Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: dave.woodhall on May 26, 2023, 11:51:23 AM
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Lovely Mick Dale, the nicest man in the world (he beat Big Daz Wooley to the title in a nice-off) is leaving Villa, and by all accounts not willingly.
https://twitter.com/MatKendrick/status/1662036257344503808
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That's a good piece from Mat Kendrick, and it seems a shame that this has happened. I wonder if we can influence an about turn somehow?
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Seems like an odd decision, unless the stuff that Kendrick alludes to, the giving away of stuff and smuggling mascots etc on to the pitch at half time is being viewed unfavourably?
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Awful news, I went on the tour a few years ago and he was great. The best thing was the fact that from the way he talked, you knew he was one of us.
He'll probably be replaced by some grinning ninny with a degree in media, a shit beard and shit hair who lives in Daventry and supports Newton Heath.
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Gutted, what a top top man. He also does work at the Hilton Metropole - was on a work event back in March and was a huge pleasant surprise to see him. What an absolute gentlemen
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Mick is one of the nicest people you could ever meet. A Villain through and through with a wealth of knowledge about the club. He was a real asset and will be sorely missed. Of all the things happening at the club recently this has upset me more than any of them. Good luck Mick in whatever you do next. I hope to bump into you at VP.
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I dont give that rag clicks. Why is he going ?
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I've probably been shown around the ground by him on a tour, but certainly wouldn't know him if I bumped into him in the street. But it seems a strange decision to seemingly be pushing someone with this much knowledge and love for the club out the door.
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It's another step in moving from a football club to a football business...
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That's such a shame. Met him a few times and a lovely fella he is too. We seem to be making good decisions on the pitch but one or two unpopular ones off it.
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It's another step in moving from a football club to a football business...
I find the last paragraph quite telling. I was having this conversation with someone the other week and was saying that going to Villa Park still feels like going to the football games we all probably recognise from years gone by rather than the 'events' in soulless 'super arenas' that some grounds in this country have become.
I think most would agree that we need to improve our commercial performance, but I hope it just doesn't come at too high a cost.
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It's another step in moving from a football club to a football business...
I find the last paragraph quite telling. I was having this conversation with someone the other week and was saying that going to Villa Park still feels like going to the football games we all probably recognise from years gone by rather than the 'events' in soulless 'super arenas' that some grounds in this country have become.
I think most would agree that we need to improve our commercial performance, but I hope it just doesn't come at too high a cost.
Agreed. The last time I did a tour, we were in the Championship. I remember Mick saying that James Chester’s dad was a tour guide at Man United. At Old Trafford they do tours about every 15 minutes so it all feels very transactional (rush them through asap and get them in the megastore) whereas he was really impressed with the more personal touch that Villa offered.
And to echo everyone else; what a top bloke Mick was. Went to a few pre match events for ST holders (in the days when loyalty points could be used for something worthwhile) and Mick would give some freebies to my lad who was quite young at the time.
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Some people will take a dim view of those freebies, not realising the money that brings in through kids growing into adults and passing the support down to their kids etc etc.
The price of everything, the value of nothing. It's the way things at the club are going and no-one will be able to stop it I'm afraid.
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You could employ anyone to guide you around the ground. All you need is to do a bit of research. What you cannot replace are stories delivered with the absolute love of the club and from years of experience. That’s the difference and that’s what money can’t buy.
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I did one tour (not with Mick) abd we were told a story that was absolute fiction, which annoyed me at the time, but if everyone else enjoyed it, what's the problem?
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He looked after me on my tour last September, he stayed with me (wheeled me round), while another chap did general tour.
He made it a brilliant day.
I am shocked he is going, as he is a great ambassador for the club.
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I did a stadium tour with Mick about 6 years ago. Absolutely brilliant guy who has a genuine love for the club, which came over really well on the tour we were on.
I know someone who has done a tour of a lot of stadiums in the UK (he's a Dundee fan) and he said ours was the best one he did by a mile, as the others just wanted to rush you through the tour so you would spend money buying their tat in the shop
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I did one tour (not with Mick) Andy we were told a story that was absolute fiction, which annoyed me at the time, but if everyone else enjoyed it, what's the problem?
Was it the origin of our colours story as I was told that on the tour I did a few months ago?
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The tiles in the bartons… which was built 25 year after we were formed…
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I did one tour (not with Mick) Andy we were told a story that was absolute fiction, which annoyed me at the time, but if everyone else enjoyed it, what's the problem?
Was it the origin of our colours story as I was told that on the tour I did a few months ago?
Was it that Villa Park's most beloved stadium guide has a daughter called Emma?
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It's tragic to think that people like Purslow have no understanding of what made our great club great in the first place. It's people like Mick.
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It's tragic to think that people like Purslow have no understanding of what made our great club great in the first place. It's people like Mick.
You do get a feel that what made a lot of us fall in love with this great club is being dismantled.
I'm no enemy of bringing the club into the 21st century, but you can do that alongside keeping a nod to what made us.
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It's tragic to think that people like Purslow have no understanding of what made our great club great in the first place. It's people like Mick.
You do get a feel that what made a lot of us fall in love with this great club is being dismantled.
I'm no enemy of bringing the club into the 21st century, but you can do that alongside keeping a nod to what made us.
The £10 bus return. The pay £1500 and jump the season ticket queue. the let's get rid of the guy who's helped build our heart and soul.
It's not hard to spot a pattern.
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I’ve not done the tour and don’t know Mick but I don’t like the sound of this at all, another little piece of our fixtures and fittings being dismantled.
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I did one tour (not with Mick) Andy we were told a story that was absolute fiction, which annoyed me at the time, but if everyone else enjoyed it, what's the problem?
Was it the origin of our colours story as I was told that on the tour I did a few months ago?
It wasn't. What are they coming out with about the colours now?
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I did one tour (not with Mick) Andy we were told a story that was absolute fiction, which annoyed me at the time, but if everyone else enjoyed it, what's the problem?
Was it the origin of our colours story as I was told that on the tour I did a few months ago?
Was it that Villa Park's most beloved stadium guide has a daughter called Emma?
I went to school with a girl called Emma Dale.
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I remember being outside the ground a few years back with my mate Andy Turnstile. He was talking to Mick , and like everyone has said, seemed an all round great bloke. Ken McNaught walked passed tapped Andy on the shoulder, smiled and said "Are you holding court again Mick !" Even in that briefest interaction , anyone could see people (including Ken) had a genuine affection for him.
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You could employ anyone to guide you around the ground. All you need is to do a bit of research. What you cannot replace are stories delivered with the absolute love of the club and from years of experience. That’s the difference and that’s what money can’t buy.
Yep, first tour I went on was about 1999 and it was the late great Jack Watts just reeling off stories about first coming to VP just after the first World war.
I was only 10 at the time and given it was the school holidays plenty of other kids and we were all sat round him in the Trinity listening to his stories like that grandad you visit for xmas!
I think with world wide attraction of prem now they're advertising these tour jobs for people who are multi-lingual as we'll get more of that clientele for tours when we're making europe regularly so not sure if Mick's been let go for that or diversity or whatever else.
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https://careers.avfc.co.uk/job/tour-guide?source=google.co.uk
Seems it's getting combined with the ticketing department unless it was already a duel role? Have to know plenty for the living wage anyway.
When I last went they used to have three tours a day (with option of meal in Corner flag restaurant) so a while ago so I presume know it's just once if you have to split time with our ticketing operation.
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You could employ anyone to guide you around the ground. All you need is to do a bit of research. What you cannot replace are stories delivered with the absolute love of the club and from years of experience. That’s the difference and that’s what money can’t buy.
Yep, first tour I went on was about 1999 and it was the late great Jack Watts just reeling off stories about first coming to VP just after the first World war.
I was only 10 at the time and given it was the school holidays plenty of other kids and we were all sat round him in the Trinity listening to his stories like that grandad you visit for xmas!
I think with world wide attraction of prem now they're advertising these tour jobs for people who are multi-lingual as we'll get more of that clientele for tours when we're making europe regularly so not sure if Mick's been let go for that or diversity or whatever else.
You may be right. I’m glad I did the tour and Mick’s love for our club just shines through. A good Villa man who obviously loves the job and it was like he couldn’t wait to tell you all about the club. Let’s hope this carries on but I’ll be sad to see him leave.
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I did one tour (not with Mick) Andy we were told a story that was absolute fiction, which annoyed me at the time, but if everyone else enjoyed it, what's the problem?
Was it the origin of our colours story as I was told that on the tour I did a few months ago?
It wasn't. What are they coming out with about the colours now?
That our founders borrowed fabric from Rangers and Hearts to give us our claret and blue. I thought this was debunked a while ago but they still came out with it on the tour.
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I did one tour (not with Mick) Andy we were told a story that was absolute fiction, which annoyed me at the time, but if everyone else enjoyed it, what's the problem?
Was it the origin of our colours story as I was told that on the tour I did a few months ago?
It wasn't. What are they coming out with about the colours now?
That our founders borrowed fabric from Rangers and Hearts to give us our claret and blue. I thought this was debunked a while ago but they still came out with it on the tour.
It's bollocks and if they're coming out with it they should be pulled up.