Villa - Rangers reaction

[Oscar Arce]

We've discussed this on here before but I was there too and it was the worst violence and mayhem I've ever seen by a million miles.
I lived in Billesley and it's nearly six miles from Villa Park, but at 8am in the morning there were drunken Scots causing havoc in the shops at the top of our road, tipping up bins and putting windows through, it was incredible, god knows why they were there but there was about 50 of them there by the shops and about a mob of 100 rampaging through the park.
I was walking to the top of the road at about 12, without my Villa scarf on, and got the usual number 11 outer circle bus to Aston, I couldn't get on the forst two, full of Rangers hooligans, and got to the ground to find scenes of an apocolyptic nature, running battles all along Witton Lane, which was apparently fueled by this kid with a Celtic flag.
The Holte End was 'taken' hours before the match, I ended up in the Witton and all the rest is history.
My abiding memory is that every one of them, and I mean every one even the old buggers, were absolutely pissed out of their brains.

[class-of-82]

The Holte end wasn't taken it was opened up on police advice for somewhere to put the rangers fans instead of letting them wander round Brum all night

[Godfrey Brian]

We've discussed this on here before but I was there too and it was the worst violence and mayhem I've ever seen by a million miles.
I lived in Billesley and it's nearly six miles from Villa Park, but at 8am in the morning there were drunken Scots causing havoc in the shops at the top of our road, tipping up bins and putting windows through, it was incredible, god knows why they were there but there was about 50 of them there by the shops and about a mob of 100 rampaging through the park.
I was walking to the top of the road at about 12, without my Villa scarf on, and got the usual number 11 outer circle bus to Aston, I couldn't get on the forst two, full of Rangers hooligans, and got to the ground to find scenes of an apocolyptic nature, running battles all along Witton Lane, which was apparently fueled by this kid with a Celtic flag.
The Holte End was 'taken' hours before the match, I ended up in the Witton and all the rest is history.
My abiding memory is that every one of them, and I mean every one even the old buggers, were absolutely pissed out of their brains.

The teenaged me arrogantly thought I was a man of the world (didn't we all) and knew all about heavy 'sessions'. However walking to the game down Aston Lane and  having to step over the comatose bodies of rangers supporters slumped across the pavement and in front gardens, many still clutching the bottles of port or sherry they had been swigging from,  opened my eyes to a completely different world. I worked in Town at the time and there were still very young Rangers fans wandering around the following week.As I recollect BR had run ridiculously cheap trains through the night from Glasgow.

It must have been miserable living near a football ground back then but that day was hooliganism on a different level so no wonder those residents are so shocked.

[Smirker]

I wasn't even born when this happened but my dad was telling me the other day, either him or his mate was at the game (can't remember who) and said the Rangers fans were OK in the Holte and passing round alcohol with Villa fans. It only kicked off when a goal was scored.

No idea myself just wondered if anyone else had a similar experience.

[wittonwarrior]

Am I right thinking this was an early kick off.    Another of those games good or bad that I can say wish I was there, just the same as the Leicester game the week after.  (did make it to Stoke though - wish I hadn't bothered).

[class-of-82]

From what I seen all the villa fans were being sent to the witton end even those that was in the holte was bent sent down the touch line to the witton
The coppers wouldn't even let us in the Holte just directed s to the witton

[Flamingo Lane]

I was at this game, what our dad was thinking of taking us I just don't know.  I went into the Holte End, then straight onto the touchline and along into the Witton End. I've never been so frightened at a football match.  Oddly, the game itself was pretty good, for a 'friendly.'

[cdbearsfan]

I wasn't allowed to go the game as my streetwise dad predicted trouble. It was an early kick off as well.  Always hated Scottish football from there on. Not just rangers fans that were scum from Scotland when wales played Scotland at anfield they invaded a school playground and started ripping things up

Scotland, and belatedly England, fans, have done much to reinvent themselves to the extent that hooliganism is unknown at Scotland fixtures and rare when England are playing.

Rangers are still utter ******, who will always blame somebody else for their behaviour.

[Simon Page]

I was in the away corner at Ibrox for a Caley Jags match one year and the lovely inhabitants of the Broomloan Road, or "Family", Stand - in between singing anti-Celtic and English anthems - kept trying to goad the handful of away fans into a spot of Glaswegian hugging. I've never seen so much pointless posturing at a game before or since. Apart from the fact Inverness fans aren't known for their hoolie firm, there were over 40,000 protestants there and fewer than 400 Mel Gibsons. Fortunately, the Gers fans decided to turn on their own team and manager while "we" celebrated a win during the near hour-long lock in. Odd bunch.

[cdbearsfan]

Wallace was actually likely to have been from Ayrshire or Renfrewshire, so not a Teuchter!

[Simon Page]

Bollocks, he was Australian. I've seen the documentary and heard him being interviewed. Not keen on the Israelis by all accounts.

[andyh]

I was really lucky as an 11 year old (thinking back, I didn't realise how lucky I was)

Me and a mate of mine I had a job at Villa Park where we would help the groundsman on Sunday mornings replace the divots in the hallowed turf, which had been made during the previous matchday.

Our 'pay' for this was a match ticket, and we ended up sitting in all different parts of the ground.

For the Rangers game, we sat in the groundsmans dugout which was in the Witton Lane stand.
It was right next to the 'tunnel' which led underneath the stand to where the St.Johns Ambulance treatment room was.
During the game there were people being escorted past us and down the tunnel with blood pouring from them, mainly cuts from flying glass I think. 

The next morning we were 'on duty' and helped with the clearing up of the Holte.
There was more smashed glass (whisky bottles) on the steps of the Holte End than you would see in any glass recycling plant.

After the game was abandoned, we tried to make our way home to deepest Aston ( two 10/11 year old kids) and were absolutely crapping ourselves.
A bloke (probably in his 20's) saw us, took pity on us, and escorted us all the way back home.

He was Rangers fan. He went out of his way (literally) to make sure we were safe, before going back to Glasgow.