Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Dave P on May 28, 2019, 12:45:49 PM
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Remember when Villa were a Championship team? Seems ages ago now. Anyway, what were your main memories from the 3 years in the division? Good and bad.
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Best Memory-Yesterday!
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The main one is how the hard core of our support stuck with the villa- we were a top division club playing in a league below us
The lessons we handed out to blooose. Even Hutton had his magical moment
Jack coming of age and who ultimately carried us back to the cash tills premiership
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Beating Rotherham for our first win in ages was cathartic. Snodgrass and Terry bucking the trend of our senior pros being wasters. Hutton making more comebacks than Frank Sinatra. Grealish being the most fouled player in the championship and made the pantomime villain at every away ground. Villa's games seemingly always being chosen for Sky. Comfortably beating Wolves. The 5-5 with Forest. The single appearance of Roberto Cabbagio, prodigal sons returning, the 3-3 with the Blades, Hutton's Moses impression, Pulis placed back in his box, Bristol City ideas above station, Steer penalty saves and McGinn making the energiser bunny look like Fat Ross.
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"Proper"away fans
Really shit officials
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The positives - SKY turning into AVTV and showing us live every week and sometimes twice or three times a week. Looking forward to every game knowing we stood a decent chance of winning any given game home and away.
The downside - crap officials and the EFL highlights show on QUEST. Although at least it is on earlier than MOTD.
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Singing "Just for one season, we fancied a change!"
I just wish we'd carried it on in the 2nd and 3rd seasons!!!!
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One bad- An early midweek match against Huddersfield and them equalising via a ridiculous rebound off a tubby substitute at the end. Realised it wasn't going to be as smooth a return as I'd hoped.
One good- Going 2-1 up in the play off semi against WBA after the grief they'd given us.Realised it wasn't going to be as smooth a return as I'd hoped but we had the guts to do it against anyone.
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The tremendous support - full houses against the likes of Bristol City with the crowd acting as the 12th man.
Filling out allocations away from home, regardless of distance or whether it was a Saturday or Tuesday night.
The Tuesday night at Reading when we finally won away from home again, with around 5,000 fans behind the goal will live long in the memory.
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We can always say that in even in our darkest years, we still absolutely did the business over the Blues. Surely the last 3 years was their best chance at beating us in the league?
Random high - Kodjia's acrobatic late winner at home to Fulham in the first season down
Random low - Going 1-0 down to Shef Wednesday after about 30 seconds
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The tremendous support - full houses against the likes of Bristol City with the crowd acting as the 12th man.
Filling out allocations away from home, regardless of distance or whether it was a Saturday or Tuesday night.
The Tuesday night at Reading when we finally won away from home again, with around 5,000 fans behind the goal will live long in the memory.
It was a different Reading ground and the division had a different name but our trip to Elm Park in 1988 was a fun day out. We won 2-0 and I thought McInally and Birch got our goals but when I checked it was actually Thompson and Birch.
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Highs - away allocations, some great away trips for some reason I especially enjoyed Sheffield and South York’s clubs like Rotherham and Barnsley, re-finding my love after it has been beaten out of me since the late MON days and the 09/10 nearly season, Grealish becoming a man, Dean Smith.
Lows - officiating was particularly bad on occasion, that 3-0 at Wigan, Steve Bruce, Brentford becoming our bogey club, the M6 J19 to J13.
Overall I’ve enjoyed it but........
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Low that springs to mind was Di Matteo’s finale - Preston away and realising that we could well be down for a long, long time.
One of many highs was the euphoria of Reading away when Ayew slotted that pen. I doubt Reading’s fans fully understood the reason for the limbs! Brilliant
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Well I’m obviously commenting from a distance but highs - increasing the VP average attendance over the 3 years to the point where we were selling out. The one thing I heard from Blose and Albion was “give it a few years in the championship and see where your attendances are” well they actually went up tossers. Undeniably this club has tremendous support.
Low point - losing the play offs and looking like we were going bust the next week - doesn’t get any worse than that.
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I will always fondly remember the three years in this divsion.
First game i went to was Rotherham at home - 3 nil win and our first win in about seven months. Gestede looking like a centre forward and Super Jack dancing through their defence to make it three nil. Two noses at Moor St Station trying to be tough against a platform full of Villa afterwards.
Fulham at home - actually sat in the North Stand with a Fulham fan. Even he was dazzled by Kodjia's goal.
Wigan at home - worst game ever but what a fabulous last minute winner from Grealish. Then shopping in the city afterwards in the German Christmas Market.
Stopping Brighton winning the title in the last game was fantastic too seeing as i love down sarf.
Following season - much better overall and lots of decent games. Norwich at home was terrific with a Conor hat-trick. Terry scoring against an angry Fulham crowd and their bitter fans on the train afterwards. Seeing Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi on the pitch at half time vs Burton was great. The playoff final itself was a great day except for the actual match.
This season - Wigan at home and John McGinn already on day one looking like player of the season. Some terrific games but a lot of them down to some pathetic Villa defending. Losing to WBA at home was a real downer yet within two or three months we've leap frogged them in to the Premiership. Great football, great goals and a much more positive manager in charge - and hes a local Villa fan too! I couldnt get a ticket for this years final which was gutting and having experienced last years atmosphere i knew what i was missing - and this year we actually won it!
And of course our record vs Blues......
Goodbye championship and thanks for the memories.
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Proper fans - ours and whoever we were playing against. No Premier League soccer tourists or half and half scarves. Us scoring at least half a dozen genuine goal of the season contenders. Going to away games and looking forward to the football, rather than having an all day session ruined by 90 minutes of football. A team of players pulling together rather than the disparate bunch of greedy misfits that have been bleeding us dry for years. A Villa fan as manager, a Villa fan as captain - that's all I've ever wanted. This season's kits being the best we've had for many a year. Lots of Midland derbies.
I reckon we'll look back on last season as one of our finest.
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Dean Smith -the man who took us from mid-table mediocrity to the Prem, despite not being a 'promotion specialist'.
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Seeing players looking like they actually want to play for our great club which hasn't been the case at times. Getting a proper Villa fan as manager has been brilliant
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Dean Smith -the man who took us from mid-table mediocrity to the Prem, despite not being a 'promotion specialist'.
Bruce and McLeish were promotion specialists. Provided you didn't mind them getting your club relegated first.
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Highs - the wins against blues, ten in a row, Rotherham/Barnsley/Brentford aways, the best home kit in years, destroying derby gone and away last season. The coming of Jack Grealish into a major player, Mings/Abraham/snodgrass/Johnstone loanies of quality, Wembley at 4:45pm last month, sell outs everywhere
The things to forget - small heath, the defeats away at wolves, onomah/bolasie, £42 first away game at Sheff wed and the packed trams all three seasons there, the Friday night aways Bristol, Leeds and qpr oh and Ian Holloway/ Colin Murray
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Highs - the wins against blues, ten in a row, Rotherham/Barnsley/Brentford aways, the best home kit in years, destroying derby gone and away last season. The coming of Jack Grealish into a major player, Mings/Abraham/snodgrass/Johnstone loanies of quality, Wembley at 4:45pm last month, sell outs everywhere
The things to forget - small heath, the defeats away at wolves, onomah/bolasie, £42 first away game at Sheff wed and the packed trams all three seasons there, the Friday night aways Bristol, Leeds and qpr oh and Ian Holloway/ Colin Murray
Which Brentford away game are you classing as a ‘high’? The 3-0 defeat, the 2-1 defeat or the 1-0 defeat?
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Highs
Wembley on my birthday this year with team, board, staff, head coach and fans as one.
2 Villa fans holding the trophy up at Wembley
Jack scoring after the assault at Blues
The much friendlier attitude at most grounds
The most stylish kit that I can remember
Having lunch with friends before setting off on more midweek games
Being there for all 10 in a row
John McGinn’s backside and his corner v Blackburn
More worldy goals than I can remember
All corners of VP getting behind the team and singing together
Lows
Losing at Bolton with the snow blowing horizontally across the ground and being colder than in Moscow
Losing at Brentford on Boxing Day in the snow and cold
Opening the Sunday paper and wading through loads of Premier League news before reaching anything on us.
Pundits who didn’t bother to find out the facts about why Bruce had to go (Liam Rosenior the exception)
Being in France last June and hiding my phone under the bedclothes so that my Baggies partner didn’t see that we were about to go bust.
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Not the result but the day out best ground in the country griffin park for a drink
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Here is how the bookies think our old friends in the Championship will do in the coming season.
1 Leeds
2 Fulham
3 Cardiff
4 Albion
5 Stoke
6 Boro
7 Derby
8 Brentford
9 Huddersfiled
10 Sheff Wed
11 Bristol C
12 Forest
13 Swansea
14 Preston
15 Small Heath
16 Blackburn
17 Hull
18 QPR
19 Luton
20 Reading
21 Wigan
22 Millwall
23 Charlton
24 Barnsley
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Albion 4th? More like 4th from bottom - they are in freefall. On paper Leeds should walk it but they wont. Expect Cardiff, Bristol City and Forest to be challenging.
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So torn, because I really like Bielsa and I want nothing but doom and frustration for the Leedsers. Very confusing.
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What I really enjoyed especially last season was the number of games. Even if we lost on a Saturday we had an opportunity to put it right a few days later. When we were winning it was even better.
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I'm actually really looking forward to watching the Championship this season. I've far more knowledge of this league than the PL these days and I can watch the Championship safe in the knowledge that A) We're not there anymore and B) Support teams against the Blose, Stripey etc. It'd be hilarious to see Leeds fail again too along with Brizzle and Salty Wednesday. Its such a shit fight, I reckon it'll be fun.
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Before we get too nostalgic over the championship remember:
1. Shit away days such as Leeds on a Sunday lunch.
2. Poor referees who gave us nothing
3. Third world grounds such as St Andrews
4. Sky with the two changes to our fixture at Norwich
5. Hiked up away prices
6. Ian Holloway
7. The play off loss to Fulham
8. Villa inventing the world ever away scheme ever 2018/2019
9. The two away games at Brentford and Wolves - performance wise
10 The trams at Sheffield
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Before we get too nostalgic over the championship remember:
2. Poor referees who gave us nothing
It wasn't just us. They were so out of their depth it does make you wonder, with so much money in English football, how much is spent on training referees? They're an insult to Sunday League.
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Every time I have travelled to Hillsborough or Bramall Lane it has been by car. Apart from once on a coach for BFR's first game in charge. Can someone enlighten me about the problem with Sheffield trams?
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Rammed ! Afraid it’s only the ground at Sheffield wed that has problems, they have some dick head fans ( some decent ones as well) but transport to the ground is crap from the city