Is it really five years....

[LancsVillan]

since the messageboard on here was reset.

Over the coming days the mods will be posting an article or two about those five years and the goings on at Villa Park.

So back on the Peter Bosworth created VT, we were a day away from beating the dingles 3-2 with a brace from JPA and another from GB. Gb interestingly is the only player still at the club.

So a quick look back at the Front Page and messageboards articles indicate that the board was fully in support of VFC with a good number of members very active in the workings of it. Not a great time to be a fan but certainly the start of a certain Randolh Lerner led revolution.

Jack Petchey, Howard Hodgson, that 'lifelong Villa fan' all fell by the wayside over the years for one reason or another only for Randy to show them that if you want something stronly enough you will see past it's current owned and win out in the end.

At the time we were looking likely to be in a relegation battle, with an FP piece by Afros indicating the games of those also involved. Yet in February we had not a single vote for relegation and we had steered ourselves safely into midtable and then into the realms of possible European qualification outright only to blow it on the last day with a defeat to - yes you've guessed it ManU.

A quick look back at the match reports and the like from that time shows how quickly the game moves on as there is no game this season against - Chorlton, Soton, Leicester, Leeds, Wolves or that shower down the road. With other mentions too to teams who have been in the Premier League and out again within that time - Reading, Palace, Norwich, Sheef Utd, Derby and Watford making it quite a significant turnover of teams.

The last five years are to me like the roller coaster that is supporting Villa, we've had highs. League Cup Semi-final, we've had lows the 2005-06 season and the palpable relief when Marcus Allback scored that goal against Sunderland. The 3-1 and 5-1 beatings of that lot have to stick out in the memory. Moreso the first one for me with the whole ground singing 'We'll meet again' being the best thing I'd seen the fans do at a match for years and not bettered since.

Off the pitch we've seen changes that at every turn have instilled a pride in my club that I never thought possible. From the constant charity efforts from fans, on here and other sites, to the link up with Acorns we're doing our bit to help those who need help.

To the board and the links to it, I don't know of another board in the country that is so open to it's fans - do you?

From The General's thread through to the SCGs we are now openly viewed as being part of the club and not the great nwashed we were once viewed as.

So in closing I'll say that the last five years has certainly been one of change on VT and VP things are on the up and long may they continue.

Once more I'll add my thanks to Pete for the original idea of VT, after the split from FTT; to JC for picking up the baton and asking for my assistance and obviously to Simon for making sure it all runs so smoothly.

Thanks

UTV

Allan

[blandy]

It's always worth stopping and taking a look round, particularly so in something as short term in outlook as football fan-dom. By doing so you are able hopefully to see where you've come from, where you're headed and to remember the things you got right and those you got wrong.

It's a nice article.

Of course a span of time covering the end of one era and the start of the next is always going to be particularly stark in picking out changes.

For me, going to the games is more enjoyable - certainly the games themselves are. And despite the sometimes heated discussions that happen on VT, there are some great posts written and new insight and information gained.

Throughout the 5 years the thing that's changed the best is an intangible - Hope - back then it was hope that, "please, someone, make him see he needs to go for the club to live again". Now the hope is all about the football itself, and that's just so much healthier.

The thing I'd like to see a little more of on the messageboard is humility. By that I mean that I would hate to become like (some of) the fans of the current Sky 4 - arrogant, certain that because they follow a successful side they themselves are somehow better than other people. I mean that maybe people could sometimes be a tad more accepting of other viewpoints, or opinions.

We've got humility, intelligence and ambition from the owner, his board, the manager and staff.

They've also got a fine perspective on things, and if, as supporters, we follow their lead we'll be upholding a fine tradition going right back to the origins of our proud again club.

I look forward to reading whatever you fish out from the inky depths.

[PB]

Thanks for that Al, brought back some nice memories - for example of the temporary board we had set up while this site was just FP articles where about 20 of us stopped in regularly - I seem to remember us winning an award?

Wanted to add my thanks to JC, Simon and everyone that makes a meaningful contribution to keeping this thing on the road. Sadly I dont have the time really to join in (or even read) the messageboard debates, but i'm sure they're as heated as ever:-)

Things now are probably at the best they have been for 10 years, since the latter part of Little's reign and the start of Gregory's, and its nice to have some hope back around the place. Here's to similar advances over the next few years