Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: dave.woodhall on February 09, 2017, 10:16:40 AM
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The next meeting is next week. Is there anything anyone wants bringing up? Sensible suggestions, please.
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Is there anything anyone wants brining up?
Well, I have this turkey that I've been thinking about preparing
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A very very little niggly one for me Dave.
In the Ellis Upper, if they want us to be able to hear what is being announced can they stop piping music at same time as speaking...the PA/tannoy/speakers thing up there has always been poor quality but is almost impossible to understand at times, best example being the announcement of the respect for SGT, couldn't understand a word the guy was saying.
Ta
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A very very little niggly one for me Dave.
In the Ellis Upper, if they want us to be able to hear what is being announced can they stop piping music at same time as speaking...the PA/tannoy/speakers thing up there has always been poor quality but is almost impossible to understand at times, best example being the announcement of the respect for SGT, couldn't understand a word the guy was saying.
Ta
that is a problem for the whole stadium I think which the general has said he is going to sort out!!!
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To use an appropriate word I'd like to echo Gareth's comment about the PA system.
It's been like that for at least 5 years and in that time I don't think I have understood one word that's been said.
Also, I'm reliably informed that the state of the ladies toilets in the Doug Ellis Stand leaves a lot to be desired.
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Can we have some new beer garden furniture outside The Holte Pub before Spring please?
I heard a crazy rumour that the old furniture was sold as part of our drive to balance the books! I can't believe this was true but if it was, I can't believe that we can no longer afford a set of chairs and tables for outside our flagship pub!
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Another somewhat minor quibble on the PA, Holte Lower, it's absolutely deafening. At the last home game I was trying to have a conversation with friends and ended up giving up. Maybe turning it down from 11 to just 10 would help.
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Another somewhat minor quibble on the PA, Holte Lower, it's absolutely deafening. At the last home game I was trying to have a conversation with friends and ended up giving up. Maybe turning it down from 11 to just 10 would help.
100% agree with this. I'm borderline deaf and still feel like covering my ears at half time.
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Would be good to know what's going on with the demise of Villa Cash and what's coming next. We've had a holding email telling us Villa Cash is going and something else is coming but it would be nice to get some more detail.
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I keep seeing on the match threads that we are due to give someone a battering, can you asked them who is this going to be against
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Why didn't Barry........
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A very very little niggly one for me Dave.
In the Ellis Upper, if they want us to be able to hear what is being announced can they stop piping music at same time as speaking...the PA/tannoy/speakers thing up there has always been poor quality but is almost impossible to understand at times, best example being the announcement of the respect for SGT, couldn't understand a word the guy was saying.
Ta
that is a problem for the whole stadium I think which the general has said he is going to sort out!!!
Agreed x10! Sick of having to shout to my mates at half time because of the cacophony. We just lax into stupefied silence after a couple of minutes (that may be the football on display though...)
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Instant replays on screens of goals and goal attempts
Seemingly disappeared and is sorely missed
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What happened to the half-time on-pitch entertainment / competitions ?
Not that I want them back, I'm just curious.
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Why do we not sell hospitality packages on match day, or is there bad information in the ticket office?
Not that I mind sitting with the riff raff, but I had the opportunity to get it all paid for.
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What are the owner's immediate plans for Villa in/and the local community?
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Why do we not sell hospitality packages on match day, or is there bad information in the ticket office?
Not that I mind sitting with the riff raff, but I had the opportunity to get it all paid for.
You can http://www.avhe.co.uk, or do you mean book it on the day?
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Is there anything anyone wants brining up?
Well, I have this turkey that I've been thinking about preparing
Now that made me laugh. I doff my cap to you sir. Dave probably didn't find it quite as funny.
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Why do we not sell hospitality packages on match day, or is there bad information in the ticket office?
Not that I mind sitting with the riff raff, but I had the opportunity to get it all paid for.
You can http://www.avhe.co.uk, or do you mean book it on the day?
On the day - we arrived at Villa Park at approx. 11am (3pm kick off) and they said it had to be done in advance.
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The disabled entrance next to the Corner Flag Restaurant in the Trinity Road Stand is sloped severely towards the players car park.
It is very difficult to push a wheelchair up or down making it hard to control it and dangerous in wet/icy/winter weather (but it is difficult at any time).
Are there any plans to change or improve the alignment, please?
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Season ticket holders were supposed to get there 1st home cup game free this season but were knocked out in the opening round of both cups away from home.
Will existing season ticket holders get a reduction in next seasons season ticket or be given 2 home cup games free now?
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Instant replays on screens of goals and goal attempts
Seemingly disappeared and is sorely missed
Yep
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Are there any plans to re design the club badge, so that we can finally wash away the last vestiges of the cursed Lerner era?
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Do we have plans to revert back to the round badge?
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Will the DE stand ever revert back to the Witton Lane stand
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A small thing that annoys me is that the final whistle is immediately followed by a PA announcement. Around me on HL we call it the "drown out the boos" announcement. They even do it when we win. A few minutes of PA silence to cheer or weep would be good.
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Is there a plan to have wifi around the ground on matchdays maybe available to season ticket holders.
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Are there any plans to re design the club badge, so that we can finally wash away the last vestiges of the cursed Lerner era?
Do we have plans to revert back to the round badge?
...make it happen please!
Also linked to the badge questions...the club merchandise has been substandard for years. Are there any plans to improve the design, branding and image of the club to improve merchandise and make the club more marketable?
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The service in the Holte End bars is pathetic at best. Why don't they have beers ready to serve rather than pulling pints at points of sale when they know for a fact that there will be demand before the game and at half time?
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Are there any plans to bring back VMF?
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It's been mentioned earlier, but for us non season ticket holders, the villa cash replacement would be nice to know a bit more about
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Is there anything anyone wants brining up?
Well, I have this turkey that I've been thinking about preparing
Now that made me laugh. I doff my cap to you sir. Dave probably didn't find it quite as funny.
I didn't get it
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How about adopting what some other clubs do regarding Season Tickets where they offer an 'early bird' promotion..cheaper Season Tickets when you buy them earlier?
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Is there anything anyone wants brining up?
Well, I have this turkey that I've been thinking about preparing
Now that made me laugh. I doff my cap to you sir. Dave probably didn't find it quite as funny.
I didn't get it
Redsox pounced on the bring/brine typo and the rest is history.
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The service in the Holte End bars is pathetic at best. Why don't they have beers ready to serve rather than pulling pints at points of sale when they know for a fact that there will be demand before the game and at half time?
I've mentioned this before. My son has a decent job in match day events at a rival club (yeah I know I felt sick when he told me) Thing is he don't make many matches at Villa Park these days. The last one we went together there was around 35k on the day. He saw the queues and was gobsmacked at the amateurish way they were doing things and the slowness of service. He watched as hundreds gave up and went back to their seats with money still burning a hole in their pockets. I told him to e-mail the club pointing out his observations and offer his services to sort out the catering mess we currently have on match days. I doubt Dr Tony has had chance to get involved in such hands on match day stuff. I'd like to know if he has any ideas about improving things.
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Is there anything anyone wants brining up?
Well, I have this turkey that I've been thinking about preparing
Now that made me laugh. I doff my cap to you sir. Dave probably didn't find it quite as funny.
I didn't get it
Redsox pounced on the bring/brine typo and the rest is history.
Ohhhh. I read it several times before I spotted it though!
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Instant replays on screens of goals and goal attempts
Seemingly disappeared and is sorely missed
Yep
I assumed that was because there is no Sky TV coverage to tap into at most Championship games.
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At Emirates Arsenal announce the names of away team before the kick off and also show replays of opposition goals as well as their own. I think that's sign of class so why can't we do that?
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Two things from me for consideration please - one echoing the dreadfully slow bar service both in the stand bars and Holte Suite - the pre poured drink concept is a painfully obvious solution that I've seen work like a dream over a decade ago at Pride Park. Secondly, why is the corner flag now empty for every game? It's an ideal sell for groups, yet I've never seen it advertised.
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A very very little niggly one for me Dave.
In the Ellis Upper, if they want us to be able to hear what is being announced can they stop piping music at same time as speaking...the PA/tannoy/speakers thing up there has always been poor quality but is almost impossible to understand at times, best example being the announcement of the respect for SGT, couldn't understand a word the guy was saying.
Ta
that is a problem for the whole stadium I think which the general has said he is going to sort out!!!
Which General.......? ;)
PA is pretty random on depending on where you sit....I've always found it audible enough in the Upper North and Trinity, very loud indeed in lower Holte but sat in the upper Witton against PNE and found it virtually impossible to make out anything of the GT pre match tribute other than seeing it on the big screen and the players lined up on the halfway line.
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At Emirates Arsenal announce the names of away team before the kick off and also show replays of opposition goals as well as their own. I think that's sign of class so why can't we do that?
Arsenal don't....they announce it 20 minutes before kick off, same as we do.
I never really got why we changed that tbh and think it's a little disrespectful to the away fans we just read out our team right before kick off. It's only a little thing but would actually liven up the atmosphere pre match if we were playing a big match....the mass booing from the ground when the SHA team is announced always amuses me.
There's certainly enough time to do both.
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Instant replays on screens of goals and goal attempts
Seemingly disappeared and is sorely missed
Problem is in the premier league you have about 20 cameras covering the game due to the worldwide popularity.
At championship level if Sky or Five aren't covering it, you've only got one camera and you can see the difference in quality if you go down early before half time and stand watching it on the screen concourses.
That's always surprised me about the championship and probably why some of the owners are starting to rebel agains the existing tv deal....I watch a few of the other second division euro leagues and the run of the mill matches are all properly captured like a top level match (multiple replays and angles etc).
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Are we going to re-introduce our schools initiative whereby local schools get cheaper tickets and get to keep some of the proceeds, helping keep / introduce our next generation of fans whilst helping the finances of local schools ?
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Instant replays on screens of goals and goal attempts
Seemingly disappeared and is sorely missed
Yep
I assumed that was because there is no Sky TV coverage to tap into at most Championship games.
It feels like every single one of our games this season has been on Sky.
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And here's me thinking the turkey stuffing gag was because Soxy was being sage enough to make thyme to spot an old chestnut of a joke. It did forcemeat look twice.
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The quality of the PA system has got to be looked into.
I sit in the upper DE and can barely hear it.
Didn't the club spend a fortune on getting a state of the art system some years ago ?
Its like we bought the best sound system from Ritcher sounds, with great woofers, tweeters, amps and shit, and got our 85 year old granddad to set it up for us.
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The service in the Holte End bars is pathetic at best. Why don't they have beers ready to serve rather than pulling pints at points of sale when they know for a fact that there will be demand before the game and at half time?
I've mentioned this before. My son has a decent job in match day events at a rival club (yeah I know I felt sick when he told me) Thing is he don't make many matches at Villa Park these days. The last one we went together there was around 35k on the day. He saw the queues and was gobsmacked at the amateurish way they were doing things and the slowness of service. He watched as hundreds gave up and went back to their seats with money still burning a hole in their pockets. I told him to e-mail the club pointing out his observations and offer his services to sort out the catering mess we currently have on match days. I doubt Dr Tony has had chance to get involved in such hands on match day stuff. I'd like to know if he has any ideas about improving things.
Its absolutely astounding. I reckon the halftime revenue could be increased by 20% with an overhaul in the system. Again, ive said this before but ill never forget going to watch a game of aussie rules where they had (constantly moving) backwards and forwards queuing barriers which you walked down (like a ride at alton towers) they had 3 staff manning high speed pint pouring machines and a rolling desk that constantly had about 20 pints of each type of ale and size. U literally walked through, put whatever beers you wanted in a holder and carried on through to 4 manned tills. The whole process took no more than 2mins tops, no waiting for beers to be poured etc.
They did similar stuff for food but the lack of pressure from keeping the beer completely separate was the key thing as far as i could see
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Plus there doesn't seem to be much communication between the staff and whether anyone knows oif they have one particular item. Quite often you get a bored/confused looking face who rather than inform you of what they may not have will go walk about looking for things. or, you get the bored disinterested shake of the head if they do know something is out of stock. No customer service skills at all.
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If this is within the remit of the group could we get an update on the Acedemy and the lack (in comparison to a few years ago) of quality players coming through? Results over that last couple of seasons have been average at best and is there a concern over the ability to get the very best prospects from around the Midlands region?
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Re-naming the terrible titled North Stand ' The Graham Taylor Stand '.
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The service in the Holte End bars is pathetic at best. Why don't they have beers ready to serve rather than pulling pints at points of sale when they know for a fact that there will be demand before the game and at half time?
I've mentioned this before. My son has a decent job in match day events at a rival club (yeah I know I felt sick when he told me) Thing is he don't make many matches at Villa Park these days. The last one we went together there was around 35k on the day. He saw the queues and was gobsmacked at the amateurish way they were doing things and the slowness of service. He watched as hundreds gave up and went back to their seats with money still burning a hole in their pockets. I told him to e-mail the club pointing out his observations and offer his services to sort out the catering mess we currently have on match days. I doubt Dr Tony has had chance to get involved in such hands on match day stuff. I'd like to know if he has any ideas about improving things.
Its absolutely astounding. I reckon the halftime revenue could be increased by 20% with an overhaul in the system. Again, ive said this before but ill never forget going to watch a game of aussie rules where they had (constantly moving) backwards and forwards queuing barriers which you walked down (like a ride at alton towers) they had 3 staff manning high speed pint pouring machines and a rolling desk that constantly had about 20 pints of each type of ale and size. U literally walked through, put whatever beers you wanted in a holder and carried on through to 4 manned tills. The whole process took no more than 2mins tops, no waiting for beers to be poured etc.
They did similar stuff for food but the lack of pressure from keeping the beer completely separate was the key thing as far as i could see
Funny enough my son said he could increase the kiosk revenue by 20/25% with ideas he has implemented at other places so I reckon your estimate is not far off the mark. And it's not just about profit margins it's about fan experience. People should be able to get served and have a drink and a bite,chat with mates and get back to the game without too much kerfuffle. I sometimes look in on away teams forums and our match day service comes in for a lot of stick which is so disappointing when you consider we play at one of England's most iconic stadiums. I went to Brighton this season and came away with nothing bur praise for how we were treated in the ground . Superb I thought.
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The quality of the PA system has got to be looked into.
I sit in the upper DE and can barely hear it.
Didn't the club spend a fortune on getting a state of the art system some years ago ?
Its like we bought the best sound system from Ritcher sounds, with great woofers, tweeters, amps and shit, and got our 85 year old granddad to set it up for us.
You'd think the easiest thing to do would be a week before our first home game round up about 20 members of staff, sit them in different areas of VP, had a PA reading general stuff out like on a matchday and then you'd work out then which are the areas where more or less volume is needed.
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The quality of the PA system has got to be looked into.
I sit in the upper DE and can barely hear it.
Didn't the club spend a fortune on getting a state of the art system some years ago ?
Its like we bought the best sound system from Ritcher sounds, with great woofers, tweeters, amps and shit, and got our 85 year old granddad to set it up for us.
You'd think the easiest thing to do would be a week before our first home game round up about 20 members of staff, sit them in different areas of VP, had a PA reading general stuff out like on a matchday and then you'd work out then which are the areas where more or less volume is needed.
Sound in an empty venue is totally different to one that's full.
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Whoo whoo Is there anybody there? Knock once for yes and twice for no.
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They should try sports mode, it works on my telly
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Actually that is not a bad idea for a TV drama. The Seance in the Stadium. Pongo. Are you there?
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Actually that is not a bad idea for a TV drama. The Seance in the Stadium. Pongo. Are you there?
We've got Pongo
Pongo Waring
In the air
In the air
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There used to be a 'Ticket Office Today' news bulletin, which would list all the upcoming matches and their status. Now on the site there's a once-a-week update at best. Can we have the daily bulletin back?
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There used to be a 'Ticket Office Today' news bulletin, which would list all the upcoming matches and their status. Now on the site there's a once-a-week update at best. Can we have the daily bulletin back?
I just assumed the person who used to do that went in the relegation cull.
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Another vote for the round badge.
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The whole ground needs a new speaker system. I know for a fact that the club looked at a new Bose system like Old Trafford, but Doug wouldn't cough up the Million plus cost at the time. He went for a much cheaper system, as we hear or not hear today....
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My daughter bought me a "paving slab" for my fiftieth. On recent inspection the writing is indecipherable along with about a dozen others. Will these be repaired
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I'm joining the call for the online ticket office news to be updated. This morning if you log into your account it shows Huddersfield on sale tomorrow but I can find no mention on the official site although it has been on before.
A daily update would let us all know the state of ticket sales for all upcoming games.
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The service in the Holte End bars is pathetic at best. Why don't they have beers ready to serve rather than pulling pints at points of sale when they know for a fact that there will be demand before the game and at half time?
I've mentioned this before. My son has a decent job in match day events at a rival club (yeah I know I felt sick when he told me) Thing is he don't make many matches at Villa Park these days. The last one we went together there was around 35k on the day. He saw the queues and was gobsmacked at the amateurish way they were doing things and the slowness of service. He watched as hundreds gave up and went back to their seats with money still burning a hole in their pockets. I told him to e-mail the club pointing out his observations and offer his services to sort out the catering mess we currently have on match days. I doubt Dr Tony has had chance to get involved in such hands on match day stuff. I'd like to know if he has any ideas about improving things.
Its absolutely astounding. I reckon the halftime revenue could be increased by 20% with an overhaul in the system. Again, ive said this before but ill never forget going to watch a game of aussie rules where they had (constantly moving) backwards and forwards queuing barriers which you walked down (like a ride at alton towers) they had 3 staff manning high speed pint pouring machines and a rolling desk that constantly had about 20 pints of each type of ale and size. U literally walked through, put whatever beers you wanted in a holder and carried on through to 4 manned tills. The whole process took no more than 2mins tops, no waiting for beers to be poured etc.
They did similar stuff for food but the lack of pressure from keeping the beer completely separate was the key thing as far as i could see
Funny enough my son said he could increase the kiosk revenue by 20/25% with ideas he has implemented at other places so I reckon your estimate is not far off the mark. And it's not just about profit margins it's about fan experience. People should be able to get served and have a drink and a bite,chat with mates and get back to the game without too much kerfuffle. I sometimes look in on away teams forums and our match day service comes in for a lot of stick which is so disappointing when you consider we play at one of England's most iconic stadiums. I went to Brighton this season and came away with nothing bur praise for how we were treated in the ground . Superb I thought.
It would appear that they made an effort to resolve of these issues on Saturday. By ensuring the entertainment on the pitch is so utterly woeful, the 15 minute half time window is extended by 10 mins either side giving the catering staff 35 mins to serve everyone. The chances of seeing anything interesting either side of half time are so remote you might as well enjoy your pie and pint. As such any estimates for increased revenue are over optimistic.
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There were loads of people going down to the concourse after 30 mins on Saturday. I genuinely question the point of going to the match if you're happy to miss more than a third of the game.
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There were loads of people going down to the concourse after 30 mins on Saturday. I genuinely question the point of going to the match if you're happy to miss more than a third of the game.
For alot of people, the half time social is one of the highlights of the day. I dont go that early, but If heading down on 30-45mins means taking a piss when i need it, getting a pie and a pint and being able to consume them at an enjoyable pace whilst watching 5-10mins of footy on tv and actually enjoying your half time break means you miss some live football then so be it. The alternative is being cattle herded down the stairs, queuing for the full half time with no guarantee of an actual drink at the end of it, all the bloody pies being sold out, queuing for a piss and then subsequently choking on fag smoke in there, chugging a pint in under 3minutes and missing the first 5-10mins of the second half anyway its not hard to see why people do it. The football is hardly scintillating atm either....
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There were loads of people going down to the concourse after 30 mins on Saturday. I genuinely question the point of going to the match if you're happy to miss more than a third of the game.
It's not actually possible to leave your seat at half time, buy and eat a pie and a pint have a pee and return to your seat without missing any live football.
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There were loads of people going down to the concourse after 30 mins on Saturday. I genuinely question the point of going to the match if you're happy to miss more than a third of the game.
I've never understood why people can't go a couple of hours without throwing beer down their neck, especially away from home. The amount of people who stand in the concourse at away games during the game after drinking 3 hours before kick off always baffles me.
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The service in the Holte End bars is pathetic at best. Why don't they have beers ready to serve rather than pulling pints at points of sale when they know for a fact that there will be demand before the game and at half time?
I've mentioned this before. My son has a decent job in match day events at a rival club (yeah I know I felt sick when he told me) Thing is he don't make many matches at Villa Park these days. The last one we went together there was around 35k on the day. He saw the queues and was gobsmacked at the amateurish way they were doing things and the slowness of service. He watched as hundreds gave up and went back to their seats with money still burning a hole in their pockets. I told him to e-mail the club pointing out his observations and offer his services to sort out the catering mess we currently have on match days. I doubt Dr Tony has had chance to get involved in such hands on match day stuff. I'd like to know if he has any ideas about improving things.
Which is why there is always a mass exodus 10 minutes before half time
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There were loads of people going down to the concourse after 30 mins on Saturday. I genuinely question the point of going to the match if you're happy to miss more than a third of the game.
They gamble on the fact that, based on experience, they won't be missing much.
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It is possible.
Jane heading off on 34 minutes to get them in makes it a lot easier!
Without her it requires more planning but I've achieved it many times!
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Has anybody suggested asking Tommy Elphick to stop banging his bonce on the post before the game starts? If he does it in a bid to play well ,it clearly isn't working anymore.
Cheers Dave!
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A chant went up from our part of the Holte Lower of "neutral supporters" at the 30 minutes exodus.
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Have a look at the facebook page for north west villa there is a full minute of the recent meeting a few interesting points for debate over ticket distribution
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Has anybody suggested asking Tommy Elphick to stop banging his bonce on the post before the game starts? If he does it in a bid to play well ,it clearly isn't working anymore.
Cheers Dave!
I think he stopped that nonsense when we all worked out that he wasn't actually any good and that banging his head on the goal posts wasn't going to convince anyone otherwise.
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A chant went up from our part of the Holte Lower of "neutral supporters" at the 30 minutes exodus.
That was pretty noticable from our seats in the TR, we thought something was up.
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Any word on items discussed??
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Any word on items discussed??
It'll be written up in a couple of days.
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Any word on items discussed??
It'll be written up in a couple of days.
Excellent, cheers Dave
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Has anybody suggested asking Tommy Elphick to stop banging his bonce on the post before the game starts? If he does it in a bid to play well ,it clearly isn't working anymore.
Cheers Dave!
I think he stopped that nonsense when we all worked out that he wasn't actually any good and that banging his head on the goal posts wasn't going to convince anyone otherwise.
Thanks for that update, Pete. I suppose it does beg the question as to whether he should start the headbangin' biz again as an aid to being less shit. ;)
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Present
Mo Razzaq & Peter Warrilow, AVST
Gary Kilburn & John Gillett, Lions Clubs
Jonathan Fear, Vital Villa
Anne Erskine, avillafan.com
Dave Woodhall, Heroes and Villans
Steve Gough, AVISC
David Blick, MOMS
Scott Jones, Villa Talk
Keith Wyness, Luke Organ, Tommy Jordan and Lee Preece all representing Aston Villa Football Club
Q. Why was the Villa shop closed in the city centre?
KW – It was sad to see the shop close. However, we were set to lose about £1.5m on merchandise, with the city centre shop contributing to the problem as the lease was too high (way above city centre market rates). Retail is dying and technology's taking over. We need to be more strategic and tactical with our retail presence, maybe with pop-up shops for key times in our year (kit launch & Xmas for example).
Q. We understand Retail has been licensed to Fantatics, how many years is the deal?
LO – We’ve got a three-year review option but it’s a five-year term.
KW – As a club, if we’re back where we want to be it may be viable for us to take it back in-house and build our own retail operation. I’m not a big fan of that because we’re a football club and I felt that Villa was like a catering business playing football. I don’t see us getting involved in growing big empires which are not football-related. My focus is to get Bodymoor back on track. Getting the right people in the right place; spending resources on the Academy for example as opposed to Retail or Catering.
Q. Does the deal with Fanatics negate the £1.5 million lost immediately?
KW – Yes. It makes a positive contribution straight away and will lead to more revenue for the club. I’ve always felt if staff are working in retail, they should be working for a retail company that gives them proper training and career advancement. Those that have transferred to Fanatics will benefit from this.
Q. Back to the City Centre Shop, there needs to be some sort of presence. Unless fans go to Villa Park how will they know about Villa?
KW – We don’t believe the shop was the way to achieve that presence. We need to tell the Villa story in different ways and be more strategic.
LO – When we launch season tickets, you will see over the course of the next five weeks a lot of noise in the city. There are meetings in the diary with Birmingham City Council to look at buying ad space or bringing in ad space solutions that they share with us.
Q. You mention more strategic ways of delivering a presence in the City; have you an idea of what those are?
KW – We’re doing a lot of work on social media and in many areas we are ahead of other clubs. We can’t divulge the strategy but Luke (Organ) has been doing a lot of work with his team. Technology is the relevance to young people these days, using that to teach the Villa story. All of you that have kids know that it’s not one screen, it’s two or three at the same time and that’s where we have to be in terms of ‘millennials’, reaching younger fans.
Q. We have got to make certain that Villa Village is adequately stocked. I’ve been told by someone who visited recently that stock levels weren’t good.
LO – That’s something I’ve picked up on having operated in retail before. We are addressing our buying patterns, using analytics performed on what remnant stock we’ve carried over from last season and adjusting our ordering patterns for that. Currently, the stock in the shop is spring/summer stock as opposed to autumn/winter. So we’re holding the wrong stock at the wrong times of the year and we’re addressing that via Fanatics. They’ll open us up to a much broader opportunity of buying and reduce our costs.
Q. The club has also outsourced the catering operation. There have been complaints from fans regarding the catering service provided throughout the stadium. Is that being addressed?
KW – We selected Compass after a very strenuous process because we believe them to be the best in the Market. With regards to the complaints we are seeing, we need to give Compass time to bed down their operations. We are clearly monitoring operations and the feedback we receive closely. One indicator we have seen already is an increase in spend per head from £2 to £3, so some elements are moving in the right direction.
LO – Every match day we’re getting feedback which we urge you to continue. We can’t improve what we don’t know.
Q. Compass Group do Edgbaston very well, it’s a big job to change so why now in the middle of a season?
KW – When you have got to do something there is always going to be the first day. We felt we should get it done and get into it!
LO – It also gives the guys at Compass some time to understand our business. There is a break in the contract (as there is with Fanatics) if they don’t meet our service requirements. However, we expect everyone to benefit from their expertise and improved match day experiences.
Q. When you go to the rugby at Coventry and get a pint, you have a plastic glass with the Wasps details on it and you pay £1 for that and a lot of people just leave them afterwards. It’s a good way to persuade people to part with more money and not cash their glasses.
KW – Luke was the Commercial Director at Wasps so he knows all about those.
Q. Are there any plans to be radical with the Season Ticket price structure?
KW – We’re about to announce season tickets. It will be very aggressive in terms of pricing, understanding the need to attract the younger fans back into the fold. We don’t want to give it away tonight but you should be happy with the packages that we’re offering.
Q. The Villa Cash scheme has changed. What is the update on that and what can be done about communicating the changes better to fans?
LO – There will be a new loyalty programme introduced next season where fans will accrue points in many ways, from social media interaction to entering the stadium on match day. The programme we are devising will include a dashboard for you to see how many points you accrue. We are looking to tighten up what we deliver, to ensure there are tangible benefits to your loyalty.
Q. What prompted the Villa Cash decision?
LO – The actual utilisation of Villa cash has significantly reduced over the years. 90% of the villa cash used is spent on season ticket renewal, which shows it is a narrow programme. We want the new scheme to broaden the benefits you enjoy.
Q. The communications I’ve had from Villa have been minimal if that. Will anything be done to address this?
KW – There was a presentation from Luke’s team this morning, looking at our demographics and how we are communicating with each group. It’s amazing to see the age profile of who opens an email and who doesn’t. We need to understand how to deliver communications across our fan base.
Q. I was involved with the marketing company that did research on the loyalty programme. Did you glean anything from it?
LO – Communication was one of the big outcomes. We are currently reviewing our communications piece, but you will hopefully see personalised communications from us about your experiences. We have information we are not using so hopefully we will be much smarter with how we use it.
Q. Could we do anything with tickets for schools?
LO – There are regulations via the EFL that restrict ticketing offers. If we can overcome these hurdles and have the right ticketing partner then schemes such as tickets for schools can be delivered.
Q. Could tickets for schools be extended to local non-league clubs?
LO – We should have affiliate pubs, clubs, schools, a university programme and relationships with big employers. Schemes that offer cash back opportunities for local organisations that help us get back into our local area.
KW – It is fair to say we’d lost our way in the city. We’ve got a very aggressive plan to take it back.
Q. You say right ticketing partner are we looking to outsource ticketing as well?
LO – It’s already outsourced and it has been for a number of years to Ticketmaster.
Q. What has changed in the way mascot places are allocated?
LO – Three JV-Life members get access to mascot privileges, six are paid and two free spaces come from the foundation. For those that pay, the cost includes £75 worth of vouchers for kit, programme, autograph books, £70 for seats and a hospitality package. The purchased spaces have sold out for every single game. We can look at readjusting the balance between paid for and JV Life.
Q. That wasn’t publicised enough. It seems to be a paid privilege now…
LO – We can re-communicate this.
Q. Would it be possible to include a friendly with Watford in our pre-season in memory of Graham Taylor?
KW – We have a major pitch reconstruction project in the summer which will prevent our hosting a pre-season friendly.
Q. Can you tell supporters where we are playing pre-season?
KW – We should have our plans confirmed shortly and there is no reason why we cannot communicate the schedule to fans. We are likely to be heading to Germany and Portugal.
Q. Would Steve Bruce take part in a fans forum?
KW – I can’t speak on Steve’s behalf but I see no reason why the two of us couldn’t do one together at the beginning of next season.
Q. Could you provide details on what the fixed and floating charge over many Aston Villa related companies registered as Companies House in favour of HSBC (Nov 16) means to us? Some people have concerns.
KW – Let me put any concerns to rest. When we bought the club in June there was £29million of debt. That’s been written off and paid for totally. The HSBC charge is purely a £5million working overdraft that we use accordingly. There’s no debt apart from that.
Q. Is the Club doing anything to improve Wi-Fi and phone reception during matches?
KW – We had Ian Dimmock, our head of IT, and other members of staff travel over to Cisco (American multi-national technology conglomerate) to see three examples of the best stadiums in the world. Nobody has cracked a full stadium yet when everybody is on their phone at the same time. We have plans to improve connectivity as we go forward.
Q. Could you provide an update on safe standing?
KW – We hope the Premier League will approve safe standing at their summer meeting and then push the government accordingly. Whilst we are waiting for legislation to change, we will be looking to consult with fans to understand what we should do if and when we have the choice to introduce safe standing at Villa Park.
Q. What is the Club’s attitude towards the city’s Commonwealth Games bid?
KW – I met with the Commonwealth Games group to look at the feasibility of the games in the city. We have lots of games experience in the management team here at Villa Park: people who have worked on previous games. We are fully supportive. There won’t be a new stadium built, that’s clear, and they’ve asked us what they could use Villa Park for.
There is possibly going to be a major redevelopment project which I’m calling ‘The Sports Quarter’. The city and the club are looking to put our land assets together to build offices, residential and commercial areas that would work for sports governing bodies. That’s on-going and that could be the legacy from the Commonwealth Games.
Q. How was the run-out song at Villa Park chosen? Can we change it?
KW – There are several ways we could try and approach this. At the start of the season, we asked Tommy Elphick to choose the music. We are aware that many are underwhelmed by the choice, and will see if we can arrange a fans vote.
Q. Can we paint the Witton Bridge in Villa colours?
KW – We will look to contact Network Rail and will even offer to buy the paint!
Q. There have been problems with the website. Are there any plans to improve or upgrade it?
LO – We are aware there are problems. We have a third party helping us with the maintenance of the website operating without any SLAs (Service Level Agreement). SLAs need to be introduced. We have 73 ‘sprints’ running with them at the moment, each ‘sprint’ being a mini project to develop the website. We are aware of issues with the indexing of content as we can see how many clicks we lose where people get lost. The website is something we continue to work through.
Q. Could more Under-23s/Under-18s matches be screened live on Facebook?
LO – We recently reached 6.5 million people on Facebook when we showed our recent FA Youth Cup match v Broxbourne Borough – that’s half our usual monthly reach and a huge success. We received 1.5 million views – more than Chelsea v Hull. We had 30,500 interactions and 745,000 minutes watched (12.4k content hours). The top bracket for views was males aged 19-34 so when we talk about targeting, this is where we need to start moving towards. UniLAD, the partner we used will be here again on the 22nd Feb for our FA Youth Cup match against Manchester City. We’ll be looking to see how we develop this area.
Q. Is there any way to make this available on AVTV?
LO – We are speaking to our tech team, looking at how we can take that feed and put it on AVTV.
Q. Can games not broadcast on national TV be streamed for overseas fans similarly to how Newcastle and Fulham have done this season?
LO – My understanding these are time-shifted broadcasts I.E. not live. We can broadcast a match behind the AVTV pay-wall but we can only do that 12 pm the next day. This is something we can trial.
KW – Even if it’s time-shifted, you can’t stream a Sky game. We’ve been on Sky more than any other club in the Championship home or away. There’s an EFL meeting on Thursday about the broadcasting of matches.
Q. Why are some car parks closed?
LP – Official car parks around the area are operated by third parties and the decision to operate is theirs. There is plenty of spare capacity each match at the Official Car Parks for those that wish to opt for secure off- street parking. The club is also offering off street parking at our Brookvale Road Car Park (on the junction of Tame Road / Brookvale Road) as the buildings on the site have now been cleared. This will include the opportunity to purchase a season parking pass for 2017/2018.
Q. Can the club work with the West Midlands Combined Authority, to improve/incentivise public transport to a game?
LO – We’ve got that meeting coming up. From a marketing point of view, we’re looking at engaging local rail and looking at buying ad space. We know our heat maps, so we could look to create a bundle of travel passes for fans to and from Villa Park. These types of arrangements can only be done in tandem with the local authorities.
Q. Is there any update on the North Stand/area regeneration?
KW – I’ve had one major meeting with the council already on the whole Villa area regeneration and we talked about the North Stand. The biggest constraint is the transportation links at present. The road system is the biggest problem we have to solve before we can go and build any extra capacity within the ground and that’s where we’re a way off. You won’t get any more capacity until those issues are solved. This fits into the whole redevelopment of the area.
Q. Do you have an update on the upgrading of disabled facilities at Villa Park?
KW –It’s going to be done because it’s the right thing to do. It is part of the budgets I’m looking at.
Q. What steps are being made to work with the local community?
KW – We’ve hired a guy called Guy Rippon who heads up the Aston Villa Foundation and Guy has been fantastic. Within a year or so we are looking for our Foundation to be a shining light in terms of the work we do in the local community. At the next FCG meeting, we’ll get Guy to do a presentation to show you what we’re doing in the community. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Q. Could the VMF restaurant be re-opened as part of this?
KW- This can be considered as part of our whole community approach. When you see Guy’s presentation, we think you’ll be pleased.
Q. Could you expand on the club’s commercial links with China?
KW – There are a number of sponsorship deals we’re looking at announcing fairly soon. There is nothing controversial – no re-naming of Villa Park or anything like that – just good, sound commercial relationships. We’re starting to progress into other Chinese companies too. We’ve also got more Chinese staff here and we’re starting to lead the way in terms of being able to market in China.
Q. When does the sponsorship deal with QuickBooks end?
KW – At the end of this season, we’ll shortly be announcing who will be on the shirt next year.
Q. Is there a chance that the Lions Club in the Doug Ellis Stand will be re-opened?
LP – The Lions Club facility is very much on the agenda.
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LO – We are aware there are problems. We have a third party helping us with the maintenance of the website operating without any SLAs (Service Level Agreement). SLAs need to be introduced. We have 73 ‘sprints’ running with them at the moment, each ‘sprint’ being a mini project to develop the website. We are aware of issues with the indexing of content as we can see how many clicks we lose where people get lost. The website is something we continue to work through.
*dons professional hat*
*slowly shakes head*
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Ah so Tommy Jordan was taking the minutes....did no one ask him a question?
Never knew Elphick choose the walkout music...more reason to get rid.
Club would get goodwill back if they can get through the public transport initiative. Getting a free bus or train ticket to use in the WM area with our match ticket is something they do in Germany after all.
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Ah so Tommy Jordan was taking the minutes....did no one ask him a question?
Never knew Elphick choose the walkout music...more reason to get rid.
Club would get goodwill back if they can get through the public transport initiative. Getting a free bus or train ticket to use in the WM area with our match ticket is something they do in Germany after all.
I have been told from sources that the local travel companies love to put on decent service for things at Villa such as gigs or the Rugby World Cup, but their attitude to our matches is one of grudging acceptance.
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So the defective PA system remains in place.
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So the defective PA system remains in place.
If they improved it though they'd only play shit music.
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Keith seems very sharp, in the press conferences and Twitter he's more on the avuncular side.
Reading all the stuff about ad space and forays into China and then thinking of our results is prime wince material.
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They do seem to be genuinely trying. Let's see how things are in a years time.
I wasn't expecting such a detailed report back, made for interesting reading. Looks like there will be some redevelopment activity in the local area, which should be welcomed and supported. Good to note that Wyness acknowledges that the infrastructure and the football side of things should be and is the club's number one priority.
I tend to switch off when they start talking about internet clicks and heat maps. I'm sure it's all important but it makes my eyes glaze over and me wish I was reading something else.
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So we will stil play in pink
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Thanks for that Dave.
I find it strangely reassuring, reading about what's going on off the pitch.
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Thanks for posting Dave.
From the write up Keith Wyness seems very switched on and straight forward, was that how he came over?
Am encouraged by the openness, do think the positivity around season ticket prices might have been slightly misjudged though :-)
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Keith seems very sharp, in the press conferences and Twitter he's more on the avuncular side.
he always reminds me of:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/28/Fredelliotcorrie.jpg/201px-Fredelliotcorrie.jpg)
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I say Ashley, if the fans are on your back we'll send you to Burnley, I say we'll send you to Burnley.
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I say Ashley, if the fans are on your back we'll send you to Burnley, I say we'll send you to Burnley.
;D ;D ;D
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They were right about the aggressive pricing on season tickets - it's going to batter a bloody big hole in ever-reducing disposable income.
I can't see as they've done anything to entice adults to renew who don't take kids with them, a large group of supporters who seem to be being taken for granted.
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Some very good questions and positive responses.
Was there any mention of a badge redesign that many have mentioned on here?
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Some very good questions and positive responses.
Was there any mention of a badge redesign that many have mentioned on here?
Yes. New badge has Tommy Elphick head-butting a post. No star.
Club motto has a more contemporary feel. Aston Villa FC - Pucker Up.
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They were right about the aggressive pricing on season tickets - it's going to batter a bloody big hole in ever-reducing disposable income.
I can't see as they've done anything to entice adults to renew who don't take kids with them, a large group of supporters who seem to be being taken for granted.
Agree
Next season we will have 12k empty seats most games, think we have missed a trick
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Tommy Elphick was asked to choose the entrance music?
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Thanks for posting the transcript. Very interesting.
Was there any mention of the kit? The current purple one is awful. Compare it to the one we had when Mon was here. That was the last time we played in proper claret & blue. Same with the current badge. Bland & boring spring to mind.
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Tommy Elphick was asked to choose the entrance music?
They were obviously hoping to find something he was good at. The search goes on.
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Thanks for posting the transcript. Very interesting.
Was there any mention of the kit? The current purple one is awful. Compare it to the one we had when Mon was here. That was the last time we played in proper claret & blue. Same with the current badge. Bland & boring spring to mind.
Top draw styling, shit colour and shit badge, sort it out UA and AVFC.
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Thanks for the insight in a clear and concise presentation. a good read that generates so many more questions. Well done and thanks.
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Tommy Elphick was asked to choose the entrance music?
He was captain at the start of the season. Makes kind of sense to me.
Also, was there was a story when he joined saying that he installed a sound system at Bournemouth's training ground?
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Tommy Elphick was asked to choose the entrance music?
He was captain at the start of the season. Makes kind of sense to me.
Also, was there was a story when he joined saying that he installed a sound system at Bournemouth's training ground?
Yes, it was a joint project with Robbert Fripp of that parish. Unfortunately Fripp played him the song "21st Century Schizoid Man" which made him go wrong in his mental tank.
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How about a new motto under the badge:
BRACE BRACE BRACE
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Thanks for posting the transcript. Very interesting.
Was there any mention of the kit? The current purple one is awful. Compare it to the one we had when Mon was here. That was the last time we played in proper claret & blue. Same with the current badge. Bland & boring spring to mind.
Top draw styling, shit colour and shit badge, sort it out UA and AVFC.
Thanks for posting the transcript. Very interesting.
Was there any mention of the kit? The current purple one is awful. Compare it to the one we had when Mon was here. That was the last time we played in proper claret & blue. Same with the current badge. Bland & boring spring to mind.
Top draw styling, shit colour and shit badge, sort it out UA and AVFC.
cant see how we can continue the association with UA after the revelations recently.
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Thanks Dave
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Appreciate the detailed feedback Dave, cheers
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LO – We are aware there are problems. We have a third party helping us with the maintenance of the website operating without any SLAs (Service Level Agreement). SLAs need to be introduced. We have 73 ‘sprints’ running with them at the moment, each ‘sprint’ being a mini project to develop the website. We are aware of issues with the indexing of content as we can see how many clicks we lose where people get lost. The website is something we continue to work through.
*dons professional hat*
*slowly shakes head*
"Sprints" are how such projects are referred to in....how to put this......a large circular building in Cheltenham
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Tommy Elphick was asked to choose the entrance music?
I nominate Woofles to take over
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Thank you DW.
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LO – We are aware there are problems. We have a third party helping us with the maintenance of the website operating without any SLAs (Service Level Agreement). SLAs need to be introduced. We have 73 ‘sprints’ running with them at the moment, each ‘sprint’ being a mini project to develop the website. We are aware of issues with the indexing of content as we can see how many clicks we lose where people get lost. The website is something we continue to work through.
*dons professional hat*
*slowly shakes head*
Haha I wryly smiled at that - 73 sprints you say... *rubs chin*
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Tommy Elphick was asked to choose the entrance music?
I nominate Woofles to take over
Simple choice:
a) Grateful Dead - Dark Star (the 24 minute version)
b) Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Edit: maybe Fairies Wear Boots?
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Q. How was the run-out song at Villa Park chosen? Can we change it?
KW – There are several ways we could try and approach this. At the start of the season, we asked Tommy Elphick to choose the music. We are aware that many are underwhelmed by the choice, and will see if we can arrange a fans vote.
Not much on the internet makes me genuinely LOL but this did. and just has again.
What was said makes me feel very impressed with the level of planning/thinking at that level (and many thanks for the update). And pretty optimistic for the commercial future. Now, the car-crash that is our current form... <sobs quietly>
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LO – We are aware there are problems. We have a third party helping us with the maintenance of the website operating without any SLAs (Service Level Agreement). SLAs need to be introduced. We have 73 ‘sprints’ running with them at the moment, each ‘sprint’ being a mini project to develop the website. We are aware of issues with the indexing of content as we can see how many clicks we lose where people get lost. The website is something we continue to work through.
*dons professional hat*
*slowly shakes head*
Out of interest why?
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A "sprint" is generally a set number of tasks to be completed towards a project and usually last 1-2 weeks...if there are 73 sprints then the website development project is likely to take approx 150 weeks (or 3 years) unless there are multiple teams working on numerous sprints concurrently. See Agile Project Management methodology.
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LO – We are aware there are problems. We have a third party helping us with the maintenance of the website operating without any SLAs (Service Level Agreement). SLAs need to be introduced. We have 73 ‘sprints’ running with them at the moment, each ‘sprint’ being a mini project to develop the website. We are aware of issues with the indexing of content as we can see how many clicks we lose where people get lost. The website is something we continue to work through.
*dons professional hat*
*slowly shakes head*
Out of interest why?
Sprints are a break down of time / amount of work involved in creating a project, each sprint usually lasting two weeks, and although each sprint is supposed to result in something which can be demoed, describing each sprint as a mini project to improve the website is somewhat misleading.
Sprints are run one after the other, so to suggest they currently have 73 sprints running would imply they have 73 projects running at the same time.
Basically, someone involved in software development has told them something and they've taken it and starting using it entirely out of context and in a somewhat puzzling way.
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Only wish we'd got a few players who could come up with 73 Sprints !!