Looking at Villa's problem with coming to terms with what they are now made me think of the crap eras supporting Albion. I think going back 50 or so years in enough for most.
I imagine, just before my time, the Don Howe era on the back of the great end to the 60s must have been hard. That 72-75 was a bit miserable until Giles came.
Of course we then saw several very good years, the 82-85 era was a bit meh after the team that had gone before, but nothing could prepare us for the huge dark era 86-02, in which the only light was Ardiles briefly.
Since then we had the 02-10 Yoyo era and the 10-18, albeit the Pulis era needs its own chapter possibly.
Villa have seen a horrible era 67-75 but that was kind of almost forgotten about as they had 40 years of being at the very least a Prem side, with some cups.
It appears that the cycle of crapness has properly landed there now. 13th in the first season back, a failed play-offs and now a mid table finish likely. I'm sure the brighter of them are looking at those 60s era now and seeing the parallels.
89 was a false dawn too, we went top with a 4-0 over Shrewsbury. That was my first season of going to games. If I would have known it would be over a decade before I saw any real success would I have still bothered??
(02-18-2019, 03:45 PM)Morley Wrote: [ -> ]89 was a false dawn too, we went top with a 4-0 over Shrewsbury. That was my first season of going to games. If I would have known it would be over a decade before I saw any real success would I have still bothered??
There were micro-eras in the bad dark years and 88/89 did look so promising, but we tailed off. I went to loads of games that year and the 4-0 v Shrewsbury was one of them. We just slid away badly those last few weeks, when it had looked so good for so long. Talbot just couldn't build on it at all.
There was also the tiny glimmer of hope under Harford, about 1998. Again, that soon disappeared as he headed off to QPR.
My first game I was taken to and the day I fell in love with the club was the 68 final ( nothing like starting at the top ), by the time we were relegated in 73, I was 14 and understood the misery, but in those times I always thought we would be back. The following few years as we all know were fantastic and in 1980, I left for Cornwall and also got my first season ticket. 86/02 were indeed dark years and I honestly never thought I would see top flight football again, but I was always just happy to follow my team with no expectations. In recent times I enjoyed the yoyo years far more than the Eight in the prem, but I think that's more to do with football than the club. In the 50 years of following us, I have never felt entitled like a lot of clubs fans seems to and I just dread the day that I am unable to travel up to watch us.
(02-18-2019, 04:21 PM)cornishbaggie Wrote: [ -> ]My first game I was taken to and the day I fell in love with the club was the 68 final ( nothing like starting at the top ), by the time we were relegated in 73, I was 14 and understood the misery, but in those times I always thought we would be back. The following few years as we all know were fantastic and in 1980, I left for Cornwall and also got my first season ticket. 86/02 were indeed dark years and I honestly never thought I would see top flight football again, but I was always just happy to follow my team with no expectations. In recent times I enjoyed the yoyo years far more than the Eight in the prem, but I think that's more to do with football than the club. In the 50 years of following us, I have never felt entitled like a lot of clubs fans seems to and I just dread the day that I am unable to travel up to watch us.
I admire your commitment mate.
The club's lucky to have fans with such determination to turn up with journeys like yours to contend with.
I enjoyed the spell under Talbot a lot for that season. In those days I'd drive up and park my Maestro and then meet a couple of mates in the Woodman pub for a pre-match Highgate Mild. Gates were only about 12,000 then so it felt very different to now, as football was dying on its feet.
Think the recent years in the Prem under Pulis the most soulless time I can recall. I honestly think relegation was a price worth paying.
Some great posts here. I started sometime late 60's as a kid. We seemed to score 6 goals every time I went. The 73 relegation hurt, we also lost The King to a succession of injuries but we started to gather momentum under Giles. I started going away a lot more regularly then and that was a great season. The absolute low came later. 86 was a disastrous season, only 4 wins and the inevitable relegation. The sheer misery of the Saunders era was something else. Just about everything was wrong with the club from the bottom up. The depression went on, Gould, Little, Buckley, but there were high points. Last season was frustrating, one false dawn after another. I genuinely think we could have appointed absolutely anybody but who we did, and would have stayed up.
The winner for me then is the Saunders era. Add to that he won the league for Villa and almost single handedly brought Wolves back from the brink.
Been following Albion since the mid seventies but only got to The Hawthorns for the first time in 1989 for a 0-0 end of season bore draw against Sunderland. Nonetheless, I was ecstatic just to be there. Started to travel over more regularly after that. As air fares were still ridiculously high, it was usually the Friday night ferry to Holyhead and the train down to Brum. I well remember the 1-1 draw against Port Vale where we missed two penalties which effectively relegated us a few weeks later. The nineties were a very difficult time for us Baggies, especially the final weeks of Little's reign which I think was an all-time low for me, but the afternoon of the 21st April 2002 made it all worthwhile and it was a privilege to be there and also to be at Loftus Road to see us lift The Championship trophy. Maybe I'll never live to see us win anything else but I will always have happy memories of going to Albion, be it good or bad times.
Yes, some great posts. Started going in April 1979 (first game was Blues away 1-1, Alecan the scorer. First home game was on the following Saturday v Man Utd 1-0, Regis.). Almost 40 years. Most of it utterly frustrating, but some wonderful moments which bring smiles or the endorphines rushing when I think about them. Have met some truly great people too (along with a few Tits AOTS).
And how quickly it went down hill. 7 years after that great team, we had the disaster of 85-86. We almost did a Stoke. Thank fuck for Blues.
That 1986-87 period was the worst, as was the relegation in 1991. But I think the Saunders season , after the horror show of finishing bottom in 1986, just pipped it. How I managed to keep going (and regular way trips) God knows. I went to most away until I left for London in 1995. The Ossie season was great - first time we 'd won anything in my supporting life, albeit from a division we should not have been allowed to drop into. Burkinshaw, Buckley, Smith and Little were crap , but we had our high points. Megson's first Promotion season and the run in was worth the wait, to a point. Came back to the West Mids in 2004 and got my season ticket again.
The 16 years out of the top flight has really held us back. Even until now to a point. I think it is the occasional mentality of the support and the club appears to have dampened our expectations. In 1986 we all thought we'd come straight back up (and win the CUP etc). There's more pessimism now.
Still, that's probably better than the fishy ones at the moment. A mate and I were talking the other night and we said relegation will always hurt Villa more than us as Albion are leaner and more able to deal with it. They have more employees and the club is a bigger burden to run in the Championship. They haven't dealt well with going down which is why they are still in mid table after 3 seasons and will have a 4th in the Chump. They might need to get ready for a spell out like we had.
As Tom Joad says, Saunders trumps the others as he won the League with Villa (luckily as Ipswich were a better team).
(02-18-2019, 03:54 PM)Spandaubaggie Wrote: [ -> ] (02-18-2019, 03:45 PM)Morley Wrote: [ -> ]89 was a false dawn too, we went top with a 4-0 over Shrewsbury. That was my first season of going to games. If I would have known it would be over a decade before I saw any real success would I have still bothered??
There were micro-eras in the bad dark years and 88/89 did look so promising, but we tailed off. I went to loads of games that year and the 4-0 v Shrewsbury was one of them. We just slid away badly those last few weeks, when it had looked so good for so long. Talbot just couldn't build on it at all.
There was also the tiny glimmer of hope under Harford, about 1998. Again, that soon disappeared as he headed off to QPR.
I thought we could get back up after that 4-0 Shrews win (one D.Moyes got an OG that day for them). That spell of 4 months was so promising - Atkinson had laid the foundations and Talbot seamlessly took it one. Away support got better and the home attendances increased. Then ,as you say, it fell away after we lost v Everton in the FA Cup and we were denied at Man City, late on. We were still in the hunt until we lost v Chelsea a week before the Hillsborough disaster.
(02-18-2019, 08:10 PM)dublinalbion Wrote: [ -> ]Been following Albion since the mid seventies but only got to The Hawthorns for the first time in 1989 for a 0-0 end of season bore draw against Sunderland. Nonetheless, I was ecstatic just to be there. Started to travel over more regularly after that. As air fares were still ridiculously high, it was usually the Friday night ferry to Holyhead and the train down to Brum. I well remember the 1-1 draw against Port Vale where we missed two penalties which effectively relegated us a few weeks later. The nineties were a very difficult time for us Baggies, especially the final weeks of Little's reign which I think was an all-time low for me, but the afternoon of the 21st April 2002 made it all worthwhile and it was a privilege to be there and also to be at Loftus Road to see us lift The Championship trophy. Maybe I'll never live to see us win anything else but I will always have happy memories of going to Albion, be it good or bad times.
I got strangled on the train to New Street by a bunch of Sunderland scum after that match. Thought I was gonna die. Cunts.