Rich192 Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 Seeing as we can no longer claim that it’s a fortress, can we get cracking on the North Stand in the summer please, Christopher? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted February 12 VT Supporter Share Posted February 12 9 minutes ago, Rich192 said: Seeing as we can no longer claim that it’s a fortress, can we get cracking on the North Stand in the summer please, Christopher? Nah. We need to max out that Champions League revenue....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen_Evans Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 20 minutes ago, Rich192 said: Seeing as we can no longer claim that it’s a fortress, can we get cracking on the North Stand in the summer please, Christopher? That has to be the dumbest bit of spin I ever heard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 12 VT Supporter Share Posted February 12 FWIW I took a Stoke fan to the game yesterday (i know I know) He was amazed at how nice the concourse was in the upper trinity, and how nice the ground was in general. He also couldn't believe how good the atmosphere was. We compare ourselves to big clubs with huge grounds, and rightly so because that's where we need to aim. But it's also worth remembering that compared to the vast majority of english football clubs, we have an incredible stadium and should be proud of it 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted February 12 Share Posted February 12 45 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: FWIW I took a Stoke fan to the game yesterday (i know I know) He was amazed at how nice the concourse was in the upper trinity, and how nice the ground was in general. He also couldn't believe how good the atmosphere was. We compare ourselves to big clubs with huge grounds, and rightly so because that's where we need to aim. But it's also worth remembering that compared to the vast majority of english football clubs, we have an incredible stadium and should be proud of it We do, but we're also targeting finishing in the top 4 places in England. Or, as prior to the season, at the very least the top 6. The stadium needs to be compared against those clubs, not Stoke's (no offence to the friend). The Trinity being the newest of all our old stands also helps with its space. Take him to the North or the Holte and he wouldn't be as impressed with the space, although the atmosphere point is valid. It was good yesterday, as was the performance generally. I remain in the group of people that want us to stay where we are and improve what we have, without losing the feel of Villa Park. The space is there, we just have to be smarter with it, and accept playing with stands out of action for a while. With infrastructure spending rumoured to be coming into FFP calcs (confirmed?) it would be a shame for us to miss the boat before that happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted February 12 VT Supporter Share Posted February 12 57 minutes ago, MrBlack said: We do, but we're also targeting finishing in the top 4 places in England. Or, as prior to the season, at the very least the top 6. The stadium needs to be compared against those clubs, not Stoke's (no offence to the friend). 1 hour ago, Stevo985 said: We compare ourselves to big clubs with huge grounds, and rightly so because that's where we need to aim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villan-scott Posted February 14 VT Supporter Share Posted February 14 Liverpool have smashed their development and expansions haven’t they… we can only dream as the can gets kicked further down the road again. Wish we have ability to do this with what we have. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) We have and we were very close. I am still gutted about this decision from us. Edit, and we have Way, way more space behind the North Stand than they had to work with. Our renderings looked more impressive also. Edited February 14 by Captain_Townsend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 3 hours ago, villan-scott said: Liverpool have smashed their development and expansions haven’t they… we can only dream as the can gets kicked further down the road again. Wish we have ability to do this with what we have. We do have the ability- we have the land, and the approved plans ready to go, and yet for some reason, it's been pulled. In the time it's taken for Villa to rebuild the Trinity (which I noticed is now starting to rust) and procrastinate on the North Stand at least three times, Liverpool has gone from planning an entirely new stadium, buying out the neighborhood and building two new massive stands. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 34 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said: We do have the ability- we have the land, and the approved plans ready to go, and yet for some reason, it's been pulled. In the time it's taken for Villa to rebuild the Trinity (which I noticed is now starting to rust) and procrastinate on the North Stand at least three times, Liverpool has gone from planning an entirely new stadium, buying out the neighborhood and building two new massive stands. Buying out the neighbourhood and leaving properties empty to go derelict, decreasing the value of houses on the area, and encourage others in the road to sell up and move out. It's commendable that they've converted a stadium so massively in that timeframe, but how they've done it isn't something we want to emulate. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukes Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 12/02/2024 at 08:37, Stevo985 said: FWIW I took a Stoke fan to the game yesterday (i know I know) He was amazed at how nice the concourse was in the upper trinity, and how nice the ground was in general. He also couldn't believe how good the atmosphere was. We compare ourselves to big clubs with huge grounds, and rightly so because that's where we need to aim. But it's also worth remembering that compared to the vast majority of english football clubs, we have an incredible stadium and should be proud of it I travelled to and from the game with a Man Utd supporting friend and his son, they thought the atmosphere in the second half was amazing (his son said it was the best he'd heard), and they said that facilities were on a par with what they get at Old Trafford. I was very surprised to learn that they also struggle to get a drink and food at half time and have similar issues with the lack of space (they were in with the away fans and so comparing the Doug Ellis with their ground) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 6 minutes ago, MrBlack said: Buying out the neighbourhood and leaving properties empty to go derelict, decreasing the value of houses on the area, and encourage others in the road to sell up and move out. It's commendable that they've converted a stadium so massively in that timeframe, but how they've done it isn't something we want to emulate. The point being we have even more space behind the North Stand, that's the whole point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 4 hours ago, villan-scott said: Liverpool have smashed their development and expansions haven’t they… we can only dream as the can gets kicked further down the road again. Wish we have ability to do this with what we have. They started with similar capacity to ours as well I believe right, then expanded again How long did it take them to get up to 60k in total, and did they achieve it with just one stand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 16 minutes ago, Captain_Townsend said: The point being we have even more space behind the North Stand, that's the whole point. This is why I asked the question above. I wanted to know how they did it, how long it took and if they had the similar " space issues " etc .. but you've answered that I guess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 7 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said: They started with similar capacity to ours as well I believe right, then expanded again How long did it take them to get up to 60k in total, and did they achieve it with just one stand? They did two stands, the old main stand and the Anfield Road end. They were very hemmed in on all sides but yes did it in an unethical way buying up houses and leaving them vacant. Edited February 14 by Captain_Townsend 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukes Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Honestly the problems at Villa Park are very different to Anfield, I drive to games from Staffordshire (it takes me about 75 minutes), and i think that compared to teams like Liverpool we have a very high proportion of fans that drive to games due on the whole to terrible public transport in the area. This isn't something that Villa can fix, but everything relies on fans having easy and safe access to the ground. Parking in and around Villa park is an absolute joke, and it's unmanageable with the capacity as it is. In order to securely park my car i need to leave the house at least 2 1/2 hours before kick off. We supposedly have a season ticket waiting list in excess of 25,000 people, that means we could easily sell out 60,000 at home games, but our location makes that an impossible dream. If we had some sustained success, it's not unreasonable to therefore think we could fill 70,000 seats, thats 20,000 over the planned capacity. 20,000 tickets at £50 per ticket is £1M per game in ticket income alone, add in a few pies and pints and you easily get into £1.3M per game. Add also the cost of building stands while keeping the ground open, and i do wonder if the redevelopment of the ground might be having a total re-think. I can see us moving to a new ground near to the NEC (as Doug Ellis once wanted), or being held back more and more by our desire to stay at our spiritual home (none of which is even the same as when i was a kid, and hence nothing to be nostalgic about).. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 40 minutes ago, dukes said: Honestly the problems at Villa Park are very different to Anfield, I drive to games from Staffordshire (it takes me about 75 minutes), and i think that compared to teams like Liverpool we have a very high proportion of fans that drive to games due on the whole to terrible public transport in the area. This isn't something that Villa can fix, but everything relies on fans having easy and safe access to the ground. Parking in and around Villa park is an absolute joke, and it's unmanageable with the capacity as it is. In order to securely park my car i need to leave the house at least 2 1/2 hours before kick off. We supposedly have a season ticket waiting list in excess of 25,000 people, that means we could easily sell out 60,000 at home games, but our location makes that an impossible dream. If we had some sustained success, it's not unreasonable to therefore think we could fill 70,000 seats, thats 20,000 over the planned capacity. 20,000 tickets at £50 per ticket is £1M per game in ticket income alone, add in a few pies and pints and you easily get into £1.3M per game. Add also the cost of building stands while keeping the ground open, and i do wonder if the redevelopment of the ground might be having a total re-think. I can see us moving to a new ground near to the NEC (as Doug Ellis once wanted), or being held back more and more by our desire to stay at our spiritual home (none of which is even the same as when i was a kid, and hence nothing to be nostalgic about).. If you think traffic is bad in a 40,000 stadium in our current location with 2 railway stations, near the city centre and M6, what would a 70,000 stadium look next to the NEC? Totally unsustainable location. I don't see any big plans for us now, just gonna squeeze more revenue out of the current set up. Basically big price rises for the same facilities. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie09 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 1 hour ago, dukes said: I travelled to and from the game with a Man Utd supporting friend and his son, they thought the atmosphere in the second half was amazing (his son said it was the best he'd heard), and they said that facilities were on a par with what they get at Old Trafford. I was very surprised to learn that they also struggle to get a drink and food at half time and have similar issues with the lack of space (they were in with the away fans and so comparing the Doug Ellis with their ground) Old Trafford is a decaying stadium that is desperately in need of an upgrade so it’s not a great barometer to judge our current facilities by. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allani Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) 1 hour ago, MrBlack said: Buying out the neighbourhood and leaving properties empty to go derelict, decreasing the value of houses on the area, and encourage others in the road to sell up and move out. It's commendable that they've converted a stadium so massively in that timeframe, but how they've done it isn't something we want to emulate. Pretty sure that they started buying some of the properties well before 2014 too. So the timeline stated in the picture is pretty obsolete. The way they went about buying up properties is really not something that should be applauded or repeated if we do want to expand our current site. They've also had to convert some of the surrounding houses into business properties because those are not impacted by light restriction measures. If we do what Liverpool did then it is safe to say that most of Aston will despise Villa. Edited February 14 by allani Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukes Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 40 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said: If you think traffic is bad in a 40,000 stadium in our current location with 2 railway stations, near the city centre and M6, what would a 70,000 stadium look next to the NEC? Totally unsustainable location. I don't see any big plans for us now, just gonna squeeze more revenue out of the current set up. Basically big price rises for the same facilities. It doesn't have to be the NEC, although i'd say the infrastructure there can handle it better than most. Theres plenty of space for additional parking, theres a large train station and plenty of buses that already head in that direction, theres hotels and an airport for those that have need. Absolutely nothing that these owners have done up until now has been anything other than first class, to think that they are just here to sit back and count the money from here on in seems frankly crazy. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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