Randy Lerner: a good owner? The case for the prosecution

[Toronto Villa]

Well, for all those persuaded by the prosecution, there is a 'Randy Lerner out' website being set up.

I don't want him out.
I want him to come to his senses.

Spot on.

That is exactly what I want, too. He's been utterly superb at stumping up the money, but if you don't surround yourself with people who really know this industry, you end up wasting a good deal of it.

Who fancies a guess at MON compensation + Houllier pay off + McLeish compensation, for example? What a gigantic stack of wasted money.

I don't believe we'll have to pay them compensation.

Neither do I. Or at least it won't be anything close to what has been quoted so far. I listened to that bloke from the LMA yesterday, and apparently Mcleish was receiving dogs abuse from the board for a good while. Apparently they are going to defend his decision to quit all the way on this, and that won't look good for mob at the sty in court.

[PONGO49]

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[CBAV06]

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Moohead doesn't like Randy Lerner, the Browns could win 14 Super Bowls in a row and Moohead would have the same opinion. The real problem with him is he knows that half of what he says isn't true...but he says it anyways because it supports his opinion.

[Risso]

And another one:

 
Don't think it'll be long until we start to see the same.

[ASHTONVILLA]

I can't understand the level of support Lerner still seems to have.

He bought Villa as a business opportunity, unfortunately he seems to be an inept businessman.

He has clearly given up on the idea of competing for trophies, or European competition, and is now preparing us for 'financial sustainability' HDE style. At least with Ellis, we didn't have to put up with a load of ham fisted cynical marketing bollocks, and he never pretended to regard the 'man on the terrace' with any respect.

The sooner he sells to someone competent, and more interested the better.

[dave.woodhall]

I can't understand the level of support Lerner still seems to have.

He bought Villa as a business opportunity, unfortunately he seems to be an inept businessman.

He has clearly given up on the idea of competing for trophies, or European competition, and is now preparing us for 'financial sustainability' HDE style. At least with Ellis, we didn't have to put up with a load of ham fisted cynical marketing bollocks, and he never pretended to regard the 'man on the terrace' with any respect.

The sooner he sells to someone competent, and more interested the better.

Awww, did the nasty man do something you didn't want him to do?

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I am still a big Randy Lerner fan.
He is far and away the best man we have had at the helm in the 45 years I have followed the Villa.
He is far and away much better than the great majority of jokers who own the other clubs.

[CBAV06]

The sooner he sells to someone competent, and more interested the better.

That falls up there with "Just get a coach that will make us win!!!1". Many people believe that their opinion of how things should be done is the only one that matters and RL is incompetent if he doesn't do it...problem is they all don't have the same opinion. The real trick is realizing that "My" way may not be the best way, the only way or the popular way...

[SoccerHQ]

I am still a big Randy Lerner fan.
He is far and away the best man we have had at the helm in the 45 years I have followed the Villa.
He is far and away much better than the great majority of jokers who own the other clubs.

Agree with that.

Just seems to me the board seem prepared that MON was going to work with them for eternity judging by the bumbling approaches when searching for the subsequent successors.

I doubt Mcleish will last much longer than Houllier.

[oldtimernow]

Who fancies a guess at MON compensation + Houllier pay off + McLeish compensation, for example? What a gigantic stack of wasted money.
[/quote]

I wouldn't be surprised to discover MON's payoff was just a bright shilling

[Ian.]

I'd say a good owner. 
The infrastructure of the club has improved. He has spent a lot of money on the team (and managers it seems ). It was not too long ago he dipped nearly 30 million on a couple of players. Why would a man who done just that suddenly lose interest.

He has seen something in Alex McCleish, something he wants at Villa and he has gone out to get him. He has put his neck on the line and I'm sure he has not ignored the fans on purpose it is just he thinks he has seen something we haven't. He might well be wrong. Time will tell. Also fair play to McCleish for having the balls to take on the challenge too.

[not3bad]

And another one:

 
Don't think it'll be long until we start to see the same.

History repeats and it's painful
Each time Randy hires a coach

Hmmm...

[Clark W Griswold]

I can't work out whether the Bent signing was his first example of serious ambition in the transfer market or whether it was an insurance against relegation. Either way, i'm glad it happened, but what heppens this summer will probably answer my question.

Yes, he's better than Ellis, but i truely beleive that some on here are over the top about him, in part because he's 'not ellis'. Football should be all about winning something, 5 years down the line after all the original hype, we haven't, and based on this appointment we aren't about to any time soon.

[Eigentor]

I think that there are two possible reasons why we appointed McLeish:

1. The board reckon that he's a MON prepared to work within a budget and will provide safe top half finishes without causing trouble.

or

2. We were searching for manager since the season ended. Everyone that we approached rejected us. Fortunately Alex McLeish resigned last weekend as we were planning to contact Avram Grant.

Either way, the biggest disappointment is that the plan to achieve success by combining clever scouting and talent development (as opposed to spending OTT on British based players) never were a plan but just a hastily made justification for appointing Houllier. If the board had bothered to develop the idea of becoming the next Ajax from the stage of naive whim to something resembling a strategy, perhaps they could have managed to convince someone decent to join us as manager.

[Pete3206]

Not too long ago, his name was being sung around Villa Park for signing Darren Bent.

Time to calm down and give everyone a chance.