Mazrim

17 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

Also cons - the perfect site (the one that was once earmarked for a new national stadium) is gone to HS2, the sites on the city side of the site are already in plan for a huge housing development as the NEC site is owned by the worlds biggest landlord, Blackstone - so any site at the NEC wouldn't be within easy walking distance of the train station and would require new roads, new car parking and potentially a new motorway junction - we often talk about the NEC as if it's an easy site with a perfect pocket of connected land; it's not.

 

Fair points. To be honest, I would expect new road junctions, light rail extensions etc as part of the project, which would be huge and very expensive.
There's no cheap or perfect options here, just options that are either suitable or not. We need room, and good transport link potential, and that area from Bickenhill to Water Orton represents the best or most suitable in my opinion. It might mean "muscling in" on some existing proposals too.

14 hours ago, nick76 said:

Why do we need to buy houses? We can get most of it from North Stand proposal (currently on hold) plus some other adjustments like a couple of the corners filled in (which Heck is apparently looking at at the moment).  No need to buy some of the housing around the ground.

If we stop there, we don't, true. Any expansion on the Witton Lane side would require it though.

16 hours ago, Zatman said:

Spurs paid 26 million for Emerson Royal a few years back who is way shitter than Cash and now Cash is entering his prime

People are really underestimating Premier League prices

Spurs get shafted all the time. It doesn't dictate the market. And I think there's also a notion anybody who plays in a Premier League team is worth huge fees.
It depends who's after the players. Who would be after Cash for north of £20m?
But yeah, if we can get more, I'm all for it.

2 hours ago, nick76 said:

What is the business case for a mega stadium?  If we had just over 50k that would be more than enough for the near future.  The North Stand development, which unfortunately been paused would’ve been enough at 52k.  I just don’t believe the 30k waiting list are people that are really going to buy season tickets now.

The business case is that we have the demand to fill one (the waiting list is a real thing, and that's as it stands now, never mind after years of more relative success), and that all our prospective and intended competitors have one, or one planned.
We have to be able to generate income to match theirs or get as close as possible and this is the only way.

1 minute ago, wishywashy said:

They've sold out twice in the past 5 years (one time against us and last month against Sunderland where they were practically giving the tickets away). That seems really stupid. Maybe they've drafted in the architectural genius of Tony Xia as the brains behind this, theme park and all.

I'm sure it'll end up being a great lesson for clubs (including us) on how absolutely not to approach a problematic stadium

Bloses main problem is Villa. They can't grow in our shadow and we make them look shit and unappealing. They'll simply have to relocate to... let's see...

Wales.

1 minute ago, nick76 said:

and massive debt and interest payments for a very long time.

We'll need money with either option. Its just a case of what represents better value and flexibility.
I'm guessing having to compulsory purchase loads of housing and leases to expand VP isn't the best ROI.

I'd take £20m cash for Cash in a heartbeat. Kosta looks like he's going to be a top player and I'd take the 20m and get a better veteran player from Spain with Konsa covering there too..

My tuppence (not literally, and I don't have a fanny).

Two choices.

1. Stay at VP and develop it into a 60k stadium. Which sounds like a logistical nightmare for all sorts of reasons, but its just about possible.
Pros  Its carrying on a grand legacy. Proximity to city centre.
Cons: It will not represent value for money, transport links aren't great, we'll have to ply in a reduced capacity stadium for a while, disruption, lack of room.

2. Move to a new site near the NEC, or the NEC Birmingham to give it t's proper title. Which is next to Birmingham Business Park, Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International Train Station. None of this Solihull nonsense there.
Small Heath can stfu. We'll always be the first and biggest team in Birmingham.

Pros: Built to spec, far more room, better transport links, modern stadium - easier to sell as a multi use commercial venue, increased revenue, no disruption, caters for increased fanbase. Excitement of a new era.
Cons: Leaving VP will be painful.

I never thought I'd advocate leaving VP. I'm not sure if I am now. But does it make more sense if you leave all the emotional attachments aside? Yes.

If we get Champions League, loan him for a year.
But I can just see him going to Spurs or Chelsea.

14 minutes ago, TreeVillan said:

Tbf that's his job. 

I'd argue it isn't. He's supposed to be a journalist, not a sensationalist. Twisting half truths and misquotes into a non story isn't a real job.

But its water off a ducks back to me to be honest. These clearings in the woods always try keep us down. Even the local idiots.
At the end of the day, we're heading back to the pinnacle and there's nothing these morons can do about it except exclude us from a non-existent group and put in artificial glass ceilings.

They can kiss my hairy mudwhistle. Up the Villa.

His best quality is the quick through balls which can be devastating. And of course his long range shooting which we don't see as much.

Tielemans is the kind of player that feeds off the team. When we're in control and playing attacking football he's a force multiplier. When we're struggling to control a game and under the cosh a bit, the complete opposite.
I'm a fan, but he shouldn't play every game or every situation.

I think we can play Pau and Luiz in the double pivot now Carlos is back. But if it's Timmy time, sound.

The road to success, for us, is long and winding, not an autobahn. But its still leading there.

Every time this team has hit some rough waters, Unai has found calmer seas. So shall it be again.
The Spurs result was a kick in the knickers. Just as galling as giving a shit United team 6 points. But it is what it is. We go on.

I thought he did fine. He's a tidy player who needs a run to progress but we can't give him that yet unless there's more injuries.

That booking was nonsense. He was being fouled if anything.

1 hour ago, The Fun Factory said:

Wouldn't it be nice if the shirt, crest, and new sponsor were all announced by the end of the season, with shirts on sale by early summer?

As far as I remember that has never happened at Villa, it's always late.

Adidas will insist on it, I'm sure. We need this branding sorted asap. Just give the task to Adidas too.

2 hours ago, zab6359 said:

Not sure what you are discovering please pass on any info, I'm not having a pop but how many teams have an 18 year old playing in defense?

Not many, I know but some players are ready at 18. He's equally good going forward and in defence, tall, fast as ****, has a good range of passing and composed. It's pretty much every you'd wish for in a fullback and although the Serbian League maybe uncompetitive, he's come up against big players in the Champions League and looked at home.

I'm just saying this guy is much more promising than I initially thought - to be fair I knew little about him - and he may well be in the starting XI sooner than you think.

5 hours ago, zab6359 said:

I think Konsa will be ahead of Mings as a first choice CB next season next to Torres, if we are selling Cash we need to buy a quality RB as first choice and have the Serb kid as an understudy. 

The more I discover about Nedeljkovic, the more the more I think he'll be starting sooner rather than later, He seems to have it all except experience.

If we can get 60k crowds regularly (we could), but cannot justify the expansion to Villa Park, or the logistics do not allow for it (quite conceivable), we'll be looking at building a new stadium. And I'd be amazed if it wasn't already on some table as a fully costed option.

The alternative is we accept we cannot compete with other challengers for top 4, financially. A massive stadium near the NEC that can put on major events (NFL, gigs, international sport, expos etc) as well as accommodate our increasing fanbase solves many issues there, as much as it galls me to think of moving from Villa Park.

Martinez said it was on him. Cash could have done better, Lenglet could have done better, Martinez could have. Its just one of those things. I'm impressed with Lenglet to be honest.
And thank God we have him. Please let him and Pau stay fit for the run in now.

21 hours ago, Mic09 said:

Math is short for mathematical and can be used interchangeably 

Mathematics

Maths

The solution is simple. Send a team of rum chaps in to beat up the proles who refuse to leave their slum housing by the ground. Build a massive new extension on each stand, fill in the corners. Put a Waitrose somewhere close, improve the train station and perhaps add another, improve the car parking, improve the vulgar entertainment and food and drinkeries around the stadium, build less vulgar accommodation around the outer stadium and move better people in. And a helipad. Then charge twice the price for admission, and buy some overrated useless rocket polishers who phone it in. Open the new refurbished megaplaza with a 5 star show from some gobshite who has his own brand of trainer / headphones , fragrance.

Bish, bash, bosh!