Do you Think Randy Underestimated the Premier League?

[TonyD]

The problem is the NFL are franchise with no relegation, where you make a profit even if you lose every game, maybe he thought the PL was similar?

Do you really think he would buy a football club without knowing how the most famous league in the world's biggest sport works?

An American once bought the wrong London bridge!

[flybo]

The problem is the NFL are franchise with no relegation, where you make a profit even if you lose every game, maybe he thought the PL was similar?

Do you really think he would buy a football club without knowing how the most famous league in the world's biggest sport works?

An American once bought the wrong London bridge!

Just like our defence that’s a fallacy

[Risso]

I also dont think he underestimated it and the size of the job he took on when he brought us he had a five year plan and now things have changed i think he is starting to see how difficult the premier league can be.

THERE WAS NO FIVE YEAR PLAN!!!

According to The General there was, he mentioned it more than once.

[dave.woodhall]

According to The General there was, he mentioned it more than once.

According to the full-time, executive board there wasn't, isn't and never has been.   

[Legion]

There never has been. It was a 'throw-away' comment made at the start of their tenure.

[Risso]

According to The General there was, he mentioned it more than once.

According to the full-time, executive board there wasn't, isn't and never has been.   

Richard Fitzgerald was a full time, executive director when he mentioned it.

[dave.woodhall]

According to The General there was, he mentioned it more than once.

According to the full-time, executive board there wasn't, isn't and never has been.   

Richard Fitzgerald was a full time, executive director when he mentioned it.

Who lasted another 30 seconds or so. It's been denied more times than a few, so why persist in believing it?

[Risso]

Fitzgerald lasts another 12 months after making the statement.  So the fact that our CEO at the time, and Lerner's right hand man have both mentioned it, I think it's fair to say that for a while at least, there was indeed a five year plan.

[dave.woodhall]

Fitzgerald lasts another 12 months after making the statement.  So the fact that our CEO at the time, and Lerner's right hand man have both mentioned it, I think it's fair to say that for a while at least, there was indeed a five year plan.

"In five years time we aim to compete in the Champions League" is hardly a five year plan. It's as Legion said, a throwaway line that was taken out of all context and no more a plan than a new manager saying what he intends to do by the end of the season.

[Risso]

If we were in 4th spot at the moment rather than 3 points from the bottom I bet we'd be hearing all sorts about the culmination of the five year plan.  They only stopped going on about it when it became apparent that it was never really going to happen.

"Do we dismiss our 5 year plan because we didn't win the Cup in Europe in year 1...do we lose faith that we can do what we have set out to do?"

The General has made lots of statements like the one above.  He might not be an executive director, but he's Randy's right hand man, and I don't think he was making it up.

[dave.woodhall]

One thing that did get talked about when Randy first arrived was the supposed five-year plan which would end in glory. Did this ever exist, or was it just a case of wishful thinking?

“I don’t know where it came from. We’ve never seen this as having a finite timeframe. We want success, as soon as possible, and we operate to plan ahead. You look at this year, next year, the year after. To a large extent we try to plan around the TV deals because that’s such a large amount of revenue. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen in three years when there’s a new TV deal due. You can’t have a plan as such because no-one can anticipate what’s going to happen with other clubs. We have to concentrate on Aston Villa, and grow our own business.”

Paul Faulkner, from his forthcoming H&V interview.

[Risso]

"I don't know where it came from".

Try several mentions by the General on various sites over the years.  Of course Faulkner is going to try to downplay it now, their whole strategy for the last 12 months has been to try to reduce expectations.

[dave.woodhall]

Didn't the general also say something like there wasn't a rigid plan, but there was a hope as to what the team would do over several seasons? I almost certainly remember him saying there was no five year plan as it was perceived by some.

"We will support him with the resources to make the club better, stronger and more successful.”

Same source as the first. Believe it or don't, I'm past caring. 

[Risso]

Whether it was a vague idea of what they wanted to achieve, or written on ancient papyrus in Randy's own blood, is a bit irrelevant I suppose.  Whatever it was, I don't imagine the current scenario is what they envisaged.  I'm more interested to know what they plan to do to get us out of it.

[BILL DE VALL]

Whatever the plan was...
I'm sure Randy is looking at the likes of Bannan,Albrighton,Hogg,Herd,lichaj etc all performing in the prem for a fraction of the cost (in wages)of NRC petrov, heskeyetc
In the short term there is no point trying to out-do manc Citie in the spending stakes

so he will surely be looking to get the "Out column" to match the "In column" financially speaking
and plan longer term-financial fair play,homegrown player rules etc

no glory but long term stability
so it's looking like the doug years all over again!