Randy Lerner: a good owner? The case for the prosecution

[Legion]

Villanation are you a nose?

You clearly have absolutely no idea what goes on at Villa. Do your research and stop spouting crap. Cheers.

Please read the site rules. Cheers.

[Michel Sibble]

....an Arsenal fan said to me today when we where having a bit of banter, me about there lack of silverware and Wenger and him saying at least we have a decent manager, you can't buy one at the moment.

Tell your Arse-loving friend he can buy a European Cup on ebay, the cheeky twunt.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

What a load of shit and a waste of my time. Yawn.

[Redman]

I read this yesterday but didn't think any good could come from posting it.

But now there's a thread about it, no reason not to:

Why Villa are forced to look for their new boss on the cheap

Lerner, having invested £180m, decided that enough was enough

By Glenn Moore

They did not succeed, but when you examine their finances it is easy to understand why Aston Villa decided to pursue Roberto Martinez as their new manager in preference to Rafael Benitez and Mark Hughes.

This week's Deloitte report into football club spending laid bare the high price that Villa's owner Randy Lerner paid in attempting to break into the Champions' League bracket. The imminent departure of Ashley Young to Manchester United for £21 million underscores the fact that he has abandoned that mission.

The American bought Villa for £62m in September 2006. The previous season the club had a revenue of £49m, a wage bill of £38m (76 per cent of income), and had lost nearly £10m, two-thirds of which represented their net loss on transfers. Under David O'Leary they finished 16th.

Lerner set about lifting the club back into the top eight, where they had spent most of the previous decade. That season Martin O'Neill oversaw an improvement to 11th. A year later, Villa came sixth and made £5m profit before transfers as revenue increased to £75m. Wages were a healthy 67 per cent of turnover.

Everything looked very promising. Lerner had even won over the fans with some well-appreciated gestures like refurbishing the pub behind the Holte End. It was time to think big and challenge for the Champions' League.

However, making that next step proved very difficult. In the next two seasons revenue was increased to £91m, but wages rose faster to reach £80m (88 per cent of revenue). There was a net transfer spend of £58m, taking total losses to almost £100m. On the pitch Villa stood still, finishing sixth twice more, winning plaudits but falling away each season despite O'Neill sacrificing Uefa Cup campaigns.

Meanwhile, Manchester City had been taken over by a Sheikh whose oil wealth far outstripped Lerner's. City, spending £210m in transfers in that period, overtook Villa. So did Tottenham, their £49m two-year transfer spend and £20m per annum larger wage bill underpinned by a commercial operation which produced profits, after those wages had been paid, of £41m across those two seasons.

Lerner, having invested some £180m, decided enough was enough. Last summer transfer dealing was minimal, and turned a profit. Villa sold James Milner for £26m and bought Stephen Ireland for £8m. On the eve of the season, as these deals were being prepared, O'Neill walked out, apparently because he was unhappy that he could not re-invest all the Milner fee.

Tellingly his replacement was Gérard Houllier, a coach known for developing young talent, of which Villa have an excellent crop. True, Houllier was then given £24m to buy Darren Bent, but that was because Villa were suddenly in very real danger of relegation. Transfer dealing this summer is likely to be with a view to turning a profit, starting with Young's departure.

With Houllier's ill-health having forced his exit, Lerner is seeking a manager with a reputation for developing teams on tight budgets. He may now be thinking of an exit strategy, or he could just bide his time, waiting to see what impact Uefa's Financial Fair Play has on fees and wages.

Is it any wonder that owners, increasingly, see FFP as their saviour?

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/why-villa-are-forced-to-look-for-their-new-boss-on-the-cheap-2296408.html

[Risso]

What a load of shit and a waste of my time. Yawn.

Thanks for that insightful comment.  Topdeck has gone to the trouble of writing a thought provoking, considered piece, and whether you agree with him or not, there's no need for a response like that.

[Villanation]

Villanation are you a nose?

You clearly have absolutely no idea what goes on at Villa. Do your research and stop spouting crap. Cheers.

I'm not a nose, I've supported Aston Villa all my life, since the sixties, been there through the good and the bad times at Villa park, I've played at Villa park and played against an Aston Villa side back in the 70's beating them, my football as a youth was developed through what was then a Villa nursery team known as Stanley Star, it has always been that way and I now often play golf with one of the Villa Legends of the European cup side of the early eighties. No I'm not a nose....Cheers.

[Legion]

What a load of shit and a waste of my time. Yawn.

Thanks for that insightful comment.  Topdeck has gone to the trouble of writing a thought provoking, considered piece, and whether you agree with him or not, there's no need for a response like that.

Quite right.

[Witton Warrior]

....an Arsenal fan said to me today when we where having a bit of banter, me about there lack of silverware and Wenger and him saying at least we have a decent manager, you can't buy one at the moment.

Tell your Arse-loving friend he can buy a European Cup on ebay, the cheeky twunt.

If he's like the one on our office he only watches them when they come to VP 'cos I take him - very very quiet in the Holte End ;-)

[Ian.]

Villanation are you a nose?

You clearly have absolutely no idea what goes on at Villa. Do your research and stop spouting crap. Cheers.

I'm not a nose, I've supported Aston Villa all my life, since the sixties, been there through the good and the bad times at Villa park, I've played at Villa park and played against an Aston Villa side back in the 70's beating them, my football as a youth was developed through what was then a Villa nursery team known as Stanley Star, it has always been that way and I now often play golf with one of the Villa Legends of the European cup side of the early eighties. No I'm not a nose....Cheers.

Do we have to guess who you are?
Sorry Villanation but that reads like one of those panel quizes.

[The Left Side]

Randy is the best owner we have had and is a Villa man, we should not be questioning his committment to Villa, in my opinion!

[TheSandman]

I don't feel prepared to come to a verdict yet your honour.

Please give me and my fellow jurors a few more months to deliberate.

[Apyadg]

The time to judge Randy isn't when everyhting is going well, but nor is it the time when we're at our lowest under his reign. Our lowest league finish so far, and we;ve not announced a new manager. Obviously people will be disappointed at this time.

I'm confident that come the end of Randy's ownership, we'll all be sorry to see him go.

[Villanation]

The time to judge Randy isn't when everyhting is going well, but nor is it the time when we're at our lowest under his reign. Our lowest league finish so far, and we;ve not announced a new manager. Obviously people will be disappointed at this time.

I'm confident that come the end of Randy's ownership, we'll all be sorry to see him go.

I think this could be right, for me RL is classic of the American breed of chairman involved with any sport, he's there with the money, the organization but is happy to let the club and club manager get on with it, unlike for example Abramovich who employs a manager and then tells him exactly how to manage the club and who to buy.

So with that in mind we have managerial heaven for any manager, makes you think.

[dave.woodhall]

The time to judge Randy isn't when everyhting is going well, but nor is it the time when we're at our lowest under his reign. Our lowest league finish so far, and we;ve not announced a new manager. Obviously people will be disappointed at this time.

I'm confident that come the end of Randy's ownership, we'll all be sorry to see him go.

I think this could be right, for me RL is classic of the American breed of chairman involved with any sport, he's there with the money, the organization but is happy to let the club and club manager get on with it, unlike for example Abramovich who employs a manager and then tells him exactly how to manage the club and who to buy.

So with that in mind we have managerial heaven for any manager, makes you think.

Which has been his biggest mistake - too much power for his first manager. 

[Salsa Party Animal]

Randy will want to get the next appointment right otherwise he will waste a lot more money and find it even harder to keep up with Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City

I think Randy can afford to spend another 100 millions in next 4 years but after that he wouldn't want to do it anymore to protect his family fortune.