The day OUR derby died

[sheldon nose]

Sheldon a question in peace. I've always wondered this.
I no longer live in the area and have no particular axe to grind but most people (with no west midlands affiliations) would see the blues as a team with a much higher % of fans looking for trouble than most teams. A step below Millwall I'll give you but on a par with Cardiff, Leeds, Stoke you know the next step down. Is that how you guys see yourselves or as a team with the usual % of troublemakers?

we do have an element of a fair share of head the balls following us i will give you that......theres people i know, if there was more violence, they'd be more likely to go....

[rutski]

a rallying call for the team that bears the citys name! Proud!

[flybo]

Sheldon a question in peace. I've always wondered this.
I no longer live in the area and have no particular axe to grind but most people (with no west midlands affiliations) would see the blues as a team with a much higher % of fans looking for trouble than most teams. A step below Millwall I'll give you but on a par with Cardiff, Leeds, Stoke you know the next step down. Is that how you guys see yourselves or as a team with the usual % of troublemakers?

we do have an element of a fair share of head the balls following us i will give you that......theres people i know, if there was more violence, they'd be more likely to go....

[/b]
And thats not good

[sheldon nose]

Its true though every club has got them,they love nothing more than a good tear up and a bit of windmilling.....

[TimTheVillain]

Sheldon a question in peace. I've always wondered this.
I no longer live in the area and have no particular axe to grind but most people (with no west midlands affiliations) would see the blues as a team with a much higher % of fans looking for trouble than most teams. A step below Millwall I'll give you but on a par with Cardiff, Leeds, Stoke you know the next step down. Is that how you guys see yourselves or as a team with the usual % of troublemakers?

we do have an element of a fair share of head the balls following us i will give you that......theres people i know, if there was more violence, they'd be more likely to go....

Nuff said.

[Somniloquism]

we do have an element of a fair share of head the balls following us i will give you that......theres people i know, if there was more violence, they'd be more likely to go....

So as well as after Christmas, it being on Tele, it being midday and you will be selling out West Ham, the next excuse was there were too many coppers to allow trouble so fans did not want to go.

[garyfouroaks]

I don't share the gloating at small heath's misfortune.

High ticket prices, a violent undercurrent, and two teams going nowhere, a televised game,and an  early morning ko combine to adversely affect us all.

[saunders_heroes]

i will say the derby game has defo lost its fizz,well it has for me and a lot of my nose mates,do think the police have killed it a bit as well which they want to do in the long run as its just hassle for them...plus west midlands football is shit basically.......

Don't try and talk us down to your level just because we're having one bad season.
22k for a derby game is an absolute embarrassment, so stop trying to make excuses.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Maybe the derby games should only be staged at Villa Park. We could wear our away strip for one of the games if needed.

[Jimbo]

I thought 22,000 was a big crowd for them. Little club like that will be glad of the gate receipts.

[villa1]

Its true though every club has got them,they love nothing more than a good tear up and a bit of windmilling.....

Tis true indeed. You do happen to have more than most though.

[saunders_heroes]

The day we get a crowd of 22k for the derby I'll share their embarrassment, until then I think we should all have a good laugh at the team 'all  true Brummies support'

I wont join in the knocking of them for not travelling to away games on a monday night but that crowd today was hilarious.

Well said 'peterwithe'. Yes it's an embarrassment when compared to other derby games around the country, but those other clubs up and down the land aren't as small time as Small Heath. They truly are one of the most, if not the most piss poorly supported teams in the country (in relative terms).

And yes, before anyone says that we didn't sell out against the at Villa Park, there was still nearly 41k at our ground compared to the laughable 22k at the Sty today (including riot police).
What a shit football club.

[peter w]

And I was singing bye bye Miss American Pie.

[Archie]

I confirm that their support was far from huge.
The Italian Villa contingent for the 1st time couldn't get the tickets reserved for the claret and blue army  due to restrictions, but  last Monday  found the tickets for one of the b-bloose stands.

[peter w]

Thing is the feel of the derby. When we are doing well then we have almost the same view of the derby as we do when we play Coventry. Obviously its bigger than Coventry but the game means different things to the two sets of fans. Living and working side-by-side is the only thing that still makes it as a derby to want to win. Its not even bragging rights.

We know that it is a big game for them. They hate our arrogance and our belittling attitude towards them. Whether its deserved or not, that is the historical attitude we have had when considering our rivals is what sets the derby up for what it is for them. On top of that our histories set us apart. Yes, its a long time since we won most of our trophies but they have been won. So, we see ourselves as above them on a footballing level because of that and because of the fact that we are used to finishing above them.

Another fact is that they only ever finish above us if we have a bad season. To us mid-table is a poor season.

So, what is the derby for us? Because of what it means to them we don't want them to win it more than I think we care about beating them. This is the Coventry comparison. We know that for both sets of fans all they want is to beat us, which is why we want to avoid defeat more than winning at times. Simply to stop them having their fun at our expense. Yes, on a footalling level you always want to win, and yes, having them harping on in your ear at work, out and about etc makes you want to beat them, but when we are doing well, and they are not we hardly give a toss about them. Yeah, go down because its funny, but not as important as us doing well.

That's why the derby isn't and can't be about equals.