villa park, a grand OLD stadium

Reading the February issue of Heroes & Villains I came across a piece '"I've seen the future, and it works" and notice the chairman's statement to the effect that Villa Park would have a 47,000 capacity by the start of the 1997-98 season, As this deadline is only months away and the fact is that the only ground improvements announced are to improve the commercial side of the club, I can only feel disbelief.

The recent announcement that the club is to become a PLC has been combined with very few details as to where the injection of working capital (said to be Ł15-20 million) will be going. So much on ground improvements and so much on players, we are currently led to believe. The new boxes and roof for Trinity Road were announced some time ago, with the reassurance that this expenditure would not affect Brian's spending power, yet now we are being told that the Ł3-4 million to be spent on Trinity Road will be coming from the flotation money.

Currently, myself and two colleagues are compiling a report on the effects that the Taylor Report has made on football in general. We have visited several grounds and been treated to full tours of most including Wolves, Derby (old and new grounds), Northampton, Shrewsbury, West Brom and Small Heath.

After visiting the Wolves, I pray they don't get promoted as they will possibly have the best Premiership ground on our patch. They, unlike us, have planned for the future in Molineux's design and can increase its current 28,000 capacity to 40,000 in less than three seasons, with the plans already approved and money allocated for such a venture. Derby are moving to a new site in July, it will make Villa Park look severely second rate, it will have four training pitches, one all weather. Derby fans can already buy season tickets for next season, using virtual reality to enable them to view the ground and sit in the actual seat they wish to buy.

As a club we are, as history can prove, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country, yet here we sit towards the end of the current season with a ground capacity of less than 40,000 and very little room to increase on that figure.

I was so proud (!) when the Safety Officer at Wolves informed me that Villa have the most restricted view seats in the Premiership or Football League. Panoramic views are what people deserve at any top flight ground today. You pay a top price, you deserve a top quality product. Football quality, as we know only too well, cannot be guaranteed but good seating in good stands and the best possible amenities can be. You loot have to ignore tradition and deface what the fans love in order to improve things, you work the tradition into the improvements.

Looking at the ground as it is you can see the planners' short sightedness. Although a beautiful stand, Witton Lane cannot be altered to increase capacity and the Holte End may or may not benefit from the flotation, as recently reported. Trinity Road, my personal favourite stand except for the new boxes/restaurant, cannot go anywhere. We could never buy the road behind it to extend even if we got around the listed building problem. That only leaves the North Stand, can anyone see the chairman starting from scratch and demolishing it?

We need to improve the ground if we are ever to re-establish ourselves as a true force in the Premiership, let alone in Europe. We should be seeking the advice of the planners of Riverside and Derby's new site. These will be the grounds of the future. We need to build a new stand in place of the North Stand, one which will fill in the corners connecting to Trinity Road and Witton Lane, creating a horseshoe effect. This will also keep the noise within the ground, creating a better atmosphere. We need to get the long awaited TV screens installed fast and look to remove the current obstructions affecting the Holte End and Witton Lane.

As regards Trinity Road, why is it having any supports for its roof7 With the new cantilever stands none are required, the cantilever structure could easily be built into the existing rear wall of the stand without greatly affecting the design of the brickwork. This would mean panoramic views, no restricted viewing from that stand at all. I think every regular knows we need more service areas for food and drink, we need more toilets and we need all these things this side of the next century.

We are being left behind and that breaks my heart. I love the claret and blue, I always will. It's not just a Boxing Day thing, it's in the blood.

We need to keep the history of Aston Villa proud and give the club's future a chance to be even greater.

Anthony Richards