Smalltime Villa?

[eddiemunster]

Chatting to my father about May's impending triple whammy of elation, I described my segmented joy in the following statistical terms -

Villa's promotion 85%
Albions's demotion 10%
Blues' relegation 5%

He said it should be 100/0/0 and went on to confess he'd watch Villa & Blues alternately in the 60s, an unspeakable prospect in the modern era surely. Or do you know people who do that even now?

In other (futile) news, here's a photo of my son outside his Aberdeenshire home proving that smalltime can reach 400 miles north of B6 





As you were.

I freely admit to following both teams in the 70's, and was actually a season ticket holder at both for a time as the prices weren't that bad. then

[Flamingo Lane]

In the early to mid 70s I went to the Hawthorns a great many times, as with Villa then not being in the first division it would be the only way to watch the top sides.  I'd usually stand amongst the away fans in the Smethwick end.

[robbo1874]

It's 100% about Villa going up. If we don't, I don't give a shit what anyone else does. If we do, it will just be funny as you know it will really hurt both of the Villa obsessed tin pot clubs.

there’s at least 3 villa obsessed tin pot clubs

[PeterWithesShin]

At least 5 as Wolves appear to have joined sha, Bitters, Cov and Newcastle.

[TopDeck113]

Chatting to my father about May's impending triple whammy of elation, I described my segmented joy in the following statistical terms -

Villa's promotion 85%
Albions's demotion 10%
Blues' relegation 5%

He said it should be 100/0/0 and went on to confess he'd watch Villa & Blues alternately in the 60s, an unspeakable prospect in the modern era surely. Or do you know people who do that even now?

In other (futile) news, here's a photo of my son outside his Aberdeenshire home proving that smalltime can reach 400 miles north of B6 





As you were.

I freely admit to following both teams in the 70's, and was actually a season ticket holder at both for a time as the prices weren't that bad. then

Somewhere I've got a history of Villa VHS (but, alas, no video player) in which Doug squirms his way through explaining how he became a Blues director on the back of being a season ticket holder at both clubs.   I even recall BFR saying that as a kid he used to alternate between attending Villa Park and St Andrew's.

I guess it wasn't that unusual to go to both club's home fixtures with many people - men - working Saturday mornings making away travel almost impossible, but admission in real terms being low so the cost of going to local games every Saturday wasn't prohibitive.

[dave.woodhall]

I used to occasionally go to the Blues for the last half hour if I'd been Up Town on a Saturday afternoon and I'd regularly watch Walsall midweek, when they'd regularly get bigger gates than on a Saturday. I suppose the rising cost of admission did for that, coupled with more televised football, which meant you could see games more than once a fortnight.

[DeKuip]

In the mid 70s I’d always go down the Blues if we didn’t have a game, usually Tuesday night games, with my mate and his dad. We’d go in the Supporters Club under the Railway End then take a place standing in the Kop right on the halfway line.
To be fair it was probably one of the best views you could get at a football game for standing and I got into the habit of watching closely one of the players, depending who was playing, to try and improve my own game. I could never do that down the Villa as I was too wrapped up in the game.
The regulars around where we stood knew I was a Villa fan and I’d get good humoured comments (it was from when I was about 14 to 16), but never any hassle.
Support for both clubs back then was huge and very positive after years in the second, and for us third, divisions. Brum really had the potential to have two big successful clubs like Liverpool and Manchester but just didn’t have that big mentality in the boardrooms. Our big successes of the early 80s coincided with their demise and the jealousy and hatred festered.

[dave.woodhall]

Support for both clubs back then was huge and very positive after years in the second, and for us third, divisions. Brum really had the potential to have two big successful clubs like Liverpool and Manchester but just didn’t have that big mentality in the boardrooms. Our big successes of the early 80s coincided with their demise and the jealousy and hatred festered.

That's a good point. For thirty years or so after the end of the war we weren't that much better than them and for times a lot worse (Don't tell them, but they had a bigger average gate in 1971-72, when we were breaking division three attendance records every other week). It was only from 1977 onwards  that we were on a different level and from 1981, while we were winning trophies all they had to boast about was their hooligans. Looking back, that's when the real hatred started. 

[wittonwarrior]

I only really care for the Villa and am solely engrosed  in seeing  us promoted.  However, would smile if  olbion and/or bloose go down.

As for the total hatred for each other this was duee to the greed of football, forcing  people to choose their games.  Obviously you would choose only the club  you support.   

[Ayup]

I used to occasionally go to the Blues for the last half hour if I'd been Up Town on a Saturday afternoon and I'd regularly watch Walsall midweek, when they'd regularly get bigger gates than on a Saturday. I suppose the rising cost of admission did for that, coupled with more televised football, which meant you could see games more than once a fortnight.

How about the Albion? Did you go there?

[Ads]

To paraphrase Father Jack, THIS is smalltime;
www.themag.co.uk

I know, fancy quoting Villa Talk..

What was it?

[Duncan Shaw]

Going with the overall title of the thread - I think it's a bit smalltime of our CEO to be tweeting stuff about Wolves and FFP - got the Dog Heads in a right old lather!!

[dave.woodhall]

I used to occasionally go to the Blues for the last half hour if I'd been Up Town on a Saturday afternoon and I'd regularly watch Walsall midweek, when they'd regularly get bigger gates than on a Saturday. I suppose the rising cost of admission did for that, coupled with more televised football, which meant you could see games more than once a fortnight.

How about the Albion? Did you go there?

Once, I think. The opposition had an extra supporter that day.

[kipeye]

I wonder if this conundrum is better framed in the context of a good curry, Villa's promotion being a top drawer chicken jalfrezi with all the trimmings, WBA's relegation the highly satisfying bowel evacuation the following morning and Blues demise the triumphant flush down the pan. A most agreeable episode from beginning to end.

That is very poetic. I will especially look forward to a picaresque Picasso of the pan following our promotion.

[Big Dick Edwards]

He said it should be 100/0/0 and went on to confess he'd watch Villa & Blues alternately in the 60s, an unspeakable prospect in the modern era surely. Or do you know people who do that even now?

My Dad did exactly the same, though he was definitely a Villa man. You've got to remember there was a lot less choice with what to do with your leisure time then. Working class men didn't go to the gym or play golf all day, not round by me anyway. They went to the football or to the pub, or watched Grandstand on tv all afternoon.

I still count my lucky stars that on the weekend I attended my first match with him, it was for a Villa game. Once I'd been to Villa Park they were the only team for me, even if they were particularly shite at the time (around 1967/68).