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Aston Villa Protest Group


MikeMcKenna

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I am sure that like many who have suggested any form of protest in past, I will really get some stick for this but **** it, here goes.     Although many have already effectively voted with their feet and no longer go to games, based on previous evidence few regular match goers would support a full blown boycott. This idea will not make Lerner sell but it will allow the fans to show him, the directors and the rest of the football world how disgusted we all are with the state of Aston Villa Football Club - OUR club!    As our famous club was founded in 1874, to show our disgust with the current regime, does anyone think the idea of walking out on the 74th minute against Everton (or another home match) would chime with the fans? It's a night match on SKY on the 1st March so the protest would have a greater impact that Lerner will hear loud and clear despite being 3000 miles away! We are now well and truly ****** so I don't think leaving 16 minutes early will make any difference to what happens on the pitch! From the third, fourth, fifth goal onwards today thousands walked out - it would be a much bigger statement if we did it en masse.    If sufficient numbers think it is worth a shout, we could promote as widely as possible under the heading "OUT THE DOOR on '74" to see if the idea can gain momentum - however realistically there may not be sufficient time to get the word out for the Everton game and it may be better to leave till a later game.   Other than VT I am not a member of any other forums so would need others to help canvas opinion on the other forums, Facebook pages, Twitter etc. Maybe some fans here or elsewhere have contacts in the media?    For the record, I have supported Villa for 57 years, was brought up three miles from Villa Park but now live in Bournemouth. I travel up to every home game and currently have two season tickets in the Trinity but over the years have had Season Tickets in every stand. I have experienced all the highs and lows, got the t-shirt etc but this time round it seems much worse as I think we could be destined to spend more than a few years down below, especially if Randy Lerner remains. If enough others would help I would contribute financially to an Advert in the Birmingham Mail.    If no one is interested, fair enough, but please save the abuse. It was just a thought on this most depressing of days when we experienced our worst defeat at home in 81 years! It may make no difference but I am sure it will help many fans feel better that we left a mark.   

I would much rather everybody just didn't go. Would have way more impact. Also the Liverpool thing resonated because everybody in the country agrees with it.

Agree something needs to be done, but leaving at a certain point still gives Lerner money and won't have the same impact as just not going at all.

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8 minutes ago, gilbertoAVFC said:

 

I would much rather everybody just didn't go. Would have way more impact. Also the Liverpool thing resonated because everybody in the country agrees with it.

Agree something needs to be done, but leaving at a certain point still gives Lerner money and won't have the same impact as just not going at all.

But there is no point 'wishful thinking'. A boycott protest has never gained any momentum in the past. Season ticket holders paid over there money before the season began and withholding  money per se is not the point. 

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Certainly not going to knock the suggestion.

I agree with those who will doubt its effectiveness but I think no single thing will be effective. There needs to be multiple efforts, and no doubt some will garner more support than others. Of itself, this has the essentials of having a good, memorable ring to it, and actually being something.

So I'd say yes, though I'm not much of a social media guy. Happy to put a couple of quid to aadvert.

For those that would rather stay away completely, that's fine, but there is still something about walkouts that catches the eye, and we may need small steps, this could be a long grind.

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Like it a lot Mike and '74 has referenced to 1974 as well when we returned to the top division after a sojourn to div 3.  Unfortunately though mate I doubt many supporters actually care enough to take any action.  Apathy rules.  We are Apathy Villa Soccer Organisation

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It’s tough Mike.  I like the thought that’s gone into the whole 74 link, but my fears (similar to posts above) would be that:

  1.  It’s been done.  The scousers did it and, as someone has already said, for a far greater cause in the eyes of many. 
  2.  It’s hard to orchestrate people who’re already in the ground and sat down.  The scousers only managed to get 15k fans to get up off their backsides and leave on 77 mins and we all know how much they love a bit of attention.  We’ll get a fair few leaving, but how will it look any different to what happened on Sunday?

I've racked my brain trying to think of a worthy idea.  I had one which was about trying to get fans to fly the Villa flag upside-down (a sign of distress).  Everything from holding scarves upside-down at kick-off to placing them around the ground, but it would take so much time, effort and expense to get everyone aware and enthused to actually do it.  It needs to be something simple, easy to do and impactful.  Dortmund and a few other clubs have recently done the whole tennis ball thing, which hasn't been done here in England.  It’s good in that it delays a game and possibly results in a fine to the club i.e. Randy’s pocket, but it doesn't really link to our cause – it might lose it’s relevance.

 

160210092159-dortmund-football-protest-super-169.jpg

I think at this moment in time, the only thing which will really resonate is a full scale boycott. 

  1. It’s got a message behind it: You won’t spend your money so we’re not giving you ours – the customer is always right (linking to Hollis’s line about us) – this isn’t worth paying for etc etc. 
  2. It hits Lerner hard:  Forget the season tickets which are already paid for, the loss of normal ticket sales, spend in the ground etc added to the sheer humiliation will be more than enough.
  3. It gets headlines: imagine the stadium completely empty or at least with so many empty seats it looks like a reserve game.

It’d be very hard to do, but put simply, doing anything less isn't going to have an effect.  Now there is apathy in abundance – we need to harness that apathy and use it to show our message, show that’s what Lerner has created.  It’s easier to get people to do nothing than something!  We’d need to pick a game, a high profile one which is on the tv and then go all out in communicating the boycott:

  1. You get Collymore and a few other high profile ex-Villa players to help spread the word
  2. You picket the ticket offices in the weeks and games leading up to it
  3. Hand out collateral in the ground – just a really simple message telling them not to come to whichever game it is.
  4. Bombard social media / get every forum, villa group etc on-board
  5. Going one step further, you could organise an ‘alternative game’, get a few ex players to put on an exhibition game somewhere else at the same time and use it as a way of attracting the fans there instead, season ticket holders get in free etc.  But that involves even more effort which I don’t think is realistic.

         Until we're capable of galvanising ourselves into action of this sort, we're powerless to affect what Lerner is doing to our club.

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A full boycott won't work. To many people have paid their money for games and will turn up regardless.

The walkout is a good idea, and I mooted it in another thread myself.

It's far enough into the game that fans will have got something for their money anyway. And there will be a certain amount of peer pressure behind the walkout. People are much more likely to join in when people around them are all leaving.

I think it's a good idea. But you need a clear message, you need the word spread and you need media backing.

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6 minutes ago, GREAT_BEARD_OF_ZEUS said:

It’s tough Mike.  I like the thought that’s gone into the whole 74 link, but my fears (similar to posts above) would be that:

  1.  It’s been done.  The scousers did it and, as someone has already said, for a far greater cause in the eyes of many. 
  2.  It’s hard to orchestrate people who’re already in the ground and sat down.  The scousers only managed to get 15k fans to get up off their backsides and leave on 77mins and we all know how much they love a bit of attention.  We’ll get a fair few leaving, but how will it look any different to what happened on Sunday?

I’ve wracked my brain trying to think of a worthy idea.  I had one which was about trying to get fans to fly the Villa flag upsidedown (a sign of distress).  Everything from holding scarves upsidedown at kickoff to placing them around the gournd, but it would take so much time, effort and expense to get everyone aware and enthused to actually do it.  It needs to be something simple, easy to do and impactful.  Dortmund and a few other clubs have recently done the whole tennis ball thing, which hasn’t been done here in England.  It’s good in that it delays a game and possibly results in a fine to the club i.e. Randy’s pocket, but it doesn’t really link to our cause – it might lose it’s relevance.

 

160210092159-dortmund-football-protest-super-169.jpg

I think at this moment in time, the only thing which will really resonate is a full scale boycott. 

  1. It’s got a message behind it: You won’t spend your money so we’re not giving you ours – the customer is always right (linking to Hollis’s line about us) – this isn’t worth paying for etc etc. 
  2. It hits Lerner hard.  Forget the season tickets which are already paid for, the loss of normal ticket sales, spend in the ground etc added to the sheer humiliation will be more than enough.
  3. It gets headlines, imagine the stadium completely empty or at least with so many empty seats it looks like a reserve game.

It’d be very hard to do, but put simply, doing anything less isn’t going to have an effect.  Now there is apathy in abundance – we need to harness that apathy and use it to show our message, show that’s what Lerner has created.  It’s easier to get people to do nothing than something!  We’d need to pick a game, a high profile one which is on the tv and then go all out in communicating the boycott:

  1.         You get Collymore and a few other high profile ex-Villa players to help spread the word
  2.         You picket the ticket offices in the weeks and games leading up to it
  3.          Hand out collateral in the ground – just a really simple message telling them not to come to whichever game it is.
  4.              Bombard social media / get every forum, villa group etc onboard
  5.          Going one step further, you could organise an ‘alternative game’, get a few ex players to put on an exhibition game somewhere else at the same time and use it as a way of attracting the fans there instead, season ticket holders get in free etc.  But that involves even more effort which I don’t think is realistic.

Obviously there isn't sufficient support for my idea. But you say the Scousers ONLY got 15K walking out - that was quite a result and days later FSG reacted positively. Anyhow I will return to my bubble of apathy. 

I don't think anything that requires a major amount of organisation will get off the ground. By it's very definition you cannot harness apathy as a form of protest. The boycott idea was tried before when there was much more passion about and didn't get off the ground. Collymore loves to spout off and be verbally controversial but when push comes to shove he will not get physically involved.

Other former players likewise will not get involved. On the way home yesterday listening to the radio, Mortimer was asked who he blamed. His response was 'I don't blame anybody and then he went onto blame the players" Bluntly he would not blame the clubs directors, Lerner etc He and the rest of the former players are not really fans in same sense as we are. They are part of the football establishment and will not risk their free tickets, speaking engagements, hospitality fees etc etc 

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Like I said we need a giant banner with the image of Lerner ripping the heart of the vIlla lion out for a TV game. That clearly demonstrates how we feel

Standard Liege style. Ripping the heart out of a lion.

There's less chance of getting that in the ground and up and running though than Lerner selling today.

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The Liverpool walk-out had a clear objective, and as a response to it the club met their objective.

I'm not sure what we're trying to achieve here - what response are we hoping for? Lerner knows he's despised by the fans, and that we want him out, he wants himself out. That's why he won't come to the games. Does he sack Fox or Reilly as a response? Where does that leave us? Still screwed but with a different CEO. I don't think anyone outside of the Villa community cares that much - as bad as it is that a pillar of English footballing history drops out of the top tier they're more focused on who their own clubs are going to sign etc.

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I don't understand why anyone would go to matches anymore?

The spoiled players only care about which car or watch or holiday they can get next is, Lerner et al don't care about anything at all except recouping money and hightailing out of here and the media ridicule or bad mouth us any chance they get. There is no entertainment value in going down. So why? I don't get it.

"Support the players though": they don't give a ****. They will be leaving come the summer and will target other clubs that will pay them maximum return for minimal effort, as lescott clearly explained.

" support the club though": Yeah It's not nice for avfc our club in the present but in the long run it's the only power we have to save it long term. So let's use it. Necessary evil.

The only way we will get a buyer is if Lerner lowers his asking price, if he has no income coming in from us fans then we will eventually force his hand.

Just wait it out. Don't go. Eventually Lerner will sell, avfc will still be there after he is gone and we can slowly rebuild and nurse the wounded lion back to health and surrounded by those of us with its best interests in their hearts. But it's pointless caring at the moment. Stay away. Target the disease to find the cure.

Don't Go.

 

 

 

 

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I think a start would be a VT action group.. Get all those interested on this board coming together to process and implement ideas and others will follow. Whether this involes VT's coming together before a game,during or after I don't know. Better to do something though than do nothing.

 

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