Part of the problem with fan protests is that, unless they involve saving a club from liquidation or winding up (you know, something important), they’re often gawdawful. If it’s not a bunch of half drunk punters walking down a street with black armbands and banners, then it’s almost certainly someone calling for fans to put garbage bags over empty seats.

Perhaps it has something to do with the psychology of the person who would go to lengths to organize protests over a football club because they’re not playing very well. There is after all a lot of cognitive dissonance involved, part of which involves the assumption that busy, independently-wealthy board members will give a toss what a tiny collection of banner-carrying fans think, particularly if those fans have already paid for season tickets and will continue to attend games and buy merch.

Sadly, the latest embarrassing call to protest involves the unofficial Footy Show FC, Aston Villa. Someone paid real money for the domain and hosting, for this. Clearly they didn’t have time to bust out the HTML for Dummies. Perhaps it will improve over the next few days, but I wouldn’t count on it. And this is the message they dearly needed to impart:

Fed up of the poor results and awful football? So are we! Time for Villa fans to unite and make a stand and show the club we will not accept this. Before we get abused and told we are not “real fans” for doing this, how can you call yourself a FAN if you are prepared to do nothing and watch OUR GREAT club fail

Not exactly Horatio Nelson-esque. And isn’t going to do much for the tens of thousands of Villa supporters who sympathize with the end result, but not the sophomoric means.