Takeover rumours

[Nelly]

For me, probably the biggest thing I love about Aston Villa is our unique identity as a football club. Villa Park is a huge part of that and a source of immense pride for me, with it's history and grandeur. To see it re-named would be tragic for me.

[eastie]

Seeing my club sold as a marketing vehicle for the likes of Mansoor, or a vanity project at the whim of an oligarch, would probably be the end for me.

Specially when their marketting men turn up and want to change the name to Birmingham Villa!

Come now affers, I can just see you preening yourself in your royal blue shirt with claret sleeves

[eastie]

Anyway, I suspect this is all hypothetical, as it's highly unlikely to ever happen.

I don't think it's that unlikely, after all we know there are some very rich people out there who would love the glory of owning a Premier League club. Look at the clubs available and ask yourself who would be the likely candidates with a big enough name that they are known globally and have the facilities already in place so that the new owner can pretty much chuck his cash at getting the players he wants.

Us, Newcastle, Liverpool, Sunderland maybe, Wet Spam once they are in the Olympic Stadium maybe...the list isn't endless.

It's not a given, but I reckon any billionaires looking to buy an English club will have Villa pencilled in on any list they make.

Villa, newcastle and everton are the three that spring to mind for me.

[amfy]

From what I gather no-one really seems to know what Red Bull want. We don't know if they want Aston Villa, much less what strings might come with it. So it's just the stadium name? What else can go out the window for a bit of glory?

I don't even want us to play at The Red Bull Stadium personally. I don't care if we'd still call it Villa Park, I don't want to hear it called something else every time I watch a game in telly. I'm not even saying I'd stop going, or that it'd be the end  for me - I am simply saying its not what I want.

For those who aren't bothered about what the rest if the world calls our ground, where is the line? Red Bull Villa or Aston Red Bulls? I'm sure we can find a way of living with all of it perfectly happily, and despite what I do or don't want in this scenario - I'd probably be at Wembley cheering as loudly as anyone when those orange & blue ribbons get put on the FA Cup.

It's just that I'd rather watch us build something of our own If we can. I like what we're trying to do now. I want to see if we can make it work. If we can't, then that's just how it is. Aston Villa being average in this division, or playing a couple of divisions lower would still be Aston Villa - I'm not sure who those orange & blue bastards are.
 

[olaftab]

Come now affers, I can just see you preening yourself in your royal blue shirt with claret sleeves

Yes ok but I will need a blood transfusion because the red and white blood cells in my system are claret and blue!

[danlanza]

From what I gather no-one really seems to know what Red Bull want. We don't know if they want Aston Villa, much less what strings might come with it. So it's just the stadium name? What else can go out the window for a bit of glory?

I don't even want us to play at The Red Bull Stadium personally. I don't care if we'd still call it Villa Park, I don't want to hear it called something else every time I watch a game in telly. I'm not even saying I'd stop going, or that it'd be the end  for me - I am simply saying its not what I want.

For those who aren't bothered about what the rest if the world calls our ground, where is the line? Red Bull Villa or Aston Red Bulls? I'm sure we can find a way of living with all of it perfectly happily, and despite what I do or don't want in this scenario - I'd probably be at Wembley cheering as loudly as anyone when those orange & blue ribbons get put on the FA Cup.

It's just that I'd rather watch us build something of our own If we can. I like what we're trying to do now. I want to see if we can make it work. If we can't, then that's just how it is. Aston Villa being average in this division, or playing a couple of divisions lower would still be Aston Villa - I'm not sure who those orange & blue bastards are.

Fair point amfy. Even if we did sell our soul to the highest bidder we would still be known as the team that plays at Villa Park. Even if it was renamed with some bullshit name like the Reebok, Bolton..... Madjeski, Etihad, the list goes on. It is not about what our stadium is called, it is about the people who fill it, Villa fans. Nobody can take that away from us, never. If we are going to progress into the bigtime then some sacrifices need to be made.
We will always be Aston Villa, always. That is ours to keep for ever and a day. But, we have to be realistic. To get to the top you have to be willing to sell your soul, ish. Will we do it ? I do not think so, in the immediate future but one day we will. Do us the Fans go with that decision, or, do we do a FC United of Manchester like Mr Woodhall posted earlier.? The World changes every day, football changes every day. I think that we should get used to the idea that the great game we grew up watching has nearly dissapeared, time to move on, unfortunately.

[eastie]

Bang on dan!

[Dante Lavelli]

There are 4 (& more) divisions where most supporters manage to follow their team without expecting any of this stuff. Coops watches plenty of non-league football, yet sees things differently to me, so maybe it isn't a PNE thing, maybe it is just me.

It did seem a bit odd to me even as I was typing it, but I think as you go down the divisions expectations do get lower. There isn't the hype below the Championship (I think once teams are established at that level the whole "Must get into the Premier League" thing starts kicking in, hence the ludicrously hyped play-off culminating in the "Richest Game in Football" for the PO Final.).
 I don't think there's so much of a dread of relegation, you know you can always get back, and if not there's all those new grounds to visit. If Villa go down it will be a disaster, if Tamworth go down I get to go to Stalybridge again.

 There's no logic to it, and no right answer, it's just the way I feel personally.

 I enjoy watching football, but toward the end of my time regularly watching Villa it was becoming a chore.

To echo those sentiments somewhat, I went to watch Oxford United at their old Manor Ground and the connection the fans had with the club was noticeably different.  They even had a song for the St John's ambulance lady. 

Ditto small intimate gigs versus epic stadium gigs, bigger does not necessarily mean better. 
And IF "better" did come along you can guarantee we'd be moaning about the additional tourists, less songs, bigger egos, and a greater disconnect between the club and the average fan.   

[Ad@m]

Talk of us selling the naming rights to the ground is a little bit irrelevant.  The stadium naming deals which have generated anything like a decent sum of money are always for new grounds where there isn't a current name.  Villa Park has been called that for 100 years and for the reason lots have pointed out, sticking a glow-in-the-dark, Red Bull Arena sign on the side of it won't make a blind bit of difference to what it's called by the majority of people.  As a result, that will mean people are willing to pay much, much less for the rights - certainly way below the level Randy would even think about it (I hope!).

[Legion]

I wonder if we'll ever see the day when someone sponsors injury-time as they do at Hell City.

[amfy]

From what I gather no-one really seems to know what Red Bull want. We don't know if they want Aston Villa, much less what strings might come with it. So it's just the stadium name? What else can go out the window for a bit of glory?

I don't even want us to play at The Red Bull Stadium personally. I don't care if we'd still call it Villa Park, I don't want to hear it called something else every time I watch a game in telly. I'm not even saying I'd stop going, or that it'd be the end  for me - I am simply saying its not what I want.

For those who aren't bothered about what the rest if the world calls our ground, where is the line? Red Bull Villa or Aston Red Bulls? I'm sure we can find a way of living with all of it perfectly happily, and despite what I do or don't want in this scenario - I'd probably be at Wembley cheering as loudly as anyone when those orange & blue ribbons get put on the FA Cup.

It's just that I'd rather watch us build something of our own If we can. I like what we're trying to do now. I want to see if we can make it work. If we can't, then that's just how it is. Aston Villa being average in this division, or playing a couple of divisions lower would still be Aston Villa - I'm not sure who those orange & blue bastards are.

Fair point amfy. Even if we did sell our soul to the highest bidder we would still be known as the team that plays at Villa Park. Even if it was renamed with some bullshit name like the Reebok, Bolton..... Madjeski, Etihad, the list goes on. It is not about what our stadium is called, it is about the people who fill it, Villa fans. Nobody can take that away from us, never. If we are going to progress into the bigtime then some sacrifices need to be made.
We will always be Aston Villa, always. That is ours to keep for ever and a day. But, we have to be realistic. To get to the top you have to be willing to sell your soul, ish. Will we do it ? I do not think so, in the immediate future but one day we will. Do us the Fans go with that decision, or, do we do a FC United of Manchester like Mr Woodhall posted earlier.? The World changes every day, football changes every day. I think that we should get used to the idea that the great game we grew up watching has nearly dissapeared, time to move on, unfortunately.

Yet Spurs have managed to gradually build something that's putting them in amongst it now. I know they have spent more than many clubs, but we're not talking soul selling levels. We're talking about good steady investment, stability & a bit of luck.

If the only way we can ever win anything is oligarchs & sheiks, & it is completely impossible to simply build towards success, then I think I would rather be at Everton losing 4-1 & singing about programmes (the other thread I've posted on today), than trying to defend my support of a club that's bought everything it's won in the last 20 years. To me, that is actually more fun. I am a bit odd like that!

[Dante Lavelli]

For me, probably the biggest thing I love about Aston Villa is our unique identity as a football club. Villa Park is a huge part of that and a source of immense pride for me, with it's history and grandeur. To see it re-named would be tragic for me.

For that reason I think we'd be one of the least likely clubs to be taken over by Red Bull.  Our name is so weird it makes a randoms like Tom Hanks decide to support us.  Our heritage is probably our biggest selling point.  Red Bull would have to spend a LOT of cash to re-brand villa whereas arguably they could spend a lot less at say Fulham for a bigger return.

Furthermore, Red Bull's motivation in this is not to win trophies.  It is to raise the profile of their brand.  So far they're rebranded Saltzburg (guaranteed champs league pretty much), NY (a new franchise), Leipzig (play on the 3rd division in Germany but have a big stadium which is good for concerts - i.e. Coventry City).  They don't appear to have much history of ploughing cash into clubs to help them win things.

[go on the dog]

For me, probably the biggest thing I love about Aston Villa is our unique identity as a football club. Villa Park is a huge part of that and a source of immense pride for me, with it's history and grandeur. To see it re-named would be tragic for me.

Couldn't have put it better myself pal

[john e]

for what its worth the Red Bull headquarters are based in Milton Keynes and I know someone who works on night security there and he said he's heard nothing

so I reckon its a load of old cobblers

[pauliewalnuts]

For those who aren't bothered about what the rest if the world calls our ground, where is the line? Red Bull Villa or Aston Red Bulls?
 

Surely there is an enormous difference between stadium naming rights and renaming the club?