Villa Park Redevelopment

[Duncan Shaw]

Thanks for posting Tuscans, I won't quote your post, as the article is pretty long, but referring to it, it was pretty much forever thus in the 50 years I have been going.  Doing well, front foot football, the place rocks - form drops off, team looks nervous, we get nervous, the place can be like a library, where you hear all the tension in the crowd.

But sometimes we recognise they need help and the place rocks again, but that didn't really happen on Saturday.

[Nev]

Sunday games.

[cdbearsfan]

Yep. They're shit. Also, have noticed a little pocket of fans in Lower Holte have recently started slagging off other supporters for not singing enough. This makes me much less inclined to do so, they can fuck off with that "pay attention to me" shit.

[TheToffnar]

It's an argument I'm bored to death of hearing, in all honesty.

We don't play tub thumping football most of the time. It's as simple as that to me. This is the English way where rightly or wrongly you have to earn the support of the fans for the majority of matches played at home. One of my mates is an Everton season ticket holder and it's exactly the same there.

Though I appreciate all the brilliant moments this teams given me and I would never personally get at him in the stands for it, Konsa gesturing to the fans really boiled my blood. If you want blind vocal allegiance, go play in Germany. If you want the highs of us singing our hearts out when we're on a good run and performing well, you have to deal with us at our worst. It doesn't mean any more or less to us, the only difference is we're not paid to be there.

If we'd have gone on to equalize or win pussy footing at the back, he'd have been proved correct and none of us would be discussing his actions, but we only looked dangerous when we leapt at them and went for the throat.

[VILLA MOLE]

Yep. They're shit. Also, have noticed a little pocket of fans in Lower Holte have recently started slagging off other supporters for not singing enough. This makes me much less inclined to do so, they can fuck off with that "pay attention to me" shit.

Yes I dont get that .  I get so nervous sometimes i can barely speak , where my son doesnt shut up , we are all different

[Duncan Shaw]

Sunday games.

But Leeds was Saturday, 3pm

[PeterWithesShin]

Pricing is a big reason imo. Loads have been priced out of games, replaced by folks that are probably less inclined to sing. Because of pricing the average age at VP is probably a fair bit higher these days. And if you've shelled out a ridiculous £70+ for a league game vs Leeds then it's human nature to expect to be entertained rather than it being on you.
Fans always have been, and always will be, reactive. And how we tend to play while obviously proving pretty damn effective is hardly the rip roaring exciting football that tends to crank up the crowd.

[Nev]

Sunday games.

But Leeds was Saturday, 3pm

That's one game, when we're in a poor run and didn't play particularly well. The article was about the general lack of atmosphere and from a personal point of view I hate Sunday games. On a Sat you have the rest of the weekend ahead, a night out possibly, for most no work the next day and Sat always has an optimistic air as opposed to Sundays that tend to be a drag whatever you're doing. Win on a Sat and you can have great night, win on a Sunday and you can celebrate by making your lunch for work the next day, iron the school uniform for the kids or even enjoy the thrill of Sunday on BBC1 by watching Call The Fucking Midwife or Antiques Bastarding Roadshow.

[Ozzjim]

Pricing is a big reason imo. Loads have been priced out of games, replaced by folks that are probably less inclined to sing. Because of pricing the average age at VP is probably a fair bit higher these days. And if you've shelled out a ridiculous £70+ for a league game vs Leeds then it's human nature to expect to be entertained rather than it being on you.
Fans always have been, and always will be, reactive. And how we tend to play while obviously proving pretty damn effective is hardly the rip roaring exciting football that tends to crank up the crowd.

McGinn is a big reason in the last few games. For all the debate on his place, he's invariably the man that does something to stir the crowd. We're much less entertaining without him in the side.

[TheToffnar]

Such a good point and one I'd not considered.

[Des Little]

Financials aside, the massive benefit of qualifying for UCL is the end of the shit Sunday fixtures, for a season at least.

[Chris Smith]

It's an argument I'm bored to death of hearing, in all honesty.

We don't play tub thumping football most of the time. It's as simple as that to me. This is the English way where rightly or wrongly you have to earn the support of the fans for the majority of matches played at home. One of my mates is an Everton season ticket holder and it's exactly the same there.

Though I appreciate all the brilliant moments this teams given me and I would never personally get at him in the stands for it, Konsa gesturing to the fans really boiled my blood. If you want blind vocal allegiance, go play in Germany. If you want the highs of us singing our hearts out when we're on a good run and performing well, you have to deal with us at our worst. It doesn't mean any more or less to us, the only difference is we're not paid to be there.

If we'd have gone on to equalize or win pussy footing at the back, he'd have been proved correct and none of us would be discussing his actions, but we only looked dangerous when we leapt at them and went for the throat.

I think the reason you get players trying to gee up supporters is it genuinely helps lift performances but they have to understand that the flip side is that when they’re struggling it makes the crowd edgy.

[Somniloquism]

Financials aside, the massive benefit of qualifying for UCL is the end of the shit Sunday fixtures, for a season at least.

Whilst it probably isn't worth as much as CL money, Sky now showing every Sunday game has probably added more money to the coffers then we would have got the other season with all the Sunday games.

[TheToffnar]

It's an argument I'm bored to death of hearing, in all honesty.

We don't play tub thumping football most of the time. It's as simple as that to me. This is the English way where rightly or wrongly you have to earn the support of the fans for the majority of matches played at home. One of my mates is an Everton season ticket holder and it's exactly the same there.

Though I appreciate all the brilliant moments this teams given me and I would never personally get at him in the stands for it, Konsa gesturing to the fans really boiled my blood. If you want blind vocal allegiance, go play in Germany. If you want the highs of us singing our hearts out when we're on a good run and performing well, you have to deal with us at our worst. It doesn't mean any more or less to us, the only difference is we're not paid to be there.

If we'd have gone on to equalize or win pussy footing at the back, he'd have been proved correct and none of us would be discussing his actions, but we only looked dangerous when we leapt at them and went for the throat.

I think the reason you get players trying to gee up supporters is it genuinely helps lift performances but they have to understand that the flip side is that when they’re struggling it makes the crowd edgy.

Got absolutely no issue with them trying to gee is up, but telling us to calm down is something else entirely.

Amazing how reversing the hand gesture can make such a difference, thinking about it...

[Mister E]

Pricing is a big reason imo. Loads have been priced out of games, replaced by folks that are probably less inclined to sing. Because of pricing the average age at VP is probably a fair bit higher these days. And if you've shelled out a ridiculous £70+ for a league game vs Leeds then it's human nature to expect to be entertained rather than it being on you.
Fans always have been, and always will be, reactive. And how we tend to play while obviously proving pretty damn effective is hardly the rip roaring exciting football that tends to crank up the crowd.

Linked to that is the influx of daytrippers and GA+ visitors who perhaps don't have the same level of enthusiasm for the team.
Also, one only has to go and read the pre-match thread on here to assess the general levels of pessimism amongst this part of the fanbase ... perhaps too many go to the ground expecting the worst!
As ever, it's a cocktail of issues.