The Fun Factory

They're an honest bunch of lads? We can't compete with the likes of Charltons of this world?

The guidance of the consumer protection regulations (2012) that the club kindly link you to, state 'Fees’ should, in the Department’s view, include a payment surcharge payable other than in cash’ . So um, how is this kosher?

Its total horseshit. How can it be a booking fee if you get it on the day with cash? You are not paying for postage at all. Why dont they just put £2 on all tickets instead, at least that is more honest than this move. Sounds barely legal. I am going to write a strongly worded email to the club about this.Not happy at all with this.

Anybody seen on Villa site that now EVERY purchase for a ticket will have a 2 quid 'booking' fee on it- including cash on the day? Just another way to rip you off. Thanks a bunch Villa.

Never really a fan of the nightwatchman myself. Your asking a player with less ability to bat out ahead of proper batsman? Still makes it interesting for the Durham test!

Bascially if you are under 25, are british, have played more than 20 games in the premiership, and have a pulse, you are worth at least 5 million pounds. Not really a suprise clubs go shopping elsewhere.

Yeah but you can say Gregory was consistent with us. I mean he got us to a FA Cup Final as well- though it wasnt worth the effort mind you. It didn't mean that he deserved a big job. In fact he went to Derby I think. Be interesting to see what happens this season.

Just goes to show how few from the youth team really make it. 5-6 often get into the first XI for a bit and then are found out. Looks like a championship player for me. If we can get a mil for him I would take it.

I think the Dortmund model is a little inaccurate. They get 75,000 and are the biggest supported club in Germany. We get about 35,000 and about the 10th biggest supported club in England. But yeah if it means getting in some diamonds on the cheap and doing well I am all for it.

I think the whole Bent saga shows how much chopping and changing managers cost football clubs. Within about 6 weeks of Lambert being in, we all knew he would be sold. At best we are going to get about a third of what we paid for him in less than 3 years. Ouch. £4 to 6 mil he will be a decent buy for someone, even though he has probably passed his peak. Always buy low, sell high.

Where do you see you and the club in 3 years time- still together? Can we really compete at the top with our budget? And describe last season in one sentence?

Ask them what is happening with the north stand redevelopment lol.Nothing I guess.

That is ridiculous that you cant buy on the day- its only a friendly ffs. I thought Walsall would like a bit more bunce. Reasons to hate modern football- number 140!

I not a fan of this water carrier bollocks. I think it came from when Cantona labelled Deschamps this, as he was bitter that he was not in the french team. Deschamps won Serie A 3 times, the Champions League, the European Championship and the World Cup by the way.Cantona was a good footballer but who bottled it at the very highest levels, and then has subjected us to his shit acting for 15 years.

Only in the top 2 flights. League 1 and 2 you can. Rugby league you can. Rugby Union you can. Makes no sense- take Peterborough United. If they had stayed up they would have had to build 2 new seated stands. Now they get relegated it is deemed safe. Baffling.

I think the chant 'we dont need gareth barry, we have barry bannan' can now well and truly be consigned to the dustbin. Prove us all wrong Barry and kick-start your career.

Just to have a choice would be nice. I reckon the vast majority like to seat but some would like to stand- probably 80-20 on a average match I would say. Its far more dangerous at present to have persistent standing in seated areas. People can fall over and hit the seats below them when a goal is scored as there is no crush barriers. I have been to league one/two matches in which there are areas in seated sections which people stand even though there is terracing at other parts of the ground. That is just daft. You also get a guilt complex by standing too much as you may hinder other peoples viewing if they like to sit. Older chaps and kids and such like. The premier league only idea to this so far it to stick two fingers in their ears, give out less away tickets or even lower capacities in stands. We just seem unable to have sensible discussion over this.

It was really before my time but I believe the old Holte end was a safe terrace. It had clear gangways after the crush barriers and was well maintained. Of the terrible football disasters that have occured in post war British football perhaps you could only say Burnden Park was directly due to the terrace collapsing. Ibrox was a stairwell collapse, Bradford due to a wooden stand and Hillsborough due to poor crowd management and fencing. Sorry to be a bit morbid.

I think Villa have vaguely said they would be keen for a trial of standing in the Lower Holte corner, but it has no chance. It has no chance because the premier league is not interested. They really do not care about the day to day interests of the paying fan. They want lots of money and TV to show every match possible. Any mention of standing is toxic in this country after the hillsborough diaster 24 years ago. As often the case in this country we go from one extreme to the other. In this case it was years of no investment in stadiums and treating fans like cattle, to nice but souless all seating stadia. I think Simon Inglis summed up Hillsborough for me. After the awful events, football finally worked out how to design and manage terracing properly. And then they banned them.

I know that 90% of paper talk is horseshit but if this is true, they have to take it. 85 million is stupid money. Have Real managed to sell some land to the government again to get this cash? I cant see Bale at Real for long and they wil probably lose about 50 million on him, but they don't care. They want a new shiny thing to play with. As for spuds they could get about 4 class players and have about 20 million in the bank for this.

I hope they end up 6th, sack Moyes in January when they are 9th in the table and have Giggs as a player-coach til the end of the season. It would be nice if they experienced a bad year, its about bloody time. More likely is that they will muddle to 3rd, about 10-15pts from 1st, and maybe win a cup. Moyes will still be manager but under a bit of pressure.

Slightly toe-curlingly naff but some good pr for the club I suppose.

Might be a bonus in some cases, as STs can depend who you sit by. lol. Mind you the 3 times I have had season tickets at Villa the people have been fine. If they only televised about 5 home games a season I would have probably renewed. But I just cant be arsed to watch someone like Fulham on a monday night in December because Sky or BT want to ruin my weekend.

Anyone use Viagogo? You can get Villa tickets for certain games for about 14 quid, which is cheaper per match than the season tickets. Provided you are not that fussed where you are seated at Villa Park.

Powell needs to get a loan this season or will just rot in yewunited reserves. A loan to a former teammate club perhaps?