That Night- 20 Years On

[curiousorange]

It was absolutely horrible to watch. I'm glad I wasn't there. I remember almost as the final whistle went, a mate from uni who I hadn't spoke to for ages randomly rang and had no idea about the football, and I had to spend an hour pretending to be calm when all I wanted to do was go into the garden and heave paving slabs as far as I could.

[PeterWithesShin]

They're desperate to believe their own myths even when deep down they know it's a load of shite, they have to as they have nothing else. Take away the stuff about how they're all working class Brummies supporting a working class club and we're all scared of them and from the shires and are spawny, and what do they have left?

The reality of being a 3rd rate club that's in its 7th consecutive year of trying not to be relegated to division 3, a ground so shit parts of it have been closed for over a year, so badly supported that it being closed doesn't affect attendances, a training ground they don't own and can't train at, owners that seem to hate them, and yet another investigation and possible points deduction.

No wonder they cling desperately to trying to believe their own myths.

[curiousorange]

It obviously didn't mark a turning point in our relative fortunes, but I don't think it got better than that season for them against us, even when they beat us on the way to their cup. Morally and sportingly, 2002-03 was beyond their wildest dreams as to how we each stood. Ironic, then, that while their high points were largely dependent on our terrible goalkeeping, we've now got the best goalkeeper in the world while they're probably as mired in the shit as they ever have been.

[LeeB]

It obviously didn't mark a turning point in our relative fortunes, but I don't think it got better than that season for them against us, even when they beat us on the way to their cup. Morally and sportingly, 2002-03 was beyond their wildest dreams as to how we each stood. Ironic, then, that while their high points were largely dependent on our terrible goalkeeping, we've now got the best goalkeeper in the world while they're probably as mired in the shit as they ever have been.

Seemed every goal of theirs was scuffed, shanked, deflected or a massive individual balls up.

From our side you've got Der Hammer, Cahill, Alan Hutton and the absolute pasting in the 5-1 that flattered them

[Legion]

The Scottish Cafu's contribution is my favourite.

[Brazilian Villain]

I'm sure I've posted it before but the The Times summed it nicely before the St. Andrew's game that season.

The Footballot Bigmouth : The Birmingham rivalry is the most one-sided in England. Discuss

PREPARE TO BE SHOCKED. What may well be the most frightening night of your armchair football-watching career is just four short weeks away. At eight o’clock on Monday September 16, the first league derby between Birmingham City and Aston Villa for 15 years will kick off at St Andrew’s. It can be said with some certainty that the sometimes sanitised world of the Barclaycard Premiership will never have seen anything like it. Just listen for the hatred that will pour down on the Villa players like molten lava spewing from a volcano and cascading down a hillside. Just wait for the tumultuous noise that will greet a goal for the home team. And just prepare yourself for the celebrations that will ensue if — and God help Graham Taylor and the few thousand visiting fans if tthey do — Birmingham win.

Obviously, other cities and regions have intense rivalries. In Manchester, there’s United and City but, despite City’s return to the Premiership, they have inhabited different worlds for the past decade and, in any case, thousands of United fans would be incapable of finding the word “local” in a dictionary, much less explaining it.

Everton and Liverpool fans famously tell the world that they sit side by side at Merseyside derbies, doubtless sharing some sharp scally witticisms and discussing the latest release by The Coral. In the North East, passions undeniably run high, but even Newcastle United v Sunderland is missing the one precious ingredient that makes the Birmingham-Villa situation so combustible — pure, naked jealousy.

You see, United may have won a lot more trophies than City, but at least the FA Cup and championship — and a European trophy — have passed through Maine Road. Liverpool’s record is undoubtedly superior to Everton’s, but there have been periods in history when Goodison has been the home of the region’s best team. The same is true of Arsenal and Spurs, while Newcastle and Sunderland share a similar set of frustrations — those of huge clubs who can never quite live up to the expectations of their fans.

There is no such parity in Brum. If you are prepared to include the League Cup in its pre-Wembley, early 1960s incarnation, Birmingham City have won one trophy, while Villa have won 20. If you discount that tournament in its nascent form, the score is 19-0 to the Claret and Blues. Villa have done it all. A Villa committee man founded the Football League and the club was one of only three to be founder members of that august organisation and the FA Premier League. Villa have been European champions, seven times league champions and Villa Park is the only English club ground to host a European final. The old joke in the city is that Villa have had the FA Cup stolen more times than the Blues have won it. And Birmingham? Well, Trevor Francis used to play for them and Jasper Carrott is a fan and . . . er, that’s it.

So that’s why the blind hatred that many Sky Sports viewers will witness for the first time next month, is tainted by being the product of generations of being the second city’s second-class citizens. And my, how it pushes up the bile factor. If it doesn’t get an 18 certificate, someone at Sky will have blundered. Take a tip — send the kids to bed early.

[Dave]

It obviously didn't mark a turning point in our relative fortunes, but I don't think it got better than that season for them against us, even when they beat us on the way to their cup. Morally and sportingly, 2002-03 was beyond their wildest dreams as to how we each stood. Ironic, then, that while their high points were largely dependent on our terrible goalkeeping, we've now got the best goalkeeper in the world while they're probably as mired in the shit as they ever have been.

Seemed every goal of theirs was scuffed, shanked, deflected or a massive individual balls up.

From our side you've got Der Hammer, Cahill, Alan Hutton and the absolute pasting in the 5-1 that flattered them

Even the 3-0 game should have been all about the glorious, 25 yard De La Cruz goal he pinged off the crossbar before...y'know. Their horrible goals and all that.

[curiousorange]

It's difficult to say where we definitively gained the upper hand. Up until the 5-1 the games we won were close affairs, and then they became pretty dull and tense. The day they went down and the Holte was chanting about them was magic, but of course we soon joined them in the Championship. Grealish getting clonked feels like a moment, though. We got promoted, stopped up and have a future. They have no chance of catching us now.

[langleylions]

me my m8 and his son and grandson got back to new street quite late after the play off final win and sure enough as we walked out of the station all with our flags and bags etc we was confronted by a gang of about 10 of them ...prob all about late teens early twenties . from the shakespeare who proceeded to attack us , we managed to get a few digs in but shear numbers got us and luckily the rail police arrived ..and they dissapeared just as quick ....thats the big bad LULU,,,'s  for you ,, total myth about them and with another couple of lads we would have showed them up  absolute wankers and i doubt villa fans would do that

[Fasth56]

i was working in Hinckley and had to leave early to get to the night shift at NG. As many of others have said the sense of violence was palpable and the easiest descrirtion I can think of is in the book The Fog by James Herbert, this malevolent feeling seemed to be all around the ground. As I was leaving the upper holte, a blues chancer was legging it down the stairs chased by a couple of villa, he managed to get to the mid landing of the stairs before slipping and was kicked down the rest, not a pretty sight.

[PeterWithesShin]

One of their favourite tricks was to wait at coach drop off points as we were on our way back from Wembley. By the Bar St Martin for the New Street drop offs was one. Never after 'lads', always normal fans they'd give it to.

[SoccerHQ]

For those of us not from Birmingham the rivalry really is something else and hard to comprehend. Is it certain areas, schools, industries etc that are traditionally Villa/Blues? How is it still so strong to this day

It's hard to believe now but the day Grealish got punched they were actually above us in the league ! Our team 20 years ago was rubbish looking back. Watching here on YouTube...pitch in absolute shite aswell. Dion Dublin abysmal lack of leadership. JLS at right back!

Team was average for sure and we were in that period of crossing our fingers and hoping the youth would save us given Ridgewell and the Moore brothers were just starting to break through at that time, current Luton manager Rob Edwards also played a few games around then.

Funnily enough we actually won 10 home games at VP so it was one of our best home seasons in 20 years but it was the year West Ham went down with 42 points so in many seasons it would've been mid table mediocrity but we were always looking over our shoulders. Allback came from nowhere to score some important winners in the run in.

[TonyD]

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.

This story and 1,000s others of Villa fans being jumped across the city over the previous decades even though not even in the same league for a long time is exactly why the events of that night happened.   It had been brewing for about 25 years of not been able to walk around Brum in a Villa shirt without being battered.   

[Rory]

When I was a kid, two of my best friends were fans of 'Blues', which I assumed played some kind of different discipline or something, and I thought it would be cool if I could support Blues as well - to be closer to my friends.

So I told my Mom that I wanted to be a Blues fan and she said, "but I thought you supported Villa?"

"Yeah, I'll still be Villa, but I like England in cricket. They never play against each other, so I can be both."

"Well it's up to you, but what happens if they play each other?"

"How?"

"Well Blues aren't really as good as Aston Villa, so they play in a different league, but you should never be mean to your friends about it, because one day Blues might be better than Villa. How would you feel then?"

So I decided I'd only support Villa, but I'd be nice to Blues fans, because some of them were my friends, and besides, they were better than Man Utd or Arsenal who used to beat Villa and the kids who supported them used to make fun of me each time they did.

I was 12 when SHA were promoted, and after our first game at the Sty, I realised for the first time that these Blues fans who I always tried to be nice to absolutely fucking hated Villa and Villa fans, and therefore me - and they most definitely were not going to be nice about it.

Every generation is different, but for me, the only reason I have to dislike SHA is because of their rabid, visceral hatred of us.

[Pete3206]

This fixture messed with my mind. I'd absolutely dread losing and although victories were enjoyable, they were more like relief than anything. I don't miss these games at all.