Job Losses At The Club

[Big Dick Edwards]

When it opened, they ran a ridiculous season ticket lottery scheme for matchdays, then in subsequent seasons allowed only season ticket holders who even had to pay to get in. Why didn't they let more people in from the off to build up a customer base, thus encouraging them to come back and telling their friends and family that it might be a nice place to have a Sunday lunch or a midweek meal? The place always looks as if it's closed, even on a matchday.

Couldn't agree more. It should be free entry and first come first served on matchdays. It'd be rammed every week.

[Nev]

Matchdays aren't really the problem though, it's the rest of the week. The museum is the only viable idea and even that has it's risks, but at least with kids and schools visiting on non matchdays etc., the building is in use.

[pauliewalnuts]

Not really, for a company which turns over nigh on 100 million pounds a year.

Most of which goes straight out in player wages. if you take that & transfer fees out of the equation, football clubs are not big businesses.

What about television money? That's pretty big.

[Californian Villain]

Not really, for a company which turns over nigh on 100 million pounds a year.

Most of which goes straight out in player wages. if you take that & transfer fees out of the equation, football clubs are not big businesses.

That's like saying this of Tesco's: if you ignore the food they sell, it would be a small business.

[Chris Smith]

Matchdays aren't really the problem though, it's the rest of the week. The museum is the only viable idea and even that has it's risks, but at least with kids and schools visiting on non matchdays etc., the building is in use.

I attended a conference at VP last ear and took a couple of people into the Holte fir a drink afterwards. However no promotion was done for the place so it was only local knowledge that took us here, none of the other delegates bothered.

Villa Park has the potential to be a 7 day a week operation with excellent conference and meeting facilities and they could utilise the pub more for that but don't seem interested.

[E I Adio]

There's sometimes more to the success of a pub than the location. A pub that is focussed on and caters for it's target market can still be successful, like any good business. Location obviously is important, but a pub like the Holte that had a complete renovation and makeover with the backing of a multi million pound football club could have got it right. After all, you wouldn't necessarily choose to travel to the Handsworth/Winson Green border for a night out, but enough people continue to do so to make the Black Eagle a success.

My point is, that they had oodles of money to spend to set it up, but the ongoing plan was shit.



Edit: Note to self - don't post when pissed.

[Risso]

My point is, that they had oodles of money to spend to set it up, but the ongoing plan was shit.

Which unfortunately, sums up perfectly just about everything that Lerner has done.

[spud1950]

All departments are been forced into cuts .But are still top heavy with managment .There now seems to be a problem with the tvs in the boxes .There is no freview boxes for the digital switchover .So the boxes might have no tvs on saturday

[Fuse]

It is a real sahme and I feel for the people involved. I am also really sorry that Randy no longer has the ability to fund ventures like this one which were one of his greatest PR exercises when he first came.

The question I would love to have answered is whether this and the lack of investment at trasnfer level are short term measures to get control fo the wage bill and once achieved we will beign investing aagin in a couple fo seasons, or whether it is more far-reaching, linked to Randy's own personal finacial situaiton and in reality if he can find the right people he would be happy to sell to get back some of his investment.

[mrfuse]

Oh thats a real shame I watched many Villa away games In their and had a couple of great Birthday parties! plus if you did the villa tour it was a nice place place to finish!

I think this is just the start of the decline it was promising when it started and im grateful for whats been done but I get the feeling learner wished he had never took it on now.

[Brend'Watkins]

There's sometimes more to the success of a pub than the location. A pub that is focussed on and caters for it's target market can still be successful, like any good business. Location obviously is important, but a pub like the Holte that had a complete renovation and makeover with the backing of a multi million pound football club could have got it right. After all, you wouldn't necessarily choose to travel to the Handsworth/Winson Green border for a night out, but enough people continue to do so to make the Black Horse a success.

My point is, that they had oodles of money to spend to set it up, but the ongoing plan was shit.

I agree totally with this and would go further by saying give it or lease it to someone who knows a thing or two about making a pub successful and in a short space of time that place could be a profitable business.  There's examples all over our city and others alike. 

[Ad@m]

Oh thats a real shame I watched many Villa away games In their and had a couple of great Birthday parties! plus if you did the villa tour it was a nice place place to finish!

I think this is just the start of the decline it was promising when it started and im grateful for whats been done but I get the feeling learner wished he had never took it on now.

Lerner saw the Villa as an underachiever and thought he could turn a profit out of us by doing things better than his predecessors.  Unfortunately, and for whatever reason, it's not that easy and I think he realises that now so is cutting his cloth accordingly.

In all fairness to him, he's ploughed a lot of money in to the club over the years and doesn't have a huge amount to show for it.  It's just a shame it has to come to an end.

[Salsa Party Animal]

It is recession and bloody Manchester City's wealth ruining the game.

[maidstonevillain]

Not really, for a company which turns over nigh on 100 million pounds a year.

Most of which goes straight out in player wages. if you take that & transfer fees out of the equation, football clubs are not big businesses.

That's like saying this of Tesco's: if you ignore the food they sell, it would be a small business.

Not quite. I can see the point Dave is making.

You can almost separate out Sky money in-Players wages out as a independant entity.

All Aston Villa plc does is manage and organise their appearances, and arrange for spectators to attend.

Even if you consider total turnover, this equates Aston Villa plc with at best a medium sized manufacturing company, and probably smaller than a few metal bashing factories in the Black Country.

[dave.woodhall]

Not really, for a company which turns over nigh on 100 million pounds a year.

Most of which goes straight out in player wages. if you take that & transfer fees out of the equation, football clubs are not big businesses.

That's like saying this of Tesco's: if you ignore the food they sell, it would be a small business.

Not quite. I can see the point Dave is making.

You can almost separate out Sky money in-Players wages out as a independant entity.

All Aston Villa plc does is manage and organise their appearances, and arrange for spectators to attend.

Even if you consider total turnover, this equates Aston Villa plc with at best a medium sized manufacturing company, and probably smaller than a few metal bashing factories in the Black Country.

It's a bit like saying your annual income is £225k when in reality you earned 25k and sold your house for 200, then bought another one for the same price. There's almost a case for saying footballers are separate companies and clubs just take commission on their earnings.