Villa Park Redevelopment

[Villan82]

I'm a bedwetter as well. While I'm glad no seats will be lost and it will be quick (hopefully) it just all smells a bit Doug Ellis to me. Cheap and not befitting this "Rolls Royce of a football club". They're using some tinged sheeting on the outside of the stairs to make it look like brick but give it a few years and that will have faded.

If we want to permanently establish ourselves as one of the big boys then we have to act like them. It's poor design, not big enough and cheap. Up the Villa.

It will be no quicker than the Purslow rebuild was. Both plans had a two year timeframe only the result of this one will be a smaller uplift in seats and less impressive facilities.

I am very glad it is happening but there is no point pretending it is as good as what we had planned.

[Pat Mustard]

It makes perfect sense though to do it this way, especially if longer term there are plans for Witton Lane. We get to 50k without having a stand out of action for 2 seasons, and much as I disliked Chris Heck there was a certain sense in his statement about too many seats too soon - the reordering of the waiting list presumably means over the next 2 years the club will have a much clearer idea of the actual buying intentions of those on the list. Managing the supply and demand is key to maximising the return on tickets, which is unfortunately the world we are living in.

[LeeB]

It's better than what was planned, as 10k of us are not going to have to stop going for a season or more whilst it's being built.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

Has anything official ever been said about the Witton Lane / DE? I’ve seen a few people mention this but can’t recall seeing anything.

If that’s being done next, then great.

If not, then I agree we’ve missed a trick in not going as big as physically possible with the North Stand, making use of the space behind it.

[Ads]

It's better than what was planned, as 10k of us are not going to have to stop going for a season or more whilst it's being built.

Exactly. Perhaps Liverpool lacked ambition as well?

Eitherway, I don't have a Nose pulling the top of his chode off reading my betwettery over what they may or may not do.

[Drummond]

It's better than what was planned, as 10k of us are not going to have to stop going for a season or more whilst it's being built.

The atmosphere continues. It's a much better solution, that increases capacity without pissing off people already there. As for facilitiesx they're being improved and increased too, aren't they.

[algy]

It's better than what was planned, as 10k of us are not going to have to stop going for a season or more whilst it's being built.

The atmosphere continues. It's a much better solution, that increases capacity without pissing off people already there. As for facilitiesx they're being improved and increased too, aren't they.

I agree with all of this (Ads/LeeB/Drummond) - I’m much happier with this solution than I was with the Purslow rebuild for the multitude of reasons they’ve already mentioned.

I’d also agree with Ads in Witton Lane. It’s all very much speculative at the moment (aside from someone mentioning some of the Holte Road residents had been sounded out), but bringing in Atairos makes little sense for a one off project. However, year on year increases to 43/45/50k capacity and then moving up to 60k capacity … that does, and it’s consistent with how we operate commercially- aiming for year on year increases that will push us up to Scab 6 levels of income, stadium capacity, and in footballing terms thanks to Emery.

We are aiming high, but not in some kind of “we’re going to be doing such and such in 5 years time” type pipedream. It’s more a case of having solid, achievable goals as to how we’re going to finish every single season in a better position than the last, on and off the pitch.

I would take that any day of the week over some  fanciful 5 year plan.

[chrisw1]

I'm a bedwetter as well. While I'm glad no seats will be lost and it will be quick (hopefully) it just all smells a bit Doug Ellis to me. Cheap and not befitting this "Rolls Royce of a football club". They're using some tinged sheeting on the outside of the stairs to make it look like brick but give it a few years and that will have faded.

If we want to permanently establish ourselves as one of the big boys then we have to act like them. It's poor design, not big enough and cheap. Up the Villa.

Exactly, if Doug had come up with this we'd all have been taking the piss out of him for years.

Has anything official ever been said about the Witton Lane / DE? I’ve seen a few people mention this but can’t recall seeing anything.

If that’s being done next, then great.

If not, then I agree we’ve missed a trick in not going as big as physically possible with the North Stand, making use of the space behind it.

There's no chance of it being done in the foreseeable future.  Non whatsover.

[chrisw1]

It's better than what was planned, as 10k of us are not going to have to stop going for a season or more whilst it's being built.

Exactly. Perhaps Liverpool lacked ambition as well?

Eitherway, I don't have a Nose pulling the top of his chode off reading my betwettery over what they may or may not do.

If you're that bothered about what some ****** is writing on a Blues forum, perhaps you should stop reading it.

[IFWaters]

I'm a bedwetter as well. While I'm glad no seats will be lost and it will be quick (hopefully) it just all smells a bit Doug Ellis to me. Cheap and not befitting this "Rolls Royce of a football club". They're using some tinged sheeting on the outside of the stairs to make it look like brick but give it a few years and that will have faded.

If we want to permanently establish ourselves as one of the big boys then we have to act like them. It's poor design, not big enough and cheap. Up the Villa.

Exactly, if Doug had come up with this we'd all have been taking the piss out of him for years.

Has anything official ever been said about the Witton Lane / DE? I’ve seen a few people mention this but can’t recall seeing anything.

If that’s being done next, then great.

If not, then I agree we’ve missed a trick in not going as big as physically possible with the North Stand, making use of the space behind it.

There's no chance of it being done in the foreseeable future.  Non whatsover.

Us namby bedwetters stick together. Literally.

Re the redevelopment of Witton Lane there is eff all chance of that being done without the whole thing being knocked down and started again as the whole thing is built on a piece of land that is too narrow for anything else. The trinity is about twice the depth which is why it holds nearly twice the number of people.

When that gets done we'll get to see who the real bedwetters are.

[ChicagoLion]

And why I think we will move eventually.

[Pat Mustard]

I'm a bedwetter as well. While I'm glad no seats will be lost and it will be quick (hopefully) it just all smells a bit Doug Ellis to me. Cheap and not befitting this "Rolls Royce of a football club". They're using some tinged sheeting on the outside of the stairs to make it look like brick but give it a few years and that will have faded.

If we want to permanently establish ourselves as one of the big boys then we have to act like them. It's poor design, not big enough and cheap. Up the Villa.

Exactly, if Doug had come up with this we'd all have been taking the piss out of him for years.

Has anything official ever been said about the Witton Lane / DE? I’ve seen a few people mention this but can’t recall seeing anything.

If that’s being done next, then great.

If not, then I agree we’ve missed a trick in not going as big as physically possible with the North Stand, making use of the space behind it.

There's no chance of it being done in the foreseeable future.  Non whatsover.

This just isn’t true. It might not be in the next few years with the developments already going on, but it’s pretty naive not to think there are already plans for this in the long-term. Linking the ground up to the inner city academy and Witton Station makes way more sense than any other potential option, and a stand on the scale of the main stand at Anfield would take capacity well over 60k with as much hospitality space as we will ever need.

[IFWaters]

Except the few hundred people living there.

[KevinGage]

I'm a bedwetter as well. While I'm glad no seats will be lost and it will be quick (hopefully) it just all smells a bit Doug Ellis to me. Cheap and not befitting this "Rolls Royce of a football club". They're using some tinged sheeting on the outside of the stairs to make it look like brick but give it a few years and that will have faded.

If we want to permanently establish ourselves as one of the big boys then we have to act like them. It's poor design, not big enough and cheap. Up the Villa.

Agree, sadly.

Might look fine from the pitch.

But even allowing for the limitations of including the structure of the current stand the plans look half cocked and a bit basic.

Compare and contrast to the plans Leeds have signed off on. And that's a club who've spent most of the last two decades outside of the topflight.

There's no excuse, really.

[Stu82]

I'm a bedwetter as well. While I'm glad no seats will be lost and it will be quick (hopefully) it just all smells a bit Doug Ellis to me. Cheap and not befitting this "Rolls Royce of a football club". They're using some tinged sheeting on the outside of the stairs to make it look like brick but give it a few years and that will have faded.

If we want to permanently establish ourselves as one of the big boys then we have to act like them. It's poor design, not big enough and cheap. Up the Villa.

Exactly, if Doug had come up with this we'd all have been taking the piss out of him for years.

Has anything official ever been said about the Witton Lane / DE? I’ve seen a few people mention this but can’t recall seeing anything.

If that’s being done next, then great.

If not, then I agree we’ve missed a trick in not going as big as physically possible with the North Stand, making use of the space behind it.

There's no chance of it being done in the foreseeable future.  Non whatsover.

This just isn’t true. It might not be in the next few years with the developments already going on, but it’s pretty naive not to think there are already plans for this in the long-term. Linking the ground up to the inner city academy and Witton Station makes way more sense than any other potential option, and a stand on the scale of the main stand at Anfield would take capacity well over 60k with as much hospitality space as we will ever need.

This year there has been loads of negative posts on not developing the North stand, and how it’s all terrible.
Now we have a clever design which keeps the stand open during redevelopment, taking our stadium to50k+.
Now it’s not good enough compared to Small Heath megadome!

I am sure there are staged plans for either the Witton Lane stand or brand new stadium, let’s just enjoy the ride, we’re in safe hands.