Martin Keown experienced very differing emotions from 1986 to 1989 as his claret and blue career resembled a rollercoaster.
Signed from Arsenal by Graham Turner, the rugged central defender was immediately thrust into a relegation battle as Villa won just one of their opening eight league games before Turner was sacked.
For the remainder of that season, he was one of the few players to impress under new boss Billy McNeill and it was no great surprise when Villa were relegated.
It was a different story the following season, Keown forming a solid defensive partnership, initially with Steve Sims and later with Allan Evans, as Villa bounced back to the top flight at the first attempt under the management of Graham Taylor.
Keown couldn't praise Taylor - who also managed this weekend's opponents Watford - enough as he discussed his claret and blue career.
He said: "When I arrived, it was a very difficult time and in all honesty, when we were relegated it didn't come as a surprise to anyone.
"We got off to a really bad start - and Graham Turner was under an incredible amount of pressure that I didn't appreciate until I was at the club.
"Then we appointed a new manager in Billy McNeill and it didn't work out.
"But the day Graham Taylor walked in the door was a huge day for Aston Villa Football Club.
"We had a meeting. If you'd been a fly on the wall at that meeting, you'd have been amazed and astonished!
"It was pure box office. Doug Ellis had kept things quiet. He called the team into the training ground and he said: 'There's a new manager waiting to come in - he's a top level guy and I think you'll be very pleased with him.'
"Graham walked in and immediately asked the chairman to leave. Doug said 'No, I usually sit in on these.' Graham smiled and replied 'Not while I'm the manager!'
"Then Graham told us 'The difference between me and the previous managers is that I chose Aston Villa, it wasn't a case of Doug Ellis choosing me.'
"He said that if anyone wanted to follow the chairman out of the door - and doesn't want to be a part of what we're going to achieve - I suggest you go out of that door now.
"That was the way things were done - Graham's way or the highway!
"He turned things around completely. There were a lot of comings and goings.
"We had a poor start to the season and I remember an emergency meeting where he asked the players if they'd lost confidence in him - because he certainly hadn't lost confidence in himself.
"He had that feeling that it was a formality that if everyone bought into what he wanted to achieve, we would be promoted.
"We turned it around very quickly - and our away form was just phenomenal."
Keown missed only the final two games of the promotion campaign and also scored three goals, including the winner against Ipswich Town in January.
And he credits the upward curve with good management - and good players.
He continued: "We eventually got back into the top-flight and then the club was stabilized from then.
"I have to say that an awful lot of that was because of Graham.
"We lost Steve Harrison late in the season, which was a blow because he was very popular. He provided a good foil for the seriousness and intensity for Graham. Steve was quite a comedian.
"But John Ward came in and he was a good appointment.
"I just felt we had a great team with great players - but there were unsung lads too like Mark Lillis, Kevin Gage, Bernie Gallacher and Steve Sims.
"Alan McInally was a fantastic player, a fantastic athlete - and had real genuine talent as well. Lads like him were a good influence for the young lads like me.
"There was a great atmosphere - card games on the coach, that kind of thing - and we were all in it together. Jim Walker and Jim Paul were big characters around the place too. Everyone loved them.
"But Graham created a culture. It was things like he told us we had to do our own washing. We all had three pieces of kit each. He wanted this togetherness and 'all in it together' spirit.
"He wanted everyone to live within a certain distance of Bodymoor Heath. He tried to build this family atmosphere.
"He brought the right people in, got them focused and we got back on track. That's what Graham did - and he did it in record time.
"I felt someone needed to wrap Graham Taylor in cotton wool at that time. I just thought 'something must go wrong soon.'
"I knew instantly he was the guy to turn things around. I could see he had a successful personality, a successful aura. I just knew - I had that feeling. I am not saying we always got on - we had many a row! But there was real respect there.
"He knew a player when he saw one and he was good at planning and building and realising and expressing what he wanted. It was a team of men - it was a powerful group."
Keown was again a regular throughout the 1988/89 campaign and his consistent displays attracted attention from other clubs.
He moved to Everton that summer, and later rejoined Arsenal, where he enjoyed considerable success.
But, while he doesn't regret the move to Goodison Park, he does look back with a pang of frustration that he didn't get to partner one of the greatest players in claret and blue history.
He added: "I just felt it was a traumatic, rollercoaster time at Villa.
"I was at the end of my contract and we had protracted negotiations.
"Graham told me he was bringing in a top centre-half for me to play with - a class international. But he wouldn't tell me who it was.
"It would have been nice for him to tell me - but I always felt like I was on trial with Graham. I was hoping he would confide in me but I never got to hear who that player was.
"It was Paul McGrath. But I left.
"I had the chance to go to Man Utd but I eventually left for Everton. I had no regrets. That was a great club too.
"Graham did try - as well as Doug - to keep me there but it wasn't to be.
"Looking back, I would have loved to have played with Macca here. 100%. I would have learned so much - I was only 22 at the time.
"Who wouldn't want to have played with Paul McGrath? That was a regret.
"But I didn't know it was him. But understandably in a way, Graham didn't want to tell me it was him because I was talking to other clubs and it was confidential information. He probably thought I was going. He didn't want to tell me who was coming in
