Villa Park Redevelopment

[Hookeysmith]

There was nothing better than walking to the ground for a night game (always 7.30 on Wednesdays - dog shit played on Tuesdays) and seeing those AV lights. I had one of the original lamp bulbs for years until my ex wife accidentally broke it grrrrr

Even though the Holte housed 28000, I always found the same sq foot to stand on each game as did those around me.

Happy days and always remembered fr9m expectant fathers being told thier first born had arrived, to cheers from the crowd, to the guy who did the fantastic Tarzan call. (K8ds ask your Dad)

[KevinGage]

Tarzan and the famous Villa werewolf.

The latter dipping into his bag and pulling out police helmets, false teeth and allsorts.

Don't really get that sort of oddness in the modern game, sadly.

[FrankyH]

Smelling a fart on the Holte End that would gag a maggot . I've never since (luckily) had the pleasure of that aroma that has, thankfully lay dormant since the early 80's. I do wonder what the staple diet of  the perpetrators included to generate such a toxic fragrance . At a guess lots eggs, cabbage,sprouts and copious amounts of Ansells Mild or Bitter.

[algy]

Tarzan and the famous Villa werewolf.

The latter dipping into his bag and pulling out police helmets, false teeth and allsorts.

Don't really get that sort of oddness in the modern game, sadly.

I sometimes wonder what Wolfy is up to. My overriding memory of him is that me and a friend Paul had gone to Villa Park on a non-matchday for some function in the old Trinity Road stand. We were about 11 or 12. Paul’s dad was a scouser, so he was a non-gloryhunting Liverpool fan. Anyway, he was wearing a Liverpool shirt.

Paul popped out to find a shop to buy some chocolate, then a couple of minutes later came running back in and hid, saying this man had been threatening him with a broken glass bottle.

Turned out it was Wolfy who didn’t approve of Liverpool fans being near Villa Park when they weren’t expected. A couple of the security folk apparently found him patrolling the fence outside the Trinity Road stand, and convinced him that they’d sort it out.

[Holte132]

I remember the clock at the Witton End had the letters Aston Villa instead of numbers. I think Aston was the numbers 10 - 2, Villa 8 - 4, and 9 & 3 were just spaces between the words

[Chip Butty 111]

Smelling a fart on the Holte End that would gag a maggot . I've never since (luckily) had the pleasure of that aroma that has, thankfully lay dormant since the early 80's. I do wonder what the staple diet of  the perpetrators included to generate such a toxic fragrance . At a guess lots eggs, cabbage,sprouts and copious amounts of Ansells Mild or Bitter.

Witton Lane had an aroma of its own, discarded chips from the chippy littered the road amongst all the horse manure from the numerous police horses...different times

[FrankyH]

Eau de Cologne B6

[eamonn]

Chris Harte's quest to find the Phantom Farter of the Holte End was actually relatively recently, circa 2004 on this very forum. His investigation didn't seem to get too far with many H&Vers suggesting whoever smelt it, dealt it.

[Crown Hill]

I loved the smell of smoke and the Villa whistle which reverberated around the Holte End to the tune of “we know what you’re up to” during quiet moments.

[Chap]

Throw in the ritual burning of opposition scarfs hanging from the roof girders at the back of the Holte.

[Chris Harte]

Chris Harte's quest to find the Phantom Farter of the Holte End was actually relatively recently, circa 2004 on this very forum. His investigation didn't seem to get too far with many H&Vers suggesting whoever smelt it, dealt it.

I never did get to the bottom source of that. Possibly as well, really.

The air is definitely clearer these days.

[Godfrey Brian]

Oh those AV floodlights. Just wonderful on Winter match day afternoons and night games. My most poignant memory of them though is returning from Highbury having won the league and being stuck on the motorway. We left the coach at AV Leisure Centre and just had to wander over to Villa Park to ceremoniously mark the occasion. Marvelously the club had switched on the Holte End floodlights illuminating returning supporters reflecting on the journey we'd taken from Division Three.

[eamonn]

First time I've read about that - great memory, Brian!