Villa Park - Atmosphere [merged]

[WallisFrizz]

3 hours ago, icouldtelltheworld said:

Unfortunately Brigada's explicitly anti-racist stance caused them some issues with the neanderthal element in our support, which is sadly much larger, angrier and more organised than most people probably realise 

Really? That’s both surprising and depressing.

[Chasetown Villa]

22 hours ago, av1 said:

I was actually embarrassed when we started Singing ‘Champions of Europe you’ll never sing that’ to flipping Stevanage on Sunday. 

Yep, incredible cringe moment. This along with the standard ‘shit support my Lord’ rendition which is just tragically embarrassing.

When VP is in full voice it takes some beating but the problem is it’s a rarity. Our range of songs is really poor too. 

[icouldtelltheworld]

3 minutes ago, WallisFrizz said:

Really? That’s both surprising and depressing.

Unfortunately so - a few of the Brigada lads are friends of mine. Certainly in the modern era, Villa's hooligan element is very much of the NF/EDL variety 

[Blasterpocket68]

23 hours ago, MarkLillis said:

Your ground has a good atmosphere based on how well your team is playing (form).

That pretty much is always the case with any team.

If the team is shit or in our case can’t be trusted then the atmosphere will be flat.

This is how it is everywhere even the wonderful Geordies are the same.Not matter what the Commentators said tonight about how loud they would get there was little atmosphere until they scored…

Dont believe the hype if/when we get good again the atmosphere will return.UTV

No it’s not mate . I’ve been to plenty of away grounds where the home team has struggled . But the fans stay behind the team. 
We could go on a 10 game winning streak and it would still be a struggle in the ground for atmosphere. It’s how it is now . We have occasional periodic game that’s electric in the stadium but they are few and far between. 

[turvontour]

27 minutes ago, Chasetown Villa said:

Yep, incredible cringe moment. This along with the standard ‘shit support my Lord’ rendition which is just tragically embarrassing.

When VP is in full voice it takes some beating but the problem is it’s a rarity. Our range of songs is really poor too. 

I think the champions of europe song to Stevenage was meant as a joke. Not your s*** because you've never won the European cup.

[mikeyp102]

10 hours ago, IrishVilla10 said:

 A lot of the posts on Twitter such as the under the gaslit lamp one stemmed from this I think. Shocking video anyway. I think arsenal and palace have the best atmospheres in the league. I don’t go to the games but it’s the same 3/4 songs on repeat always. 

Arsenal is good this year because they are winning. Previously it’s been a very venomous place.

[Marka Ragnos]

Sad news.  Isn't this a standard number at Villa Park? 

 

[FLVillan]

Still a very patchy atmosphere at Villa Park nowadays based on my recent observations and hearing on TV coverage.  But ever since I started going to the Villa (mid 1970's) it's always been that way, even during 80-81 there were games when the fans weren't anywhere near as loud or supportive as you'd expect.   Neanderthals still in more of a majority unfortunately - which always leads to the loudest songs being about Birmingham City, which really gets on my nerves. It makes us look so small-time IMHO.  Singing about a club who are obsessed with hating us yet have provided virtually no competitive-rivalry to us throughout our/their history....

The "ole ole" song always seems to get a good sustained rendition and gets picked up all around the ground, but that's the exception rather than the rule...

[danceoftheshamen]

4 hours ago, FLVillan said:

Still a very patchy atmosphere at Villa Park nowadays based on my recent observations and hearing on TV coverage.  But ever since I started going to the Villa (mid 1970's) it's always been that way, even during 80-81 there were games when the fans weren't anywhere near as loud or supportive as you'd expect.   Neanderthals still in more of a majority unfortunately - which always leads to the loudest songs being about Birmingham City, which really gets on my nerves. It makes us look so small-time IMHO.  Singing about a club who are obsessed with hating us yet have provided virtually no competitive-rivalry to us throughout our/their history....

The "ole ole" song always seems to get a good sustained rendition and gets picked up all around the ground, but that's the exception rather than the rule...

Must admit we do desperately need some fresh songs. I agree that the Birmingham songs are a bit tired too. Not even in the same division and really their main claim to fame is by clinging onto their "rivalry" with us. I mean there's barely anything else in their history really is there! A lot of the older songs for me were much better too than the rather dull current ones. I always thought the "We love you Villa, We do" was ok back in the day although loads of teams started to sing it (Some like Arsenal still do). Then there was "Bells are ringing" which was a real Villa song but seems to have been lost to time.

The "Sweet Caroline" & Hi Ho Silver lining are sung by loads of teams Wolves included (Their fans appear to think we nicked them off them). 

So maybe we need some new material. Moreno needs one for a start! If we get Guenduzi Lord help us with that one though 

I do like the Coutinho song having said that and also the Ole Ole one as you have stated.

[Vive_La_Villa]

My experience is the fans get very angry when a player makes a mistake. Leads to a lot of collective moans and groans.  I wonder how it impacts the players. 
 

I don’t just mean costly mistakes. Just simple stuff like a slightly over hit pass etc

Edited January 12, 2023 by Vive_La_Villa

[CLARETANDBLUEFOXY]

I find it ironic that it’s now harder to get villa tickets than ever before without a ST or membership (I myself have a membership and even then it’s hard to get the sort of seat you want)  and yet the atmosphere is worse than it’s ever been. I remember 2008-2009 era - you could pick up a decent ticket the day before the match. These days, tickets are gold dust if you don’t pay extra and yet demand is so high but the atmosphere is so bad? Doesn’t add up and doesn’t make sense. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

I went to watch Trieste (Seria C) and there must have been a few thousand fans but it sounded like a lot more. The ultra’s sang non stop and had a drum beating throughout. A guy with a megaphone orchestrating it all. 
 

Now while it sounded great it had no influence on the game at all. Regardless of what was happening on the pitch they just carried on singing. I think the English reactions to what’s happening on the pitch leads to much better games and atmospheres but when things aren’t going well it can get flat very quickly. 
 

In general because of all the shit we’ve had to face over the years we’ve become a very negative fan base in general.  I remember during that 10 match unbeaten run the atmosphere was great because we felt invincible for once.  

Edited January 12, 2023 by Vive_La_Villa

[Condimentalist]

Yes the atmosphere was terrific with Smith and Grealish when we were tearing up the Championship.

Unfortunately the home fans struggle to get up for it in normal games. We're not grateful just to be in the PL like Palace/Brentford etc, and we're also not doing well enough to get people excited like Newcastle. 

There are also a lot of miserable gits groaning about every missed pass and getting on the backs of certain players. The booing at half time v Wolves was embarrassing. There's also a real lack of imagination in terms of songs

These challenges aren't unique to Villa and I would hope a decent run of home results under Unai would help shift the atmosphere a bit. The Gerrard era was bleak AF so it takes some time to recover. Trajectory is key. 

We know VP can be a rocking atmosphere - hopefully we get one on Friday night.

[Pongo's Socks]

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

[Vive_La_Villa]

17 minutes ago, Pongo's Socks said:

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

Agree with all this but the highlighted part really winds me up sometimes. They are allowed to pass it backwards sometimes ffs! 

[wedge]

Unfortunately the North Stand Syndicate/Project B6 type groups are absolutely required at Villa Park as it's clear an electric and consistent atmosphere isn't going to happen organically unless we're challenging for the Premier League title playing a hybrid version of Brazil 1970/Barcelona 2010 style football. My own personal opinion is that as a home fanbase at times, and I'm obviously generalising, we aren't great when we aren't winning, it's easy to support the team when things are going well but they need us even more when things aren't. Of course, I'm not suggesting that we have any influence on the pitch but I believe the crowd can help spur the team on to an extent, despite the disappointing boos from a (it has to be said) small minority of the crowd against Wolves what nobody has mentioned is the way the crowd got behind the team in the second half when we were losing was brilliant and we need to see more of that when we're behind in a game we expect to get a result from.

I've attended quite a few matches in the last few years on mainland Europe and the overwhelming majority of clubs have at least one section of the stadium that are creating an atmosphere for 90 minutes regardless of what's happening on the pitch. We need to prevent the redeveloped VP becoming like Spurs new ground which (as I witnessed first hand on New Year's Day) is a tourist-filled sanitised library and a complete non-entity atmosphere-wise. It's clear that for whatever the reasons that not everyone wants or is able to stand up for 90 minutes at the game etc which is totally understandable and we need to have a stadium that caters for all (more capacity for disabled supporters etc) so this is why a designated or specific section is probably a good idea. 

I think the Brigada group - whilst with some good intentions and displays - got it slightly wrong by being over-political (not saying I agreed or disagreed with any of their politics btw) which no matter your political views will ultimately alienate people from the off, hopefully this new idea can be something that is able to attract Villa fans from any gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion or political position. We're all Villa fans and that's all that matters!

Edited January 12, 2023 by wedge

[S-Platt]

7 minutes ago, wedge said:

I think the Brigada group - whilst with some good intentions and displays - got it slightly wrong by being over-political (not saying I agreed or disagreed with any of their politics btw) which no matter your political views will ultimately alienate people from the off, hopefully this new idea can be something that is able to attract Villa fans from any gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion or political position. We're all Villa fans and that's all that matters!

Amen brother when at the game we are all as one outside life should not come into it.   

That joy of hugging complete strangers when we score you don't get that outside of football.

Any group should be about Villa and Villa only and welcome to all.

[Sulberto21]

We need to make Stand by Me our anthem it’ll be epic. All together now….

”there’s only one aLex Moreno ….”

oh wait wrong one..

[tomsky_11]

15 hours ago, icouldtelltheworld said:

Unfortunately Brigada's explicitly anti-racist stance caused them some issues with the neanderthal element in our support, which is sadly much larger, angrier and more organised than most people probably realise 

Didn't realise that had been an issue. Any idea what actually happened and caused them to seemingly stop overnight?

About the only thing I seem to remember around the time was some issue from the club with them standing in that section, at a time when less of the Lower Holte was standing for 90. Which I think had followed some mixed messages from club about a singing section.

[tomsky_11]

10 minutes ago, S-Platt said:

Amen brother when at the game we are all as one outside life should not come into it.   

That joy of hugging complete strangers when we score you don't get that outside of football.

Any group should be about Villa and Villa only and welcome to all.

Racists and homophobes should not be welcome. The club would agree. A group highlighting anti-racist/homophobic messaging really shouldn't be an issue.