Quote from: Chris Smith on January 23, 2013, 02:08:14 PMQuote from: saunders_heroes on January 23, 2013, 01:42:43 PMQuote from: Chris Harte on January 23, 2013, 01:40:20 PMI agree it used to go on back then, but it seems so much worse these days.Perhaps it just seems worse because there's no getting away from it in all-seated grounds or, like has been pointed out, the gulf between players and fans is now bigger than ever and so any negative feeling is magnified.Have we ever been this bad before though? Even in 86-87 I don't remember us being this appalling. We spent two years in division three in the 70s, we've been much worse. We've got the basis of a half decent side but they desperately need some help.In the year that we were relegated to Division 3 we were far worse than we are now and I don't recall players being overly abused, or if they were it was in a slightly good natured way since they had been crap for such a long time that we were well past anger, and it was more like just stating the bleeding obvious. It was probably because we had been appalling for such a long time that those of us supporters who were still left had a black but sort of good humoured air of resignation about events. In fact, so much so that I bought my first season ticket the following season. (I was young and optimistic then - although it did turn out that I was right to be)It's also fortunate that those who complain today about lack of communication from the club weren't around then, since communication with fans hadn't been invented then, apart from some poor hack from the Birmingham Mail who had to find stories every week from somewhere.
Quote from: saunders_heroes on January 23, 2013, 01:42:43 PMQuote from: Chris Harte on January 23, 2013, 01:40:20 PMI agree it used to go on back then, but it seems so much worse these days.Perhaps it just seems worse because there's no getting away from it in all-seated grounds or, like has been pointed out, the gulf between players and fans is now bigger than ever and so any negative feeling is magnified.Have we ever been this bad before though? Even in 86-87 I don't remember us being this appalling. We spent two years in division three in the 70s, we've been much worse. We've got the basis of a half decent side but they desperately need some help.
Quote from: Chris Harte on January 23, 2013, 01:40:20 PMI agree it used to go on back then, but it seems so much worse these days.Perhaps it just seems worse because there's no getting away from it in all-seated grounds or, like has been pointed out, the gulf between players and fans is now bigger than ever and so any negative feeling is magnified.Have we ever been this bad before though? Even in 86-87 I don't remember us being this appalling.
I agree it used to go on back then, but it seems so much worse these days.Perhaps it just seems worse because there's no getting away from it in all-seated grounds or, like has been pointed out, the gulf between players and fans is now bigger than ever and so any negative feeling is magnified.
i have supperted villa over 60 years we have always had a moan we pay our money so we are entitled to moan by the way this is one of the worst sides i have seen at villa park for many a year
Quote from: royvilla949 on January 23, 2013, 06:22:14 PMi have supperted villa over 60 years we have always had a moan we pay our money so we are entitled to moan by the way this is one of the worst sides i have seen at villa park for many a yearI agree. We have a Chairman that's nowhere to be seen, a manager with seemingly no tactical idea, a club free falling into relegation and no chance of strengthening the squad that's desperately short on quality in midfield and defence. Add to that, several players with big time Charlie attitudes, that aren't fit to wear the shirt, earning vasts amounts of money and taking the piss out supporters that continue to shell out a small fortune in the vain hope that things are going to improve.Fans are getting very angry.
Something that arised out of last night's game for me, and to be fair has been bugging me for a while now.Is the era of fans being complete arseholes to their own players during a game a relatively new thing or has it always gone on? It certainly seems much worse these days than it ever used to be. I'm all for giving players the bird at full time but during a game it seems counter-productive.I'm particularly interested in the opinions of those who would use the seats even pre-Taylor report, back as far as when I first started going to games regularly in the mid-1980s.There's not a game that goes by it seems when someone is barking abuse at our own players. The three arseholes in the row behind me last night seemed to be particularly targetting Bannan, Ireland and N'Zogbia. In the past, in the days of terracing it would be possible to move away, but thats not the case now, hence my interest in answers from people who've always used seats.
Have a look at Dave Woodhall's book that mentions the vile abuse that Joe Mercer received, not to mention being pelted with rubbish.