#6 Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s humiliation and despair knew no bounds when they were relegated at the end of the 2015-16 season to the Championship after their 28-year stay in the top division of English football. After scoring just 23 goals all season, the seven-time England champions left the Premier League in shame amidst fierce protests against owner Randy Lerner. In such an atmosphere, the club unveiled their new crest which displayed minimal changes from the previous one except for one major difference.
For years, Villa had the word ‘Prepared’ inscribed on their badge which had now been removed. Instead, the lion was made more prominent and appeared fierce with well-defined claws and teeth. The timing of the change could not have been worse as the club was nowhere close to being prepared. With life in the second division to look forward to, many took to Twitter to express their disbelief.
The club’s official statement justified the change as a move to highlight the lion which stands for valour, bravery and strength, an image that tested well with focus groups.
