Villa Park Redevelopment

[Pat Mustard]

Yesterday was totally unacceptable, shocking.

No organisation of queues, people snaking round the ground. No-one in charge.

One bar open in the outside Holte. Toilets blocked. No improvement on food or drink. But hey, they got LED and a fancy new tunnel. It's so short sighted to concentrate on corporate first. Good luck selling those for Ipswich and Southampton at home.

All I want is to get in the ground easily, ( I queued for 25 minutes) not have my feet covered in piss and have the chance of getting a hot drink or beer without joining an unregulated queue for half an hour.

They've done nothing to address the concourses, toilets, food / drink. In fact it's much worse.

Yesterday was without doubt the worst I’ve seen Villa Park in the last 30 years - the queues were an entirely predictable mess, made worse by a failure to open the gates on time. The toilets were literally rivers of piss, and the general air of a job not even half-finished was everywhere in the stadium. Oh, and the supposed improvements to food and beverage was actually a reduction in the choice of beers available if you could even get one.

For me it just confirmed everything I’ve felt since Chris Heck arrived - the man does not give two shits about the vast majority of our fans.

[London Villan]

There is no way of voicing our complaints though. Other than swamping the social media posts when they are harping on about ‘world class’ facilities.

[chrisw1]

What was Heck on about other clubs sitting up and taking note of our tunnel?  From the photos I’ve seen isn’t it just a grey painted tunnel?  Why would clubs take note of that?

[olaftab]

When I finally got in the DE stand and started going up the stairs, I realised my feet were sticking to the still-wet paint and the bottom of my shoes were now yellow.

I followed you to your house via the yellow step road. Nice place

[john e]

In fairness the lower Doug was boasting a fresh coat of white emulsion

[Chris Smith]

So how did people that had them get on with the new rail seats?

An improvement, more room and has removed the risk of smacking your shins on the seat in front plus we’re now only a couple of seats from the end of the row and the annoying blokes behind are no longer near us. The only minor problem yesterday is the changed layout means I need to go up a different staircase from the concourse and a few people did have issues finding their seat.

[lukey27]

There is no way of voicing our complaints though. Other than swamping the social media posts when they are harping on about ‘world class’ facilities.

Fancomplaints@avfc.co.uk

I would encourage everyone to do it, just sent an email. My first club complaint in over 30 years, yesterday was that poor.

I can imagine it turning from cock up to disaster v quickly if people were still outside on a Champions League or big league game and started pushing.

[dalians umbrella]

When I finally got in the DE stand and started going up the stairs, I realised my feet were sticking to the still-wet paint and the bottom of my shoes were now yellow.

I followed you to your house via the yellow step road. Nice place

Thanks - but my wife says please can she have her knickers back -  washed at 90° on a full cycle.

[Demitri_C]

Have to aay new tunnel the choice of colour looks odd. We play in claret why is it black ?

Doesnt scream villa or intimidating for away players

[Chip Butty 111]

Surely the urine all over the toilet floors washed the paint off the shoes ?
I noticed a lot of GA leftover tickets went on sale on Friday morning, if they have that many left for Arsenal best of luck with Fulham.

[john e]

I said a while ago that we just don’t have a corporate facility type support base
At the time no one agreed with me and probably still don’t but I still think that is the case

I know there are plenty of rich people in the Birmingham area, but we are not a club that will attract tourists fans in the same way as the London clubs,
 Liverpool and Man United are in a different sphere as far as supporters are concerned the Irish ferries, Scandinavian airlines and the train from Euston It’s packed with plastic Reds every home game

That is not the case for Villa, most of our support will come from a 50 mile radius of Villa Park
That’s our demographic and it’s not one that leans easily to promote corporate facilities as is proven correct

Now obviously people will say we have to change that and bring the big wallets into the ground for turnover and FFP purposes if nothing else but at the moment I reckon we have one of the most working-class type supporter bases in the Premier League and they should look after, and at the moment they are not

[Chip Butty 111]

What people like Heck don't get, and it's not difficult to work out, is that the most important people in the Ground are..
The Dad and his lad of today..
And the Dad and his lad of the future..
...as the Koln fans pointed out at Arsenal a few years ago in the protest over ticket prices..
Football without fans is nothing...

[Kevin Dawson]

Went to the Holte pub before the game. It took 15 minutes of queuing to get in. Then, half a dozen people behind the bar, most of them had clearly never worked behind a bar before. Chap next to me ordered a blackberry cider, and lager came out of the pump, but the barman didn't seem to notice. When told, he then tried a different blackberry tap, and apple cider came out.
Then, I queued from 4.55 until 5.15 to get into the lower Holte and went to the toilet. Blocked urinals, taps not turning off etc. Perhaps Mr Heck should come and experience this? Queuing at half time was also shocking. There's the possibility of a serious incident occurring either inside or outside the stadium. Imagine if people are trying to get in, and look like they might miss the kick off against, say, Real Madrid?

[Roughlyvilla]

Just opened the the discussion it is a shit storm of complaints, not only about the entry issues but the bull shit the Villa and particularly Heck have put out about the improvements they were making to the infrastructure such as improved toilets catering which were clearly not improved but were actually worse

I know I am seen as a moaner but I have been saying for the last year the club and Heck are taking the piss . When they made the decision to stop the North stand redevelopment, for Heck’s comment it is being stopped to improve the fan experience you could read between the lines it was all about money

I will make a prediction it will get worse, wait till

they stop sales of season tickets so they can sell tickets at an inflated price to tourists on a match to match basis

[SoccerHQ]

There's always been bottlenecks to get into the North Stand. That's just due to the layout and only one entrance due to the reconfiguration of the North Stand car park.

Many times I've turned up at half 2 and just about made kick off. Also when I sit in the Upper Holte now right by the open corner to the Witton I see plenty still queuing to get in from Witton Lane when the game has kicked off.

Didn't go yesterday so just assumed it was issues like that so shocked to read access into the upper Witton wasn't even allowed until 5pm?!

Surely that's a health and safety issue given the many thousands that walk down Witton Lane to get to the Holte if they're coming from Perry Barr.

We should've asked for the Leicester and Arsenal games to swop and have our first two away if the top level knew that it would be tight to get the changes ready for this date.

Very poor that this is the first home game and one of the biggest of the season and a whole tier of our stadium wasn't even open until half an hour before kick off.