Villa Park Redevelopment

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I could be wrong but I got the impression that Unai didn't want to change anything about the stadium while we were doing so well.

Is he planning on not doing well in the next two or three seasons then? Or are we stuck with the North Stand until he hangs up his powerpoint slides?

If it means continuing to do as well as we have since he came here, the North Stand can stay as far as I'm concerned.

Wonder if Champions League money can make up the shortfall.

Only if we win it, go on to become World Champions and have pre-season games on the moon. And even then..

[Ads]

They've got a temporary stand at Old Trafford for the cricket that holds 5500. Would it not be feasible to smash up the North, pop a temporary stand in there to maintain capacity and get cracking building a new one behind?

[The Edge]

I could be wrong but I got the impression that Unai didn't want to change anything about the stadium while we were doing so well.

Is he planning on not doing well in the next two or three seasons then? Or are we stuck with the North Stand until he hangs up his powerpoint slides?

If it means continuing to do as well as we have since he came here, the North Stand can stay as far as I'm concerned.

It's bloody horrible it's one of the worst stands in the PL. It's waaaay past it's shelf life. We really need to move on. I get the argument that we'd have a stand missing for the CL matches but that happens all the time.Barcelona and Real Madrid for instance have completely rebuilt their stadiums over the last few years.

[tomd2103]

Or if they stuck with Plan A we'd be 52,000 by 2026. And showcasing it to a big audience for the Euros in 2028.

In the past decade we have seen that clubs like Liverpool have redeveloped, Spurs opened their new stadium, West Ham got gifted a new stadium and Newcastle seriously looking at expansion while Everton have opted for a new stadium. These clubs (with the exception maybe of Everton at the moment) are ahead of us in terms of revenue, match day etc.

I cannot see any argument for us delaying. It's such a head scratcher. Yes we'd have a small hit for a season or a season and a half losing our smallest stand but we'd have a big gain medium to long-term.

Tarting it up with new seats and boxes doesn't suggest they have ambitions to do anything major for some time.

But then we would be playing our first time in the champions league with a huge loss in money and Support. Something needs to be done moving forward but it would have been terribly timed.

Yep, 150th anniversary and first time back in Europe's premier competition for over 40 years probably wasn't the best time.  Wouldn't be surprised if there was an announcement early in 2025 though.

[eamonn]

They've got a temporary stand at Old Trafford for the cricket that holds 5500. Would it not be feasible to smash up the North, pop a temporary stand in there to maintain capacity and get cracking building a new one behind?

Are you gutted we're not leaving ? You seemed convinced we were.

[LeeB]

I could be wrong but I got the impression that Unai didn't want to change anything about the stadium while we were doing so well.

Is he planning on not doing well in the next two or three seasons then? Or are we stuck with the North Stand until he hangs up his powerpoint slides?

If it means continuing to do as well as we have since he came here, the North Stand can stay as far as I'm concerned.

It's bloody horrible it's one of the worst stands in the PL. It's waaaay past it's shelf life. We really need to move on. I get the argument that we'd have a stand missing for the CL matches but that happens all the time.Barcelona and Real Madrid for instance have completely rebuilt their stadiums over the last few years.

It's really not, it's not even the worst stand at Villa Park.

[Mellin]

Bit harsh on the Holte.

[DB]

They've got a temporary stand at Old Trafford for the cricket that holds 5500. Would it not be feasible to smash up the North, pop a temporary stand in there to maintain capacity and get cracking building a new one behind?

Unless you do a Wolves from the early 80s and put the new stand miles away from the pitch. The whole end would be a building site. The Old Trafford one is empty so they can leave a gap for concerts.

[Drummond]

I could be wrong but I got the impression that Unai didn't want to change anything about the stadium while we were doing so well.

Is he planning on not doing well in the next two or three seasons then? Or are we stuck with the North Stand until he hangs up his powerpoint slides?

If it means continuing to do as well as we have since he came here, the North Stand can stay as far as I'm concerned.

It's bloody horrible it's one of the worst stands in the PL. It's waaaay past it's shelf life. We really need to move on. I get the argument that we'd have a stand missing for the CL matches but that happens all the time.Barcelona and Real Madrid for instance have completely rebuilt their stadiums over the last few years.

It's really not, it's not even the worst stand at Villa Park.

I quite enjoy the Lower North. I like that it's not all gentrified and fancy, and the views are good.

[Villan82]

I could be wrong but I got the impression that Unai didn't want to change anything about the stadium while we were doing so well.

Is he planning on not doing well in the next two or three seasons then? Or are we stuck with the North Stand until he hangs up his powerpoint slides?

If it means continuing to do as well as we have since he came here, the North Stand can stay as far as I'm concerned.

It's bloody horrible it's one of the worst stands in the PL. It's waaaay past it's shelf life. We really need to move on. I get the argument that we'd have a stand missing for the CL matches but that happens all the time.Barcelona and Real Madrid for instance have completely rebuilt their stadiums over the last few years.

We ourselves played with stands missing/mid construction in 1993-94, 1994-95, a period of 1995-96 and of course 2000-2001 with no Trinity.

Good to see Ads back in this thread by the way.

[Dogtanian]

I could be wrong but I got the impression that Unai didn't want to change anything about the stadium while we were doing so well.

Is he planning on not doing well in the next two or three seasons then? Or are we stuck with the North Stand until he hangs up his powerpoint slides?

If it means continuing to do as well as we have since he came here, the North Stand can stay as far as I'm concerned.

It's bloody horrible it's one of the worst stands in the PL. It's waaaay past it's shelf life. We really need to move on. I get the argument that we'd have a stand missing for the CL matches but that happens all the time.Barcelona and Real Madrid for instance have completely rebuilt their stadiums over the last few years.

It's really not, it's not even the worst stand at Villa Park.

I quite enjoy the Lower North. I like that it's not all gentrified and fancy, and the views are good.

I often look at the Lower North through my opera glasses and remark to my manservant that it's rather good sport giving the working masses a break from the opium dens and slums.

[Ads]

They've got a temporary stand at Old Trafford for the cricket that holds 5500. Would it not be feasible to smash up the North, pop a temporary stand in there to maintain capacity and get cracking building a new one behind?

Unless you do a Wolves from the early 80s and put the new stand miles away from the pitch. The whole end would be a building site. The Old Trafford one is empty so they can leave a gap for concerts.

I've got some cricket and Foo Fighters booked in for Old Trafford so I'll take a proper look.

Anything is possible. You could leave the lower tier in, if the boxes are being converted anyway, leave them, pop in the temporary stand around it, then build the structure around it all. Do the lower tier next summer.

[DB]

They've got a temporary stand at Old Trafford for the cricket that holds 5500. Would it not be feasible to smash up the North, pop a temporary stand in there to maintain capacity and get cracking building a new one behind?

Unless you do a Wolves from the early 80s and put the new stand miles away from the pitch. The whole end would be a building site. The Old Trafford one is empty so they can leave a gap for concerts.

I've got some cricket and Foo Fighters booked in for Old Trafford so I'll take a proper look.

Anything is possible. You could leave the lower tier in, if the boxes are being converted anyway, leave them, pop in the temporary stand around it, then build the structure around it all. Do the lower tier next summer.

If they get a wiggle on a few thousand could be ready for the start of the season….and would grow over time. It won’t be and empty end for say 3yrs and then it all gets opened up.

[Ads]

Yeah I suppose that's the other way to go. Have the concrete casement in lickety split for the lower tier (which would be about 7000. Start with two or three away games and you can rush the seats in. Be open end for a bit but you'd keep the bulk of the current capacity.

Perhaps that's what Comcast lads money arm is in for, as the Anfield method was apparently too expensive.

[Pat Mustard]

Yeah I suppose that's the other way to go. Have the concrete casement in lickety split for the lower tier (which would be about 7000. Start with two or three away games and you can rush the seats in. Be open end for a bit but you'd keep the bulk of the current capacity.

Perhaps that's what Comcast lads money arm is in for, as the Anfield method was apparently too expensive.

The Anfield method isn't possible for the North Stand - all they have effectively done there is build a new tier behind the old stand, the actual structure for the lower tier is still the same.  The North Stand needs a rebuild from the ground up, including all the services, utilities etc. hence there needing a tonne of clearance and prep work before anything can be built, presumably including even a temporary stand.