Heroes and Villains (football fanzine)
Encyclopedia
Heroes and Villains is the title of a football fanzine
written by and primarily aimed at fans
of Aston Villa F.C.
. It was launched in 1989, and has been in regular print ever since, long surpassing 100 issues.
It has been edited from the start by Dave Woodhall. Although of course primarily concerned directly with the fortunes of Aston Villa, occasionally other general football articles and humorous, nostalgic pieces are to be found amongst its pages.
It has been relentlessly and vehemently critical of Doug Ellis
who was the chairman of Aston Villa during the period 1982 to 2006, after being involved with the club in one way or another since 1968. he was seen by many fans as being complacent and unambitious regarding the fortunes of the team.
As with most fanzines, many articles contain much baiting of local rival football clubs and their fans, in this case chiefly Birmingham City F.C.
and West Bromwich Albion F.C.
However, a goodly part of the fanzine's contents consist of contributors' personal views on and memories of experiences derived from being a supporter of Aston Villa. Aston Villa's richly varied history, particularly that of the last 25 years and within living memory of most contributors, consisting as it does of Villa's League Championship and European Cup winning achievements of '81 and '82, their mid '80s decline culminating in relegation in '87, followed by a revival under Graham Taylor's management which led to an unexpected league runners-up spot just 3 seasons later, provides much material. As does a further, also unexpected, runners up placing in '93, league cup triumphs in '94 and '96, and the generally solid but unspectacular performance of the team, up to the 2005-2006 season's underachievements and the broad feeling of dissatisfaction with the way the club was being run.
The recent upturn in fortunes at the club, following Mr Ellis' sale to Randy Lerner
is reflected in more recent editions. Even so, in these improved times the club is still not above criticism.
Something of a running joke in the fanzine concerns Villa's underachievement in the FA Cup
, the club having not won the competition since 1957, with their only final appearance since then consisting of a dismal performance in losing 1-0 to the pre-Roman Abramovich
Chelsea
in 2000. As the 3rd round of the competition - Villa's usual entry point - approaches each season, many fans come to the agreement that this year is definitely "our year for the cup...."
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
written by and primarily aimed at fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
of Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. It was launched in 1989, and has been in regular print ever since, long surpassing 100 issues.
It has been edited from the start by Dave Woodhall. Although of course primarily concerned directly with the fortunes of Aston Villa, occasionally other general football articles and humorous, nostalgic pieces are to be found amongst its pages.
It has been relentlessly and vehemently critical of Doug Ellis
Doug Ellis
Herbert Douglas Ellis, OBE , is an entrepreneur, best known as the former chairman of Aston Villa Football Club.-Early life:...
who was the chairman of Aston Villa during the period 1982 to 2006, after being involved with the club in one way or another since 1968. he was seen by many fans as being complacent and unambitious regarding the fortunes of the team.
As with most fanzines, many articles contain much baiting of local rival football clubs and their fans, in this case chiefly Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
However, a goodly part of the fanzine's contents consist of contributors' personal views on and memories of experiences derived from being a supporter of Aston Villa. Aston Villa's richly varied history, particularly that of the last 25 years and within living memory of most contributors, consisting as it does of Villa's League Championship and European Cup winning achievements of '81 and '82, their mid '80s decline culminating in relegation in '87, followed by a revival under Graham Taylor's management which led to an unexpected league runners-up spot just 3 seasons later, provides much material. As does a further, also unexpected, runners up placing in '93, league cup triumphs in '94 and '96, and the generally solid but unspectacular performance of the team, up to the 2005-2006 season's underachievements and the broad feeling of dissatisfaction with the way the club was being run.
The recent upturn in fortunes at the club, following Mr Ellis' sale to Randy Lerner
Randy Lerner
Randolph D. Lerner is an American entrepreneur and sports team owner.Lerner has been the owner of the American football team, the Cleveland Browns, of the National Football League since October 2002, and the Chairman of Aston Villa Football Club of the English Premier League since 2006...
is reflected in more recent editions. Even so, in these improved times the club is still not above criticism.
Something of a running joke in the fanzine concerns Villa's underachievement in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, the club having not won the competition since 1957, with their only final appearance since then consisting of a dismal performance in losing 1-0 to the pre-Roman Abramovich
Roman Abramovich
Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich is a Russian businessman and the main owner of the private investment company Millhouse LLC.In 2003, Abramovich was named Person of the Year by Expert, a Russian business magazine. He shared this title with Mikhail Khodorkovsky...
Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in 2000. As the 3rd round of the competition - Villa's usual entry point - approaches each season, many fans come to the agreement that this year is definitely "our year for the cup...."