Claret & Blue Brum/Midlands

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I think what this thread shows is that if you go back thirty years the demarcation between support in various areas of Brum was much clearer but increased social mobility has eroded that to a large extent. I also think the long running and ongoing mismanagement at Blues has seen a decline in their fan base overall.

This isn't meant to be facetious, but has there ever been a time they were well run?

Earliest memories are of the song about a circus in the town Terry Cooper being the clown etc. Seems they were owned by the Kumars(?) Scrap metal bods? Songs about Altrincham and Kiddie beating them in the cup.

They apoear, at least on the face of it, to have been the biggest and longest running farce in English football.

[Sexual Ealing]

Newcastle run them close. They're like a Small Heath with table manners.

[Flamingo Lane]

I have a friend who is from Birmingham and supports Chelsea.  He hates Villa with a passion, because his dad is a Blues fan.  How sad is that?  Influenced by his dad to hate the Villa, but not enough to support the Blues.

[PeterWithesShin]

I reckon in their history they had one chance to really kick on and it was those few years early-mid 70s when they were actually well supported, 4th highest average in the country one year, and had a few decent players. In true sha fashion they bollocksed it up and the support vanished as quickly it appeared.

[rob_bridge]

Having live in Knowle and Solihull I would state that the large proportion of Birmingham 'supporters' there have little to no interest in their own club or even football but just hate the Villa with every fibre of their pathetic being. Villa is the first result they look for, the first story they read in the paper, the only reason why they participate in radio phone ins, why they hang on for the last game on Match of the Day like its a cup final; Villa is the first club they teach their kids to sing about, a Villa loss is their Christmas, birthday and New Years Eve wrapped into one - their encyclopedic knowledge of our football club knows no bounds. They obsess and fret and worry and seethe about our existence but could not live if we weren't there.
Simple as that; without us, they are nothing.

Indeed - say what you like about the Bitters and the Dogheads, both have their own history of success, the Rags have Nothing. Nothing of their own - just a life long permanent hatred of Villa and a hollow boast about having the name of the City (which wasn't a city when they were originally formed).

[PeterWithe]

I think what this thread shows is that if you go back thirty years the demarcation between support in various areas of Brum was much clearer but increased social mobility has eroded that to a large extent. I also think the long running and ongoing mismanagement at Blues has seen a decline in their fan base overall.

This isn't meant to be facetious, but has there ever been a time they were well run?

Earliest memories are of the song about a circus in the town Terry Cooper being the clown etc. Seems they were owned by the Kumars(?) Scrap metal bods? Songs about Altrincham and Kiddie beating them in the cup.

They apoear, at least on the face of it, to have been the biggest and longest running farce in English football.

I think the Kumars were in the rag trade aptly enough, they owned the Mark-One brand. It was Ken Wheldon who was the tat man.

[PeterWithe]

I have a friend who is from Birmingham and supports Chelsea.  He hates Villa with a passion, because his dad is a Blues fan.  How sad is that?  Influenced by his dad to hate the Villa, but not enough to support the Blues.

That's far from unusual, most fans of non-local teams are noses who dont have the stomach for the endless, pitiless monotony of failure.

[shirley_villan]

I have a friend who is from Birmingham and supports Chelsea.  He hates Villa with a passion, because his dad is a Blues fan.  How sad is that?  Influenced by his dad to hate the Villa, but not enough to support the Blues.

That’s definitely not an isolated case either. They tend to normally be Man U fans from my experience though. The lowest of the low in football supporting terms IMO.

[KevinGage]

Yardley/AG in the 70s. Pretty mixed but I have a theory that the closer you lived to a number 11 bus stop, the more likely you were to be a Villa fan.

Tony Robinson is looking at a new TV series Around the World by Bus. He'll cover half of it on the No 11 outercircle.

[Chris Smith]

I think what this thread shows is that if you go back thirty years the demarcation between support in various areas of Brum was much clearer but increased social mobility has eroded that to a large extent. I also think the long running and ongoing mismanagement at Blues has seen a decline in their fan base overall.

This isn't meant to be facetious, but has there ever been a time they were well run?

Earliest memories are of the song about a circus in the town Terry Cooper being the clown etc. Seems they were owned by the Kumars(?) Scrap metal bods? Songs about Altrincham and Kiddie beating them in the cup.

They apoear, at least on the face of it, to have been the biggest and longest running farce in English football.

I think the Kumars were in the rag trade aptly enough, they owned the Mark-One brand. It was Ken Wheldon who was the tat man.

I think what this thread shows is that if you go back thirty years the demarcation between support in various areas of Brum was much clearer but increased social mobility has eroded that to a large extent. I also think the long running and ongoing mismanagement at Blues has seen a decline in their fan base overall.

This isn't meant to be facetious, but has there ever been a time they were well run?

Earliest memories are of the song about a circus in the town Terry Cooper being the clown etc. Seems they were owned by the Kumars(?) Scrap metal bods? Songs about Altrincham and Kiddie beating them in the cup.

They apoear, at least on the face of it, to have been the biggest and longest running farce in English football.

Around the time when Francis came through in the 70s they were doing well at a time we were really struggling. I remember their car stickers saying “Members of the First Division” obviously to emphasise the point that we weren’t.

[WilliamStanding]

Hamstead Int the 80s as a kid ( which growing up was 60/40 Villa to Stripey filth) then more Streetly as an adult - defo all Villa!

[Marlon From Bearwood]

I have a friend who is from Birmingham and supports Chelsea.  He hates Villa with a passion, because his dad is a Blues fan.  How sad is that?  Influenced by his dad to hate the Villa, but not enough to support the Blues.

That’s definitely not an isolated case either. They tend to normally be Man U fans from my experience though. The lowest of the low in football supporting terms IMO.

There’s loads of those types in Brum, I used to work with a Brummie Everton fan who was from a Blues family so hated Villa. Come to think of it, I’ve just remembered a Liverpool version too.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

I find the easiest way to silence a Nose giving it the “all Villa fans are from outside Birmingham” horseshit is to say ok then, you’ve got a City with a population of 1m+ yet only average 20k home crowds. Blackburn for example average a similar home crowd from a population of 100,000. Therefore, as a percentage of population you must be one of the worst supported clubs in the world and can only dream of having support as large as Blackburn’s.

Usually met by silence and a blank, open mouthed stare.

[WarszaVillan]

I think what this thread shows is that if you go back thirty years the demarcation between support in various areas of Brum was much clearer but increased social mobility has eroded that to a large extent. I also think the long running and ongoing mismanagement at Blues has seen a decline in their fan base overall.

This isn't meant to be facetious, but has there ever been a time they were well run?

Earliest memories are of the song about a circus in the town Terry Cooper being the clown etc. Seems they were owned by the Kumars(?) Scrap metal bods? Songs about Altrincham and Kiddie beating them in the cup.

They apoear, at least on the face of it, to have been the biggest and longest running farce in English football.

I think the Kumars were in the rag trade aptly enough, they owned the Mark-One brand. It was Ken Wheldon who was the tat man.

I think what this thread shows is that if you go back thirty years the demarcation between support in various areas of Brum was much clearer but increased social mobility has eroded that to a large extent. I also think the long running and ongoing mismanagement at Blues has seen a decline in their fan base overall.

This isn't meant to be facetious, but has there ever been a time they were well run?

Earliest memories are of the song about a circus in the town Terry Cooper being the clown etc. Seems they were owned by the Kumars(?) Scrap metal bods? Songs about Altrincham and Kiddie beating them in the cup.

They apoear, at least on the face of it, to have been the biggest and longest running farce in English football.

Around the time when Francis came through in the 70s they were doing well at a time we were really struggling. I remember their car stickers saying “Members of the First Division” obviously to emphasise the point that we weren’t.

And their boast was always that at least they had never been in the third division. Which then went the same way as our we've won the FA Cup the most times

[cdbearsfan]

I have a friend who is from Birmingham and supports Chelsea.  He hates Villa with a passion, because his dad is a Blues fan.  How sad is that?  Influenced by his dad to hate the Villa, but not enough to support the Blues.

Have known plenty like that. Usually Man U or Liverpool rather than Chelsea, admittedly. Combining the saddest elements of Nosery with glory hunting twatdom.