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.
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.
Quote from: Chris Smith on August 04, 2020, 10:54:02 AMI 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 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.
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.
Quote from: Ads on August 04, 2020, 03:40:13 PMQuote from: Chris Smith on August 04, 2020, 10:54:02 AMI 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.
Quote from: Flamingo Lane on August 04, 2020, 03:46:31 PMI 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.
Quote from: PeterWithe on August 04, 2020, 04:13:06 PMQuote from: Ads on August 04, 2020, 03:40:13 PMQuote from: Chris Smith on August 04, 2020, 10:54:02 AMI 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.Quote from: Ads on August 04, 2020, 03:40:13 PMQuote from: Chris Smith on August 04, 2020, 10:54:02 AMI 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.