Villa Park in A Different League

[Dave Clark Five]

http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/s5_2_1_villa-park.html

The first match was a friendly against .... Blackburn!


“About Villa Park itself hung an aura that seems almost to be visible. Most certainly it is there to be felt and I know of no other ground that has the same effect on one. Almost it seems to be peopled by ghosts – amiable ghosts whose job it is to breathe the great Villa spirit into generation after generation of ambitious youngsters who pass through the great gates to achieve a life's ambition; to wear the famous claret and blue of the great club”

Billy Walker – Soccer in the Blood -

That has just sent a tingle up my spine.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

The article mentions Archibald Leitch. The man responsible for so much that was great about the grounds of old.

[Dan England]

Whenever you hear/read about what other people thought of the Trinty Road Stand it makes my blood boil all over again. You can criticise and argue for and against many things about HD Ellis' tenure but for me the destruction of that beautiful stand is unforgivable.

[The Laughing Policeman]

Being a fan of Victorian railway architecture I think the piece from The Times describing Villa Park as the St. Pancras of football stadiums is superb. It really was a sad day in our history when the facade of the Trinity was consigned to a pile of rubble.
I'm sure that in these times of whole buildings being taken apart and then put back together, that the facade could have been taken down and then rebuilt as the front of the new stand.

[Villa'Zawg]

The feeling I have on the morning of the first home match of the season is unlike any other sensation, it is a unique and wonderful feeling.

I can hardly wait to take that walk up Witton Lane towards the Holte End and then the climb up to my seat in the Witton and my first site of the pitch.

I have seen extraordinary things happen at Villa Park. Today, on the first day back, I am able to suspend belief and convince myself that anything is possible for 11 Villa men in that magical stadium. We could be top of the league by 5 o'clock and never look back :-)

[Billy Walker]

Whenever you hear/read about what other people thought of the Trinty Road Stand it makes my blood boil all over again. You can criticise and argue for and against many things about HD Ellis' tenure but for me the destruction of that beautiful stand is unforgivable.

I agree.  Seeing pictures of Craven Cottage these days, their old main stand and so on, makes it an even more bitter pill to swallow.  The old football stadia, when developed with genuine sympathy, can work very well in the modern game.  The old Trinity was  just so unique and a million times better - for me - than the new generation of stadia that are emerging.  It's a real, genuine shame that we lost it.  The crazy thing is that the obvious stand that needed redeveloping was the North Stand.

[VillaZogmariner]

Whenever you hear/read about what other people thought of the Trinty Road Stand it makes my blood boil all over again. You can criticise and argue for and against many things about HD Ellis' tenure but for me the destruction of that beautiful stand is unforgivable.

I couldn't agree more.

[BILL DE VALL]

Here's a couple of links for chaps interested in old stadia
http://www.oldgrounds.co.uk/trinity_road_stand_villa_park.htm
http://www.1882qpr.com/forum/topic/106

[London Villan]

Over ten years on and it still makes me shake my head. What were they thinking in knocking down the finest example of sporting architecture in the world and replacing it with a corrugated steel shed.

[eamonn]

I have seen extraordinary things happen at Villa Park. Today, on the first day back, I am able to suspend belief and convince myself that anything is possible

Like Martin O'Neill was the son of God?



Sorry, couldn't resist.

[hawkeye]

Whenever I walk Down Trinity road and realise that stand is not there it still pulls a sense of grief. It was an act of vandilism and I will never forgive Doug for pulling it down.

[Irish villain]

Something should be done with the facade of the new Trinity, to think the best stand in English, no, European, World football was pulled down for something that makes the Doug Ellis Stand look elegant is a flippin' disgrace!

A face-lift for the Trinity should be a priority and more important than a New North Stand even.

As for Villa Park, it's special. I remember when I first heard the words 'Villa Park' on tv as a very young boy. Even then I knew it was an incredible place. There's just something beautiful about our stadium. It is no surprise so many other supporters list it as one of their favourite grounds.

[Villa'Zawg]

The feeling I have on the morning of the first home match of the season is unlike any other sensation, it is a unique and wonderful feeling.

I can hardly wait to take that walk up Witton Lane towards the Holte End and then the climb up to my seat in the Witton and my first site of the pitch.

I have seen extraordinary things happen at Villa Park. Today, on the first day back, I am able to suspend belief and convince myself that anything is possible for 11 Villa men in that magical stadium. We could be top of the league by 5 o'clock and never look back :-)

Oh yes.

I'm off on my hols,I expect you lot to keep them up there until I get back.

[TimTheVillain]

Whenever you hear/read about what other people thought of the Trinty Road Stand it makes my blood boil all over again. You can criticise and argue for and against many things about HD Ellis' tenure but for me the destruction of that beautiful stand is unforgivable.

I couldn't agree more.

Disagree here, the New Trinity is superb - by far our best Stand.

It's the one to the left and the one opposite that I'm not too fond of, the North Stand is a total carbuncle.

Love VP mind, it's still a great ground and to give RL credit, he's kept the back of the Holte looking VERY much like the old Trinity.

Just wish we could fill the place ...

[Gaztonniller]

The new ground opened in 1897 at cost of £16,400.  Anyone got an idea what £16,400 would be in todays money.