1980s football?

[dave.woodhall]

I would say our golden era began with Sir Graham's arrival and ended when we signed Collymore but that's a side issue.

Thinking about it, a moment of significance came with the false imprisonments at Nottingham station - for the first time I can recall there was a media outcry at the way we'd been treated. Control of supporters wasn't just about security anymore.

[TopDeck113]

I would say our golden era began with Sir Graham's arrival and ended when we signed Collymore but that's a side issue.

For the Villa, without a doubt. I was using Villa players to book-end what I think of a golden era for football in general

[Deano's Mullet]

I would say our golden era began with Sir Graham's arrival and ended when we signed Collymore but that's a side issue.

Thinking about it, a moment of significance came with the false imprisonments at Nottingham station - for the first time I can recall there was a media outcry at the way we'd been treated. Control of supporters wasn't just about security anymore.

88 to late 98 for me. once Gregory's honeymoon period was over we were on a downward spiral from then on in - cup final appearance aside although the less said about that the better!

[smudger]

I would say our golden era began with Sir Graham's arrival and ended when we signed Collymore but that's a side issue.

Thinking about it, a moment of significance came with the false imprisonments at Nottingham station - for the first time I can recall there was a media outcry at the way we'd been treated. Control of supporters wasn't just about security anymore.

88 to late 98 for me. once Gregory's honeymoon period was over we were on a downward spiral from then on in - cup final appearance aside although the less said about that the better!

Yeah, i started going in '88 and thoroughly enjoyed it every time until early '99 really. That was about the time i realised we weren't going to win the league whilst football was the way it was, and if it continued (which it has). Gregory had produced a winning team, albeit slightly dull, but when that dull team started getting duller and winning less the enjoyment slowly started to fizzle out. GT's second stint was a disaster, O'Leary had a good start and then faded very badly. A lot of the problem was that from around 98 until the last 18 months we had too many players that didn't really want to play for us, and quite a few we tried to sign were not interested. The image of the club was at an all time low in the years i'd been coming, and we are now slowly starting to reverse that.

[Deano's Mullet]

I would say our golden era began with Sir Graham's arrival and ended when we signed Collymore but that's a side issue.

Thinking about it, a moment of significance came with the false imprisonments at Nottingham station - for the first time I can recall there was a media outcry at the way we'd been treated. Control of supporters wasn't just about security anymore.

88 to late 98 for me. once Gregory's honeymoon period was over we were on a downward spiral from then on in - cup final appearance aside although the less said about that the better!

Yeah, i started going in '88 and thoroughly enjoyed it every time until early '99 really. That was about the time i realised we weren't going to win the league whilst football was the way it was, and if it continued (which it has). Gregory had produced a winning team, albeit slightly dull, but when that dull team started getting duller and winning less the enjoyment slowly started to fizzle out. GT's second stint was a disaster, O'Leary had a good start and then faded very badly. A lot of the problem was that from around 98 until the last 18 months we had too many players that didn't really want to play for us, and quite a few we tried to sign were not interested. The image of the club was at an all time low in the years i'd been coming, and we are now slowly starting to reverse that.

it really didnt help that Blues came up whilst we had already started to struggle under GT and gubbed us in both games. we know and they know whos the biggest in the region but the media - and loads of people i know who should have known better - started a bandwagon and championed Blues forward as being the bigger force in the Second City.

edit - which obviously didnt last too long! plus we had Southgate, Ehiogu and Merson questioning our ambition. the press had a field day with us until our name was mud.

[andyaston]

The Christmas of '89' playing Man United and beating them on boxing day 3-0, Arsenal a few days later beating the then Champs 2-1 both, at Villa Park. Also, it was packed on the Holte End with a great Atmosphere and 40,000 plus crowds, sheer bliss.

[usav]

The Christmas of '89' playing Man United and beating them on boxing day 3-0, Arsenal a few days later beating the then Champs 2-1 both, at Villa Park. Also, it was packed on the Holte End with a great Atmosphere and 40,000 plus crowds, sheer bliss.

That was a great 3 or 4 days.  The queues for the Holte on Boxing Day were back to the Holte Hotel.

[Chico Hamilton III]

The Christmas of '89' playing Man United and beating them on boxing day 3-0, Arsenal a few days later beating the then Champs 2-1 both, at Villa Park. Also, it was packed on the Holte End with a great Atmosphere and 40,000 plus crowds, sheer bliss.

That was a great 3 or 4 days.  The queues for the Holte on Boxing Day were back to the Holte Hotel.

"Fergie, on the dole,
Fergie fergie on the dole"

"Thank you very much for Paul McGrath...."

[Coopers Injury]

For me the perfect era was around 1989-92. Post-Hillsborough so we were starting to be treated decently and violence was more or less out of fashion. Pre-Premier League so matches were still invariably on Saturday afternoon and hype-free. Thenalong came Sky to bugger it all up.

Same hear 88 was when I stared going 3-3 at Goodison, couldn't talk for a week.

GT's last game before departing for England
think we sang solid through half time and the entire second half - GT's claret n blue army !"

[Rudy Can't Fail]

  [
Turning up at an away game and paying on the door
.

I remember going to see us at Leeds with my bro in law and we only decided on the morning of the game to go.  Jumped on the special at New Street and paid on the gates at Elland Road.

True but how many grounds have you been to when there was a mad crush to get in with only a couple of turnstiles open, missed part of the match or they've sold out and shut the gates?
It was at times frightening at times but the atmosphere once inside was always special. I really hate having to sit at games now, it really takes the edge off the game, unless it's a non-Villa game, whereby it doesn't really matter which team wins, you just fancy a good game of football.