Funny or Strange Happenings You Have Witnessed As a Villa Fan

[castlefields_villan]

I thought his first game against us was at their horrible place a few weeks after he went there - I seem to remember him scoring early on, but that was cancelled by a Gary Shaw special from 25 yards- I remember a  lot of tension in that game culminating with Brendan Ormsby landing a right hook on John Richards for elbowing him as they challenged for header - both were sent off.

I remember Andy missing  a sitter the year after - again at their place - and we went on to win 1-0 - on our way to winning the league.

was it really more than 33 years ago ?

[Villan For Life]

I thought his first game against us was at their horrible place a few weeks after he went there - I seem to remember him scoring early on, but that was cancelled by a Gary Shaw special from 25 yards- I remember a  lot of tension in that game culminating with Brendan Ormsby landing a right hook on John Richards for elbowing him as they challenged for header - both were sent off.

I remember Andy missing  a sitter the year after - again at their place - and we went on to win 1-0 - on our way to winning the league.

was it really more than 33 years ago ?

Did Gray get sent off in that game?

[castlefields_villan]

As I remember Andy Gray was sent off in the first of these 3 games, in a couple of weeks, in the 1st leg of the League Cup at home when we won 3-2   (Autumn 1981)- following a skirmish with Dennis Mortimer.  I'm almost sure we came from 2 nil down in that game as well - can anyone confirm ?

[Damo70]

Andy Gray and Dennis Mortimer didn't get on when they were both at Villa. In his book Gray admits it was as bad a challenge as he committed in his career and that he lost his head and deliberately tried to 'do' Dennis Mortimer.

[kippaxvilla2]

Us playing in white at home to the kit stealers about four or so years ago - did I dream that?

[ADVILLAFAN]

Us playing in white at home to the kit stealers about four or so years ago - did I dream that?

Wet Spam, think they forgot to bring their kits.

[Damo70]

I seem to recall a SGT era Watford turning up for a televised game with their sponsors name on the kit, which wasn't allowed at the time. They put some masking tape over it. Around that time Coventry had a big T for Talbot on their shirts. When games were televised they had a version where the T was blanked out. The thing was a blanked out T looks very much like a not blanked out T!

[thick_mike]

Away at Carrow Road the first game after Hillsborough...half time entertainment was some cheerleaders who ran onto the far side of the ground to hearty choruses of GYTOFTL. As they approached the centre circle it became clear that the oldest of them was about 12. Cue lots of mumbling and staring at shoes. 

[peter w]

the paper aeroplane home game against Coventry in the early/mid 90s.

[kippaxvilla2]

There was one paper aeroplane that seemed to go on forever having been launched in the Upper Holte and eventually landed in the six yard box I think.

[Somniloquism]

Holte last day, me and my bro were stood about 2/3rds back and in front was a group of blokes including one who wasn't exactly tall. The others were making him the butt of their jokes and he would turn around and chuckle and say good one. Then one of them pretended he was an arm rest, he just turned, looked at the guy then punched him full in the balls.

And any strange happenings have got to include Wolfie in there somewhere. The last game we had at Burnden when he was doing his repertoire of hat changes in the empty striped area (also the place with the "Buy one get one free" chant). The other one was at QPR when a Police Woman asked him to remove his mask and physically recoiled when he did.

[peter w]

There was one paper aeroplane that seemed to go on forever having been launched in the Upper Holte and eventually landed in the six yard box I think.

Biggest (only) cheer of the night.

[Percy McCarthy]

The half caste guy, think his name was Moses, getting chased around Meadow Lane sodden wet pitch by about two dozen coppers, in his crombie , bowler hat and brolly and the coppers falling over in the mud like nine pins.

PC Pendant alert. I think the phrase that should be used now is ' of mixed race' or ' of mixed ethnic background' however it was the term of the time and I am pretty sure Moses would not have worried too much about the label.

Mixed race is okay, dual heritage even better.

Half caste..... no.

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

The half caste guy, think his name was Moses, getting chased around Meadow Lane sodden wet pitch by about two dozen coppers, in his crombie , bowler hat and brolly and the coppers falling over in the mud like nine pins.

PC Pendant alert. I think the phrase that should be used now is ' of mixed race' or ' of mixed ethnic background' however it was the term of the time and I am pretty sure Moses would not have worried too much about the label.

Mixed race is okay, dual heritage even better.

Half caste..... no.

Remaining off topic, dual heritage sounds horrible to me, so I thought I'd look up half-caste on Wiki (of course) and it says this:

'In today's United Kingdom, the term primarily applies to those of mixed Black and White parentage, but such was not always the case. In just about any area that fell under the crown's dominion, the term was made use of, and anyone of mixed Caucasian and conquered races could be properly described as being half-caste. As such, it did not necessarily carry any stigma with it.[citation needed] For some, the term half-caste is more offensive than mixed-race, even if the latter is suggestive of tainting and dilution of ethnicity.'

[OzVilla]

As we left the away end after the epic goodbye to GTmk1 3-3 away at Goodison, Neville Southall wading his way back through the throngs of Villa fans.

Trying to climb up the slope outside the Hawthorns before a League Cup tie mid 80's after heavy snowfall had iced up in freezing temperatures. Took about 3 attempts, people slipping over, we had to create a kind on conga line in teams to get up the hill. We were all pissing ourselves.

Pelting Tony Grealish on the head with snowballs at said match as he was about to take a corner.