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Villa Park redevelopment


Phumfeinz

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32 minutes ago, Robbie09 said:

I’m easily pleased - an O2 phone signal and a queueing system that means you don’t have to jeopardise missing 10 minutes of the match to buy an overpriced cup of boiling hot coffee would suffice.

Take a flask for free!  Works for me :)

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3 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

I think for me, the issue is in finding new grounds that I actually like - the Emirates, Wembley, the Etihad, and the smaller generation that went before; Leicester, Southampton, Derby, Boro - they leave me utterly unmoved - soulless plastic - they're technically excellent, the views are great, they're spacious, the concourses are large, all of that stuff - but they all feel like a supermarket. 

The best grounds in England; Anfield, St James Park, maybe Old Trafford, are to an extent a cluttered collection of solutions to individual problems - but they're much the better for it - a good football stadium should have areas or stands which each have their own personality - when you make the whole ground a bowl, you remove those individual personalities and in doing so you end up removing any kind of personality at all.

That's what I want us to retain - the character of those individual areas - the understanding of the difference you'll have between the Holte End and Trinity Road match day experience - that's not to say I  don't want to see us redevelop, I do - but I want that retained - that and an exterior which should be a tapestry of beautiful brickwork - that's our heritage, that's our soul, that's what makes us Villa. 

Regardless, Mr Purslow has been clear that there are no plans to develop Villa Park in the immediate future.

I 100% agree with every word of that.

For me it's important to preserve the individual character of the different parts of the stadium. As important is keeping the exterior look, that of a mighty brick castle. This doesn't mean we can't modernise it - we should (especially the North Stand exterior), but do it in a way so that we keep the character. The interior and hospitality areas need to be upgraded and I'm sure it can be done without making too much harm to the stadium. They club wembley areas could be a good model for that.

In comparision I must say that new spurs arena is without soul and is uninspiring, no matter how modern and comfortable it is. It's great as a modern entertainment venue, shobiz arena, but that's it. And see what the move from Upton Park to London Stadium has done to West Ham. 

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4 hours ago, mjmooney said:

With the greatest of respect, that's probably why you don't get it. And I don't much like 'we sound like a bunch of old people'  being used as a put-down, as if that were automatically a bad thing. 

Being more serious about it, definitely this. When it comes to preserving our identity, I’d rather say ‘old’ is a good thing. We’ve a tonne of traditions. We should be proud of that. 

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2 hours ago, CosmicVillan said:

I just don't want to see Villa in an identikit modern bowl type stadium.

I don't care if it's in B6 or not, if we have to move then fair enough. Aston/Witton is a s###hole let's be honest.

If they designed a classic piece of architecture that reflects our proud history it would be worth moving for if it couldn't be done on the current site.

It's a shame we can't just pick it all up and move it like a Subbuteo set being taken to a friends house across the road.

 

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It's crucial Villa play at Villa Park. and its even more crucial we don't follow the trend of having a bowl stadium. 4 massive stands traditional football ground maybe even return to an updated version of  old style flood lights. If you want to attract the casual punter you need to give a different experience than manutd spurs etc.

funnily enough someone mentioning moving to longbridge..... I heard a rumour from a reliable source that john towers and the phoenix 4 planned to buy Villa with the dowry they got from bmw. They bored a massive tunnel from longbridge to villa park. but when they left the uk with all the money they had forget that they had left an diamond encrusted austin maestro vandem plas in the tunnel. Randy Lerner found the car one day whilst partaking in his hobby of metal detecting and weighed it in and promptly gave the money to O'Neill to go on a mad transfer bender.

my source is 100% ITK

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44 minutes ago, villabromsgrove said:

 stood on the seething Holt terraces, 

What a marvelous description.   When full to brimming especially after a goal it was like a living breathing thing, swaying and swirling, finding yourself miles away from where you started and having no choice in that matter.  Brilliant. 

Edited by sidcow
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“About Villa Park itself hung an aura that seems almost to be visible. Most certainly it is there to be felt and I know of no other ground that has the same effect on one. Almost it seems to be peopled by ghosts – amiable ghosts whose job it is to breathe the great Villa spirit into generation after generation of ambitious youngsters who pass through the great gates to achieve a life's ambition; to wear the famous claret and blue of the great club”

That’s taken from Billy Walker’s book, soccer in the blood. Says it all for me.

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I have to admit I have only been to Villa Park a few times and all of them I've gotten there by taxi. While I generally like Villa Park, I think the surrounding area is kind of shabby. 

I also think Ajax made a really cool ting when I visited Ajax Arena early 2000. They had a train station inside the stadium so fans could just get transported in and out without starting fights and stuff. I know fights aren't a huge problem in England, but I still like the idea of a train station beneath or inside the stadium. 

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32 minutes ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

. I know fights aren't a huge problem in England, 

Really????????

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Nah it really isn't. I watch football all around the world, and England today is one big safety zone compared to some Italian matches, or Polish, Dutch or Russian ones as an example. Even certain German ones makes you feel really uncomfortable with their neonazi ****. 

Outside VP you can even have a chat with opposing fans which is kinda neat. 

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