Randy Lerner "State of Aston Villa" Statement

[gervilla]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

and sold Milner. but then you knew that.

Of course, but from the tone of your posts you'd think we weren't spending anything.

we're spending but its easily covered by sales. Ireland and Bent are covered by milner and davies. so that possibly leaves makoun to be added to the expenditure this summer. Still the best part of 15m pocketed by the club

£15 mill owed and now paid  to RL ?

[Chris Smith]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

Your head must be spinning like Randy Lerner trying to make sense of a set of accounts.  A page back you were claiming we're cutting back on spending to try and operate on a more sustainable basis, now you're arguing the exact opposite.

Not at all, the previous discussion was about wages agains revenue. Now Greg seems to be trying to make out that we haven't re-invested any of the transfer money, when it's clearly not true.

[hawkeye]

The Lerner plan which was based on the  MON plan failed. It now looks like a spectacular failure.
RL thought that he could be successfull as an absantee Landlord.
Well history has proved that he couldnt, now the club are indebted to him for millions and he appears to be in some financial difficulty.

Surely it is the abandonment of the strategy that has been a spectacular failure.

well if the investment was unlimited then you have the monkeys with typewriters scenario, eventually the MONkeys come up with the complete works of Shakespeare and MON would have won the CL, sadly the investment wasnt unlimited

[Greg N'Ash]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

and sold Milner. but then you knew that.

Of course, but from the tone of your posts you'd think we weren't spending anything.

we're spending but its easily covered by sales. Ireland and Bent are covered by milner and davies. so that possibly leaves makoun to be added to the expenditure this summer. Still the best part of 15m pocketed by the club

£15 mill owed and now paid  to RL ?

You may say that. I couldn't possibly comment :0)

[Greg N'Ash]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

Your head must be spinning like Randy Lerner trying to make sense of a set of accounts.  A page back you were claiming we're cutting back on spending to try and operate on a more sustainable basis, now you're arguing the exact opposite.

Not at all, the previous discussion was about wages agains revenue. Now Greg seems to be trying to make out that we haven't re-invested any of the transfer money, when it's clearly not true.

I said we hadn't invested the majority this summer and we haven't. You decided to bring last season into it but even then there's a sizeable amount not accounted for in player investment.

[Chris Smith]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

and sold Milner. but then you knew that.

Of course, but from the tone of your posts you'd think we weren't spending anything.

we're spending but its easily covered by sales. Ireland and Bent are covered by milner and davies. so that possibly leaves makoun to be added to the expenditure this summer. Still the best part of 15m pocketed by the club

£15 mill owed and now paid  to RL ?

You may say that. I couldn't possibly comment :0)

It still comes down to wages, Greg. Sign more payers and it goes up again. That's what McLeish means when he talks about trading.

[Greg N'Ash]

Again, how much have we saved in wages? 12 players i made it earlier have departed. None of the 4 new arrivals are on more than the departures so in real terms thats  8 players gone, so even giving a ludicrously low average of 20k a week that makes nearly 9m saved in wages per year. its far more than that as we all know but added to the transfer windfall at a very conservative estimate they've clawed in 23m in wages and fees since this time last year. No austerity eh?

[noodles_]

Again, how much have we saved in wages? 12 players i made it earlier have departed. None of the 4 new arrivals are on more than the departures so in real terms thats  8 players gone, so even giving a ludicrously low average of 20k a week that makes nearly 9m saved in wages per year. its far more than that as we all know but added to the transfer windfall at a very conservative estimate they've clawed in 23m in wages and fees since this time last year. No austerity eh?

We're just losing less money than before. We're not making any money on anything and our wage bill is still stupidly high looking at our squad.

[Greg N'Ash]

Again, how much have we saved in wages? 12 players i made it earlier have departed. None of the 4 new arrivals are on more than the departures so in real terms thats  8 players gone, so even giving a ludicrously low average of 20k a week that makes nearly 9m saved in wages per year. its far more than that as we all know but added to the transfer windfall at a very conservative estimate they've clawed in 23m in wages and fees since this time last year. No austerity eh?

We're just losing less money than before. We're not making any money on anything and our wage bill is still stupidly high looking at our squad.

I know but you can't run Aston Villa on a profit and expect to stay in the premier. Doug couldn't do it so why would Lerner think he could? the best he can hope for is probably 10m loss per year and even that would probably take another 5 or 6 big earners leaving. Its impossible.

[pauliewalnuts]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

and sold Milner. but then you knew that.

And, if we're including transfers up to CNZ, we've also sold Downing and Young for another 37m.

[Greg N'Ash]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

and sold Milner. but then you knew that.

And, if we're including transfers up to CNZ, we've also sold Downing and Young for another 37m.

yes i have mentioned that since last summer we're about 15m in profit even including all houllier's buys and Ireland. No doubt he'll want to go from the summer before next :0)

[Chris Smith]

Again, how much have we saved in wages? 12 players i made it earlier have departed. None of the 4 new arrivals are on more than the departures so in real terms thats  8 players gone, so even giving a ludicrously low average of 20k a week that makes nearly 9m saved in wages per year. its far more than that as we all know but added to the transfer windfall at a very conservative estimate they've clawed in 23m in wages and fees since this time last year. No austerity eh?

We won't know the correct amounts until we see the accounts, it's pointless you guessing at figures. However, we were told  a year ago that it needed to be done and the figures seem to support it. They've done that and given us an outline of what happens next. I've still yet to see a convincing argument for an alternative approach.

[Greg N'Ash]

Again, how much have we saved in wages? 12 players i made it earlier have departed. None of the 4 new arrivals are on more than the departures so in real terms thats  8 players gone, so even giving a ludicrously low average of 20k a week that makes nearly 9m saved in wages per year. its far more than that as we all know but added to the transfer windfall at a very conservative estimate they've clawed in 23m in wages and fees since this time last year. No austerity eh?

We won't know the correct amounts until we see the accounts, it's pointless you guessing at figures. However, we were told  a year ago that it needed to be done and the figures seem to support it. They've done that and given us an outline of what happens next. I've still yet to see a convincing argument for an alternative approach.

ah come on. my guess at 20k a week for the likes of sidewell, NRC, walker Freidal etc.. is seriously underestimating the wages saved. Most of them were on double at least. Even with a few on lower than 20k a week, the real average must be at least over 30k. probably in the region of 15m in wages saved all told rather than 9m

[maidstonevillain]

Everton continue to stand that theory on its head.   They are potless and the club has been for sale for ever.   The difference with them and us is that their lack of money has forged an indomitable spirit in the squad.   You will not see Jagielka or Cahill or Baines posing in a nightclub with the players of a club tapping him up and then claiming it was a fake photo.   If Everton can do it.   We can do it.  Randy Lerner cannot possibly be as skint as Bill Kenwright (allegedly).

And why do ypou think that is not what he is trying to do. Would you not agree that his choice of manager is suggestive of such a strategy?

[Chris Smith]

In the past 12 months we've bought Ireland, Bent, Makoun, Given and N'Zogbia. That's the best part of £50m spent there, to claim some sort of austerity programme is ludicrous.

and sold Milner. but then you knew that.

And, if we're including transfers up to CNZ, we've also sold Downing and Young for another 37m.

yes i have mentioned that since last summer we're about 15m in profit even including all houllier's buys and Ireland. No doubt he'll want to go from the summer before next :0)

The summer before next is now.

Yes, we've made a profit on transfers in the last 12 months but that's a consequence of cutting the wage bill something you were in favour of when it suited your anti MON stance.