FINAL GAME BOYCOTT

[SteveD]

Simple really, if you've had enough as I have after the last five years of my near 30 years as season ticket holder:

* Don't renew your season ticket
* Don't spend a penny more in the club shop
* Don't spend any more this season inside the ground.

Until these clowns have shipped out
Until we have a group of players with pride in the shirt

Apart from the odd game, that will be my lot.
Unfortunately *this* bunch only appreciate hard customers' cash, nothing else.

[martin o`who??]

I'd make the most of that last Premiership game if I were you, it may be a long time before the next one.

[DeKuip]

I suffered it to the end with many others yesterday and looked on from the Trinity with pride as all those still on the Holte End spent the last 10 minutes singing non-stop and making a racket by banging the empty seats. It grabbed everyone's attention and drew applause from the Liverpool fans.

Rather than boycott, LET'S GO OUT WITH A BANG. 90 minutes of non-stop din, with accompanying protest chants. Drown out anything coming from any piss-taking oppo fans, voice our disapproval at the directors box, and let any prospective buyer out there know that these supporters are worth investing in.
Why wait until the last game - make it every game, starting at Stoke. Nobody sits on the seats at away games anyway.

Where were you when we were shit?

[OzVilla]

a mock funeral for the Club.

That's without doubt the most ridiculous suggestion I've ever read on this forum.

We are not Newcastle United.

Got to agree. It's a horrible idea.

IIRC the Olbiyun had an over the top hissy fit at Shrewsbury some years back where they marched a coffin around the ground when they dropped to the 3rd div.

 It looked typical Olbiyun and screamed, please notice as being great and loyal fans and instead of the sanctimonious pricks we really are. No thanks.

[avfcpg]

We're far far bigger than this. It's heartbreaking what's happened but we (for those old enough) have got to take the good with the bad.....that's life, that's Aston Villa, that's us.

[Richard E]

Fair enough. It was more from the perspective that a boycott needs something more than not just turning up, like some alternative gathering, to get noticed than suggesting that particular event would be a great idea.

[Karlos96]

I suffered it to the end with many others yesterday and looked on from the Trinity with pride as all those still on the Holte End spent the last 10 minutes singing non-stop and making a racket by banging the empty seats. It grabbed everyone's attention and drew applause from the Liverpool fans.

Rather than boycott, LET'S GO OUT WITH A BANG. 90 minutes of non-stop din, with accompanying protest chants. Drown out anything coming from any piss-taking oppo fans, voice our disapproval at the directors box, and let any prospective buyer out there know that these supporters are worth investing in.
Why wait until the last game - make it every game, starting at Stoke. Nobody sits on the seats at away games anyway.

Where were you when we were shit?

Same for me, I was stood on the Holte yesterday singing till the end, made me proud to be a Villa fan.  I would rather we did that and let the board and that twat Lerner just what we think of them for 90 minutes.

[OzVilla]

The best protest is to turn up, chant your support for our club but anger at Lerner and his cronies and get bed sheets, flags etc done up and literally fill the ground with them. That way it'll be both seen and heard.  I understand the anger, the frustration, the feeling of total impotency but staying away solves nothing.

Refusing to spend money only harms the club and makes us less attractive to a future buyer.  I say we put ourselves in the shop window, show what great, passionate support we have, show off our heritage, be proud to be a Villa fan despite the present team being shit.

I know all this is easy for me to say, safety tucked 12,000 miles away, but this is the time to be proud, loud and passionate in our support of the club and let these useless fuckers know what they've done to this great footballing institution that is Aston Villa.

If you can separate the club that is Aston Villa from the charlatans in the Boardroom you'll see that the club needs us now more than ever.  This is not the time to go shopping instead.

[Toronto Villa]

A protest needs to have a goal. So what's the goal? If it is to get Randy to sell, well he's already trying to do that. He just doesn't have a buyer. If it is show the board how you feel then how does a half or quarter empty stadium achieve that? Not everyone is going to avoid the game. And for those who attend are they not as passionate about the club as those who participate in the boycott?

There needs to be a tangible and defined aim and if the aim doesn't affect immediate change then is there desire to do it again and again until it does? Protests rarely work on the first attempt so will there be enough energy and following to keep this up?

[CT Villan]

Staying away will not impact the financials as ST money has already been received, so all they would lose would be the impulse on-the-day purchase - which I would not expect to amount to anything significant.

Beyond that, there are two issues...firstly, the 'let's show the world we care' motivation, which despite being incredibly noble and loyal, misses the point that the world outside of B6 doesn't give a shit. You would be effectively protesting to yourselves, maybe you could fill a couple of column inches on a slow news day, but nothing of lasting note.

The second, and the crux of the matter for me, is how to target the board and Lerner whilst supporting the manager and (some) players. Lerner is so far removed I doubt he cares overly. Hollis and Fox seem entirely focused on financials (to the point where Fox quite narcissistically thinks he's doing great) so as I mentioned staying away this season will have no effect on them, but may damage the manager and team. I say 'this season' because one option is not to renew season tickets for next season, but for many attending matches is part of their routine and is a difficult habit to break - though they are apparently making it easier with each passing season. I suspect a campaign directed entirely at Lerner, Hollis and Fox will probably not impact strategy too much, but it may make things a little uncomfortable for them. Clearly the easiest thing to do is to sing about them. It's hard to police against that, unlike banners which can be collected up. I suggested white flags in the past and I also like the scarf protest, however the scarves can only be thrown once, when what is likely required is a sustained approach over numerous weeks.

The more I think about it, it seems like songs targeting the board is the easiest option and it could just be the most effective.

[kippaxvilla2]

Seeing as our last home game is the Geordies then I'm all for a boycott given the shit we are going to get dished out to us.

[aj2k77]

Throw a bottle of piss at Fox and Hollis.

[Dave]

I'd make the most of that last Premiership game if I were you, it may be a long time before the next one.

Probably. It's been nearly ten years since the last one.

[Toronto Villa]

Throw a bottle of piss at Fox and Hollis.

Would you really do that?

[ChicagoLion]

A protest needs to have a goal. So what's the goal? If it is to get Randy to sell, well he's already trying to do that. He just doesn't have a buyer. If it is show the board how you feel then how does a half or quarter empty stadium achieve that? Not everyone is going to avoid the game. And for those who attend are they not as passionate about the club as those who participate in the boycott?

There needs to be a tangible and defined aim and if the aim doesn't affect immediate change then is there desire to do it again and again until it does? Protests rarely work on the first attempt so will there be enough energy and following to keep this up?

The aim must be to get the powers that be to take care of and focus on creating a football team. That means backing the manager to radically change the squad.