“BFR” has got the hump and I totally agree with his reasoning. Heck talks about a puny 200 seats not being sold and this is indicative of why, in my opinion;
So I managed to get to the Burnley game in the end – coincidentally and ironically, sitting in the lower North Stand, which is much the topic for debate amongst us Villa fans lately – but without my six year old boy, as, try as he might, my uncle couldn’t find two tickets together on Villa’s return system, and when he did, the system timed him out. And when he tried again, he had to call the ticket office, as he’d already bought one single for me, so couldn’t buy another two. He got to number two in the queue on the phone before being cut off. So the system timed him out again. To add insult to injury, guess what? Nobody turned up in the seat next to mine, so the boy could’ve seen the game and made an extra few pounds.
The reason for the “200” seats is because no one wants to go to a match, pay good money, then sit by themselves. Apart from people who don’t get many chances coming from afar like myself. These phantom 200 seats are irrelevant. They’re season ticket holders who couldn’t make it or singles that no one wants! So pull the other one, Mr Heck. You’ve got a waiting list for season tickets. A very big one. The North Stand is ripe for development; it’s a dump. And there’s ample room on that side to go large. The plans are in place. If you don’t like them, make the stand bigger. But build a new stand. Mr Sawiris, over to you…
P.s. Where’s the rest of my article, Badger? 🤔
BFR. Badger probably has a NYE hangover…I thought your piece was a bit truncated!!! 😁
Truncated?? It’s the crudest bit of editing I’ve ever seen!
Must be after a job at the BBC!!!
Badger and BFR you are spot on in your analysis. I wanted to know from Mr Heck if this includes the away fans figured as well. It is clear that not all away seats are sold. The odds of my son wanting to go to Villa Park in the years to come are low. This is a shame as it is an engrained part of our family- grandfather, father, uncles, brothers and cousins, nephews and nieces. I would hate this family link to stop.
But the biggest problem is trying to get 2 tickets together. I now live in the south coast and have tried twice this season to buy 2 tickets for my son and me. All I could find was single seats and there is. I way in hell that I am sitting in a different part of the ground to my son.
There was some guff in one article I read where Villa had undertaken a deep dive into the 30,000+ on the waiting list. They claimed that the level of interest was not as expected. As a person who is in the 30,000+ position on the waiting list, I do question the view that so many are not intending to buy a ticket, hence no need to build the new stand.
However, I do accept that the cost of materials for building have escalated. For arguments sake Villa expanded the capacity by 10,000. Let us say the average ticket price was £45, this would equate to additional income (all tickets sold)from premier matches of £8.55m per year. Each additional European/ FA Cup match could be worth as much as £450k. It would take the club (pessimistic approach) 10 years to break even.
I guess the big question at the moment is Mr Heck has created an image where some fans are starting to question his competence. His track record is amazing and NSWE on paper acquired someone who can kick Villa into a different level. The issues coming forward this year are:
* Lower Holt – personally I am not opposed to creating an enhanced value added experience and charging a high fee for it.
* Quality of refreshments and queuing times – I would expect standards to be driven up.
* 150 AV crest – I’ve not been impressed with the design, but I tend to be a Luddite to change before accepting.
* Communication
* Transportation links – although before compulsory seating occurred the old capacity as 48,000. People still managed to get to and from the ground.
The positive is the tie up with the multi billion pound fund, who specialise in the entertainment. Could the exploitation of this relationship generate income in excess of building a new stand costing £100m?
It does seem like at the moment that whatever Purslow wanted to do Heck has stopped.
I will hold my judgement on Mr Heck and give him a couple of years to weave the magic he has previously demonstrated.
Sid, I think the main problems with the upselling of the Terrace View and Lower Grounds are:
1. Season tickets were sold in the Holte suggesting that that the traditional benefit for season ticket holders of use a refurbished Holte Suite would continue. This was the subsequently withdrawn and upsold as part of the Terrace View package.
2. Allocation of seats in the Holte and Doug Ellis stand to the upsold TV and LG with season ticket holders being unceremoniously relocated.
3. Mixing Villa fans with ‘corporate type’ experience in the Holte and DE Stand including lanyards, brass pedestals and ropes leading to bad feelings, some negative behaviour and a risk of loss of atmosphere.
Football in the UK is a lot different to the sort of sport Heck is used to the USA.
He needs to do his research…
Good points Sid. I’d love to take my boys to a match but there’s no way this will happen.
That expenditure figure is nothing when you consider the big picture, and it’s written off as a debt therefore tax deductible. It’s like you or me buying a new car, not a second house.
Heck is an American. In so many aspects we’re totally foreign nations with a shared tongue but there so many similarities stop.
How often has Emery referred to the noise fans make at Villa Park? It’s very, very important to the players. We really can be that 12th man.
Anyway, looking forward to the rest of the above article!!!
(And the Pool game later? Will lightening strike twice this weekend in our favour?).
On another point, would you field a weakened team for the Boro match? Rest our main squad?
Haha, cheers Bum Bum! Come on, Badger, where’s the rest of it? 🙂
Happy New Year, everyone!
Well we’re definitely 2nd in the table now just 3 points behind Liverpool
Draw would have been better but at least further away from Newcastle now.
At least we’re not top to be shot at,just keep going quietly as we are then hit the top by the end
Happy New year to all on here.
May the force be with us
There’s nothing that Chris Heck has done or said that makes me think he cares about the fans. It’s all about exploiting the wealthiest of supporters and the corporate sector plus sponsorships and media. That’s where the real income comes from.
Villa Park should be a 60,000 stadium minimum. The initial plan to rebuild the North Stand to add 8,000 should be a just a start. So what if it means we lose 6,500 fans for two years if the bigger picture is reducing the wait times for season ticket applications. Why can’t a new tier be added to the Doug Ellis stand in the same way Liverpool have done theirs?
Heck says it’s a bad timing thing while we are having a successful period. He reckons 2,000 – 3,000 can be added by re-jigging the current stadium. Wow! Talk about ambitious 😏
So while we stand still, lots of other clubs are increasing their capacities or like Everton are, building a brand new stadium.
Heck is a downgrade on Purslow from what I can see. Unless Sawris and Edens have told him they don’t want to fund the expansion, then it would serve him right if we failed to make Europe next season with his shortsighted approach.
Agreed. And if you’re not going to do it know, when the team is successful, then when? When the team’s shit again? And demand has evaporated?
Mr Sawiris? Mr Edens?
*do it now
Jeez, I’ve just written a 10 minute reply on all the subjects mentioned above and it’s totally disappeared on me posting it. I’m getting well sick of the glitches on here.
BFR, I’ve published everything that was submitted and thought the title was a bit odd.
It’s obviously another problem with the site.
I’m seriously contemplating moving to another platform now.
Badger, you have my direct email. Let me know if you want me to ask around for a WordPress engineer. Use my BT address.
Suggest you consider going on My Old Man web site and registering for the emails – Aston Villa.wtf – that David Michael sends out from time to time.
He sits on the Fan Advisory Board at VP and provides insights and explanations as to what is happening and why. He’s also very vociferous in his challenges and criticisms of the failure by Villa to properly consult with fans (i.e. the new badge) despite it being a requirement of the FA to do so.
I’m sure he will have plenty to say about Heck’s change of direction – he certainly isn’t a fan of his!
I have to say that there is some evidence that moving to a new ground can seriously negatively affect a team’s performance. I don’t know if this is true for the redevelopment of a ground but I can understand the reluctance to do anything drastic while we’re doing so well and the improvement might be a little fragile.
Why don’t we just trust in the owners who have brought us so much success? Ground redevelopment is IMHO small beer when you relate it to a possible top 4 finish and a possible European victory.
1874, It’s small beer if you’re hoping we qualify next season, get beaten and kicked out and then don’t qualify again for years.
But it’s not small beer if the aim is to qualify repeatedly. You need those big crowds with the prawn sandwich brigade who are the ones who spend the serious money.
This is why I think the new policy is totally misguided. Let’s assume we will qualify repeatedly. When is a good time to rebuild then? When we are already in the position to attract 60,000 crowds? I don’t think so.
If the aim is to increase revenue by a large amount, we need serious expansion.
This upselling and expanding by a few thousand will never bring the required money in.
Spurs new ground opened April 2019. Compare the match day revenue from 2018/19 to 2021/22, it’s a big difference.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/251169/revenue-of-tottenham-hotspur-by-stream/
Over at the circus, it’s looking like Rooney will be sacked today.
)0ps, too late, he’s gone.
The funny part is Eustace is still under contract, so they could get him back in.
I’d be asking for a big payrise.
I know it’s bloose and I shouldn’t be talking about them, but they do make me laugh.
Oh that’s a shame! I liked Rooney the manager. And like he said, he wasn’t given long enough. Well not for us Villa fans and the funny side of it all.
Sky Sport Italia reports Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has been offered to Milan.
Now that’s an interesting one. Loan or sale?
You’d guess a loan, but seeing as that would leave us with only Ollie, it means we’ve got a striker lined up or Emery wants him gone at any cost;
https://football-italia.net/sky-aston-villa-striker-offered-to-milan/
That’s if it’s true, of course. But I do rate Italian speculation higher than our rubbish.
The Telegraph are also talking about Duran being available and the fact that there is “Tension” between the player and the manager.
Perhaps there is something in this story?
It’s certainly one that won’t go away. He’s just a kid and no wonderkid. He has to be patient but if he’s bringing in bad blood then perhaps it is time for him to move on. Either way, even with Diaby able to act as a back up striker, one out, then one has got to come in.
He is also bringing his desperation onto the pitch. Emery must wonder if he starts him will he stay on the pitch.
It appears we have recalled Finn Azaz from his loan with Plymouth and sold him to Middlesbrough for £2m.
Blimey, on the face of it, that’s not much.
Although I suppose it’s 2/3rds of a John McGinn 🙂
Probably covers what he’s cost us, I’d guess, but the way he was talked about, I’d have expected a bit more.
We got him for nowt from the Baggies who had released him if memory serves correct.
Yes, but he gets a wage, which even at 10k a week is a mill over the two years. I’d guess they’re on a fair bit more than that too. Then there’s the running costs of the academy etc.
Okay maybe not 2 mill, but still a fair bit of money, so we won’t have made much out of him.
I’m happy that we’ve trained another one and passed him on to a “lesser” club.
It’s all good in bettering the game 🙂
Good points Badger.
I was surprised when we took him on given his age. He’s now 23 and still being loaned out so probably time for him to move on.
Cyril Ngonge is apparently very close. 8.7 mill deal.
Plays all over the front and the wings and is 23.
Could be a very useful pair of legs, although I wouldn’t expect much at that money.
Seems a bit odd that Fiorentina have apparently accepted our first bid without haggling. Are they skint, I wonder?
https://www.birminghamworld.uk/sport/football/aston-villa/transfer-news-aston-villa-brink-completing-cyril-ngonge-belgium-premier-league-4464743
A very quick deal if it happens. I wonder if Monchi got the haggling stage sorted before the window opened? Duran slinging his hook now makes a little more sense although we still need another quality striker.
Good point. He’s more versatile than Duran, I suppose.
I do think Duran has the makings, but we can’t afford anyone rocking the boat.
If he has been performing, it also demonstrates that Emery won’t stand for it and it sends out the right message.
Badger, he plays for Hellas Verona. Fiorentina were allegedly also interested in the player.
Ah, it shows how closely I read that then.
I stand corrected Hitch, cheers 🙂
Villa fans: ‘Alex Moreno? Who’?
Weeks later…’Bloody hell he’s good’.
Villa fans: ‘Pau Torres? Who’?
Weeks later…’Bloody hell he’s good’.
Villa fans: ‘Moussa Diaby? Who’?
Weeks later…’Bloody hell he’s good’.
Villa fans: ‘Cyril Ngonge? Who’?
Weeks later….
See a pattern forming here???
Well, Pau was £30 mill, Diaby £50 mill and in fairness, Moreno a paltry £13 mill (!)
But yes, a point well made 🙂
I think we’d already been watching Diaby and Tielemans before Monchi came, but I think Pau looks like a Monchi signing.
Zaniolo and Lenglet were probably Monchi signings too, but they’re only on loan.
So this could be his first proper window.
Let’s hope it’s a good one.
Emery obviously trusts him and it should be interesting.
There are leaks of a new badge / crest on the internet. It’s basically an up yours to all the Villa fans, including myself who voted democratically for a round badge aka 1981 (good times) although I would have preferred lion facing the other way. However, Chris Heck who is quickly becoming my least favourite person, has returned to a shield pretty much the same as before with AVFC replaced with Aston Villa and 1874 above. The lion returns back to the cowardly yellow colour and loses any distinction and almost like something a 5 year old kid would draw.
Of course, not all leaks turn out to be true. But because it’s shite and Chris Heck has been involved, I’m guessing it’s real. 😩
Agreed. It’s shite.
Why did the club not go ‘all in’ with the round badge? Why didn’t they give it time? Have you ever listened to a new album by your favourite band and thought “that was disappointing’? It’s the same with the round badge! They should have stuck with it and made sure the previous one was dispensed with. Instead, they kept using the previous one and didn’t give the round one a chance.
If they’d stuck with it, it would have been ‘a grower’ and looked super in the years to come.
I have just read up that the William McGregor inaugural Villa shirt also had a right facing lion on a black shirt. All Heck is doing is to rip up anything approved by Purslow. The bloke simply has no concept of what English heritage and tradition of our club means. Purslow had his critics such as his influence in appointing Gerrard but outside football matters he seemed to be doing a great job. As for Heck, I wish he would go back to his Philadelphia 76’ers or whatever they are called!
Right looking Lion – looking to the future and growing success
Left looking Lion – gazing backwards at our history which of late hasn’t been worth the view.
It’s an American thing fascinated with a history they don’t have.
Er, it’s not very good, is it?
I struggle to believe that the fans have voted for it, myself and it’s more what someone at the club wants 🙁
As long as they don’t start talking about changing our name to the Aston Tigers…
Aston Lions surely? 🙂
Certainly not Pussies! 😉
Mieow!!!!
The fact that we’re even joking about this is worrying.