Ellis 'looking forward' to Villa return

Recovering Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis has hailed an “improved” financial picture after the club announced a significant reduction in their pre-tax losses for the year ended May 31, 2005.

Villa lost £2.5m (€3.6m) before tax compared to £10.7m (€15.5m) in 2004, though turnover fell by 7.6% to £51.6m (€74.5m).