A few months ago Aston Villa would have been happy with Premier League survival . Now they have a chance for so much more . In recent years Villa have struggled to compete but they are a proper club . When I left Arsenal for Villa it was because I felt they shared similar traits - tradition , history and both took pride of place in their communities . Villa were one of the founder members of the Football League and in the early years of the FA Cup , the trophy was almost theirs to keep . Now this group has a chance to embrace that history and write the next chapter . Aston Villa celebrate in the Wembley dressing room after beating Liverpool to reach this year 's FA Cup final . Martin Keown joined Aston Villa in 1986 and made the move because of the club 's rich history and tradition . Tim Sherwood has invigorated this side and you can feel that improvement in their performances . But for all the excitement Villa fans must be patient . Talking about getting a club ‘ back where they belong ’ can be a dangerous game . Villa won the European Cup in 1982 and while there ’ s nothing wrong with being ambitious , fans have to be realistic . Previous generations at Villa have seen success and can be too demanding . Even when they were challenging for the Champions League under Martin O ’ Neill there were still rumblings of discontent . When things do start to go wrong , Villa Park can be an unforgiving place . I experienced that when I was relegated and it can be a difficult place to play . But what ground isn ’ t when things are going badly ? In the past Villa Park has been so loud players could hardly hear themselves think and the atmosphere the fans created at Wembley was magnificent . Now with Sherwood hopefully a generation can grow with his side . Making the final is a fine achievement and Sherwood and his players will be desperate to become part of the fabric of a fantastic club . Aston Villa celebrate winning the European Cup after beating Bayern Munich in Rotterdam 33 years ago . Manager Tim Sherwood has invigorated Aston Villa and has considerably improved the side 's performances .
Aston Villa have a chance of FA Cup glory after reaching the final . A few months ago the Midlands club only had survival to contend with . The Aston Villa squad can write the next chapter in the club 's history .