Tourists at Villa Park

[Witton Warrior]

Does anyone else think there has been an increase in groups of "tourists" at VP this season.
In the Upper Trinity there have been noticeable groups of Chinese, American teenagers and Italians to name but three.

The Italians were especially fun enjoying our exuberant celebrations on Sunday with an air of slightly concerned fascination - "Cockney bastards" ?

The American kids were being very organised by one of their number who will certainly be the first female President.

I enjoy meting these occasional visitors - reckon they are good for us?

[dave.woodhall]

Does anyone else think there has been an increase in groups of "tourists" at VP this season.
In the Upper Trinity there have been noticeable groups of Chinese, American teenagers and Italians to name but three.

The Italians were especially fun enjoying our exuberant celebrations on Sunday with an air of slightly concerned fascination - "Cockney bastards" ?

The American kids were being very organised by one of their number who will certainly be the first female President.

I enjoy meting these occasional visitors - reckon they are good for us?

In the past few years there more overseas and less from Britain. If they buy tickets there's no harm in that.

[Witton Warrior]

Does anyone else think there has been an increase in groups of "tourists" at VP this season.
In the Upper Trinity there have been noticeable groups of Chinese, American teenagers and Italians to name but three.

The Italians were especially fun enjoying our exuberant celebrations on Sunday with an air of slightly concerned fascination - "Cockney bastards" ?

The American kids were being very organised by one of their number who will certainly be the first female President.

I enjoy meting these occasional visitors - reckon they are good for us?

In the past few years there more overseas and less from Britain. If they buy tickets there's no harm in that.

There have always been negative comments on here about Manure/Arse/Scousers having lots of tourists and reckoned it was a bit pot/kettle/black

When they break free from their "minders" they have always been enthusiastic and positive - really enjoying the day. I remember the look of awe on the Americans faces when the tempo went up and the Holte got into voice.

We always translate the chants for them - which is a laff ;-)

[Top Cat]

There was a crowd of Oriental visitors sitting near us in Lower Trinity at a cup match earlier in the season. They were loaded up with bags from the club shop and were constantly taking photos.

They seemed to enjoy themselves too!

[Legion]

The more, the merrier.

[UK Redsox]

As me and the Omnipresent one were discussing on Sunday, the tourists like their photos of the new Trinity Road stand. Just imagine how much they'd have been in awe if they'd seen the old one.

[dave.woodhall]

As me and the Omnipresent one were discussing on Sunday, the tourists like their photos of the new Trinity Road stand. Just imagine how much they'd have been in awe if they'd seen the old one.

Probably not at all.

[Witton Warrior]

As me and the Omnipresent one were discussing on Sunday, the tourists like their photos of the new Trinity Road stand. Just imagine how much they'd have been in awe if they'd seen the old one.

The lights look good in the rain!

[Witton Warrior]

As me and the Omnipresent one were discussing on Sunday, the tourists like their photos of the new Trinity Road stand. Just imagine how much they'd have been in awe if they'd seen the old one.

Probably not at all.

Sadly probably true

[UK Redsox]

As me and the Omnipresent one were discussing on Sunday, the tourists like their photos of the new Trinity Road stand. Just imagine how much they'd have been in awe if they'd seen the old one.

Probably not at all.

No ?

I'd imagined that fans making their first visit to Villa Park and seeing the old TR would have had the same awestruck feelings as I had the first time that I saw Fenway Park in person.

(The similarity also being that once you were inside, you found yourself in a cramped seat with no leg room and a post blocking your view)

[dave.woodhall]

As me and the Omnipresent one were discussing on Sunday, the tourists like their photos of the new Trinity Road stand. Just imagine how much they'd have been in awe if they'd seen the old one.

Probably not at all.

No ?

I'd imagined that fans making their first visit to Villa Park and seeing the old TR would have had the same awestruck feelings as I had the first time that I saw Fenway Park in person.

Do you really think that people who have been sucked in by the hype and glitz of the Premier League would care less about what was, in all honesty, a nondescript seventy year old structure?

[UK Redsox]

Dave, when in the USA, I've been known to travel for hours on a train just to take photos of the outside of a closed baseball ballpark. Therefore, maybe I look at stadiums differently to most people.

[dave.woodhall]

Dave, when in the USA, I've been known to travel for hours on a train just to take photos of the outside of a closed baseball ballpark. Therefore, maybe I look at stadiums differently to most people.

You probably do.

[Legion]

I was gutted when I was refused access to the Maracana in Brazil. It looked like a concrete carbuncle from the outside.

[pauliewalnuts]

There have always been negative comments on here about Manure/Arse/Scousers having lots of tourists and reckoned it was a bit pot/kettle/black

Hmm, it's a bit different, mind.

Those Man U shirt wearing, television watching hordes in Asia who never get near the UK, let alone a football match, are not just buying into the Premier League, they are buying in to success.

I like seeing large groups of similar people at Villa Park, but it's a bit different in that, unless they've got incredibly long memories and are of a certain age, nobody could ever accuse them of being glory hunters, plus, they're actually at the ground, experiencing a game.

I have a bit of a thing about gloryhunters, I'll admit. I found it irritating to see tens of thousands of Chelsea shirt wearing gloryhunters when we did that pre season tour against them in HK the other year, for example.

Mind you, the glory hunter I actually know who winds me up the most is a Kidderminster bord and bred Man United fan, who has never shown any interest in actually going to Old Trafford, or a Man U game anywhere, for that matter, yet waxes lyrical (mostly on Facebook, of course) about his "beloved" Old Trafford.

I'd find it hard to describe any place i hadn't actually been to as "beloved".