A Footballing Decree Nisi

[Richard]

Does this mean we are about to sell a certain player?

[nevillain]

Oh dear Gary. In that case can we have the money you owe us?

VTID

[PompeyVillan]

Before you go, could you just pop to Sunderlands training ground with your camera for us and let us know whether we're signing Darren Bent.

[Foxy1]

Have to say, seeing some guy abusing Matt Lowton's brother on Twitter at the week-end was a low point.

I come on VT to talk to like minded fans but find a lot of posters very negative and short sighted. It is a cultural sickness that manifests itself particularly in football and online anonymous behaviour.

I still get excited whenever Villa play despite feeling constantly let down when the game actually goes on . 2 wins in all of 2012 is not helping anyone's mood! I think PL will get us moving in the right direction eventually.

[AValon]

Rough with the smooth, Gazton, rough with the smooth. I've heard manure fans having a good old moan on occasion.....and wtf have they got to complain about FFS!!

I'll miss the cat with the headphones on though :cry:

[SeanO]

Things are never a bad as they appear Gazton sounds like you have done too much and need a break, hopefully you will feel different in time.

Until then I hope you enjoy whatever it is that you want to do, oh and thanks for winding up that Baggie clearing in the woods from the Mail.

[Villarocker]

I think we are all suffering from that sense of feeling let down by Lerner. The so-called 5 year plan had us all excited and optimistic that the glory days were on their way back. Now we are all seemingly consuming the prospect of Championship football next season.

I have one man who I personally blame for how I feel about the Villa right now - Phil **** Dowd!! I still believe that, had he done his job correctly and sent off Vidic, we would have won that cup final and been a more attractive proposition to incoming players the following season. I believe Lerner would have been more up for it too, after seeing his money reaping its rewards!

As for now; I am a very depressed fan. Not just of Villa but of football in general. I hate the corruption involved in the sport and all the diving and cheating that goes on. How all the decisions go the way of the so-called big clubs. Watching the Olympics and seeing the ecstasy of all the hard work and months/years of training for that ultimate moment of winning a Gold medal, and seeing two grown men physically and mentally drained and crying live to billion people around the world because they "only" got silver, that made me realise just how much I dislike footballers. It makes me sick when people like Rooney and Gerrard are "not fit" to play for their country on a Wednesday but then suddenly make miraculous recoveries to play for their clubs 3-4 days later.

I love the Villa. I will never stop loving or watching the Villa because they are part of me. They are in my heart and soul. I haven't renewed my season ticket in protest at Lerner for employing that previous manager who shall not be named. That appointment stuck two fingers up to me as a fan. This is my way of saying I won't just be left to feel taken for granted. Having said that, I went to the Everton game because a work colleague couldn't go and he offered me a ticket. I honestly expected to see a bigger crowd there. I guess that there will be a steady decrease in attendance as the season progresses. Well done to Mr Lerner for turning Villa Park into a ghost town!

When the feeling is right I will go back down the Villa but until that feeling returns I will use my money for better purposes. In the meantime, I will go and watch the games in a pub where I can at least sit in comfort and enjoy a decent drink without having to spend a fortune on it!

[birdistheword]

So hypothetically speaking if we were to win the FA cup this season, finish top 4 next season and the league the folliowing season you'd still be out, or would you come running back?

[Villarocker]

So hypothetically speaking if we were to win the FA cup this season, finish top 4 next season and the league the folliowing season you'd still be out, or would you come running back?

I honestly don't know. I might be back in two weeks, who knows? I am pissed off with Lerner for last season's debacle and the fact he didn't give a shit what the fans think. I love the Villa and always will do. I just don't like the owner's recent actions.

[Chindie]

I find these digs at the support rather tiresome.

I can happily admit I don't like an awful lot of our fanbase. But I ignore it. Theres nothing unique about about our fanbase. People are people and I don't like a lot of people. I dare say a lot don't/wouldn't like me. It'd be nice if everyone was sensible and patient and considered, but the world isn't like that. Sticking at it, rising above it, putting up with it, shows good character.

If you feel you can't/shouldn't need to do that... just walk away, without fanfare and denouncement.

[juanpabloangel18]

Thanks for the update. See ya pal.

[jonno_2004]

Through the good and the bad. We do have some reactionary fans with a low IQ but so does every team. Take a step back by all means but I can't ever imagine not thinking at least once on a Saturday what the score is.

[coda]

Only joking! I had similar feelings years ago but they passed. Just needed some perspective that football is a hobby.

[Ironsid]

I don't think you can ever fall out of love with your club. You can become disillusioned, angry at its shortcomings or just plain pissed off at the stupidity of owners and managers but they aren't the club. I think football fans are short term pessimists but long term optimists. We believe, against all evidence, that our club will rise again. I've experienced the lows and the highs but I stay a Villa fan. The glory hunters can switch allegiances at the drop of a hat but the real fans could no more do that than change the colour of their blood.

However, I can see why fans become brassed off at the way football has been corrupted. It started, in my opinion, with the introduction of the premier league. We've got a competition dominated by three clubs and I wouldn't bet my missus's money on any other club winning it in the next ten years.

Then there's the "Champions League". Here's a competition where, if you get knocked out at the group stage, you get parachuted into the Europa League: reward for failure! Don't get me started on the cheating, diving, injury feigning prima donnas who infest the modern game.

Given all that you still can't shake off your loyalty and you keep hoping for better.

U.T.V.!!

[briny_ear]

I can no longer rightly call myself an Aston Villa fan.

I can't imagine ever being able to say that. I've been supporting Villa since I was about 8 or 9. I could have switched when I was 10, maybe 11, but it's in the blood now - it's part of my life, for better or worse (mostly worse it has to be said).

Yes, I think Villa fans have always contained a large negative fringe who get on the team's back too quickly, make unjustified criticisms of players and create a tense and negative atmosphere at Villa Park for the players. But that's just the way it is and always has been.

[TRO]

Just another victim of taking football too seriously.

Just chill out and enjoy it for what it is.

Bloody drama queens

There is an element of truth in that....The frustration can be over whelming. when that happens it is time to take a break.

I'm sure Gazton will be back and I'm sure I will..... but right now we are worse than when I stopped going.

[commander]

I’ve had a long chat with myself recently. I’ve come to the realisation that, having fallen out of love with football a while ago, I can no longer rightly call myself an Aston Villa fan.

I’ve been holding on to this delusion, justifying to myself the time, money and effort I have invested in being a Villa supporter. The tens of thousands of miles driven, the thousands of pounds and the thousands of hours are not easily written off. The effort I put into starting and running a supporters club in this small corner of the country, again not easy to write off.

However, like a marriage that stays in place for the sake of this kids, my marriage to Villa has remained for the sake of my own sanity. For my own sake, I must now declare this marriage over. I’ve reached the tipping point. I’m out.

I don’t get any joy from being a Villa supporter anymore. In days gone by, win lose or draw, I’d have enjoyed the match. Newcastle and Sunderland would be the first 2 away games I’d look for when the fixtures were released. Last season, I didn’t even check to see when those fixtures were on. This season I haven’t bothered either.

What has caused me to finally decide on this sporting emancipation? You probably won’t like the answer. I could go on for hours and pages and days and paragraphs explaining exactly why, but it boils down to this simple statement.

The people.

Footballers, the people who run the game, and the supporters. Each group has their faults and I am powerless to change them. Yet, I am particularly turned off by the attitude and actions of some of the so-called supporters of Aston Villa. If things don’t go their way, the immediate reaction is to lash out and blame individuals. The sporting element is gone. People are immediately branded as poor human beings. This ire isn’t restricted to the players. Men and women who simply do their best at their daily jobs are subjected to some pretty horrific abuse by the nameless and the mindless. Have a read of some of the posts on this website or listen to the talk in the stands at Villa Park and try to tell me that these distasteful actions and words are those of a minority. Where I once enjoyed the tribal element of supporting this football club, I now find that things have irretrievably too far.

So, I’ve taken the decision to divorce myself from AVFC. In all honesty, it’s an easy decision to make. The plaster doesn’t need ripping off – it’s already limp and falling off anyway. What I’m doing now is simply deciding to embrace what should have been obvious to me for some time.

I’m sure I’ll have a mourning period and, like a lonely divorcee, I’ll be tempted to go back during some particularly dark moments. I’ll wean myself off things like Villa Talk and I’ll probably be seen in the Off-Topic sections for a little bit. This will fade away too I’m sure. And if you're muttering to yourself about this being self-indulgent hogwash, good for you.

I’m pretty strong in my resolve and I’m out.

I've never known a more poisonous, unsupportive lot of fans than the 10-15 per-cent of fuckwits who follow our club. I'm not surprised you want out because they are a wearying, energy-sapping bunch. We need positive people with reserves of support and belief to lift the club. I 'd urge you to think again,my friend, and keep the faith. Don't allow negative people to relegate you or our club.

I could not disagree with you more ....I don't think any of our supporters deserve the discription as poisonous. I think Villa Fans are amongst the best in the country.

Some fans manage a better resolve than others, some will put up with most things that hit them others are more discerning and want the top prizes or play top class football. The ones that set their sights high are the most likely to get frustrated first, but Hey arn't they entitled to reach for the stars.

We have experienced in the last few years a catalogue of poor decisions at the club.... some fans handle that better than others, it doesn't make one camp anymore right than the other.

This manager clearly has a bigger job than we all thought , but already some misjudgements have been made because PL intimated that there will be no more signings a few weeks back... with 2 poor performances it looks like we are now desperate for some.

The judgement/Decision making at the club seems to change like the weather.

To start blaming any % of fans is barking up the wrong tree.

as they say don't shoot the messenger.

i can see where you're coming from - but some of those people who were moaning when we were 6th - were right to do so.

Whether you care to admit it or not - The decision to back MON with all that money has destroyed this club.

Do you think when we were 6th and people such as I were moaning and wanting rid of MON were doing it cos we were bored etc? I could see the damage that MON was doing to us - ridiculous completely unsustainable wages to - on the whole - very average players with little re-sale value.

Yes MON and Lerner bought the fun times back to us and the secind half of the second season was a joy to behold - we were punching above our weight and it was great! Then a catalogue of terrible decisions by MON (and lerner for backing him) changed everything. When you saw that our wage bill was growing so high but the squad was only improving very slightly the alarms started to ring.

Why would someone like me complain and moan? Because I love the club and don't us to jeopardise its future. For every Ashley Young, James Milner there were tons of average players who have dragged us down.

It's quite strange to say this - but we as fans should be careful what we wish for.... we all wanted MON (myself included) and ultimately the decision to back him (when it was obvious he was not to be trusted with money) has cost this club far more than a lot of us will ever realise.

I'm still going now and against my better judgement renewed again - but going to Villa park over the past 3 seasons and seeing the ineptitude of players like Collins (40k), Dunne (50k), Warnock (45k) Hutton (50k), NZog (55k) - Carew in his last 2 years, (50k), Ireland (60k) etc then the non players Sidwell (60k), Shorey (35k), Beye (40k), Luke Young (65k), Curtis Davies (30k) then the try hard but still massively overpaid and not worth their wages... Gabby (65k), Bent (80k), Heskey (65k), Given (65k), Cuellar (40k)

and there you have it that much money pissed down the drain for what? Putting up with shit football, finishing 6th, winning nothing and screwing the club financially. We still have fans that criticise Lerner for not investing - when you look at the accounts you'll actually begin to realise that if it wasn't for his massive investments - over the past 3 years particularly - we'd be bankrupt and there probably wouldn't be a football club at all.

It pains me to say it but compare us with west brom - they are currently a club to be proud of - whereas we're a club to be ashamed of. And they've got a better team at the moment

This isn't Lamberts fault - he's just the unlucky one to pick up from the past 5 years of mass mismanagement of the club from top to bottom

[VillaCas]

We still have fans that criticise Lerner for not investing - when you look at the accounts you'll actually begin to realise that if it wasn't for his massive investments - over the past 3 years particularly - we'd be bankrupt and there probably wouldn't be a football club at all.

What utter nonsense!!!!

[TRO]

I’ve had a long chat with myself recently. I’ve come to the realisation that, having fallen out of love with football a while ago, I can no longer rightly call myself an Aston Villa fan.

I’ve been holding on to this delusion, justifying to myself the time, money and effort I have invested in being a Villa supporter. The tens of thousands of miles driven, the thousands of pounds and the thousands of hours are not easily written off. The effort I put into starting and running a supporters club in this small corner of the country, again not easy to write off.

However, like a marriage that stays in place for the sake of this kids, my marriage to Villa has remained for the sake of my own sanity. For my own sake, I must now declare this marriage over. I’ve reached the tipping point. I’m out.

I don’t get any joy from being a Villa supporter anymore. In days gone by, win lose or draw, I’d have enjoyed the match. Newcastle and Sunderland would be the first 2 away games I’d look for when the fixtures were released. Last season, I didn’t even check to see when those fixtures were on. This season I haven’t bothered either.

What has caused me to finally decide on this sporting emancipation? You probably won’t like the answer. I could go on for hours and pages and days and paragraphs explaining exactly why, but it boils down to this simple statement.

The people.

Footballers, the people who run the game, and the supporters. Each group has their faults and I am powerless to change them. Yet, I am particularly turned off by the attitude and actions of some of the so-called supporters of Aston Villa. If things don’t go their way, the immediate reaction is to lash out and blame individuals. The sporting element is gone. People are immediately branded as poor human beings. This ire isn’t restricted to the players. Men and women who simply do their best at their daily jobs are subjected to some pretty horrific abuse by the nameless and the mindless. Have a read of some of the posts on this website or listen to the talk in the stands at Villa Park and try to tell me that these distasteful actions and words are those of a minority. Where I once enjoyed the tribal element of supporting this football club, I now find that things have irretrievably too far.

So, I’ve taken the decision to divorce myself from AVFC. In all honesty, it’s an easy decision to make. The plaster doesn’t need ripping off – it’s already limp and falling off anyway. What I’m doing now is simply deciding to embrace what should have been obvious to me for some time.

I’m sure I’ll have a mourning period and, like a lonely divorcee, I’ll be tempted to go back during some particularly dark moments. I’ll wean myself off things like Villa Talk and I’ll probably be seen in the Off-Topic sections for a little bit. This will fade away too I’m sure. And if you're muttering to yourself about this being self-indulgent hogwash, good for you.

I’m pretty strong in my resolve and I’m out.

I've never known a more poisonous, unsupportive lot of fans than the 10-15 per-cent of fuckwits who follow our club. I'm not surprised you want out because they are a wearying, energy-sapping bunch. We need positive people with reserves of support and belief to lift the club. I 'd urge you to think again,my friend, and keep the faith. Don't allow negative people to relegate you or our club.

I could not disagree with you more ....I don't think any of our supporters deserve the discription as poisonous. I think Villa Fans are amongst the best in the country.

Some fans manage a better resolve than others, some will put up with most things that hit them others are more discerning and want the top prizes or play top class football. The ones that set their sights high are the most likely to get frustrated first, but Hey arn't they entitled to reach for the stars.

We have experienced in the last few years a catalogue of poor decisions at the club.... some fans handle that better than others, it doesn't make one camp anymore right than the other.

This manager clearly has a bigger job than we all thought , but already some misjudgements have been made because PL intimated that there will be no more signings a few weeks back... with 2 poor performances it looks like we are now desperate for some.

The judgement/Decision making at the club seems to change like the weather.

To start blaming any % of fans is barking up the wrong tree.

as they say don't shoot the messenger.

i can see where you're coming from - but some of those people who were moaning when we were 6th - were right to do so.

Whether you care to admit it or not - The decision to back MON with all that money has destroyed this club.

Do you think when we were 6th and people such as I were moaning and wanting rid of MON were doing it cos we were bored etc? I could see the damage that MON was doing to us - ridiculous completely unsustainable wages to - on the whole - very average players with little re-sale value.

Yes MON and Lerner bought the fun times back to us and the secind half of the second season was a joy to behold - we were punching above our weight and it was great! Then a catalogue of terrible decisions by MON (and lerner for backing him) changed everything. When you saw that our wage bill was growing so high but the squad was only improving very slightly the alarms started to ring.

Why would someone like me complain and moan? Because I love the club and don't us to jeopardise its future. For every Ashley Young, James Milner there were tons of average players who have dragged us down.

It's quite strange to say this - but we as fans should be careful what we wish for.... we all wanted MON (myself included) and ultimately the decision to back him (when it was obvious he was not to be trusted with money) has cost this club far more than a lot of us will ever realise.

I'm still going now and against my better judgement renewed again - but going to Villa park over the past 3 seasons and seeing the ineptitude of players like Collins (40k), Dunne (50k), Warnock (45k) Hutton (50k), NZog (55k) - Carew in his last 2 years, (50k), Ireland (60k) etc then the non players Sidwell (60k), Shorey (35k), Beye (40k), Luke Young (65k), Curtis Davies (30k) then the try hard but still massively overpaid and not worth their wages... Gabby (65k), Bent (80k), Heskey (65k), Given (65k), Cuellar (40k)

and there you have it that much money pissed down the drain for what? Putting up with shit football, finishing 6th, winning nothing and screwing the club financially. We still have fans that criticise Lerner for not investing - when you look at the accounts you'll actually begin to realise that if it wasn't for his massive investments - over the past 3 years particularly - we'd be bankrupt and there probably wouldn't be a football club at all.

It pains me to say it but compare us with west brom - they are currently a club to be proud of - whereas we're a club to be ashamed of. And they've got a better team at the moment

This isn't Lamberts fault - he's just the unlucky one to pick up from the past 5 years of mass mismanagement of the club from top to bottom

That second line is the most poignant statement that relates to the main problem we have. Just rememebr though HDE got castigated for interferring.

The reason why Owners /chairman get slaggedoff for interferring is because the fanbase defaults to believing that the manager knows what he's doing ( and i'm talking mainly about transfers)

[switters]

Can't help but think most of this simply comes down to the fact we've been mostly losing for the past 2 years. It might be an indirect effect - supporters are more likely to act like tools when the club is losing and you're more likely to notice the bad elements off the pitch when there's nothing good on the pitch - but it's the losing which is the heart of it. Most football supporters are junkies. We need a sufficient fix of wins (or at least goals) to keep our enthusiasm.

We haven't won two games in a row since May 2011 and even they were bittersweet 'cause they were way too late in a miserable season to mean anything. It's been an utterly depressing time to support Villa, but we will win again...sometime...hopefully!