Things I've heard on here this season

[ktvillan]

In response to the OP I think people were just calling it as they saw it, most have been fairly balanced in their appraisals, and there have been times when things haven't looked good at all.  We may be on a reasonable run and just off the back of two great wins but it's a bit premature to think we've turned the corner when we are still just 3 points off the bottom three with a very inexperienced squad. I still think we need to strengthen in January with some experience. 

[pauliewalnuts]

Fletch: No, I bet I wasn't. Then again, I absolutely acknowledge it's different these days, but it probably did us a favour when you look back now.

Saying that, a club with our record in the top flight should never have to contemplate playing at a lower level.

I know there's a thread on here at the moment bemoaning the gun-jumping of those who said a couple of weeks ago that we were doomed, but I can honestly say I walked out of Villa 0 - Spurs 3 on the first day of that 86-7 season and said to my mate "we're going down this season, I can feel it in my bones, and that performance just confirms it". And I was right.







_{I didn't worry too much about it, mind, I fucked off to university two weeks later and started having the time of my life, only allowing football gloom to puncture the fun every now and then}

[Dave]

Maybe it was my age, maybe it was because it was so inevitable for so long, maybe it was because there was no internet to articulate our thoughts and obsess over what it meant. But when we went down in '87, I thought 'Right, it's happened, let's just get on with it', and I think a lot of people felt the same.

And that was five years after winning the European Cup (which was something else I never realised the importance of at the time).

Absolutely and fair enough, but i'm sure you weren't thinking
'It won't be so bad if we go down, at least we'll be more competitive.'

I wonder how many people at the time were convinced that it was inevitable that we'd then turn into the 1987 equivalent of Coventry City, Portsmouth or Bradford as we saw in the more panicky moments of this season.

[Chris Smith]

I  remember thinking it would be a disaster beyond compare, but after getting over the numbing disappointment of relegation in 1987, for me and my mates at least, there was a sense of 'it's happened let's make the most of it'.  We promptly bought season tickets and had a great season; I suspect that although some people will be put off many will adopt the attitude that we did back then. Villa fans can be quite perverse.

However, it's a purely hypothetical argument as it's not going to happen.

[tomd2103]

Maybe it was my age, maybe it was because it was so inevitable for so long, maybe it was because there was no internet to articulate our thoughts and obsess over what it meant. But when we went down in '87, I thought 'Right, it's happened, let's just get on with it', and I think a lot of people felt the same.

And that was five years after winning the European Cup (which was something else I never realised the importance of at the time).

Absolutely and fair enough, but i'm sure you weren't thinking
'It won't be so bad if we go down, at least we'll be more competitive.'

I wonder how many people at the time were convinced that it was inevitable that we'd then turn into the 1987 equivalent of Coventry City, Portsmouth or Bradford as we saw in the more panicky moments of this season.

The financial implications of relegation in 1987 would have been nowhere as near as bad as they are now would they?

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Maybe it was my age, maybe it was because it was so inevitable for so long, maybe it was because there was no internet to articulate our thoughts and obsess over what it meant. But when we went down in '87, I thought 'Right, it's happened, let's just get on with it', and I think a lot of people felt the same.

And that was five years after winning the European Cup (which was something else I never realised the importance of at the time).

Absolutely and fair enough, but i'm sure you weren't thinking
'It won't be so bad if we go down, at least we'll be more competitive.'

I wonder how many people at the time were convinced that it was inevitable that we'd then turn into the 1987 equivalent of Coventry City, Portsmouth or Bradford as we saw in the more panicky moments of this season.

The financial implications of relegation in 1987 would have been nowhere as near as bad as they are now would they?

That's right.
We must also bear in mind the hefty increases in revenue that kick in next season.

[Jimbo]

I think the predominant sentiment in 1987 was 'let's get on with it,' and that's what we did. I certainly don't remember seeing fellow Villans crying on the Holte End as we were sent down. I know there was much less at stake financially, but it's certainly a sign of the times that people were more stoic then. People often fulfil the role that's expected of them, and in a post-Diana society, where no reality TV programme is without its fair share of tears, we would see lots more blarting if the worst were to happen this time around. *sobs*

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I think the predominant sentiment in 1987 was 'let's get on with it,' and that's what we did. I certainly don't remember seeing fellow Villans crying on the Holte End as we were sent down. I know there was much less at stake financially, but it's certainly a sign of the times that people were more stoic then. People often fulfil the role that's expected of them, and in a post-Diana society, where no reality TV programme is without its fair share of tears, we would see lots more blarting if the worst were to happen this time around. *sobs*

they may well have been some blarting, but there were no Sky multi cameras catching every grimace from every supporter at every angle.
The 1987 relegation was a slow, inevitable death as well, not one of those last day of the season jobs.

I think if it happened now there would be more anger than anything and a large part of that would be peoples disgruntlement at the stratospheric wages that players receive.

As in 87, once people got over the shock, they'd say 'let's get on with it.'

However, the thought fills me with dread.

[john e]

if we went down again the most important thing would be the same as the last time,
 the Manager and his plan for the future

[Ad@m]

Maybe it was my age, maybe it was because it was so inevitable for so long, maybe it was because there was no internet to articulate our thoughts and obsess over what it meant. But when we went down in '87, I thought 'Right, it's happened, let's just get on with it', and I think a lot of people felt the same.

And that was five years after winning the European Cup (which was something else I never realised the importance of at the time).

Absolutely and fair enough, but i'm sure you weren't thinking
'It won't be so bad if we go down, at least we'll be more competitive.'

Has anyone said that?

I remember a few people, myself included, saying earlier this season that with such a young side, for the long-term good of the club, them spending 4/5 years struggling at the foot of the Premier League, get hammered every other week might not create the best outcome.  Whilst relegation would be a horrendous scenario to find ourselves in, as in times when it's happened previously, it wouldn't be the end of the club and giving the youngsters the opportunity to build up a head of steam by thrashing some shit clubs in the Championship and (hopefully) dominating a league might be the best thing for them in the longer term.  Couple that with the fact the parachute payment system is much more generous than it used to be and it would not necessarily be a complete disaster.

I view that as looking at the positives of a very bad situation, not hoping we go down so that we're more competitive.

[danlanza]

WE ARE NOT GOING DOWN !

[tomd2103]

I think the predominant sentiment in 1987 was 'let's get on with it,' and that's what we did. I certainly don't remember seeing fellow Villans crying on the Holte End as we were sent down. I know there was much less at stake financially, but it's certainly a sign of the times that people were more stoic then. People often fulfil the role that's expected of them, and in a post-Diana society, where no reality TV programme is without its fair share of tears, we would see lots more blarting if the worst were to happen this time around. *sobs*

Would it be fair to say that a lot of Villa fans back in 1987 had seen the club play in the lower divisions, so the impact of relegation wouldn't have been so shocking?  I would say that there are a lot of supporters these days who have only ever seen Villa play in the top flight (and been fairly high placed for most of that time), so relegation for that generation of supporters would be a lot worse.
 

[PeterWithesShin]

There was a fair bit of dust on the Holte late on in the Sheff Weds game and during the walk to the bus stop after. There was even some on the bus. Dirty WMPTE bastards. I wasn't the only one finding it a problem either.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Maybe it was my age, maybe it was because it was so inevitable for so long, maybe it was because there was no internet to articulate our thoughts and obsess over what it meant. But when we went down in '87, I thought 'Right, it's happened, let's just get on with it', and I think a lot of people felt the same.

And that was five years after winning the European Cup (which was something else I never realised the importance of at the time).

Absolutely and fair enough, but i'm sure you weren't thinking
'It won't be so bad if we go down, at least we'll be more competitive.'

Has anyone said that?

I wouldn't know where to begin to look for the thread, it was when we were in the shit under McCatpiss.
Posts along the line of 'It wouldn't be such a bad thing to go down, we can regroup and come back stronger.'

[Ger Regan]

I remember a number of years ago (probably during the DOL days) where a number of posters agreed that they would have swapped the situation at that time with the Division 3 days. Not quite the same, but I remember thinking it was bonkers at the time.