flamingsombrero Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 Its getting worse and worse not sure thats possible much anymore. At least you are self aware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted January 25, 2013 Share Posted January 25, 2013 No matter if you go to every game or not no one is any more of a supporter than the other I couldn't disagree more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackAVFC1993 Posted January 25, 2013 Author Share Posted January 25, 2013 I couldn't disagree more. How so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 I know its a nice correct thing to say on a messageboard but i just don't think all supporters are the same simply because they say they support aston villa. I know villa fans who never go to games, sometimes watch us on tv and aren't all that bothered if we win or lose. I'm not the same as them just because we both call ourselves villa fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted January 26, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted January 26, 2013 (edited) I know its a nice correct thing to say on a messageboard but i just don't think all supporters are the same simply because they say they support aston villa. I know villa fans who never go to games, sometimes watch us on tv and aren't all that bothered if we win or lose. I'm not the same as them just because we both call ourselves villa fans. I agree. Whilst there is a rule on this forum where you cant speak about "better fans" etc, I think most people do realise that there are so called "better" fans than others. I will not state who those people are as it's against the rules. But I will say that people who can afford to support the club but choose to "boycott" it purely because of results are certainly not the better fans. There are plenty of reasons to stop supporting your club, but because your club aren't winning football matches isn't one of them. That's not being a supporter. You should just go support Man UTD if you have that mentality. Edited January 26, 2013 by PieFacE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 No chance of a Boycott, Its gonna get tasty Tuesday night though. I go to games too. Don't blame it all on the players, check out the absent landlord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b6bloke Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Even if we go down i'll still get a season ticket. We might win some more games at Villa park + we get to go to new grounds I enjoy away games. I said this last year but the problem now is that we are not good enough for the Championship, we are in "drop like a rock" mode. Anybody who really thinks that we are gods enough for the championship has claret and blue specs on. The Bolton and wolves fans will tell you that it's not easy! I have fell out of l ove with the game, not villa, it's gone and I'm gutted as been through bad times and never felt like this. It's the first year I dint renew since 88. I will go to Everton Saturday but have no expectations of winning, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 Informal Fan Meeting to discuss current plight to be held in Barton's Arms before Newcastle game on Tue. See villatrust website for details Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PussEKatt Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 There is another angle on this good fan/bad fan thing. There are 2 sides to bieng a Villa fan.First of all there is what the fan puts in,time,money,emotion etc.Then there is what the club put in.You would expect the minimum from the club to be.A team that tries to win ( especially at home ) a manager that gives the impression that he is concerned to be in the position we are in.An owner that has the brain to see that drastic cost cutting is definately not working. As for me personally ? I live in Australia so watching Villa if we go down is not a decision I have to make because we don't get championship matches here.As far as being a Villa supporter goes, I will support/follow Villa till the day I die, even if all I can do is look up their results and league position on the net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danwichmann Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I remember reading a post on here years ago, in our upper mid-table days, stating confidently that although our attendances were low then, should we ever be either challenging further up the table, or really struggling near the bottom, the ground would be full and loud week in week out. Football has changed since then, and I'm certainly not criticizing anyone for not going as I really go these days, but interesting to see that prediction clearly not going as expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I know its a nice correct thing to say on a messageboard but i just don't think all supporters are the same simply because they say they support aston villa. I know villa fans who never go to games, sometimes watch us on tv and aren't all that bothered if we win or lose. I'm not the same as them just because we both call ourselves villa fans. I have to agree with you, there is such thing as a 'good/bad' fan and it certainly is possible to earn 'stripes' over time through seasons tickets, away games etc... Some people are just hardcore, they are there pretty much every home and away game, many of them don't actually live in Birmingham. For years I sat next to a fellow season ticket holder who lives in Nice! Yet still made the trip to Birmingham for every home game. These people deserve the utmost respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 There are people who will call themselves fans, but won't be able to point out on a map where the club is located (not necessarily talking about Villa here, just in general). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagicMushroom Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) Lose to Newcastle, and you will think there is a boycott. I think people will just vote with thier feet. Its hard to pay and watch something you love being destroyed in front of your eyes. I admire those who have the strength and faith to do that, but im at my end with it. Will still go away, but Villa Park is starting to hurt big time. Edited January 28, 2013 by MagicMushroom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvfcRigo82 Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 It's an interesting quandary that isn't it... On the one hand there is the 'blind love' support where people will continue to pump 450+ quid for a season ticket come what may and who may or may not have anything other than football in their life - they will always be part of the furniture. On the other hand, this is the 21st Century, football competes with a lot more leisure pursuit finances than 40 years ago (my perception anyway) - which makes us customers and consumers. I've had a spiralling downward and receding interest in football generally since the 2010 World Cup and find it harder and harder to motivate myself to exercise my season ticket spending each year - more and more I become disappointed with a feeling that I am not getting value for money, and certainly not enjoying it. I've been a Villa fan as long as I remember, and I have experienced great joy, and the horrors of relegation - but it never felt quite like it does now... I have never felt so humiliated to be associated with the Club - never felt such a prolonged and consistent misery, even back in 86-87. Never been as bad as this. I believe there is serious damage being done to the 'fathful' by all this, and I understand fully why people may throw in the towel. Quite simply, it ain't cheap. And football competes with so many other things now. We're having the stuffing knocked out of us. I don't want to feel miserable week in week out - had enough of that last season, and I threw in the towel and boycotted after the Swansea capitulation through to McLeish's sacking, renewing my ticket as soon as he left the club. I've tried it again this season, and after another 450+ quid and a steady stream of humiliations and humblings, find myself quesitioning why I go... Why do I spend so much money on something that makes me miserable? So, since Eck was appointed, that the best part of 900 quid down the drain on feeling like shite... For that kind of money, a customer should experience some sort of entertainment. There are no guaratees in football, I know that. The win rate at Villa Park however over the last 24 months has been ridiculous... and how many games have been truly enjoyable? I'd be struggling to name 5 if the truth be known. And in that 5, I would put the 3-2 defeat to United in there as 'enjoyable' as it was an entertaining game, even if the final result was predictable and frustrating. Everyone is different - but your point is correct, will they come back? My decline has been since the World Cup, so it's not just Villa - it's football as a whole. I used to watch ANY football that was shown on the tele - I was mad for it. I just can't be arsed with it any more... No interest even in the Champions League unless there's a British team in the final these days. I certainly can't be bothered with England friendlies and qualifying games... Same old, every time with them. I'm a family man and I have other hobbies/interests to fork out for. Stuff that generally makes me happy. Even if we stay up, I can't see me renewing next time - it's too much of a financial risk for so much money on something likely to make me so mad. Something that makes me punch walls... verbally abuse match officials... It's not a nice state to be in... And it happens so much more frequently these days... I'd rather go on a cruise or something. I really would be freeing myself of the habit of just turning up... And further, I might even find that I don't miss it... I didn't miss it one bit from Swansea at home to Norwich away last season. I felt relieved actually. Sure, I'll always be a Villa fan - but I would have freed myself from the whole match day grind and my daughter (bless her) would get extra time from me at home. Stuff that's important... I might buy a shirt, I might not. I have said it before in another thread - the Club does **** all for me and wouldn't do jack shit if I was destitute outside New Street Station wearing my Villa shirt. Just like I am a consumer, Villa are a business and seek any which way to get money out of me - even sending me an email after the Bradford 2nd leg thanking me for my support on one hand, then asking for money on the other by reminding just how many more key home games there are to go in this season. Well Villa - you've already had my money, so tough tits. I don't think I'd be back to be fair... But I certainly wouldn't look down my nose at anyone that did... You pay your money, go when you want, stay away when you want. Live your own life as you're a long time dead - certainly life is too short to be miserable every week in the wind, rain and cold watching the club die on it's arse. Totally agree with you on this and sums my feelings up for quite some time about the game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Me burns Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 It's nice to see that from such a puerile starting thread, (Calling him 'Shitbert', you have to smile at the childishness of it all, I'm forty and am still laughing), you get posts that wouldn't look out of place in a broadsheet newspaper. Go to the top of the class Raver, great observations, well written and all bang on with my feelings about the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaGoMarching Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I know its a nice correct thing to say on a messageboard but i just don't think all supporters are the same simply because they say they support aston villa. I know villa fans who never go to games, sometimes watch us on tv and aren't all that bothered if we win or lose. I'm not the same as them just because we both call ourselves villa fans. Tbh John, I agree completely. I'm not into pissing contests but you can't half tell when you meet a casual Villa fan. I think we truly have a 'die hard' fan base of around roughly 25k we will see our attendances go up and down depending on how the team performs but rarely drops bellow 25k. My main concern is if we currently keep performing badly, then our fan base will only decline due to people becoming to old to visit VP and we fail to attract new generations of Villa fans. For what it's worth though, I never think a boycott is an option as a fan, simply killing our club IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted February 18, 2013 Moderator Share Posted February 18, 2013 The "Boycott" thing, as a collective action, organised and so on, is and always has been a non-starter. On the other hand, it's a fact of life for clubs that if they are run badly, perform badly over time, or for want of a better phrase demand too much from fans (time, money, etc) compared to the football on offer, then individuals will drift or stay away. Ravers post (and a number of the others) are crackers. The game in England is living on another planet to most people, and has been moving further away from people for a good while now. It's changed from what it was, and many older fans in particular preferred it as it was, in many respects. Younger fans and less well off fans are struggling to find the money, or justify it. It's not the people's game, any more, it's a game that seems to be run for the benefit of a small number of already rich folk - players, agents, owners, managers and so on, and for the Satellite TV. Most of that is not specific or unique to Villa, it's just the game in general, at spectator and professional level. None of the clubs seem able or willing to think differently - they all seem to want to follow the same model, not wanting to try and break the stranglehold of corporate greed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 Just wondering, if miracles happened and Lambert got us in contention for european places in, say 3 years, would you still be boycotting the club then? It's an interesting quandary that isn't it... On the one hand there is the 'blind love' support where people will continue to pump 450+ quid for a season ticket come what may and who may or may not have anything other than football in their life - they will always be part of the furniture. On the other hand, this is the 21st Century, football competes with a lot more leisure pursuit finances than 40 years ago (my perception anyway) - which makes us customers and consumers. I've had a spiralling downward and receding interest in football generally since the 2010 World Cup and find it harder and harder to motivate myself to exercise my season ticket spending each year - more and more I become disappointed with a feeling that I am not getting value for money, and certainly not enjoying it. I've been a Villa fan as long as I remember, and I have experienced great joy, and the horrors of relegation - but it never felt quite like it does now... I have never felt so humiliated to be associated with the Club - never felt such a prolonged and consistent misery, even back in 86-87. Never been as bad as this. I believe there is serious damage being done to the 'fathful' by all this, and I understand fully why people may throw in the towel. Quite simply, it ain't cheap. And football competes with so many other things now. We're having the stuffing knocked out of us. I don't want to feel miserable week in week out - had enough of that last season, and I threw in the towel and boycotted after the Swansea capitulation through to McLeish's sacking, renewing my ticket as soon as he left the club. I've tried it again this season, and after another 450+ quid and a steady stream of humiliations and humblings, find myself quesitioning why I go... Why do I spend so much money on something that makes me miserable? So, since Eck was appointed, that the best part of 900 quid down the drain on feeling like shite... For that kind of money, a customer should experience some sort of entertainment. There are no guaratees in football, I know that. The win rate at Villa Park however over the last 24 months has been ridiculous... and how many games have been truly enjoyable? I'd be struggling to name 5 if the truth be known. And in that 5, I would put the 3-2 defeat to United in there as 'enjoyable' as it was an entertaining game, even if the final result was predictable and frustrating. Everyone is different - but your point is correct, will they come back? My decline has been since the World Cup, so it's not just Villa - it's football as a whole. I used to watch ANY football that was shown on the tele - I was mad for it. I just can't be arsed with it any more... No interest even in the Champions League unless there's a British team in the final these days. I certainly can't be bothered with England friendlies and qualifying games... Same old, every time with them. I'm a family man and I have other hobbies/interests to fork out for. Stuff that generally makes me happy. Even if we stay up, I can't see me renewing next time - it's too much of a financial risk for so much money on something likely to make me so mad. Something that makes me punch walls... verbally abuse match officials... It's not a nice state to be in... And it happens so much more frequently these days... I'd rather go on a cruise or something. I really would be freeing myself of the habit of just turning up... And further, I might even find that I don't miss it... I didn't miss it one bit from Swansea at home to Norwich away last season. I felt relieved actually. Sure, I'll always be a Villa fan - but I would have freed myself from the whole match day grind and my daughter (bless her) would get extra time from me at home. Stuff that's important... I might buy a shirt, I might not. I have said it before in another thread - the Club does **** all for me and wouldn't do jack shit if I was destitute outside New Street Station wearing my Villa shirt. Just like I am a consumer, Villa are a business and seek any which way to get money out of me - even sending me an email after the Bradford 2nd leg thanking me for my support on one hand, then asking for money on the other by reminding just how many more key home games there are to go in this season. Well Villa - you've already had my money, so tough tits. I don't think I'd be back to be fair... But I certainly wouldn't look down my nose at anyone that did... You pay your money, go when you want, stay away when you want. Live your own life as you're a long time dead - certainly life is too short to be miserable every week in the wind, rain and cold watching the club die on it's arse. One of the most apt posts I have read on here and one i can relate to. I too have had time out c 4 years and finally renewed after the Liverpool game....I genuinely thought we were on our way back, more fool me. I must admit though I have come back more mellowed and try to enjoy the day rather than just the match. Trophies have always been at the back of mind as opposed to the quality of play being at the front. I always believe get the team playing consistently well and the trophies will follow.... as opposed to winning a few games by smash and grab and parking the bus and win a cup, that is not sustainable or believeable to me. I never listen to Villa fans telling me things are good/great because there is always a sense that they don't want their "chips pissed on" I know when we are doing well ( apart the obvious like watching the game) is when the begrudging opposition fans tell you. The thing that still troubles me is the way the club seem to accept mediocrity.... I emphasise the word seem, because that may not be true, they may be just blunt & lacking savvie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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