Talldarkandransome Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 53 minutes ago, GeordieVillan said: So following all the debate, I thought I would give a little review of this facility after the game today. I will try to do this in chronological order as much as possible… 1) We arrived and entered through the normal turnstiles, and then had no idea where to go. There were posters dotted around but it wasn’t clear at all. I asked one of the stewards who told me the Terrace View wasn’t open yet as it’s not finished the refurb. I was dubious, so I asked another steward, he pointed me in the right direction. Again though, not really signposted, so not a great start. 2) On entry, you are given a lanyard and a wristband for this specific match. It feels like a bit of overkill, not sure why both are necessary, especially when you have a season ticket card to gain entry, but so be it. They were very clear that you need both the wristband and the lanyard to gain access and to stay in. I was also given a programme and 2 drinks vouchers. 3) Immediate impressions were that it’s a really nice facility, it’s more like a cool bar that serves food than a traditional pub, and there was a mix of people in there, older, younger, men, women, kids etc. I was surprised how many kids were in there actually, it definitely had more of a family feel than the concourse. 4) There is views out on to the pitch through glass windows, but you can’t access this area as it is the accessible supports area - a bit frustrating but fair enough. I would imagine that if you could access this area, everyone would want to be out there. 5) To the other side there is an access on to the outdoor terrace which is a spillover area to have food and drinks, this is basically the area below the Villa badge on the Villa Park sign on the Holte End, at the top of the steps. Again, this is quite a nice little area and I enjoyed a pint here. 6) Drinks service was a quick and the beers were nice. On tap there I noticed Moretti and Neck Oil, there was a couple of others. I did comment to my pal that the service was very quick for being at a football match, and then he replied to say that “well we are paying extra for hospitality so it should be quicker really shouldn’t it?” There was self pour taps for those paying for drinks or not wanting to wait at the bar. 7) Our seats were in the upper Holte, but it wasn’t railed seating as expected. As I looked around, there was a mix of people with lanyards/wristbands and people without. Atmosphere was amazing! 8 ) At half time as we re-entered the Terrace View bar, there was chants from the concourse of “where were you when we were shit”. It’s banter but actually it made us a bit uncomfortable, we are all there supporting Villa! A bit of a shame for sure. 9) Food service at half time was quick, ordering on online screens and then collecting from the counter. Basically like a McDonald’s. Food was expensive though, reasonable quality. Not sure I would eat again. 10) Post-game we went back down to see what it was like at the end, and it was quieter but there was still enough people milling around and drinking in there. Again there was a few abusive comments and shouting from some lads on the main concourse, “posh bastards” etc. So be it. On the whole I was quite impressed, and it actually made me think that it might be with the extra money. It’s a nice space that isn’t as crowded as the concourse, and the service is quick, that is basically what you are paying for, not enhanced seating. Happy to answers any questions if anyone has any and I am able to. Just to be clear, I purchased a Terrace View season ticket and went with an open mind today, so this is just my feedback based on the experience today after a 4-0 win… 4 minutes ago, Villanbee said: Ok. My feelings... The lanyard thing. It's like the person who goes into a pub and deliberately lays down their keys on the bar with the Porsche key ring facing upwards. When people are walking amongst others displaying (whether intentional or not) something that could be perceived as one-upmanship, it's hardly surprising that some will take exception. Surely a wristband is enough or, heaven forbid, a ticket which can be put in a pocket. Corporate facilities are the norm at football grounds and everyday fans don't really give them a second thought. What grates is the way that this has been done in the Upper Holte. The perception that it's a season ticket queue jump for those who can afford it combined with the perception that it is reducing the already poor facilities for the vast majority of ticket holders in the Upper Holte to improve facilities for those that can afford to pay a significant sum extra. What's sad is that the service in the Holte Terrace is what the rest of the fans in the Holte should be getting anyway. Access to a toilet without queuing and being able to get served quickly when wanting a pint is surely a minimum, not premium, sevice requirement. If you want corporate facilities in the Holte, fine. But make sure you compensate by providing the other fans with the facilities they should be getting too. When I arrived, the floor by the Upper Holte turnstiles was covered in cement dust stains today. It looked like a quick mop had been put around (badly) before the builders knocked off. I bet the floor in the Terrace View didn't look like that. There is bad feeling amongst many of the fans in the Upper Holte and it's understandable. Both balanced reviews My issue with the TV lounge has always been that the Holte End isn't a corporate setting. It's where regular fans sit/stand. The facilities should be good anyway, you shouldn't have to pay £1500 to go to the loo without cleaning piss off your shoes. If fans want a corporate experience then Villa Park is full of those already, space shouldn't be nicked from an already crowded concourse with shit facilities. That being said, no fan (corporate or otherwise) should be bantered by other home fans for wanting to watch Villa. Where were you when we were shit FFS, you sing that to glory hunters. Maybe their banter should be aimed at the club instead. Maybe this affected the atmosphere today, i don't know. I'm thick skinned but if I had been subjected to where were you when we were shit I may have thrown whatever was in my hand at the time. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddywhack Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 30 minutes ago, Villanbee said: When I arrived, the floor by the Upper Holte turnstiles was covered in cement dust stains today. It looked like a quick mop had been put around (badly) before the builders knocked off. I bet the floor in the Terrace View didn't look like that. There is bad feeling amongst many of the fans in the Upper Holte and it's understandable. Yeah, I took photos of the floor as well but I didn’t post them, I thought that’d be a bit much lol. I know this is probably a bit over dramatic but it’s the most unwelcome I’ve ever felt walking in to Villa Park. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DCJonah Posted August 20, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 20, 2023 1 hour ago, Villanbee said: Ok. My feelings... The lanyard thing. It's like the person who goes into a pub and deliberately lays down their keys on the bar with the Porsche key ring facing upwards. When people are walking amongst others displaying (whether intentional or not) something that could be perceived as one-upmanship, it's hardly surprising that some will take exception. Surely a wristband is enough or, heaven forbid, a ticket which can be put in a pocket. Corporate facilities are the norm at football grounds and everyday fans don't really give them a second thought. What grates is the way that this has been done in the Upper Holte. The perception that it's a season ticket queue jump for those who can afford it combined with the perception that it is reducing the already poor facilities for the vast majority of ticket holders in the Upper Holte to improve facilities for those that can afford to pay a significant sum extra. What's sad is that the service in the Holte Terrace is what the rest of the fans in the Holte should be getting anyway. Access to a toilet without queuing and being able to get served quickly when wanting a pint is surely a minimum, not premium, sevice requirement. If you want corporate facilities in the Holte, fine. But make sure you compensate by providing the other fans with the facilities they should be getting too. When I arrived, the floor by the Upper Holte turnstiles was covered in cement dust stains today. It looked like a quick mop had been put around (badly) before the builders knocked off. I bet the floor in the Terrace View didn't look like that. There is bad feeling amongst many of the fans in the Upper Holte and it's understandable. I agree with all that but take it up with the club. Anyone giving fans grief for being in the terrace view are a bunch of pricks IMO. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted August 20, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 20, 2023 Personally I wouldn't be walking around with the lanyard. I'd keep it in my pocket and bring it out when I need to show it. Then again I bloody hate lanyards. Even at work I keep my security cards in my shirt pocket and pull them out when needed. Hate those lanyards flapping all over the place getting in the way. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrBlack Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 This makes for some pretty grim reading in the context of everything else the club is doing right. They had not very much time after the concerts finished to get this done. So they've rushed it (or rushed the cleaning up part at the end), and the contractors building it have been at the expense of putting in the fast serve facilities that exist in the lower holte. They rushed through their planning of ticket sales for it, leaving people with little idea of what they're actually paying for. There's some pretty bad brains behind this, whoever they were 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereford-Villan Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 Just my two pence worth going today as a new season ticket holder with terrace view. Walked in about an hour before KO and there were some ex players talking, one being Tommy Johnson who i used to love as a kid so the day started well! Lounge facility i thought was really good. Quick to get drinks, somewhere to sit and everyone seemed to agree that it was a nice place to be. I have seats in K4 right at the back but i really loved it up there. Atmosphere was brilliant and was just what i was hoping it would be. I've sat all over the ground previously and always loved the upper holte the most. At half time it was very quick to get a drink and use the loo and was nice to have a sit down and have a chat with other villa fans in the area. We also went in after the game and there were still quite a number of people in there after the game and the general consensus was good. Yes the result helped but i'm looking forward to the next game already!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieVillan Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 37 minutes ago, sidcow said: Personally I wouldn't be walking around with the lanyard. I'd keep it in my pocket and bring it out when I need to show it. Then again I bloody hate lanyards. Even at work I keep my security cards in my shirt pocket and pull them out when needed. Hate those lanyards flapping all over the place getting in the way. Tbh, that’s exactly what we did. We also tried to cover up the wristbands as well! But at one point we did laugh and ask eachother why were we embarrassed to be in Terrace View? I mean honestly, why we should we be hiding it? We’ve paid through the nose for these season tickets and now we feel like we should be hiding it so our fellow supporters don’t look at us funny or with daggers? Maybe it’s a sign of weakness in our own characters, I don’t know. Having thought about it on the long journey home, my opinion has generally been informed by reading comments on here and then reinforced by some of the experience today - right or wrongly there is a perception that those in the TV have jumped the queue, or aren’t proper supporters, even if it is from a minority rather than the majority. No-one wants to be accused of that or be made to feel that way. Supporting your team is a badge of honour and if you’re an adult there shouldn’t really be any vibes of “I’m a better fan than you” etc. Some of the stuff today was a bit embarrassing and I felt sad for those people shouting comments or chanting at fellow Villa fans. It’s basically turning on eachother when we are part of the same ‘pack’. But as others have said, it’s probably borne out of frustration with the club and not having a place to vent it, rather than people genuinely wanting to have a go at fellow Villa supporters. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeordieVillan Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 4 minutes ago, Hereford-Villan said: Just my two pence worth going today as a new season ticket holder with terrace view. Walked in about an hour before KO and there were some ex players talking, one being Tommy Johnson who i used to love as a kid so the day started well! Lounge facility i thought was really good. Quick to get drinks, somewhere to sit and everyone seemed to agree that it was a nice place to be. I have seats in K4 right at the back but i really loved it up there. Atmosphere was brilliant and was just what i was hoping it would be. I've sat all over the ground previously and always loved the upper holte the most. At half time it was very quick to get a drink and use the loo and was nice to have a sit down and have a chat with other villa fans in the area. We also went in after the game and there were still quite a number of people in there after the game and the general consensus was good. Yes the result helped but i'm looking forward to the next game already!! We got there a bit late - gutted I missed Tommy Johnson!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomav84 Posted August 20, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 20, 2023 so it sounds like any berating of the terrace view fans was possibly driven by the state of the rest of the holte upper (not that i'm in any way condoning it). it needed a lick of paint and some toilets fixing anyway, but if the state of it has somehow gotten worse in addition to being much more crowded, it's bound to have left a sour taste in mouths. sounds like it's going to be a hot topic of discussion at the next FCG anyway but i can see them scrapping the whole thing...the fan reaction is just going to be too strong to ignore. they'll just make all holte upper season tickets more expensive. it'll still piss people off, but everyone will have access to nicer facilities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villanbee Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 (edited) If they provide the level of service in the Upper Holte that they should, then many of the reasons for the existence of the Terrace View are negated Want a quick pint pre, post or during match? Should be standard. Want to use decent toilet facilities without having to queue for ages? Should be standard. Ah yes, but you get a couple of drinks and a programme. A programme is already easy to get. A pint is about £5.50 I think. A programme £3.50? So the two pints and a programme come in at around £15. You get to watch games on TV screens... There are TV screens all over the concourses. Assuming an upgrade is £25 for a Holte End season ticket holder, it's whether I want to spend around a tenner to sit in a nice room or on a terrace which for a good portion of the season will be a no go because of the cold, rain etc... and get decent WiFi. No thanks. It's a contradiction. The Holte End experience it is selling is about mixing with fans and atmosphere. You don't get that sitting in a lounge or surfing the net on your phone. And I totally get that the issue is with the club, not the fans who use it and who, at the end of the day, are just taking the club up on a service offered. But like I said, if the facilities in the Holte were what they should be, then I don't really see any reason for the existence of the Terrace View. So then it literally becomes a season ticket queue jump facility dressed up in some finery or an opportunity for football tourists (as well as Villa fans who can't get individual match tickets) to attend games (at £95 to £130 a match) on an individual match basis. How long before they start giving away half and half scarves as part of the individual match day experience package? How many Birmingham based Liverpool, Man U etc fans will be buying Terrace View tickets for their games later this season? Edited August 21, 2023 by Villanbee Amended text 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lainux Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 We're some original upper holte season ticket holders reallocated so that their seat can sold at a higher price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brommy Posted August 20, 2023 Share Posted August 20, 2023 35 minutes ago, lainux said: We're some original upper holte season ticket holders reallocated so that their seat can sold at a higher price? No. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunther Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 It looks nice. So the club can provide decent facilities for the fans if they want to then. They just choose not to for our £700-800, obviously have to pay twice that if you have the audacity to want to piss or have a pint. As a Lower Holter, I've always been jealous of the upper's two concourses, far more space up there than the lower. Seems like 5/6ths of them are in the same boat as us now, with half the facilities they used to have. Was a nice touch in the lower Holte today that they'd put some sort of filter over the drains on the urinals so they were three inches deep in piss. A lovely experience when wearing shorts, real premium pissy legs feel for the ticket price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted August 21, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 21, 2023 8 hours ago, GeordieVillan said: We got there a bit late - gutted I missed Tommy Johnson!!! Did he chuck up in the middle of the floor? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightoffyour Posted August 21, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted August 21, 2023 Big question is: do they change the WiFi password every week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Steero113 Posted August 21, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 21, 2023 (edited) Usually sit in Trinity Road but picked up two 'general sale' of these last minute to take my son to his second ever Villa game yesterday. Was impressed with the facilities on offer, food was decent and was a nice space. View from upper Holte is great I thought, having only been in the lower Holte before. I can sympathise with the removal of concourse space for upper Holters amongst other issues created by the Terrace View concept being a bone of contention and wouldn't have gone for it on a normal day. What I cannot sympathise with is "real fans" utterly berating an 8 year old and his dad from 5 yards away because of an area of the stand they are stood in. "Where were you when we were s**t" - I was there, in the stands watching when we were s**t, good, reasonably decent and terrible. I've been coming to Villa since I can remember, and that is not a good look. Funnily enough, aside from a few snide comments based on lanyards, in the stand itself everyone was great and my son had a great day out. He's got the "every week we follow" song nailed now too. Edited August 21, 2023 by Steero113 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 2 hours ago, sidcow said: Did he chuck up in the middle of the floor? That's a throw (up) back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie09 Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 (edited) 10 hours ago, Hereford-Villan said: Just my two pence worth going today as a new season ticket holder with terrace view. Walked in about an hour before KO and there were some ex players talking, one being Tommy Johnson who i used to love as a kid so the day started well! Lounge facility i thought was really good. Quick to get drinks, somewhere to sit and everyone seemed to agree that it was a nice place to be. I have seats in K4 right at the back but i really loved it up there. Atmosphere was brilliant and was just what i was hoping it would be. I've sat all over the ground previously and always loved the upper holte the most. At half time it was very quick to get a drink and use the loo and was nice to have a sit down and have a chat with other villa fans in the area. We also went in after the game and there were still quite a number of people in there after the game and the general consensus was good. Yes the result helped but i'm looking forward to the next game already!! Did he throw up? Beaten to the punch! Edited August 21, 2023 by Robbie09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted August 21, 2023 Share Posted August 21, 2023 (edited) I wish the club had put more effort into getting the North stand redeveloped in time, as in 2023 had previously announced, instead of dicking about with the Holte. Edited August 21, 2023 by Captain_Townsend 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post PeterSw Posted August 21, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 21, 2023 14 hours ago, GeordieVillan said: 8 ) At half time as we re-entered the Terrace View bar, there was chants from the concourse of “where were you when we were shit”. It’s banter but actually it made us a bit uncomfortable, we are all there supporting Villa! A bit of a shame for sure. To anyone who was chanting this.. you should be ashamed of yourselves. Disgraceful. Thanks for taking the time to do the review GeordieVillan 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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