Villa Park Redevelopment

[Toronto Villa]

I’m sure someone would complain but if that’s the badge then great. I agree that they’ve been drip feeding that in other media releases, press conference backgrounds etc. it’s simple, has a lion and it says Aston Villa. I’m not fussed one way or another on the star.

[Drummond]

My guess is that releasing the news now is so that most people forget about it over Christmas.

It seems like a radical change without a further plan at this point. I very much doubt that's the case, but perhaps they just aren't at a point to share what the new plan is?

If it's a move, that's fucking huge.
If it's rail seating, it's radical.
Maybe ticket sales are about right, there's demand enough to sell out but not enough to sell an additional 10k.
Maybe they'll fill in the corners.
Perhaps it's brinkmanship to get Witton Station done.
Perhaps they realise that better facilities in what we've got will be more of a revenue generator.
Do the outside first, get revenue per head up before developing.

Of course the ground would look super shit to everyone else if we get Champions League and then have to play in reduced capacity and who knows the effect it could have.

We're 150 next year, and if we do that well it will improve our standing. I suspect there are good plans for it.

What I don't get right now is the reason people are so pissed off.

[Risso]

I guess we can all read into the confusion one way or the other. I definitely take his read of thoughtful plans to suggest that being down to 3 sides is unacceptable for 2 years, because it absolutely is.

We need extra capacity in the ground, both to accommodate fans who want to watch us but can't, and also to try to keep pace with our competitors and to ease FFP concerns. The North Stand is the stand that needs upgrading the most. It's old, small, is an eyesore and has crap facilities. Of course there's going to be short term pain, as there's never an ideal time to knock a stand down, but once it's built, it's built and then you start to see the benefits immediately and forever after.

[eamonn]

I guess we can all read into the confusion one way or the other. I definitely take his read of thoughtful plans to suggest that being down to 3 sides is unacceptable for 2 years, because it absolutely is.

When will it ever be acceptable? Hope that we get relegated again just so we can use it as a "quiet time" to increase the stadium by which time the "fickle sugarbag" contingent of our support will have fallen-off anyway...

[Risso]

What I don't get right now is the reason people are so pissed off.

Go on, have a wild stab in the dark.

[PeterWithesShin]

I don't see that there's any way you can do the North without tearing it all down and starting again. You can't leave the lower tier and build above and behind it as the lower tier is shit. It's seats bolted onto steps that were built for a terrace. And I believe they are re-profiled steps from the old Witton End terrace so weren't even new for the Lower North terrace. The facilities are shit, the leg room is shit, a bloke my height was fucked sitting in the Lower North, if I was in there I needed an aisle seat otherwise I could barely walk when leaving the ground.

[Toronto Villa]

I’ve only sat in the North a couple of times and I’m convinced it was built at a time people were all 5ft 2. Because no way would you build it that cramped in 2023.

[Drummond]

What I don't get right now is the reason people are so pissed off.

Go on, have a wild stab in the dark.

What I mean is that there is no single reason.

[PeterWithesShin]

I’ve only sat in the North a couple of times and I’m convinced it was built at a time people were all 5ft 2. Because no way would you build it that cramped in 2023.

It's because it's terrace steps. Although saying that the odd time I was Upper North it wasn't a fat lot better leg room wise.

[Risso]

I’ve only sat in the North a couple of times and I’m convinced it was built at a time people were all 5ft 2. Because no way would you build it that cramped in 2023.

I haven't been in the Witton since a couple of years after it was built, and I couldn't get my legs in there at all. I'm 6'1", so above average height but not exactly Peter Crouch, and it was a horrendous experience.

[Toronto Villa]

I’ve only sat in the North a couple of times and I’m convinced it was built at a time people were all 5ft 2. Because no way would you build it that cramped in 2023.

It's because it's terrace steps. Although saying that the odd time I was Upper North it wasn't a fat lot better leg room wise.

I’ve never sat in the lower section. Only upper. The view is ace. Your legs are paralyzed at FT.

[PeterWithesShin]

I’ve never sat in the lower section. Only upper. The view is ace. Your legs are paralyzed at FT.

The view is worse and there's less leg room, which should tell you everything you need to know.

[Drummond]

It's a good place to stand mind.

[Villan82]

What I don't get right now is the reason people are so pissed off.

Go on, have a wild stab in the dark.

Peer clubs have been upping to 50k plus, we had plans for that to happen and we have scrapped them even though we pretty much sell out every week and have done for 4 years.

It's a real throwback to when the club was run like a corner shop and never reached its potential. It is a real blow for a lot of us

[Ads]

It will always be unacceptable. If the Scousers can find architects to build behind, then so can we.

If a ground move is off the table, then something else is afoot. It wouldn't surprise me if CPOs and a total revamp of the area wasn't in the new vision.