The Aston Villa Annual is always a welcome addition to the bookshelves of supporters, and 2024 is a very special year for anyone of claret-and-blue persuasion.

It was way back in 1874 that the club came into existence – so this year marks the 150^th anniversary of Aston Villa! To celebrate the milestone, we have included a selection of intriguing stories about Villa through the years.

While the club’s history is impressive, though, we’re not just dwelling on the past. As always, we focus on Villa’s summer signings, while this 20^th edition of the annual is packed with photos and features about your favourite players.

There’s also a month-by-month review at last season, when Villa were transformed from a team worrying about relegation to one who finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for Europe for the first time in 13 years.

We look, too, at all the Villa players who have represented their countries in the final stages of the World Cup – and you will also find the lyrics to some of the songs you love to sing!