How important are ASTON VILLA to your life?

[Lucky Eddie]

Moderator Pauliewallbents writes

''For all the grandstanding that goes on here about "OMG, I couldn't possibly live without Villa!!!" or "if i lived in the UK, I'd be there every day of the week, not just matchdays", the reality is that it is surprisingly easy to stop bothering when you've got other stuff to think about.

I wasted years of my life in the 80s and early 90s following Villa all over the place, then went and lived abroad for three years, so had little chance to watch us (pre web, pre satellite tv), then came back to the midlands and carried on not bothering at all for a few years longer. It was probably a hiatus of about 8 years or so when I got to about 3 matches at most.

Did it bother me at the time? No. Because I had other things to worry about / fill my time. That's life, it doesn't revolve around football. Does it make me any less of a fan? No, i don't think it does.

I don't like the "you're not allowed that opinion because you don't go very often" line because it is sneery and dismissive and there are probably lots of other people who could easily get to matches but don't bother, yet they don't seem to get the stick some posters do.

If you accept that's ok, then by the same stretch, next time you come back from the match to find someone on here who hasn't been to the match telling you what it is like - because they live in Timbuktu, or wherever, for whatever reason- you should feel comfortable in telling them their opinions don't count either, because they weren't there any more than the bloke who lives round the corner and spent the afternoon watching back to back repeats of Come Dine With Me.

By the same stretch, though, I also don't understand why anyone thinks anyone else should organise their whole life around Villa. The people who usually spend most time telling us how they organise their holidays around the league proramme, or they've called their firstborn Pongo McGregor McGrath or they're getting married and they're wearing claret and blue are the ones who seem to think they've got something to prove.

It really is just a sport, and while we all get really wound up by it, organising your whole life around it is a bit mental to say the least''.






Are all of the moderators and contributors to this site so 'take or leave it' regarding 'da villa'?

Have the passionate season ticket renewers been duped into considering their opinions?



















??

[Lucky Eddie]

...........................and will the 'mods' have removed this thread before I sober up I wonder?

FFS if a bloke who posts ten thousand times about us has had 'periods of his life' in which he 'couldn't give a fuck' why on earth are the passionoftheholte wasting their time reading his worthless opinions?

[eamonn]

The social side of it/thing that binds us is, in all fairness, much of what keeps us interested when things on the pitch are bad (actually, we're all interested when we're doing bad. I should say ''when things are mediocre'').

[Stu]

...........................and will the 'mods' have removed this thread before I sober up I wonder?

FFS if a bloke who posts ten thousand times about us has had 'periods of his life' in which he 'couldn't give a fuck' why on earth are the passionoftheholte wasting their time reading his worthless opinions?

The fact is that if you've got a lot going on in your life, then football is going to be put on the back burner for a bit. I stopped paying attention to Villa for a few years in the late 90's, possibly down to Gregory's football, but I was out clubbing every weekend back then as well. I wouldn't change it for the world either, I had a great laugh.

[bones.]

The Villa are part of my family and part of my familys history, my forefathers have been in Brum longer than the Villa and have been going to Villa Park for as long as Villa have. We've seen all the ups and all the downs, even had a family death there in 1948. Whatever else has happened the Villa have been a constant thread, something we have all shared and I wouldnt want it any other way. I cant go every week and its murder to watch on the internet, but my daughter wouldnt speak to me for months if I made the trip without her so I guess the tradition is in safe hands. I know its not the same for everyone, thats just how it is for me.

[darren woolley]

Like many others on here I love Aston Villa and they are part of my life a big part of my life my daughter will always be the most important person in my life and then the Villa as I'm single I get to see Villa more regular than if I was married again I couldn't be without the Villa in my life because they are like I've said before a big part of me.

[Legion]

Lucky Eddie, Paulie's opinions are hardly worthless. Aston Villa are a big part of my life. Just not the most important.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Villa is very important part of me and its a very important part of my family background. Its not the be all and end all, and its not about making big sacrifices which mean you neglect other parts of your life.
Im 54 and having been going regular since 1966. My Mom and Dad both went when they were still alive. When I think of my Dad I may remember us all going to a league cup game at Grimsby as a family, his last away game and we have one or two family photos in a box somewhere. When I think of my Mom, I may remember how she used to talk about away games we all went to more often than than she would talk about family holidays. For some reason, one of her favourites was a day out at York City in the 3rd division. After my Dad died,  my Mom kept going and we sat in the Trinity Road. When she got a bit more unsteady on her feet we moved to the back row of the lower enclosure to minimise the steps. My brother took the seat on when she died as his playing days in the B'ham AFA were finishing and we are still in the same seats. His son comes down with us too. None of us are going to miss out on a holiday somewhere for the sake of one home game, but 9 times out of 10 we are all there. Its a family thing. 

[abc123cox]

I've 4 kids & appart from them villa comes 2nd, i have a v f c tattooed down my leftarm & had a season ticket for 15 years!

[Olneythelonely]

...........................and will the 'mods' have removed this thread before I sober up I wonder?

FFS if a bloke who posts ten thousand times about us has had 'periods of his life' in which he 'couldn't give a fuck' why on earth are the passionoftheholte wasting their time reading his worthless opinions?

I think that's out of order to be honest.

You seem to have a large chip on your shoulder.

[Jim Shoes]

I haven't been to a Villa game since 03, due to living in Australia before that though I had periods where I couldn't be arsed watching these were short lived as I had attended home and away since 76.

I now watch from the comfort of my armchair almost every game live, home and away. Not the same, nowhere near but it still fills in the gap that I have missed since leaving the UK.

I don't really miss it as much as I thought I would but my family are much more important to me. Villa are like the icing on the cake, wife and kids are 1st always but supporting Villa is that something that makes thing's worthwhile. If that makes sense???

Lucky Eddie, when you sober up you might want to apologises for that remark against Pauliewallbents as it is out of order.

[martyn ellis]

I started going to Villa Park when I was about 13 in the sixties (Villa 8 Leicester 3 is an abiding memory from those days as well as a last ditch fightback to make it 2-2 against Chelsea in a night match). I kept going while I could; then college, moving to London, working and living in Spain, having kids, back to London, family life, busy job, all managed to keep me away. The last ten years, since I lost my overly stressed job managing a language school and started to work for myself, I have reverted to proud season-ticket-holder status and manage to get up the motorway for most home games and to see the London away games too.
Throughout all that time, I don't think I have ever been MORE or LESS of a Villa fan, even though when I was living in Spain, I hardly knew what was going on. It just depends on circumstances, but the passion and the interest in your club is always there.

[ktvillan]

You seem to specialise in these "considerably better fan than yow" posts Eddie.  Villa dominated my life as a kid, and at the lives of at least two generations of my family before me, in more parochial times.   The club is in my blood and my heart and I will always follow them and care about them.   I used to think a bit like you do until I turned about 16 and realised there really are more things to life than football and Villa.  I suspect you are a bit older than 16 although the tone of many of your posts seems to indficate otherwise.   There are many rich, varied and wonderful life experiences I would have missed out on had I allowed watching Villa to dominate my time and finances.   I'm glad I didn't and it doesnt make my opinion less valid than yours whatever you'may think.

[andyh]

Given the fact that I have been depressed as fuck since last Sunday, and even worse since Friday, I'd say pretty important. 

[Newquay_AVFC]

Villa are a big thing in my life, however my family are bigger. From the age of 14 to 21, my life was all Villa, everthing i did was about the Villa. But i then went to New Zealand, got with my now wife and moved to Cornwall. I moved to Cornwall for a better family life. I miss match days, meeting with mates, going for a couple before and after the game and so on. However i wouldn't change anything. I still get to around 5 or 6 matches a season a mix of home and away and its great. I go now with my wife and we make a weekend of it. Planning of the trip to Fulham is already under way.