Villa sun kasance a cikin fitattu yayin da Saunders ya ci gaba da tsara ƙungiyar nasara. Wannan ya ƙare da taken gasar ta bakwai a cikin 1980<unk>81. Abin mamaki ga masu sharhi da magoya baya, Saunders ya bar tsakiyar kakar wasa ta 1981<unk>82, bayan ya fadi tare da shugaban, tare da Villa a cikin kwata na karshe na gasar cin kofin Turai. An maye gurbinsa da mataimakinsa mai magana da hankali Tony Barton wanda ya jagoranci kulob din zuwa nasara 1<unk>0 a kan Bayern Munich a gasar cin kofin Turai a Rotterdam ta hanyar Peter Withe. A kakar wasa ta gaba Villa ta lashe gasar cin kofin Turai, inda ta doke Barcelona da 3<unk>1 a kan jimlar. Wannan ya nuna alamar nasara kuma dukiyar Villa ta ragu sosai a yawancin shekarun 1980s, wanda ya ƙare a shekarar 1987.
Saunders