Villa Park Redevelopment

[PeterWithe]

I think it's disappointing compared to what they originally planned.

No brickwork?

Just looks cheap imo.

I agree I'm sad to say, I guess the balancing act between keeping crowds and revenues up high, and having a stand that will will have some aesthetic merit, was a tough one to call but there was only going to be one winner.

[olaftab]

People were skinnier due to rationing, too, so you could get more in.

Very very good point.

[UK Redsox]

People were skinnier due to rationing, too, so you could get more in.

...and, going by black and white newsreels, people walked faster

[pauliewalnuts]

People were skinnier due to rationing, too, so you could get more in.

...and, going by black and white newsreels, people walked faster

Ha ha excellent.

[Garyth]

Am I the only one who saw those renders and wondered what a plausible reason for this might be?? Cleaning during match day??

[Ducksworthy]

Am I the only one who saw those renders and wondered what a plausible reason for this might be?? Cleaning during match day??

Getting round the waiting list

[pauliewalnuts]

Anyone would think Villa Park had never exceeded 42000 before. I grew up with crowds of up to 60000 at Villa Park. I don’t recall much chaos outside. People are very precious these days.

Also, let's not forget the somewhat undeveloped approach to fan safety back then.

If people outside the ground had got crushed by passing buses or the intensity of the overcrowding, it wasn't like today, with your health and safety gone wrong, oh no, none of this woke boo-hoo shit - back then they just used to toss the resultant corpses into the park and just crack on with it. It was no big deal, none of the moaning of today.

Infant mortality was so high, your kid was likely to die before the age of 10, of rickets or smallpox in your little back to back house (basically, dwellings carved out of huge rocks of disease) in any case, so you'd just shrug it off and carry on as normal - they might as well die at the match, so what's the big deal?

And nobody cared about it. We're all so woke these days.

[pauliewalnuts]

Am I the only one who saw those renders and wondered what a plausible reason for this might be?? Cleaning during match day??

Is that Villan82 inspecting at close quarters the quality of the cladding, just so he could still have something ground expansion-related to moan about every single day?

[Gareth]

Also means that awful 1990s cheap semi-detahced house that is the Corner flag will be no more.

Woah, Doug had to have somewhere to eat lunch showing off I mean surveying his empire whilst he tucked into a Scotch Egg

[Brend'Watkins]

Anyone would think Villa Park had never exceeded 42000 before. I grew up with crowds of up to 60000 at Villa Park. I don’t recall much chaos outside. People are very precious these days.

Back then there were less cars, more buses and trams, and a lot more people living in walking distance of the ground.

And trams.

Trams²

And Trolley Buses.

[FrankyH]

Am I the only one who saw those renders and wondered what a plausible reason for this might be?? Cleaning during match day??

Heck has got the Aston Sky walk sorted . Spurs charge £40-90.

[cdbearsfan]

People were skinnier due to rationing, too, so you could get more in.

...and, going by black and white newsreels, people walked faster

No need to waste money on a roof either, because everyone had hats.

[paul_e]

Anyone would think Villa Park had never exceeded 42000 before. I grew up with crowds of up to 60000 at Villa Park. I don’t recall much chaos outside. People are very precious these days.

Back then there were less cars, more buses and trams, and a lot more people living in walking distance of the ground.

And trams.

Trams²

And Trolley Buses.

Some light rail as well.

[Sexual Ealing]

Beef tea, Woodbines, scurvy, isn't it? The End of the Pier Show, clandestine homosexual encounters before you batter the wife. Mavellous. N.O.R.W.I.C.H, fuzzy wuzzies, the birch, jumpers for goalposts.

[/90s]

[ez]

It's good news and long overdue. The lower north is an old standing terrace not really suitable for seating as the slope of it is too shallow. I expect the new lower north will be safe standing but with much improved viewing.