Randy wants to cut wages further - Mirror article

[Eigentor]

show some fucking dignity.

That's the Premier League in 2011. You can either aim for dignity or aim to win, but not both.

[VancouverLion]

maybe if we could fill Villa park week in week out RL would come up with the money for wages, transfers etc because of the desire of the fans to see us challenging. He knows that ain't gonna happen no matter how much he put's in. I think the General's knocking of the attendance for Bent's debut against Citeh has a lot more significance than one may think.

AVFC

[Eigentor]

I honestly believe he came to Villa believing that, with MON in charge, the league how it was at the time and a him putting in a fair bit of money, we would make the Champions League (which was their ultimate aim) by now.

Unfortunately, because of a variety of reasons, we just missed out.

Now we're in a position that he had hope not to be in, so he's cutting back because he can't afford to put the same amounts of money in time after time. I think now he's got to let the club just tick over, not because he wants that to happen, but because, financially, he just can't do it anymore.

We had our chance and blew it/were unlucky to miss out.

From my perspective, Stoke ruined it for us. Those 2 goals late in the game after that Europa league game. From what I can remember, it was two silly errors for thos Stoke goals. If those errors weren't made, we really would be in a different position now...but, it didn't and we're in the position we're in.

As for the wages, if we can rid ourselves of players such as Beye and Heskey and replace them with young, cheaper players with potential instead, then I don't see the problem.

I'm not sure if I buy this. It's not as if you get into the Champions League there is no way to out. Spurs showed that last season. Imagine MON playing the same eleven not only every week, but two times or three times a week. Any way you look at it, the strategy in the MON era was unsustainable. If we had qualified for CL the fun would have probably lasted a little longer, but Man City would had eventually replaced us and relegated us to the legion of also-rans.

[Chris Jameson]

GK has disappeared off the forums. I find that more worrying

Bet Nicky Keye is doing cartwheels.

[Percy McCarthy]

When Randy took over and stated his ambitions, I said it would mean losses of hundreds of millions over a few years. I believed him because I thoughthaving researched it, he knew this. Maybe he just didn't.

[TopDeck113]

show some fucking dignity.

That's the Premier League in 2011. You can either aim for dignity or aim to win, but not both.

So true. So sad.

[IFWaters]

Lets make Randy an offer.

I've just done the maths.

If Randy is in the shite (and I think he is) say £100 million to buy the club.

50,000 of us. Ok thats possibly a stretch but it makes the maths easy.

20 grand each on the current best 10 year mortgage rate of 3.99% means that the loan is paid for in 10 years at a cost of £205 per month. Lots of us spend that on a car loan.

Make it a condition of our shared ownership that the club cant go into debt of more than 10% of annual turnover (ie keep it on an even keel).

Would we ever make money from it ? I doubt it. But thats not the point. A Barca in Birmingham. Owned by the people.

[exigo]

You are talking about the Barcelona that's 483 million Euros in debt, aren't you?

[IFWaters]

You are talking about the Barcelona that's 483 million Euros in debt, aren't you?

yes the one thats owned by 150,000 locals and one of the most successful clubs in history. But thats why I put the point in about debt not exceeding 10% of turnover in a constitution.

[pauliewalnuts]

Randy hasn't been over for a single game so far this season .GK has disappeared off the forums. I find that more worrying

So Randy is one those fair weather fans that are not going the games anymore then.

That is depressing!

Even more reason for him to sell up to hopefully someone who can inject the significant funds required to run a club the size of Villa. He's clearly given up the ghost and selling the club's brightest talent year on year is scandalous and will ruin the club's future - stay on the other side of the pond for good Lerner!

What size is that? A club averaging about 32k this season? Surely we have to be able to support ourselves not rely on the whim of whichever billionaire fancies a crack at it? To do that we have to be realistic about wages. I hate this attitude of pleading to be the next Man City, show some fucking dignity.

I know what you mean, but then again, how many of us were taking this line when Randy was looking like he'd pour money into the club?

The fact is we will never be able to compete if we have to live on what we earn. Begging to be the next Man City is one thing, wanting us to compete and have allusions to winning something is another.

My opinion is that he wants us to be like Everton, and thinks AM can be his Moyes. If that's his aim, then fair enough, but ask Everton fans how much they're enjoying it.

[Californian Villain]

Lets make Randy an offer.

I've just done the maths.

If Randy is in the shite (and I think he is) say £100 million to buy the club.

50,000 of us. Ok thats possibly a stretch but it makes the maths easy.

20 grand each on the current best 10 year mortgage rate of 3.99% means that the loan is paid for in 10 years at a cost of £205 per month. Lots of us spend that on a car loan.

Make it a condition of our shared ownership that the club cant go into debt of more than 10% of annual turnover (ie keep it on an even keel).

Would we ever make money from it ? I doubt it. But thats not the point. A Barca in Birmingham. Owned by the people.

You'd be lucky to get 50 people to cough up 20 grand each, never mind 50,000.

[pauliewalnuts]

When Randy took over and stated his ambitions, I said it would mean losses of hundreds of millions over a few years. I believed him because I thoughthaving researched it, he knew this. Maybe he just didn't.

In all that has happened over the last few years, it isn't the selling of our best players that worries me most, it isn't the bad appointments, it isn't the amateurishness we've (well, some of us) seen in the way the club is run, it isn't the slow down on the spending, and it isn't the tackling of the wage bill.

It is the suggestion that he has lost interest in us. Not the fact that he has decided we can't compete, but the idea that he has got bored of it after five years.

When they came here, they told us they were in it for the long haul, through thick and thin, and that we were all in this together.

Now look at the situation. They have abruptly ceased communicating with the forums without even having the decency to tell us - not to tell us why, even, just to tell us, they just disappeared abruptly.

Now we hear that Randy hasn't even been over for a game this season.

I'm sure you could make an argument for why he should have lost interest etc etc, but looking at what has happened, it is hard not to feel somewhat disappointed and hurt that it has come to this.

It is also - given the abrupt disappearance of the general - really quite hard not to look back at the lines of communication the club opened and not come to the conclusion that the minute it stopped being of use to them, the minute it got difficult, they were off.

It really was quite shabby.

[Risso]

The fact is we will never be able to compete if we have to live on what we earn. Begging to be the next Man City is one thing, wanting us to compete and have allusions to winning something is another.

It doesn't help that half the money he has spent has been wasted in the most hideous and wanton manner imaginable.  Still, entirely his fault for letting O'Neill spend it.  We have neither the money of clubs like Man City, or an owner who knows what he's doing.

[pauliewalnuts]

The fact is we will never be able to compete if we have to live on what we earn. Begging to be the next Man City is one thing, wanting us to compete and have allusions to winning something is another.

It doesn't help that half the money he has spent has been wasted in the most hideous and wanton manner imaginable.  Still, entirely his fault for letting O'Neill spend it.  We have neither the money of clubs like Man City, or an owner who knows what he's doing.

Who now is setting himself up to be an absentee owner.

[Rigadon]

I said earlier in the thread that I was surprised that Lerner hadn't been over for a game this season.  The more I think about it the more surprised I am.  He had so much good will in the bank that it's difficult to criticise (maybe there are valid, personal or whatever, reasons for this no show) but this one single point makes me, for the first time, proper;y wonder whether were about to be sold up. 

I remember reading ages ago him talking about "big bad Man City coming along" - sorry can't remember exactly where or when the interview was.   I think he realised buying our way into the champions league was fucked a while ago and agree with posters suggesting he has appointed AM as our own Moyes.  Problem with this approach is that the premier league Moyes steered Everton into 4th didn't contain the modern day Man City.   

It really is best for us to support the club and to enjoy the ride and any victories along the way.  Sorry if this sounds a little hokey,but we just have to realise that the journey will almost certainly end in about 7th or 8th place.