villadude Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 That's not really been true with Villa fans over the years has it. We have had far more chance of beating the likes of Bolton, Reading, Wigan, Fulham, Blackburn, Stoke etc but crowds have been far lower for those games than for the much tougher looking games against the likes of Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs etc. That's the same with any club though, you'll always get a higher turnout when the big clubs full of world class players turn up at your place, it's always been that way at every ground. Also, how many of those extra fans we get in on a big club match day are actually Villa fans? You'll find many of them are away fans that weren't able to get a ticket with their own fans or just general neutral football fans wanting to watch a big team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moose Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I'll still have my season ticket if we go down - and probably go to more away games than I will to this season. I'd reckon we'd get an average of around 25-30k for most games, with a few exceptions like playing some right no-hopers on a Friday night televised match but they'd get compensated by the bluenose derby. I also think we'd see a significant amount of away supporters coming to VP which would boost the number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacbuddies Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 If they dropped the price of the season tickets to reflect the fact that I would be watching an inferior product in an inferior league then I might just go to VP if we get relegated. Not sure I would be too keen to maintain the price I pay now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaForever1970 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I'm hoping it will get rid of the fans obsessed with money and think football doesn't exist outside the premier league. The ONLY positive about going down. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 If they dropped the price of the season tickets to reflect the fact that I would be watching an inferior product in an inferior league then I might just go to VP if we get relegated. im sure plenty would pay the same price for the novelty of the extra 8 games, and actually seeing us win occasionally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 For me, I'd renew my ST. I go down to watch the team whatever happens and a nice incentive is; More games for cheaper. Simple financial logic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I'm hoping it will get rid of the fans obsessed with money and think football doesn't exist outside the premier league. The ONLY positive about going down. Yes, imagine fans wanting their team to stay in the prem. Crazy thinking. We should all wave our free bright future scarf and be happy no matter what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacketspuds Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 If we go down i'm going to support AFC Villa of Aston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacbuddies Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 (edited) im sure plenty would pay the same price for the novelty of the extra 8 games, and actually seeing us win occasionally Where do the extra 8 games come from for season ticket holders? Are there plans to increase the Championship to 28 teams? Edited January 19, 2013 by pacbuddies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danceoftheshamen Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 In all honesty although i know it would damage the club in many ways financially mainly, i do remember the last episode & went home & away to every match practically then. I remember we had an awful start.. loads of poor draws if i remember correctly & everyone was really worried .. but then we started to adjust & get some results. I was hitch hiking to loads of away games back then.. we'd take a tent & make a weekend of it.. watch the game (which were always Saturday afternoons back then) then off out clubbing.. sleep in the tent & hitch hike home on the Sunday!. Great times Remember getting completely soaked at Plymouth then pitching the tent in the middle of a ring road island with a thicket of trees in the middle which gave us a bit of cover lol!.. Eventually got a lift back as far as Bristol off some sympathetic Bristol City fans who had a huge camper van & arrived back sometime Sunday evening lol!...Cost... £0 (apart from admission) But what i think you'd find is it would bring the Villa fans back together again. It had a kind of galvanising effect.. the attendances were around 25,000 but then attendances were generally lower back then anyway due to the Thatcher "bust" years leading into a recession in the early 90's if memory serves. The away support was, as it still is, magnificent... So on that side of it it could be beneficial & good fun in some ways.. great to see some different grounds too & we would be well capable of winning any game home or away too... forgotten what that feels like thats for sure So, for all those who have never experienced such "lows" before.... all would not be lost my fellow Villans. It may just bring the whole club back together again after the fragmenting effect of the last few appalling years. We have a chance to avoid it yet though so fingers crossed but this club can definately come back from that. Never know it might even bring the lion out of it's coma too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 we'd rival leeds in terms of away attendences IMO the championship would be licking their lips at the prospect of our away support, VP numbers however... and to be honest id be typical of that, would try and do as many away games as possible but probably wouldnt get a season ticket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacbuddies Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 But what i think you'd find is it would bring the Villa fans back together again. It had a kind of galvanising effect.. the attendances were around 25,000 but then attendances were generally lower back then anyway due to the Thatcher "bust" years leading into a recession in the early 90's if memory serves. I'm afraid your memory doesn't serve you very well at all. Villa were promoted to the top flight in the late 80's and haven't been relegated since and Margaret Thatcher ended her stint as Prime Minister in 1990. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymond Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I do know my personal support would decrease. It is hard enough to watch Villa games in the states as it is. I can't imagine how difficult it would become if we were in the championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danceoftheshamen Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm afraid your memory doesn't serve you very well at all. Villa were promoted to the top flight in the late 80's and haven't been relegated since and Margaret Thatcher ended her stint as Prime Minister in 1990. ?? So thats as i thought then.. In the late 80's was when we went down (87) which was the tail end or "bust years" as i mentioned of Thatcher, leading to the recession of the early 90's.. At least thats what i meant..Anyhow enough about politicians (even though the Prime Minister is a Villa fan of course) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Attendances were lower in the 80s because of the rampant hooliganism which crippled the game back then too. I wonder what percentage of the crowds back then weren't while males aged between 17 - 25. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova26 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 (edited) Those who don't think it'll reduce are kidding themselves. 25k sounds about right initially. Then if we start losing to the likes of Burnely etc we'll see that dwindle. I think Leeds only got 14k for one of their home games earlier in the season. As predominantly an armchair fan I'd be extra gutted if we go down. Presumably a lot less live matches plus much more difficult to get a stream for our 3pm matches. I want to see us play at the top level and eventually the Champions League, I know that seems a distant dream at the moment. I can't contemplate us in the Championshiit with a load of cloggers. We are too big a club for that league and not one honest person in the country would disagree with me there. Edited January 20, 2013 by supernova26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 To be honest I want villa to stay in prem obviously but this league does my head in at times and I could see more villa fans having more fun in the championship tbf but it ay all about that is it, if prices come down then we would have the highest average attendance guaranteed in that league and only leeds could match us for away followings, be honest with yourself would you rather go to old trafford anfield emirates and the bridge or go barnsley burnley derby etc etc? When we player lower league teams in cup midweek its funny how we always take thousands but struggle to sell out a lot of prem grounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Attendances were lower in the 80s because of the rampant hooliganism which crippled the game back then too. I wonder what percentage of the crowds back then weren't while males aged between 17 - 25. Exactly. Crowds also started to go up in the 90s because of the advent of Sky Sports, the formation of the Premier League, and the injection of massive amounts of money and marketing on the back of that. A key starting point for thinking about this is to remember that football has changed significantly since the 80s and our experience of relegation would be nothing like what it was back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiddybloke Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Oddly i would probably get a season ticket again if we went down (gave it up after 9 years when we appointed McClown). We'd probably win some games at home and it would certainly be an interesting ride, if not a bit demoralising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GonzoAvfc Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I think it would start off ok, then drop a bit, then later in the season we would pick up again if we were doing well in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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