woeful attendance

[The Laughing Policeman]

It is the lack of any atmosphere which has stopped a lot of my mates going.

They would stretch for the costs if it wasn't for the stewards clamping down on any attempts at generating noise and if some of the fans who turned up didnt just sit there waiting for something to happen.

You used to be able to go down and have a great time DESPITE the football , not any more.

Join us in L1 and the back of L2 if you want atmosphere.
Oh and by the way you either support The Villa through thick and thin or you disappear to Merry Hell for a Saturday afternoons shopping with the "loved one" or you turn up at God's Own Football Ground and support the team you profess to love.
 If you can't be ars*d to do that then shame on you.

[WeDontWantMcelish]

Whilst the attendance was very low you could hear constant singing from somewhere on TV was that the Ultra's?

[PeterWithesShin]

So glory hunters rather than floating fans?

Yeah, let's all queue up and deliver sackful of cash after sackful of cash to the millionaires on the pitch who couldn't give a fuck. I blame the fans too.

Which millionaires on the pitch does that apply to now that it didn't apply to 2 or 3 years ago when 8-10K more people were turning up at VP?

The ones that were winning games, filling people with hope. Those guys.

So the fans turn up when the millionaires win games, but not when they don't. And the definition of a glory hunter is what exactly?

[The Laughing Policeman]

Whilst the attendance was very low you could hear constant singing from somewhere on TV was that the Ultra's?

Yes.

[Sexual Ealing]

So glory hunters rather than floating fans?

Yeah, let's all queue up and deliver sackful of cash after sackful of cash to the millionaires on the pitch who couldn't give a fuck. I blame the fans too.

Which millionaires on the pitch does that apply to now that it didn't apply to 2 or 3 years ago when 8-10K more people were turning up at VP?

The ones that were winning games, filling people with hope. Those guys.

So the fans turn up when the millionaires win games, but not when they don't. And the definition of a glory hunter is what exactly?

Or they turn up when there's hope and less so when there isn't. I don't get what you don't get.

[PeterWithesShin]

So glory hunters rather than floating fans?

Yeah, let's all queue up and deliver sackful of cash after sackful of cash to the millionaires on the pitch who couldn't give a fuck. I blame the fans too.

Which millionaires on the pitch does that apply to now that it didn't apply to 2 or 3 years ago when 8-10K more people were turning up at VP?

The ones that were winning games, filling people with hope. Those guys.

So the fans turn up when the millionaires win games, but not when they don't. And the definition of a glory hunter is what exactly?

Or they turn up when there's hope and less so when there isn't. I don't get what you don't get.

Well as your point seems to be to agree with me, while at the same time trying to disagree with me, i'm not sure what i'm meant to get.
A glory hunter by definition goes to games when things are rosy. You agree. They stop going when things aren't as rosy. And you agreed to that as well.

There's 14 top flight clubs with little hope this season of winning anything, and yet so far this season it's only us that seems to be suffering a 15-20% drop in attendances. Personally, I find that having that large a % of our support turn their backs on the club so quickly to be more than a tad disappointing.

[Risso]

The West Midlands has been incredibly badly hit by the economic downturn.  When ticket prices have gone up, and investment in the team has gone down, together with the appointment of a manager with two Premier League relegations under his belt, and who has a reputation for playing dull football, simply writing off a poor attendance as being evidence of "glory hunters" is incredibly immature and shows a distinct lack of intelligence.

[Sexual Ealing]

So glory hunters rather than floating fans?

Yeah, let's all queue up and deliver sackful of cash after sackful of cash to the millionaires on the pitch who couldn't give a fuck. I blame the fans too.

Which millionaires on the pitch does that apply to now that it didn't apply to 2 or 3 years ago when 8-10K more people were turning up at VP?

The ones that were winning games, filling people with hope. Those guys.

So the fans turn up when the millionaires win games, but not when they don't. And the definition of a glory hunter is what exactly?

Or they turn up when there's hope and less so when there isn't. I don't get what you don't get.

Well as your point seems to be to agree with me, while at the same time trying to disagree with me, i'm not sure what i'm meant to get.
A glory hunter by definition goes to games when things are rosy. You agree. They stop going when things aren't as rosy. And you agreed to that as well.

There's 14 top flight clubs with little hope this season of winning anything, and yet so far this season it's only us that seems to be suffering a 15-20% drop in attendances. Personally, I find that having that large a % of our support turn their backs on the club so quickly to be more than a tad disappointing.

Well, as you say, we're not going to agree.

I think it's a bit juvenile to accuse fans of Aston Villa of 'gloryhunting'. What a fucking waste of their time when Manchester's just up the road!

Good for you, for what it's worth, for keeping on spending your money, we'd be nothig without you and people like you.

[PeterWithesShin]

The West Midlands has been incredibly badly hit by the economic downturn.  When ticket prices have gone up, and investment in the team has gone down, together with the appointment of a manager with two Premier League relegations under his belt, and who has a reputation for playing dull football, simply writing off a poor attendance as being evidence of "glory hunters" is incredibly immature and shows a distinct lack of intelligence.

Most of the country is suffering an economic downturn, but only we have such a big downturn in attendances so far.

And I always forget, you're allowed to insult posters you don't agree with if you're a mod aren't you?

[Greg N'Ash]

The bigger decrease compared to other clubs is probably down to the level of expection. If you have an owner who a few years ago was claiming we were going to compete and then does a complete about turn, its probably going to mean an initial bigger drop off in crowds than say wigan whose fan base don't expect to win anything or compete. I would say after this season and last all thats left are those that have accepted we'll never be a force so the drop off will be less next season.

[WeDontWantMcelish]

its down to  mcleish urgent action is required to preserve our fanbase

[ozzjim]

The West Midlands has been incredibly badly hit by the economic downturn.  When ticket prices have gone up, and investment in the team has gone down, together with the appointment of a manager with two Premier League relegations under his belt, and who has a reputation for playing dull football, simply writing off a poor attendance as being evidence of "glory hunters" is incredibly immature and shows a distinct lack of intelligence.

Spot on.

We had to choose, Villa or holiday. Last season Villa won. We didn't go away. This year we had 10 days away, and I took more joy from the wonder on my 3 year old sons face as he caught unsuspecting sea life and legged it into the sea fully clothed than I did at any point watching Villa last season. When money is tight, the product on the pitch is what SHOULD sell a season ticket for the cost that they are. Blind love for the team should not be a reason to blindly renew every season if the money could be spent on something that brings more fulfillment to you or your family situation. I love the Villa, I am a passionate fan, I generate noise and am very vocal when down there, but I will not be preached to by any fan that tries the whole you have to go if you claim to be a fan. Bollocks. Money and family dictate, and if there if are choices, and the choice of going down the Villa is essentially to watch fairly mundane football (it has been for 3 seasons, appointing ECk and letting Young and Downing go is not going to make it better is it!?) or spend that time with my kids doing something else significantly cheaper, Villa no longer wins. If the product improved, ie it was exciting, we won more, we had players that I would chose to watch playing football that is entertaining, I would reconsider. The blind faith bit should not be a factor, and the guy from retentions that rang me had this explained to him too.

[hawkeye]

The West Midlands has been incredibly badly hit by the economic downturn.  When ticket prices have gone up, and investment in the team has gone down, together with the appointment of a manager with two Premier League relegations under his belt, and who has a reputation for playing dull football, simply writing off a poor attendance as being evidence of "glory hunters" is incredibly immature and shows a distinct lack of intelligence.

Most of the country is suffering an economic downturn, but only we have such a big downturn in attendances so far.

And I always forget, you're allowed to insult posters you don't agree with if you're a mod aren't you?

and you are allowed to insult fans that are pissed off with what is happening to our club and showing this by not turning up as glory hunters

[dave.woodhall]

Let's have a bit less of the insults from everyone.

[PeterWithesShin]

The West Midlands has been incredibly badly hit by the economic downturn.  When ticket prices have gone up, and investment in the team has gone down, together with the appointment of a manager with two Premier League relegations under his belt, and who has a reputation for playing dull football, simply writing off a poor attendance as being evidence of "glory hunters" is incredibly immature and shows a distinct lack of intelligence.

Most of the country is suffering an economic downturn, but only we have such a big downturn in attendances so far.

And I always forget, you're allowed to insult posters you don't agree with if you're a mod aren't you?

and you are allowed to insult fans that are pissed off with what is happening to our club and showing this by not turning up as glory hunters

And I repeat, if someone is happy to go to VP when things are rosy and stop doing so as soon as things aren't rosy, how else would you describe them? I've asked more than once if that is not the very definition of a glory hunter because to me it is. It's not as if we're talking a max of a 1 or 2K drop off but so far in the region of 15-20%.

I use the term glory hunting because the majority of reasons given for not going are along the lines not liking the manager and we aren't going to win much. What else is it if it isn't that?
I can understand a tail off midway through the season if things are going as badly as some of think they could, but to do it from the word go? I've also said I fully understand that some people can't afford it, i've been in that situation myself recently.

I don't for one second class myself as "better than you fan" but to me supporting my club means doing so even when the going gets tough. I've seen the club looking far worse than this over the years. If we only went to VP when we played attractive football or looked like winning things most years during my time VP would have been empty.