FFP

[Richard E]

I would happily spend more money on match days if I could - but instead have to wait and watch a load of kids stand around.  My brother has run pubs - and explained what there doing wrong its just basics.   

I was having a chat with a Wolves fan in the pub this afternoon. He has a season ticket in their South Bank and it sounded like they have similar issues to what people complain of with VP here. If he wants a pint at half time he'll have to miss fifteen minutes of the game.

That sounds like a massive incentive to have a half time pint at Molineux, to be honest.

[Beard82]

I would happily spend more money on match days if I could - but instead have to wait and watch a load of kids stand around.  My brother has run pubs - and explained what there doing wrong its just basics.   

I was having a chat with a Wolves fan in the pub this afternoon. He has a season ticket in their South Bank and it sounded like they have similar issues to what people complain of with VP here. If he wants a pint at half time he'll have to miss fifteen minutes of the game.

Its just not ran properly - they have such a limited range - why its not all pre-poured.  There margins must be huge enough to afford wastage, and they would be able to get data on what to expect.

I know they are limited for space but there must be answers to it.  I know it sounds stupid but worked on a burger strand for a charity - local butchers lent us all the ingredients and tools.

Three middle-age - half cut men - where the "chef" explained he had never cooked for more than 4 people before.  Between us we managed to organise it so that there was a smooth workflow with a decent number of punters.  (Ok this sounds like an episode of the apprentice).  But christ just manage it properly and they would double turnover. 

Not saying that fixes FFP and we wont need sell dougie all of a sudden. 

[dave.woodhall]

I would happily spend more money on match days if I could - but instead have to wait and watch a load of kids stand around.  My brother has run pubs - and explained what there doing wrong its just basics.   

I was having a chat with a Wolves fan in the pub this afternoon. He has a season ticket in their South Bank and it sounded like they have similar issues to what people complain of with VP here. If he wants a pint at half time he'll have to miss fifteen minutes of the game.

The difference is that for us it's a bad thing.

[Beard82]

I would happily spend more money on match days if I could - but instead have to wait and watch a load of kids stand around.  My brother has run pubs - and explained what there doing wrong its just basics.   

I was having a chat with a Wolves fan in the pub this afternoon. He has a season ticket in their South Bank and it sounded like they have similar issues to what people complain of with VP here. If he wants a pint at half time he'll have to miss fifteen minutes of the game.

The difference is that for us it's a bad thing.

Well they would have still be back in plenty of time for stoppage time

[Villan82]

[/quote]
Id love to agree with you mate but alot of our fan base moan about any little detail. The badge being one example of many.
[/quote]

I know that's not the point you're making mate but the way I see it, the badge and the North Stand are two good examples of club dithering making an unnecessary distraction.

1. The badge was sorted in a 2022 consultation and all set for roll out in May 2023. Plenty of noise about the big reveal being canned at the 11th hour in May. We have now had an additional year of speculation and arguments that could all have been avoided. They have gone away completely from the badge fans voted for whereas they could, easily, have 'fixed it'. We have also had a season of having two different badges (or is it three?)

2. Same with Villa Park. They released plans that 99% of people could get behind. They were plans that made sense and looked to capitalize on the best crowds any of us can remember. There was also a plan for offering more pre- and post- match offerings behind the new stand. Then they announce the 'pause', 'too many seats too fast' etc. And now nobody knows. Are they going to fleece 41k every week for ever or are they planning to move us.

I think all of the 'moaning' here is firmly on the shoulders of the club for the way the past 9-10 months have been handled

[caster troy]

I think if an opportunity came up to move to a city centre location we’d have to take it. There would be so many benefits not least you’d have to assume thousands more on the gate for every match on average with the ease of getting to and from the stadium. At least we keep the connection to our city, and it might be what our founders would have done in the circumstances.

I’d be against going somewhere else for convenience like the NEC or another random location, that just wouldn’t feel right.

[Risso]

Something in or close to the city centre would be brilliant for the club and the city as a whole. You only have to go to Newcastle to see the heaving bars and restaurants before and after  their home games to see how beneficial it would be.

[LeeB]

Something in or close to the city centre would be brilliant for the club and the city as a whole. You only have to go to Newcastle to see the heaving bars and restaurants before and after  their home games to see how beneficial it would be.

But those heaving bars are a problem for the club as that's potentially lost revenue.

I don't see a city centre move appealing to the club for that reason, too many other places to spend your money before and after the game.

[Percy McCarthy]

Something in or close to the city centre would be brilliant for the club and the city as a whole. You only have to go to Newcastle to see the heaving bars and restaurants before and after  their home games to see how beneficial it would be.

But those heaving bars are a problem for the club as that's potentially lost revenue.

I don't see a city centre move appealing to the club for that reason, too many other places to spend your money before and after the game.

Yes, that’s a concern. We’re far enough away to have a captive audience where we are.

[Sexual Ealing]

Surely that's just a challenge the club needs to rise to, i.e. if they're already on your premises, you have an advantage. Just make sure that what you're offering isn't shit/unaffordable.

[tomd2103]

Something in or close to the city centre would be brilliant for the club and the city as a whole. You only have to go to Newcastle to see the heaving bars and restaurants before and after  their home games to see how beneficial it would be.

The Principality Stadium in Cardiff is another example of a city centre stadium.  I suppose rugby has the 'benefit' that fans can drink during the game, so they can coin it in while fans are in the stadium.

[Steve67]

Surely that's just a challenge the club needs to rise to, i.e. if they're already on your premises, you have an advantage. Just make sure that what you're offering isn't shit/unaffordable.

This.  For me, there is a balance for the club to meet and this is it.  Moving away from Aston means a complete loss of identity.  It's what gives us/gave us our unique status.  Buy the streets, redevelop around Villa Park.

[gpbarr]

I think there would uproar from a majority of our fans if we tried to move from VP

I’m starting to think there wouldn’t. 

If they had announced it with somebody line Gerrard in charge, mid table etc, it would feel different to how it’s starting to feel (to me at least). 

Like Algy, I feel different about on a daily basis, but has you asked me a year ago I’d be staunchly against.  Now… today, if pushed, with the right circumstances… hmm. 

Yep that feels right to me. For all the emotion around sticking in our current location, I just dont see how it fits in with the direction the club (& its owners) are taking. As was said earlier on this thread, football is now big business (like it or not) and if you want to maximise revenues (which we must), the club needs a stadium, the infrastructure, a location, and the modern facilities to achieve that - a city centre location, that will maximise footfall and overcome the nightmare that is getting to VP today, is an inevitabilty to me. I think most fans, while sad about the move, will quickly get on board (as has happened with other storied clubs) especially, if the product on the pitch is delivering the results we all want   

[algy]

Something in or close to the city centre would be brilliant for the club and the city as a whole. You only have to go to Newcastle to see the heaving bars and restaurants before and after  their home games to see how beneficial it would be.

The Principality Stadium in Cardiff is another example of a city centre stadium.  I suppose rugby has the 'benefit' that fans can drink during the game, so they can coin it in while fans are in the stadium.

The Principality Stadium is great, my favourite 'modern' stadium. If we were building a new ground, I'd want us to take a lot of cues from that. City centre location, stands that feel like they're almost on top of the pitch, retractable roof so we can turn it in to a giant city centre arena.

I think my overall feeling is that I don't particularly want us to leave Villa Park as I think, for all it's faults, it's not a bad site and it has a lot of history attached to it. But if we were to move, I'd want it to be so that we have the stadium that every other club wants. Like Spurs' ground at the moment, but bigger, better, end visually stunning. It should be like the Holte façade, where even though we all know it's a new(ish) pastiche of the old Trinity Road stand, in 20 years time people will look at ot and assume its been that way for a hundred years.

[Villan82]

Obviously, I don't want it, but I do see the arguments for moving to a new stadium.

However I think it was daft in the extreme to go so big and so far with the plans for a redeveloped North Stand if there was any chance they were still contemplating a move. And that applies whether or to they got Heck for this purpose or Heck came in and pushed for it. Either way, I think the club has been bedeviled by this kind of lurching from one thing to another for too long.