Aston Villa enjoy a fantastic bunch of fans who travel to away games, some of them getting up at ridiculous hours and going to great effort and expense to make the trip. Spare a thought though for the Villans on the west coast of America who have to get up for every weekend game at crazy o’clock to make a trip to a local sports bar that screens the Premiership, or to huddle around a computer or TV, propping their eyelids open with matchsticks and imbibing themselves with coffee.

A 12.30pm kick off in the UK is 4.30am on the west coast. It’s one thing going through this if you’re an ex-Pat and have been a Villa fan for many years before moving over here, but to choose to put yourself through this when you could just follow baseball or something equally more convenient, well that’s definitely dedication. Or lunacy, I’m not sure.

Friends of the site, Kirsten and Aaron, have recently started a new blog sharing this lunacy passion with the world. So be sure to check them out some time, but while I’m giving a hat tip in their direction, I thought I’d also take a moment to give some mad props to a couple of other west coast Villa fans that I’ve recently “met”.

If you’re in California you should definitely be checking out the California Lions Club and Richard’s also got a Facebook group if that’s your thing.

I’m not sure if all the Thugs are in California, but their resident Villan, Andy Brown AKA ABthegiant, certainly is and Among The Thugs is a thoroughly great idea for a blog, so show them some love too.

I think I’ve mentioned here a couple of times that the Premier League is fast approaching, if it hasn’t already passed, the point where 50% of its revenue is sourced from outside the UK.  These are the very people who are putting their hard earned money into TV packages and merchandise that filters through to help fund our never ending thirst for new, exciting players.

I don’t care what attracts them to Aston Villa, whether it be our pretty name, our lovely colours, or even John Carew’s thighs, once they’ve made the best decision of their life; to support Aston Villa, they’re a Villan for life and deserve a little bit of recognition every now and again.

I’m on the east coast myself and the 5 hour time difference is irritating, but not intolerable.   A 12.30pm kick off for me is 7.30am, but I’ll generally get up around 6am to check the team news and get everything set up for the game.  Obviously I’m happier when Villa don’t have the early game and I can watch the first half of whoever is playing early from the comfort of my bed.

On the other side of the planet it’s the opposite of course.  Spare a thought for our antipodean cousins who are often forced to stay up into the wee hours of Sunday night/Monday morning in order to watch the Villa.  Again, it takes a passion and dedication that deserves recognition.

Incidentally, my experience of football fans in Australia in general is pretty similar to that in America; they’re very passionate and very, very well informed.

So hopefully some of you in Villa Park tonight will spare a thought for those of us watching around the world and what we have to go through in order that we can share that moment with you in our own small way.  We might not be their in body, but we’re definitely there in spirit!!

UTV!!