hogso Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Family is split Villa and Cov (apart from my uncle, he's Wolves, odd bloke), probably 70/30, so it was Villa for me too. Fortunately, I started to get in to football in '96, so that helped too. Thank McGrath I was but a babe when Cov won the FA Cup, or things might have turned out quite differently... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Also it has to be mentioned that Villa have always been a popular club in Ireland. Behind Liverpool & United of course, but I know loads of Irish Villa fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryVernison Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 My first game was a 2-1 home defeat to Rotherham in the old Div 3 in 1971; God knows why that game would get anyone hooked, but from that moment I was addicted. The atmosphere was fantastic (well to my young self). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted June 13, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted June 13, 2013 My first game was a 2-1 home defeat to Rotherham in the old Div 3 in 1971; God knows why that game would get anyone hooked, but from that moment I was addicted. The atmosphere was fantastic (well to my young self). I was at that game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Also it has to be mentioned that Villa have always been a popular club in Ireland. Behind Liverpool & United of course, but I know loads of Irish Villa fans. We've had some fine Irish players down the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackpotForeigner Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Also it has to be mentioned that Villa have always been a popular club in Ireland. Behind Liverpool & United of course, but I know loads of Irish Villa fans. Always liked the Irish. A fine nation full of fine people apart from the Liverpool and United fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I'm from a family of non football fans, no older brothers, dad is a Rugby Union man, Grandad's game was Snooker so I had a bit of freedom with who I chose. As a result my mate's dad used to take me down the Villa when he went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryVernison Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I'm from a family of non football fans, no older brothers, dad is a Rugby Union man, Grandad's game was Snooker so I had a bit of freedom with who I chose. As a result my mate's dad used to take me down the Villa when he went. Same, none of my family we're interested in football. A neighbour who used to get free tickets 'cos he worked for Ellis took me down until I was old enough to go down with mates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayEm Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Both Grandparents grew up within range of the cheers at Villa Park. My Grandmother's house was later demolished to make way for one of the stands. Dad supports Villa, so I always have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwan Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 To be completely honest, I liked playing with them in FIFA. Growing up, it was difficult to watch games over here and so I never really had a team even though I followed it with passing interest. When FIFA started becoming a popular game even over here, I always liked playing with Villa during the early MON days. Since it was becoming easier to watch them online, I started following them and that was all she wrote 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I was born as the third son of three children to a family from Birmingham in Good Hope Hospital and, in my 28 years, have only lived in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham for at most 18 months of them... That being said... Both of my elder brothers are Villa fans, my dad is a Villa fan, my Granddad was a Villa fan, my Great granddad was a Villa fan, all of my extended relatives (on my dads side) are Villa fans... I couldn't and, and in hindsight, wouldn't choose to be anything other than a Villa fan. P.S. I have a soft spot for Arsenal because my granddad on my mums side was an Arsenal fan and a bloody good bloke... but the rest of her extended family support the Blues so, needless to say, I don't talk to them much whatsoever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dAVe80 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 (edited) Also it has to be mentioned that Villa have always been a popular club in Ireland. Behind Liverpool & United of course, but I know loads of Irish Villa fans. Has this got anything to do with the large Irish community in Birmingham? I've got Birmingham based Irish relatives (through marriage), and they're all Villa. I've got some Irish blood in me too, but that's going back 3 or 4 generations. Edited June 13, 2013 by dAVe80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nepal_villan Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Fell in love with the name when playing a football management game called Soccer Boss back in the mid 1980's. That's why I got annoyed when the club removed 'Aston Villa' from the club crest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Also it has to be mentioned that Villa have always been a popular club in Ireland. Behind Liverpool & United of course, but I know loads of Irish Villa fans. Always liked the Irish. A fine nation full of fine people apart from the Liverpool and United fans. What is interesting is I keep meeting people who are 20 or 22 who support Villa. We have won nothing in 17 years yet people still support Villa in Ireland. I'd love to really find the route of the continued link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Also it has to be mentioned that Villa have always been a popular club in Ireland. Behind Liverpool & United of course, but I know loads of Irish Villa fans. Has this got anything to do with the large Irish community in Birmingham? I've got Birmingham based Irish relatives (through marriage), and they're all Villa. I've got some Irish blood in me too, but that's going back 3 or 4 generations. It could be, I stayed with my mates cousins a few times a few years back when we'd go over together for games. I remember we got into the then new Holte Hotel because my mate is from Meath and the doormans mother was from there. Let is straight in. I always thought after Liverpool & Manchester people headed on to Birmingham which were closer stops for emigrating Irish heading over on boats to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skruff Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 (edited) Was playing championship manager many years back, for the first time. Chose a team to play, that team was Aston Villa. Loved the name a colors. Edited June 13, 2013 by Skruff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarpie Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I think I was 12-14 when I saw them playing on telly when finnish tv channel showed Premier league on saturdays in early 90s, I remember falling in love the way Villa played and been fan ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 My cousin was on the youth books during my formative years, so it made sense. Got loads of autographs and gear off him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 My uncle was on the books at Stafford Rangers, if he was playing, we watched them. If he wasn't playing, he took us down to Villa. Standing on that giant single ash terrace of the Holte was life changing. Earliest actual game memory I have is vs Notts Forest, from memory we won and it would have been around '73 I guess. Got hit in the face by a misplaced Ray Graydon shot once, he came over to check I was ok! Others around me went mental at him....but then I was in the away end. We won, but my dad had already explained the rules about cheering the away team when you were in the home end in 1974. It wasn't good etiquette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Grandfather was from Aston and was (and still is) a big Villa fan... obviously my Dad followed and he had trials for Villa in the 60's and was told he was good but not quite good enough. He said the only person taken on that year was Willie Anderson, who had a decent career in the end. Naturally, I followed in the footsteps and wouldn't have it any other way! My first memory of being a Villa fan was from the late 80's... McInally, Daley, Platt... great days! i onluy missed a handful of home games between 90-02 but not so much a regular visitor days. I'll always love Villa but my love of football has waned in recent years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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