Villa Park

[ChicagoLion]

The huge open space that is the New Trinity certainly does not help. Nice Pitch, Passive supporters, in some ways it does not help having the most vocal the furthest away from the pitch. Get the guys at the back of the Holte in the middle of the Trinity.

[brian green]

I am racking my brains now to remember that 3 3 game when I was home on leave from the army in the 50s. Apart from the massive crowd, the score and the atmosphere all I recall is that my mom and dad had gone up in the world and moved from Greet to Hall Green while I was in Germany (hiding from me?) it was very cold and I walked down Fox Hollies Rd and caught the 44 bus in Acocks Green to Dale End. I was just as superstitious in those days and always had to catch the 44 bus to games. Perhaps it was not Man U, some other contemptible outfit.

[montague]

Used to love it in the 70s when the old Trinity seating would start singing - happened about once a game -  not a peep these days (apart from moaning)

[PeterWithesShin]

Something I enjoyed was the Wigan 1-1 game in 2010/11. Crap game, with 10 or 15 mins to go the ground was morgue like. There was a bunch of kids near the back of the Upper Trinity, i'm assuming on a group trip, and they started singing and never stopped. Just the simple "Villa" clapclapclap "Villa" clapclapclap and so on. They never stopped and more and more of the UT joined in and you could see the Lower North and Holte looking and wondering what the fuck was going on before joining in, and for once during a shit game we actually had an atmosphere. At the end of the game I saw them on the concourse and they were happy and smiling etc and had really enjoyed themselves. The club should have given them tickets to every game.

[dave.woodhall]

I am racking my brains now to remember that 3 3 game when I was home on leave from the army in the 50s. Apart from the massive crowd, the score and the atmosphere all I recall is that my mom and dad had gone up in the world and moved from Greet to Hall Green while I was in Germany (hiding from me?) it was very cold and I walked down Fox Hollies Rd and caught the 44 bus in Acocks Green to Dale End. I was just as superstitious in those days and always had to catch the 44 bus to games. Perhaps it was not Man U, some other contemptible outfit.

According to the Tony Matthews (so not exactly infallible) Complete Record we didn't have a 3-3 at home throughout the fifties. We drew 4-4 with Manchester United in 1955-56 but the gate was only 29,478. The following year we lost 3-1 to them in front of 42,530.

[PeterWithesShin]

We drew 3-3 at home to Manure 20/9/52. Lockhart, Pace, Roberts in front of 43,490.

[dave.woodhall]

We drew 3-3 at home to Manure 20/9/52. Lockhart, Pace, Roberts in front of 43,490.

So we did. My mistake.

[Duncan Shaw]

Used to love it in the 70s when the old Trinity seating would start singing - happened about once a game -  not a peep these days (apart from moaning)

And banging their feet on the old wooden stand Villa....bang bang bang....used to give me goosebumps!!

[Pat McMahon]

Used to love it in the 70s when the old Trinity seating would start singing - happened about once a game -  not a peep these days (apart from moaning)

And banging their feet on the old wooden stand Villa....bang bang bang....used to give me goosebumps!!

I was going to mention that Duncan! I started being taken on my dad's shoulders in the Trinity enclosure in the late 60s and the stamping of feet on the stand above when we had a corner or free kick was fantastic.

[dcdavecollett]

Yes, DS.

The cup game against Leeds in 2000 was the last time I experienced the Trinity Stamp.

[Pat McMahon]

It's by Jim White, enough said. Summed up by Stoke being second best atmosphere. The place was morgue like opening day of the season.

And Everton and Liverpool are poor, though the latter does rock for big games.

West Ham is overrated for me too - not a noisy ground at all.

[pauliewalnuts]

We drew 3-3 at home to Manure 20/9/52. Lockhart, Pace, Roberts in front of 43,490.

Isn't that the name of the law firm in The Good Wife?

Bit niche, I know, but worth a punt.

[pauliewalnuts]

Something I enjoyed was the Wigan 1-1 game in 2010/11. Crap game, with 10 or 15 mins to go the ground was morgue like. There was a bunch of kids near the back of the Upper Trinity, i'm assuming on a group trip, and they started singing and never stopped. Just the simple "Villa" clapclapclap "Villa" clapclapclap and so on. They never stopped and more and more of the UT joined in and you could see the Lower North and Holte looking and wondering what the fuck was going on before joining in, and for once during a shit game we actually had an atmosphere. At the end of the game I saw them on the concourse and they were happy and smiling etc and had really enjoyed themselves. The club should have given them tickets to every game.

Similarly, there was a game against - I think - Bolton in - I think - the first MON season, think it was a Saturday night match, shit sub 30k crowd, and there were some blokes in that funny executive bit between the Trinity and Holte who started acting as cheerleaders to get some atmosphere going.

That may, or may not, have been the same match in which we had our one and only experiment with after-goal music.

I am not sure if that was the fixture, I forget, but what I won't forget is the sheer, utter fucking horror and embarassment of hearing the PA blaring "Chelsea Dagger" by the Fratellis after we'd scored.

I remember that evening, General Krulak fighting off an almighty wave of complaints.

It never happened again.

[joe_c]

In me and my contemporaries you have eye witnesses to what Villa Park is like now and what it was like pre Taylor.
It was awesome, even in the 50s and 60s on occasion.   I was home on leave from the forces so it would be about 57-58 we had a game against Man U which ended 3-3.   Full house, electrifying stuff.   That was the game I got a photo of Villa fans climbing the outside of the Holte End to get in.

In 1956-57 we lost 2- 1 to them in front of 42,530. In 1958-59 we lost by the same score on Boxing Day and the crowd was 63,098. In the season between, we beat them 3-1. The gate, with the cup-winners versus league champions factor, a few weeks after Munich, was 16,631. I don't know about  other clubs but our crowds even then went up and down on a regular basis.

In 56/57 we finished 10th and did something else, can't remember what. Our highest league attendance was 54,862. Our lowest was 8,252. Also that season 46,246 v Blackpool, 10,554 v Man City.

A lot of those low crowds were midweek afternoons (before floodlights) but there are still some incredible swings. In 1955-56 our first five gates were  25k, 26k, 57k, 53k, 27k.

Dullard that I am I have worked out that the 16K game v Man Utd in 1958 took place on a Monday, not a Bank Holiday either. Presumably re-arranged in the wake of Munich.

[Hillbilly]

I read recently that playing at home is less of an advantage than it used to be. Villa are proof - we're shit everywhere we play.