Paddywhack Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 13 hours ago, imavillan said: I started following Villa around this time but I wouldn't have gone to Villa Park until 1995/96 when I was about 9, so I never saw standing on the terraces. I'm in two minds looking at the photo. I'd love to have been there, it looks incredible and I bet the atmosphere was amazing. I'm sad that I never experienced it. On the other hand, it looks so uncomfortable and (sorry to sound like a nerdy square) a bit dangerous! How did you possibly move to get your half time pie or got to the gents? Were you all tinkling on each other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 13 hours ago, imavillan said: Holte Ends last stand. Saturday 7th May 1994. credit Twitter and Brummie photography I was there. I love that old place so much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 On 21/04/2020 at 20:39, imavillan said: Thought the clubs record appearance holder deserved a place in here....... The one and only.... We named our dog after him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhavenhibby Posted April 24, 2020 Visiting Supporter Share Posted April 24, 2020 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Paddywhack said: I started following Villa around this time but I wouldn't have gone to Villa Park until 1995/96 when I was about 9, so I never saw standing on the terraces. I'm in two minds looking at the photo. I'd love to have been there, it looks incredible and I bet the atmosphere was amazing. I'm sad that I never experienced it. On the other hand, it looks so uncomfortable and (sorry to sound like a nerdy square) a bit dangerous! How did you possibly move to get your half time pie or got to the gents? Were you all tinkling on each other? Couldn't beat the sway of the crowd and everyone closer together gave much better singing and atmosphere than you ever get now at any ground I have been to since all seaters came in. You could easily get out if you wished as you got used to people pushing past etc. The singing which created the atmosphere started in the middle at the top and unlike now where you are assigned a seat or choose a ST, and may find out that all those that want to get the songs going are spread over an area with no real nucleus, in the old Holte you could all congregate on mass which gave a much better vocal start and invariably would spread around the ground easier. It also helped that I am over 6 foot as at times viewing could be challenging . Will be interesting to see if safe standing becomes the norm as has been trialled at Celtic Park for a while for the "Green Brigade". Not quite the same but a step in the right direction for the creation of an atmosphere. Edited April 24, 2020 by newhavenhibby 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imavillan Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 (edited) 16 hours ago, imavillan said: Holte Ends last stand. Saturday 7th May 1994. @newhavenhibby @Paddywhack @Dave1 I Was there for the last day. My overriding memories were not of the match but at the end of the game. It was a party mood and fans just started smashing the place up to get whatever piece of the Holte they could. It was quite surreal to see people walking down Witton Lane with big 'Gents' and 'Exit' signs that had been torn down. Even pieces of concrete terracing were smashed up, although lord knows how this was managed. Fans were trying to get there hands on anything. In the Early days of the Holte the centre gangway was not there as they were put in place, from memory, for safety. There were two groups of fans/singers at the back of the Holte. I remember the song sung between the two, ''The Left side' and 'The right side'. It sure was a great place. Edited April 24, 2020 by imavillan 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 48 minutes ago, imavillan said: @newhavenhibby @Paddywhack @Dave1 In the Early days of the Holte the centre gangway was not there as they were put in place, from memory, for safety. I think it was put there to divide the end into two, so that it could be used by both sets of fans for the FA Cup semi-finals that were staged there. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sid4ever Posted April 24, 2020 Share Posted April 24, 2020 1 hour ago, imavillan said: @newhavenhibby @Paddywhack @Dave1 I Was there for the last day. My overriding memories were not of the match but at the end of the game. It was a party mood and fans just started smashing the place up to get whatever piece of the Holte they could. It was quite surreal to see people walking down Witton Lane with big 'Gents' and 'Exit' signs that had been torn down. Even pieces of concrete terracing were smashed up, although lord knows how this was managed. Fans were trying to get there hands on anything. In the Early days of the Holte the centre gangway was not there as they were put in place, from memory, for safety. There were two groups of fans/singers at the back of the Holte. I remember the song sung between the two, ''The Left side' and 'The right side'. It sure was a great place. I think I still have 3 turnstile numbers in the loft. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhavenhibby Posted April 24, 2020 Visiting Supporter Share Posted April 24, 2020 (edited) 22 minutes ago, John said: I think it was put there to divide the end into two, so that it could be used by both sets of fans for the FA Cup semi-finals that were staged there. Correct John, later I remember they had a metal fence / barrier that could be left open for home games and then closed off for segregation for the Cup semis etc. I can imagine the scenes with everyone trying to get a piece of the stand! Same happened up here when Hibs ripped down the old East Stand......I've still got 2 seats in the loft. Edited April 24, 2020 by newhavenhibby 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Paddywhack Posted April 24, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted April 24, 2020 On 21/04/2020 at 21:24, imavillan said: The old snow hill station was glorious. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 (edited) 17 hours ago, imavillan said: @newhavenhibby @Paddywhack @Dave1 I Was there for the last day. My overriding memories were not of the match but at the end of the game. It was a party mood and fans just started smashing the place up to get whatever piece of the Holte they could. It was quite surreal to see people walking down Witton Lane with big 'Gents' and 'Exit' signs that had been torn down. Even pieces of concrete terracing were smashed up, although lord knows how this was managed. Fans were trying to get there hands on anything. In the Early days of the Holte the centre gangway was not there as they were put in place, from memory, for safety. There were two groups of fans/singers at the back of the Holte. I remember the song sung between the two, ''The Left side' and 'The right side'. It sure was a great place. I remember just before the end of the game a lad came back up the steps with a toilet seat around his neck! You’re right it was mental. On the central gangway, it was briefly a fence. If I recall correctly the match they “introduced” it was a night game against Man City. Back then I had a season ticket with my Dad in the lower trinity and could see the whole thing develop. The Holte, which to my mind was always a living thing, wasn’t going to be divided and the fence was attacked. The whole game The Holte sang, “You’ll never take the Holte End” and the fence was literally ripped out, or at least damaged beyond repair. That was the one and only time that the fence was there. After that they went for the moat idea, with gates left open except for FA Cup semifinals when the moat was filled with coppers. The greatest end ever in world football. Edited April 25, 2020 by DaveAV1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhavenhibby Posted April 25, 2020 Visiting Supporter Share Posted April 25, 2020 Remember that now with the fence Dave........and I was at the game too.........it must be something to do with age! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted April 27, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted April 27, 2020 On 18/04/2020 at 15:54, John said: Wow, I've never seen an image of the original Trinity Road stand with terracing in the lower tier. When I were a lad Villa Park was 48,000 with seating there and the current North Stand (I do vaguely remember going to Villa Park before the North Stand but I was really young). I guess with that terracing and the North terracing (was Witton Lane also terraced?) that's where you get your 70,000 plus capacity from. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted April 27, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted April 27, 2020 On 24/04/2020 at 10:56, Paddywhack said: I started following Villa around this time but I wouldn't have gone to Villa Park until 1995/96 when I was about 9, so I never saw standing on the terraces. I'm in two minds looking at the photo. I'd love to have been there, it looks incredible and I bet the atmosphere was amazing. I'm sad that I never experienced it. On the other hand, it looks so uncomfortable and (sorry to sound like a nerdy square) a bit dangerous! How did you possibly move to get your half time pie or got to the gents? Were you all tinkling on each other? In a big packed match it was like a living breathing thing, constantly swaying. If a goal was scored it was absolute pandemonium and you could end up miles away from where you started, proper shoulder to shoulder stuff. There were always urban legends about people pissing in your pocket but obviously just rubbish. Sadly my time there from 1983 till demolition was mostly punctuated by poor attendances. Football was nowhere near as popular as it is now and the crowds weren't there. Plus Villa were poor for large parts of the mid 80's to mid 90's. The barrel bottom was finally hit on 1st February 1986 when I stood on that terrace in freezing conditions for a top flight game against Southampton to witness a dreary nil, nil draw. Think on this, it was a first division game and the attendance was 8,456. It's staggering to think now. However there were some amazing moments, great European nights, Tranmere Semi final. As someone said elsewhere here the noise and atmosphere from a packed Holte Terrace was like nothing you can witness now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 1 hour ago, sidcow said: Wow, I've never seen an image of the original Trinity Road stand with terracing in the lower tier. When I were a lad Villa Park was 48,000 with seating there and the current North Stand (I do vaguely remember going to Villa Park before the North Stand but I was really young). I guess with that terracing and the North terracing (was Witton Lane also terraced?) that's where you get your 70,000 plus capacity from. I stood on the lower Trinity once or twice in the sixties. As I recall, you were able to transfer from the Holte and Witton Ends at half time to stand on the side as well, for about 6d back then. The replacement of the Witton End by the North Stand, with terracing on the lower tier only, ended our days of 60,000 attendances in 1976/77. The Witton Lane Stand was also terraces on the lower tier (although that was before my time). I think that part of conditions set by FIFA for us to have been selected as a 1966 World Cup venue, was for that stand to be made all seating by then. We did have 69,968 at Villa Park in 1961 for a semi final, before the loss of those standing areas. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted April 28, 2020 Share Posted April 28, 2020 The Witton Lane Stand before and after. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post imavillan Posted April 28, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted April 28, 2020 Not quite Villa Park but certainly a part of the fabric. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 On 28/04/2020 at 16:24, imavillan said: Not quite Villa Park but certainly a part of the fabric. One of the better things Randy did to be fair. Doug had just left it to rot. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post John Posted May 2, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 2, 2020 Here's a photograph of Pongo Waring winning an aerial challenge, with another Villa old boy Mush Callaghan. Our then manager and former player, Vic Crowe is watching. The old boy clearly still liked to get his head to the ball, I've always liked this photograph: 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhavenhibby Posted May 2, 2020 Visiting Supporter Share Posted May 2, 2020 Vic was manager when I first started to go to the Villa. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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