Aston Villa F.C.

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Harry Hampton scores one of his two goals in the 1905 FA Cup Final

Villa were one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992, and finished runners-up to Manchester United in the inaugural season. For the rest of the Nineties however Villa went through three different managers and their league positions were inconsistent, although they did win two League Cups and regularly achieved UEFA Cup qualification. Villa reached the FA Cup final in 2000 but lost 1–0 to Chelsea in the last game to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. Again Villa's league position continued to fluctuate under several different managers and things came to a head in the summer of 2006 when David O'Leary left in acrimony. After 23 years as chairman and single biggest shareholder (approximately 38%), Ellis finally decided to sell his stake in Aston Villa due to ill-health. After much speculation it was announced the club was to be bought by American businessman Randy Lerner, owner of NFL franchise the Cleveland Browns. The arrival of a new owner and of manager Martin O'Neill marked the start of a new period of optimism at Villa Park and sweeping changes occurred throughout the club including a new badge, a new kit sponsor and team changes in the summer of 2007. The first Cup final of the Lerner era came in 2010 when Villa were beaten 2–1 in the League Cup Final. Villa made a second trip to Wembley in that season losing 3–0 to Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinal. Just five days before the opening day of the 2010–11 season, O'Neill resigned as manager with immediate effect.</ref> Reserve team manager Kevin MacDonald took over as caretaker manager,</ref> before the club appointed Gérard Houllier as permanent manager in September 2010.</ref> Houllier stepped down on 1 June 2011, and was replaced by Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish, despite numerous protests from fans against his appointment. This was the first time that a manager had moved directly from Birmingham to Villa.</ref> McLeish only lasted eleven months in charge, his contract was terminated at the end of the 2011–12 season, that saw Villa finish in 16th place, only just above the relegation zone.