Villa Park - Atmosphere [merged]

[nick76]

10 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I love the view where I sit.  It’s something may consider tho. 

Yeah but giving up your season ticket completely is surely worse than just moving seat.  Those people around you who are affecting you enjoyment aren’t moving or going to change so rather than give up your ticket, just move was my point.  Although there are people like that in most areas so if you like your seat and view, I think you are just going to have to deal with it but move if you do want to do something rather than give up completely.

[nick76]

15 hours ago, Keyblade said:

Atmosphere at VP always seems weird compared to other grounds. We need to be like 2/3 up and against some form of rivals for it to truly get rocking. There was that brief period around promotion where it was great, and that's probably because our expectations were low and we've been humbled by our stint in the Championship.

We seem to be back to our stuck up selves. I don't understand it. We've done nothing to deserve it. The last time we were half decent was when we finished 6th a few times in the tail end of the Bush administration. Not a single trophy to show for it either. Our last trophy is pushing 30 right now, and it was the smallest one on offer at that. We seem to be hung up on a trophy that only middle aged people can remember. There's really no reason for us to be this toxic.

I cant agree with almost all of this! Sorry!

[villa4europe]

21 minutes ago, nick76 said:

I cant agree with almost all of this! Sorry!

Nor me, it at least I'm looking at it from a different angle

Despite how the media portray it the atmosphere in most away grounds I've been to is exactly the same, nowhere is rocking

Sky play their part, when I had my ST there were usually at least 4 or 5 games per year that I didn't want to be there, can remember playing man utd at 5.30pm on a Saturday and it being absolutely **** freezing, sure we drew 1-1 but still I wanted to be anywhere but there, Sunday 4pm games are a write off for atmosphere

Do agree that we've gone back to our old selves though, look at the comments of Brentford and Brighton, it's more than simply casting an envious eye it can get close to resentment at times, a stick to beat villa with because we should be above those teams

Edited March 2, 2023 by villa4europe

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 hour ago, nick76 said:

Yeah but giving up your season ticket completely is surely worse than just moving seat.  Those people around you who are affecting you enjoyment aren’t moving or going to change so rather than give up your ticket, just move was my point.  Although there are people like that in most areas so if you like your seat and view, I think you are just going to have to deal with it but move if you do want to do something rather than give up completely.

True. I’m just probably being dramatic! 
 

I might have to tell one or two of them to STFU one day though. Just to get it off my chest.

[sne]

I know I'm just adding to it but how is this thread the highest trending one in on topic at VT? We are fine, everything is fine. Things are looking better than in years and even in on-topic it's fairly balanced.

People getting nervous and fearing the worst in match threads is not the same as Villa having a toxic fan base. All IMO of course.

[Vive_La_Villa]

6 minutes ago, sne said:

I know I'm just adding to it but how is this thread the highest trending one in on topic at VT? We are fine, everything is fine. Things are looking better than in years and even in on-topic it's fairly balanced.

People getting nervous and fearing the worst in match threads is not the same as Villa having a toxic fan base. All IMO of course.

I think it’s more to do with why our away record is so much better than our home. 

[nick76]

7 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

True. I’m just probably being dramatic! 
 

I might have to tell one or two of them to STFU one day though. Just to get it off my chest.

You should, what’s the worse that could happen. I think I’m more confrontational in matters like this than most, when people are chatting in movies I tell them to STFU or just generally when I think people are being out of line I tell them to pull their head in.  I don’t mind people pulling me up when I’m out of line because sometimes you don’t realise it yourself.  Worst case scenario they carry on exactly the same.  If it was me, as they are also regular season ticket holders, I’d wait until a less tense time and go and talk to them either generally or about this issue.  It’s amazing how good can come from chats and if they are dicks then you know they will continue to be dicks.

[sne]

3 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I think it’s more to do with why our away record is so much better than our home. 

Ah OK, over how long a period?

This season we are averaging 1.42 ppg a t home and 1.17 ppg away.

[Vive_La_Villa]

Just now, sne said:

Ah OK, over how long a period?

This season we are averaging 1.42 ppg a t home and 1.17 ppg away.

Since Emery took over  

[nick76]

4 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I think it’s more to do with why our away record is so much better than our home. 

I think thats more due to our style of play that is better suited to away games than home games than the fans influence mostly.

[sne]

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

Since Emery took over  

Clearly the fans hate Emery. Bring back Gerrard 

[HalfTimePost]

I do think there are some issues. VP is quiet, and even when there is a co-ordinated effort at the start of games, immediately after HT is awful. Hopefully improved food and drink tech helps speed it up and get people out on the terraces quicker.

But there is an attitude issue. The team have been booed 2 or 3 times since Emery came in. Performances haven't been great, but there are flashes of exciting things, some nice new signings and we were something like 4th in the Form Table when we were booing the team at HT.

Villa just isn't a happy place and it shows in our Home form compared to Away. I really believe that there's no coincidence our best season and performances came when Fans were away, Matt Targett was suddenly our player of the year FFS. The second fans were back he was hauled off at HT cause Watford had ruined him in 45 mins.

[nick76]

3 minutes ago, HalfTimePost said:

when we were booing the team at HT.

It was a brief boo for just conceding two quick stupid goals just minutes before from memory.  I think while not great you can certainly understand the in the moment emotional reaction.

[turvontour]

9 minutes ago, HalfTimePost said:

I do think there are some issues. VP is quiet, and even when there is a co-ordinated effort at the start of games, immediately after HT is awful. Hopefully improved food and drink tech helps speed it up and get people out on the terraces quicker.

But there is an attitude issue. The team have been booed 2 or 3 times since Emery came in. Performances haven't been great, but there are flashes of exciting things, some nice new signings and we were something like 4th in the Form Table when we were booing the team at HT.

Villa just isn't a happy place and it shows in our Home form compared to Away. I really believe that there's no coincidence our best season and performances came when Fans were away, Matt Targett was suddenly our player of the year FFS. The second fans were back he was hauled off at HT cause Watford had ruined him in 45 mins.

I think it's more society than anything, we expect instant results nowadays and fail to see the bigger picture.

[Vive_La_Villa]

35 minutes ago, nick76 said:

I think thats more due to our style of play that is better suited to away games than home games than the fans influence mostly.

True but they were trying the passing out from the back against Everton too but without the constant moans from the crowd. Although they still nearly got caught a few times tbf.

[blandy]

15 hours ago, TRO said:

Tolerance does seem to be in short supply.

I think that’s the case pretty much everywhere. Maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago there were some games on the telly, all in the same week. Spurs at home to someone, Sunderland ditto and Sheffield Utd also. At each of them the talking heads remarked about the fans here can be quite demanding, or they can be quick to let you know if…etc. or they can turn if…

The only places it doesn’t happen are at clubs where there’s been recent strong form/success, and obviously those change over time. At those places, the fans are unsurprisingly happy and buoyant and more forgiving because they believe, from recent evidence, that their team will prevail in the end.

You also get the version where supporters at clubs with really good years in a row, where the fans are sort of sat there waiting for their side to go ahead, just silently expectant. See Guardiola’s comments about Man City’s fans, Roy Keane’s prawn sandwich comments about Old Trafford a while back… the Library at Highbury when Wenger was there, for a while.

If there’s a connection between the team and the fans either because of good play, or because of shared adversity then all’s good. If there’s not, then you start to notice the groans and stuff. Same everywhere.

[TRO]

10 minutes ago, blandy said:

I think that’s the case pretty much everywhere. Maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago there were some games on the telly, all in the same week. Spurs at home to someone, Sunderland ditto and Sheffield Utd also. At each of them the talking heads remarked about the fans here can be quite demanding, or they can be quick to let you know if…etc. or they can turn if…

The only places it doesn’t happen are at clubs where there’s been recent strong form/success, and obviously those change over time. At those places, the fans are unsurprisingly happy and buoyant and more forgiving because they believe, from recent evidence, that their team will prevail in the end.

You also get the version where supporters at clubs with really good years in a row, where the fans are sort of sat there waiting for their side to go ahead, just silently expectant. See Guardiola’s comments about Man City’s fans, Roy Keane’s prawn sandwich comments about Old Trafford a while back… the Library at Highbury when Wenger was there, for a while.

If there’s a connection between the team and the fans either because of good play, or because of shared adversity then all’s good. If there’s not, then you start to notice the groans and stuff. Same everywhere.

I agree.

[TRO]

38 minutes ago, turvontour said:

I think it's more society than anything, we expect instant results nowadays and fail to see the bigger picture.

I think it is society....but their is a lack of belief at Villa Park, from both fans and team.

There is an anxiousness in the crowd, it has to some degree, the way we play...not the system, or the tactics, the way the players perform.....losing the ball too often, too easily, creates anxiety in the crowd....the belief drains away.

However, I do accept its the big picture too.

When you glean through our Home wins over previous seasons in the top flight, you have to go back to 2007 for double digits....only in the Championship have we exceeded that.

The crowd over the last 10 years, have been starved of wins at Home, is it any wonder, the atmosphere has taken a bashing.....These younger fans have been brought up on mediocrity, only the historians amongst them, will know, we was much better 30 years or so ago.

We need to cut them a bit of slack.

[osmark86]

I sometimes wish our crowd would sing a bit more even when the chips are down and not boo our own players. But not sure that our fans are more toxic than fans of other clubs in the PL on average.

[TRO]

1 minute ago, osmark86 said:

I sometimes wish our crowd would sing a bit more even when the chips are down and not boo our own players. But not sure that our fans are more toxic than fans of other clubs in the PL on average.

I totally abhor the booing, or the abusive exclamations towards individual players, but thats just me.....having been close in the past to some of our players, my experience tells me they do on the whole try hard...its just that form, can distort things, and they do lose form and when they do, it paints a different picture of them......inconsistency is also a form of this, it seperates the good players from the not so good......and inconsistency is an achilles of ours.

I do agree, with getting behind the team, but in some instances, it has been very testing.

I think with Unai, declaring his observations of the Home Form, he will work on it.