Stewart Downing (with added allegations Reply#103)

[Mazrim]

It's because the Pope used to be our Goalie.

[stuart r]

I'd imagine supplying four of Ireland's 1994 world cup squad might have something to do with it.

It was well before then, though.

I've always assumed it was due to the large Irish community in Erdington

[Chris Smith]

My Welsh great great grandmother on my dad's side, a Miss Jones, was so lazy that she married a Mr Jones just so that she didn't have to change her name.

[dave.woodhall]

I'd imagine supplying four of Ireland's 1994 world cup squad might have something to do with it.

It was well before then, though.

I've always assumed it was due to the large Irish community in Erdington

There was a bigger one in Digbeth.

[saunders_heroes]

As an Irishman, so imbued with laziness his ancestors never even bothered to leave the country,  can I point out that neither myself or Ger, another Irishman, took offence.

We're secure enough in our own work-rate, and in the knowledge we gave Britain the great terry Wogan, to know it was quite clearly a joke!

On a more serious note, Irish football fans tend to associate certain British clubs with traditions of pro and anti-Irish sentiment. Rangers and Celtic are the obvious example but there are others. Man U are associated with Irish immigrant support, Man City as hostile. Villa are seen as the 'Irish club' of Birmingham, Small Heath as hostile. ironically given the evolution of this thread, Everton were always seen as the Irish club of Liverpool, and the bin dippers were, according to Irish emigrants I know, were seen as very hostile until relatively recently. Everton have a big support base in Ireland. Obviously, so do Liverpool but that's mostly of a glory-hunting nature dating to the 1970s and 80s. So, the original post was clearly a joke. It would have been offensive if we were talking about Everton.....:-)

Any idea why we were the Irish club of Birmingham? I know Everton & Manchester United have long been their cities Catholic clubs.

Strange that as Small Heath had a very large Irish immigrant population.

I remember Carl Chinn once saying that the vast majority of Irish emigrants to Birmingham became Villa fans, even though many of them settled in the Small Heath area. Many of their kids became Bluenoses though because of the area they grew up in.

[Chris Smith]

My ex Father-in-Law who came to Birminghsm from Ireland in the 50s said it was just that Villa were seen as having more Irish players to his generation.

[Concrete John]

I don't see how Irish immigrants settling in Birmingham, it which ever area, being Villa fans translates to a following back in Ireland?

[saunders_heroes]

My ex Father-in-Law who came to Birminghsm from Ireland in the 50s said it was just that Villa were seen as having more Irish players to his generation.

It could be because Small Heath played in the same colours of Rangers, and even copied their club badge for a while. It's no wonder why they'd choose Villa over that useless rabble.

[cdbearsfan]

Villa hated Rangers for a while after the events in 1974 (I think that was the year), while Small Heath hated Celtic due to playing them in a friendly where the visitors insisted on singing songs about the Birmingham Pub Bombings. That might have something to do with it too.

[Mazrim]

Is it because Irish people aren't stupid and Blues are fucking shite?

[PeterWithesShin]

I don't see how Irish immigrants settling in Birmingham, it which ever area, being Villa fans translates to a following back in Ireland?

I can sort of see how it works. If I moved to Dubai and started supporting Dubai FC, going to their games etc. I can imagine when my friends and family find out they would start taking an interest in Dubai FC.

Probably not a very well explained analogy but hopefully you get what I mean.

[dave.woodhall]

Is it because Irish people aren't stupid and Blues are fucking shite?

Winner.

[Concrete John]

I don't see how Irish immigrants settling in Birmingham, it which ever area, being Villa fans translates to a following back in Ireland?

I can sort of see how it works. If I moved to Dubai and started supporting Dubai FC, going to their games etc. I can imagine when my friends and family find out they would start taking an interest in Dubai FC.

Probably not a very well explained analogy but hopefully you get what I mean.

Yes, I can see that to a degree, but then it may be as I've never seen evidence of this large Irish following that I'm casting doubt on it.

[Stu]

My ancestors were all agricultural labourers in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire before moving to Brum (Aston, most of them) 150 odd years ago.

Same for my lot, except they came from Oxfordshire. More than likely fleeing the poverty wrought by various acts of enclosure throughout the early 19thC.

[Stu]

Scottish-descended Brummies are the worst. Especially me.

Isn't the correct term 'Scotch-Brummie'?