50 IAN TAYLOR

(1994-2003) 290 appearances, 42 goals

There will be more talented footballers on this list, 49 of them probably, but surely few supporters will question the wisdom of including Ian Taylor. In an era of grotesque badge-kissing insincerity he stood out as that rare thing – a genuine fan who realised the dream of playing for the club he loved and, to add a Boy’s Own twist, scored a cup final goal at Wembley. A late starter in the game, Taylor got his big break at Port Vale although his full-time professional status did not stop him watching Villa shock Manchester United in the League Cup final in 1994. By the end of that year he was playing for Villa and completed a remarkable journey when he was part of the team that demolished Leeds United in the final of same competition in 1996. Taylor was a willing workhorse, dogged in pursuit of possession, and the owner of a pair of impressively durable lungs. Of his Villa debut he said: “When I walked into the dressing room and saw my shirt hanging up it was like everything I ever wanted.” We all knew what he meant.

49 DANNY BLANCHFLOWER

(1951-54) 155 apps, 10 goals

Including players whose principal claim to fame is with another club is always likely to cause dissent, but a generation of fans regarded the subtlety and science Danny Blanchflower brought to Villa Park with something close to reverence, no matter what the loquacious wing half later went on to achieve with Tottenham Hotspur. Blanchflower arrived at Villa from Barnsley on transfer deadline day in March 1951 and for the next three and a half years charmed supporters with his canny positional sense, acute tactical awareness and wonderfully perceptive passing. Blanchflower was an original thinker who saw all too the failings of the men running the club and recognised – rather like Gareth Southgate at the start of the Noughties – a moribund organisation heading for terminal decline. None of his admirers in the West Midlands were in the least surprised when he went on to carve a niche in football history with Spurs.

48 BRUCE RIOCH

(1969-74) 176 apps, 37 goals

It was an accident of timing that meant that Bruce Rioch never played in the top flight for Villa but if he had he would almost certainly have featured much higher in this list. Rioch was a masterful midfield player, strong (sometimes reckless) in the tackle, energetic in his running, commanding in his leadership. He could also hit long, raking passes of great vision and ambition although it is for the sheer ferocity of his long-range shooting that he is now principally remembered. The sight of Rioch with the ball anywhere within 30 yards of the opposing goal sent a frisson of excitement around Villa Park in the early 70s. He could strike a dead ball with equal effect and he also worked for many hours on the training ground on adding a dip and swerve in flight. Rioch captained the team that won the third division championship in 1971-72 but after two further seasons in the second division his desire to play at the highest level brought a deadline-day departure to Derby County.

47 ASHLEY YOUNG

(2007-) 100 apps, 20 goals

When Martin O’Neill returned to top-flight management in England he was astute enough to recognise that the key component for success in the 21st century game is pace. He was fortunate to inherit one jet-heeled striker in Gabriel Agbonlahor and he added a second in the January transfer window of 2007 when he paid Watford about £9 million for Ashley Young. It wasn’t long before Young was terrorising Premier League defences with a combination of dancing feet and express speed, drawing comparisons with the lightening bursts with which Tony Daley illuminated Villa Park a decade and a half earlier. Young can deliver telling crosses of cunning intent or panic-inducing trajectory and contributes a fair share of goals, too. His future should include further international recognition as well as more opportunities for hero worship from the Holte End.