Pongo's Socks

So what's the etiquette regarding celebs when you spot them? Saw David Bradley on his way into Trinity for the Stevenage game, was with my two lads who love Harry Potter, and I loved Bradley in Game of Thrones. Just didn't feel right to accost an 80 year old bloke for a selfie/autograph although I'd have loved to have said hello to him

Unfortunately we're bound to have the odd dick head 'support' us like other teams do. Got to say I think VP is so much better than it used to be with regards to this. Used to hear vile stuff from the odd idiot when I started going. Dont hear anything anymore (not to say it doesn't still happen). Confident now that 99% of fans would report any shite they heard

FFS that makes me so effing angry. Some absolute d**kheads about.

Yep used to LOVE the Ads

And by the way, never, EVER, wrestle a bluenose. Their short, dumpy, rotund physique (particularly the females) makes throwing manoeuvres impossible. Their extra digits gives them the advantage in the grapple. If you get into an altercation with one, just wave a bottle of shower gel around, they react like a vampire would to garlic.

1. Be in a curry house at 3am, after nightclubbing, knowing your coach/train to an away game leaves at half 7. 2. Explain to someone (who doesn't like football, let alone the Villa) how we won the league using only 8 outfield players in a whole season, on pitches resembling cow fields, when 'tackles was tackles'. Make sure you're drunk, these stories are much better when you tell them drunk. 3. Resist the urge to mate with family members. Leave that to them Small Heath weirdos. 4. Take a leak in the grounds of Aston Hall whilst staring in wonder at the beautiful Jacobean stately home, vowing to visit one day, but never actually making it inside. 5. Witness our heroes grab a defeat from the jaws of certain victory. Only a true Villa fan can still be nervous at 80 minutes, 3-0 up, because you know deep down there's a strong possibility they'll f@*k it up. UTV

Nah, not having it. The only reason he was still at VP at midnight was because the traffic was still shit outside

We saw a bloke there selling half n half coutinho scarves at the Liverpool game Boxing Day. My 9 year old said top of his voice 'who'd buy that rubbish', bloke selling them looked annoyed, but not as much as the two girls behind us who were both wearing them

Already see plenty of half n half scarves down the villa

I've seen you post this a few times. Which 'Stand by Me'? Ben E King, Oasis? Genuine question, and may I ask why you think this? As neither seem very rousing to me. I love both by the way, just can't see how/why they'd have any positive effect? No offence intended, genuinely interested to know why

It's hard to put a finger on it. I get the 'if the football was better we'd be more up for it' argument. But I think it's a viscous circle, where we could actually encourage better play from the off if we were louder/more supportive. The difference an early goal makes is huge. I think if we try to play any possession-based football the crowd quickly turn, the audible moans and groans when we pass backwards can't be encouraging. Maybe if we had a cutting edge and chance created at the end of it the crowd would be more forgiving? The endless passing around the Stevenage box on Sunday with no end product was like Chinese water torture. Then came the heartbreak of hearing their fans singing 'Football in a library'. Because they were right. As for the pre-match music, I quite like the current choice (but I'm an old Greebo), Ozzy grew up in Lodge Road (I think?) just round the corner, so can see the local connection. Jeff Beck RIP gets most people singing along, and I love the Italian capriccio fanfare as the players exit the tunnel, still get goosebumps. I always think when they incorporate something 'extra', like the giant flags at the European Cup celebrations, the huge Lion flag, pyros etc, it can whip the crowd up a bit more, but so often when kick off comes, it soon dies down again. The lack of creative songs for individual players doesn't help, a lot of the amusing (but filthy) songs about SHA have fizzled out apart from in the pubs or on the trains. I'm certain a lot of young players not from the area couldn't give a shit about us winning the league and European Cup 40 years ago, and the staple 'Holte Enders in the Sky' I find hard to believe is very inspiring, apart from to the local lads. I still cringe a bit at the Allez chant, but at least it does seem to get the crowd singing in unison. The best I've heard us recently was a very loud and lengthy rendition of 'Unai Emerys Claret Blue Army'. Would LOVE to get the Ghanaian Lions over and get them to join in with that one, bringing their percussion instruments in with them. No beer during playing time, mobile phones, the premier league 'product', also all factors in my opinion. Do I have an answer? Probably not. Am I part if the problem? Sometimes, definitely. Could it be rose-tinted glasses harking back to the good old days, when in actual fact its been a problem for ages? Possibly. I just dont know UTV

I got it sang to me by a bunch of blokes behind the goal when I was a keeper in the 80s. I was six

I remember seeing the posters but never got to go, my dad was tight

Makes it even more annoying that we lost to them, they were there for the taking

QEMS Tamworth? I went to school there. Now my eldest lad trains up there its weird seeing the place after all these years

Had a good game again. Does all the hard work. I know he doesn't score as many as we'd like, but I actually think they might be able to 'coach' a few more goals out of him. You can't turn someone into one of those instinct-driven, can-smell-a-chance-coming type players, but I think they might be able to work on his decision making. Like the chance in the first half, beats their defence for pace, wrong-foots the full back, turns inside, then instead of calmly slotting the ball into the far corner, tries to smash it in near post, dragging it wide. He does snatch at a lot of chances. I know in the heat of battle the blood might rush to his head, as I'm sure it would with most, but those little decision changes could add a few more goals to his tally I'm sure.

Just watched the game back (we were 2nd row in Holte so hard to see halfway line from down there), you're right that Mings touch on half way line started their attack. So I'd agree his mistake was influential. I still think if Olsen held his ground after he'd parried, to let defence deal with the rebound, we'd have kept that out. So we're both right

How are you blaming Mings for the 3rd? Clearly a keeper error when Olsen rushes out. Mings did all he could to block the follow up, was just unlucky it went through his legs

Forgive me, I'm not up for an argument. But Buendia is effing class

I don't really care, but it is funny listening to the clowns at work/football arguing about who's best, Liverpool or Manure, in their Brummie accents. Safe to say I'm always reminding them they've never been to their respective shit-holes apart from a stadium tour, and that they're plastics But I'm sad like that

It was. I wanted to leave but my lad made me stay

I don't know how anyone can single him out as being so much worse than the rest of that team that barely managed to stay up. We were absolute garbage for much of that season. I remember sitting at the West Ham game (0-0 I think?) being genuinely fearful of our survival chances, we were SO bad. And we barely improved all season. That season he showed flashes of brilliance on occasions, and also stank the place out on others. Much like the rest of the squad. I'm not saying he'd have pulled up trees, I just think 90% of the squad were absolutely cack that year too.

Shocking the amount of empty seats at the games I've seen so far.It'll probably be even worse after half time when the corporates are still stuffing their faces

Yeah I've heard its in a weird place. Mate of mine said he found somewhere about 15 mins walk away. Cheers for the info

Anyone know of any coach companies operating from the Tamworth area? Train times are poo. Heading down with my lad, will drive if needs be but would prefer to get a coach.