Villa Park Redevelopment

[jon collett]

It is amazing what we got away with (although I recall the lower tier had to be rebuilt because of asbestos)

No architect and the stadium manager built it by going to Jewson.

Watching the crush at half time from above is scary. Even the stewards are caught in the tide of people swaying.

Then the upper tier itself is incredibly steep.

But once in the seat I reckon its the best view in the ground!

Not saying its what we should have ir how things should be but it suits me!

[chrisw1]

The view is excellent from the Doug as you're so close to the pitch.  The only way of having anywhere near enough back-of-house space to be acceptable would be to use the deck currently used for the executive boxes, which is never going to happen unless they are forced to from a H&S perspective.

It's just as well you can't get a beer because if you do you certainly can't get in for a piss at half time.

[Drummond]

You can, and it's tight, but if they could close the road longer it would be workable. I'm sure they could get some pretty strong temporary fencing arrangement going if they wanted.

[Gareth]

From row 2 in the Upper Tier of the Witton I wouldn’t want to sit anywhere else, the view is great.

Everything else about the stand is lower league standard….dont think the toilets have had a penny spent on them (rather than in them) since the stand was built, catering and range is beyond crap, the service is useless, the concourses are soooo crowded.  Toilets, catering and service they could fix if they wanted

[Chris Smith]

They close the road for a period before kick off, not sure it’s an hour or 30 minutes. It’s then so busy with people approaching the ground it doesn’t seem feasible to put up anything that would slow that.

[LeeB]

I want us to have better facilities than shit clubs like Brighton.

Some time in the 2030s, that might actually be the case. I'll be coming up to retirement by then, so look forward to the slight discount.

2030s is actually frighteningly close. In my minds eye that's 30 years away, not a tickle under 6 years.

For context roughly six years ago Snodgrass banged in that superb winner at Sheff Utd.

[Ads]

Wait what, we did the Witton in house by going to a builders merchant?!

[jon collett]

Wait what, we did the Witton in house by going to a builders merchant?!

Yep all managed by a bloke called Ted Small who was Stadium Manager.

We boasted at the time how little it cost but then quickly discovered due to asbestos we had to demolish and rebuild the lower tier which we just left.

The cost would be tiny by comparison with today's costs.

[algy]

Yeah, and it's took 3 years and it's still not open.

They could have built 2 new ones in that time.

Wouldn't that mean they had a 2 sided ground, though?

Surely you have to go down to non-league clubs to find ones that only have 2 usable stands?

[Chris Harte]

Wait what, we did the Witton in house by going to a builders merchant?!

Yep all managed by a bloke called Ted Small who was Stadium Manager.

We boasted at the time how little it cost but then quickly discovered due to asbestos we had to demolish and rebuild the lower tier which we just left.

The cost would be tony by comparison with today's costs.

It was built in-house, but I recall they rebuilt the lower tier afterwards due to issues with realignment of the seats (isn't that part of the new plan?)

I think the asbestos issue arose as a consequence of rebuilding what was an existing 1960s structure.

[LeeB]

Yeah, and it's took 3 years and it's still not open.

They could have built 2 new ones in that time.

Wouldn't that mean they had a 2 sided ground, though?

Surely you have to go down to non-league clubs to find ones that only have 2 usable stands?

I meant 2 new whole stadiums.

[algy]

Wait what, we did the Witton in house by going to a builders merchant?!

Yep all managed by a bloke called Ted Small who was Stadium Manager.

We boasted at the time how little it cost but then quickly discovered due to asbestos we had to demolish and rebuild the lower tier which we just left.

The cost would be tiny by comparison with today's costs.

Doug boasted that we were the only club to have built our own stand.

Not sure it was something to boast about, but still.

[Gareth]

Yeah, and it's took 3 years and it's still not open.

They could have built 2 new ones in that time.

Wouldn't that mean they had a 2 sided ground, though?

Surely you have to go down to non-league clubs to find ones that only have 2 usable stands?

Or across our City

[VILLA MOLE]

Wait what, we did the Witton in house by going to a builders merchant?!

Yep all managed by a bloke called Ted Small who was Stadium Manager.

We boasted at the time how little it cost but then quickly discovered due to asbestos we had to demolish and rebuild the lower tier which we just left.

The cost would be tiny by comparison with today's costs.

Doug boasted that we were the only club to have built our own stand.

Not sure it was something to boast about, but still.

no wonder he got it named after him

[LeeB]

Wait what, we did the Witton in house by going to a builders merchant?!

Yep all managed by a bloke called Ted Small who was Stadium Manager.

We boasted at the time how little it cost but then quickly discovered due to asbestos we had to demolish and rebuild the lower tier which we just left.

The cost would be tiny by comparison with today's costs.

Doug boasted that we were the only club to have built our own stand.

Not sure it was something to boast about, but still.

no wonder he got it named after him

Yeah, as I've said before it's a fitting monument to the mediocrity of the man.