NSWE Investment

[Dogtanian]

The Altairos CEO has joined the Villa board;

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/aston-villa/2024/04/17/billionaire-businessman-joins-aston-villa-board/

[Risso]

The Altairos CEO has joined the Villa board;

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/aston-villa/2024/04/17/billionaire-businessman-joins-aston-villa-board/

Yeah, announced earlier this week and that's what has kicked off this latest round of debate mate, as it looks more likely that a major development is what they're planning.

[Dogtanian]

The Altairos CEO has joined the Villa board;

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/aston-villa/2024/04/17/billionaire-businessman-joins-aston-villa-board/

Yeah, announced earlier this week and that's what has kicked off this latest round of debate mate, as it looks more likely that a major development is what they're planning.

Ah, sorry! I knew I shouldn't have had time away, now I feel like my sister when she missed an episode of Home & Away and it became impossible to catch back up!

[paul_e]

Your not really helping your case there mate

You're confusing you not liking them with them not having an identity.

The second one, especially, could be an office block, a hospital, a warehouse. Not good examples with respect.

Again it's not about liking them or not, it's that neither of those are identikit stadiums. Both have clearly been built with an idea that they can be iconic/spectacular/etc. My point isn't about whether they've hit the mark or not but simply that they've tried. I was posting in response to the absolute certainty from a few posters that all modern stadiums are automatically shit and are all the same, it's nonsense and 2 examples using people who will be part of what we do show that.

More generally I really dislike the relentless gripes of the middle-aged that everything was better in the past and a lot of the comments around this are clearly from that same mentality.

[Risso]

Ah, sorry! I knew I shouldn't have had time away, now I feel like my sister when she missed an episode of Home & Away and it became impossible to catch back up!

No worries. You great galah!

[eamonn]

I also think we should get a load of those video cases that look like hardback book covers. Make the place look classy.

Oh man, we had them. And the telly in the kind of cabinet you'd expect an Edwardian magician to use on stage.

Ha! We had a TV cabinet. I'm pretty sure it had glass doors. Bizarre thing, bizarre thinking. Still, preferable to those sixty-inch things everyone has on their walls nowadays though.

Deliver me from his'n'hers.

[paul_e]

The Altairos CEO has joined the Villa board;

https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/aston-villa/2024/04/17/billionaire-businessman-joins-aston-villa-board/

Yeah, announced earlier this week and that's what has kicked off this latest round of debate mate, as it looks more likely that a major development is what they're planning.

Ah, sorry! I knew I shouldn't have had time away, now I feel like my sister when she missed an episode of Home & Away and it became impossible to catch back up!

To fill out your gaps we've also added the person who ran the project to build a new stadium for the Bucks and a guy who's on the board of the Sawiris building company tha'ts just finished building the new Egyptian olympic stadium.

All together it paints a pretty clear message that something is going to happen around the stadium with all this expertise being added.

[algy]

The new stadium in egypt built by the company run by one of our new directors:



Bucks new stadium, build under the leadership of another of our new directors:



I'm not sure either fits the "soulless identikit bowl" description that a few of you are absolutely certain is the only alternative to staying where we are (and presumably doing very little to the ground to avoid the risk of turning it into a soulless bowl).

No, they both look bloody awful to me I'm afraid.

The second one looks like it belongs in Chester Business Park or somesuch place.  The photo Risso added is marginally better, but even then .. it looks like a pretty bog-standard building.  A cheaper version of the Selfridges building.

The first one looks exactly like a soulless bowl to me.  Could be anywhere in the world - if you'd have said it was something that'd been knocked up in Russia for the European championships or Poland when they did the European championships, or Qatar .... I'd know no different tbh.  It looks like a generic sports stadium.


To be fair, I do like the look of Everton's new ground from the outside.  Good call, Risso It makes the most of it's surroundings too - came in on the ferry from the Isle of Man last summer and it's quite striking.  As I've tried to say (badly) all along, I'm not against moving but it'd have to be something like that ... where the stadium looks really nice, fits in architecturally with the current ground (i.e. red brick, mosaics, the 'Aston Villa' gates, ... stuff like that), and it's in an area which really makes it stand out - like Everton have with the docks.  That'd be fine, I'd be down with that.

I'd go back to that site at Electric Avenue though.  I think you could make something really nice there, with the Tame and the reservoir and the cut.  A big redbrick palace down there with associated industrial-y feeling redbrick buildings ... linking up Brookvale Park with Star City and keeping the club in Aston.  That could potentially be amazing.

[The Edge]

Smaller version of Principality Stadium in Cardiff or bigger version of Lille's ground where we are heading on Thursday night would be good if we are looking at examples.  Both have a retractable roof as well, which I think could add something unique.  Then becomes a huge indoor arena / space as well.

I love the Principality Stadium. Absolutely cracking, relatively new stadium. If we were rebuilding I'd go for something like that, with retractable roof.

The problem is that it will be a maximise revenue minimise cost decision.
Have a look at all the new stadiums that are built in the USA and you will see what we are likely to get.

Which is precisely why I'm against us moving. All this "What would Rinder do?" ... Rinder was a no-expense-spared kinda guy and, whilst Villa Park isn't perfect, we currently have 2 quite unique stands in the Holte End and North Stand (which some people were intent on tearing down and building an identikit monstrosity in it's place a few short months ago ... and yes, it was a monstrosity - it looked like a fucking Asda, as I mentioned at time time, and looked worse when Villa Live was taken out).

I don't want a ground that looks like everyone else's ground. I don't want a ground that could be anywhere in the world. We deserve nothing but the best - old Trinity Road/"new" Holte End on the outside, Principality Stadium on the inside. It's at build a new ground, that's what we should have.

But ideally - no expense spared - we stay where we belong, which is as Aston Villa of B6 6HE, with Aston Church, the Holte Pub, the Aston Hotel, and a big fuck off Jacobean manor as the background. We ain't no poxy industrial estate team, and we don't belong on some contaminated wasteland. Shame on the lot of you for suggesting otherwise (bar BV, V82, and the few other anti-movers on here)

Are you suggesting that we keep the North Stand? I think It's horrible and if and when they rebuild Villa Park I would like it gone for good and it's like never to be seen again. I know it's marmite but I'd say over 90% would be in the "hate it" camp.

[Risso]

I'm getting the ferry back to the IOM in a couple of weeks so look forward to seeing the new Everton pad for the first time.

[Chris Smith]

It feels like we’ve got to the stage where we’re all finding new ways to say pretty much the same thing based on little more than hunches and assumptions. I’m going to dip out until there is something concrete (or marble, terracotta etc) to discuss  before I start boring myself.

[kippaxvilla2]

That Bucks picture has given me an idea.  Outside we could have those concrete blocks with legendary players' names on them.  'LESCOTT' for example.

[AV82EC]

I’m ignoring that Bucks picture as it has no relevance to football, it’s a basketball stadium.

The one in Egypt is ok but giving off retro Munich Olympics vibes.

[cdward]

https://www.ft.com/content/faeff9d5-d803-4cf8-9cd9-961ff1557540
Interesting article about the trend for new stadiums across Europe, with Spurs being held up as the hallmark.
All the same points we know about, but after reading it, it definitely makes me think our owners are on the same path.
A multi use sports/entertainment hub in a big city, generating revenue all year round, is definitely what a couple of billionaires will be interested in.
Improving the toilets, bars, trains and pies at VP? Probably not really.

[OCD]

https://www.ft.com/content/faeff9d5-d803-4cf8-9cd9-961ff1557540
Interesting article about the trend for new stadiums across Europe, with Spurs being held up as the hallmark.
All the same points we know about, but after reading it, it definitely makes me think our owners are on the same path.
A multi use sports/entertainment hub in a big city, generating revenue all year round, is definitely what a couple of billionaires will be interested in.
Improving the toilets, bars, trains and pies at VP? Probably not really.

It's behind a pay wall.