Doug Says "Liverpool Should Have Taken a Lesson From Villa"

[Mister E]

From today's Times:


I could have benefited by £20 million but I did not wish to saddle the club I had run since 1968 with debt.

This is the bit I love - the revisionist way in which he smoothly passes over the crucial facts of his 4-5 year absence at the end of the 1970's / early '80s.
Don't blame him for doing it but it does institutionalise the myth about his reign including a league championship and Euro Cup.

[ktvillan]

Interesting

I thought Doug had a legal obligation to get the best result for the shareholders, though, not to knock 30m off the price because he thought he was dying.

An interesting point.  Most fan shareholders probably wouldn't be that bothered but institutional investors might be interested to know their potential returns were arbitrarily slashed by 26% because Doug thought he was pegging it and and then a further 17% because Randy was his preferred buyer.

Also interesting what he says about borrowing.   Surprising he ever succeeded as a businessman if that's his outlook.

[Brend'Watkins]

Let's face it, it was only a matter of time before Doug would lay credit to his stewardship being responsible for those 80's successes.  I bet most fans under the age of 35 not clued up on the clubs history think he was in charge at that time.  Why else would he have a stand named after him?

[Chico Hamilton III]

Most fan shareholders probably wouldn't be that bothered but institutional investors might be interested to know their potential returns were arbitrarily slashed by 26%

I never sold my shares when Randy made the compulsory purchase offer (or whatever it was called). I've still got the share certificate framed on the wall at home.

No sell out to the Yank blood money in my household.

[cheltenhamlion]

Let's face it, it was only a matter of time before Doug would lay credit to his stewardship being responsible for those 80's successes.  I bet most fans under the age of 35 not clued up on the clubs history think he was in charge at that time.  Why else would he have a stand named after him?

That made me giggle

[Simon Ward]

You couldn't make it up could you?

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't really have any strong feelings about Doug talking to the press or not.

He's being asked questions by the press, his decision making process re whether to say anything or shut up are is that of someone in his late 80s, so maybe we should cut him a bit of slack there.

Hve to say, though, now of all times his sussing out of the shyster Gillet looks like a very cute bit of business by him, so you can hardly blame him for wanting to point out that he averted (possibly) similar disaster for Villa.

[Fred]

I like Doug, he did the best he could (wether it was good enough or not is up for debate) and left us with a good owner going forward. He was never as bad as his crtics claimed and never as good as he thought he was.

[TimTheVillain]

I like Doug, he did the best he could (wether it was good enough or not is up for debate) and left us with a good owner going forward. He was never as bad as his crtics claimed and never as good as he thought he was.

In fairness to Doug, no-one could be as good as he thought he was.

[Concrete John]

To be fair to Doug, ignoring a European Cup winning team for the club you say you love because you weren't in charge at the time and ego refuses to let you even acknowledge it happened, is a feat simply beyond most normal mortals.

[robbo1874]

The thing with Doug is that people tend to view him in black or white terms.

Regardless of the fact that he was an ego-centric, relatively parsimonious, ultra-cautious and unambitious chairman, you have to consider the state the club were in in 1968 when he took over.

Shit, did I just defend Doug?

ha ha, remember the banner up the holte mate?

Cock, Piss  Ell-is

[cdward]

Hve to say, though, now of all times his sussing out of the shyster Gillet looks like a very cute bit of business by him, so you can hardly blame him for wanting to point out that he averted (possibly) similar disaster for Villa.

Or he just chose a cash buyer because he wanted a quick sale, before he was welcomed by St Peter at the Great Doug Ellis Pearly Gates, as they will soon become known as.

[Chico Hamilton III]

ha ha, remember the banner up the holte mate?

Cock, Piss  Ell-is

you know what, Rob? I've still got that old model of Villa Park at home (the one with the old Trinity Road stand, complete with a mock-up of that banner in the back of the Holte.

A witty combination of Alan Partridge and anti Ellis

[Concrete John]

Or he just chose a cash buyer because he wanted a quick sale, before he was welcomed by St Peter at the Great Doug Ellis Pearly Gates, as they will soon become known as.

They may be, but he'll be snookered when he is called before the throne of heaven and sees our Paul sitting there.

"Now then, Herbert; "Thou shalt not bear false witness" and "I invented the bicycle kick" - explain how these two go together, please?"

[robbo1874]

ha ha, remember the banner up the holte mate?

Cock, Piss  Ell-is

you know what, Rob? I've still got that old model of Villa Park at home (the one with the old Trinity Road stand, complete with a mock-up of that banner in the back of the Holte.

A witty combination of Alan Partridge and anti Ellis

did you manage to glue the roof back on the north stand yet??