Villa Park Changes & Commonwealth Games

[paul_e]

I don't think Carew was big signing (well he was a bigger than me and you signing but...) as such, it's was more, for me, that we signed him and Young within a day and suddenly we looked like we had an owner willing to throw some money about and get the players to push us on.

Deano, Collymore and Angel are the big signings I can think of since the premier league started, which sort of sums up Lerner (and more importantly mon) because we spent a fortune in his first 3 seasons and not one of those signings was a 'missing piece' signing who had all the fans thinking we were on our way.  When we get back up Xia needs to pull one of those out of the bag fairly quickly to show that he's not all talk.

[Chris Jameson]

I had a season ticket for several seasons and was undecided whether to renew, the day I was due to go to the ground to renew Villa announced a signing. It was John Fashanu, I didn’t bother.

[KevinGage]

I don't think Carew was big signing (well he was a bigger than me and you signing but...) as such, it's was more, for me, that we signed him and Young within a day and suddenly we looked like we had an owner willing to throw some money about and get the players to push us on.

Deano, Collymore and Angel are the big signings I can think of since the premier league started, which sort of sums up Lerner (and more importantly mon)

There was only one big ego allowed at Martin O'Neillsastonvilla.

[IFWaters]

I agree with the 4 stands thing although would be happy with a shallow bowl unifying the lot at the lowest level , for say 15 or so rows like where the Holte joins the Trinity. In addition I wouldn't have the corners 'empty' but in each corner a tower structure, like the corners of a castle or fortress (geddit?) with windows onto the pitch but no seats, with levels for catering, media, perhaps museum, club offices, kids facilities.

If ive got my stats right, the Holte and Trinity alone hold 27,000 so mirror those and you have a 54,000 seater, but I would mirror the existing Holte in the new North Stand and then knock the top off the Holte, remodel it into a single end stand holding 20,000 a la Sudtribune to make the ground up to 60,000.

To me , Villa Park should ALWAYS be one of the top 3-4 grounds in the country, should retain its individuality and should say to all visiting teams, fans and pundits.."Fuck me, Villa are a BIG CLUB"

[SoccerHQ]

I still think the ground can retain a traditional feel and escape the blandness of uniformity. I agree about consistent heights, but as somebody who sits Upper Holte, I think looking out onto a large horseshoe Trinity/North/Witton would be very impressive. The areas of Aston and beyond you can see to the sides of the North are a bit meh. Equally, away fans in the Witton corner would be dwarfed by the North and you'd get a good atmosphere.

A single banked Holte end, 13,500 strong, the largest in the country, would be magnificent.

I think given the the way the ground could look from the outside, blended with how impressive it would be inside would help us retain tradition and give visiting fans that bollock tightening feeling that they're somewhere sacred and perhaps for the first time, intimidating.

IIRC there was an idea or even model of future development floating in the Trinity reception at one time during the last years of the Ellis era.

Sort of in the style of like you say Ads of St James Park with the North stand redeveloped to join the Trinity.

Would imagine that's long been scrapped and Xia has other ideas for when the time is right.

I'd personally have no issue with those two stands also joining the Witton but please keep the Holte as a stand alone stand.

[Des Little]

A single tier, safe standing Holte End would just be fantastic.

[SoccerHQ]

In recent time I'd argue John Terry as one of our biggest signings although that's more how we've slipped as a club.

It's a good point though and one we need to consider when we eventually get back up e.g. spending big on a game changing playmaker rather than overloading the squad with full backs as we did in the MON era. Most of them were just bench warmers aswell.

[SoccerHQ]

I don't think Carew was big signing (well he was a bigger than me and you signing but...) as such, it's was more, for me, that we signed him and Young within a day and suddenly we looked like we had an owner willing to throw some money about and get the players to push us on.

Deano, Collymore and Angel are the big signings I can think of since the premier league started, which sort of sums up Lerner (and more importantly mon) because we spent a fortune in his first 3 seasons and not one of those signings was a 'missing piece' signing who had all the fans thinking we were on our way.  When we get back up Xia needs to pull one of those out of the bag fairly quickly to show that he's not all talk.

Last time I got excited about us signing someone was actually Darren Bent. Was buzzing the day he signed as we'd gone to a rival and just signed their star player.

Shame he was more limited than I realised at the time and we were fighting relegation rather than being 6th in the league when it would've made more sense buy hey ho.

[Concrete Tom]

There were models that were built and photographed. I remember it being in a match day program at some point.

It was basically the current Trinity design extended and wrapped around where the North is now.

I remember writing about it on an old fan site I created as a teenager but I’ve long lost the images and forgotten which program they were in. It sticks in my mind because a researcher from LMA Manager (fantastic old PS One game) was in contact with me about it as there was a stadium designer in their game.

[Drummond]

Darren Bent was a big fee signing that got some interest going. He didn't do badly in his first game either if I recall (however, I think I was with Prawn Sarnie brigade and quite pissed).

[paul_e]

Darrne Bent was a big signing because of the fee, and yes he did well for the first year (ish) with us but there were also a decent number people pointing out the limitations of a player like him so I wouldn't put it in quite the same category as Saunders, etc.  I will say though that, with hindsight, he was the only time that Lerner acted like the owner we hoped he was going to be and took what he wanted (well what his manager wanted) without much fuss.

[PeterWithesShin]

Most of our signings under Lerner were us taking the player the manager wanted without much fuss.

[villa `cross the mersey]

In terms of big signings Peter Withe was certainly one of those although I don't think I'm rewriting history when I say there were a few raised eyebrows amongst Villa fans when Saunders signed him as " The final piece in the jigsaw"
Initially I was not impressed by the signing but was soon won over by the guys` commitment

[Chris Harte]

I think the ship has sailed on any notition of the Holte being a single tier. There are other priorities.

I'm slightly concerned that the North Stand and Doug Ellis Stand will be merged into a single "L"-shape with a "birds nest" (think 2008 Olympics) exterior.

I like the idea of the four stands remaining separate, similar to now, but if VP is to reach 60,000 seats then this may not be possible without different stands having different heights, almost to the extreme of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge prior to the millenium.

Some ideas for any redevelopement could include:

* solar panel systems on the roofs of the stands with power storage units (stadium roofs have so much square metre area I'm stumped as to why many clubs haven't done this already - maybe there's a technicality I'm overlooking).

* Large scale parking that includes recharging for electric powered vehicles.

* Large scale parking for bicycles, perhaps with dedicated elevated routes to join up with cycle lanes on the Walsall and Lichfield Roads.

These are just my thoughts. From what has been reported the Dr has something seriously left-of-field to throw into the mix. I just hope it isn't the birds nest thing.

[Ad@m]

I think the ship has sailed on any notition of the Holte being a single tier.

I agree, but the North Stand would be perfect for it with the amount of space we have behind it.