The retrenchment of expenses plan and the future of the club

[olaftab]

The 32K  v Blackburn was shocking and I am sure a few thousand below  forecast budget. So a few more  under 35K  crowds and we may well have to take further measures.

[nigel]

Is there a Randy Out Brigade?
I see a Werewolf taking the piss and a few people who think Randy would sell if someone came up with the right money.
Certainly no Randy Out Brigade anyway.

There are people out there who want Randy out, I have encountered them on t'internet. 

There probably are, there are also people who want us to sell Gabby and others who think Habib Beye was a decent purchase, they are a small minority and in no way deserve the suffix 'brigade'.

I did say in a later post that "Brigade" was probably the wrong word to use.
You're right that there are a minority of every opinion, on another forum I go on, birmingham mail, there's a chap who thinks Barry Bannan is nothing more than an average prospect. Amazing!!
Frighteningly though, If Luke goes to QPR that opens up the right back berth to Habib Beye!!! aaaaaaaaagh 

[Archie]

I'm not sure you can read too much into this in terms of preparing the business for sale. What you can say for definite (I assume Archie is correct) is that the club has withdrawn these small perks from two groups of people that do more for the club than an average supporter.

Many of the staff are ardent supporters who will want to attend every game, their "salary package" has been reduced, the amounts may not be huge but it is something that will hit the lowest paid hardest.

The Lions club chairman are a group of people who do as much as any to promote the club throughout the world and those type of small perks help them to explain to people who don't know us, why Villa are "special".

I've no idea why a business of the size of AVFC would choose to cut costs in this way but when you see it happening, it's legitimate to wonder why they will have thought it necessary. What is going on in the minds of senior management to make them believe that cutting these miniscule expenses is a good thing to do?

Perfect.
This is what I'd have written if my English were better.
Thank you mate.

[Greg N'Ash]

The whole "cut the wage bill" mantra is beginning to resemble the post Gregory period where we were repeatedly told how everyone else would go bankrupt like leeds and Villa would rise from the ashes as a phoenix of good finances. That didn't work out, and neither will this, unless Lerner's plan is to turn us into Wigan.

[Dave Cooper please]

Frighteningly though, If Luke goes to QPR that opens up the right back berth to Habib Beye!!! aaaaaaaaagh 

Or Carlos Cuellar, or Ciaran Clark, or even Delph. Lichaj can play there too, don't let's depress ourselves with the thought of Happy Beye there just yet!

[PeterWithesShin]

As far as I know employees still get free season tickets, it's just cup games that they no longer get freebies for. The change in cup tickets is due, iirc, to the fact gate money is shared and so the freebie actually costs Villa money, rather than it is just a free perk that costs the club nothing.

[Irish villain]

We need an EU/IMF bailout. It's been a savage change in policy at the club, the whole place just reeks of austerity.

[Californian Villain]

The whole "cut the wage bill" mantra is beginning to resemble the post Gregory period where we were repeatedly told how everyone else would go bankrupt like leeds and Villa would rise from the ashes as a phoenix of good finances. That didn't work out, and neither will this, unless Lerner's plan is to turn us into Wigan.

It's exactly like the post-Gregory period, when, after a phase of buying highly priced players with little or no sell-on value the club had to make cut backs after the money ran out...

[ez]

Close the Holte Pub if its losing money.

[ChrissyPrice]

Close the top tier of Trinity Road on match days if today is anything to go by.

[Salsa Party Animal]

From what I learn from Randy Lerner. He had two business in two sporting teams and no other income coming in to keep his wealth up like Man City and Chelsea owners will oil/gas money keep coming in.

So Randy can't keep up the spending. I do think he is not wealthy enough for two teams but one team is doable.
 

[ozzjim]

He has either totally lost interest and could not care less, or is broke. As he has spent 5 years building and now has seemingly left us with the smallest group of senior players imaginable, and not replaced our 2 best players. If he is no longer interested, I would prefer him to simply say so and put it up for sale.

[pauliewalnuts]

He has either totally lost interest and could not care less, or is broke. As he has spent 5 years building and now has seemingly left us with the smallest group of senior players imaginable, and not replaced our 2 best players. If he is no longer interested, I would prefer him to simply say so and put it up for sale.

That's the thing.

It isn't that we're shipping out players and replacing them with cheaper ones, we're shipping out players and not replacing them, full stop.

The squad wasn't strong enough last season, so how does he expect it to do when it is so much weaker this season?

It really does look like he's totally lost interest and wants his money back.

[ozzjim]

I would not mind if he were looking to a sustainable strategy built on young players with sell on value to keep things going and solid scouting, so buying 19-23 year olds on wages of 25k rather than 50k, but the fire sale with no purchasing makes no sense.

[andyh]

I am sure that each of the 3 times I have walked past the Holte Pub this week, the gates have been locked and padlocked.
Is it shut now ?
Is this another cost cutting excercise ? It just adds to the air of a club that can longer be bothered.