VillaGull

Today, for the first time in the best part of 37 years of watching live football, I did something that I never thought I would do. I got up and walked out of a game after 62 minutes. I stood up from my seat in Trinity Road, walked down the stairs and out of the ground without the slightest pull to turn around and go back to my seat, not even the slightest glimmer.

I used to say that I was proud to be a Villa fan. Unfortunately as things stands, how I feel at present is nothing but embarrassed.

Mr Lerner, you have ripped the heart out of our club. You have turned our fearsome lion into a shadow of its former self.

The sad thing for me, is that I think I saw this coming. To be honest, my claret & blue heart first started to break the day that Martin O’Neill walked out. From all accounts, he left when you wouldn’t release him the money you received from James Milner’s transfer to Man City. My, my, I wonder how much more you’ve let slip down the drain as a result of that decision…a lot more than the £26 million Milner was sold for I’d imagine.

At some point shortly after, during the Gerard Houllier reign if I’m right, I was so concerned and frustrated at what I was seeing on the pitch, that I shouted ‘Lerner Out!’ across the stands. No-one else said a word…no-one joined in with me. Today as I was walking out of the ground, those words were ringing across the stands.

There’s enough documented and known already this season about the shambles on the pitch, so I’m not going to go into that now. But what I would say is this, the club is rotten to the core, it’s everywhere you go. My little boy was a mascot recently.  I was told that I had to buy him a kit to wear. Whilst I understand that this may be common practice, I was a bit disappointed to be asked to buy a kit rather than being given one, when I have invested thousands of pounds into the club over the years through buying season tickets.  On the day, we were ushered into a run-down, forgotten part of the North Stand, with a half full vending machine and catering staff wheeling trolleys through to the boxes every few minutes.  We were there 3 hours before the game, and not once offered a cup of tea or coffee.  None of the kids were given even a glass of squash.  I’m not sure what mascot experiences are like at other clubs, but can only imagine they are a lot better than the one currently offered at Villa.

Today, we ordered some food from the catering in Trinity Road. The service was slow, and the girl who served us was rude and sullen. Not the biggest concern of my day by any means, but just another disappointing offering from Aston Villa Football Club.

The worst thing of all Mr Lerner, you promised us better things….Proud History, Bright Future….not our words, yours.

After all this will I be going to watch Villa in The Championship?  Actually, yes I will. Why? Because they are my club, not yours ultimately. I and future generations of my family will be supporting Villa years after you are a distant memory. What keeps me going is the promise of a new dawn. The promise of the day when I will once again be proud to be a Villa fan. That day, Mr Lerner, will be the day that you are no longer anything to do with Aston Villa Football Club.