Where has the soul gone?

[richard moore]

But what worried me yesterday was that for the first time the result didn't hurt like it used too....

Really? It stopped hurting a long time ago for me, losing/bad results has been a reoccurring theme for the last 5 and a half years, that's a long time.

And me. Lovely post though Clive and I can buy into exactly what you are saying. Remember queuing outside the Holte for two hours before a game when Man Utd etc came to town? I used to love that so much. In my view, Lerner has ruined my club, an act for which he will never be forgiven. Set that within a wider ruining of the game which is not his fault and it's like a double whammy. I was out walking on Salisbury Plain yesterday with a friend and when I felt she wouldn't mind if I looked at the BBC website to see the score and we were already three down, I have to say it barely registered. Ten years ago, I would probably have been at Goodison and if not, it would have destroyed my weekend. Not any more, perhaps that's a good thing! 

[kippaxvilla2]

As I believe Mr Chris Smith once said and paraphrasing.  'We appear to be suffering from an illness known as 'getting old.'

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Oh, the Third division, you know? Circa 1970? Broke the mould. Theory out the window. Free expression of football. Deadlydougable. Is that a word? It is now! You know? Far cry from small Alan Wrights in the park, jumpers for goalposts. Rush goalie. Two at the back, three in the middle, four up front, one's gone home for his tea. Beans on toast? Possibly, don't quote me on that. Marvellous.
 

[Stu]

As I believe Mr Chris Smith once said and paraphrasing.  'We appear to be suffering from an illness known as 'getting old.'

I'm actually getting younger. There's nothing I can do, the government know.

[class-of-82]

I've been going down since 1967 as a seven year old and yes the 70s early 80s was magical times but for me every defeat still hurts. But because it's been happening for so long it's not that we don't care i think we all do but there's no light at the end of the tunnel in fact I can't even see the tunnel anymore.
Those days when players would run through a brick wall for the club are long gone how many players at this level would do that now and care about the defeat for me maybe mark noble at West Ham but after that I'm struggling.
The line in the original post about the west brom cup game was what it used to be like was so true we used to sing every players name before kick off but now ?
Maybe all that died with a generation that was used to the good times in the 70s and early 80s.
But if anyone would of said to me coming out of Wembley with my grandad after the Spurs game when I was so proud to be a villa fan despite the defeat that in just over 10 years that club that made me so proud would be CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE and don't forget that after beating Barca in the super cup we actually ruled half the footballing world then there is always hope.
we don't need a Russian billionaire or an oil sheikh because money cannot buy our history or tradition or support.
So let's make the home game v Watford the first stepping stone back to where we should be.
Villa till I die

[DeKuip]

Being not of the required age, I would be intrigued to know any of the posters who were youngsters in the '70s and '80s remember if the "old-timers" of the time noticed a great difference then between the matchday / football experience of the '40s and '50s, for better or worse...

In the late 60s and through the 70s I can well remember my grandad and uncles always telling me football's not the same as it used to be. they'd tell me how it used to be played by real men ("not these overpaid long haired players who looked and played like girls") and watched by hard-working men ("unlike all these long-haired layabouts and yobbos you get at games now").
My dad used to take me but even for him football never as good as the days of Stanley Matthews, George Cummings etc. once I was old enough to go on my own he stopped going and despite our glory years of the early 80s he lost a lot of interest - yet the last ten years or so he's got hooked again and talks and worries more about Villa than I ever do.

I still love football and the Villa as much as I used to even though there are many things about the modern game that really bug me -Ticket prices and treatment of fans being top of that list, although I don't think the game has ever looked after fans well.

[knowsleyvillain]

 I agree with a lot of what VCM is saying, had the chance of a ticket yesterday but turned it down as cash was short & half expected that result,worst part was my 6year old lad went
with his evertonian grandad to the game told him to stay quiet if we scored should of known no fecking chance!Feel for him living up here following us.

[kippaxvilla2]

The best period of my life supporting Villa was during the first SGT reign, I hardly missed a game home or away, I repeated this to a lesser degree under the BFR era.  Even as late as that, the fans had a bond with the players and vice versa and that simply doesn't exist to the extent it did, token handclapping of sodden away support after yet another turgid performance doesn't even begin to come close.  Having said all of that, I do think we wouldn't notice half of these soulless situations if there was a successful side on the pitch to look forward to watching every week.

[brian green]

Football is great. It is relevant to the times in which we live. It is not some ossified exhibit in the Museum of Social Science. Villa are rubbish just now but it is only temporary.  Football is great.

[Jimbo]

Football has to have some redeeming feature. If the team is unremittingly shit, you'll keep going back for the atmosphere, the culture or a laugh with your mates.

But when the football's shit, the atmosphere is flat, fewer of your mates bother going, and it costs a small fortune - when what you're watching is 22 millionaires, who can't wait to get back in their nice, plush Lamborghinis, strolling around the pitch without giving a fuck, and actually being awful at their jobs - it's hard to find anything to like.

I suppose it's a mixture of loyalty and habit that keeps people hooked. Either way, I salute them.

[robbo1874]

The old adage  things are not what they used to be is correct in my head.

Towards the end of  last season when we had our Villa back it  was like going back to the 70's  football wise.  Now we are looking  at the mid  80's debarcle. 

Looking at the fan base at Goodison quite a lot would have remembered the 70's  but we were living in a bubble then.  Ask a Chelsea or Tottenham fan about the late 70's and they would probably shoot your head off.

The one thing that has changed and we can do nothing about is that money does buy you  success.  In my era every team including Chelsea  (wilkins), Tottenham (Ardilles) even QPR (Stan Bowles) had their superstar.

if that's the case (and I completely agree with you) how do we explain fucking Leicester being top of the league?

[conman]

The old adage  things are not what they used to be is correct in my head.

Towards the end of  last season when we had our Villa back it  was like going back to the 70's  football wise.  Now we are looking  at the mid  80's debarcle. 

Looking at the fan base at Goodison quite a lot would have remembered the 70's  but we were living in a bubble then.  Ask a Chelsea or Tottenham fan about the late 70's and they would probably shoot your head off.

The one thing that has changed and we can do nothing about is that money does buy you  success.  In my era every team including Chelsea  (wilkins), Tottenham (Ardilles) even QPR (Stan Bowles) had their superstar.

if that's the case (and I completely agree with you) how do we explain fucking Leicester being top of the league?

and we was 2 nil up at their place a couple of months ago ,,,,and after the way everton and liverpool played yesterday ,,,,,i cant believe we beat them both about 6 months ago,,,,

[tomd2103]

But what worried me yesterday was that for the first time the result didn't hurt like it used too....

Really? It stopped hurting a long time ago for me, losing/bad results has been a reoccurring theme for the last 5 and a half years, that's a long time.

Yep, I think a lot of us have become immune to it now.  The Bradford debacle was the turning point for me.  I still to this day can't believe we lost to a League Two side over two legs and apart from losing to non league opposition, nothing can be as bad as that. 

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

I gave up being a season ticket holder after O'Leary, I still went a number of games under McLeish but eventually it kicked the shit out of me. The stupid wages, irregular kick off times and young family meant I got my football fix watching non-league football at 3pm every Saturday. I watch the Villa when it's on the internet on Sundays or Mondays, every time I watch them I feel my decision to walk away is justified. Average players 'earning' obscene amounts of money for sterile, ineffective, dull. boring football at £25+ a week...forget it, I can have entry to a non league game between two teams who both attack each other and try to score whilst standing with a beer in my hand throughout the game and spend the same if not less.

[conman]

, I can have entry to a non league game between two teams who both attack each other and try to score whilst standing with a beer in my hand throughout the game