Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: wozwebs on May 18, 2016, 06:49:27 PM
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Same old usual nonsense. I swear he writes these pissed up
Goodbye to all that…
Announcement of agreement to sell Aston Villa to Tony Xia
In spite of my personal affection for reading history I have come to trust the future more than the past. And when I refer to the 'past,' I do so lightly and lightheartedly. I refer to recent accounts - mostly in the press regarding the sale of the Club, that are so many miles from accuracy or truth that I can only assume that they too were written by people whose tongues were firmly embedded in their respective cheeks. It is football after all.
As I've said, it was my hope that ownership and custodianship of the Club would have been transferred some years ago when I knew that personal and professional matters made it impossible for me to contribute the time I did in my first five years with the Club. Time and immersion that is crucial to any formula for success. Still, fates are fickle in football so that we could claw back to safety last season, end up at Wembley at a Cup Final sitting amongst old friends!, and then spend the 2015/16 campaign at Bannockburn!
As I expect this to be my last message to supporters through the Villa website I thought it worth reiterating that my approach from the beginning, consistent with my longstanding affection for The Trinity, was in three parts: Villa Park infrastructure, Bodymoor Heath infrastructure and the Villa squad. I have a sneaking suspicion that my best chance of any tolerable memories in this regard will lie with the father and son of this trinity…! In the end, however, so many wonderful young players came through Villa during my time and it is to them and supporters alike whom I am indebted. Also, of course, I wish - without mentioning names, to say thank you to countless people with whom I worked at Villa Park and BMH who have touched me personally and from whom I have learned so much.
Finally, being conscious of the popular and dark pastime of wondering aloud how much was spent, or lost, I should like to think that I 'left behind' value which will hopefully endure and benefit this beloved old Club. In being sadly more than tone deaf, I'll not weakly risk trying to sound any positive notes. But what I will say is that if spending to restore and preserve the wonderful Jacobean Holte Hotel at the southern tip of the Ground, or researching and adding the Holte End mosaic as a nostalgic nod to that wonderful Leitch Stand of our past, add to the tally of personal losses then I can offer no counter argument other than to say I would do the same all over!
It is here that the agreement I wish to announce with Tony Xia ties into my short narrative: Tony has built his career around infrastructure. He is certainly a hugely successful businessman but importantly for me he is passionate about architecture, site design and planning. His commitment to invest in the squad, and leadership at Bodymoor Heath was expressed early on but as we visited together, and had some unrushed time to discuss his plans, Tony's excitement to develop Villa Park shone through. I remain convinced that this is a crucial part of the Club's future as it provides a critical, long-term second source of revenue and therefore sustainability for the Club from which squad-funding can potentially come.
It is with that that I want to say thank you, and to wish Tony every success going forward.
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Sounds like Tony wants to make the ground bigger and use extra revenue to buy players. Doesn't sound too great does it. Walk before we can run perhaps?
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Goodbye to all that? WTF
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Robert Graves? Bannockburn? 'Dark pastimes'? What the fuck is he on about? Is one of those pastimes sniffing Mr Muscle?
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Presumably "Bannockburn" means getting a bloody good hiding. It also alludes to his penchant for all things Scottish...
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Farewell Randy.
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Fruitcake
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Doesn't make much sense does it
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No apology for 6 years of utter garbage? The bloke is deluded!
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"narrative" - he said "narrative"...
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The guy is an absolute idiot.
Thank lord you are gone. Dumbass.
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"narrative" - he said "narrative"...
Is it a false one?
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Imagine working for him? No wonder we're where we are. Basket case
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Away with the fairies. Probably spent the last five year wistfully reminiscing about Villa Park at dinner parties while the club went to pieces. Judging by his last few offerings, the bloke seems totally detached from reality.
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lerner deluded twonk,
just put a few quid on us winning the championship with coral 14/1
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Sounds like Tony wants to make the ground bigger and use extra revenue to buy players. Doesn't sound too great does it. Walk before we can run perhaps?
Thats how I read it, to develop the ground and market it and generate any kind of Revenue stream will take years - and in the meantime he will need to finance us directly from his own pocket to a degree. The Chinese have a saying : "May you live in interesting times" - it is actually a veiled curse apparently, only time will tell if Doctor Xia is our blessing - or our curse.
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no one can be as short sighted as lerner, can they??
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Well, I have to go now, Randy, because I'm due back on the planet Earth.
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I believe he is a little disconnected from the normal world that we have to live in. Would you trust someone who could come out with such utter bilge to get things right. I wonder if our new owners have an hidden agenda that does not involve Aston Villa FC.
In time we shall find out.
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Aston Villa supporter Dekuip, aged over 50, posted this comment just days after watching his already relegated club lose again:
"After a lifetime of reading some of the tripe football journalists come up with I've quite enjoyed Randy's obscure ramblings."
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This is fascinating! He sounds like an elderly actor giving a speech after his last encore. He's got some fucking neck, I'll give him that! Does he think we're all going to go moisty-eyed at the thought of his bloody mosaic? How can he possibly presume to bow out gracefully after what's happened "on his watch"?
Unless... unless... There's a chance he genuinely believes he's departing as the thoughtful custodian he always said he was. That he really thinks he's "done his bit, but now it's time to move on", like the aged chairman of a south coast bowls club. I said the other week I felt sorry for him, now I honestly worry about his state of mind.
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I really worry about his state of mind.
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Nurse, that funny Mr Lerner has been typing again and now he is standing at the window in his pyjamas waving his Todger and shouting bring me my shumanite.
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I think he did some admirable things, that his heart was in the right place but perhaps through a bad combination of naiivety and arrogance everything he did footballwise turned to death.
I don't hate the guy but there's no escaping that the statistically worst Villa team ever happened on his watch. Custodianship.
I still think had O'Neill invested better with the infinite money he had and then not flounced off in the manner he did, things really could have been different. That said, we should have had enough about us as an organisation to absord that hit, roll up sleeves and crack on. Instead we folded.
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Fcuk off Lerner.
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Take your money Lerner and never darken the Villa Park doors again. Gone and best forgotten .
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Strange that of all the off the pitch work he did do (and can be respected for ie Holte pub and mosaic) his 'narrative' makes no mention of Acorns which for me, was the one thing he could reflect on with honour.
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It does seem like something he wrote in a rush, a bit 'stream of consciousness'.
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If installing a mosaic (as nice as it is) is one of highlights of his tenure, then I think we are well rid.
I can't help feeling a tiny tinge of sympathy for the bloke, but ultimately he is the victim of his own failings.
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I don't hate the bloke but he did massively bollocks everything up and that is what he will mainly be remembered for. I'm glad he's sold up and hopefully it's to the right people!
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I think he did some admirable things, that his heart was in the right place but perhaps through a bad combination of naiivety and arrogance everything he did footballwise turned to death.
I don't hate the guy but there's no escaping that the statistically worst Villa team ever happened on his watch. Custodianship.
I still think had O'Neill invested better with the infinite money he had and then not flounced off in the manner he did, things really could have been different. That said, we should have had enough about us as an organisation to absord that hit, roll up sleeves and crack on. Instead we folded.
i agree, we and he never recovered from MOn and I have lots more dislike for him than I have for Lerner.
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We weren't relegated by O'Neill, we were relegated by Lerner. Good riddance to the gormless loon.
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I think he did some admirable things, that his heart was in the right place but perhaps through a bad combination of naiivety and arrogance everything he did footballwise turned to death.
I don't hate the guy but there's no escaping that the statistically worst Villa team ever happened on his watch. Custodianship.
I still think had O'Neill invested better with the infinite money he had and then not flounced off in the manner he did, things really could have been different. That said, we should have had enough about us as an organisation to absord that hit, roll up sleeves and crack on. Instead we folded.
i agree, we and he never recovered from MOn and I have lots more dislike for him than I have for Lerner.
Same. As I say, we should have had enough about us to handle that situation but the way MON left was designed to fuck us over. Lerner didn't end up doing much good (in a parrallel universe we won three cups and the Europa League AND the Peace Cup in his time) but I don't think he ever intended for us to be brought so low.
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And with that it's a fuck off from me. Absolutely run us in to the ground. We have a ground, training ground, supporters and apart from that a complete shell of a club.
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If nothing else, Lerner's consistent in his bizarre ramblings. I guess he knows what he's trying to say, even if no one else does.
Anyway, I don't have any grievance's with him, he tried, he failed & lost a load of money in the process. We had a few great days but an awful lot of shite for the best part of 4 years. Because he was genuine, he was cut an awful lot of slack. I doubt the fans will be so generous in future.
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As much as Randy has damn near crippled us over the years, you cannot deny that he has sold us for a song having lost a feckin shit load of cash in the process.
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If only he had sold up in 2014.
For him and for us.
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If you put it in the context that Small Heath were sold in 2009 for £80m (agreed at massively overpriced) then he really has ruined his asset.
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I don't dislike him. I think he had good intentions but was massively incompetent. A bit like me in all my jobs.
I didn't waste quite so much money though.
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Sad that the Lerner era has ended as it has, it promised - and very nearly delivered - so much, Wembley appearances, Top six finishes and the initial feel-good factor are all to be fondly remembered, not so the disastrous appointments of Mcleish and others, the Financial over indulgence of MON, the long overdue ending of the Lambert era, a manager the fans wanted and Lerner to his credit delivered, all this a pre-cursor to the final and almost inevitable relegation from the top tier of English football, sadly, History will not judge Lerner kindly, a harsh epitaph for a man who always respected the Traditions of the club and spent and lost a considerable amount of his money In doing so, speaking personally, I wish him well although I know I will be in the minority to be so gracious - so be it.
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I think he did some admirable things, that his heart was in the right place but perhaps through a bad combination of naiivety and arrogance everything he did footballwise turned to death.
I don't hate the guy but there's no escaping that the statistically worst Villa team ever happened on his watch. Custodianship.
I still think had O'Neill invested better with the infinite money he had and then not flounced off in the manner he did, things really could have been different. That said, we should have had enough about us as an organisation to absord that hit, roll up sleeves and crack on. Instead we folded.
i agree, we and he never recovered from MOn and I have lots more dislike for him than I have for Lerner.
Same. As I say, we should have had enough about us to handle that situation but the way MON left was designed to fuck us over. Lerner didn't end up doing much good (in a parrallel universe we won three cups and the Europa League AND the Peace Cup in his time) but I don't think he ever intended for us to be brought so low.
THIS
Once MON went he was poorly advised about everything. He chose the wrong people to make the important decisions. It was only the last couple of months that he actually had a board with football knowledge and he managed to fuck that up. Unfortunately all the good things he did for this club will be forgotten.
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I think we're all feeling better now we're not owned by the bastard offspring of Howard Hughes and Miss Havisham.
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He really ought not to do meth before he writes these things.
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Great! I nowawait publication of Flabby's farewell "Tararabit. Haterz" on Pravda.
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I don't dislike him. I think he had good intentions but was massively incompetent. A bit like me in all my jobs.
I didn't waste quite so much money though.
That's my take on him too. Now that it's over we can (hopefully) look to the future with hope and just pretend that 2010 - 2016 never happened.
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C- overuse of exclamation marks. See me you clown!
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Strange that of all the off the pitch work he did do (and can be respected for ie Holte pub and mosaic) his 'narrative' makes no mention of Acorns which for me, was the one thing he could reflect on with honour.
Good observation.
I actually respond to this 'sign-off' with a degree of empathy. He was clearly completely out of his depth and has sold for £5m less than he bought the club. He left behind £200m+ in poorly-invested funds - apart from those that went into Acorns and infrastructure.
He has basically been mugged off (by his own naivety) but is still prepared to release an admittedly slightly-rambling pr to sign off.
I'm not offended by this, even if he could have cut the deal with Xia before relegation (it would have cost him nothing to have sold at £60m 5 months' ago).
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Well Randy, you came into it with best intentions but royally fucked it up. At least you realised this and have tried to get out, and finally have. Personally I despise most of the current squad more than Lerner, it's more a feeling of disappointment than anger for him.
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Strange that of all the off the pitch work he did do (and can be respected for ie Holte pub and mosaic) his 'narrative' makes no mention of Acorns which for me, was the one thing he could reflect on with honour.
Good observation.
I actually respond to this 'sign-off' with a degree of empathy. He was clearly completely out of his depth and has sold for £5m less than he bought the club. He left behind £200m+ in poorly-invested funds - apart from those that went into Acorns and infrastructure.
He has basically been mugged off (by his own naivety) but is still prepared to release an admittedly slightly-rambling pr to sign off.
I'm not offended by this, even if he could have cut the deal with Xia before relegation (it would have cost him nothing to have sold at £60m 5 months' ago).
I'm the same - its a shame he didn't sell a few years back, even last year. I find it hard to dislike him after the ellis years he gave us hope. He genuinely seems to value the football club as more that what happens on the pitch, but when it boils down to it that's the most important thing. I hope that this decision to sell to Recon is a decision he gets right - because the last few major decisions have been disastrous.
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Thanks for the first 4 years or so Randy. It started off with a brilliant buzz and fanfare but fizzled out during the last 6 years.
There was some good things and plenty of bad, however I really do believe he cared deep down but was out if his depth and had his hands tied by the trust. Maybe if we had some decent level of management structure above MON in the early years and even right after it might have turned out different.
Farewell and I really hope your last appointment will finally be a good, or great one.
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It wouldnt suprise me if he wa quoting £150m 6 months ago. Now a desparate seller means the price tumbles big time
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As much as Randy has damn near crippled us over the years, you cannot deny that he has sold us for a song having lost a feckin shit load of cash in the process.
Which speaks volumes about how poorly he has run the club.
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Thanks for the first 4 years or so Randy. It started off with a brilliant buzz and fanfare but fizzled out during the last 6 years.
There was some good things and plenty of bad, however I really do believe he cared deep down but was out if his depth and had his hands tied by the trust. Maybe if we had some decent level of management structure above MON in the early years and even right after it might have turned out different.
Farewell and I really hope your last appointment will finally be a good, or great one.
Agree
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I think he came in with the best of intentions and the mistakes and poor decisions he made haven't just cost us, they've cost him as well. I don't resent him for it though. Let's hope he's left us in good hands.
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Everything else aside, that statement is complete nonsense and sums the man up. An utter luatic who I'm happy to see the back of. Thinks he's fucking Shakespeare.
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Reading this I can only conclude Randy is unwell or we had no one left in PR who could edit the statement.
He came with the best intentions, along the way we had some good times and he did some things for the club off the field which he can be proud of. However the last 5 years has been a total nightmare and I feel tomorrow is like a fresh start for all of us. So if there is a lesson for the new custodians it is simply this - we are a football club and if we are not winning football matches the rest doesn't matter. Up the Villa 😉
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I feel sorry for him. He desperately wanted it all to succeed. He put the money in and some effort too certainly at the beginning. But, as he stated, professional and personal issues got in the way. Couple that with too much faith in his appointment of key and unsuitable personnel and you have the recipe for disaster that unfolded. As stated, it would have been the best for all parties to have found the buyer 2 years ago. Thanks for the acorns deal, very classy. Thanks for BMH. Thanks for the ground improvements. Thanks also for the restoration of the Holte Hotel which adds to the appearance of the area and makes for a much more pleasant walk to the ground. It's a late Victorian building Randy, not Jackobean.
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History will be kinder on Lerner.
His great work initially on the infrastructure of the club stadium Holte pub and Bodymoor leaves a legacy that our new custodian can benefit from.
He lost interest, lost money and lost our premiership status but we will have to go backwards to go forwards hopefully and now we go onwards and upwards.
We've got our Villa back (I hope) !
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I don't think he's right in the head I really don't
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All I can say is that I understand why he is so reluctant to give interviews.
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Goodbye
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I feel sorry for him. He sounds like rich spoiled child writing about their hobby for Sir to mark after the summer recess has finished.
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It reads better when you imagine it set to the baz Luhrmann sunscreen backing track.
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Haha.
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His dad must be spinning in his grave at the waste and mess his son has created.
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Good riddance you fuckin idiot.
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Couldn't see it elsewhere but article from across the pond:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/05/former_cleveland_browns_boss_r.html
Sums it all up really.... Nice but dim ;)
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I think he did some admirable things, that his heart was in the right place but perhaps through a bad combination of naiivety and arrogance everything he did footballwise turned to death.
I don't hate the guy but there's no escaping that the statistically worst Villa team ever happened on his watch. Custodianship.
I still think had O'Neill invested better with the infinite money he had and then not flounced off in the manner he did, things really could have been different. That said, we should have had enough about us as an organisation to absord that hit, roll up sleeves and crack on. Instead we folded.
I appreciate the work that went into the club for the first 5 years and agree with the comments above.
Thank you, Randy, for the good times! There were quite a few, early on. Thanks for the redevelopment of BH and Villa Park.
I like your statement. Good luck for the future.
I hope that you can visit and cheer along with the rest of us at VP, some time.
UTV,
Louzie0
PS. It's never too late to play, Guess The Crowd! Opening again for next season on here, July.
I hope that your love of Aston Villa brings you back as a visiting fan in the future.
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Couldn't see it elsewhere but article from across the pond:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/05/former_cleveland_browns_boss_r.html
Sums it all up really.... Nice but dim ;)
An interesting set of numbers regarding the sale values quoted and final sale price.
;)
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After reading that I've come over all romantically nourished.
Lerner did some good things, he did some very bad things and for much of the time he did nothing.
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Fuck off you absolute bellend. Good riddance.
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Couldn't see it elsewhere but article from across the pond:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/05/former_cleveland_browns_boss_r.html
Sums it all up really.... Nice but dim ;)
Reads as a pretty spot on depiction to me too.
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He fell in love with the idea of owning an institution that sums up the history of English football, like a teenager with his first love his dick made all the decisions not his brain and from that he totally forgot the important thing about Aston Villa or any football club, the supporters like nice surroundings, but it does not make watching shit on the pitch any more acceptable, jusy because theres a nice pub at the end of the road and a tiled picture as you enter. A fool and his money, byre bye Randy.
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I never in my wildest dreams Randy thought i would be as happy to see the back of you as i was Deadly Doug.I will never forget you that is for sure.
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Thanks for the first 4 years or so Randy. It started off with a brilliant buzz and fanfare but fizzled out during the last 6 years.
There was some good things and plenty of bad, however I really do believe he cared deep down but was out if his depth and had his hands tied by the trust. Maybe if we had some decent level of management structure above MON in the early years and even right after it might have turned out different.
Farewell and I really hope your last appointment will finally be a good, or great one.
Well put Ian J. I think he just got more and more out of his depth as time went on. A bit like a recreational drug user who discovered crack.
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Comments that are about as "romantically nourishing" as a brand new house brick.
Perhaps Randy should have gone on the "Grand Designs" T.V. architecture and property show or even better
"Location, Location, Location" on the basis that our defenders, midfield and attackers were never in the right location during the 2015/16 season.
I think Randolph got seriously muddled and thought that Doug was selling him Aston Hall and not Aston Villa.
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Its very much in the style of a Nostradamus quatrain.
I like it.
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I'm going to miss the missives...
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His statement reminds me of Captain Blackadder sat with underpants on his head and pencils up his nose ... WIBBLE !
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His statement reminds me of Captain Blackadder sat with underpants on his head and pencils up his nose ... !
wibble
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Completely and utterly insane.
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I have been rather busy in recent weeks both work and personal so have not been as active and avid as prior times on this site.
Still, I had to check this was on the Official website to check this wasn't some sort of obscure, clever spoof by one of the more creative H&V minds.
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His statement reminds me of Captain Blackadder sat with underpants on his head and pencils up his nose ... !
Wibble.
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His statement reminds me of Captain Blackadder sat with underpants on his head and pencils up his nose ... !
It's more Mad King George III in Blackadder for me. Penguin.
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One thing about it seems to suggest he was over here negotiating with Dr Tone face to face.
"It is here that the agreement I wish to announce with Tony Xia ties into my short narrative: Tony has built his career around infrastructure. He is certainly a hugely successful businessman but importantly for me he is passionate about architecture, site design and planning. His commitment to invest in the squad, and leadership at Bodymoor Heath was expressed early on but as we visited together, and had some unrushed time to discuss his plans, Tony's excitement to develop Villa Park shone through. I remain convinced that this is a crucial part of the Club's future as it provides a critical, long-term second source of revenue and therefore sustainability for the Club from which squad-funding can potentially come."
Suprised we hadn't heard he was here if that was true and puts the Mail's "Hollis in China" quotes into doubt. Also suggests Randy had a far greater role in the sale than we would (like to?) believe!
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He had the best intentions, and as others have said, not least with Acorns
He so obviously lost interest and so farewell to him.
But Steve Hollis deserves our respect for driving this through, which in normal circumstances would be difficult, but from the outside it hasnt looked straightforward.
I wish Steve all the best.
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He had the best intentions, and as others have said, not least with Acorns
He so obviously lost interest and so farewell to him.
But Steve Hollis deserves our respect for driving this through, which in normal circumstances would be difficult, but from the outside it hasnt looked straightforward.
I wish Steve all the best.
He succeeded where the Bank of America failed.
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Do you think Randy sees the irony of the title he uses, given that much of Robert Grave's homonymous autobiography is spent describing the devastation of the First World War?
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I don't do rambles. Too much fresh air and walking. Can we send him off with a pub crawl instead ?
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the drugs don't work, they just make you worse.......
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A chocolate teapot writes.
Goodbye & good riddance. Tosser.
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I'm going to miss the missives...
Do you think we can persuade him to write a regular column in the programme?
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I'm going to miss the missives...
Do you think we can persuade him to write a regular column in the programme?
The column could be called Witton Wibble.
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If nothing else, Lerner's consistent in his bizarre ramblings. I guess he knows what he's trying to say, even if no one else does.
Anyway, I don't have any grievance's with him, he tried, he failed & lost a load of money in the process. We had a few great days but an awful lot of shite for the best part of 4 years. Because he was genuine, he was cut an awful lot of slack. I doubt the fans will be so generous in future.
until details of the sale appear in the accounts we don't know how much he lost or made. Due to the abundant evidence of him being a shit businessman since he rocked up at VP, it's likely he made a massive loss. He's clearly a mentalist but he's gone thank fuck. Hopefully 'Dr Xia' won't bring an even bigger 'big top' to set up on the pitch. Frankly, I've no idea. Know nothing about the bloke, I can only hope. That's not great, but at least I have it.
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I just wish I'd been reading that farewell statement a year ago.
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I was disappointed I didn't get to see what happened to the Shimmonites...
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Sounds like Tony wants to make the ground bigger and use extra revenue to buy players. Doesn't sound too great does it. Walk before we can run perhaps?
To extend the ground you need to be confident you can fill the ground. For that you need a successful team. Randy Lerner acknowledged that so Mr Xia knows it too I imagine.
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Bye Randy, and thanks for all the fish.
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No mention of the African Car Reverser. Short memories, some folk.
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Bye Randy, and thanks for all the fish.
We apologise for the inconvenience.
Randy Lerner
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Thanks Randy, I feel romantically nourished now I've read that.
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Thing is, I really believe he had the very best of intentions for Aston Villa. He wasn't football club trader out to suck the cash out. How many other clubs have gone through owners that have not understood the club? Leeds, Portsmouth, Reading, Nottingham Forest, Blackburn - the list goes on.
The mention of Reading is deliberate. If the characters involved in our sale are true then I worry.
Whats worse, a not very astute billionaire who really wants the club to succeed (and have nice mosaic) but doesn't know how or shadowy characters that are out to take as much cash as possible out the club...
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I miss him.
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I miss him.
Oh Randy well,
You came and you gave without taking,
But we sent you away.
Oh, Randy...etc.
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We haven't won any matches since the new guy took over. Randy's not seeming so bad now!
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Haven't read his farewell statement, any mention of a 'conscious uncoupling'?
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We haven't won any matches since the new guy took over. Randy's not seeming so bad now!
We haven't lost any either though.
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Randy!
I remember he came and he gave without taking oh Randy!
Looking in his eyes , memories unrealized , sadness in his eyes how sad you made us oh Randy!
But now we be sent you away new owner here to stay good bye Randy !
He stated beyond his time he lost the love but it's still mine
Caught up in a league of uphill climbing , as seasons pass us by , and nothing is ryhmimh good bye Randy !
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Thought it was a newly discovered Oscar Wilde letter at first. However on reflection it reminds me of my misspent youth in arcades when you lost on some football game (I forget the name), and you were greeted with the message "WINNERS DON'T DO DRUGS"
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As I re-read it sounds like the ramblings of someone who has just done a line of coke.
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It's that west life song Mandy !
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I liked the statement.
His heart was in the right place and the first few years were great. Ultimately far too much trust in MON and he turned the tap off too suddenly.
I'm just hoping his last act will prove to be a good one and Tony will prove to be the real deal.
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Randy!
I remember he came and he gave without taking oh Randy!
Looking in his eyes , memories unrealized , sadness in his eyes how sad you made us oh Randy!
But now we be sent you away new owner here to stay good bye Randy !
He stated beyond his time he lost the love but it's still mine
Caught up in a league of uphill climbing , as seasons pass us by , and nothing is ryhmimh good bye Randy !
you are Randy Lerner and I claim my prize
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Having read his farewell statement and the previous one of about a month ago I am not going to lambast him.
Why? On the basis of those badly constructed and border line incoherent statements his nearest and dearest should, in my opinion, be concerned about the state of his mental health.
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It's that west life song Mandy !
Barry Manilow surely?
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It's that west life song Mandy !
Barry Manilow surely?
And that ladies and gentlemen is the generation gap.😯
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It's that west life song Mandy !
Barry Manilow surely?
And that ladies and gentlemen is the generation gap.😯
When Randy mentioned the Holy Trinity in his latest missive I immediately thought of the lines in the Don Maclean song America Pie:
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
But then I remembered Madonna covered the song, and I thought better of mentioning it.
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It's that west life song Mandy !
Barry Manilow surely?
And that ladies and gentlemen is the generation gap.😯
When Randy mentioned the Holy Trinity in his latest missive I immediately thought of the lines in the Don Maclean song America Pie:
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
But then I remembered Madonna covered the song, and I thought better of mentioning it.
That one came up on the music board.
I maintain that that wasn't a cover version. Someone recorded her at a karaoke session.
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It was a bizarre statement.
I struggled to make much sense out of where he was going with it (a lot like did with the club), and it did have an element of something being 'not quite right'. Seemed like he was so glad to be out of here that he couldn't really bring himself to talk about it, and just waffled on until a suitable length statement was arrived at.
Weird end to a forgettable few years.
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It's that west life song Mandy !
Barry Manilow surely?
And that ladies and gentlemen is the generation gap.😯
Scott English. 'Brandy'. Another gap! Co- writer with Richard Kerr, 1971.
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That's him officially gone now......
Date Description View / Download
17 Jun 2016 Termination of appointment of Steven Hollis as a director on 14 June 2016
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17 Jun 2016 Termination of appointment of Randolph Lerner as a director on 14 June 2016
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17 Jun 2016 Termination of appointment of Charles Krulak as a director on 14 June 2016
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So long, and thanks for all the scarves.
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So long, and thanks for all the scarves.
And that pub nobody can go in.
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So long, and thanks for all the scarves.
And that pub nobody can go in.
What pubs that?
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Ican't believe it's very nearly ten years since I was getting very excited at the prospect of an altruistic Yank billionaire buying AV. How time flies and changes.
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So long, and thanks for all the scarves.
And that pub nobody can go in.
What pubs that?
the Holte?
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I wouldnt be at all surprised if Doc Xia closes The Holte Hotel down. It must be a complete waste of the clubs valuable resources and can only be used on a very ocassional basis. The Holte itself was built for the use of the patrons of the Aston Lower Grounds and has only minimal importance in the history of Aston Villa.
It will not be missed.
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I wouldnt be at all surprised if Doc Xia closes The Holte Hotel down. It must be a complete waste of the clubs valuable resources and can only be used on a very ocassional basis. The Holte itself was built for the use of the patrons of the Aston Lower Grounds and has only minimal importance in the history of Aston Villa.
It will not be missed.
I don't think it will be closed down at all. It no doubt makes money on match days and it's not open during the week so it's not exactly losing money.
As for Sirchley Villian saying no-one can get in, it's available for season ticket holders to use if they wish.
There's plenty of things to have a go at Randy for. Refurbishing a nice building like that is not one of them.
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I wouldnt be at all surprised if Doc Xia closes The Holte Hotel down. It must be a complete waste of the clubs valuable resources and can only be used on a very ocassional basis. The Holte itself was built for the use of the patrons of the Aston Lower Grounds and has only minimal importance in the history of Aston Villa.
It will not be missed.
As for Sirchley Villian saying no-one can get in, it's available for season ticket holders to use if they wish.
That's not strictly true though is it, it's not like you wave your ST to the doorman and get admitted, you have to be invited or at least that's how it worked when I last had a ST. (And never got invited by the big man baby)
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I wouldnt be at all surprised if Doc Xia closes The Holte Hotel down. It must be a complete waste of the clubs valuable resources and can only be used on a very ocassional basis. The Holte itself was built for the use of the patrons of the Aston Lower Grounds and has only minimal importance in the history of Aston Villa.
It will not be missed.
As for Sirchley Villian saying no-one can get in, it's available for season ticket holders to use if they wish.
That's not strictly true though is it, it's not like you wave your ST to the doorman and get admitted, you have to be invited or at least that's how it worked when I last had a ST. (And never got invited by the big man baby)
That's changed now. They stopped the invitation thing years ago.
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I wouldnt be at all surprised if Doc Xia closes The Holte Hotel down. It must be a complete waste of the clubs valuable resources and can only be used on a very ocassional basis. The Holte itself was built for the use of the patrons of the Aston Lower Grounds and has only minimal importance in the history of Aston Villa.
It will not be missed.
As for Sirchley Villian saying no-one can get in, it's available for season ticket holders to use if they wish.
That's not strictly true though is it, it's not like you wave your ST to the doorman and get admitted, you have to be invited or at least that's how it worked when I last had a ST. (And never got invited by the big man baby)
That's changed now. They stopped the invitation thing years ago.
If that's the case I'll give it a go next season. Since I moved from The Holte End I don't walk past it anymore so I thought it was still invite only.
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I wouldnt be at all surprised if Doc Xia closes The Holte Hotel down. It must be a complete waste of the clubs valuable resources and can only be used on a very ocassional basis. The Holte itself was built for the use of the patrons of the Aston Lower Grounds and has only minimal importance in the history of Aston Villa.
It will not be missed.
As for Sirchley Villian saying no-one can get in, it's available for season ticket holders to use if they wish.
That's not strictly true though is it, it's not like you wave your ST to the doorman and get admitted, you have to be invited or at least that's how it worked when I last had a ST. (And never got invited by the big man baby)
That's changed now. They stopped the invitation thing years ago.
Thanks, last time I had a ST was TSM1, I wish I could have numbed my brain in the pub before watching some of the tedium, it may have helped.
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It was a good idea at the time tbh so I wouldn't criticise Lerner for that move at least.
With the Dr on about regenerating Aston eventually, the pub could be converted into something else, you never know...
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I wouldnt be at all surprised if Doc Xia closes The Holte Hotel down. It must be a complete waste of the clubs valuable resources and can only be used on a very ocassional basis. The Holte itself was built for the use of the patrons of the Aston Lower Grounds and has only minimal importance in the history of Aston Villa.
It will not be missed.
As for Sirchley Villian saying no-one can get in, it's available for season ticket holders to use if they wish.
That's not strictly true though is it, it's not like you wave your ST to the doorman and get admitted, you have to be invited or at least that's how it worked when I last had a ST. (And never got invited by the big man baby)
That's changed now. They stopped the invitation thing years ago.
If that's the case I'll give it a go next season. Since I moved from The Holte End I don't walk past it anymore so I thought it was still invite only.
You have to pay £3 to get in and the bar is rammed so you can't get a drink.
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Ref The Holte, they charge to get in and it's still rammed on matchday, so why would they close it? Same with the Lions Club and Holte Suite.
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It's also a very good place for corporate entertainment and as place to hire for parties, wedding receptions etc.
In other words a very decent asset and it does look pretty good when walking to the ground that way.
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I would much rather Randy's legacy had been a team who looked good on the pitch
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Well yes, but it was renovated at a time when we were going for it on and off the pitch, so it's not as if he prioritised it over strengthening the team.
He lost interest in the end, so he deserves the lion share of any blame for our decline.
But it seems harsh to take pot shots at one of the few things he got right.
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Well it has been around for at least 150 years when Henry Quilter owned it. As long as it has a use and doesn't cost the club a lot of money to
maintain when it is not booked that is ok. Randy Lerner spent a few million doing it up and it is only right that the club should see a financial return for his project.
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Its a handy place to drink on match days. 20 yards from the the turnstiles with a beer garden.
The trick with the busy bar is to get there early and buy 3 rounds at once. You won't catch me and Jane out that easily!
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Only 3? Jane's slowing down.
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That's 3 rounds each! ;)