GeordieVillan

Thanks mate - managed to get it from the post office this morning - crisis averted!

He’s probably quicker than he looks, but he’s definitely not got Mings speed. The aerial presence is an issue now, especially on defensive set pieces.

I’m staggered people think we don’t need another centre back (in general rather than Maguire specifically). We currently have - Konsa who is proven, although the general consensus seems to be that he needs Mings alongside him to be effective. Torres who is potentially excellent, and I thought looked good against Newcastle, but who knows if he will settle and how good he will be in the Prem. Carlos who again, might be great, but we don’t really know, and we don’t know how badly his injury has affected the player we signed a year ago. Chambers who is back up at best and I don’t think we can consider a starter. Dendonker as a last resort ok, but we can’t rely on him to play every week at centre half surely. Before Mings injury, I don’t think we were “stacked”, we had a solid proven partnership with two potentially very good players as back up. We need proven premier league experience alongside Konsa IMO. I hope I’m wrong and Torres and/or Carlos tear it up, but even if that’s the case, one injury to either of those or Konsa and we are basically down to bare bones at centre half. Maguire was a suggestion as he ticks a lot of boxes, is proven in the league and has played at the highest level. Granted though, he may not fit the system of playing the high line. There must be other options though.

Haha, he’s not left footed! But he does play left side…

I don’t think he’s finished yet, he just needs a fresh start IMO. He plays as a left sided centre back so would fit as short term cover for Mings at least. He’s also a leader, even if he’s gone off the boil (being kind). I’m not suggesting he play ahead of Torres, or that we build the team around him, but I also don’t think we can really rely on Konsa and 2 guys with no premier league experience to get us through this season. Maguire would have been solid buy for West Ham if they could have got it over the line, and I think he would be the same for us under Emery.

Not sure if this has been mentioned - but I think we should look at Harry Maguire, especially if we could get him on a season long loan with an option to buy….

Question for anyone that purchased these TV tickets - have you received your ticket cards? I’ve been on holiday for 2 weeks and was expecting to see them on my doormat when I returned today, but there is nothing! I do have 2 missed delivery cards from Royal Mail though - was it sent by Royal Mail recorded delivery by any chance? Panicking now! Thanks!!!

His hand doesn’t look real though!

Very interested to see what we do on Sunday! I suspect it will be a high line again with Cash-Konsa-Torres-Digne. So only one change from the back 4 that started at Newcastle. Any other changes such as bringing in Carlos and/or playing Torres at left back, or playing a low block, will be re-inventing the wheel, don’t think we are at that stage yet.

Worst photoshop ever surely?! Look at the hand floating in mid-air?!

I think you’ve nailed it here. Terrace View isn’t a landmark change in the direction of travel, but is football generally slowly creeping even further away from where most fans would want it to be…

You said above that you are getting annoyed that people are jumping the queue because they are wealthier. You don’t know they are wealthier! You have then highlighted the word “financially” from my post. I have paid for my season ticket on a credit card and will be paying it off in the coming months when I can afford to. Quite honestly though, it’s none of your business whether I can afford it or not, or whether I am “wealthy” or not, it’s my choice. 1) it isn’t jumping the queue - it’s a new offering with new facilities, it’s not a like for like package so there is no jumping of the any queue. 2) it’s dangerous/pointless because you can make the same comparison about anyone’s financial position if there are other people who are missing out on things they want because they cannot afford. 3) you are making the point that people are jumping the queue because they are wealthier, but wealth isn’t the key issue - most people on this thread have said they wouldn’t take up the Terrace View because they think it’s poor value, not because they can’t afford it. That’s a fair point as it’s someone’s subjective opinion. 4) you are presenting this current situation like it is a new concept - it isn’t. People place a different value on things based on a whole host of factors and that determines their decision to purchase or not. Some people attend more games than others and then get priority for certain things, is that unfair and because of wealth? 5) it’s dangerous because you are critiquing a small section of fans who are doing nothing different to any other fans, the only difference on this situation is that you personally don’t want to do it, and because you aren’t doing it, there are consequences for your own position. If you can’t see any of the above, then this discussion is as pointless as well!

Let’s just be a bit careful here. The distinction shouldn’t be that some fans are wealthier than others, it is that some fans are prepared to pay the premium for the Terrace View, even though it may not represent great value (pound for pound). That does not make them better or worse fans or better or worse people for that matter! I would imagine that fans attending away games spend a lot more than £82 per game on tickets/travel/beers, so this isn’t necessarily a financial issue anyway, it’s about choice. If you want to make the argument that because some fans are wealthier than others they are receiving some kind of privilege by accessing Terrace View, then you could argue that regular general admission season ticket holders have privilege because they access extra/away tickets before some others who can’t afford a season ticket, or that those attending all away games last season shouldn’t get priority on away games this season because other fans would like to do that but may not be able to afford it. It’s endless. Making this an issue about one fan being wealthier than another is a dangerous game, and ultimately it ignores the fact that those comparisons can be made about a whole range of other things which are already in place and have been for many years. It also pits one Villa fan against another, and presents this as a brand new thing, when that simply isn’t the case. We are all in the same boat, and have always been in the same boat, in terms of wanting to attend games when we are willing and able to do so, but sometimes demand exceeds supply.

Would they not have to sell them as hospitality tickets rather than general sale though? So if the only seats available in the ground are the unsold Terrace View in that dedicated block, then they can’t sell them as general admission tickets? If they are committed to the Terrace View, then you assume they will do everything they can to sell the tickets as hospitality with access to the new lounge, with the hope that some of the people buying the tickets for Everton will then decide to buy a season ticket to the Terrace View for the remaining games. I don’t think they will go on general sale as general admission Holte end seats, but if they do then I think it will be very very late in the day. It might even be to members very very late in the day. I might be wrong though!

Has to be 10% of the hospitality allocation, on the basis that the Terrace View represents 10% of overall hospitality seats in the ground (assuming that the latter is correct)…

No I got one and a friend of mine got one so on occasion (holidays etc) I may be able to take a guest, and vice versa for him. Info is still very sparse on extra home tickets and away tickets. Apparently it will be forthcoming this week or next.

I’ll give it a test drive before I think about bringing my 8 year old daughter then!

I wasn’t given a choice - the only option was safe standing. You still have a seat so have the option to sit, but I imagine everyone is standing just because of the nature of the section!

Still concerned about our line at the back, seems even higher than last season. Hopefully just pre-season teething!

I have bought one and I’m not really sure tbh. I havn’t received the season ticket card yet and don’t what block/seat etc. All I know for certain is that it is in a safe standing section (rails on the back of the seats to prevent a surge or people falling over when standing) Can anyone here give me an insight into what the Upper Holte is like? Is it rough? Is it child friendly?

Terrace View works out at £82 per match if you have the season ticket, and includes 2 drinks and a programme. No food though. How have you got to £120 per match? Are they advertising tickets on a single game basis?

The chap I spoke to at the time of purchase was very clear that the Terrace View is being treated strictly as hospitality. He even stated prior to purchase that you cannot downgrade (my words not his) from Terrace View to a standard general admission season ticket, but you MAY be able to switch/upgrade to another hospitality ticket/area depending on availability in future seasons. My understanding of the away tickets is that Terrace View holders will be lumped in with other hospitality/corporate holders and it won’t be a specific allocation of away tickets for Terrace View fans. And if demand exceeds supply for any particular game, then it will go down to a ballot for the set allocation. Luck of the draw. So I don’t think the Terrace View will have any impact on away tickets for general season ticket holders. That’s my understanding anyway!

Like a few others have said, our line seemed like incredibly high on Sunday/Monday, higher even than it was in the latter half of last season when we seemed to get away with it a few times. I would be worried if the line was that high against Newcastle on the first day of the season, at times we were basically on half way! However, it’s not by accident, this is the tactics and style of the coach - he wants us to play high and compress the pitch and control the game and pace of the game, and this is how he does it. I think we will just have to accept that there will be a few games where we might get caught out and concede a few goals. But as long as this is balanced by many more games where we are on top and get a result, then it’s worth it!

Is that right about the away tickets?? Interesting thing about this has been that the marketing information is bit vague I think, and while the people on the phone at the club seem to have been really helpful with everyone, it does feel like people are finding things out by asking questions rather than the club pro-actively giving out details on what is included…

I also had a very good chat with a lovely guy on the phone yesterday who was really helpful and is actually part of the matchday hospitality team. Genuinely a top bloke who was on the phone with me for nearly half an hour talking about the club, my history supporting Villa and even holiday plans etc. Just great customer service. My view on this may be different from others…I’m a 41 year old Villa fan that lives in Newcastle and has never had a season ticket in over 30 years of being a fan. For the first time in my life, everything has fallen into place for me - personally, financially, family etc - which means I am actually able to afford a season ticket and attend (most of) the games even with a 4 hour drive each way. I did add myself to the waiting list for general admission and I think I was around 25000 on the list, so that is probably 5-10 years off, and quite honestly I don’t want to wait because my circumstances might change next season or in future and I might not be able to attend the games in the way I should be able to this year. So when I received the email about the Terrace View I was obviously very excited about the chance to get a season ticket, even if the value isn’t great and the price is a bit inflated. I am willing and able to pay the price, and I’m also willing to sacrifice my spot on the general admission waiting list and go to the back of that queue so that I can get a season ticket this season, maybe the only time I will have the chance in my life. Others might not be in the same position or might not be able to afford it (or might not want to because it’s poor value), but how is that different from someone who has wanted a general admission season ticket for 20 years but hasn’t been able to afford it? It’s pretty much the same as far as I can see. I read the posts in this topic with interest, and I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the sentiment from some that people are using this as a way of jumping the queue or manipulating the system, or that people must be stupid for wanting to do it because it’s not a great value package. I do understand why some people might be annoyed by it, if they perceive it as working against them as individuals, but that isn’t the fault of the fans, the club have decided to offer this option, that’s just the way it is. Hypothetically, if you were number 20,000 on the general admission list and the club rang you up and said they had a season ticket available for you (maybe because of an admin error for example), would you turn around and say to the club “oh no sorry I think there must be a mistake because there must be a lot of people ahead of me in the queue”? If you would do that, then you are a better person than me. I paid for my Terrace View season ticket yesterday and I’m looking forward to watching a season of football at Villa for the first time in my life, potentially a great season ahead. Hopefully it’s a memorable one for everyone that is lucky enough to be there.