Fans wanted for 'Villa till I die' OS feature.

[amfy]

I have an email from the Villa thanking me for taking part in the kit launch thingy and asking for our help with a new campaign.

Some of us had the opportunity to be involved in the BBC pre-cup final feature and this sounds like it could be a similar experience, without the added concern of the nation being exposed to your singing!

From the email below, I think they are looking for some new faces his time around, so if you are interested - post your answers to the questions below and say you want to do it.


....and if you don't want to do this, it'll probably make a good thread anyway - so you could answer the questions, but then say you can't, or don't want to do the filming....

 This is the relevant bit of the email.......
-----------------

........on that note, we’re looking to start a new video feature with die-hard supporters… Villa Till I Die.

 

The concept is a pretty simple one, with a short-form interview shot straight at camera filmed at Villa Park. Questions/brief below;

Who are you? (Name, Job, Age, etc.)
Why are you a Villa Fan?
Who/ What got you into becoming a Villan?What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan? (Best experience/ best memory)
What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan?
Do you have any superstitions?
What is your memorabilia?
Tell us about it! (Signed shirt/ 1st Match Magazine/ etc.)
Who is your all time Villa Legend and why?What is your favourite Villa Kit?
Call to Action:
And that is why I am Villa till I die!
Why are you?

 

We’re hoping that you could offer suggestions for lifelong, die-hard fans within your community, that would be comfortable telling their Villa story in-front of camera. We’re looking for great stories from supporters, and thought you’d be the best first approach to find them!

 

Eventually this will open up to supporters sending in their own stories [via phone recordings for example], so we want to make the first few we do as accessible as possible to the viewer and really show the great following that we have.

 

Filming would be at Villa Park on one of the 31st Aug, 1st Sep or 2nd Sept [just waiting to confirm with film crew, looking like the 2nd] and filmed throughout the day [but individual supporters wouldn’t be needed the entire day so shouldn’t take too big a chunk of their time].

 

Those specific details can be confirmed but initially looking for a list of potentially supporters. If you could give me an idea of 3 fans within your community that you think would be perfect for this, that would be great!

 

I’m sure in future we’ll be asking yourself to get behind the lens, as this is going to be a running feature!

 
Many thanks,

 
Adam
UTV

[Jarpie]

Looks like the club has started the work on retooling the pr-side. About the time, my impression has been that it's been pretty crap for ages.

[Darlo Dave]

I'm very unlikely to be able to take part in the filming, but this is a good way to kill 10 mins...

Who are you? Dave R, 36, work in telecoms, live in the North East, with family roots in Erdington.
Why are you a Villa Fan? Family tradition. We all are in my clan.
Who/ What got you into becoming a Villan? I just always was. Growing up in North Birmingham, it's just part of being. Family, friends were all Villa, so naturally I was too. It's just part of my DNA.
What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan? Obvious answer is two League Cup finals in 94 & 96. Wonderful days out, and seeing Villa win a trophy is as good as it gets. Recently the FA Cup Semi Final against Liverpool was fantastic. Reminded me of why I love this club, and how good it can be to be a Villa fan. 
What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan? Any time we get beat by small heath! Last season obviously was pretty horrendous. Although I was numb at the end, so relegation didn't his as hard, as it was inevitable in the end.
Do you have any superstitions? They pretty much all got destroyed last season. Nothing worked. There was a time that we'd always win if I wore a certain shirt. Putting three tissues in my pocket has won us many a game in the past too! Not last season though obviously.
What is your memorabilia? Not sure what this means? I'm assuming it's asking about my favourite bit of memorabilia? I've got a bit of the old Holte End somewhere, but I'm not really one for collecting souvenirs.
Tell us about it! I've still got a lot of my old ticket stubs, but as mentioned above, I've got nothing out of the ordinary.
Who is your all time Villa Legend and why? Paul McGrath. It doesn't really need explaining. Those that saw him play know. We don't call him God for nothing.
What is your favourite Villa Kit? My first ever kit was the 1983 / 84 kit. I've still got a picture of me wearing it. I'm also partial to the 1992/93 kit. I would call it a modern classic, but then I realise it's from 23 years ago!
Call to Action:
And that is why I am Villa till I die!
Why are you? Family, friends, community. When I go home, it's nearly always the first topic of conversation. "How's the Villa doing?" "So and so played well last week." "Who we gonna sign then?" I wouldn't want it any other way!

[class-of-82]

Who are you- John r 57 gas mains layer
Why are you a villa fan- because my grandad was and he promised me one day when I was old Enough he would take me to vp age 7 in 1967.
Who got you into being a villa fan see above
One memory that sticks out - coming back on the coaches up the a13 commercial road in London and seeing the cockneys giving us the thumbs up after we had won the European cup made me feel so proud I cried.
Best memory-seeing that amazing team of 1976/77 of gray Cropley little deehan etc to this day no team has ever come close for sheer attacking ability.
Worst moment - when the Blues beat us 5 times on the trot in the 70s
Superstitions-none now but in that 76/77 season the amount of hot dogs I are before a game was the amount of goals we scored went on for 7 games
Memorabilia- programme from man Utd away in the league cup semi santos at home so many shirts and programmes all the cuttings from the mail and argus or our league and European cup run in 1980/81/82. Best of all is my original shareholders certificate from when my grandfather purchased as many as he could to help the club keep afloat and put 5 in trust for me for when I was 16.
All time legend- Alex Cropley if he wouldn't of been crippled by those stripey ##**kers we would of won the league 2 years earlier for those that didn't see him play think of Gerard Keane and Gascogne rolled into one
Favourite villa kit- my first one from the late 60s pure class simple badge no sponsors
Call to action- live in Essex now but still get a tingle now matter how hard it has been over the las few years when I fire up the mg on a Saturday morning for its 350 mile round trip
and say to it " take me home" they say home is where the heart is and that is villa park
And that is why I am a villa fan

[Nelly]

Great reads! Thank you for sharing.

[Hookeysmith]

Who are you?
Paul - 52, Commercial Manager
Why are you a Villa Fan?
My Old man said............... Really was down to my Dad and the fact that when I was growing up I could hear VP on night games and see the AV lights from my bedroom.
Who/ What got you into becoming a Villan?
Family as above, the colours, the name - many things
What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan?
Too many to list fully
My first ever night game (3rd division) and the magical feeling of walking to the stadium with it lit up - the sheer size of the Holte as I stood next to my Dad on the spot he had stood for the previous 30 years.
What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan?
Having our Rotterdam tickets stolen in a house burglary 3 days before we were to travel - haunts me to this day
Do you have any superstitions?
As others have said - last few years I have tried everything I have ever used before but the inevitable still happened.
What is your memorabilia?
I have a bulb from the original AV lights and a huge piece of the standing surface of the Holte
Tell us about it!
Went past the Holte in 94 when it was being demolished and got a really nice piece of concrete step - had a friend of mine mount it and make a name plate - it sits proudly in my living room
Who is your all time Villa Legend and why?
McGrath -  / Shaun Teale  did brilliantly in the same position but world apart in their ability and style
What is your favourite Villa Kit?
94 striped kit - especially for the cup final
70's away white kit with the umbro logo down the arm - never seen a retro version of it sadly
Call to Action:
Last few years has seen my love stretched to the limit - I now feel like I am in love all over again and look forward to match day more than ever as its exciting again. Not really interested in getting back to the premiership - just enjoy my team playing decent football and entertaining me
And that is why I am Villa till I die!
Why are you?

[Nelly]

Go on then

Who are you? (Name, Job, Age, etc.)
-Nelson, IT Tech, 31

Why are you a Villa Fan?
-Villa are one of the grandest, oldest, most decorated football clubs in existence. Full of stories, history, drama, bravery and class. Why would I not be a Villa fan? It's also a sense of community, we've all passed through the turnstiles at Villa Park - I love that. That you can hear a Brummie accent when we sing is a beautiful thing for me.

Who/ What got you into becoming a Villan?
-When my family came to this country in 1982, my brother wisely chose to follow Villa. His stories about the Holte End always enthralled me, the songs, the humour, the passion, etc. He told me to follow Villa.

What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan? (Best experience/ best memory)
-Watching the '93 League Cup Final on ITV. Atkinson, Saunders, Big Ron, the advert after we had won ("And Aston Villa, lift the Coca Cola Cup!" - it was an actual Coke Cup!)

What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan?
I think when we sold Yorke was the toughest. It felt like we were going to be runners-up and I wasn't used to that in that era.

Do you have any superstitions?
Just blind hope.

What is your memorabilia? Tell us about it! (Signed shirt/ 1st Match Magazine/ etc.)
As a kid I once wrote a letter to Villa, Brian Little was kind enough to write back. I still have that letter and treasure it. Who am I that the manager of the Aston Villa Football Club should write back? It's a testament to Little's graciousness and it cemented my adoration for him and Villa.


Who is your all time Villa Legend and why?
Brian Little. Had a hand in three League Cups, I think? In a way, his brilliance as a footballer and manager alongside his playing career being cut short mirror the way Villa often flit between glory and heartache.

What is your favourite Villa Kit?
The AST one from '95/96. Savo's headband, Yorke's chipped penalty, Draper's tee'd up freekick, the League Cup. Great times.

[ExclDawg]

Not sure I'd be considered "die-hard" enough for this, but for giggles anyway:

Who are you? (Name, Job, Age, etc.)
Jason, FW Test Engineer in California

Why are you a Villa Fan?
I was an American looking to get into the best sport in the world and needed a team for rooting interest.  I couldn't just make a fair-weather pick of Arsenal or MU or something, but I didn't want a team that was terrible either.  This was right around when the time when Lerner bought the team and I'm a huge fan of all Cleveland teams.  Villa and the Browns had so much in common, it just felt like the perfect team, and they have been.

Who/ What got you into becoming a Villan?What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan? (Best experience/ best memory)
Like I said above, it was sort of the Lerner/Cleveland connection, plus the immediate success the team had in those first couple years.  Best memory was probably going to my first game at Villa Park while on a trip to England a few years back.  Got to see Ashley Young, Carew and company tear up Bolton 5-1.

What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan?
Probably seeing us relegated last year, especially with all the infighting that seemed to be happening between the fans, as well as players and fans.

Do you have any superstitions?
Not really, but Villa has won by 4 goals in every game I have attended in person, so if anyone else is superstitious and has money for a plane ticket ...

What is your memorabilia?
The only thing I really have is a green keeper jersey that I bought at Villa Park when I made my trip over there.

Tell us about it! (Signed shirt/ 1st Match Magazine/ etc.)
The best part is that I brought my brother along to attend the game and he knows nothing about English Football.  This is when we had Friedel and Guzan as our two keepers.   I went into the team store to get the shirt and I told him that the team made Americans wear green jerseys to identify them.  I just about convinced him, and I heard snickering in the line behind me.

Who is your all time Villa Legend and why?What is your favourite Villa Kit?
Due to my short exposure with the club, I can't really say McGrath or anything as I unfortunately never had the privilege of watching them.  I'd probably have to say Ashley Young.  Those first couple years with the club, every time he'd get the ball with some space in front of him, you'd sit up in your seat because you knew something was going to happen.  Him and Carew were great together. 

Call to Action:
And that is why I am Villa till I die!
Why are you?
I'm a loyal guy.  Once I pick a team, I stick with them for life.  Just like my Cleveland teams, no matter how terrible they are, I still stand up and defend them through the tough times, endure the agonizing defeats, and stay with them through the rough times.  It took 52 years for Cleveland to finally win a Championship and it was probably the best feeling in the world.  If Cleveland can do it, so can Villa.

[class-of-82]

Amfy
Daft question but do you get in touch with us through h&v if we are chosen to take part

[amfy]

I was thinking about this - as it might well get progressively more difficult to tell who can do it & who has just answered so I kind of messed it up really!

It might be best if people pm me if they want to do it. Then I' ll have to work it out from there if there are more than 3.

[amfy]

I may as well do this although I think most of my story has been told elsewhere in the pages of either the virtual or actual H&V

Who are you? (Name, Job, Age, etc.)
Anne-Marie, age 52, Social Worker

Why are you a Villa Fan?
Because my Dad was & my grandad were. I remember moving to Southampton when I was 7 and asking my Dad if we would support Southampton now, and his response being 'Don't be so bloody stupid!'

Who/ What got you into becoming a Villan?
We had been taken to games when we were little and had sat in the Trinity Road stand, but it was my first game in The Holte End at age 13 that really ignited my interest. (We beat Man United 2-1)


What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan? (Best experience/ best memory)
The season we won the league I was 16, I had an evening job at a supermarket so I had money of my own for the first time, and got to almost every game from Southampton. I used to be on a train at 6.25am, and get back late. Towards the end of the season, my parents even let me miss school to get to evening games, like the Ipswich match, because it became everything to me. In those final weeks it was unthinkable that we wouldn't do it. It was an amazing adventure for me that couldn't have come at a better age - unforgettably exciting.

What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan?
Not being able to get a ticket for that final game at Highbury because the match became all ticket only a few days before, and I was in Southampton and couldn't get one.

Do you have any superstitions?
Last season killed them all but I used to have some lucky gloves. I bought them on a freezing cold night match in Decemebr 2003 and we beat Chelsea 2-1. There were many times I thought they brought us through but the ones that stand out....April 2005 - a warm end of season game in Southampton at half time when we were 2-0 down and we won 3-2. People around me were kissing them and telling me never to lose them. Christmas 2008 against Arsenal, again we came back to draw 2-2 with a Zat Knight goal - it had started to feel like we couldn't lose as long as I had them, but when I got home, one had fallen out of my pocket. I swear you can trace our decline back to that night!
I've tried getting new pairs, but it has never been the same.

What is your memorabilia?
I have a 1981 shirt signed by all of that team. I still have my bar scarf from that season too. It has a big moth eaten hole in it, but, superstitiously, I do still bring it out when I think we 'need' it.

Who is your all time Villa Legend and why?
Brian Little, I just remember him always being there from I was really small, and he just stood out. Him being a cup winning manager later was a bonus, but as a player, he could just do stuff others couldn't do.
What is your favourite Villa Kit?
Late 70s - 81.
Call to Action:
And that is why I am Villa till I die!
Why are you?
It's something that's been handed down to me, that my Dad and I have always shared. I've also now built up a fantastic group of friends, mainly from this forum, that I absolutely would never want to be without now!

-----------------------------------------

If anyone else would like to do this, please let me know in the next 24 hours or so as the filming dates are the end of this week so they'll need to know who is coming.

I think people are worried about not being 'diehard' enough, but it is more about the story. I have actually asked one of my Dad's old mates to do it even though he hasn't been to a game for years, because he used to have a budgie who said 'Up The Villa' & sung 'Champions of Europe in a Black Country accent. He also used to tell of being in the navy when we won the cup in 1957 and listening to a commentary which was mostly buzzing and whistling - it is funny when he tells it.

 

[amfy]

Thank you to those who took part in this.

The club are really happy with those who came along & how it's turning out so they're planning a second round of filming in around 2-3 weeks time.

So - if there's anyone who would have liked to have done it but couldn't due to short notice etc - let me know & I'll put you forward.

[eamonn]

Great stories, it's great that ExclDawg has stuck around too, top man.

[wittonwarrior]

I may as well do this although I think most of my story has been told elsewhere in the pages of either the virtual or actual H&V

Who are you? (Name, Job, Age, etc.)
Alex aged 56 originally from London now  living  in the Bootle - Conveyancer/Legal Exec.

Why are you a Villa Fan?
We are a  football family - my dad played non league to a decent standard, my uncle was one of the first Jewish footballers quite well known - Mark Lazerous - played against Tescos in the first Wembley League Cup final.  Well anyway we were on our way to the Lakes and the Villa were back in Div 2 away  at Preston - traffic  queues all the way from Birmingham to Preston so my dad had enough and decided that Dad and Lad were off the match - Villa won and I was hooked - from therefore on I was and still am Villa mad.

What got me into the Villa
As above Traffic Queues in the sky


What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan? (Best experience/ best memory)
Old Trafford - Rotterdam/Brussels/Bilbao/Blackpool promotion game

What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan?
Missing promotion back to Div 1 in the 80's  I was living in Aus.

Do you have any superstitions?
I have a certain route I walk to the train station on match days.

What is your memorabilia?
Lots of daft stuff - suppose signed photo of Withe and Mortimer from Rotterdam.

Who is your all time Villa Legend and why?
Ray Graydon one of the reasons we got back to Div 1 so quickly / Manager wise Saunders 110%


Call to Action:
And that is why I am Villa till I die!
Why are you?
I was chosen

[el león Benidorm]

Who are you?
Al, 44 and a travel Agent based in Sunny Benidorm.

Why are you a Villa Fan?
I was born in good hope and grew up on College road Kingstanding - It was never in question.
 
Who/ What got you into becoming a Villan?What is that one memory that sticks out as a Villa fan? (Best experience/ best memory)
What really got me into them was the period from 1980-83. As a kid I thought that would always win and we nearly always did. Standout memory was watching the European Cup Final with my late father who had just returned from working in Germany who said - I'm sure they will give it their all and then was dancing around the living room when Peter Withe Scored THAT goal!

What was the worst moment for you as a Villa fan?
03/03/03 - I was on holiday in Goa at the time and stood next to me was a nose who took great pleasure in goading me, especially after I shouted Go On Dion when he decided to give Lily the benefit of his forehead.


Do you have any superstitions?
When I lived back in the Midlands, I would only ever walk down the left side of the road from the station. Under the flyover and down Trinity Road. I never touched Witton Lane.

What is your memorabilia?
Never been one for collecting Football Memorabilia - Unless you count the 2 Villa Tattoos that I have.

Tell us about it! (Signed shirt/ 1st Match Magazine/ etc.)
Bizarrely they were both inked on by a Blue nose! John the tattooist on Mount Pleasant in Redditch

Who is your all time Villa Legend and why?What is your favourite Villa Kit?
Gordon Cowans is my favourite All Time Villa Player. He was so graceful and and had the best left foot in the game.

Favourite kit has to be the 92-93 lace kit when Sky ruined football. I wore that top to Wembley in 94 and 96... It's a tad snug now though.

Call to Action:
And that is why I am Villa till I die!
Why are you?
It's in my blood. I may be an ex pat now, but I get to games when I can and watch as many as I can on TV. I lived in Essex for a few years and still had a season ticket. We may have had 4 dire years, but I will never change. Now hopefully we will start to rebuild the club and send it back to former glory. My son was born the day that we beat Liverpool in the Semi last year. I will instill my passion for the club in him with unquestioning vigour.