Aston Villa 2-0 Albion FA Cup Qtr Final post match thread

[Risso]

The first one was stupid as the game hadn't finished. What if more had come on and the red had abandoned the match, for example?

The one at the end was totally understandable. To talk about it being a throwback to the bad old days like Pulis did is just laughable

It's quite ironic when Pullis is a throw back to 80's football management himself.
I'm so glad we never went for him as a panic option on managers.

He's a hypocritical ****** as well.

Google "Stoke fans pitch invasion" and you'll find loads of when they got promoted in 2008.  Guess who the manager was?

In fact, if you need a reminder, here's the Youtube video:

The chap you're looking for is wearing a baseball cap.  Twat.

[Hockley Heath Lion]

My reflections on yesterday's game.
Firstly as a season ticket holder in the Holte, due to the fact we were late, getting tickets we sat in the upper Trinity. I was expecting a more subdued atmosphere but what I got was loud, vociferous and passionate support in the stand.
It was a great sight (and sound) to see the Holte to the right, the Witton opposite and The lower North all going at it full tilt.
When I look back over the years, there are a few games which stick in the memory.
Spurs at home in the league cup, Bradford at home the same season.
Everton away for Graham Taylor's last game, Sheffield Wed away under Big Ron, Tranmere, Inter, Athletico Madrid, Blackburn semi final etc..
Unfortunately, the recent ones all relate to victories over local rivals or fellow relegation candidates rather than anything actually positive.
I think last night was an out spilling of emotion on the basis we have had a good few years of very little positive to cheer.
As to whether it looks small time to our neighbours or others, quite frankly, I don't give a damn. We didn't do it for them.
There are a couple of things I would change, the 5.30 kick off was always going to cause problems and the pitch invasion before the end (I was more concerned about the match being abandoned ad the result not standing.
Other than that it was a brilliant night and will go down with the ones listed above that I will remember for years.
Que sera sera......

[The Man With A Stick]

Bloody hell, Lawrenson's a joyless old sod isn't he.  Talking about the dark days  the 80s, I don't think you can compare a pitch invasion after all the shit we've been served up for the last four years can be compared to Heysel, etc.  He should know about that better than anyone, he was there after all.

[Lastfootstamper]

Picking through the bones of yesterday, and not having read back through the thread, I'd like to spare a thought for our very own Supertom. Unlucky, son. Inspired effort, and I bet it would've been interesting/confusing sitting next to you for the final five minutes!

[Gregorys Boy]

Got back late last night/early this morning to Peacehaven (a few miles outside of Brighton in case you are wondering? ).  Had a really great time at the game.  It was emotional and quite nervy in places, but the atmosphere would be one of the best I have experienced at a Villa game.  It was a very impressive result and well deserved at least on the second half performance. First half we were terrible I think we the nerves got to us and we just tried to over the play the ball or at times were rushing.  We never got to grips with them in midfield and could have been a couple of goals down at the break if not for Given and a lack of cutting edge on their part.  Second half we were really at it.  The passion was there, we were far more positive, we worked hard as a team, and scored two very good goals.  The day was only partly spoiled by the ref and some idoits trying to claim their 15 Minutes of fame

Given 7
Bacuna 6
Okore 6
Clark 7
Lowton 5
Cleverley 4
Westwood 4
Delph 7
N'Zogbia 7
Sinclair 7
Gabby 7

Subs: Grealish 6, Sanchez 6, Gil 5

A. Taylor -0

[Witton Warrior]

Jonas Olsson was on our train back to Euston last night. Top marks to Kingthing for drunkenly trying to sell him a ticket for the West London Lions coach trip to the Swansea game.

And Staunton was drinking in the Sacred Heart before the game.

What a day. It's been many a year since I've enjoyed a home game so much

That Kigthing gets about doesn't he!
Did he tell you about being in with the Albion at the Witton Arms?
Texted me to meet there followed 20 seconds late with a "don't!"
He sat by my mate who he got the ticket for and sounded as if he nearly made it from the Upper to the Lower Holte due to "loss of balance"

Top day

[Witton Warrior]

Brian's post is excellent and I agree with every word.
The worse is yet to come for most of us, when we return to work tomorrow and face the moral indignation of people who have never stepped foot inside a football ground and know nothing about football, but will will be telling us how outraged they were/are.
Yet, they won't really know if the mean the first invasion or the one after the final whistle.

My advice would simply to tell them bollocks. It usually works for me.

Just start singing "We're your famous football hooligans!" at the top of your lungs
Confirms what they think but they will leave you alone

Winky thang ;-)

[Kevin_Brum12]

Regarding drinking I agree that there are unscrupulous and greedy people who will sell alcohol regardless of the time of day but that only draws into the equation the reality that Britain is awash with cheap alcohol and stuffed with those who want to make money out of selling it.   Go down to any town centre or any A and E on a Saturday night and see the price society is paying for the deregulation of the alcohol industry.   Like the deregulation of gambling it began with Blair and has become a massive problem in the contemporary have/have not society we live in today.   That is several other topics.

As for the righteous indignation and centre stage "look at me I am outraged" posture of the media and its commentators, we football fans must take the same sort of stand that gay, muslim, disabled, black, old, fat, catholic minorities have done to protect themselves against stereotypical prejudice.   An event like yesterday declares open season for the Lawrensons and Linekers of the world to build their careers to even greater undeserved heights by implying that people who go to football matches are somehow inferior and deeply flawed and should be subjected to constraints over and above the law of the land.   Every minority has the same problem, gay people are called qu**r, muslims are pa**s, disabled people are cripples and so on.   We football fans are portrayed as either active or latent hooligans.

The whole existences of people like Lawrenson revolve around the finding of ways to become "the voice of the people" "Mr Sensible" "someone who tells it how it is".   He/they are none of those things, they are careerists seeking to exploit a situation to their personal advantage by peddling prejudice.   On 606 last night Fletcher and Savage went into self righteous melt down when the tweet came through that Fabian Delph had been bitten by a fan.   When an actual interview with FD went out they were moderately sheepish but desperately wanted the credit for punchy as-it-happens broadcasting.   That was not what you did you pricks, you disseminated unconfirmed allegations that were untrue for purely personal attention.

If a fan tears out a seat and throws it down on the head of an old lady below the law of the land is in place to punish the lawbreaker, likewise the alleged danger to Albion players.   Apprehend the guilty and punish them.   That is the way society is built to work, not through kangaroo courts of Lawrenson, Lineker, Pulis, Savage, Fletcher and Uncle Tom Cobleigh.

When the crowd at Silverstone surged onto the track at the end of the British Grand Prix won by Nigel Mansell, a fan was actually run over by him.  The fan stated "I consider it a great honour to be run over by Nigel" and the whole thing passed off amicably.   Some of that sense of proportion has to be brought back into football.

We live in a 24 hour news culture.  This means that in order to fill time, uncorroborated nonsense such as that spouted by the likes of Savage and Lawrenson is put on air.  Thirty years ago, it is likely the pitch invasion would have made the news, but well after the match.   

The eejits who ran onto the pitch prior to the final whistle, together with the thugs (not fans) who were throwing seats should be identified, arrested, prosecuted and punished (including lenghty banning orders).   But the invasion after the final whistle?  If it was a non-league or lower division club, the likes of Lawrenson would have hailed it as the "magic of the cup".  Because it's Villa its seen as a "national scandal taking football back to the 80's".  No Lawro.   The real scandal of the 80's is how fans were caged in, treated like animals and endured poor policing, which a Government tried to spin away when the inevitable happened on a sunny April day in 1989 and which is only now being exposed.

[Richard]

My nose mate texted to say our fans were just as bad as Blues so I put him straight about a few things - the seat chucking is the worst thing that happened yesterday and a lot of Albion fans are disgusted with their own fans if you read their forums

[Gregorys Boy]

The first one was stupid as the game hadn't finished. What if more had come on and the red had abandoned the match, for example?

The one at the end was totally understandable. To talk about it being a throwback to the bad old days like Pulis did is just laughable

It's quite ironic when Pullis is a throw back to 80's football management himself.
I'm so glad we never went for him as a panic option on managers.

He's a hypocritical c*** as well.

Google "Stoke fans pitch invasion" and you'll find loads of when they got promoted in 2008.  Guess who the manager was?

In fact, if you need a reminder, here's the Youtube video:

The chap you're looking for is wearing a baseball cap.  Twat.

Can we stop all this Pulis bashing.  Fact is if we had replaced Lambert for him in Dec/Jan then chances are we would already be safe by now or at least well on our way to it.  Despite the good week we have had Sherwood is still very much an experiment.  Lets not get too carried away now.

As for Pulis' post match remarks it does sound like he let his disserpointment get the better of him.  It happens to every manager though.

[dave.woodhall]

I never intend to stop Pulis bashing. Pulis is there to be bashed.

[Gregorys Boy]

Regarding drinking I agree that there are unscrupulous and greedy people who will sell alcohol regardless of the time of day but that only draws into the equation the reality that Britain is awash with cheap alcohol and stuffed with those who want to make money out of selling it.   Go down to any town centre or any A and E on a Saturday night and see the price society is paying for the deregulation of the alcohol industry.   Like the deregulation of gambling it began with Blair and has become a massive problem in the contemporary have/have not society we live in today.   That is several other topics.

As for the righteous indignation and centre stage "look at me I am outraged" posture of the media and its commentators, we football fans must take the same sort of stand that gay, muslim, disabled, black, old, fat, catholic minorities have done to protect themselves against stereotypical prejudice.   An event like yesterday declares open season for the Lawrensons and Linekers of the world to build their careers to even greater undeserved heights by implying that people who go to football matches are somehow inferior and deeply flawed and should be subjected to constraints over and above the law of the land.   Every minority has the same problem, gay people are called qu**r, muslims are pa**s, disabled people are cripples and so on.   We football fans are portrayed as either active or latent hooligans.

The whole existences of people like Lawrenson revolve around the finding of ways to become "the voice of the people" "Mr Sensible" "someone who tells it how it is".   He/they are none of those things, they are careerists seeking to exploit a situation to their personal advantage by peddling prejudice.   On 606 last night Fletcher and Savage went into self righteous melt down when the tweet came through that Fabian Delph had been bitten by a fan.   When an actual interview with FD went out they were moderately sheepish but desperately wanted the credit for punchy as-it-happens broadcasting.   That was not what you did you pricks, you disseminated unconfirmed allegations that were untrue for purely personal attention.

If a fan tears out a seat and throws it down on the head of an old lady below the law of the land is in place to punish the lawbreaker, likewise the alleged danger to Albion players.   Apprehend the guilty and punish them.   That is the way society is built to work, not through kangaroo courts of Lawrenson, Lineker, Pulis, Savage, Fletcher and Uncle Tom Cobleigh.

When the crowd at Silverstone surged onto the track at the end of the British Grand Prix won by Nigel Mansell, a fan was actually run over by him.  The fan stated "I consider it a great honour to be run over by Nigel" and the whole thing passed off amicably.   Some of that sense of proportion has to be brought back into football.

We live in a 24 hour news culture.  This means that in order to fill time, uncorroborated nonsense such as that spouted by the likes of Savage and Lawrenson is put on air.  Thirty years ago, it is likely the pitch invasion would have made the news, but well after the match.   

The eejits who ran onto the pitch prior to the final whistle, together with the thugs (not fans) who were throwing seats should be identified, arrested, prosecuted and punished (including lenghty banning orders).   But the invasion after the final whistle?  If it was a non-league or lower division club, the likes of Lawrenson would have hailed it as the "magic of the cup".  Because it's Villa its seen as a "national scandal taking football back to the 80's".  No Lawro.   The real scandal of the 80's is how fans were caged in, treated like animals and endured poor policing, which a Government tried to spin away when the inevitable happened on a sunny April day in 1989 and which is only now being exposed.

That is a very good point not thought of it from that angle.  I guess part of it maybe just that since we have only made the semis and not the final yet than maybe they thought we were getting a bit carried away from that point of view.  Also if we had beaten say Reading instead of our local rivals yesterday then I doubt the celebrations would have been as intense.

[rob_bridge]

What an improvement in the second half.

As for those utter fucking idiots legging it on the pitch before full time, I hope they all get banned. Two nil up and cruising into the semi final, a minute to go and you're running on the fucking pitch?

Small time twats.

They belong at the Sty - where their IQ would be more at home.

I Concur.

[Gregorys Boy]

I never intend to stop Pulis bashing. Pulis is there to be bashed.

Even if he was our manager?  I like the guy myself.  I think we should start Sherwood bashing now that would be far more radical!

[john e]

The first one was stupid as the game hadn't finished. What if more had come on and the red had abandoned the match, for example?

The one at the end was totally understandable. To talk about it being a throwback to the bad old days like Pulis did is just laughable

It's quite ironic when Pullis is a throw back to 80's football management himself.
I'm so glad we never went for him as a panic option on managers.

He's a hypocritical c*** as well.

Google "Stoke fans pitch invasion" and you'll find loads of when they got promoted in 2008.  Guess who the manager was?

In fact, if you need a reminder, here's the Youtube video:

The chap you're looking for is wearing a baseball cap.  Twat.

Can we stop all this Pulis bashing.  Fact is if we had replaced Lambert for him in Dec/Jan then chances are we would already be safe by now or at least well on our way to it.  Despite the good week we have had Sherwood is still very much an experiment.  Lets not get too carried away now.

As for Pulis' post match remarks it does sound like he let his disserpointment get the better of him.  It happens to every manager though.

If rather go down than have Pulis manage the Villa