I was there 94 and 99.
got a ‘great shirt mate’ from a bloke walking his dog who sounded local.
I know this is about Brum and the midlands, but I’ve been down in Exmouth this week. Wore my 1990 Umbro replica on Tuesday as we walked the coastal path to Budleigh Salterton, and was deluged with ‘Up the Villa’s’ all day and even a ‘classic shirt that mate’ from non-Villa. The babby had his shirt on in Dawlish on Sunday and got a ‘great shirt mate’ from a bloke walking his dog who sounded local.
I also stumbled on another bar owned by a mad Villa fan on the Cook Islands. We were told there was a bar about mile inland up in the jungle. A group of us found it. Totally surreal. We came across what we thought was empty bar with music playing only to find that there was about a dozen locals so pissed they had fallen asleep been the benches. The music was from a gramaphone and then out popped Mr Villa. He got us utterly shitfaced on the Christmas Beer. God knows how we made back down the hill. It had become pitch black and you could barely make out your feet.
Devon has loads of Villa, mainly from people moving down there for work/retirement and then bringing kids up as Villa fans. I was in Torquay 5 or 6 years ago and wore a Villa trackie top and a few of the staff in the hotel were Villa and were saying about how many live down there as ex pats etc.