CVByrne Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 I can't stand that guy. Blocked him channel from my youtube feed. Liked him a bit at the start. On 24/01/2024 at 00:28, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said: Speaking alot of sense... But will surely get pelters from some... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 1 hour ago, CVByrne said: I can't stand that guy. Blocked him channel from my youtube feed. Liked him a bit at the start. I thought you were talking about Chris Heck and was going to say well done to you for blocking him. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 2 hours ago, ender4 said: I thought you were talking about Chris Heck and was going to say well done to you for blocking him. Actually love Chris Heck so far. Think the fan groups are mostly just mouth pieces for older season ticket holders and personally think what's best for the club is mostly not aligned with what's best for them. Glad Heck is doing what I think is right for the club. So Heck is big thumbs up from me so far. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jas10 Posted January 25 Popular Post Share Posted January 25 (edited) Edited January 25 by Jas10 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 (edited) I have been thinking about this, football or Villa more specifically, is escapism and there has been a serious feel good factor around Villa which has been truly intoxicating! It feels like Heck's interventions have dampened the feel good factor, and we're avoidable if he communicated better, and he needs to learn from it. Edited January 25 by Captain_Townsend 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post allani Posted January 25 Popular Post Share Posted January 25 (edited) 2 hours ago, Captain_Townsend said: I have been thinking about this, football or Villa more specifically, is escapism and there has been a serious feel good factor around Villa which has been truly intoxicating! It feels like Heck's interventions have dampened the feel good factor, and we're avoidable if he communicated better, and he needs to learn from it. I think there's an awful lot to feel good about in terms of what is happening off the pitch. We've raised a good chunk of funding and some excellent business contacts within the media, comms and sports arena in the USA through the VSports minority ownership investment, we've got out of a poor deal with Castore and signed with a big brand which opens up some good opportunities, we're binning Fanatics and bringing some retail back in house (through the club shop and I assume the online store) and I actually really liked the Honorary Anniversary Board announcement today. I think the redevelopment plan decision is a sound one (but appreciate that you don't). I have doubts on the crest but also think that the issues are partly down to the fact that the version of the round badge we came up with last year was not fit for purpose (but again understand that others have a different view on that) and that has created a difficult situation to retreat from. I think he's got a lot more right than he's got wrong. Maybe his American style comms at time aren't the best. But he's not here to be popular - he's here to take the club forward and improve our revenue streams so that Emery and Monchi can continue to improve our on field performance. If he delivers anything like the revenue improvements that he has done elsewhere then I'm happy to put up with some odd comms / lack of comms every now and again. Edited January 25 by allani 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted January 25 VT Supporter Share Posted January 25 On 24/01/2024 at 11:28, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said: Speaking alot of sense... But will surely get pelters from some... Problem with this video is that it makes sense - to everyone outside Birmingham, that is. I've never been to villa park (and likely never will) and I'd hate to see the ground moved - but can see the sense in doing it. I've never been affiliated with the round badge (despite being Gen X) since I only started following Villa since the early 90's (thanks, Bozza!) But when you talk about a world-wide audience - they are in exactly the same position as me. If your remit is to tap into that market, you will probably end up making decisions that hurt the locals. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 (edited) 9 hours ago, ozvillafan said: Problem with this video is that it makes sense - to everyone outside Birmingham, that is. I've never been to villa park (and likely never will) and I'd hate to see the ground moved - but can see the sense in doing it. I've never been affiliated with the round badge (despite being Gen X) since I only started following Villa since the early 90's (thanks, Bozza!) But when you talk about a world-wide audience - they are in exactly the same position as me. If your remit is to tap into that market, you will probably end up making decisions that hurt the locals. I don't like the guy but watched the video and he does make a lot of key points I agree with. As stated many times I really like Heck so far. In terms of leaving Villa Park I just don't see it happening as the cost is just too high. Interest rates are really high and the return on it wouldn't be enough. Unlike other clubs we can't rebuild Villa Park as there is no alternative location for us to play. Can't charge London prices in Birmingham and the ancillary things that make Spurs so much money. Edited January 26 by CVByrne 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeVillan Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 12 hours ago, ozvillafan said: Problem with this video is that it makes sense - to everyone outside Birmingham, that is. I've never been to villa park (and likely never will) and I'd hate to see the ground moved - but can see the sense in doing it. I've never been affiliated with the round badge (despite being Gen X) since I only started following Villa since the early 90's (thanks, Bozza!) But when you talk about a world-wide audience - they are in exactly the same position as me. If your remit is to tap into that market, you will probably end up making decisions that hurt the locals. I used to be dead against the idea of moving Villa Park, I think this was partly due to the Victorian style and uniqueness of the stadium along with my Grandparents being from Aston during the war years. But if we're honest only a small portion of Aston locals support Villa and attend games for whatever reason. Maybe it's wise to consider a move to somewhere with better transport links/parking/accessibility etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post OutByEaster? Posted January 26 Moderator Popular Post Share Posted January 26 16 hours ago, ozvillafan said: Problem with this video is that it makes sense - to everyone outside Birmingham, that is. There's an absolute key in that statement - Heck isn't focused on people in Birmingham - there's a very limited amount of extra income that can be generated by people that go to games - the focus is on growing the wider fanbase, the people that won't ever go to games but will spend money watching us, buying Villa 'stuff' and so on - there are potentially tens of millions of those people out there - that's the focus. It's why there's this oddly growing gap between the opinions of fans that go to games and those that don't as to how well Heck is doing. For season ticket holders, being able to afford to go and enjoying it when you're there are things that have almost as much influence as whether or not the team itself is successful - some of my favourite times following the club were in our last season in the Championship and I'd take watching us play in the Europa league from my seat in the ground over having to watch us in the Champions League on my sofa because I can't afford to go. The club don't care about that, the club have to be successful, have to obey the doctrine of the times and the mantra of this league - growth - and in the Friedmanesque nightmare in which we all live, the market says that the idea of community and of clubs being at the heart of a place and being a part of a community are anathema. The adjustment that Heck is forcing us to accept is that 25,000 season ticket holders give him a lot less opportunity for growth than 200 million Indonesians or a US tyre manufacturer and that the club is going to prioritise the areas where it believes growth is most possible. I think he can make us successful, he can promote the growth our owners want - I'm not sure those of us that sit in Villa Park are necessarily going to enjoy that ride. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 I am an international fan. In 1993 I had never been to England, let alone Villa Park, but I knew I lobed that distinctive old stadium any time I saw it on TV and it became like a Mecca I wanted to visit one day, having already got my parents to fork out om several new kits between 1993 and 1999. Our stadium is part of the package. It is all part of the deal if you are an international fan looking to get hooked on a club. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Follyfoot Posted January 26 VT Supporter Share Posted January 26 3 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: There's an absolute key in that statement - Heck isn't focused on people in Birmingham - there's a very limited amount of extra income that can be generated by people that go to games - the focus is on growing the wider fanbase, the people that won't ever go to games but will spend money watching us, buying Villa 'stuff' and so on - there are potentially tens of millions of those people out there - that's the focus. It's why there's this oddly growing gap between the opinions of fans that go to games and those that don't as to how well Heck is doing. For season ticket holders, being able to afford to go and enjoying it when you're there are things that have almost as much influence as whether or not the team itself is successful - some of my favourite times following the club were in our last season in the Championship and I'd take watching us play in the Europa league from my seat in the ground over having to watch us in the Champions League on my sofa because I can't afford to go. The club don't care about that, the club have to be successful, have to obey the doctrine of the times and the mantra of this league - growth - and in the Friedmanesque nightmare in which we all live - the market says that the idea of community and of clubs being at the heart of a place and being a part of a community are anathema. The adjustment that Heck is forcing us to accept is that 25,000 season ticket holders give him a lot less opportunity for growth than 200 million Indonesians or a US tyre manufacturer and that the club is going to prioritise the areas where it believes growth is most possible. I think he can make us successful, he can promote the growth our owners want - I'm not sure those of us that sit in Villa Park are necessarily going to enjoy that ride. I was speaking to my mate, we spend about £50/£60 in the Yew Tree between us and the kids every game and I would imagine there are plenty like us in all the various pubs. If they did this warehouse thing we would happily use the place and I am sure many others would (is it meant to hold 3000) Has Heck scrapped this as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 26 Moderator Share Posted January 26 3 minutes ago, Follyfoot said: I was speaking to my mate, we spend about £50/£60 in the Yew Tree between us and the kids every game and I would imagine there are plenty like us in all the various pubs. If they did this warehouse thing we would happily use the place and I am sure many others would (is it meant to hold 3000) Has Heck scrapped this as well? Nope, the warehouse is still definitely going ahead and looks like a really good facility - some of the things he's making sure get completed are really good. Hopefully the station redevelopment presses ahead and we get the punch-through at the bottom of Station Road - that would be a game-changer in terms of opening up the new Academy building as a matchday facility. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 2 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: Nope, the warehouse is still definitely going ahead and looks like a really good facility - some of the things he's making sure get completed are really good. Hopefully the station redevelopment presses ahead and we get the punch-through at the bottom of Station Road - that would be a game-changer in terms of opening up the new Academy building as a matchday facility. OBE, is there a FAB meeting in a couple of days time? Are you going? Is there an agenda yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted January 26 Moderator Share Posted January 26 5 minutes ago, nick76 said: OBE, is there a FAB meeting in a couple of days time? Are you going? Is there an agenda yet? There's an informal meeting due next week, but as of yet no time has been arranged for it - at those there isn't usually a presented agenda and Mr Heck doesn't usually attend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 23 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: There's an absolute key in that statement - Heck isn't focused on people in Birmingham - there's a very limited amount of extra income that can be generated by people that go to games - the focus is on growing the wider fanbase, the people that won't ever go to games but will spend money watching us, buying Villa 'stuff' and so on - there are potentially tens of millions of those people out there - that's the focus. It's why there's this oddly growing gap between the opinions of fans that go to games and those that don't as to how well Heck is doing. For season ticket holders, being able to afford to go and enjoying it when you're there are things that have almost as much influence as whether or not the team itself is successful - some of my favourite times following the club were in our last season in the Championship and I'd take watching us play in the Europa league from my seat in the ground over having to watch us in the Champions League on my sofa because I can't afford to go. The club don't care about that, the club have to be successful, have to obey the doctrine of the times and the mantra of this league - growth - and in the Friedmanesque nightmare in which we all live - the market says that the idea of community and of clubs being at the heart of a place and being a part of a community are anathema. The adjustment that Heck is forcing us to accept is that 25,000 season ticket holders give him a lot less opportunity for growth than 200 million Indonesians or a US tyre manufacturer and that the club is going to prioritise the areas where it believes growth is most possible. I think he can make us successful, he can promote the growth our owners want - I'm not sure those of us that sit in Villa Park are necessarily going to enjoy that ride. Very good post, also to add to that. If by raising ticket prices a current season ticket holder is priced out of renewing but another person who has waited for years to get a season ticket now can. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveAV1 Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 9 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: There's an absolute key in that statement - Heck isn't focused on people in Birmingham - there's a very limited amount of extra income that can be generated by people that go to games - the focus is on growing the wider fanbase, the people that won't ever go to games but will spend money watching us, buying Villa 'stuff' and so on - there are potentially tens of millions of those people out there - that's the focus. It's why there's this oddly growing gap between the opinions of fans that go to games and those that don't as to how well Heck is doing. For season ticket holders, being able to afford to go and enjoying it when you're there are things that have almost as much influence as whether or not the team itself is successful - some of my favourite times following the club were in our last season in the Championship and I'd take watching us play in the Europa league from my seat in the ground over having to watch us in the Champions League on my sofa because I can't afford to go. The club don't care about that, the club have to be successful, have to obey the doctrine of the times and the mantra of this league - growth - and in the Friedmanesque nightmare in which we all live - the market says that the idea of community and of clubs being at the heart of a place and being a part of a community are anathema. The adjustment that Heck is forcing us to accept is that 25,000 season ticket holders give him a lot less opportunity for growth than 200 million Indonesians or a US tyre manufacturer and that the club is going to prioritise the areas where it believes growth is most possible. I think he can make us successful, he can promote the growth our owners want - I'm not sure those of us that sit in Villa Park are necessarily going to enjoy that ride. Whilst I don’t disagree and my heart wants us to stay at Villa Park in B6 I can see the arguments for a move too. Since moving, with my family, 450 miles away, I’ve sadly given up my season ticket which I had for thousands of years and so I don’t see as many live games as I used to but still miss the creaky old place every matchday but into every life and all that, I put the love of family before my first love on this occasion, so perhaps the move from Villa Park wouldn’t be such a big thing for me. Perhaps if we’re thinking in practicable terms , I’d consider the NEC to have plenty of merits, I thought they should have built the new Wembley there, but expecting the FA to do anything remotely sensible was always a long shot, what do others think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted January 26 Moderator Share Posted January 26 Please keep this thread for opinions on or about our CEO. If you want to discuss the ground, or tickets or revenue, there are threads for that. Ta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 (edited) 19 hours ago, Captain_Townsend said: It feels like Heck's interventions have dampened the feel good factor, and we're avoidable if he communicated better, and he needs to learn from it. I genuinely respect your passionate, viewpoints, and you as a poster Captain. However, on this view ( You're not the only poster I've seen say this) I feel these opinions go on the assumption that the wider fanbase feel downbeat. It's bizarre to me because I feel nothing of the sort. Saw someone on Facebook moaning about transfer activity and the " feel good factor " being dampened a bit and I was perplexed. We've never been in a better position than we are now, in my decades of supporting the club. Everyone isn't going to be happy about certain things, but if we can't be happy with the general trajectory of the club right now, we don't deserve nice things. I especially have to again stress that we aren't even clear on the broader plans for the club yet, but my faith in the owners tells me that we are always in for even better than we initially expected. Edited January 26 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 (edited) Thanks JV. I just don't want to see us miss the opportunity, we have a unique opportunity and I feel we aren't going to capitalise. We are fortunate that we don't have to do an Everton or a Spurs. We already have a great location and compared to their spend £100m to take the stadium to the Twenty first century was not bad. My comment is rooted in the fact we had big plans to look forward to and he just cancelled them (see what people who attended FAB said, they got the impression it was cancelled, not just paused). Edit, more succinctly, it reminds me too much of the Lerner era when we talked big but bottled it. Heck's December interview is the first time since 2018 I felt that feeling. Edited January 26 by Captain_Townsend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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