Villa Park Redevelopment

[john e]

I'll always remember being at the Rovers when we played Barnet in the FA Trophy, back when Barnet were the main non league side. When the attendance was announced there was a mass of laughter around the ground as it was about half of the amount actually in the ground.

Didn’t they have a ‘big character ‘ owner at the time?

[kippaxvilla2]

There was one under Ron that was advertsied as 29k and H&V mag commented afterwards that 'where in the ground could you have fitted another 11,000 people?

[PeterWithesShin]

We had a spell of 3 years where the only 30k league crown I can think of was Everton when they brought 10K+. Then we had 36k v Bradford and crowds slowly climbed again.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'll always remember being at the Rovers when we played Barnet in the FA Trophy, back when Barnet were the main non league side. When the attendance was announced there was a mass of laughter around the ground as it was about half of the amount actually in the ground.

Didn’t they have a ‘big character ‘ owner at the time?

Stan Flashman was at Barnet.

[Pat Mustard]

There was one under Ron that was advertsied as 29k and H&V mag commented afterwards that 'where in the ground could you have fitted another 11,000 people?

That was the Arsenal 3-1 I think - Villa Park was rammed that day.

This was it - 29k 

[kippaxvilla2]

I remember Big Ron chasing Daley up the touchline to get him to run faster.

[Brazilian Villain]

I remember Big Ron chasing Daley up the touchline to get him to run faster.

He had a point, as he overtook him.

[cdbearsfan]

Never a pen, what a shame.

[VILLA MOLE]

I had high hopes for Gary Penrice after that goal , i was young naive and a bit stupid

[cdbearsfan]

Paul Mortimer to Gary Penrice, imagine the shame. Arsenal should really have been disbanded after that goal, TBH.

[eamonn]

So Doug fiddled the gate to hide revenue and tax from HMRC ? Did all chairmen do this shit?

[PeterWithesShin]

Pretty much. As I mentioned before, all grounds had a chairman's turnstile for some games.

[pauliewalnuts]

I had high hopes for Gary Penrice after that goal , i was young naive and a bit stupid

Three great striker disappointments of the 80s and 90s.

1. Guy Whittingham
2. Gary Penrice
3. Still can't believe we never signed Steve Bull.

[Sexual Ealing]

We will still sign Steve Bull.

[algy]

I’ve mentioned this before, and I’ll try to get a photo of it when I visit next, but my dad was bar manager at “an evening with Steve Bull” a few years ago, and got talking to him after the event. Said he was a really decent chap, liked a pint or two of snakebite. Afterwards he got a poster signed “I wish I’d played for the Villa. Steve Bull ./“. He kept it displayed in pride of place for a few years so that anyone who came in to his shop - there’s a load of Wolves fans in the area - could see it.