Even a man who has earned a reputation as the king of European football is impressed by the view on his way into work. “Every day [when] I am going to the training ground there is the 1982 European Cup,” said Unai Emery. “Always when I am going in my office, I am passing this and watching the trophy.”
When Emery trades Bodymoor Heath for Villa Park, the banner that separates the two tiers of the North Stand is Brian Moore’s commentary of Peter Withe’s winner in Rotterdam in the 1982 final. It can feel a long time ago: Sunday marked the 30th anniversary of the death of Tony Barton, their European Cup-winning manager. Wednesday brings an end to a 13-year exile from continental competition. A 3-2 home play-off defeat by Rapid Vienna in 2010 came with Villa losing their status among the best of the rest in England, rocked by Martin O’Neill’s sudden resignation, with a budget trimmed and ambitions reduced.
