Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: dannyvellow 
Date:Tuesday December 16 2008
Time: 9:31AM
UK time is: 11:24:06
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Lack Of Respect Shown To The Mighty Villa?
Top 3 or 4 or 5...........guess we just need to go and win it.
A while ago I sent in an article about the lack of respect for Villa. It was fired by seeing sky news show the top 3 Premiership teams only, something I had never seen before, always top 4, or 6 if lucky. The reason they showed the top 3 only was because Villa were 4th..........I was seething. Today in the Times they showed the top 5. Again, the first time I had seen this, but this time it was shown this way so that Arsenal were included.
Many comments to my first article were about 'Better not to be in the spotlight, better this way'. Other people said 'Win trophies and earn the respect'. I thought both made sense after the anger had subsided. Still more comments agreed with my original sentiments which were about prejudice about the Villa, Not a London team - Ipswich were the better team in 81 - we were luck against a better Bayern Munich team in 82...etc.
Now we have a different situation, but kind of the same. Top 5. Have Villa earned more respect due to performance or is it the media getting upset by the perceived balance of things being upset by a new name at the top of the table and finding it hard not to include one of THE BIG 4 who are now...................not?
The Villa are one of the BIG............whatever and I hope they remain so. I think they will.
Anyway time will tell.
Comments and abuse welcome!
Oh, and get lost Real Madrid!
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Your Comments
Must admit I've noticed a change in the press, they are slowly but surely mentioning us more, we are being shown on tv more, the comments on Sunday Supplement was that we are the team to watch as we are entertaining, but some of the London centric press will still hate another team pushing in!
The Fear
a slightly paranoid article, but understandable
rotter82
I am sure if you went on the Everton site and wrote this a couple of years ago they would agree entirely. Its just down to time.... a 4th place finish for 15 or so years on the trot and acceptance would be gained to those that matter (London / Manchester press).
greyhound
We need to finish there to be there, Liverpool are top of the league but if they were moaning about people not calling them champions at this stage you'd laugh at them. We're doing brilliantly but if we want to be put in the same league as Arsenal we need to be as good as them throughout the whole race.
PTP
Chelsea haven't even been in the top division for 15 years.
Quality article Danny
Villan444
I think you're gaining a lot of respect and plaudits for the way you have played this season, though the media examples you highlight would trouble me too if I were a Villa fan. I echo some sentiments you express in the article, it's probably better that you're slightly patronised/ underappreciated at this stage. As a Gooner, the example I used on our site which connects with your article is that people are still talking about Arsenal being in the title race (which we are not and haven't been for some time), yet you sit one place above us having beaten us at home and nobody is talking about Villa being in the title race in any measure. Make no mistake, Arsenal and Villa are in a very close straight out shoot out for 4th, a lot will depend on what happens in January. If Arsenal spend in the right areas as they should and Villa get a couple of injuries to one of Barry, Young or Agbonlahor, we'll nick it. However, Villa aren't short of funds themselves and if Wenger continues to blindly believe a team of toddlers can survive at this level, you might just get in there. Anyways, I've enjoyed the way you've played this year and if you do finish above us I'd hold my hands up and congratulate you. But if it comes to the last day and we're both fighting it out for 4th, your boys might want to stay away from lasagne for a few days!
Little Dutch
Maybe if we could fill our ground we could be classed a s a big club. I have been saying for years that it will be the fans who hold our club back. Last season we were the second top scorers in the league. This season we are third top scorers. We have qualified through a tough European group. We have young internationals including home grown players who the media are raving about. But still we have thousands of empty seats. How much longer are supposed fans still going to be saying 'I will return when . . . . .?' On Saturday we were winning 4 - 2 with 5 minutes left and we were on our way into 4th spot and the ground. The ground which was 20% empty at the start was 50% empty with 5 minutes left . . . . and we were winning!! I am sure there are many other fans who feel disgusted at the fans lack of support for our club. And for those who left early I think you are a disgrace.
voiceoftheholte
You know VOTH, I have this strange feeling that I might have heard that said before.
Villan Of The North
I think the point of the media is that you aren't just top 4 because you've spent half of 1/3 or 1/2 of a season there, you need to spend successive seasons (probably 3) before you are truly accepted at that level.
I am surprised the media keep mentioning us in this 'top 5', although it does tend to be sensible and well thought journalists like those on radio 5. Although Steve Claridge will do whatever he can to say we're not good enough.
Apparently we drew with Fulham last weekend and lost to Middlesbore just before that!
lukemarson
i completely agree with the leaving early comment...it angers me every week!
lewist
Anybody see the Daily Mail today - full page write up - brilliant. Say's we could even finish top three if things go our way (injuries etc) Des Kelly the correspondent giving us real glowing praise.
nazvfc
voiceoftheholte - I can tell you that there won't be any empty seats at the next home game against Arsenal. I tried to get tickets today and they're already sold out out, gutted.
astonguerilla
Perhaps some one should ask these young journalists if the teams they support have ever won all 5 domestic and European cups available?? The League, The FA, the Super League, The League Cup and European Champions?! In fact this so called top four, only inhabit two teams who have ever won it, Liverpool and United!
leelindsay
I hate it too when fans pour out early, but in their defense, have you ever tried to get a train home after the game?! Both stations are tiny, and they just put 1 or 2 carriage trains. So if you stay to the end of the game, you can find yourself waiting for an hour, or if it's a night game, missing the last train home!
MrZeus
I think we are gaining more respect and I think this is down to the number of good English talent we have creeping into the national side
dazh
Top article Danny but for me, consistency is the key. We've been creeping up to our current position over the last couple of seasons and we've only really been in the top four for a short time. When we're doing it season in, season out like the current "Top 4" do then the media will have no choice but to concede that we've cracked the top tier. Until then, the media will continue to be biased in favour of the teams who have consistently finished in those positions. One last point for VOTH: considering that we're in the middle of a credit crunch, people being made redundant and the fact that Christmas is looming large, a crowd of 35k+ was a fantastic turn out against a side who were never going to be anything more than a route one, bullying team. You seem to continually have a pop at other Villa fans, time and time again, and I just can't see the logic in it. We all bleed Claret and Blue and we all want the same end product - victory and success for the Villa. There's far, far more to being peceived as a "big club" than just attendance figures. You're not the manager of the ticket office, are you? :-)
jeffg_utv
YEA!! ***** OFF REALMADRID!
Gruck
Just read the Daily Mail article nazvfc. Warms the heart! Well said Villan444. Chelsea were a struggling second division team for years.
dannyvellow
The top four is a recent phenomena anyway! Don't let those tabloid tur.ds tickle your turnips!
Rawlie
VOTH I actually voiced my disgust at people leaving with 41 minutes on the clock on Saturday. It makes me SO F'kin angry. How bad would a film at the cinema have to be for you to walk out 5 minutes before the end. Pretty bad I'd say. Yet people still leave with 4 minutes plus stoppages on the clock when we are 4-1 uyp and about to jump into the Champions League positions. It's nothing short of a disgrace. So what if you have to sit in traffic for a bit. Support your team til the end. There was SO much exciting action after a huge number of "fans" left on Saturday. Look at what happened at Goodison. If we expect the players to play til the final whistle then we as supporters should support until the final whistle.
Adam Deuce
Gruck, I was edited. My words were a tad stronger than "get lost", although not obscene! The Fear knows best. Good to see MON put up the not for sale sign.
dannyvellow
dannyvellow, I am going to print off and post on my office wall 'The Fear knows best' LOVE IT!!!!!!! Yes, for the articles we are careful because they go up on google news and other such sources, so feck orf was a bit strong I reckon...!
The Fear
Progress is being made - Has anyone else noticed Martin O'Neill's appearance in the opening credits of Match of the Day?
godzvilla
MON has always been in the credits for match of the day, ever since he first became manager! right at the end next to the tactics board :) possibly something to do with the fact he works for the BBC at every major tournament. Either way, next season I bet Young and Gabby will be in the opening of MOTD somewhere now.
industrial_musical
Oh and progress is indeed being made, on Saturday we were mentioned BEFORE Liverpool on the main ITV news.
industrial_musical
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