Villa Park as I know it

[Witton Warrior]

Getting in the Holte at 1PM to "soak up the atmosphere"
Walking bow-legged to get in as a junior having imbibed 4 pints of Ansells finest
Burning scarves
"You're gonna get yer f*****g heads kicked in..."
"Five Ken McNaughts!!!! "
"If your all going to *****, all going to *****, all going to ****** clap your hands"
"You're gonna get what Leicester City got..."
"We'll be running running round the Bullring with the Cup----pissed up!"

[conman]

Getting in the Holte at 1PM to "soak up the atmosphere"
Walking bow-legged to get in as a junior having imbibed 4 pints of Ansells finest
Burning scarves
"You're gonna get yer f*****g heads kicked in..."
"Five Ken McNaughts!!!! "
"If your all going to *****, all going to *****, all going to ****** clap your hands"
"You're gonna get what Leicester City got..."
"We'll be running running round the Bullring with the Cup----pissed up!"

when theres a scuffle everyone pointing and singing Villa Agro villa agro allo allo
same song going down the stairs from the back of the holte if we've lost

[castlefields_villan]

In the early 80s whenever we scored (which happened a lot), a kind of loud ding dong always came from the PA system (see 4.02 after Gary Shaw's goal below).

The 'we know what you're doing' whistle in the Holte End.

was this the same as the "just because you're losing" ? whistle, which I remember when the Holte was just starting to fill up - especially on night games

Yes it was the same tune. "Back to school on Monday" to away fans.

I've just been writing about that and I couldn't think of the tune. Thanks for reminding me.

It was a classic - can't stop whistling it now !!

[Pete3206]

The old Witton Lane stand was fitted out with wooden seats throughout, apart from about 50 light blue plastic seats at the front of the M block. That's where we sat for years.

[castlefields_villan]

Most Villa players playing with pride for the club.

[Steve R]

The smell of pipe tobacco
The mascot running around the cinder track before the game
standing at the back of the lower trinity and having to follow the game through  two sets of stanchions
in night matches, seeing everyone light up in the opposite stand when there was a break in play

[Godfrey Brian]

The tiny club shop under the Trinity Road Stand steps.
Meat and potato pies only.
One floodlight on until 20 minutes before kick off for night games.
The opposition wandering out in civvies  to inspect the pitch.
Kids with trays selling confectionary.
The ground being open in the summer so you could just wander in.
Huge clearences ending up on Witton Lane.
The view of Witton,Perry Barr and Great Barr from the Holte.

[Witton Warrior]

The ground being open in the summer so you could just wander in.

I was only telling someone about this on the weekend - my Dad took me to get my first ST in '75 and we went onto the side of the pitch from the corner of the Witton and had a walk round - nobody said anything other than "Good morning"

[Villa in Denmark]

When the electronic scoreboards used to read "ALF TIME SCORES"

And weren't long enough to cope with Matthew Le Tissier's full name so he was always Matt Le Tiss if I recall correctly.

The same scoreboards helpfully telling us it was a corner.  As some witty individual in a fanzine put it." If Kent Nielsen's bouncing up and down, getting ready to jump at either end, we've probably worked out that it's a corner"

Meeting the same groups of strangers in the same spot on the Holte.

The "5 to 3" gang, who if they couldn't get in behind the crush barrier tended to fart their way in by releasing the gaseous decomposition products from god knows what they'd been drinking and several rancid burgers.

[castlefields_villan]

The stadium announcer from the 70s (and possibly before that) up to around mid - late 80s (I can hear his voice now announcing the team changes etc...) anyone else remember him and know his name ?

[SX150]

Getting in the Holte at 1PM to "soak up the atmosphere"
Walking bow-legged to get in as a junior having imbibed 4 pints of Ansells finest
Burning scarves
"You're gonna get yer f*****g heads kicked in..."
"Five Ken McNaughts!!!! "
"If your all going to *****, all going to *****, all going to ****** clap your hands"
"You're gonna get what Leicester City got..."
"We'll be running running round the Bullring with the Cup----pissed up!"

when theres a scuffle everyone pointing and singing Villa Agro villa agro allo allo
same song going down the stairs from the back of the holte if we've lost

Remember clear as day singing that song along with about everyone else after the Albion game when Alex Cropley had his leg broken. Flying down the Holte stairs without touching the floor. Those were the days, bit more sensible now.

[pauliewalnuts]

Villa Park, Birmingham

[London Villan]

That is one of my favourite ads. Doesn't look 34 years old either.

[Jon Crofts]

Stamping your feet on the wooden floors of the Trinity Road to urge the Villa on.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Car auctions on Witton Lane before a midweek game.

All midweek games on a Wednesday.