Today we begin our look at the 2021/22 Premier League programmes with a review of the issue produced by Aston Villa. We’ll be adding more reviews over the next month or so, ahead of our annual awards announcement in March. You can read the full review of the Villa issue below and see all of the current season issues here.
The Villa News and Record is an 84-page, perfect-bound issue that retains the classy design and layout of last season’s issue. The outline image of the European Cup in the bottom right corner of the cover marks the 40th anniversary of Villa’s triumph in that competition.
It is something of a surprise therefore that the excellent historical section within the programme – known as ‘Villa Vault’ opts to focus not on that 1981/82 season, but on Villa’s Division Three title success a decade earlier. Over nine pages, the section looks back at that 1971/72 campaign, with ‘Season Tracker’ providing a commentary on Villa’s progress, with notes on each match played. ‘Programme Pieces’ reproduces programme covers from the games under review, alongside notes on the content of each issue. In addition, the section also includes a two-page profile of one Holte End Hero, and a ‘Numbers Game’ feature. In terms of other original content, there is a feature interview spread over five pages, a junior section for younger fans, and ‘Tayls Talking’ – a column from former Villa midfielder Ian Taylor.
The visitors’ section is typically well presented. Spread over nine pages, the section opens with a page of club facts, including key dates in their history. This is followed by ‘Scene Setter’, which provides notes on the club’s recent form. There are four pages of well laid out pen-pics, as well as a more detailed profile of the visiting manager. ‘Opposition Snapshot’ reproduces a photograph from the archives, showing the day’s opponents in action, while ‘Stats Zone’ includes a list of the club’s top five appearance makers, goal scorers, and managers, as well as a 20-year progress report chart showing finishing positions in the league.
Each issue also contains a good level of detail about each of Villa’s teams, with a three-page academy section that includes reports and updates, and the same level of coverage for the club’s women’s team. Reports from previous first team fixtures and nicely detailed and include photographs and line-up details, while a four-page stats section includes squad information, a league table, and the usual season results and fixtures spread. There are also a few pages of news and the ‘Villa Diary’ containing day by day developments at the club, as well as news from the Aston Villa Foundation.
The excellent historical section is certainly the highlight of this issue. Although we might have expected to see the anniversary of Villa’s European Cup success featured more heavily, the series of articles looking back to 1971/72 does serve as a reminder about Villa’s rapid rise back to the top from third-tier obscurity to European champions in just ten years.