Why the Board need to shoulder most of the blame

[adam#1]

Amazing we fans.

The first sign the wheels are coming off and its the Boards fault, what was it Dol said Fickle.

Rightly or not the Board were left high and dry by probably the worst exit of a manager in Premiership history and whilst I see many still try to blame the Board for that, he left on his own terms taking all the viable coaches with him.

Randy I assume did his selection in an atmosphere of no viable alternatives available and its blown up in his face aided by some lacklustre performances from players who can do better and have done better and an amazing list of injuries
All this had to be dealt with by a manager who had just joined, the club.
Now they are expected to give a knee jerk reaction, sack him during the brief transfer window and leave the club with who, McAllister, Cowans, or even KMac in charge, lunacy.
Throwing money at the problem is not going to help much either, we have too many players who don't give a shit and yes, while another manager might improve that, can we be sure.
No.
Whatever the Board, Randy do, is not going to please some, he was in charge when the mighty Mon quit, yes he quit, so he must be wrong. I'm no fan of our position but I remember Boards who managed relegated Villa sides, Boards who took them into the old Div 3 and believe me I'd rather have Randy, his improvements and the 180 mill he's spent, wasted by Mon, than any of them thank you.
When I look at Blackburn, Blues and other clubs alternatives I think we should be thankful for Randy and Co, they may not be perfect, but using them as part of the blame game because we are in the relegation zone is no more than a cheap shot, a cheap shot by very fickle and disingenuous fans.

I know how I'd feel if I read some of the comments on here and I wouldn't be happy.

Very harsh words to accuse someone who profers genuine opinion based on reasoned questions and facts as fickle.

Two simple questions - 1. Is our club in a healthy position at the moment? 2. Who is ultimately responsible for the club - i.e. where does the buck stop?

We are not in a healthy position in my eyes, and the buck ultimately stops at the top. Therefore to criticise the board is perfectly justified and not fickle, even if they have been praised in the past for actions they took.

[Villa'Zawg]

The money wasted by MON has a ring to it, as good an owner as he has been there is a time when you can't throw money around anymore.

Our spending has been modest for a top 6 side, it has been horrendously profligate for a relegated side.

Very little has gone right at Villa since Faulkner was appointed CEO.

[cheltenhamlion]

I don't think you can blame PF for our current situation. It is a great combination of things that leave us wher we are now.

[garyfouroaks]

Ok, so they've done a lot of good since arrival, revamped the Holte pub, invested in the playing staff to a level, stopped child seat prices in the middle Trinity (OK maybe not that one) but I think the following are important negative factors in what is going on here:

The mysterious departure of Richard Fitzgerald and Michael Cunnah.
The replacement appointment of a relatively inexperienced (in football and quite possibly business terms) CEO in Paul Faulkner, who’s main skills for the job seem to be that he’s been part of the inner cycle – one wonders if going out to recruit would have been better..
The failure to manage MON effectively leading to his untimely departure.
The dithering over the appointment of a manager after mismanaging MON’s departure.
The appointment of a manager who is performing poorly.
The cessation of squad investment for the last 18 months.
They are responsible for the relationship between the wage bill and revenue, not the manager.
The retreat from communicating with fans when the going gets tough other than to put out an ill timed backing of a disliked manager after a mediocre result (granted an exciting game) against a failing top 4 side.
The failure to drive up attendances to increase revenue.

I’m not one to start screaming for the Randy Out or Faulkner Out or any such knee jerking, I’m just pointing out that there have been significant failings at a high level and its time they started to correct matters.

Harsh, Adam.

On Fitzgerald, Cunnah, Faulkner , you may be right, but you may be wrong the exact trade off in skill sets is unknown. And what is this “inner cycle” of which you speak?

MON delivered the best consecutive league finish record post WW2 at VP- that’s hardly mismanaging him.

We don’t know what the exact circumstances of MON’s departure were. Blaming the Board is a guess. MON leaving on the eve of the new season was not their fault – it was unprofessional on MON’s part.

What obvious alternative was there to the process which culminated in Houlliers appointment? Who should have been brought in sooner?

Any Managerial appointment is a gamble – some you win, some you lose, and we are only half way through the season.

Lerner has invested heavily in fees and wages since his arrival. It is understood that is not an open-ended commitment.

They backed the manager on fees and wages, and then felt they were not getting a return, or that some of the calls were not vindicated - it is the Boards prerogative to hold the manager to account.

The post MON departure PR retreat has been  disappointing, I agree.

Although I hate it, I suspect that in cash terms, the increase in  prices has significantly compensated for the drop in attendances so far. If performances continue to dip – so will attendances, that’s the way it is.

[sfx412]

Amazing we fans.

The first sign the wheels are coming off and its the Boards fault, what was it Dol said Fickle.

Rightly or not the Board were left high and dry by probably the worst exit of a manager in Premiership history and whilst I see many still try to blame the Board for that, he left on his own terms taking all the viable coaches with him.

Randy I assume did his selection in an atmosphere of no viable alternatives available and its blown up in his face aided by some lacklustre performances from players who can do better and have done better and an amazing list of injuries
All this had to be dealt with by a manager who had just joined, the club.
Now they are expected to give a knee jerk reaction, sack him during the brief transfer window and leave the club with who, McAllister, Cowans, or even KMac in charge, lunacy.
Throwing money at the problem is not going to help much either, we have too many players who don't give a shit and yes, while another manager might improve that, can we be sure.
No.
Whatever the Board, Randy do, is not going to please some, he was in charge when the mighty Mon quit, yes he quit, so he must be wrong. I'm no fan of our position but I remember Boards who managed relegated Villa sides, Boards who took them into the old Div 3 and believe me I'd rather have Randy, his improvements and the 180 mill he's spent, wasted by Mon, than any of them thank you.
When I look at Blackburn, Blues and other clubs alternatives I think we should be thankful for Randy and Co, they may not be perfect, but using them as part of the blame game because we are in the relegation zone is no more than a cheap shot, a cheap shot by very fickle and disingenuous fans.

I know how I'd feel if I read some of the comments on here and I wouldn't be happy.

Very harsh words to accuse someone who profers genuine opinion based on reasoned questions and facts as fickle.

Two simple questions - 1. Is our club in a healthy position at the moment? 2. Who is ultimately responsible for the club - i.e. where does the buck stop?

We are not in a healthy position in my eyes, and the buck ultimately stops at the top. Therefore to criticise the board is perfectly justified and not fickle, even if they have been praised in the past for actions they took.

We are not in a healthy position on the pitch true but everywhere else we are doing fine, especially if funds are provided in January and the summer.
There is a whole gamut of problems that have led to the league position, Mons departure the epicentre, Mon's spending to create a team that collapses as soon as a few injuries hit major players, that injury list, and tiredness of not fully match fit returning players.
Perhaps ultimately the buck does stop at the Top, but after just one season when we have not had a nice easy time of it, I don't think so, but perhaps in your wisdom you see other problems in the past with the Board, problems us mere mortals have missed.
That's the trouble with Glory hunters as supporters, when things go wrong all they can do is apportion blame at all and sundry.
Thankfully the majority, perhaps the quiet majority, tend to see a more pragmatic view.
Things are not good, but there are plenty  to blame before posting cheap shots at the Board in my view.

[Chico Hamilton III]

We are not in a healthy position on the pitch true but everywhere else we are doing fine,

That's alright then.

[garyfouroaks]

Thankfully the majority, perhaps the quiet majority, tend to see a more pragmatic view.
Things are not good, but there are plenty  to blame before posting cheap shots at the Board in my view.

Quite so.

Randy, I am sure, would tackle some things differently in hindsight. But to blame our misfortune on bad Board judgement is an overstatement.

[sid1964]

I can guarantee that if Doug was in charge Houllier would have been invited to take a walk in Doug's garden morning and take at look at Dougs Roses!!

We need to employ a proper CEO, with experience and who knows how to run a football club, my choice would be David Dein (but he would probably cost too much!!)

[adam#1]

You were doing quite well in your response until you started with the sarcastic tone of "but perhaps in your wisdom you see other problems in the past with the Board, problems us mere mortals have missed.
That's the trouble with Glory hunters as supporters, when things go wrong all they can do is apportion blame at all and sundry."

Not sure why you feel the need to start hurling insult around, but it really devalues your viewpoint and ability to maintain a stance in a discussion (this is a discussion forum isn't it? not a slanging match forum?).

garyfouroaks - Inner Cycle was supposed to read Inner Circle. I still cannot hold MON exclusively responsible for the manner of his departure, I agree his departure looks petulant on his part but in any relationship it "takes two to tango" and therefore there has to be a degree of responsibility on the board for the failing of the "relationship". It cannot be they have no responsibility. 

Personally I'd have identified a better manager and gone all out to get him, but this would cost money and I think ultimately that has been the undoing here - indicators are there that there has been a seismic shift in the way the club is run on a financial footing and we are back to the Ellis way of doing things. Evidenced by a net gain in transfer fees, the lack of seeking of employed manager who would need to be bought out, the rigid wage structure preventing the transfer of a 19yr old from Le Havre, the signing of a loan player from Spurs and the general rumours coming out from the media in the last 12 months.

It all to me points to a business plan of lets buy this club, splash loads of cash and we'll be successful, followed by not quite achieving that, not wanting to just splash any more cash and so the party's over, no more big money and time to pay the credit card off.  It doesn't smack of good business development from the outset, just someone who wanted a football club plaything, who's realised its costing a bit too much and he's maxed out his credit card. It definitely feels like the party's over. In fact it felt like a really good house party that'd got to about 11pm, and just as you were expecting it to kick on into a great night, someone forget to feed the electric meter and has ran out of 50p pieces....

[5ft811st2 Durham]

I think that our current league position is largely attributable to the boards appalling decision to sell Milner to Man City when they could quite justifiably have delayed the deal until January following MON's departure.

If Milner had been available to play central midfield I am convinced that even with the clueless  GH as manager we would currently be no worse off than mid table.

[eastie]

The blame can be shouldered between the board , manager , coaches and players- all have made mistakes and bear some responsibilty for this mess - we can only hope that decent signings are made this month to improve things.

Regarding milner , he wanted to move and his contract was running down- cannot see how the board can be blamed for seiing him, we got a very good price but that money should have been reinvested on new players - hopefully it will be spent this month.

The boards major error was taking so long to appoint a manager and missing the transfer window as a result.

[Chris Jameson]

That's the trouble with Glory hunters as supporters, when things go wrong all they can do is apportion blame at all and sundry.

My eyes accidentally read something you posted and i've got to say that if it's 'glory' you're after you'd be a piss poor hunter to settle on Aston Villa.

[cdward]

The board invested/gambled on qualification to the CL, and we missed out.
Now as some have said the balance sheet doesn't look as healthy,  and with the likes of Man City throwing the money around Randy doesn't seem quite as rich, and maybe he realised the gamble didn't work.
However to criticise the board does seem harsh, as the decisions that have been made have been made with the right intentions, to bring success back to Aston Villa. There may have been mistakes, but they will really be learning the lessons of running a football club the hard way. As long as they have the heart for the long fight i believe in Randy and the board and as long as they are doing it for the right reasons i.e to make us a successful club again as opposed to lining their own pockets and inflating their own egos, then i will back them all the way.
It will be interesting to see what players we attract now. MON has been roundly criticised for getting players on high wages, but he always got them. You didn't hear of us missing out on many players.
I fear we will see us going back to days of old where we are linked with everybody and end up signing nobody or worse another Djemba Djemba as a last resort, if the board bottle it now.
We must be the only PL club ever to have not spent money on a player in a whole year, that is what is worrying me most, if the money has really dried up we will definitely go down.
The board must hold their nerve by making funds available, surely there must be at least £20m to spend.
I am no fan of Houllier, but the board need to prove they back him by making funds available and helping him build his own team.

[adam#1]

It'd be interesting to see the comparison between the likely current club value (assuming premiership survival and bouncing back to a top ten club) and the amount of money RAL has invested from his own pocket. I bet the sums are very similar.

I'm not knocking the board for the sake of knocking them, I just read so many posts where the board can do no wrong and are clearly altruists at heart with only the intention of doing whats good for villa that it narks me people are falling for such spin.  They are business people who picked this club up for a very good price, and I'm unconvinced they have demonstrated effective business management of our football club.

[Risso]

When the loans to the trust become repayable, and the club isn't worth enough on the open market to repay them, maybe Lerner will think back to this season and wish he'd acted differently.