter Walton

29 November 2006 15	Aston Villa	1–3	Manchester City	Birmingham, West Midlands
	McCann 66'	Report	Vassell 18' Barton 32' Distin 75'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 30,124 Referee: Mike Dean

2 December 2006 16	Portsmouth	2–2	Aston Villa	Portsmouth, Hampshire
	Taylor 52', 80' Pedro Mendes 86'	Report	Barry 37' (pen.) Ángel 82'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,042 Referee: Uriah Rennie

11 December 2006 17	Sheffield United	2–2	Aston Villa	Sheffield, Yorkshire
	Quinn 50' Webber 64'	Report	Petrov 2' Baroš 65'	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 30,957 Referee: Mark Halsey

16 December 2006 18	Aston Villa	0–1	Bolton Wanderers	Birmingham, West Midlands
		Report	Speed 75' (pen.)	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 27,450 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

23 December 2006 19	Aston Villa	0–3	Manchester United	Birmingham, West Midlands
		Report	C. Ronaldo 58', 85' Giggs 64'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,551 Referee: Steve Bennett

26 December 2006 20	Tottenham Hotspur	2–1	Aston Villa	Haringey, London
	Defoe 67', 77'	Report	Barry 81'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,293 Referee: Uriah Rennie

30 December 2006 21	Charlton Athletic	2–1	Aston Villa	Greenwich, London
	D. Bent 57' Hughes 90'	Report	Barry 40' (pen.) 61'	Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 26,699 Referee: Rob Styles

2 January 2007 22	Aston Villa	0–0	Chelsea	Birmingham, West Midlands
		Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 41,006 Referee: Phil Dowd

13 January 2007 23	Manchester United	3–1	Aston Villa	Trafford, Greater Manchester
	Park 11' Carrick 13' C. Ronaldo 35'	Report	Agbonlahor 52'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 76,073 Referee: Howard Webb

20 January 2007 24	Aston Villa	2–0	Watford	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Mahon 86' (o.g.) Agbonlahor 90'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,892 Referee: Peter Walton

31 January 2007 25	Newcastle United	3–1	Aston Villa	Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyneside
	Milner 5' Dyer 7' Sibierski 90'	Report	Young 25'	Stadium: St. James' Park Attendance: 49,201 Referee: Howard Webb

3 February 2007 26	Aston Villa	1–0	West Ham United	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Carew 36'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 41,202 Referee: Chris Foy

10 February 2007 27	Reading	2–0	Aston Villa	Reading, Berkshire
	Sidwell 16', 90'	Report		Stadium: Majewski Stadium Attendance: 24,122

3 March 2007 28	Fulham	1–1	Aston Villa	Fulham
	Bocanegra 23'	Report	Carew 21'	Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 24,552 Referee: Lee Mason

14 March 2007 29	Aston Villa	0–1	Arsenal	Birmingham, West Midlands
		Report	Diaby 10'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 39,968 Referee: Martin Atkinson

18 March 2007 30	Aston Villa	0–0	Liverpool	Birmingham, West Midlands
		Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,551 Referee: Lee Mason

2 April 2007 31	Aston Villa	1–1	Everton	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Agbonlahor 83'	Report	Lescott 15'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 36,407 Referee: Howard Webb

7 April 2007 32	Blackburn Rovers	1–2	Aston Villa	Blackburn, Lancashire
	McCarthy 24' (pen.)	Report	Berger 34' Agbonlahor 73'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 24,211 Referee: Martin Atkinson

9 April 2007 33	Aston Villa	1–1	Wigan Athletic	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Agbonlahor 50'	Report	Heskey 21' Valencia 34'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 31,920 Referee: Mark Halsey

14 April 2007 34	Middlesbrough	1–3	Aston Villa	Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
	Rochemback 13'	Report	Gardner 45' Moore 70' Petrov 77'	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 26,959 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

22 April 2007 35	Aston Villa	0–0	Portsmouth	Birmingham, West Midlands
		Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 31,745 Referee: Martin Atkinson

28 April 2007 36	Manchester City	0–2	Aston Villa	Manchester, Greater Manchester
		Report	Carew 24' Agbonlahor 75'	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 40,799 Referee: Mark Halsey

5 May 2007 37	Aston Villa	3–0	Sheffield United	Birmingham, West Midlands
	Agbonlahor 25' Young 42' Berger 55'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,551 Referee: Peter Walton

13 May 2007 38	Bolton Wanderers	2–2	Aston Villa	Bolton, Greater Manchester
	Speed 32' Davies 58'	Report	Gardner 37' Moore 81'	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 26,255 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

League Cup

20 September 2006: Scunthorpe United 1–2 Aston Villa (?; Angel x2) attendance 6,502
24 October 2006: Leicester City 2–3 (?; Angel, Barry pen., Agbonlahor) attendance 27,288
8 November 2006: Chelsea 4–0 Aston Villa; attendance 41,156

FA Cup

7 January 2007: Manchester United 2–1 (?; Baroš) attendance 74,924

Transfers

The season saw Villa break its transfer record when they signed Ashley Young for £8 million from Watford, heralding a new era and a strategy of signing young players with experience from the British game. The signing of Bulgarian international Stiliyan Petrov was another important manouvre from Martin O'Neill, who was given larger resource in comparison to his predecessors by new American owner Randy Lerner.

In

Out

References

[1] ttp://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2006-2007/faprem/avilla.htm

[2] ttp://www.11v11.com/teams/aston-villa/tab/players/season/2007

[3] ttp://home.aland.net/bolin.jakobsson/villamatches/2006-07.pdf

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[3]