Who was Aston Villa’s First Foreign Manager

Aston Villa’s first foreign manager was not exactly from any of the major European leagues.

Aston Villa manager today is undoubtedly one of the most respected figures in European football. Prior to his arrival in Villa Park, Unai Emery had been in the Premier League before while taking charge of Arsenal.

Moreover, he has built his reputation in Europe by winning the Europa League three times in a row with Sevilla plus another one with Villarreal, which was their first ever trophy in their history. The Spaniard has been in Ligue 1 giant PSG and Russia too, albeit not successfully in the latter.

Emery is definitely not Aston Villa’s first foreign manager, but he is definitely the most successful one by far, despite the fact that he has yet to deliver silverware in Birmingham. This year he could possibly lead his team to lift one as Villa is already in the Europa League semifinal. 

Nevertheless, there is always the first one for everything. Emery would not be in Birmingham, had Villa not signed him in the summer of 1990. He joined the Clarets and Blue after Graham Taylor’s appointment as the Three Lions manager.

He was not only the first non-British manager in England’s top flight but also the most underrated figure in English football. Sadly, he gained less appreciation than he should have. That manager was Jozef Venglos.

The Derided Trailblazer

Venglos was not only a football manager but also a doctorate in physical education. He was more famous for his success at the international level than at the club.

The gaffer who passed away in 2021 managed to guide Czechoslovakia to reach the third place in EURO 1980 and the quarterfinal in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, only to lose 1-0 to the eventual champions, West Germany.

Before signing up for the Villa job, he only had three club stints in Europe: VSS Kosice and Slovan Bratislava, in his native land, and Sporting Lisbon. The Ruzemberok-born boss did win domestic titles with Slovan Bratislava, including two Czechoslovakia league titles. However, his spell in Portugal did not impress much.

His stint may have been brief, but he already introduced the proper diet for the team, much like what Arsene Wenger did during his first year at Arsenal. Sadly, English football was not ready for a change at that time. If Wenger was hailed, Venglos received the opposite response.

Peter Withe, the Villa’s famous goalscorer in the 1982 European Cup, shared his view with FourFourTwo regarding Venglos’ idea. He was working as his assistant during his stint in Villa Park.

“What Graham [Taylor] did was the British way, and the players were comfortable with that. So when this new philosophy was introduced around training, diet and drinking, some players resented it. They shut it out.”

Unfortunately, many criticised Venglos’ odd idea but also his origin, which was sadly unfair. Yet, at that time such was understandable; the world still lived between the West and the East mindset.

The Czechoslovakian boss was seen as the bizarre figure and often mocked for his odd method. Withe again commented on how his former superior used to be the laughing stock.

“I remember going to watch a team we were due to play with Jozef. He had a small dictaphone and used it to record comments about the opposition. A couple of managers who were sat with us thought it was hilarious and started laughing.”

Revolutionary idea, but too early

In the end, Venglos could not salvage Villa’s campaign. Tony Cascarino and Co. only finished two places above the relegation zone, despite some respectable results. Villa was unbeaten against Manchester United, drew at home versus Arsenal and Liverpool. They also managed to win over Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup and Gary Lineker’s Spurs.

Nevertheless, the former Fenerbahce and Celtic boss deserves more recognition. His ideas of playing with ball possession, passing and a less physical style of play took a while to change the Midlands. On the contrary, his proper pre- and post-match warm-up eventually became part of the club’s training session.

To sum up, on his arrival in Villa Park, Ralph Ellis, the former Daily Star journalist in 1990, made his own statement on the manager who beat Gerry Francis and David Pleat to take charge of The Lions.

“I think there was an acceptance that he hadn’t failed because he was foreign but because he was simply the wrong man at the wrong time.”

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