My passion for Aston Villa F.C.

[Chicken Field]

For all my 30+ years on this earth, I have been passionate towards Villa and football in general. I’ve spent countless hours on football forums and news sides, studying everything football related, especially Villa.

 

I fondly remember my first Villa memory, which was the league cup win against Leeds in 96. A match I was sent a VHS copy months later, from my Grandad. A VHS I watched so many times, that I still remember details from the match, even though I haven’t watched it for many years.

 

I passionately started following and understanding football when Martin O’Neill became manager. This was an exciting time to be a Villa fan, we had many great players and some good memories. Though, they ultimately, still, always seemed to end in disappointment.

 

I have stuck with Villa through 2x FA cup final losses, including spending £100’s to travel and attend the Arsenal trashing, 2x League cup finals losses, one play-off final lose, which I again spent £100’s to attend.

 

I’ve experienced so many lows. The ones that pop to mind include the yearly decline following MON, the humiliating semi final loss to Bradford, the nearly 700 minute goalless run in 14/15, in what must have been the least entertaining team to have ever played in the Premier League, the 8-0 loss to Chelsea being maybe the stand out in a plethora of humiliating losses, Petrov’s illness, relegation, including the humiliating way that we got relegated in, and some dreadful seasons in the championship (including nearly going bankrupt). And all my favourite players leaving year by year. So many horrible seasons, so many horrible experiences.

 

On the contrary, I can count the good experiences on one hand. Promotion, Semi-final vs. Liverpool, and some decent wins here and there, particularly vs. Blues.

 

Despite majority of experiences being horrible, I have always stuck with Villa, watched every match I could, which has not always been easy due to the limited coverage of them we get here. I never turned a match of, not even when we lost 8-0. But I think I might finally have cracked. I can’t stand to watch football that is not Villa related, and I can’t stand to watch Villa. There are simply more entertaining ways to spend my time. I have missed some matches lately and turned multiple off. I feel numb to results, with only referee decision resulting in any response from me, like the one today against United. These are always negative emotions. Villa always seem to be a team that plays the least entertaining football in the world, with this current team being up there with the worst in pure entertainment value.

 

Is this an experience anyone else has had?

Did the passion come back and how?

Would be interesting to hear what made people crack and stop caring? (or what is your worst experience or time as a Villa fan).

[Tom13]

Keep the faith. The good times will be back. Might be few and far between, but they'll be worth it.

[Spoony]

It has all been going horribly downhill post-MON. I have absolutely no reason to support Villa. I’m not from Birmingham. But I can’t just give up as it’s in my blood now and I hate it. I’d give anything to support a decent team.

Villa are awful and as a football club cause me nothing but misery. The ONLY redeeming features are the fans and the stadium. But I never go to the stadium, and by fans I really just mean people who post on here in this little family.

I say I’ve stopped caring, but I never really have. I “didn’t care” about the game, but still tracked the score and it still pissed me off because it’s impossible not to.

The best feeling I’ve ever had as a Villa fan was promotion last year where I really felt elated seeing it happen before my eyes. That says a lot. Maybe that’s why I’m looking forward to the championship. We can actually revel in some relative (in the literal sense) success again. 

[Spoony]

3 minutes ago, Tom13 said:

Keep the faith. The good times will be back. Might be few and far between, but they'll be worth it.

This I don’t really believe sadly. I’ve been supporting Villa 18 years. Still waiting for those good times. Success will only really come with oil money from nations with spurious human rights records. Not sure that’s “the good times” either tbh.

[Only2McInallys]

As a Villa fan I have often felt blessed.My first full season ticket was 1980 -81 and the following few years were fantastic.Then we got relegated .Graham Taylor came along and we became a major force again .

The play off win last year felt very special almost like a rebirth,I know this season hasn’t worked out well but we are in a better position than 4 years ago.

Villa are about highs and lows.But when the highs come you have to enjoy them because it probably won’t last.

Villa park is without doubt the greatest stadium in English football and when we win there is something almost magical about it.

I remember going to Villa park in 2016 the year we were relegated playing really badly and losing to Bournemouth and I think it meant we were mathematically relegated .After half time the Holte end began singing “we shall not moved etc” and I realised this is how true fans react,it’s easy to get carried away when your successful but sticking with your team through thick and thin even when your team is shit is what it means to be a true fan.

We have an incredibly loyal fan base,if we were playing in League 2 we would still get 30,000.

There will be good times ahead,I don’t know when it will be but when it comes it will feel fantastic.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Only2McInallys

[Tom13]

3 minutes ago, Spoony said:

This I don’t really believe sadly. I’ve been supporting Villa 18 years. Still waiting for those good times. Success will only really come with oil money from nations with spurious human rights records. Not sure that’s “the good times” either tbh.

Depends what you class as good times. I classed the playoff final and the win against Everton for example, as very good times.

[Phil Silvers]

up's and down's and up's and down's, once its in your blood it there till death.

[Sam-AVFC]

8 minutes ago, Only2McInallys said:

We have an incredibly loyal fan base,if we were playing in League 2 we would still get 30,000.

We only got 32,000 our first 2 seasons in the championship! Upper Trinity surely doesn't have 10k seats?

[Sulberto21]

I think this season we've had record average crowds for the all seater era. So much excitement and anticipation ruined.

[His Name Is Death]

Why are people fixated on this idea that the good times are ahead when there are plenty of big clubs who have had no good times for decades, and plenty more who have had next to none throughout their entire history?

Leeds fans have had to wait a decade and a half for some good times to come around. Wednesday and Forest fans are still waiting. Why should we be any different? The club is continually mismanaged, so for all we know we could be in the Championship for the next decade and a half ourselves. I don’t blame the OP for feeling that his energies might be better spent elsewhere, and I can’t help feeling the same way myself.

I have many fond memories of the football I grew up with - and Villa do still have a fantastic stadium and many lovely and decent fans - but I can’t work up much enthusiasm for our constant managerial/financial/scouting/recruitment missteps or the monster the game has become.

Edited July 10, 2020 by His Name Is Death

[danceoftheshamen]

I have supported Villa (Attending games wise) since 1979. I have been very fortunate to see us win everything going.....but that was a long time ago and i have felt so so many down moments of course over the years along with many false dawns and a few close to glory moments. I have had the same emotions as you and have often felt very distanced from certain Villa teams. Usually it is nothing a new bit of hope doesn't restore however. The worst time i can remember regards not feeling particularly interested was in the 1993 to 1996 spell and again post Martin O'neill. Last season rekindled my passion somewhat however and i am hoping for the same next season once this God awful team is sorted out. This season has been atrocious so i fully understand anyone feeling distanced or losing interest as i have done.

The season was kinda over before it started when our top scorer left and our defence was shattered with the loss of Tuanzebe. Then VAR completely spoiled it when at the games live for me...it is for me just a corrupt tool being used to manipulate games such as tonights.... The FA want Man U in the Champs League basically so no surprise whatsoever that they gifted Man U the crucial first goal.

I have completely written this stinker of a season off now and have barely enough interest to check the score as it's as good as a foregone conclusion that we've lost AGAIN. I have no doubt we are now down and will not beat any of the teams remaining on our fixture list as this lot are simply not at it nor good enough either defensively or most definitely in attack. Palace will beat us on Sunday or at best we may scrape a draw, although i severely doubt it.

Next season will as ever be a fresh start however. No corrupt VAR (just crap refs) in the Championship. Less corrupt than the Premier League too so fewer rigged games.

I just want this season over now, it's been crap.

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by danceoftheshamen

[ciggiesnbeer]

I gave up after the Sheffield game. Been with Villa for decades but didn't even bother watching today's game. Whats the point? All i am going to see is the same thing I saw in every other game since the restart. Other teams players and managers want to win and are willing to work to get it. We dont and it shows.

Obviously I cant watch another English club, so I have been watching Real Madrid. Its an amazing feeling to enjoy football again.  Football is genuinely beautiful when you watch a high quality team, I had almost forgotten.

I will always be a Villa supporter and I love my fellow fans but I am gonna go and enjoy football again till Villa sort themselves out.

[DCJonah]

The MON years were brilliant and then it went downhill.

Houllier, mcleish took away some of my passion for following villa but it was lambert who destroyed it. 

It came back a little under Bruce, but his football and the way he tried to split the fanbase meant I was never fully invested in him. 

The most passionate I've felt about villa in the last decade was last season. I'd given up on going up that year and then we just kept winning. Players like mings, mcginn, Jack and tammy made you fall in love with them. The streak, the playoffs with the penalty shoot out and then the final. As I say, easily the longest period in the last decade where my passion for villa came flooding back. 

 

[LondonLax]

It’s a lot easier to support winning teams, that’s why Man U and Liverpool have so many fans. 

[sidcow]

Supporting Villa has always been an up and down thing. 

We're just in an unusually long downer at the moment, promotion last year aside. 

However I am sure the good times are around the corner. I have faith in the current owners and I am sure if we can somehow stay up they will go big again, and if we are relegated they will get us back quickly to go again. 

I often wonder whats the point in supporting a team who just have it all, isn't it like cheating at a computer game? Just instant gratification but false? 

Then you look at the tens of thousands who support lower or non league teams who will never ever get the chance to see their team properly competing at the highest level, whose idea of good times is to maybe beat a Premier league reserve side in an FA Cup tie. I have so much more admiration for those people than the hoards of plastic Mancs. 

Even saying our down has been lengthy, I was 24 before I saw Villa play at Wembley. My 17 year old son has been there what? 6 or 7 times already. 

And when we are there boy are we there. 

[sidcow]

31 minutes ago, LondonLax said:

It’s a lot easier to support winning teams, that’s why Man U and Liverpool have so many fans. 

Followers, not fans. They don't have the investment that we have and never will. 

[villa4europe]

Love villa but hate football 

Stopped going to villa games as I found I was just getting smashed and the football was a side show 

The test will be if my overall enjoyment of football diminishing makes me feel apathetic towards villa, my rage last night suggests not yet

[Hobbit Feet]

10 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Supporting Villa has always been an up and down thing. 

We're just in an unusually long downer at the moment, promotion last year aside. 

However I am sure the good times are around the corner. I have faith in the current owners and I am sure if we can somehow stay up they will go big again, and if we are relegated they will get us back quickly to go again. 

I often wonder whats the point in supporting a team who just have it all, isn't it like cheating at a computer game? Just instant gratification but false? 

Then you look at the tens of thousands who support lower or non league teams who will never ever get the chance to see their team properly competing at the highest level, whose idea of good times is to maybe beat a Premier league reserve side in an FA Cup tie. I have so much more admiration for those people than the hoards of plastic Mancs. 

Even saying our down has been lengthy, I was 24 before I saw Villa play at Wembley. My 17 year old son has been there what? 6 or 7 times already. 

And when we are there boy are we there. 

Up and down I think is an understatement, we are the bi polar team of football. The problem is it was devastating when we got relegated and played the worst ever season then we all thought we’re a big club we will come straight back up, the championship Is unforgiving it doesn’t care if your a self proclaimed big club or a small club promoted from league 1. We all thought that after finally having the promotion and in the best possible way the feel good factor was back, we was back where we belonged, but it’s all just gone as the Aston Villa script is always written, which we know is constant disappointment, any hope you muster up in the days leading up to the game Is nearly almost diminished within the first 10 minutes and the same old villa play. I’m convinced we could buy this season’s Liverpool squad and still be bad next season. It’s the Villa way.

[Robtaylor200]

First game my old chap took me to see, we were in the old third division. 20 years later we were champions of Europe. then I watched them slide back and up again and so on.  I dont "support" them much now a days as I dont go to every match as I used to, I dont buy every shirt or have Aston Villa wall paper and bed sheets any more. But I am a fan and I am fanatic. I tried to explain to Mrs T about how we Villa fans feel. Its not just about football, I would pick out a Jockey in our colours, I get just as excited going past VP on the motorway, they could be playing tiddley winks and I would be motivated to watch and cheer.

To me being a Villa fan is like a form of religion a sect if you want to call it that. When Villa fans meet on holiday I believe we are closer and friendlier than when other fans meet. 

I hope for the return of the good times, but so do Nottingham Forrest  supporters, Its not a given right that good times will return, the team has to earn them. This current team and Manager do not even earn my respect. 

Yet we have our friends in Ozz and elsewhere that will still get up in the middle of the night to watch, and we all take the chance of being sacked at work by checking the scores when we should be working. Once you become a Villa fan you cant lose passion, the passion just changes but it never goes away. My old man who passed away last year at 92 said he stopped caring years ago. But you would find him sat by his radio on a Saturday afternoon

[Herman22]

I totally agree with the first post. I think the 'behind closed doors' games happening right now show you how the fans are the sport. There no spectacle without the fans, they might as well be playing chess or checkers. A full and loud Villa park might have been the difference in some of our home games but unfortunately that advantage has been taken away. 

Add to this the way the game has been killed by a terrible standard of refereeing and an even worst standard of VAR. There isn't much left to get you off your seat.  

I don't think I've been excited about a Villa team in the premier league since Houiller, the day McLeish got the job relegation was a matter of when not if.