Better fan than you

[Dave Clark Five]

Another side to this are the cussed people who get in the ground at 130 and sit in the aisle. Some of them set themselves up as if it is a day at the cricket, then tut at people who arrive at 245, for who they have to get off their arses to let them get past.

[Simba]

Bring back standing. None of that blankets, popcorn and thermos flasks then.

[villajk]

Another side to this are the cussed people who get in the ground at 130 and sit in the aisle. Some of them set themselves up as if it is a day at the cricket, then tut at people who arrive at 245, for who they have to get off their arses to let them get past.

I had a couple I'd never seen before tutting and sniping at me when I was getting to my seat 10 minutes before the Citeh game.  Apparently they'd moaned at the two others who had to get past them.

[Damo70]

I got taken to the Villa by my next door neighbour as a kid. He always left five minutes before the end but is a more dedicated and passionate Villa fan than pretty much anyone I know. When I started going to the pub with my mates before the game when I was in my twenties we missed a few kick-offs. Now I take my ten year old son and we get in the ground about fifteen minutes before the game, we never miss the start of the second half and we stay until the final whistle. Does that make me a better fan than when I was a kid and had to leave early or when I was younger and loved a pre-match pint with my mates? I have never slagged off anyone for arriving late, leaving early or causing me to get up to let them past and no-one has ever had a pop at me either.

[Legion]

The only time I leave 'early' is when selling H&V afterwards and I always watch until F-T in the concourse. The exception to that is before I became part of Dave's empire when I left a couple of B-Lose games at VP when they first got promoted and I preferred to get home in one piece.

[PeterWithe]

I normally get there late, leave a few minutes before half time for a pie and a pint, get back for the second half late as I'm finishing it and then get downstairs a few minutes before the the final whistle so I can clearly see and harangue those disloyal fuckers who are going to 'beat the traffic', bastards.

[Legion]

I'm guilty of arriving late.

[olaftab]

There is nothing wrong with leaving early. Some people do it as a matter of habit, others have to that day and some  with children to avoid splitting up etc.  People here are mis-understanding what happened yesterday. With about 10 mins to ago VP was an unbelievable site. People were leaving  as if the match had ended. Most were cursing and swearing and no doubt ready to confirm their opinion  on Eck and the team. I thing about half had gone by the time  the winner came.

I have no problem with routine leavers but IMO I thought lot of our supporters were too eager to desert  when the team had really played well and fully deserved  the support right to the end.

[PeterWithe]

Re the above, I though the atmosphere was pretty supportive and positive overall, even as we seemed to be heading for the usual 0-0, the team had made the required effort.

[joe_c]

I don't think the cinema/theatre comparison is a valid one, it would be a poor film/play indeed if you knew before the end exactly how things would pan out in much the same way that it was patently obvious that we were never going to score yesterday. Oh. I'm sure you all catch my drift.

When it's a particularly dismal performance, I often stay to the end purely to boo them off the pitch. And when 4-1 down and reduced to nine men with 20 minutes to go against Man Utd a few years ago, I stuck it out until full time as I couldn't bear the thought that anyone might think I was ducking out early to watch the sodding Rugby World Cup final that night.

[Jimmy Smash]

I walked out of Eyes Wide Shut 10 minutes after it started. I could see it was going to be bad. I had the same feeling 10 mins into the Citeh game... but I stayed in my seat til the end.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

There's a bloke, with a mate and kids who sits in our row, that always turns up 8 minutes into the game. We're not talking just a few games this season, we're talking the last 2, maybe 3 seasons. I don't get it? Is it really that hard to leave 8 minutes earlier to get to the game on time?

Add to this them leaving 5 minutes before half-time and then arriving about 5 minutes into the second half. They will then leave the game with about 5 minutes to go.

So, from a possible 90 minutes of football, he gets to see less than 70 minutes. When you're paying that much money for it, I don't understand why you'd miss so much of it.

[pauliewalnuts]

So, from a possible 90 minutes of football, he gets to see less than 70 minutes. When you're paying that much money for it, I don't understand why you'd miss so much of it.

Yep, if you total that up, 20 minutes lost per game, that's 19 x 20 minutes gone, 380 minutes of football at Villa Park.

This season, you'd expect us to have at least 12 minutes of possession and maybe one or two shots in those 380 mins.

What a mug.

[Stu]

We used to have 2 old buggers in our row who always left early - it used to drive me nuts. My comments and general  display of disgust as they passed have finally got through as I only see one of them these days...

Perhaps he couldn't be bothered with the stroppy git that used to make sarcy comments at him every match? I would have told you to fuck off and mind your own business.

I'm still there supporting the team - old git or not.

And? Nobody cares what you do.

[dave.woodhall]

Less of that, please.