Villa lose in their opening Intertoto Cup game as Graham Taylor remains in charge despite a torrid few months as caretaker manager in 2001-02.

Villa face FC Zürich for the first time in competitive football, Zürich become the 148th team that the Villa first team has played in League or Cup football, Villa’s 32nd continental European opponents and their second from Switzerland following their meeting with FC Basel in 2001-02.

Midfielder George Boateng, 26, makes his 134th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (126 Starts) before following Gareth Southgate, Ugo Ehiogu and Benito Carbone to cash rich but success poor Middlesbrough in return for a fee of £6,210,000. Sadly, like the aforementioned, Boateng had agitated for a move throughout the season and copying the Southgate playbook had become a destabilising influence in the dressing room, something that was exacerbated with the instant underachievement seen under Graham Taylor. That the allegation remains that Boateng handed in a transfer request just after the final whistle of the final game of the season sums up the premeditated and disruptive behaviour of the Boro group. Like his fellow exiles Boateng’s career would stagnate at a succession of lower level clubs having left Villa with a record of W52 D41 L41, 5 Goals, 1 Assist and 29 Bookings. As Boateng himself admitted “I didn't fancy coming to Boro …. when we played Middlesbrough I felt the games were really easy for me because when we played Middlesbrough with Villa it was always a comfortable win.” Despite his premature departure Boateng would return to Villa to join the coaching staff the following decade apparently a changed man. 

Forward Michael Boulding, 27, makes his debut in a Villa shirt after joining from First Division Grimsby Town on a free transfer to become the 759th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football. Boulding’s signing, a surprise transfer if ever there was one, has been met with equal measures of bewilderment and anticipation to see just what player Graham Taylor might have unearthed after 23 goals in 113 appearances across 3 seasons in the lower leagues of English football and having been Grimsby’s leading scorer with 11 goals in 2001-02 as they just avoided relegation to the third tier.

Hassan Kachloul, 29, makes his 32nd and final appearance in a Villa shirt (25 Starts) to make it W11 D12 L9, 2 Goals, 3 Assists and 3 Bookings across his Villa career before being released under David O’Leary in June 2004. Kachloul was just one of many players discarded by Graham Taylor despite being of significantly greater quality than their replacements and was forced to sit on the sidelines for 2 years aside from a short loan to Wolves.

Jlloyd Samuel is sent off for the 1st time in a Villa shirt on his 44th appearance (29 Starts) to make it W14 D14 L16, 3 Assists, 6 Bookings and 1 Red Card so far in his Villa career.

Villa once again overturn a two goal deficit to qualify for the Intertoto semi final.

Paul Merson, 34, makes his 144th and final appearance in a Villa shirt (125 Starts). Merson, a player with ability and influence far beyond the rest of the squad, who even as a cameo substitute could deliver a power of good to the team, was discarded. As a result in one move the team was robbed of much needed creativity. Merson would join Portsmouth on a free transfer the following month as Graham Taylor prematurely called time on a player considered to be one of the most talented and charismatic to have pulled on the claret and blue of Villa. Merson left with a record of W54 D46 L44, 19 Goals, 23 Assists, 7 Bookings and 1 Red Card at a goal involvement rate of one for every 3.43 games across his Villa career.

In sum then, this also ran Intertoto game, had implications far beyond the result on the pitch and signalled the huge challenges ahead for Villa.

Forward Stefan Moore, 18, makes his competitive debut in a Villa shirt after coming through the ranks of youth football to become the 760th player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Swedish international forward Marcus Allbäck, 29, makes a goalscoring Villa debut after joining from SC Heerenveen for a fee of £2,700,000 earlier this month to become the 761st player to play for Villa in first team League or Cup football.

Forward Michael Boulding, 27, scores on his home debut on what is his second and final appearance in a Villa shirt 6 days after his debut and despite only having arrived at the club 26 days earlier. Boulding who had 23 goals in 113 appearances across 3 seasons in the lower leagues of English football was a curiosity, an ex-tennis player who Graham Taylor immediately promoted to first team football and who clearly was not of sufficient calibre to cut it in the top flight despite his scrambled goal in the win over Zürich. Boulding would remain at the club until the new year without making any further squad appearances and on his departure from Villa he would return to plying his football trade in tiers 2 and mostly 3. 11 years later, Jordan Bowery would make a similar transition from the lower leagues into Premier League football under Paul Lambert but this time would be afforded a full season before once again time was called on the unlikely step up.

Peter Crouch contributes his 5th goal involvement in a Villa shirt on his 9th appearance to make it W3 D2 L4, 2 Goals and 3 Assists at a goal involvement rate of one for every 1.80 games played so far in his Villa career.

Mark Delaney makes his 100th appearance in a Villa shirt (84 Starts) to make it W38 D31 L31, 1 Goal, 2 Assists, 13 Bookings and 2 Red Cards so far in his Villa career.

Olof Mellberg secures his 10th win in a Villa shirt on his 37th appearance to make it W10 D14 L13, 1 Assist and 1 Booking so far in his Villa career.