Gaps & Spaces = the sign of apathy

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

How does Norwich draw a bigger crowd than West Brom?

[spangley1812]

How does Norwich draw a bigger crowd than West Brom?

I guess the seats were cheaper all around the ground as it was possibly a lower categry game

[taylorsworkrate]

Very fair, well balanced article.

Only part I disagree with is Jonathon Fear's ridiculous comments.

He's right, people might not want to admit it but it would be naive in the extreme to think it hasn't made a difference to some people.

I'd say a tiny minority feel that way.  As said by others, the McClaren possibility was met with just as much anger.  The same idiots would have protested if it looked certain to happen.

The whole "We don't want him as he's managed blues" is a lazy, simplistic media viewpoint.

[garyfouroaks]

The whole "We don't want him as he's managed blues" is a lazy, simplistic media viewpoint.

On topic, the prices made a difference, together with the knowledge that it was likley to be a good game- which it was, that resulted in the decent attendance.

On the quote, the fact that alex had managed Small Heath was the least of my worries- and still is.

[Charlie8182]

I asked my 5 year old last night "Fancy going to the Villa tomorrow son?"

"No Dad the football is boring, can we watch Man City?"

I nearly cried

What?  when I was growing up in the 70s/80s, Liverpool (other than 1 season) were always better and probably more entertaining than us but no way would I prefer to watch them.

[Big Dick Edwards]

The problem is that a lot of those put off by AM would have been worried to a large degree about his record for drawing matches and deeply uninspiring football.

There hasn't been anything at home so far this season to make this look like a false concern.

I really don't feel Villa are any less attractive to watch at home under McLeish than they were under Houllier and O'Neill. The guy had balls to come here given the negative viewpoint of a minority, and he's shown dignity, humility and a lot of respect to the club in recognising our place in football history. He's had the creativity of Young and Downing taken from him and is making the best he can with the resources at his disposal. We had Heskey, Bent, N'Zogbia and Agbonlahor in the starting XI yesterday, in fact in the starting XI in most weeks. It's hardly a negative line-up is it?  I think the guy deserves credit, not this constant sniping about his Blues background. Leave the media to bang on about it in their shit-stirring quest to get more callers/viewers, while the rest of us get over it and move on.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

I asked my 5 year old last night "Fancy going to the Villa tomorrow son?"

"No Dad the football is boring, can we watch Man City?"

I nearly cried

What?  when I was growing up in the 70s/80s, Liverpool (other than 1 season) were always better and probably more entertaining than us but no way would I prefer to watch them.

I didn't say I did, my point was my five year old who knows little really about football has already worked out that Villa are boring and Man City are the Liverpool/Man Utd of the day. We may not have gone to the game but I made him put his Villa shirt on!

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I feel sorry for AM, in that he's pretty much on to a loser from the start, with the budgetary constraints he's working under, and I personally do not give a shit that he was at Blues (it's his record of relegation and uninspiring football that bothers me, not where he came from), but even now, thinking about it, I still can not believe they appointed him.

A Nose wrote on that Guardian thread: I hardly ever want to defend McLeish, but at Blues he was on a hiding to nothing with a minuscule budget; he had to make the best of what he had, just that he didn't have enough. We were a goal away from staying up last season, and when you consider neither of our first-choice strikers kicked a ball after the League Cup final and our third-choice missed half-a-dozen games as well, plus our best defender missed half the season and our only creative player all of it, it's amazing we came so close to survival.

More entertaining games at Villa Park like yesterday's and all but the morons will be back. If we're no longer capable of challenging for the top 4, at least let's be bloody entertaining. If McLeish can do that he'll have achieved more than any other Villa manager in the last decade.

[usav]

I really don't feel Villa are any less attractive to watch at home under McLeish than they were under Houllier and O'Neill. The guy had balls to come here given the negative viewpoint of a minority, and he's shown dignity, humility and a lot of respect to the club in recognising our place in football history. He's had the creativity of Young and Downing taken from him and is making the best he can with the resources at his disposal. We had Heskey, Bent, N'Zogbia and Agbonlahor in the starting XI yesterday, in fact in the starting XI in most weeks. It's hardly a negative line-up is it?  I think the guy deserves credit, not this constant sniping about his Blues background. Leave the media to bang on about it in their shit-stirring quest to get more callers/viewers, while the rest of us get over it and move on.

I can't argue with sensible musings like that.

[Irish villain]

Villa tend to be slow starters attendance wise, maybe the Norwich win could see things improve? A few good wins, decent football, and a shout for a high(ish) finish, could see the average creep back up towards 38-40k I reckon.