Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[Keeno]

He may have flipped on some things and he may have flopped on others, but Heck has always categorically stated that we're not moving.

Indeed.

The most likely scenario to me is that we move away from VP for a year (or two) while major works are carried out on the ground.

[astonvilla82]

He may have flipped on some things and he may have flopped on others, but Heck has always categorically stated that we're not moving.

Indeed.

The most likely scenario to me is that we move away from VP for a year (or two) while major works are carried out on the ground.

We could do a ground share with another club, possibly one that holds in the region of 60 thousand spectators, anybody know of one getting built during the summer?

[ChicagoLion]

He may have flipped on some things and he may have flopped on others, but Heck has always categorically stated that we're not moving.

Indeed.

The most likely scenario to me is that we move away from VP for a year (or two) while major works are carried out on the ground.

We could do a ground share with another club, possibly one that holds in the region of 60 thousand spectators, anybody know of one getting built during the summer?

Yes the Wheels site is ready for development.

[pauliewalnuts]

He may have flipped on some things and he may have flopped on others, but Heck has always categorically stated that we're not moving.

Indeed.

The most likely scenario to me is that we move away from VP for a year (or two) while major works are carried out on the ground.

I think the only realistic place we could do that would be at Wolves. Not too far, not quite big enough but not that far off.

[Risso]

He may have flipped on some things and he may have flopped on others, but Heck has always categorically stated that we're not moving.

Indeed.

The most likely scenario to me is that we move away from VP for a year (or two) while major works are carried out on the ground.

I think the only realistic place we could do that would be at Wolves. Not too far, not quite big enough but not that far off.

Leicester maybe? Bit further away but will be 40,000 with the new stand.

[London Villan]

Surely it would be the Alexander Stadium, unused since the Commonwealth Games, add temporary stands at either end should get it up to around 35000...

[LeeB]

He may have flipped on some things and he may have flopped on others, but Heck has always categorically stated that we're not moving.

Indeed.

The most likely scenario to me is that we move away from VP for a year (or two) while major works are carried out on the ground.

I think the only realistic place we could do that would be at Wolves. Not too far, not quite big enough but not that far off.

Leicester maybe? Bit further away but will be 40,000 with the new stand.

Coventry is a bit bigger than Wulvz and has the benefit of not being in the town and close to the motorway.

Or in Wolverhampton.

[pauliewalnuts]

He may have flipped on some things and he may have flopped on others, but Heck has always categorically stated that we're not moving.

Indeed.

The most likely scenario to me is that we move away from VP for a year (or two) while major works are carried out on the ground.

I think the only realistic place we could do that would be at Wolves. Not too far, not quite big enough but not that far off.

Leicester maybe? Bit further away but will be 40,000 with the new stand.

I reckon that'd be way too far away for them to consider tbh, Wolves is pretty easy to get to, on the local transport network and only a few miles away.

Obviously, it'd also mean time travelling back to 1975, which would pose a challenge.

[pauliewalnuts]

Surely it would be the Alexander Stadium, unused since the Commonwealth Games, add temporary stands at either end should get it up to around 35000...

It's not set up for football, though and I doubt they'd want to be fucking about with temporary stands, either. Plus it'd be truly awful watching football in an athletics stadium. I reckon 2 or 3 years playing there would do some significant damage.

[LeeB]

But er, Coventry? Or do you hate the place so much you're not even willing to discuss it?

In which case, fair enough.

[DB]

Surely it would be the Alexander Stadium, unused since the Commonwealth Games, add temporary stands at either end should get it up to around 35000...

It's not set up for football, though and I doubt they'd want to be fucking about with temporary stands, either. Plus it'd be truly awful watching football in an athletics stadium. I reckon 2 or 3 years playing there would do some significant damage.

Barcelona are doing it.

[algy]

Surely it would be the Alexander Stadium, unused since the Commonwealth Games, add temporary stands at either end should get it up to around 35000...

I'd wonder if it might be possible to use the Alex stadium for summer months only ...

So Mid March through to Mid October, play there whilst the weather's not too bad.  Play the winter months at Villa Park.  Alternate between the two until all the work's done.

Then you'd do the 'big' construction tasks in that ~6 month window, try to get part of the new stand(s) open, and do things that aren't impacted by supporters in the ground for the other ~6months.

We'd still play the majority of games each season at Villa Park, and the few games that we didn't play there would be in Perry Barr ... marginally further away than Wellington Road, but not massively so.

[Villan82]

Coventry, Leicester, Wolves, Perry Barr? How is playing at a 36,000 capacity Villa Park for 18 months a worse solution than any of those?

And long-term figure out a way to do the Witton Lane without needing to close the stand.

I think we are all falling into the trap of trying to find logic in the 'pause': it must be a new stadium instead, it must be because they can't afford to reduce capacity, it must be because they fear the atmosphere would suffer, it must be because they have decided 42,000 is enough for us, it must be because we need to play at another venue while the works are done.

Playing at another venue isn't going to be all that different to playing in front of a temporarily reduced capacity Villa Park - something we have done when the other stands were rebuilt.

[Dogtanian]

You're going to take a hit on matchday revenue whatever you do if we have to play somewhere else. I don't think the capacity is the biggest concern as we only have to home 25k season ticket holders plus whatever the mandatory away allocation is.

I suspect any local 30k stadium with good entertainment / hospitality facilities would do nicely. I think the Ricoh would fit this?

[LeeB]

Surely it would be the Alexander Stadium, unused since the Commonwealth Games, add temporary stands at either end should get it up to around 35000...

It's not set up for football, though and I doubt they'd want to be fucking about with temporary stands, either. Plus it'd be truly awful watching football in an athletics stadium. I reckon 2 or 3 years playing there would do some significant damage.

Barcelona are doing it.

That stadium has been used for football by Espanyol for ages though.