Radio WM

[danlanza]

That was one of the most calm, collected and sensible callers you could get and according to Franks he was talking "Utter garbage". I would like him to explain exactly what bit was garbage.

Maybe the fact that the caller was telling the truth and had Franks'y lost for words. Nice to see Franks'y getting some of his own medicine. Twunt he is.

[eastie]

As I said earlier - they can criticise all they like, provided they do it with balance. Did they ever have a bad word to say about Doug? 

Doug came in for lots of criticism on rado wm during his reign - Ian winter used to be the front man at the time though .

[peter w]

have a pop at the biggest club in the Midlands and get peoplecallin in.That's all there is to it. WM doesn't get advertising revenue so using a poor 'front man' like franks makes him sound ridiculous, but is a means to an end. WM is poor for sport so needs to take a differentangle to otherstations otherwise its lost. Be anti the big-club get the other clubs around us on their a bit more and itattracts a different target audience. That's all they've got left.

The last time it was good for sport was when it hadthe Cheggars Play Pop tune accompanying goals. Since that its irrelevant. Decent strategy nowadays but long-term its doomed to small-time parochial failure.

[saunders_heroes]

Franks is getting a bit of stick from a Villa fan on WM now about his comments after the Hull game. Apparently he said stuff along the lines of "where do Villa go from here" type guff after the 0-0 draw. Sadly though Franks isn't there. He's wagging it.

[Matt Collins]

Maybe they think it is worth labouring the point about a total lack of ambition from the owner who is now no better than Doug on his best day...ie not spending one penny of his own cash.

A why should he?

B I'm pretty sure he has spent upwards of £300m of his own cash despite being massively burned by the financial crisis?

[kippaxvilla2]

Maybe they think it is worth labouring the point about a total lack of ambition from the owner who is now no better than Doug on his best day...ie not spending one penny of his own cash.

A why should he?

B I'm pretty sure he has spent upwards of £300m of his own cash despite being massively burned by the financial crisis?

A) He doesn't have to.  However, if you run a Premier League football club then normally you are required to spend cash to even stand still if you have any ambitions towards success.  If not, what is the point of him owning the club?

B) I feel sure that having loaned the club the money to buy it in the first place through his own limited company vehicle, I am prepared to wager that he will recoup any of his own funds once he has sold up.  That is of course assuming he spent 'his own' cash.

[dave.woodhall]

Maybe they think it is worth labouring the point about a total lack of ambition from the owner who is now no better than Doug on his best day...ie not spending one penny of his own cash.

A why should he?

B I'm pretty sure he has spent upwards of £300m of his own cash despite being massively burned by the financial crisis?

A) He doesn't have to.  However, if you run a Premier League football club then normally you are required to spend cash to even stand still if you have any ambitions towards success.  If not, what is the point of him owning the club?

B) I feel sure that having loaned the club the money to buy it in the first place through his own limited company vehicle, I am prepared to wager that he will recoup any of his own funds once he has sold up.  That is of course assuming he spent 'his own' cash.

A) No you aren't. In fact, how many owners do?

B) Yes he did. So all he needs is someone with £300 million to pay him back, plus another few hundred million to spend on  players, with the guarantee that as soon as they stop spending they'll be told to sell up to someone else. I can't understand why there isn't a queue of applicants.

[Bill Locky]

I get the impression that when Randy came in Radio WM expected to be going on Champions League junkets, and when that didn't materialise it led to resentment. 
On the other side of the coin, they would be just as critical if Villa did a Leeds and ended up with an unsustainable financial situation chasing Champions League qualification.
Also, because they don't get any exclusive media access, to which they as a local station believe they are entitled, leads to further resentment that while Villa are in the Premier League, they need Aston Villa more than the club needs them.   

[dave.woodhall]

I get the impression that when Randy came in Radio WM expected to be going on Champions League junkets, and when that didn't materialise it led to resentment. 
On the other side of the coin, they would be just as critical if Villa did a Leeds and ended up with an unsustainable financial situation chasing Champions League qualification.
Also, because they don't get any exclusive media access, to which they as a local station believe they are entitled, leads to further resentment that while Villa are in the Premier League, they need Aston Villa more than the club needs them.   

I think you're spot on. I particularly think that WM, for some reason, believe that Randy has a duty to speak to them and they've never got over the fact that to get news from Villa Park they have to work at it.

[pauliewalnuts]

I get the impression that when Randy came in Radio WM expected to be going on Champions League junkets, and when that didn't materialise it led to resentment. 
On the other side of the coin, they would be just as critical if Villa did a Leeds and ended up with an unsustainable financial situation chasing Champions League qualification.
Also, because they don't get any exclusive media access, to which they as a local station believe they are entitled, leads to further resentment that while Villa are in the Premier League, they need Aston Villa more than the club needs them.   

I think you're spot on. I particularly think that WM, for some reason, believe that Randy has a duty to speak to them and they've never got over the fact that to get news from Villa Park they have to work at it.

Pat Murphy is a good example of that.

I kind of agree with him when he says that Randy has a duty to make himself heard every now and then as the custodian of a massively important local institution. What I don't agree with is the way in which Murphy - an otherwise good journalist, not prone to hysterics - seems to let it colour everything he says about the club.

See also, to a certain extent, Neil Moxley, whose reporting on Villa seems to waver between extremes, extremes which seem to me to be about how much he's got the hump with the club at any given time.

[dave.woodhall]

I don't think it has to be Randy, but I do think it should be someone of credibility (see the thread from a few weeks ago).

I certainly agree that Pat Murphy - for whom I have always had a great deal of respect - sulked for years on the subject while Neil Moxley - someone who I also like and respect - appears to let his personal feelings on certain individuals colour his judgement. 

[peter w]

I don't think it has to be Randy, but I do think it should be someone of credibility (see the thread from a few weeks ago).

Maybe that's what the General was here for. also, I think he'd be welcomed back to do that very job.

[dave.woodhall]

I don't think it has to be Randy, but I do think it should be someone of credibility (see the thread from a few weeks ago).

Maybe that's what the General was here for. also, I think he'd be welcomed back to do that very job.

He was always a PR man, certainly not to be wheeled out for the media

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't think it took very long when the General started posting for the faults with that approach to be made pretty clear.

As I believe you pointed out yourself from time to time, Peter.

*wink*

[peter w]

I was anti him because he was purely PR.

I think if he came back and was honest from the outset about his job he'd be welcomed by most fans, if not all.