The Villa being shite at home

[KRS]

Isn't it time to take matters into our own hands. A 3/4 full Villa Park being served up constant dross is often tame, at times bordering on mutinous, but (off the top of my head) games like Bradford in Div 2 & Liverpool on the last day of the old Holte, were games where the team were driven over the line by the sheer noise of the crowd - despite how shit or nervous the team was. Recently Albion games last season and possibly more so the semi final at Wembley show what a difference having a partisan backing can have. Leicester & Palace are no great shakes and cannot match VP at full noise but they continually squeeze out results at home due to the will of their support. It's kind of get the team home despite the tool in charge and the lack of cohesion in front of our eyes, cos sadly that is unlikely to change quickly and we run the risk of becoming part of an ever decreasing circle of failure unless we take control together

With the exception of the higher profile games, I've always found the lack of vocal support at Villa Park bewildering and frustrating at times. I've always stood at the back of the Holte and always give my vocal support but I've never understood why the place feels like a morgue at times. The back of the Holte does sing but this very rarely cascades its way down the Holte or around the ground in week-to-week league games. Sure we've had to endure watching some dire shite, but the crowd is very much reactive rather than proactive. This is more of an observation than a criticism, and its been like it for as long as I can remember.

[Vegas]

I think there are very few grounds where this is not the case since standing was abolished.

[aj2k77]

It doesn't help that most of the singers sit/stand at the very back of the second tier of the stand either.

[bob]

I think all grounds are the same. There's nothing different about Villa Park.

Less than a point a game over the last 75 matches is fucking disgusting. I'm surprised people still turn up. What a fucking rip off.

Don't start navel gazing an blaming yourself for that fucking shit, it's not the fans' fault.

[Pete]

I hoped that Sherwood would turn things around with home form after the turnaround v Leicester in the cup.

There were a few wins...but he had several easyish games at the end of last season to improve this yet got one point from Stoke, Swansea, QPR and Burnley.

You are right though - even under MON we were better away.  Was it 76/77 where we had an amazing home record?  It was before my time but I remember being amazed that we could have such stats!

We lost one home game that season, to non-league opposition. It's been said before, but Fortress Villa Park has never existed.

I think it existed for that one, fleeting season. Only one game lost all season, in all competitions - that was to our inferior neighbours in September, we were unbeaten at home after that. League record was won 17, drew 3, lost 1. (Away record of 5, 4, 12 meant we finished fourth, we didn't travel well). In the cups it was won six, drew one. I was lucky enough to be at them all, and see Villa score 75 goals in a season. I doubt we've come near that since.

Edit - and as indicated in posts I've just read, 17 in 82/83, plus their were 16 home wins when we won the league. 14 in 83/84 isn't too shoddy either. So that's four seasons in the past 40 years where Villa Park has been a 'fortress', or anywhere near it. Shocking.

[placeforparks]

you travel up from london on the train and you see parents taking their kids to/from villa park.

on the way back, you'd think these kids had been dragged to a dull museum or some elderly relative with shitty biscuits, rather than a 'treat'!

[Nastylee]

The title needs to omit 'at home' then we'll be closer to the truth.

[somec]

Despite our shiteness at home we have maintained decent crowds over the last few years.

Am I right in saying that our average attendances have gone up year on year for the last 3 seasons or so?

[Witton Warrior]

Isn't it time to take matters into our own hands. A 3/4 full Villa Park being served up constant dross is often tame, at times bordering on mutinous, but (off the top of my head) games like Bradford in Div 2 & Liverpool on the last day of the old Holte, were games where the team were driven over the line by the sheer noise of the crowd - despite how shit or nervous the team was. Recently Albion games last season and possibly more so the semi final at Wembley show what a difference having a partisan backing can have. Leicester & Palace are no great shakes and cannot match VP at full noise but they continually squeeze out results at home due to the will of their support. It's kind of get the team home despite the tool in charge and the lack of cohesion in front of our eyes, cos sadly that is unlikely to change quickly and we run the risk of becoming part of an ever decreasing circle of failure unless we take control together

With the exception of the higher profile games, I've always found the lack of vocal support at Villa Park bewildering and frustrating at times. I've always stood at the back of the Holte and always give my vocal support but I've never understood why the place feels like a morgue at times. The back of the Holte does sing but this very rarely cascades its way down the Holte or around the ground in week-to-week league games. Sure we've had to endure watching some dire shite, but the crowd is very much reactive rather than proactive. This is more of an observation than a criticism, and its been like it for as long as I can remember.

I moved around the ground last season using Viagogo but have located back to my old seat at the back of K3 as I was desperate for some atmosphere and a sing-song - had a couple of decent games in the Lower Holte but mostly bored and cold anywhere other than the back of the Holte.

Having opposition and neutral fans in the Upper Trinity doesn't help

[levico]

It's another debate altogether but you could argue that we may be 'happier' winning games in the Championship rather than losing every week in the PL.

I guess there is every chance we might find out in due course.

[PeterWithesShin]

Despite our shiteness at home we have maintained decent crowds over the last few years.

Am I right in saying that our average attendances have gone up year on year for the last 3 seasons or so?

Dropped nearly 2K last season. We're at our usual average of around 34-36K.

[Ads]

I love my mileage versus wins comparisons, so I had a look the other day.

Since the 2010/11 season we’ve won 27 out of 99 at home. We actually won eight home games that year.

You can factor O’Neill into it too, as we only won 8 home games in the league the year before, which is the reason why we failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Part of the reason under O’Neill was that we were too one dimensional in that we had to get it wide quick and in behind to square them up or hit them on the break. All but four or five sides and Bolton would come and park the bus, so we struggled to break them down.

Under the subsequent managers it’s been a real absence of quality in the midfield to either cover the back four or supply the front men. We bizarrely have some quality players in Grealish, Gil, Traore, Gana, Veretout and Sancherz to choose from now, but we lack cohesion and organisation.

Its always been a very easy place to come and play. Its a wonderful ground and its that grandeur that allows lesser teams to raise their game.

Dreadful reading .

Sorry, that should have read 09/10 season under O'Neill. Its been 99 games since then, which for me is 17,028 miles at a rate of 631 miles per win.

I love mil miles v wins v cost comparisons.

I enjoy reading your stats - what are the costs then?

My car is quite economical, so I reckon I only do around 15p a mile, so it would work out at £94.65 in fuel per win, which if you added the season ticket to, would be something like £195.00 per win.

[LeeB]

It's another debate altogether but you could argue that we may be 'happier' winning games in the Championship rather than losing every week in the PL.

I guess there is every chance we might find out in due course.

We were shite at home the last time we went down, 14 away wins took us back up.

[SoccerHQ]

Big problem is our tempo particularly in the first halves. It's gone back to Lambert days when you look at Man. United, WBA and Stoke games, we start games at snail pace, happy not to concede early (even though we do concede the first goal usually) and so don't bother crossing the halfway line and don't impose ourselves on the opposition.

When you look back to the good home results we got in the second half of last season (WBA, Everton, West Ham) we came flying out of the blocks, scored early in all games and were leading at half time, QPR was the same even if we didn't win that one.

It's not rocket science, start positively and at a good tempo and that will suprise some away teams and we'll more likely win the game leading at half time. But we've gone back to zombie football.

[Chris Harte]

Despite our shiteness at home we have maintained decent crowds over the last few years.

Am I right in saying that our average attendances have gone up year on year for the last 3 seasons or so?

Dropped nearly 2K last season. We're at our usual average of around 34-36K.

I think that is a remarkable figure considering the garbage the home support has had to endure over the last four or five seasons.