What's your favourite Villa possession?

[JJ-AV]

I've recently acquired every program from 80/81 and 81/82 out of the loft of a house my dads mate was working in. The guy was throwing them out so my dads mate had 'em for me.

Not Villa related but I've also a totally completed card-book from 1971. Not bad for someone born 18 years later!

[nick harper]

I have every home programme from 1971/72 when my grandfather first took me down and we won the third division, 1976/77, the most exciting Villa side I've ever seen and 1980/81.

They're all in protected presentation packs. I take a look from time to time, if only to see Terry Weir's great photos.

[Comrade Blitz]

signed framed julian joachim shirt that I won on the old mailing list - picked it up at bodymoor at kit sponsors' day in 1997

[old man villa fan]

My 1981 supporters club photocard , I needed to travel to the European Cup Final.

Mine too, together with the match ticket.

Ex schoolmates Dad worked for the club at the time and was able to get us tickets for the match but we had to join the supporters club to get them.  My mate was working in LA at the time and was desperate to go so I got my Dad to join to get the ticket for him.  My mate went as my Dad and even now he doesn't look as old as my Dad did in the photo.

[villa1]

The first Villa babygrow my son had.

[ventnor villain]

European cup final ticket, programme, Travel Tickets (David Dyer Travel) and replica final shirt (which sadly doesn't fit me anymore) and the framed photo of me and my dad woth the European Cup and Super Cup taken at VP by Terry Weir around March-ish 1983.

[dave.woodhall]

A football signed by the 1982 squad.

[Legion]

My collection of framed prints I purchased from Richard Whitehead.

[Rancid custard]

Got the home shirt of 2 seasons gone signed by all the squad, sadly donated by NRC  with his name and number on the back.

[Dave H]

"It was Saturday evening August the 30th 1941, the day on which in peace time the English Football League commenced the season and here was I a member of H.M. Royal Air Force station at Silloth a small port & holiday resort situated on the north east coast of Cumberland with its beaches washed by the waters of the Solway Firth and twenty one miles from the garrison town of Carlisle. The weather was ideal, a fairly calm sun sent its rays southward and a balmy breeze lazily made its way from off the waters. All day I had been suffering from a great feeling of home sickness & when the day turned to be as grand I became worse. I looked at my watch 2.40 p.m. it told me. I put on my coat and smoothly stroad off through the park & towards the ground. I bought a programme from one of the service fellows of World War 1 & paid my 1/- & entered the gound through a well oiled turnstile.  Oh what a ground as level as a billiard table, turf in good condition and a wonderful sight. 2.59 p.m. any moment now & those lads will come troopimg out, a great roar issues from the throats of the 50 thousand people that crowded the terracing and stands. "Here come the lads" & Jimmy Allen followed by Mush Callaghan & more other heroes in claret and blue emerged from the players ally and set foot on the turf and headed for the goal at the Church end of the ground. What a sight there was George Cummings last as usual and walking as if all this cheering was for him alone.  "Good old George". Joe has now taken his place between the sticks and stoops to hold a cannon shot from Eric ( evergreen ) Houghton now in his twelth playing season for the Villa. Mossie now slips a ball forward& Frank Broome is off like a greyhound & on the run sends in a shot which Joe does wll to stop.  The lads are on their toes today is the crowd's general opinion & to further this Haycock sends the now retrieved ball into the net like a flash well out of the goalies reach. The ref blows his whistle.  But alas it is all a wonderful pipe dream & I open my eyes to see not the happy surroundings of Villa Park but the whiteness of the roof of our hut."  Extracts from a letter written by by dad who passed away 10 yeras ago.  My Mom is now in John Taylor Hospice with terminal cancer.  I felt like sharing this extract as my Mom thought I should.  This is my most prcious Villa momentum and is one of the reasons I am Claret and Blue.  Good luck to us all for the season ahead and hope you don't mind the post.

[RunRickyRun]

Wrote to Steve Stride when I was 11 as part of a school project about businesses in the community. He sent me back a piece of A4 headed paper signed by the whole squad. Steve Stride - top bloke.

[Lucky Eddie]

"It was Saturday evening August the 30th 1941, the day on which in peace time the English Football League commenced the season and here was I a member of H.M. Royal Air Force station at Silloth a small port & holiday resort situated on the north east coast of Cumberland with its beaches washed by the waters of the Solway Firth and twenty one miles from the garrison town of Carlisle. The weather was ideal, a fairly calm sun sent its rays southward and a balmy breeze lazily made its way from off the waters. All day I had been suffering from a great feeling of home sickness & when the day turned to be as grand I became worse. I looked at my watch 2.40 p.m. it told me. I put on my coat and smoothly stroad off through the park & towards the ground. I bought a programme from one of the service fellows of World War 1 & paid my 1/- & entered the gound through a well oiled turnstile.  Oh what a ground as level as a billiard table, turf in good condition and a wonderful sight. 2.59 p.m. any moment now & those lads will come troopimg out, a great roar issues from the throats of the 50 thousand people that crowded the terracing and stands. "Here come the lads" & Jimmy Allen followed by Mush Callaghan & more other heroes in claret and blue emerged from the players ally and set foot on the turf and headed for the goal at the Church end of the ground. What a sight there was George Cummings last as usual and walking as if all this cheering was for him alone.  "Good old George". Joe has now taken his place between the sticks and stoops to hold a cannon shot from Eric ( evergreen ) Houghton now in his twelth playing season for the Villa. Mossie now slips a ball forward& Frank Broome is off like a greyhound & on the run sends in a shot which Joe does wll to stop.  The lads are on their toes today is the crowd's general opinion & to further this Haycock sends the now retrieved ball into the net like a flash well out of the goalies reach. The ref blows his whistle.  But alas it is all a wonderful pipe dream & I open my eyes to see not the happy surroundings of Villa Park but the whiteness of the roof of our hut."  Extracts from a letter written by by dad who passed away 10 yeras ago.  My Mom is now in John Taylor Hospice with terminal cancer.  I felt like sharing this extract as my Mom thought I should.  This is my most prcious Villa momentum and is one of the reasons I am Claret and Blue.  Good luck to us all for the season ahead and hope you don't mind the post.

Quality Brother, quality. Best wishes to your Mom.

[adrenachrome]

"It was Saturday evening August the 30th 1941, the day on which in peace time the English Football League commenced the season and here was I a member of H.M. Royal Air Force station at Silloth a small port & holiday resort situated on the north east coast of Cumberland with its beaches washed by the waters of the Solway Firth and twenty one miles from the garrison town of Carlisle. The weather was ideal, a fairly calm sun sent its rays southward and a balmy breeze lazily made its way from off the waters. All day I had been suffering from a great feeling of home sickness & when the day turned to be as grand I became worse. I looked at my watch 2.40 p.m. it told me. I put on my coat and smoothly stroad off through the park & towards the ground. I bought a programme from one of the service fellows of World War 1 & paid my 1/- & entered the gound through a well oiled turnstile.  Oh what a ground as level as a billiard table, turf in good condition and a wonderful sight. 2.59 p.m. any moment now & those lads will come troopimg out, a great roar issues from the throats of the 50 thousand people that crowded the terracing and stands. "Here come the lads" & Jimmy Allen followed by Mush Callaghan & more other heroes in claret and blue emerged from the players ally and set foot on the turf and headed for the goal at the Church end of the ground. What a sight there was George Cummings last as usual and walking as if all this cheering was for him alone.  "Good old George". Joe has now taken his place between the sticks and stoops to hold a cannon shot from Eric ( evergreen ) Houghton now in his twelth playing season for the Villa. Mossie now slips a ball forward& Frank Broome is off like a greyhound & on the run sends in a shot which Joe does wll to stop.  The lads are on their toes today is the crowd's general opinion & to further this Haycock sends the now retrieved ball into the net like a flash well out of the goalies reach. The ref blows his whistle.  But alas it is all a wonderful pipe dream & I open my eyes to see not the happy surroundings of Villa Park but the whiteness of the roof of our hut."  Extracts from a letter written by by dad who passed away 10 yeras ago.  My Mom is now in John Taylor Hospice with terminal cancer.  I felt like sharing this extract as my Mom thought I should.  This is my most prcious Villa momentum and is one of the reasons I am Claret and Blue.  Good luck to us all for the season ahead and hope you don't mind the post.

Quality Brother, quality. Best wishes to your Mom.

Many thanks for sharing this with is us Dave, and I have recently been through a similar experience, so my heart goes out to you.

[Nelly]

Dave H, that was a beautiful post - thank you.

One of the things I treasure most is the letter I got back from Villa signed by Brian Little from when he was in charge of Villa. I wrote to the club as an 11 year old kid and never in my dreams did I think they would write back; the fact that they did bother to cemented the club and Sir Brian in my heart.

Then, my mom found an old Villa badge at a jumble sale at her church, I'm not 100% as to when it's from, but I'm guessing the 50's/60's. It's now proudly on my hoodie-jacket-thing's arm. (I hope that's not offensive to anyone, I'm just proud of it).

Lastly, my brother's Villa scarf that he passed on to me. When my family arrived in this country, my brother (rightly) picked the Villa. I used to take it everywhere with me as a kid and I love it to bits!

[Brazilian Villain]

A poster of the 81-82 season team photo with the Championship trophy, signed by the members of the European Cup winning squad and Tony Barton.