Return of O'Neill - divided opinion

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I'm one of those that have always believed that Villa have the potential to draw in 50-60k every game if run well over several years.  That's based on our catchment area,  lack of heavyweight local rivals within 80-100 miles, etc.

For that to happen I think we would have to become properly good in a Chelsea/ Man City way so that we could convert gloryhunters in Birmingham to become Villa fans.

What you call 'gloryhunters' I call lapsed supporters who have got out of the habit of going and drifted off to do something else with their Saturdays/Sundays/Monday evenings.

[Concrete John]

I do feel for Randy in terms of attendances during the MON years.  Large investment in the squad and infrastructure, a (mostly) winning team and we still failed to sell out on a regular basis.

I'd say an average of 40k in 2008 involved selling out fairly regularly.

And we never really played consistently well at home. We only won more than half our home games once under MON, and in his last two seasons, were amongst the lowest scorers at home in the league.

Well, by your own figures in the later post we had 6 sell outs from 19 games - I'd imagine they were expecting greater than 1 in three!

I peronally think that winning and belief the club is going somewhere attracts fans more than entertainment value.   

[pauliewalnuts]

I do feel for Randy in terms of attendances during the MON years.  Large investment in the squad and infrastructure, a (mostly) winning team and we still failed to sell out on a regular basis.

I'd say an average of 40k in 2008 involved selling out fairly regularly.

And we never really played consistently well at home. We only won more than half our home games once under MON, and in his last two seasons, were amongst the lowest scorers at home in the league.

Well, by your own figures in the later post we had 6 sell outs from 19 games - I'd imagine they were expecting greater than 1 in three!

I peronally think that winning and belief the club is going somewhere attracts fans more than entertainment value.   

I doubt it, not in just the second season.

The belief we're going somewhere is definitely the key, I agree on that.

Mind you, we're going somewhere now, too, strictly speaking.

:-(

[cdbearsfan]

I'm one of those that have always believed that Villa have the potential to draw in 50-60k every game if run well over several years.  That's based on our catchment area,  lack of heavyweight local rivals within 80-100 miles, etc.

For that to happen I think we would have to become properly good in a Chelsea/ Man City way so that we could convert gloryhunters in Birmingham to become Villa fans.

What you call 'gloryhunters' I call lapsed supporters who have got out of the habit of going and drifted off to do something else with their Saturdays/Sundays/Monday evenings.

In fairness to Handsworth Wood Nose, I took it to mean he was talking about attracting those that currently claim to "support" Manure, Chelski, etc. rather than lapsed Villa fans but I may be wrong.

[joe_c]

I wonder why the attendance for the Reading game was so low compared to the others?

I think it's a typo, 38,288

[Rick_avfc]

I wonder why the attendance for the Reading game was so low compared to the others?

I think it's a typo, 38,288

I was going to say.  Every other game was around about the same attendance then there was that one which suddenly fell to 32k

[pauliewalnuts]

I wonder why the attendance for the Reading game was so low compared to the others?

I think it's a typo, 38,288

I was going to say.  Every other game was around about the same attendance then there was that one which suddenly fell to 32k

Ah yes, I remember that now. It was 38

[SoccerHQ]

Has MON done his weekly press conference yet?

Can't see any comments anywhere unless they're being saved for tomorrow morning.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Attendances are funny things.

By my reckoning, 74,376 saw the Sex Pistols gig at the 100 club and 215,422 saw the 5-1 thrasing of Liverpool in 1976.

[dave.woodhall]

Wasn't there an attendance that was given out wrongly a few years ago?

[mr-villa]

Just been reading all the comments from the SAFC fans on the Sunderland Echo website.  They are convinced that MON is going to get a "warm reception" when he "returns home" tomorrow.  Their spin is that the Villa fans know that it was Randy Lerner and his tightening of the purse strings that drove MON out of Villa Park.

Think they have got a shock coming tomorrow.

[SoccerHQ]

I have a feeling that McLeish will walk out with MON thinking he'll get a heroes welcome and so McLeish would want to be part of that.

Both will get a bit of a shock when they both get booed!

[Brian Taylor]

Just been reading all the comments from the SAFC fans on the Sunderland Echo website.  They are convinced that MON is going to get a "warm reception" when he "returns home" tomorrow.  Their spin is that the Villa fans know that it was Randy Lerner and his tightening of the purse strings that drove MON out of Villa Park.

Think they have got a shock coming tomorrow.

McL certainly will get a shock if we get turned over! I think I might suffer it for the pleasure and potential reward!

[Axl Rose]

How the club is being run, you meant, I presume.

If the last ten years is your frame of reference I can perhaps buy what you say a little more. In that time at work I have had 2 shite and 5 average bosses.

My issue, not specifically, with you I might add, is in people on here attempting to out moan one another on every sodding thread of late. You just caught up in the middle of my annoyance.

Lets make a pact, you make our point without silly, over the top insults and I will stop being such a narky bastard. Deal?

Ok mate, fair enough. I'll stop the silliness(although i mean it) and you stop being narky (although you mean it). I'm not being pedantic, it'snice to know we care so much, despite our different language to describe the situation

[Vanilla]

I'm one of those that have always believed that Villa have the potential to draw in 50-60k every game if run well over several years.  That's based on our catchment area,  lack of heavyweight local rivals within 80-100 miles, etc.

For that to happen I think we would have to become properly good in a Chelsea/ Man City way so that we could convert gloryhunters in Birmingham to become Villa fans.

What you call 'gloryhunters' I call lapsed supporters who have got out of the habit of going and drifted off to do something else with their Saturdays/Sundays/Monday evenings.

In fairness to Handsworth Wood Nose, I took it to mean he was talking about attracting those that currently claim to "support" Manure, Chelski, etc. rather than lapsed Villa fans but I may be wrong.

There's a lapsed Villa fan at our company (former ST holder), whose receiving that many texts from Villa that his wife thinks he's having an affair.