Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: The Villa Werewolf on March 11, 2011, 09:55:56 AM
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(http://i53.tinypic.com/142sncy.jpg)
Waiting for the full story to go online...
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Is it Martin, unable to let go?
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I saw the article in the paper this morning. Been checking the site for it to be uploaded.
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Is it Martin, unable to let go?
That was my first thought. A bearded and bedraggled O'Neill crouching down in one of the food kiosks at loking up time, looking like Dan Akroyd in Trading Places (post trumped up theft charge) living on a diet of cold pies and the dregs from the drinks drip trays.
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(http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/birmmail/mar2011/0/1/holte-end-839050121.jpg)
Homeless man found living under the Holte End stand in 'Shanty town' house
A DESTITUTE man has been living rough in a makeshift secret shelter hidden inside one of the main stands at the home of football giants Aston Villa.
While thousands of fans flocked to see the team’s highly-paid Premier League stars perform on the pitch, the ‘hermit of the Holte End’ was just yards from the action snuggled away in the shanty town-style dwelling hidden in the bowels of the Villa Park stadium.
Despite high-tech CCTV systems scanning most of the 42,000-seater ground and an army of security guards on round-the-clock duty, the terrace tramp managed to stay undetected until a routine sweep of the stadium by groundstaff, according to club insiders.
The club has said it has no record of the incident, but security officers are believed to be investigating how he managed to enter and leave the ground without arousing suspicion.
The bearded man, a UK passport holder in his late 30s or 40s, had constructed his secret hideaway using discarded cardboard and other waste items. It is not known how long he was in the ground.
It is thought he was able to sneak into the stadium during darkness without being seen and leave his hideout before staff arrived for work the following morning. He obtained food by forcing his way into kiosks inside the stand and obtaining scraps from items left by supporters on matchdays.
The homeless man, who was apparently well-known by drinkers at pubs around the stadium, has now vanished from the area. Regulars at the nearby Aston Hotel said a dishevelled-looking man was often seen in the neighbourhood.
“I know who he is but we’ve not seen him for a few days,” said one drinker. “No-one believed him when he claimed he was actually living at the Villa.
“It’s amazing how he managed to escape detection for so long.”
An Aston Villa spokesman said the club had no record of the incident or the mystery fan’s existence.
A West Midlands police spokesman said the only reports they had received involved security teams reporting a drunken man behaving suspiciously near the ground at the end of last month.
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Sunday Mercury headline
"Callous Villa to sue squatter for back rent"
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The homeless man, who was apparently well-known by drinkers at pubs around the stadium, has now vanished from the area. Regulars at the nearby Aston Hotel said a dishevelled-looking man was often seen in the neighbourhood.
A dishevelled looking man in Aston? Whatever next?
Oh, hang on, was he standing near the North Stand, flogging some form of magazine?
Mind you, it could also have just been Pires, depending on how close to the ground his private gold-plated helicopter drops him.
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I'd have put money on O'Leary.
Being kept going with the odd meal donated by an admirer.
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Lucky bastard I normally pay a £1 for a kit kat and he was having one for free!!
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Wolfy ?
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Probably a Rangers fan, waiting for the ref to start the second half of the 1976 friendly
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I wonder if its the tramp who used to hang around Erdington High St, the one who is regularly thrown out of the King Edward for pinching swigs of pints.
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If he has left the building i hope he has lifted the curse of bad defending, or was it him pissing on the corner flags that did it?
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You couldn't make it up could you.
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I've a sneaky feeling that it is made up to be honest.
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I'd have put money on O'Leary.
Being kept going with the odd meal donated by an admirer.
"It's just a small bite but it's a great bunch of chips".
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is it April 1st already? I tell you, time flies by the older you get.
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Apparently he was later offered a place under the stands at St Andrews but turned it down as he didn't want to move that far downmarket.
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See, even our tramps have a standard by which they will not be compromised.
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I've a sneaky feeling that it is made up to be honest.
Yes.
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I suspect that someone at the paper missed the "not for publication until April 1st" notice
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They probably turn the CCTV off in between games etc.
I wonder if he made his way into one of the corporate boxes and watched Sky TV whilst eating prawn sarnies ?
Amazing story ...
Tramp on the Holte End , we've got a tramp on the Holte End !
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And when we go away:
Has Your main stand got a tramp
Has Your main stand got a tramp
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So Villa said they had no record of it and the Police said there was no record of it and a bloke in the pub said no-one believed it?
Have I missed something?
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So Villa said they had no record of it and the Police said there was no record of it and a bloke in the pub said no-one believed it?
Have I missed something?
Well yes, the guy posed for that nice photo didn't he? How much more proof do you need for goodness sake??!!
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And the truth is:
Security found a man sleeping rough on the Holte End outside steps one Friday night. He was hitch-hiking his way around football grounds and when they spoke to him he said he'd go and sleep in the park. They told him this wasn't a good idea and let him stay on the steps for the night, where he was under the CCTV and they could make sure he was safe. He went to the Blackurn game, and was last seen headed for Munich.
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q1. Is it Salifou
q2. Did he get to see the games
q3. I thought Snoods had been banned
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And the truth is:
Security found a man sleeping rough on the Holte End outside steps one Friday night. He was hitch-hiking his way around football grounds and when they spoke to him he said he'd go and sleep in the park. They told him this wasn't a good idea and let him stay on the steps for the night, where he was under the CCTV and they could make sure he was safe. He went to the Blackurn game, and was last seen headed for Munich.
Wasn't there a charity trek thing with someone trying to visit all the clubs who have won the European Cup within 14 days?
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And the truth is:
Security found a man sleeping rough on the Holte End outside steps one Friday night. He was hitch-hiking his way around football grounds and when they spoke to him he said he'd go and sleep in the park. They told him this wasn't a good idea and let him stay on the steps for the night, where he was under the CCTV and they could make sure he was safe. He went to the Blackurn game, and was last seen headed for Munich.
Wasn't there a charity trek thing with someone trying to visit all the clubs who have won the European Cup within 14 days?
As he'd apparently also been to Arsenal I doubt he was involved.
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"When quizzed about his behaviour, Stephen Ireland insisted that 'the gaffer' had ordered him to move closer to the club. 'It's disgraceful to treat me like this,' said Ireland. 'What with me being the best player in training and everything...'"
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And the truth is:
Security found a man sleeping rough on the Holte End outside steps one Friday night. He was hitch-hiking his way around football grounds and when they spoke to him he said he'd go and sleep in the park. They told him this wasn't a good idea and let him stay on the steps for the night, where he was under the CCTV and they could make sure he was safe. He went to the Blackurn game, and was last seen headed for Munich.
Wasn't there a charity trek thing with someone trying to visit all the clubs who have won the European Cup within 14 days?
Surely it wouldn't take that long to get between Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham?! If they were including non English teams I think you'd be hard pressed to get round all of Europe by hitch hiking in 14 days.
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i blame houllier for training the nightwatchmen even they are getting sloppy and letting men get in round the back unopposed
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A man caught dozing at VP! Isn't that what our defenders have been doing all season?
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A man caught dozing at VP! Isn't that what our defenders have been doing all season?
Wait for it - can he play at....
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I walked past him a few weeks back, he was singing "i'm not in love, so don't forget it..."
I said, that's supertramp
*stolen from the jokes thread.
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I walked past him a few weeks back, he was singing "i'm not in love, so don't forget it..."
I said, that's supertramp
*stolen from the jokes thread.
And he said no, it's 10cc.
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Well, what a silly phase to be going through.
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I walked past him a few weeks back, he was singing "i'm not in love, so don't forget it..."
I said, that's supertramp
*stolen from the jokes thread.
Yer daft get!
It's The logical song.
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Coopersinjury?
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living the dream!
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Well, what a silly phase to be going through.
He was hiding a stain that was lying there.
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Frank Gallagher kidnapped from the Jockey again?
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What a great story, I wouldn't mind having a kick around on the pitch but I don't know about kipping under the stands, maybe in the summer!
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What a great story, I wouldn't mind having a kick around on the pitch but I don't know about kipping under the stands, maybe in the summer!
Just one slight problem. It didn't happen.