Where does the phrase Up the Villa originate

[colhint]

I don't know this. I've travelled a fair bit so in different parts of the country and in a few other countries, when they know who I support, 

I'm often greeted with up the Villa. There's an Everton fan at our place who does it everyday. 

I can't think of another team with a similar phrase. Just wondering where it came from

 

[mjmooney]

4 minutes ago, colhint said:

I don't know this. I've travelled a fair bit so in different parts of the country and in a few other countries, when they know who I support, 

I'm often greeted with up the Villa. There's an Everton fan at our place who does it everyday. 

I can't think of another team with a similar phrase. Just wondering where it came from

 

It's a bit dated now, particularly since the American/international usage of 'up the...' tends to be rather derisive. 

But it's not just us. Back in the day, every football fan said it - 'Up the Reds', 'Up the Rovers', etc. 

Best one of course would be Arsenal... 

 

[colhint]

Had to read that twice before I got it.

But are we the only ones to still use it

 

 

[villa4europe]

Its definitley not just us, a lot of teams use it, I'm close to thinking most teams use it

Would guess that it could originate from several things but the obvious one seems the want for villa to do well and be higher in the table, you don't move forward in football you move up

Would be interested in what I do think is a bit more local -

"where you doing this weekend?"

"I'm going up the villa"

But that's not where it originated from

 

[villaajax]

A friend at my previous job would say "Up The Spurs" instead of 'bye'

[turvontour]

35 minutes ago, colhint said:

I don't know this. I've travelled a fair bit so in different parts of the country and in a few other countries, when they know who I support, 

I'm often greeted with up the Villa. There's an Everton fan at our place who does it everyday. 

I can't think of another team with a similar phrase. Just wondering where it came from

 

You're right in that other fans of teams associate it with us because I've had work colleagues and family members say it regularly to me. 

[NeilS]

37 minutes ago, colhint said:

Had to read that twice before I got it.

But are we the only ones to still use it

 

 

I think I have seen Burnley fans say up the clarets.

[The Moustache of Teale]

@rjw63 is often heard to be saying “up the wrong ‘un”.

[TheStagMan]

1 hour ago, villaajax said:

A friend at my previous job would say "Up The Spurs" instead of 'bye'

Well, mental health care is somewhat lacking nowadays.

[Marka Ragnos]

2 hours ago, colhint said:

I don't know this. I've travelled a fair bit so in different parts of the country and in a few other countries, when they know who I support, 

I'm often greeted with up the Villa. There's an Everton fan at our place who does it everyday. 

I can't think of another team with a similar phrase. Just wondering where it came from

 

My guess would be origins 1920 to 1930 and as @mjmooney says many back in the day variations. A cursory check on Google Books shows a reference to "Up The Spurs" in a 1934 edition of the Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic News -- and what a name for a paper!:
 

Quote

"Among other Cup - tie matches , Tottenham Hotspur beat West Ham United by four ... UP THE SPURS . " A Tottenham Hotspur mascot the F.A. Cup tie White Hart Lane FLAG HAVE ventured to head these impressions 6c Five Men. February."

But I think there was an Up The Rovers that's from 1927, too, though I've lost it now. I see a 1969 reference to Up the Villa, too, but there are surely earlier ones.

"Up the Villa" sounds definitively English to my American ears. The "up yours" slang seems to be fading here, but Up the Villa just sounds kind of cool and weird and English to me because of the strange way it uses "up" as an imperative verb (depending on how you read it). Never heard such a usage in America.

Ultimately, I think you'd have to research the use of "Up" as an imperative to get to the bottom of the story. My guess is that goes back a few centuries, long before the FA, but probably got imported into a sport context when clubs sports took off? Pure speculation on my part.

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Marka Ragnos

[StewieGriffin]

2 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Best one of course would be Arsenal... 

 

Up the Gooners??

[Captain_Townsend]

Very common in Ireland, in GAA circles. "Up the Dubs", "Up the Rossies", "Up Tipp" etc. 

[rjw63]

Iron Maiden fans are always saying “up the Irons” whether they are kit stealing scum or not.

[John]

I think it may have come from an earlier shout of "Play up the Villa", I remember an old Villa supporter from Erdington (known as H) who used to shout that out in the early 70s from the foot of the Holte End. It sounded like a blast from the 20s or 30s, or from even earlier back then. 

[catanzaro]

Yes I thought it came from the ‘play up the Villa’

[fightoffyour]

I’m a bit disappointed to learn this isn’t a uniquely Villa thing. But anyway I did shout “up the Villa!” at everyone wearing a Villa shirt at glastonbury and it turns out one of them was @Milfner

Edited June 30, 2023 by fightoffyour

[markc]

3 hours ago, StewieGriffin said:

5 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Best one of course would be Arsenal... 

 

Up the Gooners??

No, I think it's just a shortened use of the name arsenal.

Up the enal.

[Villatillidie95]

Said it to a few people in majorca when half cut, there were a lot of shirts there tbf!

[Adam2003]

Everton fans say Up the Toffees, Tottenham say Up the Spurs (though increasingly now it’s Come On You Spurs), Chelsea and City say Up the Blues - I think it’s relatively common still.

[HalfTimePost]

"Come on you Spurs/Irons/Whites/Blues/Reds" is definitely more popularly used than "Up the" nowadays though. I'd say the next generation will wind up using "Lets go..." too

Some may say it, but it's not a part of their identity any more in the way UTV is still part of ours. You wouldn't see Spurs, West Ham etc using it on social media in the way UTV is.

Except of course Up The 'Tics