Doug or Randy?

[saunders_heroes]

Got to be Lerner. Ellis used AVFC as a vehicle of self promotion and used the club as his personal fifedom. Then screwed the fans for £11 a share when he made himself a fortune first time around and then sold the rest to Lerner for another small fortune. Forgive maybe, but never forget how he screwed us big time.

And you think we're not screwed now?

[mr underhill]

isn't this totally academic? If you love Aston Villa you carry on supporting the club no matter who is in charge, who is playing and in what division. I went to my first game in 1962 so have seen everything this club can throw at you good and bad. I've lost count of the number of times I've said to mysef, fuck it that's it, no more. And as soon as kick off time arrives again , nothing else but the Villa  matters. if we go down, we go down, it's happened before and we've come back from it.

[Shrek]

Doug

[saunders_heroes]

isn't this totally academic? If you love Aston Villa you carry on supporting the club no matter who is in charge, who is playing and in what division. I went to my first game in 1962 so have seen everything this club can throw at you good and bad. I've lost count of the number of times I've said to mysef, fuck it that's it, no more. And as soon as kick off time arrives again , nothing else but the Villa  matters. if we go down, we go down, it's happened before and we've come back from it.

Of course we still all love the Villa. Doesn't mean we have to accept the appalling way the club is being run.

[eastie]

A vote option would be useful here  , my vote would also go to HD  Ellis.

[aj2k77]

Poll added. It had to take some serious fuck up for people to want Doug back.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The only thing that worries me on this poll is the media getting hold of it and going to Town on it.

[eastie]

The only thing that worries me on this poll is the media getting hold of it and going to Town on it.

Doesn't worry me if lerner sees he's unpopular, doug lived with it for long enough.

Maybe he will sell up if he feels he's not wanted.  ( wishful thinking)

[dicedlam]

I'm not buying the revisionist 'Uncle Doug' crap. He was dreadful and Lerner is not doing any better. One thing I will say is at least Doug's mega ego meant he was always around, rather than our current peculiar reclusive absent owner.

From the early 90s to about 96/7, I was as proud to be a Villa fan as I've ever been.  Consistently good managers, great players, excellent football, nearly always around the top of the table and two trophies.  The current set up is a disgrace, and Lerner a c*** of the first water.

Nice comparison, neatly using the best of Ellis's time, the worst of Randy's and ignoring a couple of relegation battles.

Selective indeed.
Lets not forget also all the money The old c**t put into the club...

[5ft811st2 Durham]

Doug .only because he would not have gave MON the money to waste.

He would. The money wasted by Gregory  was at least the equal of MON. For example 100% losses on the likes of Stone,Dublin,Merson,Stone,Hadgi, Angel, Ginola, Balaban, and Alpay and significant  losses on Thompson, Watson adds up to around 50 million.

This profligacy was the start of our troubles and the reason that there was little money for Taylor and then O'Leary to spend.

If Randy hadn't bailed us out in 2006 we'd have probably been relegated over the next 2 seasons, which would have been Ellis's 2nd relegation from the top flight and 3rd in all.

Not that I've got much time for Lerner, for me these two clowns are as bad as each other. Ellis is still insisting that his sale to Lerner was great for Aston Villa, and he'll keep saying that even if we go down, simply because it was his decision and  with Doug it's always been about self justification first and foremost.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

No plans for the Holte to be renamed 'The Randy End` then ?

Be a nice birthday surprise for him. 

[go on the dog]

Can never forgive Doug for the treatment of Tony Barton!!!! We could have ruled the 80's if he had been allowed to manage us without the monkey on his back, And appointing Graham Turner and Billy McNeil

[dave.woodhall]

At least Ellis looked like he cared for the club. The prat we've got now couldn't give two shites.

The amount of money Lerner has put in since he's been here would prove you wrong.
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That'll be the amount of money he has LOANED to the club with interest after he bought a big premier league club on the cheap.

Doug, for all his faults, wouldn't have allowed our (once) great club to be turned into the laughing stock it now is.

Rotterdam to relegation in five easy years, Juninho, that list of proposed signings, "Do any of you know who this is?", the shares fiasco, his mate the Inter manager Henry Cooper, Robbie Keane.

[eastie]

At least Ellis looked like he cared for the club. The prat we've got now couldn't give two shites.

The amount of money Lerner has put in since he's been here would prove you wrong.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That'll be the amount of money he has LOANED to the club with interest after he bought a big premier league club on the cheap.

Doug, for all his faults, wouldn't have allowed our (once) great club to be turned into the laughing stock it now is.

Rotterdam to relegation in five easy years, Juninho, that list of proposed signings, "Do any of you know who this is?", the shares fiasco, his mate the Inter manager Henry Cooper, Robbie Keane.

Bit harsh dave, he didn't say "do any of you know who this is " - it was "how many of you know who this is"

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The failure to sign Keane had nothing to do with Ellis, It was Gregory who didn't think he was good enough for the fee required.
I also think Gregory's thinking might have been influenced by Siralex's comments saying that he would only 'pay about £500,000 for a player like that.'