Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Villa Memories => Topic started by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on August 23, 2010, 10:09:59 AM
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(http://robosvillablog.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/img0002js42.jpg?w=600&h=395)(http://robosvillablog.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/holte_end_751.jpg)(http://www.midlandsmemorabilia.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/andy-lochhead-chico-hamilton-pat-mcmahon-aston-villa-manchester-city-francis-lee-holte-end-terrace.jpg)(http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs049.snc3/13631_198721451016_722171016_3460882_7837113_s.jpg)(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/18/article-1184238-008C449600000258-614_468x313.jpg)(http://www.newman.ac.uk/Students_Websites/~shenaz.l.hardy/images/villaparkold.gif)(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/3303360974_5099cd89e1.jpg)
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I really like looking at old picture's of the holte end.
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Nice pictures, nice memories with Andy lochead, Chico Hamilton and Willie Anderson in the 3rd picture. I have always been a Holte Ender
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"The left side!"... "The left side!"
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The top one is the Holte as I remember it. Ah, happy days. Got friends with a group of people simply because we were always standing in the same bit at the back left of centre. And there was nothing like that yampee when Villa would score. Ah, the Holte.
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When was the two tiered Witton Lane stand knocked down for the single tier piece of crap - and whose brainwave was it?
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When was the two tiered Witton Lane stand knocked down for the single tier piece of crap - and whose brainwave was it?
I didn't think the Witton had ever been two tiers before 1994. I think they changed the rounded roof for the flat one prior to the 1966 World Cup, although I could be wrong about that.
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When was the two tiered Witton Lane stand knocked down for the single tier piece of crap - and whose brainwave was it?
It wasn't so much two-tiered as a stand with terracing at the front, as was the fashion when it was built. It was a bit tatty, and had suffered bomb damage, when it was replaced in time for the 1966 World Cup. Its replacement was as good as we could get bearing in mind the houses that lined Witton Lane and the club's financial state at the time.
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The Witton stand, ah how many balls did we lose over that roof when it was hoofed? I seem to recall some of the local kids lurking in Witton lane waiting for a ball to drop off the roof.
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When was the two tiered Witton Lane stand knocked down for the single tier piece of crap - and whose brainwave was it?
It wasn't so much two-tiered as a stand with terracing at the front, as was the fashion when it was built. It was a bit tatty, and had suffered bomb damage, when it was replaced in time for the 1966 World Cup. Its replacement was as good as we could get bearing in mind the houses that lined Witton Lane and the club's financial state at the time.
Thanks Dave.
The replacement (single tier thing) just seemed so devoid of charachter compared to the other one, which I've only seen in photos, so could have been terrible to sit/stand in - and as you say had damage anyway.
The design and build of the current Witton Lane stand was one of the best moves Doug made on the stadium, to be fair to him.
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It was a decent view, being close to the pitch and usually so empty you seemed in a different ground to the rest of the crowd.
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I used to call the Witton Lane the Bus shelter, it looked so small compared to the other parts of the ground. I did use to look at the Ansells clock in the middle of the roof during matches especially, when we were winning by only a goal and willing it to get to 20 to 5 (back in the times of 10 minute half times and hardly any stoppage time).
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Didn't Dwight Yorke score the last goal in front of the holte ? I think the loudest i remember it was against Tranmere.
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I love the first photo, is that a young Peter W with a pudding-bowl haircut...
Would love to see other photos taken of the Holte in the Holte.
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In all my time I sat in all 3 stands but I cannot ever recall sitting in the old Witton lane stand. I have been in the Doug Ellis but just cannot recall watching any match from the Witton Lane.
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(http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv68/matwsussx/80-81031.jpg)
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(http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/vv68/matwsussx/80-81009.jpg)
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As far as I understand the Witton stand was never tiered in the sense that the old Trinity was. The flat roofed all seat version existing before the present structure was built for the 1966 world cup games. This is where I first watched my football with my Dad for the first two years commencing 1966. Seventh row back quite near to the half way line.
Previous to this the old cantilevered roof stand had seats with terracing in front. My Mom told me she used to stand with my Dad in the late 1940s on the terracing near to the Witton/Holte corner.
There is TV footage around of the flat roofed Witton stand. Im sure some will remember that on the occasions that cameras did come, a big open platform would be built on the Trinity terracing reaching up to what I always thought looked like giant shin pads on the stand, which would then have perhaps 3 big cameras to pan the pitch and the commentator sitting there. If it rained , those that were not sheltering towards the back of the terracing might try and huddle under the platform. (Reminded me of that when everybody ran for cover last saturday against Westham).
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I used to call the Witton Lane the Bus shelter, it looked so small compared to the other parts of the ground. I did use to look at the Ansells clock in the middle of the roof during matches especially, when we were winning by only a goal and willing it to get to 20 to 5 (back in the times of 10 minute half times and hardly any stoppage time).
Very true. 20 to 5 was full time, I can picture that clock now clicking towards the final whistle. And there was a Bovril advert on the wall towards the Holte end, and Im telling you if Wille Anderson was coming down the wing and he was fouled or just fell over it was always always by the Bovril advert.
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I watched one from the old Witton Lane stand. Several from the Doug Ellis.
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I'm glad you mentioned the Trinity terracing as I'm sure one of my first games I was standing but quite near where the dugout is now. When was it turned into seating?
I remember that Charlie Aitken was playing because I remember a woman shouting "Come on Charlie" and I thought she was on first name terms with him!
In later years we always stood under the scoreboard in the corner of The Holte.
I could ask my dad if he remembered who my first game was against but he can hardly remember my moms name these days.
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The top picture of the back of the Holte,brings it all back, like it was yesterday. We always stood about five or six rows from the very back. It never ceased to amaze me when Villa scored and we all had a "push down", how far apart you'd be from your mates when it all settled down again, then everybody shuffling about to get back to where you were., hopefully with both your shoes still on!.
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I'm glad you mentioned the Trinity terracing as I'm sure one of my first games I was standing but quite near where the dugout is now. When was it turned into seating?
I remember that Charlie Aitken was playing because I remember a woman shouting "Come on Charlie" and I thought she was on first name terms with him!
In later years we always stood under the scoreboard in the corner of The Holte.
I could ask my dad if he remembered who my first game was against but he can hardly remember my moms name these days.
Turned into seating in Summer of '71 according to "Villa Park, The first 100 years"
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The Holte End never looks right with a load of empty seats does it?
Can't bring myself to sit in it, to many happy memories of standing near the back.
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Centre/ top right of the Holte for me.
Had the very top to ourselves for most of the 93/94 campaign.
I think most used to leave it alone as the old Witton roof used to cut off part of the view.
In fact I think that season the ground looked just about the best it has ever done. The Holte still standing, still the biggest 'end' in British football. The majestic Trinity in full effect, The North, well Ok...if you like that sort of thing and the Witton finally up to date.
The new Holte and Trinity are adequate, fit for purpose builds. But lack the character of their earlier counterparts.
Simon Inglis made a very good point in his Football Grounds of Britain book, that we're very good at building stands to grow into (he also offers criticism that was missing in Villa Park: 100 years for obvious reasons). The initial build is only the starting phase. We've seen that to a certain extent with the Holte façade. Hopefully we'll see that in time with the Trinity too.
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Sad thing is with the front of the Trinity there isn't a great deal they can do to improve it without it costing a lot of money.
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i remember being able to transfer from the holte end to the witton end.you could watch the villa attacking the goal in front of you both halfes xxxx i did it against notts county league cup august 1970,we won 4 nil.
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Here is a good example of the older Witton lane stand.
(http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/2281/3360210.jpg)
And here are the mighty Villa being cheered on from the trinity terraces circa 1954
(http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/5006/3428400.jpg)
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Thanks for those, haven't seen those two before.
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Is that Frankie Detorri giving a Nazi salute?
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Is that Frankie Detorri giving a Nazi salute?
Oh yes I see who you mean, the comedian Michael McIntyre is standing to his right.
Dont worry though, theres a guy a few yards back who obviously just spotted it and is about to come down and give him a good kicking.
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That was the season when Il Duce forged his reputation as a right winger
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You could have an eye out on those railings.
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Sad thing is with the front of the Trinity there isn't a great deal they can do to improve it without it costing a lot of money.
My preference would obviously be for a redbrick façade. If for no other reason than they age so much better than other designs.
Failling that, I'm quite impressed with what Liverpool have done, large images of their players super imposed on large panels of glass on their Centenary Stand. We could do similar, or in our case use older players or older images to tie in with the historic ethos of the club.
The current façade looks like the kind of thing you'd expect to see at legoland grounds like the Stadium of Light and The Riverside.
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The entrances at both of those grounds are better than the Trinity. It reminds me of the sort of entrance you get on large trading estates where there are offices at the front of a big warehouse.
Whatever way you look at it, it's terrible.
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After the holte was demolished i used the first pic as my wallpaper to remind me of the old place. Probably the best one i took down at vp.
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Here's a few to add to the collection. I should add that I didn't take them.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/EnglishPride2004/Holte.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/EnglishPride2004/Holte1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/EnglishPride2004/Holte2.jpg)
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In all my time I sat in all 3 stands but I cannot ever recall sitting in the old Witton lane stand. I have been in the Doug Ellis but just cannot recall watching any match from the Witton Lane.
the one and only time i went in the old witton lane stand was the night match against Ipswich that we lot 2-1 the season we won the league.
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PeterWithesShin, thanks for those. I'd seen the first two before but the third one must be quite rare. The ground looked very well just before the new Holte was built.
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Heres one of the ground I havent seen before, taken at the end of the Sunderland promotion game in 1975.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/4059324200_de77a88def_z.jpg)
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Nice pictures, nice memories with Andy lochead, Chico Hamilton and Willie Anderson in the 3rd picture. I have always been a Holte Ender
Isn't it Pat Pat Pat Pat Pat McMahon?
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Nice pictures, nice memories with Andy lochead, Chico Hamilton and Willie Anderson in the 3rd picture. I have always been a Holte Ender
Isn't it Pat Pat Pat Pat Pat McMahon?
Yes it is. But give him a break, he probably stood right at the back of the Holte.
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Nice pictures, nice memories with Andy lochead, Chico Hamilton and Willie Anderson in the 3rd picture. I have always been a Holte Ender
Isn't it Pat Pat Pat Pat Pat McMahon?
Yes it is. But give him a break, he probably stood right at the back of the Holte.
Fair enough, I was only about half way up.
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Heres one of the ground I havent seen before, taken at the end of the Sunderland promotion game in 1975.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/4059324200_de77a88def_z.jpg)
That's one of the few pictures that I've seen of the old Witton end that wasn't taken from the pitch or pitchside.