Accounts Show Reduced Loss

[Rudy Can't Fail]

What else do people expect though? Should Lerner have just carried on writing off £50m a year to please you?

We had to do this, how bad things have been is more down to the fact that the people trusted to oversee it have been poor and there's been little by way of underlying philosophy behind it.  If you want to bitch about Lerner focus on the lack of footballing experience on the board or the choice of managers, moaning that he didn't want to carry on underwriting losses of £50m a year is plain wrong.

In terms of the actual accounts this ties in perfectly with What Russell said last year which was that we were pretty much on track now.

Nail on head.

[peter w]

Yes it was quick. The size of the debt meant something had to be done as wage to turnover was running at something crazy like 86%. But after Bent was bought to save the season our transfer policy was clearly cheap and young. It was always going to be risky and Lambert looked like he had a handle on it early in his reign. Anyway, that team needed experience added to it - and I don't just mean a 35 year-old but good proven players that would cost in the region of £40k per week. We were never looking there and so inevitably we get to where we are now.

[paul_e]

Yes it was quick. The size of the debt meant something had to be done as wage to turnover was running at something crazy like 86%. But after Bent was bought to save the season our transfer policy was clearly cheap and young. It was always going to be risky and Lambert looked like he had a handle on it early in his reign. Anyway, that team needed experience added to it - and I don't just mean a 35 year-old but good proven players that would cost in the region of £40k per week. We were never looking there and so inevitably we get to where we are now.

Cheap and young, N'zogbia? Given?

[Toronto Villa]

Now that we are here, my only concern is us being once again to be able to operate like a PL football club. This had to be done because the situation was crippling us, or would have. So when we stay up I would expect us to be shopping more consistently at better quality department store, while still on occasion picking up the odd bargain here and there.

[eamonn]

Yes it was quick. The size of the debt meant something had to be done as wage to turnover was running at something crazy like 86%. But after Bent was bought to save the season our transfer policy was clearly cheap and young. It was always going to be risky and Lambert looked like he had a handle on it early in his reign. Anyway, that team needed experience added to it - and I don't just mean a 35 year-old but good proven players that would cost in the region of £40k per week. We were never looking there and so inevitably we get to where we are now.

Cheap and young, N'zogbia? Given?

Exactly - Lerner, and by extension, Villa, have been bitten with nearly every £40k+ a week player that has been signed this decade. Through injury, bad form, poor motivation or whatever else, almost all of them have only left after seeing out most of their generous contracts with feck-all resale value. It's a wretched record, unsustainable and it's hardly suprising that Lerner had enough of it.

[ciggiesnbeer]

What else do people expect though? Should Lerner have just carried on writing off £50m a year to please you?

We had to do this, how bad things have been is more down to the fact that the people trusted to oversee it have been poor and there's been little by way of underlying philosophy behind it.  If you want to bitch about Lerner focus on the lack of footballing experience on the board or the choice of managers, moaning that he didn't want to carry on underwriting losses of £50m a year is plain wrong.

In terms of the actual accounts this ties in perfectly with What Russell said last year which was that we were pretty much on track now.

What he should have done is realizing the accounts were headed in the right direction spent much more this January to insure our survival. That doesn't mean 50million losses a year, it means appropriate spending last month when it was absolutely clear we would be at terrible risk of relegation unless we spent.

I am almost tempted to believe Lerner deliberately waited until after the window was closed to fire lambert so he wouldn't have to face the obvious questions about players needed to stay up from the new manager.

He has chosen to roll the dice yet again with us staying up without decent spending in January. I think his and our luck has run out. He made a bad decision and I blame him for it.

[silhillvilla]

Lerner set the tone I'm afraid.
You cannot run a club from the other side of the Atlantic.

[eamonn]

What else do people expect though? Should Lerner have just carried on writing off £50m a year to please you?

We had to do this, how bad things have been is more down to the fact that the people trusted to oversee it have been poor and there's been little by way of underlying philosophy behind it.  If you want to bitch about Lerner focus on the lack of footballing experience on the board or the choice of managers, moaning that he didn't want to carry on underwriting losses of £50m a year is plain wrong.

In terms of the actual accounts this ties in perfectly with What Russell said last year which was that we were pretty much on track now.

What he should have done is realizing the accounts were headed in the right direction spent much more this January to insure our survival. That doesn't mean 50million losses a year, it means appropriate spending last month when it was absolutely clear we would be at terrible risk of relegation unless we spent.

I am almost tempted to believe Lerner deliberately waited until after the window was closed to fire lambert so he wouldn't have to face the obvious questions about players needed to stay up from the new manager.

He has chosen to roll the dice yet again with us staying up without decent spending in January. I think his and our luck has run out. He made a bad decision and I blame him for it.

Well we definitely tried to sign Ricky Lambert at least and very likely, more. After the Arsenal horror-show Lambert (Paul) was talking about the possibility of more than one coming in (which was after Gil and Sinclair). Convincing players to come, without offering them crazy wages which has got us where we are, is another matter.

Besides, Lambert was happy enough to shop in Lidl as it's all he's ever done.

[dave.woodhall]

Lerner set the tone I'm afraid.
You cannot run a club from the other side of the Atlantic.

Like the Glazers don't?

[paul_e]

Lerner set the tone I'm afraid.
You cannot run a club from the other side of the Atlantic.

Like the Glazers don't?

Joe Lewis is totally hands on at Tottenham as well isn't he.

[SheffieldVillain]

Lerner set the tone I'm afraid.
You cannot run a club from the other side of the Atlantic.

Like the Glazers don't?

Joe Lewis is totally hands on at Tottenham as well isn't he.

And the Liverpool owners.

[dave.woodhall]

All of which shows that it doesn't matter where the board meetings are held or the owner spends matchday as long as they right people are in charge and the proper strategy implemented. Which is Randy's biggest failing.

[silhillvilla]

Lerner set the tone I'm afraid.
You cannot run a club from the other side of the Atlantic.

Like the Glazers don't?

You cannot compare us to them or Liverpool , they are global giants with well established boards , DoF's etc etc . Spurs are lucky they have such a brilliant CEO as Daniel Levy.
Btw I'm pretty sure the glazers and the pool owners attend far more than Lerner does .

[SheffieldVillain]

Lerner set the tone I'm afraid.
You cannot run a club from the other side of the Atlantic.

Like the Glazers don't?

You cannot compare us to them or Liverpool , they are global giants with well established boards , DoF's etc etc . Spurs are lucky they have such a brilliant CEO as Daniel Levy.
Btw I'm pretty sure the glazers and the pool owners attend far more than Lerner does .

So as Dave said, if you have the right people and structure in place, it doesn't matter where the owner lives. See also Southampton, if you want another club to compare to.

[silhillvilla]

But we don't . Therein lieth the problem.