Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

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But in the end will most like have a top 2 who have spent the most money and are owned by Chinese mega rich.

[Clampy]

It was while I was sitting in the Wellington after the Peterborough match that I realised what I like about this league. You can talk to the other team's supporters. The Premier League is made up for the most part of either gloryhunting Champions League chasers who look down on the rest of us, or upstart Johnny Come Latelys who think a year with the big boys makes them our equals. I haven't got anything in common with either of them and I don't particularly want anything to do with them, but I do relate to the supporters we come into contact with now. It's like walking round a market town out in the countryside then when it seems familiar you realise it's because the mixture of grotty shops, market stalls and a laughably small supermarket is like where you grew up a few decades ago. The Championship is still, just about, like football used to be.

On our travels this season, some of the supporters we've come across have been the friendliest bunch you could wish to meet. From the two elderly Burton fans who kindly offered us a lift to the ground to the Preston supporter who after we'd beaten them stood in the pouring rain to ring us a local taxi and walked us down to where we were supposed to meet it. It's been so refreshing at times and like Dave hinted, it's felt like how football used to be.

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It's not as enjoyable walking through a throng of home fans noisily talking about how you've turned them over when they're genuine. Much better when they've got a curly whig on and they're holding a mega store bag full of tat with a 200 mile journey back to the south east or a flight to Oslo to look forward to.

[kipeye]

It was while I was sitting in the Wellington after the Peterborough match that I realised what I like about this league. You can talk to the other team's supporters. The Premier League is made up for the most part of either gloryhunting Champions League chasers who look down on the rest of us, or upstart Johnny Come Latelys who think a year with the big boys makes them our equals. I haven't got anything in common with either of them and I don't particularly want anything to do with them, but I do relate to the supporters we come into contact with now. It's like walking round a market town out in the countryside then when it seems familiar you realise it's because the mixture of grotty shops, market stalls and a laughably small supermarket is like where you grew up a few decades ago. The Championship is still, just about, like football used to be.

On our travels this season, some of the supporters we've come across have been the friendliest bunch you could wish to meet. From the two elderly Burton fans who kindly offered us a lift to the ground to the Preston supporter who after we'd beaten them stood in the pouring rain to ring us a local taxi and walked us down to where we were supposed to meet it. It's been so refreshing at times and like Dave hinted, it's felt like how football used to be.

Yep to both posts. Its what us old gits have been saying ever since we became old gits. Football, like life, is not just about money and being number one. (retires to the fireside rocking chair to read The Beano)

[john e]

It was while I was sitting in the Wellington after the Peterborough match that I realised what I like about this league. You can talk to the other team's supporters. The Premier League is made up for the most part of either gloryhunting Champions League chasers who look down on the rest of us, or upstart Johnny Come Latelys who think a year with the big boys makes them our equals. I haven't got anything in common with either of them and I don't particularly want anything to do with them, but I do relate to the supporters we come into contact with now. It's like walking round a market town out in the countryside then when it seems familiar you realise it's because the mixture of grotty shops, market stalls and a laughably small supermarket is like where you grew up a few decades ago. The Championship is still, just about, like football used to be.

On our travels this season, some of the supporters we've come across have been the friendliest bunch you could wish to meet. From the two elderly Burton fans who kindly offered us a lift to the ground to the Preston supporter who after we'd beaten them stood in the pouring rain to ring us a local taxi and walked us down to where we were supposed to meet it. It's been so refreshing at times and like Dave hinted, it's felt like how football used to be.

more chance of getting chased down the street than offered a lift when I first started going away

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Sounds like stranger danger to me.

[ChicagoLion]

Sounds like stranger danger to me.

You’d better paint your face.

[wittonwarrior]

On the other hand, away match prices  such as Sheff Wed, Leeds, Fulham  - I might like some of the back  to football aspects but overall we are the Villa and I know where I want to be.

[brian green]

Me too.  All sounds to me a bit like making the best of a bad job.  But then again I have never had a problem with talking to the fans of any club great or small.  That probably comes from having followed Villa long enough for the snapshot of history that is this day to be in perspective.  Today's king of the castle is tomorrow's dirty rascal.

[Deano's Mullet]

I love this division. It's fun again. I know Brighton and Newcastle supporters who are missing it too. Match day is a buzz now and you genuinely don't know what result you are going to get. It just feels like 80s and 90s football again. We all want promotion but I think the only way to enjoy the top flight is if you are spending shit loads of cash trying to match the big boys like we did in the early Lerner days and we were moderately successful in doing so before it all went wrong. There's nothing worse than bring destroyed by a Man City or Chelsea and the commentor referring to it as a masterclass when in reality the gap in resources between the winner and the loser is enormous. That's why when I watch the odd PL game now I can't engage with it because someone like Bournemouth will be whacked by Liverpool nine times out of ten. I don't think it's as unpredictable as some would have you believe. And Yeovil Vs Man  United as a TV game... Yep in the old days you might have seen an upset but not now, it's a just a chance for some kid in Truro to start latching on to a big club that wins. At work there are two supporters of championship teams and I am one of them. The rest support "local" London teams and the usual glory boys. I am the only one who actually goes to matches (not as often as I would like I admit) so that's my defense when I walk into work wearing my scarf and some clever dick will ask what's that piece of shit hanging around my neck. Banter I  know but gets wearysome after a while.

[The Edge]

It was while I was sitting in the Wellington after the Peterborough match that I realised what I like about this league. You can talk to the other team's supporters. The Premier League is made up for the most part of either gloryhunting Champions League chasers who look down on the rest of us, or upstart Johnny Come Latelys who think a year with the big boys makes them our equals. I haven't got anything in common with either of them and I don't particularly want anything to do with them, but I do relate to the supporters we come into contact with now. It's like walking round a market town out in the countryside then when it seems familiar you realise it's because the mixture of grotty shops, market stalls and a laughably small supermarket is like where you grew up a few decades ago. The Championship is still, just about, like football used to be.

That is absolutely it. A proper competition as well, anyone could win it.

Except Wolves are doing a Man City.

[paul_e]

There's been a few comments about not knowing who's goign to win and it not being ruined by the big spenders but it's a little hypocritical to come out with that when we've tried to buy promotion ourselves and have players who alone have cost more than the entire squads of half of the league.  Just be honest, we had 4-5 years of being one of the minnows getting stuffed by the big boys and didn't like it and now we're the big boys and you prefer it.  I'd rather people say "we win more than we lose so I'm happier" than coming out with, for example (not picking on you Deano) "Match day is a buzz now and you genuinely don't know what result you are going to get".  Do you honestly walk up to Villa park for a game a home to Burton/Millwall/Barnsley thinking it's going to be close or is that feeling actually expectation that we should win.

Personally I'm a bit disappointed that we're not handing out more 5 goal routs because, with the squad we have and the money we've spent this should be a procession back to the premier league.

[curiousorange]

There's been a few comments about not knowing who's goign to win and it not being ruined by the big spenders but it's a little hypocritical to come out with that when we've tried to buy promotion ourselves and have players who alone have cost more than the entire squads of half of the league.  Just be honest, we had 4-5 years of being one of the minnows getting stuffed by the big boys and didn't like it and now we're the big boys and you prefer it.  I'd rather people say "we win more than we lose so I'm happier" than coming out with, for example (not picking on you Deano) "Match day is a buzz now and you genuinely don't know what result you are going to get".  Do you honestly walk up to Villa park for a game a home to Burton/Millwall/Barnsley thinking it's going to be close or is that feeling actually expectation that we should win.

Personally I'm a bit disappointed that we're not handing out more 5 goal routs because, with the squad we have and the money we've spent this should be a procession back to the premier league.

This is it for me. It may be mean-spirited of me, but I want everyone else to compete and us to be untouchable.

[Tom_Mc9?]

I guess it depends on why you go to the games. We'd all like to be top of the Premier League winning trophies and playing Barcelona, but for me I like going and having a good time with my Dad or mates. I don't particularly care if we're playing Burton or Manchester City - I'll still go and enjoy it.

This makes it sound like I don't care if we do well or not. I obviously do and getting promoted and seeing if Xia puts his money where his mouth is would be great to see, but for me it's not the most important thing.

The only exception I can think of is when we went down. The sheer demoralising effect of watching players who had neither the ability or (more importantly) the desire made it impossible to enjoy the trip.

[Toronto Villa]

We’ve all been beaten down over the last few years which is why any kind of success is being welcomed. And our beat down as fans was amongst the worst any top level side has received over 6 gruelling years. But competing at the top level is where we belong. We’re Aston Villa. Not some half arsed club. Done right, (which is most certainly wasn’t for all of those years), the PL can be enjoyable and we should be able to compete at the top end of the table. 2009/2010 feels an eternity ago, but we were challenging for a CL spot. We can again with the right management and investment.