Brian Little, Aston Villa Last Title Winning Manager to date

Brian Little, who was also the former Aston Villa forward, has been the last winning manager up to this day.

The name Brian Little would definitely ring the bell among all Villa fans, both as a player and a manager. He was included in the club’s hall of fame. Yet, his distinguished legacy was probably when he took the role of the manager. Few remain the last gaffer who managed to lift the trophy in Villa Park to date. Such is unlikely to change unless Unai Emery can write a history during his tenure with solid silverware, which is expected.

Little won the EFL League Cup in the 1995/96 season after defeating Leeds United 3-0 in the final. It was the club’s second trophy in three years. Previously, his predecessor, Ron Atkinson, delivered the League Cup too in the 1993/94 campaign.

It is interesting to find out how the former non-prolific striker turned into a distinguished manager in Aston Villa history.

Highly-rated in the Lower Division

Brian Little’s managerial career began in Wolverhampton. He was appointed as an interim manager in August 1986 when they were competing in the fourth tier. He soon left after a new boss was named.

His next club was Middlesbrough, but he did not serve as a manager. Little was recruited as the head coach working under Bruce Rioch in the top flight. Unfortunately, Boro was relegated in the 1988/89 season, and Little left for a manager position in Darlington.

The club were on the verge of going down from the Fourth Division, which they did, and Little could not lift them up as he arrived almost at the end of the season. However, in the following campaign, 1989/90, he led them back to the fourth tier in his first full season. The Newcastle-born manager even reached further success by guiding them to seal promotion to the third tier in 1990/91.

Little finally landed a job in the higher division when he joined Leicester City in the second tier. In three years, he was able to lead them to constantly qualify for the promotion playoffs. Having been beaten in the first two seasons, the former Aston Villa forward finally secured a berth in the Premier League following their 2-1 win over Derby County in the 1993/94 Division One playoffs.

The Stunning Three Years with Aston Villa

Brian Little, at last, made his return to his former side, replacing Ron Atkinson in November 1994 alongside with John Gregory from The Foxes. During his first season, he was still struggling to pick up three points. His team had to wait till late December to seal their first win under his tutelage as Villa smashed Chelsea 3-0 at home.

Dean Saunders and Co. eventually only managed to sit in 18th place, just enough to avoid relegation with three points above the red zone. Nevertheless, his team displayed some promising results such as a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest on the road and a 2-0 home win against Liverpool.

His second season in charge started with a bang as the Villans thumped Manchester United 3-1 at the opener. Ian Taylor, Mark Draper, and Dwight Yorke scored one each. His duet up front, the Serbian Savo Milošević, could not be ruled out, as he registered two assists in the game. Such a stunning result appeared to be the positive sign of the remainder of their campaign.

Aston Villa finished fourth in the Premier League, reached the semi-final, and clinched the League Cup trophy. On the way to the final, Brian Little’s men saw off Peterborough, Stockport, QPR, and Wolverhampton at the knockout stage before facing off against Arsenal in the semifinal.

In the final four, they eventually eliminated the Gunners through the away goal rule following the 2-2 draw on the road and a goalless stalemate at home. In the final, they crushed Leeds United 3-0 at Wembley. Dwight Yorke bagged a brace plus one goal from Alan Wright.

Unexpectedly quick setback

In the following two seasons, 1996/97 and 1997/98, Little still managed to guide them to finish high in the former but not in the latter campaign. They sat fifth in 1997 but were stuck in the bottom half of the standings in early 1998. Despite their better European campaign—Gareth Southgate and Co. were able to reach the quarter-final in the UEFA Cup 1998—Little decided to end his reign following three consecutive defeats in February.

Surprisingly, it was his last job at the top level. Brian Little then went back to the lower divisions with Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City, Tranmere Rovers, and Wrexham without a single success to return to the Premier League or promotion.

Nevertheless, he was eventually inducted in the club’s Hall of Fame in 2007. The former forward with 48 goals in 205 appearances during his stint in Villa Park in 1970s deserves the accolade and included in this site Legend Series.

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