Would it be more fun if we went down?

[peter w]

The best thing is the almost relentless Sat-Wed-Sat football in the Championship. Cool. And I want to win that trophy again as we should have in 87-88. Just one last time.

[croatian]

More fun?

It'd be like the club saying "We've been sticking pins in your eyes for the past few years, now we're gonna stick them in your bollox instead".

Going to VP is a hard habit to break. It took the combined efforts of turner, mcbungle and lipgloss to cure me of that addiction. It made perfect sense to play another 18 holes on a Saturday rather than rush to VP.

Not going to VP is also a hard habit to break. It'll take something special to get me to invest my hard earned and time in the stinking corpse that AVFC has become.

And it certainly won't be second tier football.

[Quiet Lion]

There are literally no plus points to going down, not one. It is going to be total shit next season, any victory would be hollow and only serve to remind us how far we have fallen.

I doubt we will come straight back up either.

[kippaxvilla2]

That's a good point about away steams, I hadn't thought of that.

I mentioned the bit about no streams for away games somewhere else, and someone said there are streams for Championship matches. So last weekend while I was waiting for the  Southampton game I had a quick mosey about for Championship streams. I think there was just one game covered. So the prospect for away games next season will be commentary on WM.    *shudder*

I mentioned it but I didn't investigate it fully.  Just and this is embarrassing I have a stepson who is a nose and wanted to know where to watch their match against Wolves and I found it on a betting website stream of all places.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

going down would be manageable if it was one season, its if we dont come back up at the first opportunity it will be shit

if we are still down and the parachute money finishes it will be a nightmare

[oswald funkletrumpet]

It would be embarrassing. I would hate every minute of it. Victories would be hollow as being out of the top flight is beneath Aston Villa.

The playing staff would have to be gutted. We would have to sell so many players ends meet, who knows what we would be left with? We’d still be enduring Lambert’s awful tactics and diabolical football, only this time in the company of a league full of Mickey Mouse clubs.

Villa Park would become even more lifeless, apart from perhaps one game out of the 23 where we play the Noses. For everybody else, it would be a cup final. The pressure to come back up would be immense, having 23 sides come and pretend they’re playing in an FA Cup semi-final would make home games an even greater misery than they already are.

Away games would be terrible too. The away support in the championship is rubbish; the clubs in there average around 1100. We would be the only club to take a big away following everywhere we went. By the same token, all the locals would turn out for a curious stare at the floundering whale of a club, drowning in the shallows. It would be like a trip to the New Den every other week and I have no desire to be locked in more often than not.

It would be an awful experience and given how badly we fare against lower league opposition under this manager, we would be more likely to be relegated again than come back up.

spot on

[Ad@m]

I would enjoy watching Villa win but knowing that we were a million miles away from where I think we should be would always rankle with me.

For me, I'd love the Villa in any league - that won't change, but it'll be a bitter thing to take knowing that this famous old club had been ejected from the top table. So it wouldn't be more fun for me, not for a few more wins. Maybe in time, who knows.

We were ejected from the top table long ago. For the last five years the main objective has been to avoid being relegated with a secondary objective of fluking a cup - all while turning a profit.  It's hardly the stuff dreams are made of.

[dave.woodhall]

More fun?

It'd be like the club saying "We've been sticking pins in your eyes for the past few years, now we're gonna stick them in your bollox instead".

Going to VP is a hard habit to break. It took the combined efforts of turner, mcbungle and lipgloss to cure me of that addiction. It made perfect sense to play another 18 holes on a Saturday rather than rush to VP.

Not going to VP is also a hard habit to break. It'll take something special to get me to invest my hard earned and time in the stinking corpse that AVFC has become.

And it certainly won't be second tier football.

Your first post for 5 1/2 years was to tell us that you won't start watching a team you haven't watched for 25 years. Thanks for that.

[andyh]

At the end of the day we have to face the fact that we are no longer good enough for this league and will pay the price for years of austerity and poor management decisions.
There is absolutely no doubt that going down will be shit and embarrassing.

But, the football we have been watching for the last 5 years has already been shit and embarrassing.
We are already seen as a basket case, and I guess most other clubs fans already expect that we are down.

If (when) it happens it will not be the end of the world.
It will hurt through the summer, but then by August we will all be up for the season ahead.

It will still be a round ball.
It will still be 11v 11.
We'll still go for a pint before the game, buy a programme, go for a piss, have a moan, shout and swear, and go home after the game.

The difference is that we might win a few more games than we do now, and that will be a good thing.

I'm not saying by any stretch that it be some sort of championship utopia, but it will still be football, and we'll just have to make the best of it.

And we will.

[SoccerHQ]

That's a good point about away steams, I hadn't thought of that.

I mentioned the bit about no streams for away games somewhere else, and someone said there are streams for Championship matches. So last weekend while I was waiting for the  Southampton game I had a quick mosey about for Championship streams. I think there was just one game covered. So the prospect for away games next season will be commentary on WM.    *shudder*

Sky show plenty of championship games, Leeds seem to be on every other week so we'll be on plenty of times next season. The main game on the channel five highlights will also get a stream.

Midweek home and away games I doubt though, will be like the early rounds of the carling cup.

[Steve kirk]

At the end of the day we have to face the fact that we are no longer good enough for this league and will pay the price for years of austerity and poor management decisions.
There is absolutely no doubt that going down will be shit and embarrassing.

But, the football we have been watching for the last 5 years has already been shit and embarrassing.
We are already seen as a basket case, and I guess most other clubs fans already expect that we are down.

If (when) it happens it will not be the end of the world.
It will hurt through the summer, but then by August we will all be up for the season ahead.

It will still be a round ball.
It will still be 11v 11.
We'll still go for a pint before the game, buy a programme, go for a piss, have a moan, shout and swear, and go home after the game.

The difference is that we might win a few more games than we do now, and that will be a good thing.

I'm not saying by any stretch that it be some sort of championship utopia, but it will still be football, and we'll just have to make the best of it.

And we will.



Agreed on all of that.

[Pat McMahon]

Away games would be terrible too. The away support in the championship is rubbish; the clubs in there average around 1100. We would be the only club to take a big away following everywhere we went. By the same token, all the locals would turn out for a curious stare at the floundering whale of a club, drowning in the shallows. It would be like a trip to the New Den every other week and I have no desire to be locked in more often than not.

spot on

 A mate of mine who is a Fulham season ticket holder reckons that Leeds brought more this season (5k) than most premier league clubs did in the last couple of season before Fulham were relegated. I think it was midweek too. He also reckons they have one of the largest away followings in the country partly because they get larger allocations at many grounds than the standard 2000 or so in the premier league.

[ChicagoLion]

We might win a few more games.
I think we will have something to play for all through the season. (playoffs at least)
We wont see the likes of Nzogbia.
We will hopefully really clear the deadwood.
It will allow some of the promising youngsters to come through.

[croatian]

More fun?

It'd be like the club saying "We've been sticking pins in your eyes for the past few years, now we're gonna stick them in your bollox instead".

Going to VP is a hard habit to break. It took the combined efforts of turner, mcbungle and lipgloss to cure me of that addiction. It made perfect sense to play another 18 holes on a Saturday rather than rush to VP.

Not going to VP is also a hard habit to break. It'll take something special to get me to invest my hard earned and time in the stinking corpse that AVFC has become.

And it certainly won't be second tier football.

Your first post for 5 1/2 years was to tell us that you won't start watching a team you haven't watched for 25 years. Thanks for that.

You are indeed welcome.

And correct.

[Des Little]

More fun?

It'd be like the club saying "We've been sticking pins in your eyes for the past few years, now we're gonna stick them in your bollox instead".

Going to VP is a hard habit to break. It took the combined efforts of turner, mcbungle and lipgloss to cure me of that addiction. It made perfect sense to play another 18 holes on a Saturday rather than rush to VP.

Not going to VP is also a hard habit to break. It'll take something special to get me to invest my hard earned and time in the stinking corpse that AVFC has become.

And it certainly won't be second tier football.

I may be miles out here, but if I hadn't done something I used to enjoy for twenty odd years, I don't think I'd have the slightest interest in going online to talk about it.