1968–69 Aston Villa F.C. season

The 1968–69 English football season was Aston Villa's 69th season in the Football League, this season playing in the Football League Second Division. Villa had been in decline for several years; the club had an ageing five-man board "who had failed to adapt to the new football reality".[1] The club had neither developed a scouting network nor an effective coaching structure.[2]

Aston Villa
1968–69 season
Chairman(1) Norman Smith
(2) Doug Ellis
Manager(1) Tommy Cummings
(2) Tommy Docherty
StadiumVilla Park
Second Division18th
FA CupFifth round
League CupSecond round

Events on the pitch came to a head in November 1968. With Villa lying at the bottom of Division Two, the board sacked Cummings. On 21 November 1968 the problems in the boardroom were highlighted when board member George Robinson resigned. Following his resignation, the board issued a statement: "[The board] would make available, by their resignation, such seats as new financial arrangements might require".[2] Aston Villa F.C. was up for sale. After much speculation London financier Pat Matthews bought control of the club. He brought in local travel agent Doug Ellis as chair of the new board that was convened on 16 December 1968. Two days later Tommy Docherty was appointed as manager, his third club in six weeks, after his resignation from Rotherham United and a brief spell at Queens Park Rangers.[2]

Second Division
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
16 Bristol City 42 11 16 15 46 53 0.868 38
17 Bolton Wanderers 42 12 14 16 55 67 0.821 38
18 Aston Villa 42 12 14 16 37 48 0.771 38
19 Blackburn Rovers 42 13 11 18 52 63 0.825 37
20 Oxford United 42 12 9 21 34 55 0.618 33
Source: rsssf.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal average; 3) number of goals scored.

References
  1. Ward, Adam, p. 98
  2. Ward, Adam, p. 100


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