We’ve won a few trinkets in our long, proud history;
The Holte end in 1975 when they used to ram us in. With a 26- 28,000 capacity, it was arguably the largest in the country.
An aerial view of Villa park, age unknown.
Villa Park, 1907
The Trinity road stand, as was.
Designed by the acclaimed architect of his day, Archibald Leitch, many see it as a travesty that the stand got demolished;
Say no more;
The Trinity again. Note the blue boards on the bottom of the upper tier. These were kicked by the people sitting there, in time with the chants and helped create a superb atmosphere
One of the finest entrances to any ground anywhere in the world.
A more modern view of the same thing;
The back of the Holte end, as it was. Not so nice and I’m sure I wouldn’t want to sit on those steps, but oh, the atmosphere when it was on song!
I miss the old Holte End.
I do also but it was stupidly dangerous in the last few seasons when it was all standing before the rebuild.
Last home game of the season in 1990 (just before the Italia World Cup) we played Norwich City and I nearly got crushed to death at the final whistle. The Taylor Report made us cut down the fences at the front of the Holte, but the fence posts were not removed just sawn off and capped very cheaply, but when you are 11 and have 18,000 people behind you pushing to get on the pitch for an invasion at final whistle it’s not great !
I nearly passed out with asphyxiation until a steward finally clocked I was in trouble and pulled me out onto the pitch. I was proper winded which as an 11 year old kid is not nice. I still managed to have a little run on the pitch after I caught my breath!!! 🙂
Of course that was all forgotten a few months later in October 1990 when Kent Neilson drilled in that shot against the cocky (winking) Walter Zenga of Inter Milan to make it 2-0!!! Best game ever in the holte!!!
Swings and Roundabouts!! lol
I certainly miss the atmosphere.
But I don’t miss someone peeing in my coat pocket many years back.
Yes, that really used to happen!
BACK OF THE HOLTE….thats where I saw Andy Lochhead ………….
( 1970–1973 – 131 games- 34 goals )…nod us into the League Cup Final in the 2nd leg semi against Man Utd…Best ,Kidd etc.
Yes were all went flying down the Holte…fantastic.
Normal defeat to Spurs in final though but Andy almost scored…bloody Perryman hacked the shot of the line.
Happy days mate 🙂
This was intended to be the first part of a trilogy of galleries that moved forward in time.
But I’m blowed if I understand the page setup of wordpress.
I’ve tried, but just can’t get it to work 🙁
I used to stand it was great especially wen packed . .knees up mother brown….I would need binoculars now to see pitch from the back off the old holte…now I’m 51, rotter dam veteran
Never really felt safe on the old Holte End – as you could travel a fair old distance towards the pitch when we scored! But what exciting times for a teenager in the 1970’s! Rotterdam veteran!
I assume this would have been early/mid 80s…i would have been stood behind the camera when this picture was taken.
I remember opposition scarfs were set alight on the roof supports.
It feels rather strange that all these people – much older than me – comment on the ‘Old Holte End’ and the ‘Old Rotterdam’ memories and things like that; looking at the gallery really makes me think and admire what it would be like to be at the top of the rather dangerous but from what my dad has told me great atmosphere and good fun singing. Then there’s the Cup Finals I missed, even the 4-0 Arsenal FA Cup final loss makes me pround to be a Villa fan as to get there at that time with Villa it was bloomin’ good! Great gallery, better get that snipping tool out on some of these!