Foxes to Repeat Villa’s Heroics of 1982 With Claudio Ranieri’s East Midlands Italian Job a distant memory and Shakespeare’s classic performance in putting Seville to the sword fresh in mind, Leicester supporters eagerly await the forthcoming quarter final clash with Atletico Madrid on the ultimate stage! This would be an opportune moment to draw parallels with the crisis experienced by another midlands club thirty-five years ago, when turmoil within the club’s hierarchy threatened to upset the European apple cart. Aston Villa under the stewardship of the wily Ron Saunders, using only 14 players, very much against the odds, became Champions of England in May 1981. As was the custom, Villa would represent England in next season’s European Cup, which ironically was the real champions league, restricted to league title winners across the continent. Another twist of irony was the fact that in those days, English clubs could mix it with the best that Europe had to offer. Indeed,...
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