Ian Robathan

What is your name?
Ian Robathan

How old are you?
35

What is your gender?
Male

What do you do for a living?
Network Support

What is your level of education?
A-Level/college

Do you hold any religious beliefs?
Does atheist count ?

Do you wish for your entry to be anonymous or under a pseudonym?
Nope

What Stand do you sit in?
Holte End lower

How long have you been going to Villa Park?
First Game was Nottingham Forest in 1981, gradually more games season upon season but back them my family did not have a lot of money. First season ticket was in the 1988-89 season and continued to have apart from a two year break 2004-2006/

Can you describe some of your favourite goals?
Favourite goal ever was Dalian Atkinson’s in the Tranmere semi. Obviously not a great goal as such but what it meant and the reaction and atmosphere was something I believe I will never see at Villa Park ever again

Best goal in terms of skill and ability was Dwight Yorke's effort against Ipswich in Ron Atkinson’s title challenging side which was a result of a total pure team performance and seems that everyone has forgotten it !!

Can you tell us about your favourite players?
Just two of them really

1) Paul McGrath – well just what can you say, despite well know injury and personal problems, did he ever have a bad game. Was he he just not the perfect player on and off the field
2) Dwight Yorke – despite what happened when he left, was there ever a better player for us both in terms of his consistent goal scoring and pure skill and what a joy to watch as he never stopped smiling

By the way I think Gabby and Young could well be up there in years to come.

What are your favourite Villa-related moments?
Again two of them:

1) Tranmere semi has alluded to above, just the drama, tension, passion, is there a game anywhere in the world that just had it all. Can you remember the silence when O’Brien’s free kick hit the woodwork or the noise and relief when bossie saved the spot kick ??
2) Man Utd Coca Cola cup final, we played the game against easily the best in the land as well as anyone could have. We controlled it from the start and showed we could compete with the best. The reason why not is not for this section.

What would be your best-ever eleven players (plus 5 subs) and why?
Good question, I pick the following team simply because in those positions these were the best players I had seen

GK – Mark Bosnich RB – Kevin Gage LB – Steve Staunton CB – Paul McGrath CB – Kent Neilsen RM – James Milner CM-Gareth Barry CM-Andy Townsend LM- Ashley Young CF- David Platt CF- Dwight Yorke

Why are you a Villa fan?
My parents were never really football fans and my Dad despite being brought up in the same street as Ozzy Osbourne was never really a Villa fan, more a baggies one.

The real Villa fan was my grandad who took me to the first league game, he used to work on Moor Lane and walked to villa games from there when packed up on Saturday Lunchtime

Once hooked that was it !!!

Can you tell us about some important moments in your Villa supporting life and where they were?
Not sure what you mean about this – maybe parts below may explain this

What incidents have you been present at (on/off field)?
Obviously all the major games like the cup finals, Tranmere, H/A, Inter games, Madrid UEFA ¼ away

Also at many of the protests from around 2000 onwards, also most AGM’s since 1998

The destruction of the Trinity which I photographed nearly every day but lost the photos!!!

The setting up of AVISA to gain us more rights and oppose Ellis

Can you tell us any interesting/little known fact about yourself in connection with Aston Villa?
Guess mine relates in time order from opposing the demolition of the old Trinity and being interviewed on WM about it, meeting Simon Inglis on the last day of the Trinity

What has been your worst ever Villa-related moment?
Dead easy, the Blues derby game 03/03/03, the whole day was nasty, drinking in Sutton from about three and you could tell there was a tension around and towards the ground the feeling was so evil

Never mind the result

Never mind what happened on H&V afterwards.

Why do you continue to support the club?
Do I have a choice, Villa through and through

What changes would you make to any aspect of Aston Villa in order to improve the experience?
What has been done in the last few months is everything I could have asked for, just build a new North stand and the ground should be complete.

Is there a defining moment in your life as a Villa fan?
Interesting question ...

Again Tranmere comes to the fore as too young really to remember Rotterdam

Every moment otherwise defines me

What memorable moments can you tell us about?
The day Ellis announced he had agreed to sell up

The sad day Brian Little resigned

The day GT came back, I knew the legend could be destroyed

Inter Milan 2-0 home win

Bolton FA cup semi, miles better than the final experience

The Bradford game in the second division , Bollocks was there only 36k there !!!

Are there any family influences?
As above

Where did you grow up/do you live and has that influenced you?
Live in Pheasey, only 3 miles from VP and in he old days of floodlights could see the lights from my bedroom, guess there was only one choice !!

What have been the influence of clubs/fans (if any) in those areas?
Actually the area is mixed really but at school there were loads of Villa fans and still see some of them at the ground today

How and why did you come to support Aston Villa?
As above

What is your first memory of the club?
I remember going to a reserve game when I was about 7 but no idea who it is was but I know they used to played on the Saturday and we sat in the Witton Lane because they gave the half time first division scores

What would you do to improve the overall Villa Park experience?
Safe standing is my number one aim and for me is most certainly the thing all fans groups across all clubs should fight for

Do you have a Villa-related claim to fame?
Through the AVISA stuff I have been lucky to meet Dennis Mortimer, Sid, Colin Gibson, Carl and BuckChinn and the old board of course !!!

Also been on many press outlets regarding the club

How do you see the club progressing?
Under Randy and MO'N possibly all the way but hopefully we will challenge the ‘big four’. Off the field though I have no idea. Part of me is worried we could go down areas of commercialisation I would hate, say debentures, increased prices etc.

However I trust Randy, I love his vision and acknowledgement of history and tradition but blending in with a modern theme

Therefore we are in for a good ride.

How long have you supported Aston Villa?
Always have been a Villa fan so I guess at least 28 years if not more

Do you ‘follow’ any other clubs?
I look out for Walsall’s results as my dad only worked 5 mins from their ground and went to a few games including the Liverpool Milk cup semi

What teams in other sports do you support?
Warwickshire in Cricket

What hobbies and interests do you have outside of supporting Aston Villa?
Cinema, reading, History

Do you go Home, Away, both or are you an armchair/pub supporter? Why?
Season ticket

Used to go to 75% of away games but can no longer afford that due to family etc. Now one or two a season

Is there an established family history following the Villa and what does the future hold?
As above with my Grandad who remembered watching Pongo and Billy Walker

And I have one child – 2 year old Amy, already been to VP four times for different things, she has no choice !!!

Wife is also a Villa fans, as was her dad

What Villa-related pictures have meaning for you?
Any picture with the old Holte End full

Have you ever been ‘inside’ the ground and if so, what impressed you the most?
Yes on several occasions and nothing really impressed me as under Ellis it was always so cheap.

If the outside is a representation of how they have done the inside I look forward to a return look !!

What are your views on the past, present and future of Aston Villa?
The past was about missed opportunities and conservative thinking since 1983. Before we had a glorious history which we never quite lived up to.

Now the present is one of hope under the new ownership of a man who I believe thinks as me

The future is limited to only as far as Randy is prepared to go

But I look forward to it

Do you possess any memorabilia that is particularly special to you and could you explain its meaning?
Just three bits of the old Trinity mosaics

The destruction of that stand just represented to me what Ellis thought of the club and it’s past

Do you have any special emotional attachment to a part of the club?
Not really just to the club as an whole

What are the views of your friends and family to your supporting Aston Villa?
My wife knew what I was like when she met me

Some people think I am obsessed

Others think I am too passionate

Most of my friends are Villa fans that's how we met !!

Has supporting Aston Villa affected your lifestyle? If so, how?
Oh yes, I can not imagine a time without watching them or how it influences me

Running my own blog and continually being on Villa forums shows how much it does and trying to influence my daughter to be a Villa fan.

Have you ever supported/followed another club? If so, what made you change your allegiance?
NO

Do you feel that away games are for the fan or the family?
All games are for the fans

What changes have you seen that are for the better/worse (prices, atmosphere, obscenities, TV, fans etc)?
Better – not sure, maybe the quality has gone up and in terms of Villa the attendances have and the atmosphere in the last 2 years has certainly improved Worse – Prices, KO times, loss of terraces/atmosphere, the gentrification of football

If you use a pseudonym on the internet, what is the meaning/reason behind the name choice?
Ianrobo – obviously really !!!

Do you have anything else to add?
Just if you need to expand on this Lee, I am quite prepared to meet up, thanks.

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