Fans Worried Over Villa Future

[Hopadop]

I'm worried that in our bright shiny future there'll be no place for old moaners.

Two old boys behind me yesterday had me in stitches with their olympic class moaning. They'd come for a good chunter and a packed Villa Park, the 82 team, 3-0 up and playing like Brazil wasn't going to stop them.

I'd like to think they'd always be there ("bloody hell Kaka, there's a 45 yard lob on there, wake up man!") but, frankly, I'm worried.

[peter w]

Great worrying Hopadaop.

[Dave Cooper please]

I'm worried that I went to Villa Park yesterday and could only find one thing to moan at, the bloody rugby scrum around the beer stall at half-time. Trouble is, I couldn't really moan at that because I didn't want a beer.

[brian green]

Being irritated by change is part of growing older.   The older you get the more you want things to stay the same but in reality you are changing as much as the world you inhabit.   Growth and change are but two faces of the same coin.   We want Villa to challenge for a top four spot.   To do that we must grow.   Growth demands change.  

We can get a bigger stadium, we can buy better players.   My worry is that the upheaval of those two objectives will mitigate against the third and final part of the revolution, the growth of the fan base.    My age makes me think they were great days when 76,000 of us crammed into Villa Park to watch us get hammered by Man Ure and have our heads split open by a rain of glass beer bottles from the top of the Holte hurled by the loveable mancs.   That is what makes the future so wonderful.   It is not the past.

[ROBBO]

Ah Brian those were the days brings tears to the eyes, what do these young turks know about standing behind the Witton end goal freezing the gnads off watching us being towelled again, and the journeys to grounds not previously seen as we went through the dark days. All they have to worry about is whether the badge needs to be changed and how long is the line for beer, I wonder if they use leg warmers in their comfy seats.
Load of pansy's.

[peter w]

Oh bloody hell. Someone's woken Grandad again...Seriously I do look back to those olden times and wonder what football supporting and supporters were like. How similar is it to watching football today.

Not just standing/sitting. Quality of players etc but the experience. How many away fans travelled - talking 1950's here. What was the relationship between fans of different clubs like then. How did fans relate to players/manager/board?

Was there any food? Drink? refreshments as a whole. What was the matchday experience like from waking up in the morning. Bacon sarnie, pub, Villa? or was it totally different?

How much did it hurt when we lost? What were the expectations of the crowd? What was the after match experience?

To keep it in a worried perspective. I'm worried that we have lost something from that period, or is it that we are getting it back. The working-classes were mobilised for something to do on a Saturday hence hufge crowds. Now its different. We have to attract a new set of supporters who don't necessarily think we are the biggest and best as we all do.

The way thins are going make this an exciting time to be a Villa fan, So far the board are talking the talk and taking a few steps in walking the talk also.

[ColinMac]

I'm worried that I went to Villa Park yesterday and could only find one thing to moan at, the bloody rugby scrum around the beer stall at half-time. Trouble is, I couldn't really moan at that because I didn't want a beer.

There was a distinct lack of beer or bagettes or food in general at half time.
Did the club underestimate the crowd or were we expected to eat the free scarves?

[peter w]

You mean the 1992-2007 scarves were not edible? For fuck sake. What type of monkeys are running this club?

[brian green]

The best way I can describe the difference Peter, between now and then is that we are all the same characters - fans, team, board, manager - but in a different play.   Sometimes it is a comedy but mostly it is a tragedy, sometimes it has a happy ending, but mostly it all ends in tears the way life does.   It was always thus being a Villa fan and always will be.

The clearest example I can give you of how much times have changed in the period I have been going is that as a boy I used to walk down Sycamore Rd to the ground.   There was a pub called The Sycamore.   In there on match days was a man - a black man, which was very rare in those days whose boast was that he would eat anything.   For a shilling or two he would munch razor blades, light bulbs, bike lights.   His speciality for payment of two bob was to bite the head off a live rat.   That was the pre match entertainment.   Legend has it that the man died when somebody gave him a bag of hyacinth bulbs to eat.

[Big Dick Edwards]

My biggest worry about the future is being able to afford the expense of going to all the Cup Finals and European away days that will soon be on our fixture list.

[PeterWithe]

Legend has it that the man died when somebody gave him a bag of hyacinth bulbs to eat.

I say Brian, did he slip into a coma first?

[ROBBO]

The biggest change of course is television, back then all games were played on Saturday so you went to the pub then went to the game then back to the pub and waited for the Argus to arrive, after a swift two or three you went home for tea had an argument with the missus because you were late home which gave a good excuse to go back to the pub. And at the ground  it was Bovril not beer. Players in fifties seemed to stay longer and of course most were part timers, the defence of Sims in goal Lyn and Aldis full backs Baxter half back sticks in my mind to this day.
Apart from the one cup final we never did anything in the fifties, it was more a Saturday ritual. I would like to think that Brian is older than me.

[ROBBO]

Is it a sign of the times that i now have to reply to myself to get this thread out of the championship and back among the elite where it belongs. I am disappointed that some of our midfielders have gone missing of late especially Peter w whom our forward line has relied on for a constant supply of not so delicate through balls and Jd who has occassionaly starred in a brilliant line up, Legion has done a GM and disappeared from the starting line up. It seems that this team is reliant on
players whose legs have lost a yard or two to keep us in the premiership.
I hope there is someone out there rich enough to take us over.

[peter w]

I do apologise Robbo. I was in discussions with other threads as to a possible move. however, I just couldn't break away. I thought this thread didn't want me enough anymore. I thought it didn't appreciate me. I was worried that everybody was on helium and the worry was drifting away.

But I've reaffirmed my affiliation and will do my utmost in making more worriers of us.

[Legion]

I'm still here, worrying in one way or another.