Villa are like magnolia.....It's interesting how other fans view us.

[Oh Andy]

I know we have our local rivals that hate us but what do fans further a field think of us.
According to this Bolton fan we are like magnolia painted woodchip........Cheeky Fucker. 


The Magnolia Match

On that glorious day when the fixture list comes out, all shiny and new, and a new season beckons full of promise and expectation, there are games that you scan for, games that you instantly flag and place in your diary, games around which your life will be built in the coming months. Villa is never one of those games.

There is something stultifyingly mundane about Villa - they are the magnolia-painted woodchip of the footballing world, the rice-pudding of the premier league. Outside of the West Midlands they have no deadly enemies, least of all us. Even if we beat them, nobody comes running to TW to see if the Spy has done a number on them, eager to rub their noses in it. If they were a chocolate, they would be one of those ones in green wrappers in the Roses box that people only eat because they hate the coffee ones and there's nowt else left.

It's not because they are a poor team - indeed they finished sixth three seasons running - maybe it's to their credit that they can be quite good and do it without the arrogance that attracts hatred - but how those fans must long for some recognition - even if it is the recognition that they have got up another team's nose - irritated opposing fans enough to hate them. How we LOVE to be so utterly despised by West Ham fans - it's what makes football worthwhile!

So - here it is, just around the corner, that fixture that nobody noticed all those months ago - the one that we have to get over with before the more interesting stuff the following weekend. TW moderators have been out and about on the streets paying people to sign up to the Forum and post something on the Villa match thread, and it still barely stretched to two pages - as many pages as the behind-closed-doors reserves friendly match against Molde inspired.

Anyway - as I said, here it is, like a giant dollop of ordinaryness barring our way, blocking the sun and spreading it's own aura of grey numbness over our lives.

Houllier rested eight players for the cup game against Citeh, much to the disgruntlement of Villa fans. Should we be flattered? Villa are in a bit of a relegation scrap, so it was either a masterstroke of league prioritisation or a demotivating blunder of epic proportion. We are no strangers to the strategy ourselves, and back then Wigan were the beneficiaries, so let's hope it is the latter.

Coyle's policy on resting players will also come under scrutiny. CYL has conveniently been rested for a few games meaning that Owen could avoid the tricky striker decision by putting Elmo out wide. It will be interesting to see if this continues. Sturridge's goal-scoring surely makes him immune from a benching, and SKD is the captain. The Moo will be keen to play against former a West Midland foe, but then Coyle seems to be favouring wee Mark recently, all of which competition for places is a nice conundrum to have - something that can't be said for the back four where we only have four fit players!

So - yay! hey everyone - the Villa game is finally here!! (yawn) I think I'll alphabetise my sock drawer....

3-1 to the Whites.

[Holtenderinthesky]

I posted this in the pre-match thread.

[Kingthing]

Pot calling the kettle black, They're hardly Monet, coming from most other teams I'd see their point.

[TheSandman]

Blackburn hate us.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Sounds about right to me. Why would anyone care about us outside of the Midlands?

How does that song go? "15 years, won fuck all...", of course no-one will notice us, but do we care?

[KevinGage]

Can recall various games with Man Ure and Liverpool fans treating us all to a rousing ditty of 'shit on the Villa,' Arsenal's lot with 'you used to be a big club.'  We might not be high up on their hate list, but we do register. Everton fans for some reason have a major dislike for us too.

Bolton?  Meh. They're just the red headed stepson you pat on the head and feel sorry for.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Judging by their fans yesterday the reason the thread did not expand to more than  two pages is that most of them would have difficulty in picking up a pen let alone working out what a computer is for.
 

[Holtenderinthesky]

As I said in the pre match thread, it may be true that we are a boring club to most but coming from Bolton it's a fuckin insult.

[luke25]

Can recall various games with Man Ure and Liverpool fans treating us all to a rousing ditty of 'shit on the Villa,' Arsenal's lot with 'you used to be a big club.'  We might not be high up on their hate list, but we do register. Everton fans for some reason have a major dislike for us too.

Bolton?  Meh. They're just the red headed stepson you pat on the head and feel sorry for.

What it is with Everton? I used to work with an Evertonian who could'nt stand us, never could get my head round it

[Holtenderinthesky]

Can recall various games with Man Ure and Liverpool fans treating us all to a rousing ditty of 'shit on the Villa,' Arsenal's lot with 'you used to be a big club.'  We might not be high up on their hate list, but we do register. Everton fans for some reason have a major dislike for us too.

Bolton?  Meh. They're just the red headed stepson you pat on the head and feel sorry for.

What it is with Everton? I used to work with an Evertonian who could'nt stand us, never could get my head round it

Winning just once in 25 years at Villa Park probably hasn't helped.

[Pete3206]

Funny, I feel exactly the same about Bolton.

[KevinGage]

Can recall various games with Man Ure and Liverpool fans treating us all to a rousing ditty of 'shit on the Villa,' Arsenal's lot with 'you used to be a big club.'  We might not be high up on their hate list, but we do register. Everton fans for some reason have a major dislike for us too.

Bolton?  Meh. They're just the red headed stepson you pat on the head and feel sorry for.

What it is with Everton? I used to work with an Evertonian who could'nt stand us, never could get my head round it

Genuinely don't know, and it's part of the reason why I shy away from the 'I like Everton' type threads that used to do the rounds here a while back.

You could attribute some of it to our new found wealth around 2006+, where they believed they had some divine right to be challenging for 4th/5th and suddenly felt threatened, but I think it predates even that. Heard various Bluescouse refer to us as 'dirty Villa'  (perhaps they just meant Postma though) and such like long before that period.

[damon loves JT]

Two words:

Dean Holdsworth.

[TimTheVillain]

Bolton Wanderers, way too boring for words.

Do their 'fans' ever sing ?

The Prem would not be worse off without them - indeed would anyone notice or care if they went down ?

[PaulTheVillan]

Bolton fans are deluded if they think they don't play long ball anymore.