The day OUR derby died

[rutski]

i have a season ticket with my son (9), and i would not take him to this game!trepidation has a lot to do with it!

[charlie659]

A realistic nose who knows his/their place:

"I've said before, staying away due to the aggro is fair enough, and it shouldn't happen (the trouble). However, what's the excuse for the poor attendances against almost every other team? If it's not violence, it's prices, or rubbish football, or the owners, or the EastEnders omnibus, or it's on the TV, or it's Gold and Sullivan, or it's Carson Yeung, or the weather.

We are what we are - a Premier League club with low support for a city of Birmingham's size."

[DeKuip]

From the Mail website, basically the only things the army of police had to deal with today they failed with. 

"A robust policing operation was undertaken which involved a large number of officers, dog handlers and specialist evidence gathering teams working alongside club stewards to ensure spectator safety."

Five people were arrested for drink and drug related offences and two smoke devices were smuggled past security and discharged inside the ground.

Officers will also be investigating how a man was able to gain access to the pitch prior to the end of the game.

"We will be investigating these incidents and reviewing CCTV to identify and arrest those responsible," added Ch Insp Doyle.

Instead of investigating how someone got on the pitch (er, he just whipped his toggs off and jumped over the barrier), they should explain how they they failed to catch him and let him disappear back into the crowd. They really are hopeless. Maybe if they reduce our allocation even more, and bring in even more police from around the country, they'll be able to cope better next time.

[The Situation]

Was half of the away end really shut? Whenever small heath are playing on the TV that end always looks empty where the home fans are meant to be sitting.

[flybo]

West Brom is my derby

[cdbearsfan]

Man U were defin

I wish the derby would die. I miss the days when we used to consider Man U our main rivals and never sang about Blues.

Admittedly this only lasted about two seasons.

 Thats a bit like Coventry being obsessed with us though,United would have no interest in us at all. The ticket allocation and kick off times doesnt help our derbies,but they way their supporters have carried on over the years its no suprise.

They would care about us if we were a serious rival in the same way they hate Arsenal and Chelsea even though geographically they're not rivals. I'm not suggesting we are about to be their rivals anytime in the next millennium, just saying it would be nice.

[sheldon nose]

plus west midlands football is shit basically.......

Nah it's not that, just Birmingham, Wolves and West Brom have forever lived in our shadow.

It's a shame all our local rivals are no marks who belong in the Championship. Why don't we have any good local rivals? It's probably time to just boycott Birmingham City until they win something.

fao situation...well theres two no mark clubs above you at the moment mate...i think "situation" your a little bit bitter still has we have blooded your nose this season.....get over it mate....

[Small Rodent]

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

Buzzzzzzzzzzz! Irrelevant.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

Only 1,500 Villa fans with tickets for this game is a disgrace - especially when you see a half empty away end.  I went to the cup game, the game finished, I left immediately after the final whistle, got my head down ánd walked back into town straight afterwards - no problems. I'm sure if I'd have hung around I could have found some grief but that doesn't interest me.

The main problem with policing Sty Andrews is that as an away fan you have to walk straight into the home fans as you come out. It only makes one dickhead from either side to make this a bigger problem than it should ever be. When Villa play at Blose, i'm not sure if we were located elsewhere in the ground it would make things easier or not. Within the ground I certainly don't appreciate the barrage of spit, coins, lighters, etc that come down from above so it was good to see that that part of the ground was shut today. (Although i'm sure genuine, law abiding, season ticketed noses would disagree)

I'm amazed that for this game we are not given the other side of the railway end, meaning we could exit out the other side of the cesspit and down St.Andrews Road where police could either hold or filter people easier than right outside of the ground where they currently meet. If need be, coaches could be parked in this street and fans escorted back to Villa Park if need be.

It is a shame the crowd was 22k, and they couldn't sell more tickets, but let's be honest, their support is shocking even before they have an excuse of tv, 12noon, Sunday, etc etc.

[The Situation]

plus west midlands football is shit basically.......

Nah it's not that, just Birmingham, Wolves and West Brom have forever lived in our shadow.

It's a shame all our local rivals are no marks who belong in the Championship. Why don't we have any good local rivals? It's probably time to just boycott Birmingham City until they win something.

fao situation...well theres two no mark clubs above you at the moment mate...i think "situation" your a little bit bitter still has we have blooded your nose this season.....get over it mate....

Change the record son.

That's all you will ever have, very short-term happiness... when was the last time both blose and West Brom finished above us? Can you answer that or are you going to avoid that question?

'Blooded you nose'? Congrats, you still haven't beaten us in the league in 6 years.

22000 in the sty today is all we need to know how much of an embarrassing, pathetic joke of a club you're. Even your own fans think your support is a joke but will then still claim only 'true brummies' support Birmingham City. Just goes to prove that mantra is bullshit.

Shit team Shit fans.

I await your comeback which shows there is lots of inaccurate flaws in my post.

P.S. Tell Agent Ridgewell to accept my next mission for him. kthxbye.

[sheldon nose]

fao the situation..did you go today?

[sheldon nose]

Nearly 48000 at Sunderland today, and game came complete with drunkenness, violence, seat throwing and an assault upon a player by a fan.

No flares or streakers though.

fecking lightweights

[The Situation]

fao the situation..did you go today?

Nah, one trip to the sty is enough for me.

[lovejoy]

Sheldon a question in peace. I've always wondered this.
I no longer live in the area and have no particular axe to grind but most people (with no west midlands affiliations) would see the blues as a team with a much higher % of fans looking for trouble than most teams. A step below Millwall I'll give you but on a par with Cardiff, Leeds, Stoke you know the next step down. Is that how you guys see yourselves or as a team with the usual % of troublemakers?

[The Situation]

Nearly 48000 at Sunderland today, and game came complete with drunkenness, violence, seat throwing and an assault upon a player by a fan.

No flares or streakers though.

fecking lightweights

I know... assaulting players too. Pfft, that would never happen at St Andrews...