Birmingham Mail and Villa coverage

[PeterWithesShin]

But they aren't interested in taking shots at us, no siree Bob. From a few weeks ago.

Villa Park: Find out why the Aston Villa 'empty seats, my lord' chant is true this season

"Empty seats, my lord, empty seats" chant the traveling Aston Villa fans at away grounds short of full capacity.

But the musical take on their Paul McGrath-Kumbaya terrace favourite sums up the situation for home games this season.

Villa Park has been the least full stadium in the Premier League during the current campaign.

Villa have been filling an average of just 77.7 per cent of the stadium's capacity this season, which equates to 9,521 empty seats per league game.

The club's average attendance has been 33,161, according to the Premier League's official figures, in a stadium with a capacity of 42,682.

The Villa Park attendance of 25,311 for the draw against Southampton in November was Villa's lowest crowd for 15 years.

Not since the 23,885 gate for a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday in December 1999 have so few fans watched a top flight match in B6.

Fellow relegation battlers Sunderland have the next lowest ratio at 88.6 per cent, with an average of 5,550 empty seats a game.

Burnley come next (89.5 per cent) followed by Hull (92.1 per cent), Southampton (94.1 per cent) and West Brom (94.8 per cent).

The most occupied ground in the Premier League is Manchester United's.

The average attendance of 75,329 represents 99.6 per cent of the stadium's overall capacity.

Arsenal and Chelsea also have high occupancy rates at 99.5 per cent and 99.4 per cent respectively.

Queens Park Rangers have the fourth highest average occupancy rate at 99 per cent.

Swansea, West Ham and Liverpool are tied in fifth place with an average of 98.6 per cent.

[tomd2103]

Well Barnes did make that comment and it's  being reported as it was and lot of people on here would agree that Benteke  should play in the Champion League in the near future and that's unlikely to be with us.

Not aware of aware of "hate" or "violence" comment so if correct than  that writer is a twat.

The clue is in the Birmingham bit of Birmingham Mail. 

[Dave]

You don't have a problem with one of their writers saying how much he hates us or condoning football violence then?

Or this:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-aston-villa-striker-christian-9294019#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc ?

I can't see much wrong with that article. I pretty much agree with all of it. When Benteke leaves (be it this summer, the following one or one after that) then I fully expect that he'll be moving to one of the best teams in the world to win trophies, not just because somebody will pay him more than we are willing to, which was the implication in that shitty Sun article that the writer is criticizing.

The Howell piece was still an absolute embarrassment though.

[dave.woodhall]

It was on the WM thread iirc. I wish one of us had quoted the whole article as it was an utter fucking disgrace by Howell. I quoted a few bits of I think but that's it.

Even Bill Howell disowned it, that's how bad it was!

He didn't disown it - his editor knew he'd gone too far and had it removed. Then there was the video after the league game where he said he hated Villa more now than he did before kick-off. Try saying that at the Glasgow Evening Times and see how long your windows last.   

[tomd2103]

Well Barnes did make that comment and it's  being reported as it was and lot of people on here would agree that Benteke  should play in the Champion League in the near future and that's unlikely to be with us.

Not aware of aware of "hate" or "violence" comment so if correct than  that writer is a twat.

Well, we only did talk about it on here for a week so maybe you missed it.

And don't see anything wrong with them saying Benteke should be sold.

Come on Dave, we all know it's been balanced out over the past few months with the number of articles on why Berahino should leave the Albion. 

[tomd2103]

You don't have a problem with one of their writers saying how much he hates us or condoning football violence then?

Or this:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-aston-villa-striker-christian-9294019#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc ?

I can't see much wrong with that article. I pretty much agree with all of it. When Benteke leaves (be it this summer, the following one or one after that) then I fully expect that he'll be moving to one of the best teams in the world to win trophies, not just because somebody will pay him more than we are willing to, which was the implication in that shitty Sun article that the writer is criticizing.

The Howell piece was still an absolute embarrassment though.

Maybe in a national paper, but a local paper that is supposed to be supportive of local teams?  I'm sure the Manchester papers are full of articles explaining why De Gea should leave for Real Madrid.  Why not write an article on why Benteke should stay for at least another season? 

[PeterWithesShin]

I think this is the only stuff that was quoted on here from that Howell article. I've left my ramblings in there which is why only bits of it were quoted.

Albion appear to have walked under a ladder, on a crack in the pavement, opened an umbrella indoors and then broken a mirror.

There is always a reason we have to play second fiddle to Villa, so this week it's all down to luck. Everyone knows we are better dan da Villa and would have won both games but for bad luck.

Chris Brunt had every right to say something fruity to referee Anthony Taylor not only for the most ridiculous of red cards you will ever see but also after his team had been forced to face a hostile pitch invasion.

It's never our fault, it ay fayre. Our player was fully justified in being abusive to the ref.

Callum McManaman turns to confront an invader? Get over it.

Player tries to assault fans, so what, stop overreacting.

Villa’s stewarding was grossly inadequate and their decision to house home fans in the North Stand simply beggars belief.

I'll ignore the fact that no other fans over the years caused any problems to the Villa fans below, despite tickets being allocated this way for years now.

The FA will throw the book at them.

If I fantasize about it often enough maybe it will happen. Please FA, throw the book at them!

As for Albion? Count your broken seats and used fire extinguishers and send them the bill.

I refuse to put any blame on Albion fans so will trivialise it and make out it's no big deal. But the Villa stuff is the end of the world.

Albion deserved all the stick in the world over their PR goofs last season. But to my knowledge they haven’t killed anyone. Or perhaps someone can find the footage of a stray stripe out in Syria...

Meanwhile the Villa fans who invaded the pitch massacred thousands. SO THROW THE BOOK AT THEM FA and remember our seat throwing was nothing serious.

[Richard E]

The broken seats and fire extinguishers line was the absolute nadir of 'journalism.'

[Dave]

You don't have a problem with one of their writers saying how much he hates us or condoning football violence then?

Or this:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-aston-villa-striker-christian-9294019#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc ?

I can't see much wrong with that article. I pretty much agree with all of it. When Benteke leaves (be it this summer, the following one or one after that) then I fully expect that he'll be moving to one of the best teams in the world to win trophies, not just because somebody will pay him more than we are willing to, which was the implication in that shitty Sun article that the writer is criticizing.

The Howell piece was still an absolute embarrassment though.

Maybe in a national paper, but a local paper that is supposed to be supportive of local teams?

Are they supposed to be supportive?

I'd much rather a local media that is fair and balanced. They shouldn't be there to act as some sort of mouthpiece for either the club or the supporters. They should praise when appropriate and criticize when appropriate.

There's certainly a strong argument that a lot of the local media is deliberately antagonistic, but none of that is on display in that article.

[dave.woodhall]

You don't have a problem with one of their writers saying how much he hates us or condoning football violence then?

Or this:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-aston-villa-striker-christian-9294019#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc ?

I can't see much wrong with that article. I pretty much agree with all of it. When Benteke leaves (be it this summer, the following one or one after that) then I fully expect that he'll be moving to one of the best teams in the world to win trophies, not just because somebody will pay him more than we are willing to, which was the implication in that shitty Sun article that the writer is criticizing.

The Howell piece was still an absolute embarrassment though.

Maybe in a national paper, but a local paper that is supposed to be supportive of local teams?

Are they supposed to be supportive?

I'd much rather a local media that is fair and balanced. They shouldn't be there to act as some sort of mouthpiece for either the club or the supporters. They should praise when appropriate and criticize when appropriate.

There's certainly a strong argument that a lot of the local media is deliberately antagonistic, but none of that is on display in that article.

Of course they're supposed to be supportive. They're a Birmingham newspaper writing about Birmingham teams.

[ciggiesnbeer]

You don't have a problem with one of their writers saying how much he hates us or condoning football violence then?

Or this:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-aston-villa-striker-christian-9294019#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc ?

I can't see much wrong with that article. I pretty much agree with all of it. When Benteke leaves (be it this summer, the following one or one after that) then I fully expect that he'll be moving to one of the best teams in the world to win trophies, not just because somebody will pay him more than we are willing to, which was the implication in that shitty Sun article that the writer is criticizing.

The Howell piece was still an absolute embarrassment though.

Maybe in a national paper, but a local paper that is supposed to be supportive of local teams?

Are they supposed to be supportive?

I'd much rather a local media that is fair and balanced. They shouldn't be there to act as some sort of mouthpiece for either the club or the supporters. They should praise when appropriate and criticize when appropriate.

There's certainly a strong argument that a lot of the local media is deliberately antagonistic, but none of that is on display in that article.

I think its a shit piece. Why this obsession over the notion we might lose our best player? Why is the same treatment not handed out to other local clubs? I think the "we actually really do hate Villa" narrative from the local media is well on display in that opinion piece.

Also who the hell is the guy? It looks like he is the second string music journalist at the mail? Why publish his negative opinion of a local team anyway unless you have it out for them?

[PeterWithesShin]

On Sterling

Now that player won’t be getting Champions League football and there’s no Suarez or Gerrard so he wants to move on. In come the blinkered Liverpool legends to criticise him but Liverpool have won one trophy in nine years.

If Sterling wants to move to a club where he will take some medals home, that’s pure ambition.

Benteke to Liverpool

He’d have the chance to compete for the league title as well as competing in the Champions League.

I do agree with this though, how many of us give a shit when we are taking Delph from Leeds, Benteke from Genk etc?

On the same note, if Villa decide to replace Benteke with a talent from lower down the pecking order, that wouldn’t make that player a money-grabber for making the move.

[Dave]

You don't have a problem with one of their writers saying how much he hates us or condoning football violence then?

Or this:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-aston-villa-striker-christian-9294019#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc ?

I can't see much wrong with that article. I pretty much agree with all of it. When Benteke leaves (be it this summer, the following one or one after that) then I fully expect that he'll be moving to one of the best teams in the world to win trophies, not just because somebody will pay him more than we are willing to, which was the implication in that shitty Sun article that the writer is criticizing.

The Howell piece was still an absolute embarrassment though.

Maybe in a national paper, but a local paper that is supposed to be supportive of local teams?

Are they supposed to be supportive?

I'd much rather a local media that is fair and balanced. They shouldn't be there to act as some sort of mouthpiece for either the club or the supporters. They should praise when appropriate and criticize when appropriate.

There's certainly a strong argument that a lot of the local media is deliberately antagonistic, but none of that is on display in that article.

Of course they're supposed to be supportive. They're a Birmingham newspaper writing about Birmingham teams.

What's wrong with just being balanced?

Why not just report things as they are rather than needing some sort of loyal slant to it?

[Toronto Villa]

You don't have a problem with one of their writers saying how much he hates us or condoning football violence then?

Or this:

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/comment-aston-villa-striker-christian-9294019#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc ?

I can't see much wrong with that article. I pretty much agree with all of it. When Benteke leaves (be it this summer, the following one or one after that) then I fully expect that he'll be moving to one of the best teams in the world to win trophies, not just because somebody will pay him more than we are willing to, which was the implication in that shitty Sun article that the writer is criticizing.

The Howell piece was still an absolute embarrassment though.

Maybe in a national paper, but a local paper that is supposed to be supportive of local teams?

Are they supposed to be supportive?

I'd much rather a local media that is fair and balanced. They shouldn't be there to act as some sort of mouthpiece for either the club or the supporters. They should praise when appropriate and criticize when appropriate.

There's certainly a strong argument that a lot of the local media is deliberately antagonistic, but none of that is on display in that article.

Of course they're supposed to be supportive. They're a Birmingham newspaper writing about Birmingham teams.

Even if they should be balanced it should be on the positive side of being balanced. There's no need to offer the negative to Prince William handing the cup to Arsenal for example. What service does that provide other than pissing off fans of the biggest club in the area heading to major cup final. Something the paper should be really proud of.

[Dave]

Why this obsession over the notion we might lose our best player?Why is the same treatment not handed out to other local clubs?

Well, the obvious answer is that it's been decades since any of them have had a player that the best teams in the world might want to sign.