Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Meanwood Villa on July 18, 2023, 11:57:41 AM
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For a fair while now I have told people I am more relaxed during the off season and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying the current break without any meaningful action to stress about.
Last season was pretty great from Stevenage onwards really but at the end of it I think the overwhelming feeling was still of relief rather than joy. Like a burden of worrying about whether we would get Europe had been lifted.
How do other people feel about it? I've seen a few saying they can't wait for matches to start again but I'm more than happy to keep waiting personally.
More to the point, if I enjoy us not playing more than I do us playing, do I need a new hobby?
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Poll added
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No, I'm fucking bored, no football, no rugby. The cricket helps a bit but the county season is so fractured that it's frustrating to keep track of. It doesn't help that I work in edtech for a Scandinavian company and about 3/4s of the company take most of July off as leave and pretty much everything gets put on hold so I have nothing much to do for work either.
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I miss the football, but I dont miss the losing...
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I enjoy the break and being able to get on with other stuff and not have to check every invite or plan against the fixture list but by the time the season comes around I’m ready to get back to it.
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Er...isn't this between us and our therapist? Nosey bastid...
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I didn't want the season to end for the first time in a long while. Even so I do enjoy the break from it and the build up to the next convinced that I am, we will win every game we play in the coming season. Then, JJ gets injured and my angst kicks in again.
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I don't stress about it, it is what it is. I love match-days when you see a starting 11 with quality throughout and on the bench and then a performance to back it up. Hopefully we'll be seeing that a lot next season.
I like the time of year for the warm and the light nights but the hayfever and particularly the lack of football makes it a drag.
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Yes, because in season there is always the possibility of a ruined weekend and if not at least a very nervous one.
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Bored rigid. No football, not going away for a couple of weeks, and the weather is too shit to plan doing much with the kids. Just enough work to keep me at my desk, and not quiet enough to say "fuck it, let's go to London" or wherever.
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For the last 10 years I'd probably agree but not this summer, I can't wait for us to be back at it
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My Summers are as busy with festivals as the season is with football. I keep wondering when I might spend a weekend at home!
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I miss watching Aston Villa so much I can't wait for it to return.
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A proper break between one season and the next is a good thing. It can get a little intense at times as a fan during the season so a bit of quiet and sober reflection before the madness starts up again is welcome.
Someone said that football is the most important thing that isn't important (or words to that effect) and as someone who loses his shit regularly watching our beloved team I am more than aware that some kind of break from it doesn't do any harm.
Another month without seems about right.
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Yes. Being a pessimistic ass hole I can at least rest easy
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I'm grateful of the break but Jesus, the Sundays when the only sport is F1 are so fucking depressing.
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I'm grateful of the break but Jesus, the Sundays when the only sport is F1 are so fucking depressing.
Imagine living with someone who watches ALL that F1 shit.
Yet she has a go at me for spending ages watching or talking about football, when every F1 weekend she's watching literally days of coverage.
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I'm grateful of the break but Jesus, the Sundays when the only sport is F1 are so fucking depressing.
Imagine living with someone who watches ALL that F1 shit.
Yet she has a go at me for spending ages watching or talking about football, when every F1 weekend she's watching literally days of coverage.
If I was captured by an enemy force all they'd have to do was threaten me with Formula 1 watching and I'd tell them anything they wanted to know.
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F1 is now the sky Netflix bastard child to promote tribalism amongst sweaty nerds now. Was better in my youth but sucks arse now. Thanks sky
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I quite like David Mitchell’s description of F1 as organised traffic.
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My weekends are less tense and never ruined by 11 blokes kicking a ball around. But on the flip side, they have less excitement and nothing beats a Villa win. Still, it means I don't need to organise tee times around kick offs...
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Haven't really missed it
Expensive hassle with poor public transport to the ground and terrible catering service in the ground.
I know I would miss it for some games though ,once it's up and running. Not so much the midweek games , dashing back from work to get up to Aston. I suppose that won't be an issue for the elites of the future attending
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It’s the ‘pretend’ world compared to daily life and what we all deal with, but I woke up on the Sunday after Brighton the most content I’ve felt in years and have basked in it all Summer. Not quite ready for it all to start again, but I’ll be up and at it come Newcastle.
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I quite like David Mitchell’s description of F1 as organised traffic.
Brilliant 👌
Thought I'd be fatigued from post covid football (was there any break since really?) and the summer off would be great. But I miss it badly. The transfer window is rubbish too, let's get back playing with our squad sorted and "go again" as a former manager once/often put it. With the Saudi sportswashing extravaganza, is the peak of the "Premier" league past us?
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No, while some free weekends are nice, I miss the ritual, seeing Birmingham, travelling, shouting in public, getting excited, mardy and everything in-between.
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No. I’m even looking forward to the friendlies.
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The only benefit is that I don't have to check the fixture list first before planning stuff.
I would imagine the family are happier too for the same reason.
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Haven't really missed it
Expensive hassle with poor public transport to the ground and terrible catering service in the ground.
I know I would miss it for some games though ,once it's up and running. Not so much the midweek games , dashing back from work to get up to Aston. I suppose that won't be an issue for the elites of the future attending
Plastic.
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I wouldn't say I'm happier but I do enjoy the break from it.
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I miss the routine, i miss the stress, i miss the disappointment, i miss the gut wrenching nights after we lose, I miss the joy when we win. But saying that absence makes the heart and all that
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I wouldn't say I'm happier but I do enjoy the break from it.
Yeah I appreciate the break as well.
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I miss it way too much. There’s just no focal point on the weekend, nothing to think about and work towards the weekend for.
I need the routine, I’m addicted to it all and have no desire for rehab!
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I miss it - that sense of anticipation for the next game, that feeling of 'could we do them over?', the bounce in your step when we've won or done unexpectedly well. Summer obviously is nice for other reasons but there's a big Villa-shaped void.
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I'm happy when we win. Does that count?
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You can't quite replicate the feeling of a villa win. On the other hand I can feel very low after a defeat. So in one way it's nice to have a break but also it does get a bit boring when it's not there . I'm already looking forward to Newcastle away as I think we can go there and win.
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I am definitely not happier during the off season. The close season on the other hand.
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I am definitely not happier during the off season. The close season on the other hand.
I did wonder whether off season was an Americanism but thought I'd got away with it seeing as it hadn't been commented on before!
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Off Season is a brilliant Jack Ketchum book.
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The feeling after the Brighton game was great but they are very few and far between. The atmosphere for 80% of the games was absolutely shocking last season . unless it's the every week we follow most of the ground is very quiet, I suspect this will get worse as the local working class are driven out for new era villa fans
The football is actually quite boring but I've always said I don't care about that it's a results business.
For all the doom and gloom it's all worth it for the feeling we got after Newcastle and Brighton etc and makes it all worth it!
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The feeling after the Brighton game was great but they are very few and far between. The atmosphere for 80% of the games was absolutely shocking last season . unless it's the every week we follow most of the ground is very quiet, I suspect this will get worse as the local working class are driven out for new era villa fans
The football is actually quite boring but I've always said I don't care about that it's a results business.
For all the doom and gloom it's all worth it for the feeling we got after Newcastle and Brighton etc and makes it all worth it!
Chortle.
I love you, mate. You make me feel like a beacon of positivity in comparison.
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I feel a hell of a lot happier in the summer when we had a successful season before. Also I love cricket, so that helps.
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Depends. Before Emery arrived, the off season was generally a blessed respite from the relentless misery.
This summer, on the other hand, I'm already piss bored and can't wait for it all to start again.
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Yes. I have two months off work which gives me time to up my leftie wokeness levels without the distraction of the Villa.
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Love the summer sports, obviously the Ashes this year, Wimbledon and The Open, which starts tomorrow, great stuff.
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Love the summer sports, obviously the Ashes this year, Wimbledon and The Open, which starts tomorrow, great stuff.
I'd forgotten The Open tomorrow , Hoylake, great chance for Rory
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Over the last 10 years(mostly) I’ve enjoyed the summer. Gives us a break form the poor stuff we’ve seen ( 80 per cent of the time , not 100 )
Always the usual frustrations about lack of signings early doors, which seems to be a Villa thing of course.
But I didn’t want last season to end.
And I can’t wait to this season to start.
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Over the last 10 years(mostly) I’ve enjoyed the summer. Gives us a break form the poor stuff we’ve seen ( 80 per cent of the time , not 100 )
Always the usual frustrations about lack of signings early doors, which seems to be a Villa thing of course.
But I didn’t want last season to end.
And I can’t wait to this season to start.
Fairly in the same mood..
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I enjoy the stress free weekends for a month or so and then I’m bored shitless and want the season to start. I like the Ashes and Olympics, but am bored rigid by most summer sports. My default radio in the kitchen is 5 Live and the golf this weekend - and doubtless formula 1 - means I’ll avoid it like the plague.
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I enjoy the stress free weekends for a month or so and then I’m bored shitless and want the season to start. I like the Ashes and Olympics, but am bored rigid by most summer sports. My default radio in the kitchen is 5 Live and the golf this weekend - and doubtless formula 1 - means I’ll avoid it like the plague.
Yes mate! Those stress free weekends. I remember those (before I became a husband and father 😂)
I find every other sport besides football and the American version, incredibly boring. Even the World Cup and Olympics are utterly joyless, and just attract so many wankers. PS5 all the way for me 😂
Roll on August.
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I enjoy the stress free weekends for a month or so and then I’m bored shitless and want the season to start. I like the Ashes and Olympics, but am bored rigid by most summer sports. My default radio in the kitchen is 5 Live and the golf this weekend - and doubtless formula 1 - means I’ll avoid it like the plague.
Yes mate! Those stress free weekends. I remember those (before I became a husband and father 😂)
I find every other sport besides football and the American version, incredibly boring. Even the World Cup and Olympics are utterly joyless, and just attract so many wankers. PS5 all the way for me 😂
Roll on August.
You and me both mate, I've pretty much given up on TV too