Why are Aston Villa so unpopular with neutrals?

[EvertonBlue]

Short answer - you're not. Certainly not with anyone I know. I'm a Brighton fan who tends to swerve plastics who support the Big 6 so most people I chat about football with are, I find, a bit more clued up on football.  None of them have got a dislike of Villa. Clubs like MK Dons and Dirty, dirty Leeds are the most mentioned in that regard from lower league and a universal hatred for Man U.

It wouldn't surprise me if fans of the big 6 hate Villa. Clubs like yours  or Everton or Newcastle are the ones who will burst their bubble when the times comes. Take it as a compliment, I don't think Brighton even register with them.

I reckon most other fans quite like Villa,  a grand old club & founder member and a winning the European Cup under the proper rules. Speaking for myself, it's my favourite away ground. That Holte End should be Grade A listed. It's stunning.

Well done on staying up by the way. What a way to finish the season!

I agree with the sentiment of this post. As I’ve said in my ‘good luck’ post of last week, my old man always told me that Villa are a very big club and having visited the ground on many occasions I agree wholeheartedly. Tradition, history and pedigree count with older ‘traditionalists’ like myself and the EPL would be a lesser league without clubs like Villa who are back where they belong. A bigger club than most in the league and that includes Everton and certainly Man City...look at the catchment area alone let alone the history. All the best for next season folks (except the 2 games against us!)

[OzVilla]

“The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.” — Oscar Wilde.

[olaftab]

This thread title is a bit me me. I don’t think other clubs fans generally hate us and I totally agree with Brighton and Everton fans posts.

[Allan C]

I have to say that I’ve found the opposite. In my work I’m lucky enough (?) to mix with fans of just about every British club and several foreign clubs and pretty much all of them, while not liking us don’t hate us

[Brightoninpeace]

It's not strictly true that my club, Brighton doesn't register with Big 6 fans. Since we got promoted we get lots of "no disrespect but..." which I find hilarious but the ones who moan that we shouldn't even be allowed in the PL does wind me up. If promotion and relegation was based on who deserved it then Bury would still exist & would be in it. Chelsea would need a very good lawyer to advocate their continued presence.

The Wilde quote is spot on. The ones who say these things don't hate Brignton, we're there to make up the numbers briefly then they'll say the same with whoever replaces us.It's a different matter when it comes to Villa, Everton. You get under their skin. Maybe because there's loads of local clubs who probably have a negatice opinion because you're close geographically and the biggest in the area that it seems that everyone hates you. I think what I said in first post is true for most other clubs outside your region/

[Ads]

I agree with our Brighton and Scouse visitors, we're not really hated by anybody outside the usual when you meet in person.

Liverpool fans I meet (and I'm mates with season ticket holders) don't have a bad word to say about us. Some of the Scousers on our train after the semi final in 2015 were the most reasonable opposition fans I've ever come across.

I guess that's contrasted with RAWK as its chock full of plastics who never go and may even come from Brum. It's a site full of cranks, hence RAWK Meltdown being a bit of an Internet meme.

Small Heath, the Stripeys and the Wolves hate us as they're inferior nothing clubs. You want to know our hisotry, spend 2 seconds with them or on their forums and they mention the European Cup without fail, usually in the context that we go on about it. Which is ironic for a number of reasons, especially when you consider if any of them actually won something of note they'd never shut up about it.

The bollocks the Wolves come out with is because we're a challenge to their race for global domination. They're insecure and with good reason.

I think a few clubs probably wanted us to go down as we're more likely to be competitors with them next season. Don't think there's more to it than that- bar Newcastle, the thin skinned wetters.

In the Championship we were the biggest team, spending all the money, getting the biggest crowds, taking the biggest away followings. Clubs on the cusp of the Play Offs like Bristol City, obviously took issue with our Billy big bollocks ways. But who cares about them?

[Nunkin1965]

Morris Dancing is for Minors.

And Travellers.

[dave.woodhall]

“The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.” — Oscar Wilde.

"I don't care enough about you to hate you." - Joe Strummer.

[DB]

From what I have seen it's the Championship clubs mostly as we were the big club in that their division and of course our local rivals. The Prem doesn't seem that bothered. Most fans hate Leeds wherever they are...me included.

[mattjpa]

Think the OP has paid too much lip service to the vocal minority. I was an 80s/90s child and thus have fond memories and an affection for the proper teams of my youth - Everton, West Ham, Forest, Derby. I would include Leeds and Newcastle in there but their fans (again, no doubt the vocal minority) have proven to be such apoplectic bell ends over the last couple of years it has soured my fondness of a couple of fantastic clubs. I will happily give any of the above a load of shit on the internet BUT were any of them playing one of the sky 6 in a game that had no relevance to Villa, I would want them to win. I imagine most fans would feel the same about us.

[SaddVillan]

Don't these jealous clowns realise that without Aston Villa league football wouldn't exist and they probably wouldn't have a team to support.

So instead of dissing us, they should be eternally grateful to Villa and be thankful to the man whose statue stands outside Villa Park.

[Olof's Beard]

I know two West Ham fans who both wanted Villa to stay up so weren't at all arsed about beating us Sunday. Similarly, I know a few Arsenal fans and two of those were sending me 'I want Villa to stay up' messages before the game against them. Aside from the wind-up merchants who try to rile fans of any opposition team, I haven't met too many who dislike us.

For fans of most clubs outside the Midlands, we're largely irrelevant (as you would expect) but with a sprinkling of respect for history and because Villa Park is a universally loved away ground. When criticism does come, it usually relates to us being a bit vanilla in the eyes of some, probably as a result of finishing between 6th or 8th a lot in the 90s and 00s without really kicking on. Randy managed to break that cycle and make us a bit more interesting I guess.

[Lucky Eddie]

The feelings I express towards our rivals is always influenced by how I feel about the individual rather than the club they support.

[in exile]

"I couldn't give a fuck" - in exile

[Small Rodent]

When I walked into my local pub in London yesterday, the locals cheered!