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Aston Villa Home Support


Gary Thomas

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We should be allowed to stand, we should have areas ( upper holte for one ) where people who want to sing can know they will be surrounded by other like minded people.

I don't care if people sing or not, or stand or not, but it should be possible at 40 odd quid a throw to have the choice.

Nothing, including our abysmal form, makes me consider stopping going more than being stuck sat next to some quiet, or worse, negative, people!e, it stinks.

And everywhere I look, from lots of other Premier clubs, to champions league games, to test match cricket, roconcerts, grand Prix, to bonfire displays ( at night, with alcohol and explosives !!) people are standing.

I'm very puzzled why Villa haven't raised their unfair treatment by the City Council Environmental Health Officers as a for all matter- as a business thet are entitled to ask the local authority to consider whether they are being treated the same as other similar businesses and whether action threatened is proportionate and in li e with the Enforcement Concordat ..... I doubt it is.

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I find them a bit embarrassing to be honest. We don't need cringy small time ultras to create an atmosphere. As for standing, I stand up at every game as I sit just in front of the steps in the upper holte. Yet for some reason   despite nobody being behind me I was told by a steward to sit down against Citeh. Seriously why? I'm not blocking anyone's view, not bothering anyone so just leave me be

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Because it's against the law. Another **** stupid law.

Same as not being allowed a beer in your seat. Totally counter productive, just makes people neck beer before they go to their seats. Also negatively effects the atmosphere as 5 minutes either side of each whistle the people who fancy a beer often aren't there.

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The issue is the Taylor Report was written 20 plus years ago, when grounds were less modern and more dangerous. Things have changed, and you have to wonder why the laws surrounding watching football can't change too? Safe standing is possible, and works in Germany, where grounds are bigger that the UK. I fully understand some people don't want standing to come back, and I think it's no secret which club they would follow, and why (please don't turn this into a debate on the rights and wrongs of Hillsborough). Hopefully enough evidence can be found, and the right people can be convinced that standing at a football match would not create the same dangers as it did in the past.

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As I said above, the issue isn't the law, it is the interpretation of it and weight placed on it by the local Council.

Exactly the same rules apply in many of the other places I mentioned and are interpreted more liberally....Crystal Palace for example.

I'm not a Birmingham ratepayer, but if I was I would be asking the chief EHO why such a priority is given to enforcing this bit of legislation at this Club, and how it fits with the principles of proportionality and risk ( which now must be applied to everything they do) .  Personally I think it is a scandal. I know for a fact many many issues that Service should cover are no longer dealt with, or given extremely low priority. Why on earth should the fans at Villa who are Birmingham ratepayers be paying for their own Council to be so prominent in preventing something which many would prefer !!

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The issue is the Taylor Report was written 20 plus years ago, when grounds were less modern and more dangerous. Things have changed, and you have to wonder why the laws surrounding watching football can't change too? Safe standing is possible, and works in Germany, where grounds are bigger that the UK. I fully understand some people don't want standing to come back, and I think it's no secret which club they would follow, and why (please don't turn this into a debate on the rights and wrongs of Hillsborough). Hopefully enough evidence can be found, and the right people can be convinced that standing at a football match would not create the same dangers as it did in the past.

All acceptable and palatable to me. I stand all game, every game.

However, if I were to be told to sit down by a steward, rather than call him a rocket polisher I would likely try to reason with him first (I stand at the back of The lower Holte) out of a sense of duty to common sense, before accepting my fate.

It's the law, and the bloke is simply doing his job. A job not many of us would want I assume. He has a right not to be abused in his place of work.

Rather than call them rocket polishers, I've made acquaintance with all the stewards in my section. You know, like a normal person. Not a rocket polisher.

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The letters were pre-written though I read on the other forum it was a 'sting' as such.

The only thing embarrassing here is the club/police/stewards perusing a few blokes standing and singing at a football match.

What a waste of resources. 

If there was more in number they would be left alone.... easy targets for the jobsworths.

They should send them to the next Aris home match and issuing letters there. See how they get on with that. 

Edited by supernova26
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They should send them to the next Aris home match and issuing letters there. See how they get on with that. 

The letter would be either set on fire or attached to a firework 

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The letters were pre-written though I read on the other forum it was a 'sting' as such.

The only thing embarrassing here is the club/police/stewards perusing a few blokes standing and singing at a football match.

What a waste of resources. 

If there was more in number they would be left alone.... easy targets for the jobsworths.

They should send them to the next Aris home match and issuing letters there. See how they get on with that. 

"The only thing embarrassing here is the club/police/stewards perusing a few blokes standing and singing at a football match."

It's not just the club/police/stewards though. From other fans perspective, many of who are ok with being seated, they are probably glad these "few fans" were booted. Over the years on more than the odd occasion, there have been rows because some idiots don't give a damn that they are blocking the view of other fans behind. Last season it kicked off at an away game because two or three Villa fans in the 1st or 2nd row insisted on standing blocking the view of a family with their kids behind. Contrary to popular belief, Villa fans are not all standing at away games. When they were asked to sit down they turned nasty. Put them in front of some of the old boys in the Holte and you would then see some fireworks before the stewards even got there. Whether it's the law, ground regulations or whatever the fact is that many fans prefer to stay seated and these guys don't give a shit about the rest. They are not doing it as a protest or principle, they are doing it because they are inconsiderate clearings in the woods. 

Edited by MikeMcKenna
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i have but i wanted to stand, so i got a season ticket in an area where i knew i could stand up all game with no hassle

brigada have decided to do the opposite, they spent all of last season stood up without a great deal of bother, this season they have decided to get season tickets in an area that they knew full of people who sat all game

they only have themselves to blame

This. 100% this.

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I'm not sure about the away game thing. I've NEVER sat at an away game, though I've only been to maybe 20. Just the thought of it seems alien to me.

I admit that it is rare and I never sit at away games either but it does happen usually towards the front. 

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Although not particularly friendly, I can understand if other supporters think they're a bit silly or small time. Personally I think it's great that there are a group who are committed to supporting Villa passionately with a desire to create a better atmosphere - I'm all in favour of them.

What we think personally about Brigada isn't really the issue though. Standing isn't really the issue either - though in fairness they shouldn't have moved to where they are.

What IMO is really the issue is how the club are handling this.

It's pathetic that the club have reached this stand off with them. The club should be mature here and work with supporters and look to find an agreement. We have senior managers who negotiate multi million pound deals and develop the future strategy for Villa and yet they can't accommodate and find a sensible solution for a small group of passionate Villa fans. I watch what happens from the Trinity and it really pisses me off. Sort it out Villa - I'm fed up of watching these guys get chucked out.

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