Seats on 7

[Jimbo]

I was talking to a bluenose last weekend. He told me Villa are the biggest club north of London, and south of Liverpool. He went on to tell me Villa fans' trouble is our expectations are too high. So what exactly should fans of the biggest club between London and Liverpool expect? At the very least, when you've been established in the top division for over 20 years, and had hundreds of millions to play with, you'd expect to stay in that division. Minimum requirement. That's why I don't buy this 'it happens to every team' line. If that's true, I really can't wait for Man United's day. That'll be soon, right? 

You don't have to as Amfy said "Teams get relegated. Sometimes it's you" she never said it happens to every team.

I won't argue the semantics, but I'd love to see about-to-be-relegated Arsenal, Liverpool or even Tottenham fans saying "well, sometimes it's us" while causing an earthquake in China with a massive seismic shoulder shrug.

[PeterWithesShin]

Well obviously you won't as she never said that.

[not3bad]

They all know we're not happy with them, so we don't need to tell them. So presumably, should we ever score a goal again, we won't have to celebrate it because they already know we're happy. Just pay the money, sit there, buy programmes and refreshments and merchandise and be good fans customers.

Fixed

[Jimbo]

It's not just Amfy, I've heard the 'relegation happens' line elsewhere. It does happen, to clubs that allow it.

[AVH87]

I was talking to a bluenose last weekend. He told me Villa are the biggest club north of London, and south of Liverpool. He went on to tell me Villa fans' trouble is our expectations are too high. So what exactly should fans of the biggest club between London and Liverpool expect? At the very least, when you've been established in the top division for over 20 years, and had hundreds of millions to play with, you'd expect to stay in that division. Minimum requirement. That's why I don't buy this 'it happens to every team' line. If that's true, I really can't wait for Man United's day. That'll be soon, right? 

You don't have to as Amfy said "Teams get relegated. Sometimes it's you" she never said it happens to every team.

I won't argue the semantics, but I'd love to see about-to-be-relegated Arsenal, Liverpool or even Tottenham fans saying "well, sometimes it's us" while causing an earthquake in China with a massive seismic shoulder shrug.

In fairness we aren't close to being in the same bracket as the first two, Spurs at a push, but they have a bigger fanbase and have been on an upward trajectory over the last 10 years.

[PeterWithesShin]

It's not just Amfy, I've heard the 'relegation happens' line elsewhere. It does happen, to clubs that allow it.

Well it does. For anyone over 60 this will be our 5th relegation. It's shit but it does happen, even to us.

And no one has said don't protest or just take relegation and say nothing. Most saying that they think this stay away for 7 mins idea is a bit crap, which it is in my opinion for reasons i've said earlier in the thread, have said the banner protest was great and a success.

[Nelly]

It's also the fact that we were stable and looking fowards, to completely surrending our league status. It's not like we've punched above our weight for a while, had a day in the sun and can go back to obscurity - we've been top flight for most of our existence; longer than (I think) most of the other clubs we've been talking about. It's not good enough to just invite relegation through incompitent management. Yes it does happen, sometimes clubs get surprised that it's them but that doesn't mean we have to sit around and take it.

Edit, sorry we do have to take it I guess. We don't have to be happy about it, is what I think I meant!

[VillaAlways]

I was talking to a bluenose last weekend. He told me Villa are the biggest club north of London, and south of Liverpool. He went on to tell me Villa fans' trouble is our expectations are too high. So what exactly should fans of the biggest club between London and Liverpool expect? At the very least, when you've been established in the top division for over 20 years, and had hundreds of millions to play with, you'd expect to stay in that division. Minimum requirement. That's why I don't buy this 'it happens to every team' line. If that's true, I really can't wait for Man United's day. That'll be soon, right? 

You don't have to as Amfy said "Teams get relegated. Sometimes it's you" she never said it happens to every team.

I won't argue the semantics, but I'd love to see about-to-be-relegated Arsenal, Liverpool or even Tottenham fans saying "well, sometimes it's us" while causing an earthquake in China with a massive seismic shoulder shrug.

The difference with these clubs is the protests would have started yonks ago if it was them. The club has done really well in lowering fans expectations We haven't behaved like a big club since we signed Bent. It's unforgivable and Lerner deserves all the shit he's getting

[Jimbo]

It's shit, it happens to us (twice in my lifetime), but it's unlikely ever to happen to other clubs we once considered our peers. We shouldn't ever meekly accept that. Because then it becomes ok, and we get lumped in the same bracket as the knuckledraggers, bitter birds and dog heads. There's no excuse for being in such a privileged position and then pissing it all away despite warning after warning.   

I tend to agree that the seats on 7 thing is ill advised, as these things require mass participation, which will be unlikely. But I'm all for any form of protest, dissent and disruption over apathy, shoulder-shrugging and accepting shit as the norm. 

[PeterWithesShin]

In my opinion they should have stuck with the banner idea. Odds are good that a higher percentage of us would have joined in each time. By changing it every time I don't think it's gaining proper momentum. By my reckoning this is the 4th different thing in 4 games. Walk out, do nothing, banners, stay away for 7 mins.

And in reply to a few posts, virtually no one has said do nothing and just shrug our shoulders etc, i'm not sure why that keeps getting mentioned.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The banners at the weekend got a ton of press, and so at the very least it's shown the world that we give a shit.  People who don't want to join in don't have to, but I'm glad that they're trying something, anything.

I agree with that, it's long overdue but I'd hope that before the season ends, we also show the world just what a massive club Aston Villa (still) is. Ideally, I'd love to see our game with Newcastle sold out, the Holte roaring for 90 minutes and a clear message to our next manager that he's not only got a job to do but get it right and he's got one of the best jobs in football. Forget the owner, the half arsed players, the fact is the club belongs to the fans. Let's go down with a bang, not a whimper, it will set a precedent for next season.

The support has been brilliant this season, especially away from home where we've taken thousands and despite having little, if anything to celebrate, we've shown what great fans we have. Even at home they've found the energy to rise up and support the team. It would therefore be a fitting reminder to all whether they be the new board, the next manager, potential signings, the media and beyond just how big Aston Villa is.

[Clampy]

I'm sure the players also realise how badly they've let us down

Really?

Being booed onto the pitch by your own fans, barracked from the sidelines for 90 minutes, chants of your not fit to wear the shirt - do you think they can't hear it? do you think they don't read the papers or listen to the abusive calls on the radio or the embarrassing post mortems on match of the day? I doubt there is one of these lads that doesn't feel ashamed of the part they've played in all this.

Of course they hear it, I just think they honestly believe that the fans are singing it about other members of the team. Otherwise, why haven't the idle pricks done anything about it? I expect them to get even worse stick in the forthcoming games, inshalla

So how does this protest, or any of the others, let any of them know that we mean them? It doesn't do anymore than the other stuff.

The banners was fine. Watch the match, hold up a pre-printed message  on 74 mins or write your own to them. Added value of paper plane competition for the last quarter of an hour if you don't leave at that point. I don't know why we have to keep changing it.

I think it's the 'something new every week' element that underlies Clampy's comment which people took offence too (liking the sound of their own voice). I totally get why people want to protest even if I can't always see the point & fair play to anyone who tries to do something, but it just needs to be a protest, it doesn't have to be a way of showing how many different kinds of protest you can think of.


Personally though, at this stage, I think I'd just like to try & remember this is what I do for fun, & laugh like I did at Alan Hutton when we shouted 'Shoot!' & stop being so angry like it's the end of the world. It isn't. Teams get relegated. Sometimes it's you.

I'm suggesting that everyone does what they want and makes whatever point they want. Clampy can stick his hands in his ears and try and ignore it for all I care. Personally though, I'm not prepared to accept what we've been dished up in the last few seasons and would prefer to articulate that by giving the players and earful of abuse. If they don't like it, fine, it's not the end of the world.

What exactly do I need to ignore? I'm not telling you that you can't protest. I don't have to agree with this latest one though and i'm not one the only one who hasn't. I don't need to stand on a concourse for 7 minutes to realise what an utterly shit season it's been, I already know.

[class-of-82]

I'm all for the paper aeroplanes scenario best bit about of entertainment all season

[Irish villain]

Teams get relegated. Sometimes it's you.

At least we can look forward to Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchesters City and United, Everton and Tottenham getting relegated soon. Won't be long now. Get your popcorn.

4 of them have been relegated in my time. Everton dodged it under dubious circumstances.

Phew, that makes it OK so?

 A few years ago people used to defend Lerner with 'ah we would have been relegated in 2007 if he hadn't bought us'. Well that team in 2006 would thrash any team we have put out this (or any since 2012) season. We are going down with one of our worst ever and most humiliating seasons. Most fans don't give a toss about how other clubs came close to or were relegated because they know the villa were ever-present since 1992 and second most seasons in the top flight after Everton. Losing those badges of honour is horrible and who knows how long we will be out of the top flight for?

[PeterWithesShin]

Please quote me where I said getting relegated was ok. Or did I actually say getting relegated is shit?