He had a prosperous periods with Leeds United and Fulham but faced difficulties after joining Aston Villa in 2016.
Aston Villa’s acquisition of Ross McCormack for £12 million turned out to be a disaster, both on and off the field, during his short time at the club.
Despite his prolific goal-scoring record at Leeds United and Fulham, McCormack’s disappointing performance at Villa surprised many. With only 24 appearances and three goals, Villa paid a steep price per appearance and goal for the striker, making his transfer one to forget.
While McCormack is celebrated as a modern-day EFL cult hero for his goal-scoring exploits and cherished memories at Leeds United and Fulham, one team, in particular, will not look back fondly on his time – Aston Villa.
Aston Villa made a significant move in 2016 by signing the striker from Fulham for £12 million, following their relegation from the Premier League. However, it turned out to be a costly and disappointing decision for Villa.
McCormack, previously successful at clubs like Leeds and Fulham, struggled immensely both on and off the pitch during his time at Villa Park. This contrasted sharply with the positive memories other clubs had of him. The mismatch between player and club highlighted how sometimes the right player in the wrong environment can lead to disastrous results.
Villa supporters were particularly disheartened, as they couldn’t reconcile McCormack’s lackluster performance with his past goal-scoring prowess in the Championship.
Ross McCormack’s time at Aston Villa was an absolute disaster
With a wealth of Championship experience and joining a team freshly relegated from the Premier League, there were high hopes that McCormack would quickly make an impact after signing a three-year contract with Villa. Unfortunately, this expectation didn’t materialize.
Despite making 18 appearances across all competitions in the first half of the 2016/17 season, McCormack only managed to score three times. This was a significant disappointment considering his track record in the EFL.
However, the real challenges for McCormack seemed to occur off the field. One notable incident was when he missed training, citing issues with a malfunctioning electric gate at his home. This led to criticism from manager Steve Bruce, who publicly called out McCormack for his poor attitude.
He was subsequently loaned to Nottingham Forest for the rest of the season, but he also flopped at the City Ground, scoring just once.
McCormack’s Aston Villa spell saw just two further appearances, both coming in the early rounds of the 2017/18 League Cup, before he was loaned to Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners in Australia, and had a spell with Motherwell in Scotland, before being released in 2019.