Graham Taylor: Randy Lerner should slash asking price to save club

[KevinGage]

“When Randy Lerner took over I was impressed. I thought he was going to show me that these billionaires could come in and successfully run the show.

“I thought Villa had done well and there was a plan. He has put a lot of his own money into Villa, but I began to be disturbed when people like Steve Stride, the best football club secretary I have ever worked with, left.

“At that point I thought something had gone wrong. Changes have been made that have not been for the good of the club.”

Stride left about a month after Lerner left.   So according to GT, things have been going wrong since 2006.  Even Randolph's harshest critics on here would cut him some slack up until at least 2010.

New broom, wanting to bring in their own people.  Not that unusual really, is it?

Also, at the time, I seem to recall that it was Stride who decided he wanted to quit anyway.  So unless Krulak put him under house arrest, I don't see how he could have been coerced into staying. 

[dave.woodhall]

“When Randy Lerner took over I was impressed. I thought he was going to show me that these billionaires could come in and successfully run the show.

“I thought Villa had done well and there was a plan. He has put a lot of his own money into Villa, but I began to be disturbed when people like Steve Stride, the best football club secretary I have ever worked with, left.

“At that point I thought something had gone wrong. Changes have been made that have not been for the good of the club.”

Stride left about a month after Lerner left.   So according to GT, things have been going wrong since 2006.  Even Randolph's harshest critics on here would cut him some slack up until at least 2010.

New broom, wanting to bring in their own people.  Not that unusual really, is it?

Also, at the time, I seem to recall that it was Stride who decided he wanted to quit anyway.  So unless Krulak put him under house arrest, I don't see how he could have been coerced into staying. 

He left a year later, which is when he said he wanted to go. They may not have made as much effort to keep him as they could have, and they definitely missed him from then on, but he's gone and now he's been out of football for almost a decade.

[Legion]

Steve Stride left through choice, under his own terms and when he wanted to.

[OCD]

Easy to ask someone to slash the price when it's not your tens of millions your suggesting should be written off. And by slashing the price you encourage the likes of Yeung, the chicken farmers etc to sniff around.

A better way to encourage investment (and the right kind) would be to stabilise the club and getting it heading in the right direction on and off the pitch to make it attractive again. Between Fair Play and 4 straight seasons where there's been a very real possibility of relegation would put anyone off.

[Villafirst]

I'll say it again: There are no football people at board level. GT would be ideal.

[Diablo]

Reading between the lines it looks as though Sir Graham isn't that impressed with the appointment of Tim Sherwood - or at the very least the amount of time he's been given to save us from the drop.

[dave.woodhall]

I'll say it again: There are no football people at board level. GT would be ideal.

I agree with the first point but not the second. He's retired and in his seventies; club ambassador yes, but not anything day to day.

[class-of-82]

Why don't randy from a business point of view sell a controlling stake.
Someone buys that stake we stay up and his remaining say 25% is worth considerbly more.
Then sell his remaining stake

[ciggiesnbeer]

Why don't randy from a business point of view sell a controlling stake.
Someone buys that stake we stay up and his remaining say 25% is worth considerbly more.
Then sell his remaining stake

No buyers at any price I would imagine. The Hull owner openly said he will give away the club and yet he can't. At least 3 other clubs are widely known to be up for sale. No buyers.

Why would you? The FFP racket means it is now next to impossible to invest in a team to challenge for the top spots. That means any buyer is getting a club that it is impossible to grow beyond mid table because the FFP fix is in place. Thats a rather unattractive option for someone wanting to buy a club to win things.

[Ron Manager]

The most telling point GT makes is that the people running the club are non-football people. Madness to get rid of Steve Stride.

I thought he stayed until 2007 and then resigned?

I think you are right. Graham Taylor was upset that Mr Lerner didn't seem interested in his views.

[Risso]

I've no doubt that Steve Stride was an extremely good football administrator, but not having him isn't what's caused the mess of the last few years, and I doubt he'd have survived very long with Martin O'Neill in charge in any case.

[Dave]

No buyers at any price I would imagine. The Hull owner openly said he will give away the club and yet he can't.

He has said that, but he's very much from the Ellis school of saying things that make him look newsworthy that he doesn't mean.

[dave.woodhall]

I've no doubt that Steve Stride was an extremely good football administrator, but not having him isn't what's caused the mess of the last few years, and I doubt he'd have survived very long with Martin O'Neill in charge in any case.

I'm not sure because one of Steve's many talents was knowing when to keep quiet. 

[villan from luton]

Steve Stride was a proper Villa man and he ensured things were kept in house

[Risso]

I've no doubt that Steve Stride was an extremely good football administrator, but not having him isn't what's caused the mess of the last few years, and I doubt he'd have survived very long with Martin O'Neill in charge in any case.

I'm not sure because one of Steve's many talents was knowing when to keep quiet. 

Which is another sign of a good admin person, but not one who makes any strategic difference.