Villa Park as an Olympics Venue

[PeterWithesShin]

Works for me. My telly already has an AV channel. 

[danlanza]

So does mine, but, No for team AV !! We are Aston Villa.

[Stu]

Im not interested in whether it made money for AVFC, it certainly wouldnt have made such a huge loss like Habib Beye, Marlon Harewood, Alan Hutton etc.

They were brought to the club with an eye to improving the Villa squad, it was money that would/could have a direct effect on Aston Villa.

The partnership with ACORNS wasnt about the money. The links with the coaching in the schools isnt about the money. The concert put on for those two teenagers who were shot wasnt for the money. The visits to the ethnic minority places to form links with Birmingham multicultural population isnt about the money, its about Aston Villa being more than a Premier League football club.

So as you say then, Villa are already doing something for the people of Birmingham. All of the above means a lot more to the city of Birmingham than a couple of crap matches watched by a miniscule crowd with no real benefit to the club.

I wouldnt expect Villa Park to be a sellout 42,000 for any of the Olympic games, hell we dont get sellouts until Manchester United are in town! I would expect an excitement around the city that the Olympics are in our own back yard.

I doubt anyone would much care, look at the reaction on here, look at the crowds on telly.

[danlanza]

I think you have both made your points.

Is it not time to agree to disagree ? In my opinion only.

[paul_e]

I think we're all being a bit harsh on remy.

Disagree. Had he kept to the prestige argument then I don't think he'd have gotten as much stick as he has. Sadly, for him, he brought some utter nonsense into the debate, and is justifiably being ridiculed.

And I also have to disagree with your assertion that we'd be hosting bigger matches than New Zealand and the likes. The overall standard of the teams on offer is pretty poor, and we'd have been up against 3 other grounds that I would consider to have been ahead of us in the queue for the top matches, 4 if you include Hamden.

"Justifiably ridiculed" - because Im bringing some valid points across and I dont agree with some of the points made?

The standard of teams has been pretty poor? What difference does that make? Dont they play reserve games at VP? Are you expecting Brazil 70 vs Spain 2010 every time you see teams step onto the turf. Get real. Ive seen some seriously poor games played at Villa Park over the last few years and this is supposed to be the Elite league in all of England!!!!

I'm being very real, thank you. You're the one dealing in some intangible value of prestige in Villa Park being an Olympic Venue. I consider this prestige to be seriously diminished due to the actual quality of teams involved, which would invariably have been played in front of low crowds. When I see the highlights of games at Hampden or Millenium Stadium or wherever, I don't think "wow, the people of Glasgow / Cardiff must be really proud to be part of the Olympic games", mostly it's been "wow, the crowds are really poor".

Bringing reserve team games and crap PL games into your argument is utter tosh as well. For one, we get a direct benefit from PL games, and then there's the small matter of villa actually playing in those games, which is, you know, the reason Villa Park exists in the first place.

I apologise for the 'Get real' comment.

Firstly, its not JUST the prestige of Villa Park being an Olympic venue, its being part of the biggest sporting spectacle in this country since 1966. I have seen on the news about the crowds being poor with me being in attendance at Coventry they had an entire stand closed. Disappointing but I believe that the ticketing organisation should have been better and priced cheaper which would have drawn bigger crowds. A game at Villa Park would be a big enough draw no matter who was playing.

Well when I see the highlights of the games I think wow wouldnt it have been great if Villa Park had some of the Olympic football.

The reason I brought reserve games and the crap PL games into the argument is to highlight that sometimes the football played at VP isnt the best or at a high level so why should that count against international teams who are seen as lesser lights?

You say the small matter of Villa actually playing in these games, so all the FA Cup semi finals, International friendlies (when wembley is out) Cup winners cup finals or whatever its called these days when the ground was made available to others dont count?

I'm fairly certain you've now decided to keep this going just to wind people up but just in case:

If Villa are playing at home then they play at villa park, the quality of the game is irrelevent, this extends to the youth, reserves, women, etc.  If you have a Villa kit on in a home game no one is going to complain if you're at villa park.  Given that, remove any reference to poor premier league games, etc from your argument.

which leaves comparing a sold out cup semi-final/a sold-out community shield/a sold-out european final/etc to a bunch of at least half empty olympic matches.  If you can't see why people don't care about the latter but are happy to see the former I'll point it out; the words 'sold-out' are the key.

[bertlambshank]

Remy have you seen what is on offer tonight?
It is fucking shit with a dollop of shit on top,a bit like your argument.

[Percy McCarthy]

Remy, you're comparing football matches that people give a shit about to football matches that virtually nobody gives a shit about. Apples and oranges mate.

[olaftab]

It is absolutely bonkers to think that an olympic match at VP would have attracted bigger crowds than anywhere else. I doubt even a GBR v whoever would have sold out. It's not the sort of football we care about.   I am pleased that we are not part of the London Games.

[remy]

remy, we get it, you wanted Villa to host the Olympic football. Most, if not all of us, are in the couldn't bothered camp.  Leave it now you've made your point.

The thing is Peter, I made my point of view and some people disagreed. Good. I responded to their point of view that they dont want the Olympics at VP and various reasons why. Thats the whole point of a forum isnt it? Im not waiting for someone to agree with me and I couldnt care less if you disagree with my point of view but I AM interested as to WHY the fans on here cant be bothered with the Olympics - great now I know.   

[remy]

remy, Just because you want to sit in a half empty Villa Park watching Gabon v New Zealand doesn't mean everyone else should want to as well.

And despite what you claimed about crowds it would be half empty. Olympic football in Birmingham will cause far less excitement in the city than Euro '96 did. And only about 23,000 Brits were excited enough to turn up for the QF.

No I think 10,000 to 15,000 would have come to VP if we had it on which isnt even half the stadium. I claim that the fun, family, carnival atmosphere would have been great at VP. Which is probably me hankering on to see return of the good times to Villa Park (in any shape or form) after the clouds of the last 2 years.

The New Zealand fans sang to the Belarus fans - "Your only a small town in Russia" to which the Belarus fans sang back "Your only a small town in Oz" ha!

[remy]

Im not interested in whether it made money for AVFC, it certainly wouldnt have made such a huge loss like Habib Beye, Marlon Harewood, Alan Hutton etc.

They were brought to the club with an eye to improving the Villa squad, it was money that would/could have a direct effect on Aston Villa.
-- So lets say VP was hosting a match, the direct effect on Aston Villa would have been to project the club and stadium to a worldwide audience maybe. 2 of the 3 above players Villa made a loss on in terms of transfer fee £2m + £4m  plus wages for their splinters, so how can hosting an Olympic match be as greater risk than signing players financially?

The partnership with ACORNS wasnt about the money. The links with the coaching in the schools isnt about the money. The concert put on for those two teenagers who were shot wasnt for the money. The visits to the ethnic minority places to form links with Birmingham multicultural population isnt about the money, its about Aston Villa being more than a Premier League football club.

So as you say then, Villa are already doing something for the people of Birmingham. All of the above means a lot more to the city of Birmingham than a couple of crap matches watched by a miniscule crowd with no real benefit to the club.
On the contrary, I believe that hosting matches would have meant as much to the people of Birmingham as the other initiatives.

I wouldnt expect Villa Park to be a sellout 42,000 for any of the Olympic games, hell we dont get sellouts until Manchester United are in town! I would expect an excitement around the city that the Olympics are in our own back yard.

I doubt anyone would much care, look at the reaction on here, look at the crowds on telly.

The majority of the reaction on here is indifference, the crowds are down mainly because of the ticketing fiasco of every single event.

[tomd2103]

Im not interested in whether it made money for AVFC, it certainly wouldnt have made such a huge loss like Habib Beye, Marlon Harewood, Alan Hutton etc.

They were brought to the club with an eye to improving the Villa squad, it was money that would/could have a direct effect on Aston Villa.
-- So lets say VP was hosting a match, the direct effect on Aston Villa would have been to project the club and stadium to a worldwide audience maybe. 2 of the 3 above players Villa made a loss on in terms of transfer fee £2m + £4m  plus wages for their splinters, so how can hosting an Olympic match be as greater risk than signing players financially?

The partnership with ACORNS wasnt about the money. The links with the coaching in the schools isnt about the money. The concert put on for those two teenagers who were shot wasnt for the money. The visits to the ethnic minority places to form links with Birmingham multicultural population isnt about the money, its about Aston Villa being more than a Premier League football club.

So as you say then, Villa are already doing something for the people of Birmingham. All of the above means a lot more to the city of Birmingham than a couple of crap matches watched by a miniscule crowd with no real benefit to the club.
On the contrary, I believe that hosting matches would have meant as much to the people of Birmingham as the other initiatives.

I wouldnt expect Villa Park to be a sellout 42,000 for any of the Olympic games, hell we dont get sellouts until Manchester United are in town! I would expect an excitement around the city that the Olympics are in our own back yard.

I doubt anyone would much care, look at the reaction on here, look at the crowds on telly.

The majority of the reaction on here is indifference, the crowds are down mainly because of the ticketing fiasco of every single event.

Personally don't think that is the case Remy.  Aside from the GB men's team, there is very little interest in the rest of the football competition (both mens and womens).  Saying that, Old Trafford and Wembley have been pretty full for the two GB games, so I'm pretty sure Villa Park would have sold out had they played here.  Villa Park was never going to get a GB game though, so all in all, we're better off out of it.  The choice between hosting the Charity Shield and hosting Olympic games not involving Team GB is a no brainer really.     

[not3bad]

Bloody hell, I was just trying to get used to "Lambert's Limes" and now it's "Team AV".  Very well.

Come on Team AV!

[remy]

I think we're all being a bit harsh on remy.

Disagree. Had he kept to the prestige argument then I don't think he'd have gotten as much stick as he has. Sadly, for him, he brought some utter nonsense into the debate, and is justifiably being ridiculed.

And I also have to disagree with your assertion that we'd be hosting bigger matches than New Zealand and the likes. The overall standard of the teams on offer is pretty poor, and we'd have been up against 3 other grounds that I would consider to have been ahead of us in the queue for the top matches, 4 if you include Hamden.

"Justifiably ridiculed" - because Im bringing some valid points across and I dont agree with some of the points made?

The standard of teams has been pretty poor? What difference does that make? Dont they play reserve games at VP? Are you expecting Brazil 70 vs Spain 2010 every time you see teams step onto the turf. Get real. Ive seen some seriously poor games played at Villa Park over the last few years and this is supposed to be the Elite league in all of England!!!!

I'm being very real, thank you. You're the one dealing in some intangible value of prestige in Villa Park being an Olympic Venue. I consider this prestige to be seriously diminished due to the actual quality of teams involved, which would invariably have been played in front of low crowds. When I see the highlights of games at Hampden or Millenium Stadium or wherever, I don't think "wow, the people of Glasgow / Cardiff must be really proud to be part of the Olympic games", mostly it's been "wow, the crowds are really poor".

Bringing reserve team games and crap PL games into your argument is utter tosh as well. For one, we get a direct benefit from PL games, and then there's the small matter of villa actually playing in those games, which is, you know, the reason Villa Park exists in the first place.

I apologise for the 'Get real' comment.

Firstly, its not JUST the prestige of Villa Park being an Olympic venue, its being part of the biggest sporting spectacle in this country since 1966. I have seen on the news about the crowds being poor with me being in attendance at Coventry they had an entire stand closed. Disappointing but I believe that the ticketing organisation should have been better and priced cheaper which would have drawn bigger crowds. A game at Villa Park would be a big enough draw no matter who was playing.

Well when I see the highlights of the games I think wow wouldnt it have been great if Villa Park had some of the Olympic football.

The reason I brought reserve games and the crap PL games into the argument is to highlight that sometimes the football played at VP isnt the best or at a high level so why should that count against international teams who are seen as lesser lights?

You say the small matter of Villa actually playing in these games, so all the FA Cup semi finals, International friendlies (when wembley is out) Cup winners cup finals or whatever its called these days when the ground was made available to others dont count?

I'm fairly certain you've now decided to keep this going just to wind people up but just in case:

If Villa are playing at home then they play at villa park, the quality of the game is irrelevent, this extends to the youth, reserves, women, etc.  If you have a Villa kit on in a home game no one is going to complain if you're at villa park.  Given that, remove any reference to poor premier league games, etc from your argument.

which leaves comparing a sold out cup semi-final/a sold-out community shield/a sold-out european final/etc to a bunch of at least half empty olympic matches.  If you can't see why people don't care about the latter but are happy to see the former I'll point it out; the words 'sold-out' are the key.

No I dont post on here to wind people up, Im expressing my point of view and responding.

It reminds me of the time (think it was clueless odreary) when he was on the ropes after the Doncaster game and the general consensus on here was that he should go. There was one poster (name escapes me) that debated that sacking him at that point in time was the wrong thing to do. Cue huge amounts of fury and personal abuse, (I thought he should have gone aswell by the way) but Im sure he did it just to provoke a reaction like the radios do. I dont have time for that.

My point is so what if the stadium is half empty for an Olympic match? We had 21,000 for a League cup game against Hereford and 20,000 for Bolton in the cup.

[dave.woodhall]

My point is so what if the stadium is half empty for an Olympic match? We had 21,000 for a League cup game against Hereford and 20,000 for Bolton in the cup.

They were Villa games, played for the benefit of our supporters.