The Big Interview

[IFWaters]

Current capacity is 42,500 with 26,500 in Holte End and Trinity and other half holding 16,000.

To get to 60,000 I would mirror the size of the existing stands  to get to 53,000 and join up the right side corner of the Holte End with the new McGrath stand to add a further 5000. Add some boxes in the opposite corner and screens where they are now.

The ground to retain look and feel of separate stands but with common design features. Currently feels half completed. Outside use predominantly brick and claret and blue metalwork as a highlight not great sheets of warehouse cladding.

Holte and McGrath cheap and cheerful villa, trinity for prawn sandwiches and kids, north end away fans and day trippers.

[VILLA MOLE]

with the cladding I am sure we could mask this with Murals of villa Legends

[SoccerHQ]

Bent is an interesting one, a great goalscorer and our record signing but not the type of player that would sell lots of season tickets.

It got people massively excited at the time. Same feeling for me on the night we signed Carew and Ashley Young. Hardly any signings since have had the same impact.

[cdbearsfan]

I'm very disappointed that the "Big" in the thread title isn't in capital letters.

Legion would never make a tabloid journalist.

[TonyD]

Easy.  New Holte End like Dortmund.  20,000 ( back
to its c rightful capacity)  .  That's now up to c50,000.  Then if needed new North Stand to add another 6,000. I think 56,000.  That's about right.

[PeterWithesShin]

Bent is an interesting one, a great goalscorer and our record signing but not the type of player that would sell lots of season tickets.

It got people massively excited at the time. Same feeling for me on the night we signed Carew and Ashley Young. Hardly any signings since have had the same impact.

Most really liked the signing, I doubt we sold many ST though just because Darren Bent was a Villa player.

[brentastonb6]

Really looking forward to the development of the ground and surrounding area. We are in a dream location and setting that we've never really sussed how to utilise. Five minutes from Spaghetti, two train stations, not far from city centre, massive catchment area both local and slightly further afield.

What we need for it all to come to fruition is a team that can compete with anybody, regularly qualifies for the CL, wins trophies at least every two or three years and has players Sanchez, Silva, Hazzard etc. who we can keep from wanting to jump ship at the first sign of a club perceived as more glamorous making eyes at them.

Barry wanting to go to Liverpool was kind of the death of Lerner's dream in some respects, followed by all the others like Milner and Young. Next time we have a team like that, or Sir Brian's or BFR's, or players like Platt, they must be kept and added to. This would be a post-war first for us and only then will we know for certain our full potential.

I don't see why people are so sure we can't get 60k every week. Do they really think we wouldn't if we were throwing money around like PSG or Man City, or caught up again with the histories of Liverpool or Man Utd?

We have won 1 league title and 1 FA Cup in nearly a hundred years and we still have fantastic support IMO.

Agree 100% Percy, I remember saying to a scouser some years back who was bragging about size of club that if we'd won the league 17 times in something like 30 years like they had we'd need a stadium that held 110,000 like the great man Rinder planned pre WW1

[Drummond]

Bent is an interesting one, a great goalscorer and our record signing but not the type of player that would sell lots of season tickets.

It got people massively excited at the time. Same feeling for me on the night we signed Carew and Ashley Young. Hardly any signings since have had the same impact.

Most really liked the signing, I doubt we sold many ST though just because Darren Bent was a Villa player.

Probably because of when he was signed and the reason for it. If it had been in the summer, when we were trying to push on from 6th, rather than trying to avoid relegation in January....

[Risso]

Really looking forward to the development of the ground and surrounding area. We are in a dream location and setting that we've never really sussed how to utilise. Five minutes from Spaghetti, two train stations, not far from city centre, massive catchment area both local and slightly further afield.

What we need for it all to come to fruition is a team that can compete with anybody, regularly qualifies for the CL, wins trophies at least every two or three years and has players Sanchez, Silva, Hazzard etc. who we can keep from wanting to jump ship at the first sign of a club perceived as more glamorous making eyes at them.

Barry wanting to go to Liverpool was kind of the death of Lerner's dream in some respects, followed by all the others like Milner and Young. Next time we have a team like that, or Sir Brian's or BFR's, or players like Platt, they must be kept and added to. This would be a post-war first for us and only then will we know for certain our full potential.

I don't see why people are so sure we can't get 60k every week. Do they really think we wouldn't if we were throwing money around like PSG or Man City, or caught up again with the histories of Liverpool or Man Utd?

We have won 1 league title and 1 FA Cup in nearly a hundred years and we still have fantastic support IMO.

Agree 100% Percy, I remember saying to a scouser some years back who was bragging about size of club that if we'd won the league 17 times in something like 30 years like they had we'd need a stadium that held 110,000 like the great man Rinder planned pre WW1

The point is though we haven't, which is why I think the average Brummie is less enthused about football in general than the average Scouser.  You'd have to be in your late 20s to even remember our last League Cup win.

[olaftab]

I thought signing Stan was a mega event and a genuine superstar of that time but it didn't work out. Later on when Dion, Carbone and Mersen came along it was a real exciting era but we died in the 2000 cup final😥

[FranzBiberkopf]

Dean Saunders was probably the last time we signed a 'marque' player from a big club. ie one who wasn't on the downward spiral, too old etc.

Stan Staunton arguably too - but no-one gets excited about signing a left back really (Roberto Carlos, Dani Alves aside I suppose).

60K seats or 60K incl. standing area? Now that would be something.

[saunders_heroes]

Dean Saunders was probably the last time we signed a 'marque' player from a big club. ie one who wasn't on the downward spiral, too old etc.

Stan Staunton arguably too - but no-one gets excited about signing a left back really (Roberto Carlos, Dani Alves aside I suppose).

60K seats or 60K incl. standing area? Now that would be something.

Imagine the bottom half of the Holte safe standing. Yes please!

[Des Little]

Make Lower Holte all safe standing, build new North Stand and I'd say we'd have all we'll ever need no matter how successful we got.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

Make Lower Holte all safe standing, build new North Stand and I'd say we'd have all we'll ever need no matter how successful we got.

This. It'd look great too if the North stand was done properly.

[Mister E]

Make Lower Holte all safe standing, build new North Stand and I'd say we'd have all we'll ever need no matter how successful we got.

What? - with your feet?