Manchester City vs Aston Villa Pre-Match.

[Rory]

Yeah, that team of tat ran Citeh close while our lot this season got Stevenage'd. Bloody football.

Different competition, but yeah. Not being sarcy, I just don't even think about the FA Cup. I'd rather we didn't enter it, such has been our misery in it over my lifetime.

[RamboandBruno]

My patents were immigrants from Dublin, coming over to Brum in the late 50s. My dad as far as i can recall liked football but didnt support a particular team, other than Ireland of course. My older brother died last year unfortunately, he was die hard Chelsea, all through the late 70s and 80s when they were generally shite into their current couple of bank rolled glory decades, travelled everywhere to watch them through thick and thin. No idea why he started supporting them growing up in Brum. I had no real clear idea why i started supporting Villa, i was already clearly supporting them when they won the European Cup, so ive always figured maybe i was a bit of a glory hunter from the 80-81 season when i would of been 6 or 7. However, at my brothers funeral i found out something quite interesting, one of my brothers oldest mates, said my parents used to worry sick about my brother travelling to London and to away days as a 15/16 year old Chelsea fan, so as early as they could, started getting me Villa kits etc so i’d get hooked on a local team, fair play it worked.

In regards to thick and thin, my first game was with my dad and his mate who was a Villa regular, up at Old Trafford in Feb 82, we lost 1-4, i didnt go to another game till December 82, lost 2-4 to Liverpool at home, followed by a horrible 0-3 to Blues at St Andrews a few weeks late on boxing day, i was a regular from probably 83/84.

My kids are both season ticket holders and have been for years, my 16 year old daughter isnt that bothered about football per se but always wants to go on match day, my nearly 13 year old son is Villa mad and has already seen us relegated, 3 years in the championship and just avoid relegation again….a year of Stevie G. So safe to say after all that its for life.

[boozey182]

My Dad grew up in Smethwick - his dad didn’t follow football, and split up from my Nana, so my Dad had to find his own path. There is a scandalous photo of him in a Wolves kit when he was about 5, but as soon as he was old enough, he went with his mates to the Villa in the 60s. It’s weird to think of the impact that his decision back then has made on all of our lives since!

My mum’s side, also from Smethwick, mainly supported West Brom. My Nan on that side of the family used to tell us about a song Villa fans used to sing when she was little about the Blues - something like “The only cup you’ll ever see is a cup of Joe Bradford’s tea” (does that make sense?). Football chants hit differently back then…

I grew up in Shropshire, but went to my first Villa game when I was 4. (3-3 against Norwich in the 89-90 season). There was never a suggestion that I would support anyone else - my older brother had already been going to games at that point - it was just what we did. My boys are 5 and 2, both have been to Villa Park, but the youngest has only seen a women’s match so far (a great win over Man City earlier this season).

I want my children to be happy, and to live their lives however they want to - career, hobbies, sexuality, partners, lifestyle - it’s all up to them and I will support them in anything they do. There is one thing that just isn’t negotiable though - they are Villa. Whatever happens, that will not change.

[VILLA MOLE]

My patents were immigrants from Dublin, coming over to Brum in the late 50s. My dad as far as i can recall liked football but didnt support a particular team, other than Ireland of course. My older brother died last year unfortunately, he was die hard Chelsea, all through the late 70s and 80s when they were generally shite into their current couple of bank rolled glory decades, travelled everywhere to watch them through thick and thin. No idea why he started supporting them growing up in Brum. I had no real clear idea why i started supporting Villa, i was already clearly supporting them when they won the European Cup, so ive always figured maybe i was a bit of a glory hunter from the 80-81 season when i would of been 6 or 7. However, at my brothers funeral i found out something quite interesting, one of my brothers oldest mates, said my parents used to worry sick about my brother travelling to London and to away days as a 15/16 year old Chelsea fan, so as early as they could, started getting me Villa kits etc so i’d get hooked on a local team, fair play it worked.

In regards to thick and thin, my first game was with my dad and his mate who was a Villa regular, up at Old Trafford in Feb 82, we lost 1-4, i didnt go to another game till December 82, lost 2-4 to Liverpool at home, followed by a horrible 0-3 to Blues at St Andrews a few weeks late on boxing day, i was a regular from probably 83/84.

My kids are both season ticket holders and have been for years, my 16 year old daughter isnt that bothered about football per se but always wants to go on match day, my nearly 13 year old son is Villa mad and has already seen us relegated, 3 years in the championship and just avoid relegation again….a year of Steven G. So safe to say after all that its for life.

My first 2 games and I kept going back for more 

[LeeB]

My grandad on my Mom's side was a big Villa fan, they lived in Witton in the end but before that they were in Handsworth near the Hawthorns. My nan used to say see could hear the crowd there on matchdays so they must have been very close, fair play to him for not having any of that shite. They were also the barren years post war and he never wavered, nan said he used to come back with frost on his chest hair at times.

The poor sod passed away the year before I was born, only in his mid fifties, and only a few weeks before we lifted the League Cup and won promotion.

[SamTheMouse]

The poor sod passed away the year before I was born, only in his mid fifties, and only a few weeks before we lifted the League Cup and won promotion.

That's a bloody shame. I really hope there's some kind of afterlife where they give you the classified results.

[Tayls_7]

The poor sod passed away the year before I was born, only in his mid fifties, and only a few weeks before we lifted the League Cup and won promotion.

That's a bloody shame. I really hope there's some kind of afterlife where they give you the classified results.

If you're a Villa fan and you've gone downstairs rather than upstairs I'd imagine that would be a regular feature.

[ROBBO]

When Villa won the European cup my brother was sitting at lights in the centre of Melbourne, when the final result came over the radio he went beserk, so much so that the cops pulled him over, they thought he was having some kind of fit.

[CT Villan]

Mom was born and raised on Copeley Hill until the house was demolished to make way for Spaghetti Junction. The love of Villa came from her and the maternal side of the family who had been attending matches for generations. I am eternally grateful !

[eamonn]

Pre-match thread, eh?!

[Lastfootstamper]

The goals from the 2013 VP meeting popped up on Facebook. I'd fucking love a winner like the one from that day!

[ChicagoLion]

Pre-match thread, eh?!

Have we got a game this week?

[adrenachrome]

Pre-match thread, eh?!

Have we got a game this week?

That ManUre Dude has knocked our chakras out of whack. Collective corrosion of the cerebral cortices. Language is a virus.

We'll be back on an even keel by 6pm this evening by my calculations.

[eamonn]

Fantastic language!

[Percy McCarthy]

My uncle (or great uncle) Stephen, who I’m named after, died after catching cold from watching the Villa in the rain.