# 2002–03 Aston Villa F.C. season

The 2002–03 season was Aston Villa's 11th season in the Premier League, and their 15th consecutive season in the top division of English football.
Fans had hoped that the return of successful former manager Graham Taylor would spark a serious challenge for honours once more, but the actual result was Villa's worst Premier League campaign in eight years, with the club in serious danger of relegation throughout the season. Survival was only achieved in the penultimate game of the season with a victory over already-doomed Sunderland; Taylor was soon on his way out of the club for good.
There were debuts for Ulises de la Cruz (89), Ronny Johnsen (49), Marcus Allbäck (35), Mark Kinsella (21), Øyvind Leonhardsen (19), Stefan Postma (13), Joey Guðjónsson (11), and Rob Edwards (8).
A season low was the 3–0 defeat by local rivals Birmingham City at St Andrews. A first-half goal from Clinton Morrison saw Birmingham in control at half time, before a comedy of errors saw a throw-in by Olof Mellberg roll under the foot of Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman and into the net to gift Blues a 2–0 lead. Geoff Horsfield added a third later in the game thanks to bad defending from Alpay Özalan. This game was followed by the visit to Villa Park. The game kicked into life when Villa striker Dion Dublin was sent off in the 51st minute for headbutting Robbie Savage. In the 74th minute, Australian Stan Lazaridis scored his first goal of the season, and three minutes later, a poor header back by Jlloyd Samuel allowed Horsfield to run onto the ball, beat Enckelman and score from close range. The game ended with another sending off, as Villa's Joey Guðjónsson lunged at Upson with a two-footed tackle.

## Kit

| Kit Supplier | Sponsor |
| Diadora | Rover / MG* |
*Rover sponsored the home shirts, MG sponsored the away

## Transfers
### Transferred in

| Date | Pos | Player | From | Fee |
| 14 May 2002 | GK | Stefan Postma | De Graafschap | £1,500,000 |
| 18 May 2002 | CF | Marcus Allbäck | Heerenveen | £2,000,000 |
| 8 July 2002 | CF | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | Free transfer |
| 26 July 2002 | RB | Ulises de la Cruz | Hibernian | £1,000,000 |
| 23 August 2002 | CM | Mark Kinsella | Charlton Athletic | £1,000,000 |
| 29 August 2002 | CB | Ronny Johnsen | Manchester United | Free transfer |
| 30 August 2002 | AM | Øyvind Leonhardsen | Tottenham Hotspur | Free transfer |
| | | | | £5,500,000 |

### Loaned in

| Date | Pos | Player | From | Loan End |
| 20 January 2003 | CM | Joey Guðjónsson | Real Betis | 31 May 2003 |

### Transferred out

| Date | Pos | Player | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2002 | GK | Peter Schmeichel | Manchester City | Free transfer |
| 5 August 2002 | DM | George Boateng | Middlesbrough | £5,000,000 |
| 6 August 2002 | AM | Paul Merson | Portsmouth | Free transfer |
| 20 December 2002 | RM | Steve Stone | Portsmouth | Free transfer |
| 10 January 2003 | CF | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | Free transfer |
| | | | | £5,000,000 |

### Loaned out

| Date | Pos | Player | To | Loan End |
| 26 July 2002 | CM | Gavin Melaugh | Rochdale | 31 May 2003 |
| 9 August 2002 | GK | Boaz Myhill | Bristol City | 5 November 2002 |
| 27 September 2002 | CF | Michael Boulding | Sheffield United | 1 November 2002 |
| 21 November 2002 | GK | Boaz Myhill | Bradford City | 1 January 2003 |
| 29 November 2002 | CM | John McGrath | Dagenham & Redbridge | 31 May 2003 |
| 10 January 2003 | CF | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | 12 February 2003 |

### Overall transfer activity
## Squad
### First Team

| # | Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Date signed | Fee | Apps | Gls |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||||
| 1 | Peter Enckelman | GK | Turku | (1977-03-10)10 March 1977 (aged 25) | TPS | 1 February 1999 | £200,000 | 28 | 0 |
| 13 | Stefan Postma | GK | Utrecht | (1976-10-06)6 October 1976 (aged 25) | De Graafschap | 14 May 2002 | £1,500,000 | - | - |
| 37 | Boaz Myhill | GK | Modesto, CA | (1982-11-09)9 November 1982 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 2001 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Wayne Henderson | GK | Dublin | (1983-09-16)16 September 1983 (aged 18) | Academy | 1 July 2001 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders |||||||||||
| 2 | Mark Delaney | RB | Haverfordwest | (1976-05-13)13 May 1976 (aged 26) | Cardiff City | 9 March 1999 | £250,000 | 98 | 1 |
| 3 | Alan Wright | LB | Ashton-under-Lyne | (1971-09-28)28 September 1971 (aged 30) | Blackburn Rovers | 10 March 1995 | £1,000,000 | 318 | 5 |
| 4 | Olof Mellberg | CB | Gullspång | (1977-09-03)3 September 1977 (aged 24) | Racing Santander | 19 July 2001 | £5,000,000 | 36 | 0 |
| 5 | Alpay Özalan | CB | İzmir | (1973-05-30)30 May 1973 (aged 28) | Fenerbahçe | 28 July 2000 | £5,600,000 | 60 | 0 |
| 11 | Steve Staunton | LB | Dundalk | (1969-01-19)19 January 1969 (aged 33) | Liverpool | 6 December 2000 | Free transfer | 319 | 17 |
| 15 | Ulises de la Cruz | RB | Piquiucho | (1974-02-08)8 February 1974 (aged 28) | Hibernian | 26 July 2002 | £1,000,000 | - | - |
| 21 | Jlloyd Samuel | LB | San Fernando | (1981-03-29)29 March 1981 (aged 21) | Academy | 1 January 1999 | — | 43 | 0 |
| 24 | Liam Ridgewell | CB | Bexleyheath | (1984-07-21)21 July 1984 (aged 17) | Academy | 1 July 2002 | — | - | - |
| 27 | Ronny Johnsen | CB | Sandefjord | (1969-06-10)10 June 1969 (aged 33) | Manchester United | 29 August 2002 | Free transfer | - | - |
| 30 | Rob Edwards | LB | Telford | (1982-12-25)25 December 1982 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 2002 | — | - | - |
| Midfielders |||||||||||
| 6 | George Boateng | CM | Nkawkaw | (1975-09-05)5 September 1975 (aged 26) | Coventry City | 20 July 1999 | £4,500,000 | 134 | 5 |
| 6* | Gareth Barry | LM | Hastings | (1981-02-23)23 February 1981 (aged 21) | Academy | 1 January 1998 | — | 149 | 4 |
| 7 | Ian Taylor | CM | Birmingham | (1968-06-04)4 June 1968 (aged 34) | Sheffield Wednesday | 21 December 1994 | £1,000,000 | 273 | 40 |
| 10 | Paul Merson (c) | AM | Harlesden | (1968-03-20)20 March 1968 (aged 34) | Middlesbrough | 8 September 1998 | £6,750,000 | 144 | 19 |
| 12 | Thomas Hitzlsperger | LM | Munich | (1982-04-05)5 April 1982 (aged 20) | Bayern Munich | 5 August 2000 | Free transfer | 13 | 1 |
| 17 | Lee Hendrie | RM | Solihull | (1977-05-18)18 May 1977 (aged 25) | Academy | 1 July 1995 | — | 185 | 20 |
| 18 | Steve Stone | RM | Gateshead | (1971-08-20)20 August 1971 (aged 30) | Nottingham Forest | 11 March 1999 | £5,500,000 | 120 | 7 |
| 20 | Mustapha Hadji | LM | Ifrane Atlas-Saghir | (1971-11-16)16 November 1971 (aged 30) | Coventry City | 7 July 2001 | £4,500,000 | 32 | 3 |
| 22 | Hassan Kachloul | AM | Agadir | (1973-02-19)19 February 1973 (aged 29) | Southampton | 1 July 2001 | — | 31 | 2 |
| 26 | Mark Kinsella | CM | Dublin | (1972-08-12)12 August 1972 (aged 29) | Charlton Athletic | 23 August 2002 | £1,000,000 | - | - |
| 28 | Øyvind Leonhardsen | AM | Kristiansund | (1970-08-17)17 August 1970 (aged 31) | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 August 2002 | Free transfer | - | - |
| 29 | Peter Whittingham | RM | Nuneaton | (1983-02-15)15 February 1983 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 2002 | — | - | - |
| 31 | Stephen Cooke | CM | Walsall | (1983-02-15)15 February 1983 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 2000 | — | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | Joey Guðjónsson | CM | Akranes | (1980-05-25)25 May 1980 (aged 22) | Real Betis | 20 January 2003 | Loan | - | - |
| 38 | John McGrath | CM | Limerick | (1980-03-27)27 March 1980 (aged 22) | Academy | 1 July 1999 | — | 3 | 0 |
| 40 | Keith Fahey | LM | Dublin | (1983-01-15)15 January 1983 (aged 19) | Academy | 1 July 2002 | — | - | - |
| Forwards |||||||||||
| 8 | Juan Pablo Ángel | CF | Medellín | (1975-10-24)24 October 1975 (aged 26) | River Plate | 13 January 2001 | £9,500,000 | 45 | 17 |
| 9 | Dion Dublin | CF | Leicester | (1969-04-22)22 April 1969 (aged 33) | Coventry City | 5 November 1998 | £5,750,000 | 127 | 41 |
| 10* | Darius Vassell | CF | Birmingham | (1980-06-13)13 June 1980 (aged 22) | Academy | 1 January 1998 | — | 102 | 21 |
| 14 | Marcus Allbäck | CF | Gothenburg | (1973-07-05)5 July 1973 (aged 28) | Heerenveen | 18 May 2002 | £2,000,000 | - | - |
| 16 | Peter Crouch | CF | Macclesfield | (1981-01-30)30 January 1981 (aged 20) | Portsmouth | 27 March 2002 | £5,000,000 | 7 | 2 |
| 19 | Boško Balaban | CF | Rijeka | (1978-10-15)15 October 1978 (aged 23) | Dinamo Zagreb | 24 October 2001 | £5,800,000 | 11 | 0 |
| 23 | Michael Boulding | CF | Sheffield | (1976-02-08)8 February 1976 (aged 26) | Grimsby Town | 8 July 2002 | Free transfer | - | - |
| 25 | Stefan Moore | CF | Birmingham | (1983-09-28)28 September 1983 (aged 18) | Academy | 1 July 2001 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Luke Moore | CF | Birmingham | (1986-02-13)13 February 1986 (aged 16) | Academy | 1 January 2003 | — | - | - |
| 42 | Peter Hynes | CF | Dublin | (1983-11-28)28 November 1983 (aged 18) | Academy | 1 July 2001 | — | 0 | 0 |
*squad number was re-used following a players departure. Note: Stats and ages are correct as of July 1, 2002.

## Players
### First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | FIN | Peter Enckelman |
| 2 | DF | WAL | Mark Delaney |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Alan Wright |
| 4 | DF | SWE | Olof Mellberg |
| 5 | DF | TUR | Alpay Özalan |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Gareth Barry |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Ian Taylor |
| 8 | FW | COL | Juan Pablo Ángel |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Dion Dublin |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Darius Vassell |
| 11 | DF | IRL | Steve Staunton |
| 12 | MF | GER | Thomas Hitzlsperger |
| 13 | GK | NED | Stefan Postma |
| 14 | FW | SWE | Marcus Allbäck |
| 15 | DF | ECU | Ulises de la Cruz |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Peter Crouch |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Lee Hendrie |
| 19 | FW | CRO | Boško Balaban |
| 20 | MF | MAR | Mustapha Hadji |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Jlloyd Samuel |
| 22 | MF | MAR | Hassan Kachloul |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Liam Ridgewell |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Stefan Moore |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Mark Kinsella |
| 27 | DF | NOR | Ronny Johnsen |
| 28 | MF | NOR | Øyvind Leonhardsen |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Peter Whittingham |
| 30 | DF | WAL | Rob Edwards |
| 31 | DF | ENG | Stephen Cooke |
| 33 | DF | ISL | Joey Guðjónsson (on loan from Real Betis) |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 6 | MF | NED | George Boateng (to Middlesbrough) |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Paul Merson (to Portsmouth) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Steve Stone (to Portsmouth) |
| 23 | MF | ENG | Michael Boulding (to Grimsby Town) |

### Reserve squad

    The following players made most of their appearances for the reserves this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-17s, or may have appeared for the first team in a friendly.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 37 | GK | ENG | Boaz Myhill |
| 38 | MF | IRL | John McGrath |
| 40 | MF | IRL | Keith Fahey |
| — | DF | ENG | Leon Hylton |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ENG | Danny Jackman |
| — | MF | NIR | Gavin Melaugh |
| — | FW | ENG | Jon Bewers |
| — | | | Seyi Morgan |

### U-19 squad

    The following players made most of their appearances for the U-19s this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-17s.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 39 | GK | IRL | Wayne Henderson |
| 42 | FW | IRL | Peter Hynes |
| — | GK | ENG | Antoni Pecora |
| — | GK | IRL | Stephen Gahan |
| — | DF | ENG | Scott Cormell |
| — | DF | ENG | James O'Connor |
| — | DF | ENG | Cameron Stuart |
| — | DF | ENG | Oliver Williams |
| — | DF | IRL | Pierre Ennis |
| — | MF | ENG | Ryan Amoo |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Adam Baptist (on trial to Stoke City) |
| — | MF | SCO | Colin Marshall |
| — | MF | NIR | Steven Davis |
| — | MF | NIR | Jamie Ward |
| — | FW | ENG | Mark Atkinson |
| — | FW | ENG | Michael Husbands |
| — | FW | SCO | Alan Brazil |
| — | FW | FIN | Mika Aaritalo |
| — | MF | | David Nolan |

### U-17 squad

    The following players made most of their appearances for the U-17s this season, but may have also appeared for the reserves or the U-19s.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 32 | FW | ENG | Luke Moore |
| — | GK | ENG | Andrew Yarnold |
| — | DF | ENG | Stuart Bridges |
| — | DF | ENG | Gary Cahill |
| — | DF | ENG | Ashley Edkins |
| — | DF | ENG | Lee Grant |
| — | DF | ENG | Nick Green |
| — | DF | ENG | Paul Green |
| — | DF | IRL | Kevin Mulcahy |
| — | MF | ENG | Craig Gardner |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Kyle Nix |
| — | MF | ENG | Sam Williams |
| — | MF | IRL | Stephen Foley-Sheridan |
| — | FW | ENG | Gabriel Agbonlahor |
| — | FW | ENG | Shane Paul |
| — | FW | CIV | Amadou Koman |
| — | MF | | Rowan Caney |
| — | MF | | John Grady |
| — | | | Daniel Bridges |

### Other players

    The following players did not play for any Aston Villa team this season.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | FIN | Jon Masalin |
| — | GK | TRI | Kelvin Jack (on trial from San Juan Jabloteh) |
| — | DF | ENG | Danny Haynes |
| — | DF | FIN | Lasse Lagerblom (on trial from Lahti) |
| — | MF | ENG | Michael Noakes |
| — | MF | ENG | Isaiah Osbourne |
| — | MF | ENG | Jay Smith (to Southend United) |
| — | MF | BEL | Christian Tshimanga Kabeya |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | NOR | Espen Sögård (on trial from Lillestrøm SK) |
| — | FW | ENG | Matt Lewis (on trial from Kidderminster Harriers) |
| — | FW | ENG | Lee McGuire (to Bristol City) |
| — | MF | NIR | David Scullion |
| — | GK | | Jake Meredith |
| — | MF | | John Malpass (to Stourport Swifts) |
| — | | | Steve Jones (on trial to Stoke City) |

## Statistics
### Appearances and goals

    As of end of season
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Premier League | Premier League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Intertoto Cup | Intertoto Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||||||
| 1 | GK | FIN | Peter Enckelman | 39 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | NED | Stefan Postma | 9 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||||||
| 2 | DF | WAL | Mark Delaney | 17 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Alan Wright | 12 | 0 | 9+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | SWE | Olof Mellberg | 44 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | TUR | Alpay Özalan | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | IRL | Steve Staunton | 32 | 1 | 22+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 15 | DF | ECU | Ulises de la Cruz | 24 | 2 | 12+8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Jlloyd Samuel | 45 | 0 | 33+5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Liam Ridgewell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | NOR | Ronny Johnsen | 30 | 0 | 25+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | WAL | Rob Edwards | 9 | 0 | 7+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | ENG | Gareth Barry | 44 | 4 | 35 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Ian Taylor | 19 | 2 | 9+4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | GER | Thomas Hitzlsperger | 33 | 4 | 24+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2+1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | ENG | Lee Hendrie | 34 | 4 | 22+5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | MAR | Mustapha Hadji | 14 | 0 | 7+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | MAR | Hassan Kachloul | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | IRL | Mark Kinsella | 24 | 0 | 15+4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | NOR | Øyvind Leonhardsen | 23 | 3 | 13+6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Peter Whittingham | 4 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | ENG | Stephen Cooke | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | MF | ISL | Joey Guðjónsson | 11 | 2 | 9+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||||||
| 8 | FW | COL | Juan Pablo Ángel | 19 | 3 | 8+7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0+3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Dion Dublin | 35 | 14 | 23+5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Darius Vassell | 39 | 11 | 28+5 | 8 | 0+1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 14 | FW | SWE | Marcus Allbäck | 25 | 6 | 9+11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Peter Crouch | 18 | 0 | 7+7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | ENG | Stefan Moore | 17 | 1 | 7+6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 |
| Players transferred out during the season ||||||||||||||
| 6 | MF | NED | George Boateng | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ENG | Paul Merson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Steve Stone | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Michael Boulding | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Last updated: 30 May 2003 Source: Competitions

### Starting 11

| No. | Pos. | Name | MS | Notes |
| 1 | GK | Peter Enckelman | 39 | |
| 2 | RB | Mark Delaney | 17 | |
| 27 | CB | Ronny Johnsen | 29 | |
| 4 | CB | Olof Mellberg | 44 | |
| 21 | LB | Jlloyd Samuel | 40 | |
| 26 | RM | Mark Kinsella | 18 | Steve Staunton has 28 starts |
| 17 | CM | Lee Hendrie | 27 | |
| 6 | CM | Gareth Barry | 44 | |
| 12 | LM | Thomas Hitzlsperger | 30 | |
| 9 | CF | Dion Dublin | 30 | |
| 10 | CF | Darius Vassell | 32 | |

## Results
### Pre-season

| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Competition |
| 20 July 2002 | FC Zurich | A | 0 – 2 | | Intertoto Cup |
| 27 July 2002 | FC Zurich | H | 3 – 0 | Boulding (33), Allbäck (52), Staunton (77) | Intertoto Cup |
| August 2002 | Lille | A | 1 – 1 | Taylor (83) | Intertoto Cup |
| August 2002 | Lille | H | 0 – 2 | | Intertoto Cup |

### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 18 August 2002 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 41,183 | |
| 24 August 2002 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0–1 | 35,384 | |
| 28 August 2002 | Manchester City | H | 1–0 | 33,494 | Vassell 64' |
| 1 September 2002 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–1 | 22,113 | |
| 11 September 2002 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2–0 | 26,483 | de la Cruz 70', S Moore 83' |
| 16 September 2002 | Birmingham City | A | 0–3 | 29,505 | |
| 22 September 2002 | Everton | H | 3–2 | 30,023 | Hendrie 7', 48', Dublin 85' |
| 28 September 2002 | Sunderland | A | 0–1 | 40,492 | |
| 6 October 2002 | Leeds United | H | 0–0 | 33,505 | |
| 21 October 2002 | Southampton | H | 0–1 | 25,817 | |
| 26 October 2002 | Manchester United | A | 1–1 | 67,619 | Mellberg 35' |
| 3 November 2002 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–0 | 23,004 | |
| 9 November 2002 | Fulham | H | 3–1 | 29,563 | Ángel 20', Allbäck 66', Leonhardsen 83' |
| 16 November 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 0–0 | 27,091 | |
| 23 November 2002 | West Ham United | H | 4–1 | 33,279 | Hendrie 29', Leonhardsen 59', Dublin 72', Vassell 80' |
| 30 November 2002 | Arsenal | A | 1–3 | 38,090 | Hitzlsperger 64' |
| 7 December 2002 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | 33,446 | |
| 14 December 2002 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 2–1 | 40,391 | Vassell 16', Hitzlsperger 90' |
| 21 December 2002 | Chelsea | A | 0–2 | 38,284 | |
| 26 December 2002 | Manchester City | A | 1–3 | 33,991 | Dublin 41' |
| 28 December 2002 | Middlesbrough | H | 1–0 | 33,637 | Dublin 11' |
| 1 January 2003 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–0 | 31,838 | Dublin 8', Vassell 80' |
| 11 January 2003 | Liverpool | A | 1–1 | 43,210 | Dublin (pen) 49' |
| 18 January 2003 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0–1 | 38,576 | |
| 28 January 2003 | Middlesbrough | A | 5–2 | 27,546 | Vassell 24', 81', Guðjónsson 31', Barry 47', Dublin 90' |
| 2 February 2003 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–0 | 29,171 | Dublin 2', 40', Barry 81' |
| 8 February 2003 | Fulham | A | 1–2 | 17,092 | Barry 3' |
| 22 February 2003 | Charlton Athletic | A | 0–3 | 26,257 | |
| 3 March 2003 | Birmingham City | H | 0–2 | 42,602 | |
| 15 March 2003 | Manchester United | H | 0–1 | 42,602 | |
| 22 March 2003 | Southampton | A | 2–2 | 31,888 | Hendrie 30', Vassell 36' |
| 5 April 2003 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 | 42,602 | K Touré (own goal) 71' |
| 12 April 2003 | West Ham United | A | 2–2 | 35,029 | Vassell (pen) 36', Leonhardsen 52' |
| 19 April 2003 | Chelsea | H | 2–1 | 39,358 | Allbäck 11', 78' |
| 21 April 2003 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | 52,015 | Dublin 69' |
| 26 April 2003 | Everton | A | 1–2 | 40,167 | Allbäck 49' |
| 3 May 2003 | Sunderland | H | 1–0 | 36,963 | Allbäck 80' |
| 11 May 2003 | Leeds United | A | 1–3 | 40,205 | Guðjónsson 40 |

#### Final standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 14 | Fulham | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 41 | 50 | −9 | 48 | |
| 15 | Leeds United | 38 | 14 | 5 | 19 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 47 | |
| 16 | Aston Villa | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 47 | −5 | 45 | |
| 17 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 41 | 51 | −10 | 44 | |
| 18 | West Ham United (R) | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 42 | 59 | −17 | 42 | Relegation to Football League First Division |

## FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 4 January 2003 | Round 3 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1 – 4 | Angel 41' | 23,884 |

## League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 2 October 2002 | Round 2 | Luton Town | H | 3 – 0 | De La Cruz 9', Dublin (2) 35', 48' | 20,833 |
| 6 November 2002 | Round 3 | Oxford United | A | 3 – 0 | Taylor 74', Barry 77', Dublin 86' | 12,177 |
| 4 December 2002 | Round 4 | Preston North End | H | 5 – 0 | Vassell 44', 55', Dublin 80', Ángel 84', Hitzlsperger 87' | 23,042 |
| 18 December 2002 | Round 5 | Liverpool | H | 3 – 4 | Vassell 23' (pen), Hitzlsperger 72', Henchoz 88 (o.g.) | 38,530 |

## Transfers
### In

| # | Pos | Player | From | Fee | Date |
| 33 | MF | Joey Guðjónsson | Real Betis | Loan | January 2003 |
| 14 | FW | Marcus Allbäck | SC Heerenveen | £2,000,000 | July 2002 |
| 27 | DF | Ronny Johnsen | Manchester United F.C. | Free | July 2002 |
| 15 | DF | Ulises de la Cruz | Hibernian F.C. | £1,000,000 | July 2002 |
| 26 | MF | Mark Kinsella | Charlton Athletic F.C. | £1,000,000 | July 2002 |
| 28 | MF | Øyvind Leonhardsen | Tottenham Hotspur F.C. | Free | July 2002 |
| 13 | GK | Stefan Postma | De Graafschap | £1,500,000 | July 2002 |
| 23 | FW | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town F.C. | Free | July 2002 |

### Out

| # | Pos | Player | To | Fee | Date |
| 10 | MF | Paul Merson | Portsmouth | Free | June 2002 |
| 6 | MF | George Boateng | Middlesbrough | £5,000,000 | June 2002 |
| 1 | GK | Peter Schmeichel | Manchester City | Free | June 2002 |
| 19 | FW | Boško Balaban | Dinamo Zagreb | Loan | June 2002 |
| 43 | DF | Liam Ridgewell | Bournemouth | Loan | August 2002 |
| 24 | MF | John McGrath | Dagenham & Redbridge | Loan | November 2002 |
| N/A | MF | Jay Smith | Southend United | Free | November 2002 |
| 18 | MF | Steve Stone | Portsmouth | Free | December 2002 |
| 23 | FW | Michael Boulding | Grimsby Town | Free | January 2003 |
| 7 | MF | Ian Taylor | Derby County | Released | August 2003 |