Liam_Baggies

Wasn't a pisstake out of Petrov at all. Albion fans wish Petrov a speedy recovery just like everybody else, however, there was a large contingent of your support which sang "no respect my lord" purely because we didn't join in with your applause at both The Hawthorns and Villa Park in September. Well, as far as I'm concerned, the club gave our best wishes to Petrov over the tannoy prior to the game which Villa fans I've spoken to on the subject have chosen to ignore this and belittled us ever since. Just like Tom Ross and BBC WM have done on their after the game shows but I don't see why we should be critcised for not clapping personally, you're supporting your player well done but the idea from some of your supporters that we should join in is ludicrous. Give us a bucket and I'm sure supporters would happily chuck money in behind the course rather than participate in some clapping. There are a few Albion fans which find your "no respect my lord" song highly hypocritical given songs your supporters have sang in the past and sang about ten minutes after the 'no respect' incident when supporters were receiving life saving treatment in the East Stand.

No, I didn't. Most embarrassing thing ever.

Those comments are harsh to be honest. We've had a terrific start to the season and Clarke showed the positive capabilites of being a good head coach. The problem in recent weeks is that with the increased injuries to the side and Clarke's persistance to rotate, our performances have suffered and likewise, so have the results. Yesterday was incredibly annoying, it was a needless substitution which Clarke made, and certainly introduced the wrong player, and from that moment on the momentum changed and we quite simply collapsed. I hadn't seen a side collapse like that since we beat Wolves 5-1. However, Clarke was always going to make mistakes, this is his first year in management and hopefully he learns from them, however comments about luck and him being clueless are grossly unfair.

Not looking forward to this to be honest. We're so unpredictable at the minute. We're suffering with injuries - 8 players missed our game with Reading yesterday in a game which we bossed from start to finish yet somehow managed to throw away. I've had some concerns recently with regards to our home form and I expect similiar to what we've seen recently. A tight first half which shall bore the nation and hope that somehow in the second half we can force a break through.

I'm back again. Firstly, I hope this doesn't break any forum rules. It was allowed the last time and if you don't want this on the forum, you're more than welcome to remove it. I think you know the jist. Due to our forum being closed to guests, I shall actually post the finished article into this topic for you for those which are interested rather than offering you the link. Q1. Has the season so far gone as you expected? Q2. The transfer window is currently open, where do Aston Villa need to strengthen most? Q3. The game at Villa Park finished 1-1. What were your opinions on that game? Fair result? Q4. You've had some pretty poor results recently, do you have any doubts over whether Paul Lambert is the right man for you? Q5. You're in a relegation battle, do you reckon you shall survive and which three clubs shall be relegated? Q6. Which players should we be wary of in your side, and who do you fear the most in ours? Q7. Score predictions. Thank you.

In exchange that Rangers merchandise will be sold in his shops which is a win for both parties. The share issue is another way in which the club have brought much needed money into the club. £22million I think the figures are which is a fine achievement. Now starting to stroll the league, continued wavering support from the loyal supporters. Promotion is more or less guaranteed for this season now and within a year the club shall be back in the SPL. Providing the league reconstruction has taken place otherwise Charles Green will more than likely refuse any place in the SPL with its current format.

There are bound to be a few mate. Geography will play a large part in it as well.

I would still stand by that. The pendulum has certainly swung in our favour but if you want to and more importantly whether Lerner wants to, that could change quite quickly unfortunately.

Anybody being serious about Europe or even the Champions League are daft. It would take an awful amount of luck for us to end up in Europe. I mentioned Europe and nights in Barcelona but that was purely sarcastic. Never believed it for a second because I knew the drop in form was only around the corner.

It's an age thing. Our older supporters will tend to dislike Villa moreso than our young supporters who focus there attention on the Wolves. Back in the day when we were a good side the real derby was between ourselves but once we went on a downward spiral that's where the intense hatred with the Wolves started and we didn't play as often so it died down slightly. It'll only spice up the more we play each other without the interruption of the Blues or Wolves.

We've had a sticky period of late which is disappointing, the football has died down and we're struggling to break teams down. We haven't been helped by the injuries to Ben Foster and Claudio Yacob who are integral members to the squad. We can have no complaints with defeats to Swansea and Arsenal, although the referee ruined any chance we had with three pathetic decisions, and against Stoke, we successfully managed to throw that away when really we should have had a point as no way on earth did Stoke deserve to win that. I'm sure they would have done the same at VillaPark a few weeks ago, stick everybody behind the ball and hope for a lucky break. West Ham defended brilliantly yesterday and made it hard for us to break them down, we struggled to create that clear cut chance which probably sums us up over the last week but it has still been a very good start - better than any of us expected, and hopefully this is merely a blip and we can pick up some form heading into the clash with yourselves next month. The downside to that is that Peter Odemwingie and Youssouf Mulumbu will be on ACON duty and that will effect us massively. We're a complete different side without them both. As for the comments before mentioned about Europe - Such commens were made in jest, we were simply enjoying the fun whilst it lasted. I sitll think we'll finish top half, but anything more would be a huge bonus for a club of our size.

We're going along nicely thankfully but being the pessimist I am, I'm always waiting for the drop in form and the abundance of injuries. I've never experienced us in this position, nor in this vein of form, and I'm intent on enjoying it, I mean, if I can't enjoy this, why am I in football? Credit to Steve Clarke to be honest, he's got the lads playing some cracking stuff, these victories are no flukes either. We've got players at the top of their games with James Morrison and Shane Long being quite simply sensational. Shane works his arse off upfront but with that, produces quality and James manages to set the tempo and really effect play. We can cream ourselves over our forward options but for me, Claudio Yacob has been a massive addition, especially when you consider he's replaced the likes of Paul Scharner and Paul Andrews so again, it's another case of us evolving. He's brought not only a calmness to the side, but the ability to win the ball, and have the composure and ability to carry it out of defence/midfield and pick an option. Defensively, we're very good. We've had an unsettled back five lately with Jones/Reid being injured with Tamas deputising but thankfully since Jones has returned his performances have improved. G-Mac and Ben Foster who have been brilliant for us have missed out with injury yet their replacements have come straight into the side and fitted in no problem, especially on Saturday, where Tamas and Myhill were very good. If anything, I'm slightly disappointed we don't have more points because it's a mystery how we managed to lose at Newcastle considering the game was so one-sided, but also annoying that we threw away the game against Man City with two basic errors which have been uncommon from us for quite a while. Fortunately, when we've experienced a defeat, the response from the lads has been very good, and for this Steve Clarke should take plenty of credit. We'll probably go through a period where our forms dips, probably on Saturday knowing my luck with away fixtures but we have the hallmarks of a good side, and it's important that we keep this champagne buzz amongst the club going - As for a league finish, top half would still be very pleasing.

They already have. Just merely responding to claims that you don't care about us when their are Villa supporters which do. No matter how much you try to cover it up. But still, never mind.

Yes, I might start a 'View from the opposition' thread on westbrom.com, insult you all and act surprised when you get pissed off. I'm not surprised, nor peed off. I've came here, given my thoughts on you & ourselves, might have annoyed some of you, reacted to yesterdays action, and now defending myself against an earlier claim. Who have I insulted on this forum?

Where have I suggested or any of our fans suggested that we're a big club? Again, thank you for taking the time to tell me you couldn't give a **** about us or our team. You also fail to spot the irony behind that veela veela chant considering your nickname amongst our supporters is the Seals.. Again, this "you don't care about us" wish is continuously played doesn't wash with me. Not denying, that some folk in the Birmingham and it's surroundings suburbs might not see us a Derby as they've been brought up alongside Blues fans but there are Villa fans which were brought up amongst Albion fans in Cradley, Halesowen, Blackheath and will share a hatred towards the Albion. The actions of your supporters (not all of them) is laughable really, but then again, you "don't care". Apparently. See you in Jan :wink:

Disappointed we couldn't hold on, of course. A point away from home is still good in this division, equally you should be disappointed you couldn't win one of your home matches.

Well singing we hate Swansea is quite frankly childish if you don't mind me saying. And what's the problem with celebrating a goal and singing afterwards? I could have said the same when Villa scored and a chunk of the North Stand came charging towards us. Actions of both fans was entirely similar inside the ground.

I do agree. We were buggered by being forced to make two changes in the first half meaning we were short on options. Shame really as Clarke has been superb with his substitutions this season. Brunt isn't fully fit yet, missed the most of pre-season which is why he's a wee bit behind the others. Graham Dorrans who replaced him looked much better today.

I did find it strange that we let out at the same time. Especially with so few coppers when tensions were running high in the ground. Walking back towards the coaches I had numerous verbals threw my way, purely because I was talking about the Albion, although he was a bit of a drunken knob.

Football fans sing song inside ground. Bloody hell. Quite similar to you singing "shit on the Baggies" I suppose. The trouble wasn't inside the ground, although it probably helped stem from there.

Thought it was a fairly solid game in honesty from both sides. Disappointed we couldn't hold on. What didn't help us in the second was that the likes of Morrison and Gera were struggling with their fitness but had to be left on due to our injuries which hampered us. Lambert was allowed the fresh legs in the middle whilst we had to plod a long. Disappointed to have seen Long removed as well as I thought he was a massive problem for you with his work rate, desire and willingness to chase down your centre halves and give us a release ball in the channels. Didn't think you tested Foster that much to be honest, reverted to long range attempts and a deflected effort which he did very well to save. We didn't cause Guzan many problems either but we were content with a point at that stage and unfortunately your goal come by the virtue of Bent being in the right place at the right time. Got to love your fans in the North Bank and their "we hate Albion" chant, despite you apparently not 'hating' us but never mind. No qualms about the result, just disappointed we never held on.

It's a shame that many innocent Albion fans were caught up in and amongst the agro. Their was a section of supporters which were singing anti-Albion songs, waiting for Albion fans to make their way out the exits. Albion fans laughing at the lad hit by the ball? Quite the opposite. We were concerned for the little boy hence our chant of "one Graham Dorrans" seen as he went to make sure the little lad was OK.

http://westbrom.com/forum/index.php?topic=9353.0 there's the final article. If you do wish to give me feedback on here, I'll be most grateful. Here's to an entertaining game, and if you do win, I shall be on here to congratulate your victory. Thanks for the replies.

no, you're probably right about albion being the likeable ones. you're so unoffensive (read: boring) as a club, from the cringeworthy boing boing thing you do, to the 'ingerlund' day you held when the FA stole your manager (all other fans would be apoplectic), to taking a wigan-esque following to your away matches and sitting in silence. we don't care about wigan either. you say there wouldn't have been the same reaction to an appointment at the albion akin to that of mcleish down the villa. and again, i agree with you. but that's simply down to the fact that west bromwich albion is a passionless club. you sit down away from home, your fans in the brummie road end look like they've been encased in concrete since the introduction of all seater stadia, and you allow villa fans to walk around your ground every season you bother to stay in the PL, singing derogatory songs, without so much of a response. although, i'll give you this: you're all excellent at putting across your hatred towards us on the internet. i regularly venture onto westbrom.com and every other post is filled with vitriol about the villa. hilarious how you're all silent on match days, though. as i say, passionless. oh and if you're going to use images to try to prove that we were against mcleish from the start, you should probably use some from the first month or two of his reign; not some from the end of april vs bolton when it looked like we were down. indeed, we may have been had you beaten us in the next game; your cup final. Albion fans were frustrated and disappointed that Hodgson left for England but what else could we have done to keep him? There was not a chance he would stay and I bet he would have done the same if he was at Villa, Chelsea, Everton, Spurs etc. Hodgson did a marvellous job for us hence he got the send off he deserved. Our away folllowing is nowhere near as bad as Wigan. Granted it isn't the best in the world, but it certainly isn't the worst either.

We know we're not a big club, and we know that in terms of fanbase that we're behind you. Some of our supporters will admit we're behind the Wolves slightly in those stakes. However, football isn't judged on the stands, it's judged on the pitch. Whilst you have declined we've made massive improvements. Those improvements now see us as having a better squad than you - Although you might disagree, as you're entitled to. We are, however, moving in the right direction and with our stadium redevlopement in the pipeline, which will allow the cheaper tickets then we're hoping that the next generation can be attracted to The Hawthorns. To do so we need to be successful on the pitch and we're currently improving there too. If there are Villa fans that like us on this forum, then fair play to them, I couldn't bring myself to like or follow another Midlands side. It just doesn't feel right, but fair play to those that do. I did react a wee bit over the top, apologies for that.