I don't think anyone is slating the hard work of OxVox - I'm sure that getting everything through StadCo was extremely difficult and their work should be commended.
However, I do still feel that simply blowing up some photographs and sticking them on a big board isn't going to be as successful at they'd hoped, for a number of reasons.
Firstly, as was mentioned in the statement, some of the most popular or iconic photographs may not be available due to licensing costs.
Secondly, some of the iconic photos will unfortunately not be up to the quality needed to put on a large board. I think a pixelated version of some of our less 'handsome' players could turn out like Sloth from The Goonies.
Finally - as noted above, the colours of these images aren't going to get the desired effect. What made the back wall so good previously was the bold colour, standing out from the surroundings. Each was clear from any part of the stadium, and followed a clear theme (Yellow & Blue). Unfortunately, a majority of images don't really follow that colour scheme!
How can this be avoided?
Whilst this may work out being more expensive (closer to the original £10k quoted by OxVox earlier this year), I firmly believe that looking at stencil art utilising two or three primary colours is the way forward. Take a look at the murals Plymouth have on every concourse entrance.
Find the editorial stock photo of Former Player Mural New Stand Development, and more photos in the Shutterstock collection of editorial photography. 1000s of new photos added daily.
www.shutterstock.com
This would avoid the licensing costs for iconic photos, and would stand out for all to see. You'd still pick the photos/scenes you'd like to stencil, reminiscent of the OUFC Legends flag that was done.
If you ask politely, certain former Ultras members may well be happy to talk about historic stencil flag designs.....
Again - this is not meant as a slight on OxVox members in the slightest. This is me giving my honest opinion.
