The day OUR derby died

[DeKuip]

What an embarrassment to our fine city today was for all of us who care about football here.

It’s easy to come on here for Villa fans and taunt the noses over their attendance,  but it’s more than just that, and BOTH clubs, the city council and our own local police force have to take a lot of the blame for finally killing off what has always been a special occasion for the football fans of this region.

A meagre away allocation does not make for a passionate derby, today’s atmosphere was shocking and must have had football fans in Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and elsewhere watching TV and laughing at the SECOND CITY derby.

Don’t give me the hooligan excuse… yes there was trouble in town after the last game but is that an excuse for the clubs and authorities to spoil things for the rest of us – the ones who pay the police bill through our taxes and match ticket money.
What happened at the ground then could have been prevented. After what had happened previously anyone with half a brain would have anticipated an attempt to smash up toilets in the away section and placed stewards or police in positions to stop it.
Anyone Police commander worth his salt would have realised that positioning all his manpower outside the ground in readiness for the final whistle left them exposed inside the stadium once the final whistle went. As it was a bunch of kids ran on to celebrate their win, and naturally ran towards the away end to taunt us – but was it actually threatening or frightening? Was it f**k! The police were lucky their weakness wasn’t exposed by an organised mob from either club hellbent on trouble – because all they left in place was a thin row of stewards. The fans in the away end or on the pitch could easily have got at each other of they wanted to, but didn’t… it was all gestures and some stupid flare throwing. The over-reaction to it in the media was predictable.

So what brilliant solution did the two clubs and the authorities come up with today. Not find a way of dealing with potential trouble – but stop people going! Then at huge cost to us all send enough police to give every away fan a personal escort – absolutely laughable.  How could police intelligence be so far off the mark again.

How many arrests were made at the cup game, or indeed the Villa Park meeting in October when two sets of fans stood and threatened each other after the game, and threw a flare or two? If it had all been that bad then there would surely have been more arrests. If the police had done the job they get paid for then any troublemakers would have been sorted out.
What happened? – well at Villa Park a fan was thrown out for heading the ball back, at The Sty today a semi-streaker ran on the pitch and still managed to escape back into the crowd without being caught – despite every copper in the midlands being there.

Before we meet again the two clubs have to do better in terms of how they treat our derby. Are they going to spoil it for the real fans again and stop people going?..If so they may as well volunteer the two fixtures to the Premier League bosses as games to be played in Abu Dhabi or Outer Mongolia.

Failing that switch it to Bodymoor Heath or Waste Hills and save us all the embarrassment.

[PeterWithe]

The day we get a crowd of 22k for the derby I'll share their embarrassment, until then I think we should all have a good laugh at the team 'all  true Brummies support'

I wont join in the knocking of them for not travelling to away games on a monday night but that crowd today was hilarious.

[barrysleftfoot]

   I think today finally killed the myth about BCFC ever becoming, even an average sized club.Could'nt sell out against their biggest rivals, i bet they have'nt sold out against WHU either.

   A real shame, because i believe a bigger and better BCFC is better for us.More competition, more rivalry=more ambition, and more important , the need to show ambition.

[Toronto Villa]

Makes it even funnier when you think back to the new super stadium hot air being blown by the porn twins while they were in town.

Mind you probably doesn't help that neutrals, those who might be semi interested or many with kids won't go for fear of innocently being dragged into trouble.

[olaftab]

Fully agree. These games being played at 12.00 and poor attendances (Don't forget that the match at VP was no where near sold out and it was not live on TV) are making this derby a second class event compared to  Liverpool and  Manchester games.

[AV82EC]

I'd also point out that who has caused the massive over reaction by the authorities?  Us, or at least the meatheads on either side who seem to think we need to recreate the battle of rourke's drift every time we play one another.

[Witton Warrior]

I seem to remember some pretty small crowds wherever you went in the 80's
There was time we would have been happy to get 22k

[AV82EC]

   I think today finally killed the myth about BCFC ever becoming, even an average sized club.Could'nt sell out against their biggest rivals, i bet they have'nt sold out against WHU either.

   A real shame, because i believe a bigger and better BCFC is better for us.More competition, more rivalry=more ambition, and more important , the need to show ambition.

But every time that happens we pull away again and they disappear up their own arses again.  It would be nice to have decent local rivals who you could show a bit of respect to for once.  There is no other derby so 1 sided as ours in terms of size of club.  Even having our shittest season in a few years our average attendance is still 80% higher.   

[Witton Warrior]

I can see what you did there!  ;-)

Thank God it isn't Isandlwana...

[PeterWithe]

Fair enough, if you lot want to sympathise with your nose mates about prices, trouble, lack of investment etc, you crack on.

I'll carry on taking the piss at them getting 22k against whom they invade the pitch whenever they spawn a win every ten games.

[DeKuip]

I'd also point out that who has caused the massive over reaction by the authorities?  Us, or at least the meatheads on either side who seem to think we need to recreate the battle of rourke's drift every time we play one another.

If it was so bad why haven't more arrests and convictions been made. Why aren't the police doing their job? Probably because it's hard to convict someone for standing behind a line of police and shouting!

[JUAN PABLO]

There was more police than Blose faans in the ground

[mr woo]

, at The Sty today a semi-streaker ran on the pitch

What a picture THAT creates........

[DeKuip]

Fair enough, if you lot want to sympathise with your nose mates about prices, trouble, lack of investment etc, you crack on.

I'll carry on taking the piss at them getting 22k against whom they invade the pitch whenever they spawn a win every ten games.

So you're happy to carry on seeing all those empty seats in the away end that could have been filled if the clubs and police did their jobs properly? Then maybe there'd have been a better atmosphere. I'm sure it was the empty away end that would have shown up more on tele. Were the viewers around the country aware that those seats were never on sale? I doubt it. Probably viewed as a piss-poor away following from us now we're struggling down the bottom of the league.

[sheldon nose]

i will say the derby game has defo lost its fizz,well it has for me and a lot of my nose mates,do think the police have killed it a bit as well which they want to do in the long run as its just hassle for them...plus west midlands football is shit basically.......