The Reason Why Emery And AVFC Will Never Be Able To Improve The Atmosphere At Villa Park |

This post is about home crowds at football grounds across England, not the away fans, which is a different conversation entirely.

There was a post on social media I read today about the atmosphere at Villa Park. With senior figures at Aston Villa reportedly open to ideas about improving it, a conversation is now being had, and apparently fan groups are engaging, suggestions are being floated, and everyone has an opinion.

But before we start importing drums and vuvuzelas from abroad, it’s worth asking a simple question. Are we actually broken?

I’ve lived in England all my life. I’ve travelled the country, not just to football grounds but to theatres, arenas, pubs, everywhere people gather. I’ve also spent thirty years as a taxi driver listening and talking to many people. I know what the English people are like.

There is an unspoken social code here amongst the English. Don’t stand out too much. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Don’t make a scene unless the moment truly calls for it. When someone breaks that code, even in good spirit, it can make others uncomfortable. Sometimes it even irritates them.

You see it all the time, one supporter tries to get a song going too early, too loudly, and instead of everyone buying into it, you get side-eyes and folded arms, pursed lips and sometimes even worse. It’s not because we don’t care, it’s because it’s not the English way, but that doesn’t mean we lack passion, it means we’re just different.

Look, anyone who has stood inside Villa Park on a big European night knows exactly what this crowd is capable of. When it matters, when the tension builds naturally, when the game demands it, the place can be amazing.

But here’s the key point. English crowds are reactive, It’s as simple as that. In places like Italy, expressive, constant, collective noise is culturally embedded. It’s just in them. It’s part of their culture. In England, public restraint is embedded instead. Emotion tends to build slowly. It’s just the way it is.

So when people talk about “fixing” the atmosphere, I sometimes wonder whether they know what they’re dealing with. You can’t manufacture a culture shift with drums and brass band. You can encourage it, but you cannot force people, especially the English people to behave against deeply ingrained cultural instincts.

I am an Englishman. I feel that instinct myself. I understand the sideways glance when something feels performative. I also understand the surge of emotion when the moment arises. Because I have all these cultural norms myself.

For those trying to find a way to fix the atmosphere, it can’t be shaped to the way you desire. What the players can do is keep their standards high. Give 100% at all times. Give the crowd something worth responding to. The English won’t, they can’t take instructions on how to feel. UTV