Your interest in the villa

[QBVILLA]

I had either a season ticket or attended the majority of home games from the age of 11 through to three years ago. Going to the ground became a chore rather than something to look forward to so i stopped after i realised that i'd given my season ticket away for seven games due to other commitments.Attended one game last season, Hereford in the cup and can't say i missed it.However, even though i'm not expecting a great season my interest levels have shot up since Lambert took charge and i'll more than likely get a ticket for the Swansea game.My biggest gripe over the past few years have been the crap kick off times.Saturday tea time just eclipsing the 4pm Sunday game as my biggest bug bear.

[supertommykN'iba]

I hadn't really noticed that I'd lost any love for it, but over the last couple of seasons I really did. Think that's probably because despite results and performances, 95% of the away trips have been worth it for the day out, so nothing really ever changed. I found for the first time in a long time though that at Burton, Peterborough, Forest, Bremen, West Ham and Newcastle, that leaving the pub to go to the game was not actually a chore. I've even looked forward to leaving the pub. For those that know me, then I'd sure they'd back me up when I say that is not like me at all.

[QBVILLA]

I've even looked forward to leaving the pub.

Fecking hell, steady on son

[Mortimer's Bear]

The guy I work with (who has no interest in football), say's he used to check the Villa score on a Saturday to see what mood I'd be in on the Monday morning. This is no longer the case.

[Baldy]

Have followed the villa since the late 1960's, when Dad used to bring the 7 kids down to Villa Park to give Mom a break on a Saturday afternoon. Has been a roller coaster ride ever since. Found M'ON flustrating, McLeish depressing but Mr Lambert has got us going uphill again. Like a previous poster said 'I am addicted to the Villa drug' and for the first time in a few years I am looking forward to being happy at weekends.

 

[Duncan Shaw]

Bizarrely my dip came during the last days of the MON era.  I only watched them away twice in the Houllier year and didn't see them at all last year.  Prior to that I was a 5-10 games a season since moving away from Brum 25 years ago (ST until then)  When my son hit 10 he fully defect to become a Gooner, I had been fighting a losing battle for some years given they are the closest PL team to where he was born and brought up and all his mates were.  So I'm now down in Surrey with a Gooner son and Everton wife daughters!  I'm going to Fulham (with the boy) and bizarrely am also taking my youngest daughter there a fortnight later for the Everton game.  But, the fire is flickering and building somewhat at the moment.  I felt so proud of Sunday, it will be seen as a massive turing point IMHO.  The love has always been there but too easily put on the backburner in a busy life,  but I'm really intrigued by what we might build over the next couple of years so can see my attendance increasing. 

Maybe I'm just a gloryhunter!

[danlanza]

Luckily, for me, i had moved over here before Pubehead spat his dummy out and was pretty happy with the Villa i had been watching home and away under his leadership.
KMac taking over was ok, then Houllier was a complete mistake in my view,at his age and his set mentality.
Then, on my way to the local bar i saw my West Ham mate laughing before i ordered a pint.
The day TSM was confirmed as manager i just could not believe it and spent most of last season swearing at the telly ( I even went to the Docs thinking i had developed Tourrettes but Doc told me it was just normal behaviour for any fan who had TSM as their teams boss.)
 Still, i went every weekend to watch them on the tv, every week the booze consumption growing pint by pint, the swearing getting worse until i nearly gave up, to be honest.
It was only the fact that we stayed up by the skin of our teeth that gave me some optimism that TSM was a gonner, things could only get better and we had some sort of future. Lambert made manager had me smiling for the first time since i moved and his signings since make me smile even more. It is going to be a tough season but one with lots of promise for the future. Still wish i was climbing the steps of the Holte every home game though. You dont realise how much you miss it until you are to far away to get there.
Oh well, tv it is for this season again, cold beer and mucky egg sarnies down the boozer.
It could be a lot worse for us all. Think about it for a minute and you will know what i mean.

[N'ZMAV]

Didn't renew my season ticket for the first time. But, again, like others, I'm starting to feel some excitement again now, and have bought tickets for Swansea match.

[Barry Shaw]

Had a ST for number of years but stopped about 4 seasons ago. Found myself getting to about 8-10 home games due to work/commitments and realised it was a habitual thing. Fallen out of love with modern football in a big way and although will always love Villa, I am now disappointed when we lose rather than gutted as Iwas years ago. I struggle with how much players get paid and their total lack of loyalty and grip on real life and that of the supporters.

Also as we never sell out you become accustomed to picking and choosing your games. I go to more away games than at home now as better fun.

[richard moore]

Overall, my love for the game has dwindled for all sorts of reasons - maybe even getting older is one of them - but I am still obsessed enough to have gone on H and V an average of about 10 times a day during my recent two week holiday down in the south of France!

Like many others, I love the fact that we are building through unknown youngsters now, despite the obvious risks. I feel as if I have got my club back a bit and can get behind them in a way I used to find very difficult with Hutton, Heskey et al. I've looked on with envy at teams who have done this successfully over the last few years. It is also so refreshing to see us try to play football the right way, it seems like the mid 1990s since we last did that though I am sure I am conveniently forgetting other spells when we have played some decent stuff for prolonged periods

Happens to the best of us though. My brother in law who until not that long ago was a hugely committed Derby fan now can't be bothered with them and has a season ticket to go and watch his local club, Exeter, every week

[SteveN]

Supporting the Villa is to me like being a Roman Catholic, I might be lapsed but it is in your DNA.  I left Birmingham years ago and I'm only an occasional visitor to home and away games. but they are still under my skin and results and performance do impact on my mood.

I really believe that the Lambert era might be the start of something good.

[Monty]

My interest hasn't changed from the 'A Touch Obsessed' level. However, my mood has changed from last season's 'Desperate/Masochistic' to 'Sunny/Optimistic/Happy Bunnies Frollicking In Meadows', partly down to TSM's departure, but because of everything mentioned so far: the feeling of there being a plan, that the style of play is being dragged into the modern era while the worst aspects of the modern era - Warnocks, Huttons and Collinses being paid gargantuan sums to not give a shit and be totally disassociated from the fans - are being replaced by young, hungry players with a point to prove who we might be able to connect to as fans, especially if they turn into a successful team. Many of us have been calling for this for a really long time, and now it finally seems to be happening to us.

[kipeye]

Pretty much the same as you Richard, although I am still reluctant to part with my cash I am definitely more interested again.
A word of warning though. I took my youngest to a County match to try and get him interested in his local team and he has been a Manure ever since (To be fair he was actually born in Manchester).

[dean saunders left boot]

From around 1995 onwards until around 2008 I was going to most home games, and had a season ticket for a few seasons, but then just stopped going down as regularly, not quite sure why, maybe a combination of my interest in football being over took by my obsession with watching bands, my brother saving to buy a house so didn't have the cash to go down any more. The last two seasons under houllier and TSM really didn't inspire me to think about spending my money down VP, but this summer with Lambert coming in, my desire to start going back down to watch villa has come back, I feel more positive about things for the villa as well. Plus a friend of mine has had a season ticket, so there's someone to go down with (and blag a lift with!) and another of our mates is up for going too, having mates to go down with, have a beer with beforehand, that's made a difference.

Even though we were poor against Everton, the feeling of being at the game, in the crowd, it was something I had missed, hopefully should be going to the Swansea game, got to check my finances at end of week and if it's viable book then.

[Jarpie]

As I'm not local (from Finland actually) I don't obviously have the same connection to Villa as you lot. Ever since I started watching football and premier league back in the 90s as I was young lad, I connected with Villa for some reason...maybe it was the style of the playing under Big Ron.

As finnish public broadcasting company lost the rights to show PL, I had to stop watching matches because we would've had to get satellite dish but as I found about stre*coughcough* I started watching Villa again first time in years. Completely lost interest watching games last season but how that Lambert has taken over, the feeling is back there.

Maybe I'll see you guys in Villa Park next season if I manage to gather enough money for the trip .

Edit: found about strea*coughcough* in 07 I think, and now I have subscription to see games from telly.