That Night- 20 Years On

[BC Villain]

One of the only times I've left Villa Park early (just after Gudjonsson got sent off) because it wasn't going to be worth the hassle at full time.

Me too. And everyone who glorifies Dublin getting sent off should think on - that's what cost us the match. As Ads said, we sank to their level.

This.  Savage was a well known wind up merchant, but what Dublin did that night was unforgivable.  He'd have spent a night in Winson Green if he'd done that anywhere else

[langleylions]

its quite strange as there is a thread on their crappy sight at the moment on about the very night and to read it you would have thought they took over VP  .. .in every stand and in big numbers you know !! well from my memory every one of them had to keep there traps shut or they would have got battered .. a nose mate of mine was in the upper north and he is a big lad and he said he never seen villa fans like that b4 and felt intimidated , they are so full of shit !!!

[Stu]

its quite strange as there is a thread on their crappy sight at the moment on about the very night and to read it you would have thought they took over VP  .. .in every stand and in big numbers you know !! well from my memory every one of them had to keep there traps shut or they would have got battered .. a nose mate of mine was in the upper north and he is a big lad and he said he never seen villa fans like that b4 and felt intimidated , they are so full of shit !!!

I think a lot of them were kids at the time looking at the thread.

[astonvilla82]

Good friend was Birmingham and was at the match and said it was the only time that he was actually scared for his life at a match. Also remember how a person behind me f -ing and blinding aggressively, turned round and it was a young female, also after the game going towards Aston,we seen a police officer with his dog, the funny thing about it was that the dog was a Rottweiler puppy going mad, not in the aggressive sense but like a puppy down the park who just wanted to play,he was swinging around on the leash,

[langleylions]

one reckons 5/600 in the trinity ffs they dont get that many in their stands

[astonvilla82]

its quite strange as there is a thread on their crappy sight at the moment on about the very night and to read it you would have thought they took over VP  .. .in every stand and in big numbers you know !! well from my memory every one of them had to keep there traps shut or they would have got battered .. a nose mate of mine was in the upper north and he is a big lad and he said he never seen villa fans like that b4 and felt intimidated , they are so full of shit !!!

the impression before the game was that they were coming in vast numbers and were going to take Villa Park and even ordinary fans weren't going to let that happen obviously they never seen the film Zulu

[Meanwood Villa]

I didn't go to this one but have been to every home derby since, which have all been at 12 on Sunday. It's got to the point where the security operation is such that you don't even see the away fans apart from in the ground. I have reflected on this and thought how ludicrous it is but I suppose if the alternative is violence and bedlam then it's probably better.

[astonvilla82]

one reckons 5/600 in the trinity ffs they dont get that many in their stands

they must have been related to the invisible man because I never seen them, the only one I seen was the one in the boxes between the Holte and trinity stand giving it the big un

[astonvilla82]

I wasn't at the 03 game, but went the year after and that was extremely tetchy as well, the game where Stern John equalised. I've never seen so many police dogs before or since. Three crap years against them, with no wins, two draws and four defeats. Thankfully the universe has righted those wrongs in no small measure since.

This is me. I missed the 03 game and watched in misery in the pub for reasons i can’t  remember. The 04 game was on a Sunday if i remember and i was severely hungover after celebrating my 30th the night before. Was still queuing to get in when i heard the roar for Graysons early goal, went down a bit early for a half time hair of the dog and missed Hitzelbergers piledriver, saw both of their bloody goals though!
I really hate games against the noses, just had all sorts of horrible experiences as a kid in particular. The worst was going to a pre season friendly at their gaff for Ian Handysides testimonial, i was about 12 and David Seaman was still in goal for them, it was summer and i had a Villa tracksuit on, stupid in hindsight, the lads i went with were about 14-16. After the game we were cornered by a load of them, i legged it away but my mates were battered. Ill never forget being 12 and trying to find my way back from their gaff to Hockley on my own and getting to town and noses waiting at bus stops spitting at me, happy days.

We were on the way to play them at Villa Park and when we were going through the walk way by the Shakespeare's pub, they clock us and started to come at us, we weren't into violence then and started to run, a older lad with us shouts don't run and we stopped and turned and they stopped dead in there tracks, a lesson learned and still see that lad today down the match, it's always been in there DNA to cop away fans on there own when they outnumber them and claim a result,

[Stu]

I didn't go to this one but have been to every home derby since, which have all been at 12 on Sunday. It's got to the point where the security operation is such that you don't even see the away fans apart from in the ground. I have reflected on this and thought how ludicrous it is but I suppose if the alternative is violence and bedlam then it's probably better.

As much as people should control themselves, I don't think Sky really knew what they were letting themselves in for.

With that said, pornodwarf, mr tumnus and karen really whipped up the whole working class team of Birmingham about blues going into this game for a good while beforehand. Of course the noses needed something like that - some sort of David slaying Goliath mythology. Served them well for a few years I guess.

I remember around the time me, a hoddy then, still in my work clobber, being told by a nose in the pub who was wearing a suit and drove a Merc that they were the working class team of Brum. And he meant it! This upside-down thinking has permeated their fanbase ever since.

[Risso]

I remember around the time me, a hoddy then, still in my work clobber, being told by a bloke in the pub who was wearing a suit and drove a Merc that they were the working class team of Brum. And he meant it! This upside-down thinking has permeated their fanbase ever since.

He was probably just back from a court hearing.

[Stu]

I remember around the time me, a hoddy then, still in my work clobber, being told by a bloke in the pub who was wearing a suit and drove a Merc that they were the working class team of Brum. And he meant it! This upside-down thinking has permeated their fanbase ever since.

He was probably just back from a court hearing.

Hahaha. It was crazy though, being told by a dude with money coming out of his ears, that me, wearing trackie bottoms and old Villa top, covered in building site detritus, represented the out of town Range Rover middle class. It was deeply fucking weird.

[dave.woodhall]

Proper Brummies, innit?

[astonvilla82]

I remember around the time me, a hoddy then, still in my work clobber, being told by a bloke in the pub who was wearing a suit and drove a Merc that they were the working class team of Brum. And he meant it! This upside-down thinking has permeated their fanbase ever since.

He was probably just back from a court hearing.

Hahaha. It was crazy though, being told by a dude with money coming out of his ears, that me, wearing trackie bottoms and old Villa top, covered in building site detritus, represented the out of town Range Rover middle class. It was deeply fucking weird.

Merc was probably stolen and he had just robbed a bank, more likely a food bank thinking about it

[Richard E]

On a brighter note, on this day in 1979 we beat them 1-0 with a goal from Sid, my first Villa game.