Big in Ireland

[itbrvilla]

I was surprised how many Villa there are in Ireland and a lot of them refer to Irish teams that have had lots of Villa players,
There are quite a few Irish who despise the Liverpool Manure supporting Irish stereotype.
After Celtic Arsenal Liverpool and Manure I reckon we are the next best supported.

i know quote a few Irish lads who support Blackburn because of an Irish player.

[joe_c]

Saw a discussion here the other day re Villa fans in Dublin, the suggestion there are quite a few of them.

I've never been to Ireland, but my Mrs has been a few times (though not in the last 15 years or so) and even she admitted that they seemed to see a lot of Villa shirts there, and she normally goes out of her way to say nothing other than derogatory things about Villa.

Just stumbled on this: Sports Direct (wankers, obvs) giving a break down of where they sell most shirts for each club.

http://www.sportsdirect.com/News/entryid/6883/Shirt-Sales-2014-15-Where-Are-Your-Teams-Supporters-Really-From

Our figures look really strange:



So, are our shirts particularly well distributed in Ireland (and London)? Are we under-distributed on our own patch?

Is it the 49 quid air fare that puts you off?

[Clampy]

Saw a discussion here the other day re Villa fans in Dublin, the suggestion there are quite a few of them.

I've never been to Ireland, but my Mrs has been a few times (though not in the last 15 years or so) and even she admitted that they seemed to see a lot of Villa shirts there, and she normally goes out of her way to say nothing other than derogatory things about Villa.

Just stumbled on this: Sports Direct (wankers, obvs) giving a break down of where they sell most shirts for each club.

http://www.sportsdirect.com/News/entryid/6883/Shirt-Sales-2014-15-Where-Are-Your-Teams-Supporters-Really-From

Our figures look really strange:



So, are our shirts particularly well distributed in Ireland (and London)? Are we under-distributed on our own patch?

Is it the 49 quid air fare that puts you off?

Very good.

[Damo70]

We probably picked up a fair bit of Irish support during the McGrath, Houghton, Townsend, Staunton era.

I jumped aboard the bandwagon then as did countless others, good Villa side and a good Irish team at the time

Surely Villa would be the traditional club of the Irish community in Birmingham?

Not necessarily.

Sparkhill and other parts of south Birmingham would have had a big Irish community way back when.

The subtle sectarian divide between even the Liverpool and Manchester clubs never really existed in Brum.

My mum is Irish and obviously working around Birmingham over the years I have meant countless Irish blokes. Ignoring the ones who support the likes of United or Liverpool (which I usually do) they do tend to be Villa and very few support Small Heath. I think our Irish support in Ireland obviously got a big boost in the years of McGrath, Staunton, Townsend and Houghton.

[gervilla]

I've only ever met one blues fan over here.

[Damo70]

I've only ever met one blues fan over here.

One sentence that tops anything the Irish tourist board have ever or could ever come up with.

[Percy McCarthy]

I've only ever met one blues fan over here.

One sentence that tops anything the Irish tourist board have ever or could ever come up with.

Yes, copyright it ger.

My missus was born, bred and grew up in Handsworth and Edgbaston and never met a b-loser until she came to Chelmsley Wood.

[Nev]

I have always considered Villa to be the "Irish" team in Birmingham. My Dad lodged in Small Heath when he arrived in Birmingham, and drank in the Small Arms with all the other Irish lads and they all followed Villa, despite the Sty being in walking distance. He said no-one ever considered going to the Rags.

He was a close friend of the late John Deehan senior and whenever I spoke to John he thought along the same lines. He was a Roscommon man and always watched the national side at the Irish Centre. When Kenny Cunningham and Clinton Morrison were at Small Heath, some 'Noses started going to the centre to watch the games, they acted like proper arseholes to the point that John and his mates stopped going.

As I always say, there is nothing odder than an Irish Blue Nose.

[UK Redsox]

I'm always impressed by the effort and money that the likes of SligoTom and the other Ireland based supporters put in to follow the team.

[Brend'Watkins]

I'm always impressed by the effort and money that the likes of SligoTom and the other Ireland based supporters put in to follow the team.

Not as impressed as I am with you and your devotion to watching Rounders.

If you book your flights at the right time, an overnight stop in Birmingham and taking in the game the next day probably costs no more than a few days in Dublin.  Still a very big effort mind. 

[The Man With A Stick]

I've only ever met one blues fan over here.

I only knew one 'nose in Great Barr and I lived there for 20 years.

[Damo70]

I've only ever met one blues fan over here.

I only knew one 'nose in Great Barr and I lived there for 20 years.

What Ger did for Irish tourism The Man With A Stick has now done for Great Barr. I would happily pay five grand more for a house in an area where I was only going to meet one nose in twenty years. Although it does beg the question, who do you find to laugh at?

[rob_bridge]

I have always considered Villa to be the "Irish" team in Birmingham. My Dad lodged in Small Heath when he arrived in Birmingham, and drank in the Small Arms with all the other Irish lads and they all followed Villa, despite the Sty being in walking distance. He said no-one ever considered going to the Rags.

He was a close friend of the late John Deehan senior and whenever I spoke to John he thought along the same lines. He was a Roscommon man and always watched the national side at the Irish Centre. When Kenny Cunningham and Clinton Morrison were at Small Heath, some 'Noses started going to the centre to watch the games, they acted like proper arseholes to the point that John and his mates stopped going.

As I always say, there is nothing odder than an Irish Blue Nose.

I've always considered Villa to be the more natural home of the Irish Community though as they were dispersed throughout the city in 50's and 60's including Nose Territory I'm not entirely sure why.

[Pat McMahon]

Growing up in Brum the Irish people (friends and family) I knew all supported Villa, but they were all on our side of the city anyway (Great Barr, Kingstanding, Erdington, Newtown). A friend of mine from Leeds married a Bluenose Irish lad from Bordesley and all but one of his mates are Villa too.

As a kid I remember reading a quote from Danny Blanchflower along the lines of "as well as the best teams any team with an unusual or romantic name would always have support in Ireland, such as Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace..."

[dave shelley]

I know two noses over here, I haven't seen one of them for years, he was native so anything could have become of him.  I knew him through my refereeing career over here.  The other is a blow-in like me.

I knew two noses when I lived in Great Barr.  Zulu's IIRC.  They were brothers and, both played for a team me and my mate set up for them and their mates.  They got sent off once for fighting...each other!