Randy Lerner - How will his reign be remembered?

[aj2k77]

Assuming that a deal goes through and this doesn't drag on and on for seasons how do you think his reign will be remembered when the dust has settled?

When he came I thought he was the perfect fit. A very wealthy guy but one he really seemed to understand certain things about this club that we hold dear and feel proud of. The initial interviews where he talked of building something for the West Midlands and local community struck a chord and were backed up by the sponsorship deal.

I don't know exactly where the turning point was that made him draw up the bridge and retreat and decide his time was nearly up, was it the arrival of Man City's Gazzilionaires? The MON backstabbing? The Divorce? Houllier? Or even just the end of another punishing season where most things that can go wrong have? But the proud History Bright Future mantra had long been replaced by Young and Hungry.

I for one, now the anger of last season has subsidied a bit will look back on it quite fondly. The clubs communication wasn't good, we have been drifting for a while, we have lacked leadership and the transfers have been poor for too long but I will remember mostly that he gave it a go, a real go, not a Doug Ellis couple of players to shut you up go but genuinely backed the club to the hilt with his wallet for a while, Wembley twice in one season, better facilities, two genuine runs at the top four, the home game against Sheffield Utd, a belief that we were on the verge of something big enough anyway to pack 40,000+ constantly into Villa Park for the first time in 58 years.

So for me now, if he does as Doug before him did and sell to a better person to lead us forward then I'll be looking back fondly on the good period and putting out of my mind the mistakes of his naivety in football and hope the lessons have been learned and we don't make them again.

So cheers Randy it was fun, for a while.

[preston28]

Arrived full of promise and optimisim and left without achieving any on the field success.  However developed the training facilty and didn't leave us (hopefully) in the sh1t financially.

Sadly will always be linked to appointing TSM!!

[pauliewalnuts]

Spent a lot of money, shook things up for a few years, made some terrible decisions, abruptly lost interest, sold to good people.

[pauliewalnuts]

Sadly the thing I'll remember him most for was the biggest WTF? football moment I've ever had, when he appointed McLeish.

I still can't believe that.

[Dave]

Good intentions and bad levels of competence in equal measure.

[The Villa Werewolf]

At the risk of looking like I'm spamming the site, as this is the second time I've posted this link today, I published a blog on this just this morning.

It's at http://thomastparker.com/2014/05/13/lessons-lern-ed-as-villa-sale-looms/ if anyone's interested.

(Sorry mods, no more spam from me now!)

[Brend'Watkins]

Did everything brilliantly...Acorns, Ground, pub, BMH, hospitality, everything...except the bit that really counts.

[PaulWinch again]

As a person who always had Villa's best interests at heart, but unfortunately made some really poor decisions that ultimately have left Villa way below the standards we expected when he arrived.

[Meanwood Villa]

I shall remember like the shunammite

[rob_bridge]

Thanks for trying - wonderful generosity when compared with the previous incumbent.

I just wish the early big money had been (much) better managed by the first 2 managerial incumbents.

Oh and the smaller amounts available thereafter to the latter 2 incumbents.

The Road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions.

Counterbalanced against the well meaning albeit naeive approach was the abject and appaling football related decisions which emanated from the board.

Not having any sort of independent football person and one or two non lackey members of the board would have helped.

And as long as I draw breath I will never ever be able to fathom out the appointment of McLeish.

Why - because it screamed out to the fans. We have become SMALL TIME!!

Oh and appointing an unbelieveably inexperienced CEO, clearly out of his depth from Day 1 and letting him carry on for 4 years is non too wise.

[Richard E]

It possibly depends who he sells us to. If it is to someone who takes us to the next level then he will be remembered fondly. If it is more of the same then I think the good he has done will be overlooked in the future.

Like most people have said good intentions but not always well-executed or fulfilled.   

[Jimbo]

Randy Lerner has proved that success in football isn't just about money. How you run a football club is equally, if not more important than the investment you put into it.

At the beginning he put a lot of money into the 'project' but the club was effectively being run by MON. So you had a benevolent, principled owner with the best interests of the club at heart, who believed in letting his man have free reign. And that man was Martin O'Neill, who appears only to be interested in Martin O'Neill.

When MON flounced out, Randy was left to his own devices, and it was painfully obvious that he had no idea how to run a football club. It was a rude awakening for him. He made foolish appointments in Houllier (who was poor at Villa, whatever the revisionists say) and McLeish (the most baffling managerial appointment in the club's history). The letter to Fergie was more than a huge embarrassment for the club, it showed how out of touch and naive Randy was. We all had higher hopes for Lambert, but he also proved to be poor, yet Randy was apparently too weary to sack him and make another ill-advised appointment. He hadn't the stomach for it.

All the while, the spending was harshly reduced, which placed us in perilous danger for three consecutive seasons. And all the while, Randy refused to enlist help at board level in the form of a man who understands the game.

It was clear it couldn't go on the way it was. The fans, mostly loyal, supportive and in great numbers, were reaching breaking point. There was nobody at the club with the nous to steer us back on course. He had to go. Hopefully, he can sell to the right people. If they can invest as much as Lerner has, it'll put us on the right road; but they'll need to be much smarter than Lerner was when it comes to running the club. You need both for success.

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

Did everything brilliantly...Acorns, Ground, pub, BMH, hospitality, everything...except the bit that really counts.

Agreed.
Succinct.

[pauliewalnuts]

I shall remember like the shunammite

I'm getting a shunammite tattoo on my ankle.

Fact.

[Breezeblock]

There have been many faux-pas under Randy's tenure but for me the biggest bollock dropped by far was when they started playing Chelsea fucking Dagger after we scored.  I still cannot believe somebony at the club thought that was a good idea.