Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Legion on December 06, 2011, 08:01:39 PM
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We've been invited by the head of the marketing department at Aston Villa (Russell Jones) to tender suggestions on a monthly basis from the good people at H&V after the success of this initiative (http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?topic=45365.0).
Please feel free to offer your constructive thoughts and ideas.
Thanks in advance.
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Ticket information on the OS this season has been shocking.
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Ticket information on the OS this season has been shocking.
Agreed.
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Any chance of a screen making a re-appearance in the North Stand/Witton Lane Corner?!
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The 'early bird' idea has been really good, got a ticket in the Holte for the Man Utd game for £18, which is cracking by today's standards.
My biggest suggestion was perhaps to offer more incentives for the 'smaller' games, such as perhaps if you attend the Arsenal game you get £10 off the Swansea game? Just something like that to improve attendance against smaller teams which has been slightly embarrassing this season.
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The most glaring example of lost potential income for the club is the failure to maximise beer and lager sales in the ground. Through no fault of their own the staff are largely inexperienced, disorganized and terribly slow. They also commit the cardinal business sin of talking to each other not the customers.
I would run a quarterly competition for the bar which sells the most beer and lager adjusted appropriately for size with a cash bonus and a big shiny trophy to be held and displayed for the following quarter. It would pay for itself ten times over with increased takings.
You would also have to do something I have long advocated and that is name the bars - the Johnny Dixon, the Peter Withe, the Billy Walker and so on - even the Best Mate who carried the claret and blue to glory so many times.
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We have a Marketing Department? Well, well...
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I spent a futile hour in the shop trying to find matching Gordon Gowans memorabilia to go with my recently purchased christmas decorations. Are they trying to airbrush former greats from the club's history?
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McGrath DVD and some live music in the Holte Suite pre-kick off.
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My suggestion to the marketing dept is to work to improve the 'product' that they sell, the product being what we watch on the pitch
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I would say keep Season Ticket prices down, rather than doing gimmicks like loading each ST card with a fiver or sending out pretty packs full of goodies that I'm not interested in when the card itself is delivered pre-season. Remember its whats on the pitch that we want to pay for, not the superfluous trimmings.
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I would say keep Season Ticket prices down, rather than doing gimmicks like loading each ST card with a fiver or sending out pretty packs full of goodies that I'm not interested in when the card itself is delivered pre-season. Remember its whats on the pitch that we want to pay for, not the superfluous trimmings.
Totally agree! A couple of seasons ago, before I became a ST holder, the Villa contacted me to encourage me to buy a half-season ticket. Part of the marketing was a half-year calendar with my name in prominent places around Villa Park - the stadium was in my name, I was the match winner in a newspaper report, my name was on the back of a Villa player's shirt with other players around, my name was on the big Holte End flag and also on the advertising strip! It was brilliant and I have kept the pictures. I would gladly pay to have my name on such a calendar - it would make a brilliant gift for any Villa fan. How about it, Villa?
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The most glaring example of lost potential income for the club is the failure to maximise beer and lager sales in the ground. Through no fault of their own the staff are largely inexperienced, disorganized and terribly slow. They also commit the cardinal business sin of talking to each other not the customers.
I would run a quarterly competition for the bar which sells the most beer and lager adjusted appropriately for size with a cash bonus and a big shiny trophy to be held and displayed for the following quarter. It would pay for itself ten times over with increased takings.
You would also have to do something I have long advocated and that is name the bars - the Johnny Dixon, the Peter Withe, the Billy Walker and so on - even the Best Mate who carried the claret and blue to glory so many times.
Been in the home section of other grounds where the bars are open for an hour or so after the game. Doing ths would:
Increase sales
Encourage some of us to hang around for post match chat.
Reduce the crush to get out (roads, public transport, etc)
Of course you need decent beer to do this!
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The most glaring example of lost potential income for the club is the failure to maximise beer and lager sales in the ground. Through no fault of their own the staff are largely inexperienced, disorganized and terribly slow. They also commit the cardinal business sin of talking to each other not the customers.
I would run a quarterly competition for the bar which sells the most beer and lager adjusted appropriately for size with a cash bonus and a big shiny trophy to be held and displayed for the following quarter. It would pay for itself ten times over with increased takings.
You would also have to do something I have long advocated and that is name the bars - the Johnny Dixon, the Peter Withe, the Billy Walker and so on - even the Best Mate who carried the claret and blue to glory so many times.
Been in the home section of other grounds where the bars are open for an hour or so after the game. Doing ths would:
Increase sales
Encourage some of us to hang around for post match chat.
Reduce the crush to get out (roads, public transport, etc)
Of course you need decent beer to do this!
How about some bottled ales from some of the excellent small breweries in the West Midlands?
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How about, those people paid megabucks to come up with marketing ideas . . . come up with marketing ideas.
It's like a bin man knocking on your door and asking 'what's the best way to get rid of your rubbish?'
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My first thought is you can't polish a turd, however that's not very helpful.
Look at what German clubs do,universally cheap tickets (I'm talking season tickets through to single tickets, not gimmicks)this will fill the ground and improve the atmosphere. If you are not filling the ground you need to look at why, if you can't improve the product the price needs to come down, atmosphere will follow this.
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Improve the core product. Play entertaining football. Be competitive. Everything else is rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Then, the marketing department would not need to bother begging for ideas from diehard fans.
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If its bums on seats you want,tell Randy hoofball is not a good fit.
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They're not begging for ideas. They're genuinely interested in hearing things from our perspective. They do a job. We can suggest ways forward from our more subjective opinion on all things claret and blue.
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The whole branding and identity of the club is wrong in my opinion, which makes marketing much harder. The image of Aston Villa is first seen in the badge and the famous claret and blue colours.
The new badge is a branding and marketing disaster. It looks weak and cheap. First and foremost this needs to be scrapped and go back to the drawing board with a strong powerful badge that inspires not only our current fans but generations to come.
Our merchandise has been very poor for years. This goes for the kits to the training kits to the casual department to the fun bits of tat such as mugs. I would like to spend money in the Villa shop but almost everytime I walk out empty handed as I very rarely see anything I would like to buy. I know claret and blue arent the easiest colours to work with, but with a bit of imagination and designs combined with other colours (not forgetting incorporating our new badge design) we really should have a strong line of products available whether its clothing or general household tat.
Get the basics right and then start flooding the Midlands with advertising and making our products available in more outlets. Simples things like educational programmes into schools/youth clubs and getting our merchandise into all sports shops alongside the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool should have been in place years ago. Once the Midlands is saturated then role it out across the country and then strategically across Europe and beyond.
I know it sounds ever so simple! lol :D
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A calender with detactchable pictures so instead of having to look at a month with a player who's been flogged, you can replace it with a youth player or a new signing (joke!)
Reversable football shirt. Home kit on one side/ away on the other. Obviously not made of the same material as the normal shirt, but sold at christmas as a collectors item.
I'm can let you have more ideas for a small fee.
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The whole branding and identity of the club is wrong in my opinion, which makes marketing much harder. The image of Aston Villa is first seen in the badge and the famous claret and blue colours.
The new badge is a branding and marketing disaster. It looks weak and cheap. First and foremost this needs to be scrapped and go back to the drawing board with a strong powerful badge that inspires not only our current fans but generations to come.
Our merchandise has been very poor for years. This goes for the kits to the training kits to the casual department to the fun bits of tat such as mugs. I would like to spend money in the Villa shop but almost everytime I walk out empty handed as I very rarely see anything I would like to buy. I know claret and blue arent the easiest colours to work with, but with a bit of imagination and designs combined with other colours (not forgetting incorporating our new badge design) we really should have a strong line of products available whether its clothing or general household tat.
Get the basics right and then start flooding the Midlands with advertising and making our products available in more outlets. Simples things like educational programmes into schools/youth clubs and getting our merchandise into all sports shops alongside the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool should have been in place years ago. Once the Midlands is saturated then role it out across the country and then strategically across Europe and beyond.
I know it sounds ever so simple! lol :D
I agree with all of this. For me, our unique selling point and the cornerstone of the "brand" should be McGregor and our place as Creators of League Football. I've lost count of the amount of times I've read and heard of Villa being "one of the founder members of The League". That's not good enough. The club has to invest and actually work to change this perception of the club. Dare I say it, I think it would add value to the club. If our teaming up with Nike had counted for anything we could have launched a kit that celebrated McGregor in some way and tied it in with the unveiling of the statue a couple of years back.
Another simple fix is using the McGregor Statue and Holte End more in club photo opportunities. For example, if we sign a player why not have the media take snaps with the signing next to the statue or in front of the Holte? Such easy ways to build the club's identity and brand. (The amount of times I have seen the press filming and photographing from in front of the North Stand - probably the ugliest stand in the Premier League - has made me want to weep.) Even the Holte Pub could be used more for photo opps and branding. At present it's a fine building going to waste. I believe, however, that we are missing the obvious, it's true value lies in its history and the way it looks. We are wasting a fantastic asset.
I would compare and contrast our use of the media for branding purposes with Arsenal's. I know they have the advantage of being London based but that is no reason for us to sit back and act like amateurs. Nike gave them a new kit to celebrate their 125 year anniversary and the newspapers are all over their plans for a new statue. Not only that but Jack "Bloody" Wilshere's Tweets seem to be everywhere in the press, too. Is there no way our club could actually headhunt a top PR person from London and actually do something with our history? (By top PR person I mean the genius who has managed to get Jack Wilshere on the cover of FIFA 12. Possibly it's the same person who is behind Tom Daley (the diver) being everywhere, too.)
If you pay peanuts you get monkeys - and that goes for off the pitch as well as on it.
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Other ideas, while I'm on a roll!
On the official site we are described as the fifth most successful club in England. Is there any way of correcting that and writing "fourth"?
Scarves. What about launching scarves that celebrate our history? A Billy Walker scarf or Pongo Waring scarf, for example. We could do so much more to celebrate our legends. What about a scarf that says " Creators of The Game" on it in the same way that Man Utd peddle scarves saying "Theatre of Dreams" on them? Simple items that will sell and establish the brand all at the same time. Imagine that: kids with scarves that say "Aston Villa Football Club" on one side and "Creators Of The Game" down the other? In an instant we'd have a product that instills pride in the club and establishes a very unique brand and identity. You could show a scarf like that to a Liverpool fan, Man City fan, Real Madrid fan, Barcelona fan and actually do so knowing your club is a cut above them all. None of them can compete with that.
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Our merchandise has been very poor for years. This goes for the kits to the training kits to the casual department to the fun bits of tat such as mugs.
I totally disagree with this. I think the training kit especially from this year and last year was great.
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They're not begging for ideas. They're genuinely interested in hearing things from our perspective. They do a job. We can suggest ways forward from our more subjective opinion on all things claret and blue.
Exactely, most successful orgainisations listen to ideas of what their customers want and try to put it into action.
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A calender with detactchable pictures so instead of having to look at a month with a player who's been flogged, you can replace it with a youth player or a new signing (joke!)
Reversable football shirt. Home kit on one side/ away on the other. Obviously not made of the same material as the normal shirt, but sold at christmas as a collectors item.
I'm can let you have more ideas for a small fee.
We could have a Guess Who panel instead of the team picture, so we can flip down the images of those who have disappeared just before the season starts.
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What active PR to we do in peripheral towns within an hour or so of Villa Park to try and nick fans from the Big 4/5/6?
E.g. Northampton, MK, Worcester, Stafford, Cheltenham, Burton, Loughborough. Most of these are pretty affluent places with thousands of arm chari fans - subsidised or sponsored travel ?
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As a season ticket holder and an owner of an Ipad2 (oooh- get you) I would like, if at all possible, to have a free wi-fi facility in the Holte Suite.
Also, a minor point this, save the areas needed for the TV screens in the Holte Suite there is an awful lot of white space- can we not have large photo's of Villa icons to break it up a bit?
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Can we please please please have the 1980-81 shirt replicated in a modern day version...may be even switch back to Umbro for the finishing touch. PLEASE!!!
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The product is not fit for purpose.
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The i phone app which cost me £2.49 and was recommended on the official website doesnt work on the new apple update so please can they sort that out !
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The i phone app which cost me £2.49 and was recommended on the official website doesnt work on the new apple update so please can they sort that out !
I remember in the late 80s, my mom bought two official Christmas cards from the club shop, the ones you could hand into the club to be signed by the players. This she duly did for my brother and I and our cousins.
A few days before Christmas they arrived in the post, completely blank inside.
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Can we please please please have the 1980-81 shirt replicated in a modern day version...may be even switch back to Umbro for the finishing touch. PLEASE!!!
Seconded
Add to that the white away kit with diamonds on the sleeves
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more tie-in's with 70's style games manufacturers like the Aston Villa Monopoly
Operation - Jenas edition
Heskyroo
Hungry hungry Dunnies
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Can we please please please have the 1980-81 shirt replicated in a modern day version...may be even switch back to Umbro for the finishing touch. PLEASE!!!
Totally agree. They would sell bucket loads if it was of decent quality. They could do a "slim fit" edition.
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I went to the New St. shop yesterday to buy the retro '57 Cup Final shirt as a present for someone. But when I saw the shirts they appear to have dropped in quality.
The material has been changed from the cotton they used to be made from to a modern synthetic material which just doesn't feel right and the sky blue appears to be in two different shades on different shirts, on some it looks very pale and washed out and on others it looks almost metallic. Seeing the shirts hanging there, I'm sorry to say they just didn't look right.
I didn't buy one. Could we please go back to having them made from cotton and in the right shades of colour?
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Could someone sort out the "experience" that is half time under the Holte!
I gave up trying to get anything last season.
My lad always asks me for something so I just sneak in sweets and drinks now ;-)
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Could someone sort out the "experience" that is half time under the Holte!
I gave up trying to get anything last season.
My lad always asks me for something so I just sneak in sweets and drinks now ;-)
I second that. I appreciate and understand that theres lots of other ppl to serve in a short space of time, but I've also given up trying to get served and I'm never that desperate for over priced refreshments to miss the end of the half.
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I have been all over Europe and seen lot of Nike shop selling football shirts and none of them include Aston Villa. it is always Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, and co.
Getting back to Europe will help and playing exciting football. Make the media love us an the marketing opportunties will come.
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"McLeish out" scarves would make a killing I reckon.
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Darren Bent shopping bags?
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Darren Bent shopping bags?
It's a cracker!
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Darren Bent shopping bags with McLeish out as a slogan on the other side might be a huge hit!
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What active PR to we do in peripheral towns within an hour or so of Villa Park to try and nick fans from the Big 4/5/6?
E.g. Northampton, MK, Worcester, Stafford, Cheltenham, Burton, Loughborough. Most of these are pretty affluent places with thousands of arm chari fans - subsidised or sponsored travel ?
The Lions Club are offering free coaches from time to time to this very catchment area. They want coaches full of non-season ticket holders to encourage them to join the fold.
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more tie-in's with 70's style games manufacturers like the Aston Villa Monopoly
Operation - Jenas edition
Heskyroo
Hungry hungry Dunnies
Excellent stuff Greg!
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Whilst not really a marketing suggestion as such, can we PLEASE get rid of that new version of The Bells are Ringing song that they play over the tannoy. It's absolutley dreadful..
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more tie-in's with 70's style games manufacturers like the Aston Villa Monopoly
Operation - Jenas edition
Heskyroo
Hungry hungry Dunnies
Excellent stuff Greg!
Very good. I might even be tempted to join in with those. Although my 4 year thinks the point of operation is to make the patient convulse until the batteries are dead.
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No Cluedo - Alex McLeish version
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Get rid of the bells and replace it with something with balls.
Bring on board Black Sabbath, bunch of Brummies. Ozzie and Bill Ward were born in Aston where the band was formed.
The team comes out to Paranoid, bloody loud.
No brainer, stop pratting about.
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Agree - Paranoid is the way to go. Written in Aston by Astonians
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No complaints from me either. Good call
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Great idea! Does anyone know if Ozzy or any of the band support Villa?
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'Geezer Butler' does.
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The band itself is on a tour at the moment. Europe mainly with a gig at Donnington in June I think. Some sort of a relationship might be good for club and band. It would be a better concert at VP this summer than Take That was, if one could be slotted in. Probably too short notice.
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Might not work for us but this is mental:
&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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Darren Bent shopping bags?
i want one of them please
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Might not work for us but this is mental:
&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I can't hear what they are saying but why does the club appear to have given out free Union Flags? I thought they were supposed to be against sectarianism these days?
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I love the design of the Union Flag. By far my favourite flag in the world.
Completely irrelevant, or maybe not, as I do not like the fact that it is being used in a taunting sense towards the Celtic fans. Sorry, yes that is definitely irrelevant to this thread.
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I've posted about entrance music elsewhere, but if the marketing people have any say then please give this a try and then imagine The Holte End on it's feet singing the best football anthem ever.
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I love the design of the Union Flag. By far my favourite flag in the world.
Completely irrelevant, or maybe not, as I do not like the fact that it is being used in a taunting sense towards the Celtic fans. Sorry, yes that is definitely irrelevant to this thread.
The song itself has nothing sectarian about it. That sort of racket inside Villa Park would inspire any Villa team playing there.
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Might not work for us but this is mental:
&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Is that the last night of the Proms?
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Have a sliding scale of ticket prices based on kick-off times. You can still have your band a games - Man U, Blues etc which you still expect to sell out. Then, have your most expensive tickets (relatively speaking) at 3pm on a Saturday unless you are playing a Band D lets say - Wigan, Bolton etc. So, if you're playing at Saturday at half 5 or 12.30 the tickets are a fiver cheaper, on a Sunday its a tenner or so cheaper.
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Some great ideas. Keep them coming. Thread will be unstickied and locked on New Year's Day for collation and eventual consultation. If all things go well there will be a new one in the New Year. Please be aware that a number of club employees are actively monitoring events.
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With regard to the entrance and HT music, I'd prefer a return to TFAUSM or Craig Armstrong's 'Escape'. The current bells dirge needs to go.
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With regard to the entrance and HT music, I'd prefer a return to TFAUSM or Craig Armstrong's 'Escape'. The current bells dirge needs to go.
I thought the whole Idea was to play The Bells are Ringing not just Bells Ringing, playing The Bells are Ringing should be tried out.
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With regard to the entrance and HT music, I'd prefer a return to TFAUSM or Craig Armstrong's 'Escape'. The current bells dirge needs to go.
I thought the whole Idea was to play The Bells are Ringing not just Bells Ringing, playing The Bells are Ringing should be tried out.
The Bells are Ringing IS played. It's just so twee it's awful.
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The Bells concept has been an embarrassment from start to finish. I used to sing the great anthem standing on the Holte but its crinch worthy how they persist in using the bells on match days.
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If they could get 1000/2000 in the Holte End to sing The Bells are Ringing on a non-match day and record it then play it at full volume on a match day it would definitely catch on. It could even be recorded in the Witton Lane Stand for the better acoustics. What they tried to do on the Holte steps was a great idea. It just needs making into a bigger effort. The one that is played before the game should be ditched. TFAUSM would be good at some stage. It is a nostalgia thing for some of us. However, The Bells sung by a proper 'choir' at full volume must be tried and would be great at the end of a home victory as well.
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The whole run-out music thing has been a farce.
All that consultation with the fans and we've ended up with something which middle aged accountants in mid-west America would probably like, but which everyone who actually goes to the games hates.
As for the idea of playing tolling bells when we run out, how funereal was that?
Fuck the whole thing off, just play nothing or stick the radio on. It'd annoy fewer people.
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The iPhone app has been updated and now working fine on OS5.
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With regard to the entrance and HT music, I'd prefer a return to TFAUSM or Craig Armstrong's 'Escape'. The current bells dirge needs to go.
I thought the whole Idea was to play The Bells are Ringing not just Bells Ringing, playing The Bells are Ringing should be tried out.
The Bells are Ringing IS played. It's just so twee it's awful.
All I ever hear is the clanging bells, If they want to make it work they should have the song played at full tilt with the words appearing on the screen. I really like the idea of having a real Villa song and fans singing it before the game. The Bells are Ringing is the best we have got, surely it cant be that difficult to make this happpen.
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With regard to the entrance and HT music, I'd prefer a return to TFAUSM or Craig Armstrong's 'Escape'. The current bells dirge needs to go.
I thought the whole Idea was to play The Bells are Ringing not just Bells Ringing, playing The Bells are Ringing should be tried out.
The Bells are Ringing IS played. It's just so twee it's awful.
All I ever hear is the clanging bells, If they want to make it work they should have the song played at full tilt with the words appearing on the screen. I really like the idea of having a real Villa song and fans singing it before the game. The Bells are Ringing is the best we have got, surely it cant be that difficult to make this happpen.
So half the ground could read the words then. Of course, if they put other screen back up, everyone could join in ...
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Or just play Theme from an unmade silent movie instead. It's nostalgic, it's rousing and it's better than anything else we've tried lately.
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Song words on a big screen. Kill me now, please.
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Song words on a big screen. Kill me now, please.
Agreed. What would be next, Hercules and Bellla running up and down the touchline with big flags when we score a goal?
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Song words on a big screen. Kill me now, please.
Agreed. What would be next, Hercules and Bellla running up and down the touchline with big flags when we score a goal?
At least we won't have to worry about them getting knackered if they do that.
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Song words on a big screen. Kill me now, please.
Having a big screen I can see from my seat would be good.
I'm pretty sure there used to be one next to the North Stand, or did I dream it???
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Just in case it hasn't been mentioned before. We could have the darts music when we score.
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The Bullseye theme tune?
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The Bullseye theme tune?
Spelling we want Gabriel.
Spelling it is, now for fifty pence Alex spell "creative midfielder"
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I R E L A N D Jim?
Jim Bowen: Let me check with Bully.
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Absolutley MAGNIFICENT !
Happy New Year to my fellow Villans aswell.
I have to say that I was turning against Mcleish after the disgraceful efforts against ManUre, Liverpool et all. I want to give him more time as I think he has stumbled on a winning formula.
Bent is out of form and was champing at the bit to come on, benched sensibly - well done AM.
Hutton's ban - a blessing in disguise. I dont think he is suitable for our team, emergency cover only. Cuellar is much much better.
Clark - Hes coming good and is well disciplined.
Petrov - a new lease of life after some astonishing poor performances under GH.
The Zog - Phew! Finally a player under there and has found his mojo.
Lastly Ireland. I didnt realise he was still at the club if it wasnt for his pipe antics. A swift arse kick by Mcliesh and GOOD MORNING! we have a player on our hands. Bar injury I expect an unchanged team against Swansea and we take them apart.
Up the Villa !
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at the arsenal gamei went into the holte suite, i usually pay £4 for a programme and entry and £2 for my lad. i am then informed there are only 300 programmes and they have gone, so am charged £5 entry and i go and buy 1 pint and a bottle of pop. I then have to buy a programme in the holte for £3.
I thought one of the priviledges of being a season ticket holder was this initiative in the holte suite. please dont start penny pinching and sending only a few programmes down.
plus, no calender this year for the 2 junior villains in my house. It is the little things that help keep the little uns interested and coming back for years!
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Just a random thought, but it would be nice if someone got the majestic 92-93 season onto dvd.
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All responses have now been collated and sent off. They will be circulated internally and feedback will be received in due course.
Thank you.
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Hello Marketing Dept.............. any chance of a new manager?
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Hello Marketing Dept.............. any chance of a new manager?
Would you mind leaving this topic to the grown ups? Thank you.
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Hello Marketing Dept.............. any chance of a new manager?
Wold you mind leaving this topic to the grown ups? Thank you.
I would but has a child written this?????? The grammar is terrible for an "adult"
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It's called a typographical error. Nothing to do with grammar.
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And we all know there's no-one quite like Grammar.
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It's called a typographical error. Nothing to do with grammar.
ooooooooooohhhhhh get you with the big word.........
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It's not a big word. Antidisestablishmentarianism is a big word.
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Hold the front page! dazzyg has made a post that does not make a reference in someway to chanting about sacking McLeish. Amazing. The record has become unstuck.
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One would imagine only briefly.
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Song words on a big screen. Kill me now, please.
I'd already be dead through embarrassment.
If they could get 1000/2000 in the Holte End to sing The Bells are Ringing on a non-match day
Do we tend to get that many in on a non-matchday nowadays - since the invention of tumble-dryers?
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UPDATE: Responses due soon. SCG13 Q&A are now available in GM.
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Affordable ticketing?
Nicky K has answered lots of affordable ticket questions via the SCG. As you will be aware this is always a balancing act between filling the stadium and ensuring best value for season ticket holders. You will be aware of the tickets for schools scheme launched last week.
Any chance of a screen making a re-appearance in the North Stand/Witton Lane Corner?!
Tom Fantini answered this very positively in the last SCG response. Watch this space!
Free wifi in stadium?
Richard Hollingsworth has answered this via the SCG. We continue to look for a solution.
Bells are ringing/entrance music?
I have answered this via the SCG and Hot topic thread. Again, nothing to add here at the moment.
Live music in the Holte Suite pre-kick off.
We have no immediate plans to bring live music into the Holte before a game. Our research tells us that fans want to listen to sky sports news and watch live games (12.30 kick off and 5pm kick off).
How about some bottled ales from some of the excellent small breweries in the West Midlands?
It’s a nice idea. Unfortunately our official beer sponsorship restricts us in terms of what we can sell.
What active PR to we do in peripheral towns within an hour or so of Villa Park to try and nick fans from the Big 4/5/6? E.g. Northampton, MK, Worcester, Stafford, Cheltenham, Burton, Loughborough. Most of these are pretty affluent places with thousands of arm chair fans - subsidised or sponsored travel?
There is a huge amount of work that goes in to marketing the club both locally and to our peripheral towns. The majority of our regional marketing effort is activated via our extensive supporter club network. In order to increase attendance, Supporters Clubs have offered local fans free travel (financed by the club) numerous times during season 11/12. To find out more about your local club please visit http://www.avfclionsclubs.co.uk/. To set up a new club or for further information, please email Alan Perrins – alan.perrins@avfc.co.uk
In linking with the McGregor theme how about promoting Villa Park as the ‘Home of Football?’We agree that there is more that can be done to promote us as the creator/founder of league football. Good idea and one to factor in to future marketing creative.
Can we please please have the 1980-81 shirt replicated in a modern day version...maybe even switch back to Umbro for the finishing touch.
We are aware that the 80/81 shirt is popular. We will feed this on to our kit supplier for consideration in future years.
Can we have special edition scarves?
Whilst we are always conscious of minimum order requirements, we do produce lots of special edition scarves already so the answer in a word is yes. Merchandise and marketing will continue to work together with the fans to develop ideas for special edition scarves.
SCG responses available here (http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/ConsultationGroups)
Courtesy of Russell Jones
Head of Marketing and Communications
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They didn't go with my tie-ins with 70's games then? Pity, Hungry hungry Dunnies had potential i thought.