Have we seen the last of Mr. Lerner and the General?

[cheltenhamlion]

Comments about shitty modern football part three...

[Risso]

Still, if you think the wage control / austerity measures are going to suddenly be dropped in the next window or two, good luck  ???to you

.

I'm suggesting that deciding that Randy isn't going to back the manager ever after a single transfer window is, at best, short sighted.

I still think that wages is the issue, something most seemed to agree on 12-18 months ago.

It's money that's the issue, or the lack of it to be precise.  A lot was spent, a lot was wasted, and now we haven't got it to spend any more.

[Risso]

It is a shame he is not around.   Villa and football cannot afford to lose men of such calibre.

Eh?  He was a non-exec with at best a very slim grasp of what Premier League football was about.  It seems like a few posts with sepia tinged references to pies, lads and the beautiful game were enough to pull the wool over a few people's eyes.  Unless you were being sarcastic in which case it went over my head, sorry.

[ktvillan]

Only a fool would ignore what is happening in the world and neither Randy Lerner or Charles Krulak is a fool.   Faulkner maybe.

Just wondering how you can be so sure about the above Brian. GK I feel was hung out to dry.  He struck me as rather naive in football matters, perhaps understandably.  But I think he genuinely believed RL would back McLeish and was undermined or at best misinformed by his boss. Which made his position untenable and no wonder he decided enough was enough.

As for RL, let's not forget he didn't make his money, he inherited it.  His running of Cleveland Browns and,  more lately, the Villa, aren't particularly impressive.  It was presumably RL who hired Faulkner, someone whom you admit you think may well be a fool, to fulfil a critically important role.  And RL who allowed O'Neill to spike the wage bill to unsustainable levels.  And to pay over the odds for a lot of average to mediocre players he subsequently ostracised or under-used, and then couldn't shift.  Who dithered over the appointment of GH.  And then replaced him with a manager surely no-one in their right mind would have wanted or expected him to appoint.  Who managed to turn almost universal goodwill from the fans into either apathy or outright hostility in a few short months.  And whose sole effort to reassure supporters consisted of a letter warbling fancifully on about remaining in the top 20 of the "turnover" league whilst his every decision seemed designed to diminish that turnover. On second thoughts , perhaps you have a point. He sounds less like a fool and more like a congenital idiot when you consider the above.

[Chris Harte]

I´ve not read the whole thread so this may already have been mentioned but I remembered something a friend told me the other week.

In short, Randy tried to sell the club but failed to do so. So now he is actively seeking investors to pump money in.

That was the rumour, I have no idea how reliable the source (someone working for the club) is.

[UK Redsox]

Do we know for definite that Randy hasn't been over this season or is this thread just because he hasn't been seen at a game ?

[DB]

Only a fool would ignore what is happening in the world and neither Randy Lerner or Charles Krulak is a fool.   Faulkner maybe.

Just wondering how you can be so sure about the above Brian. GK I feel was hung out to dry.  He struck me as rather naive in football matters, perhaps understandably.  But I think he genuinely believed RL would back McLeish and was undermined or at best misinformed by his boss. Which made his position untenable and no wonder he decided enough was enough.

As for RL, let's not forget he didn't make his money, he inherited it.  His running of Cleveland Browns and,  more lately, the Villa, aren't particularly impressive.  It was presumably RL who hired Faulkner, someone whom you admit you think may well be a fool, to fulfil a critically important role.  And RL who allowed O'Neill to spike the wage bill to unsustainable levels.  And to pay over the odds for a lot of average to mediocre players he subsequently ostracised or under-used, and then couldn't shift.  Who dithered over the appointment of GH.  And then replaced him with a manager surely no-one in their right mind would have wanted or expected him to appoint.  Who managed to turn almost universal goodwill from the fans into either apathy or outright hostility in a few short months.  And whose sole effort to reassure supporters consisted of a letter warbling fancifully on about remaining in the top 20 of the "turnover" league whilst his every decision seemed designed to diminish that turnover. On second thoughts , perhaps you have a point. He sounds less like a fool and more like a congenital idiot when you consider the above.

Good post. Also, with the Man Citeh getting better and L-pool, Spurs all investing / improving (seemingly), then it's taken the wind out of his sails - we had a go at breaking into the 'elite' but didn't, it cost in many - now it's apathy. But employing a manager who just got his team relegated was bizarre to say the least.

[Chris Smith]

Is it any surprise that they're not communicating with us when "fool" and "congenital idiot" are being bandied about.

It's one thing having reservations about their policies but there is no place for that sort of abuse.

[Concrete John]

Is it any surprise that they're not communicating with us when "fool" and "congenital idiot" are being bandied about.

It's one thing having reservations about their policies but there is no place for that sort of abuse.

If they're not thick skinned enough to take the abuse some give out on a message board, then I doubt they're really cut out for the game as a whole to be honest.

[Risso]

Is it any surprise that they're not communicating with us when "fool" and "congenital idiot" are being bandied about.

It's one thing having reservations about their policies but there is no place for that sort of abuse.

Running a football club means that there will always be good comments and bad from fans, it's part of the territory.  And if that's the only "abuse" they suffer then they're doing quite well.  I imagine the General has probably heard slightly worse during his career.

[TimTheVillain]

The General was consistently saying 'speaking as a Fan'.

That's all he could do I guess, until he moved on.

I think he was trying to make up for Randy's lack of comms., and was excited about Villa for a window of time.

Now he has moved onto pastures new and it is up to Randy to talk.

I think he previously relied on the Gen and 'actions speak louder than words', but now, with the Gen gone, and 'actions' not exactly speaking that well, it is time for Randy to speak out. 

[UK Redsox]

Is it any surprise that they're not communicating with us when "fool" and "congenital idiot" are being bandied about.

It's one thing having reservations about their policies but there is no place for that sort of abuse.

Running a football club means that there will always be good comments and bad from fans, it's part of the territory.  And if that's the only "abuse" they suffer then they're doing quite well.  I imagine the General has probably heard slightly worse during his career.

He probably has, but he probably had them shot

[lukey27]

If RL isn't looking for new investment then he certainly should be. People are saying that it's harder than ever to break into the top 4, but I don't really see it that way. For me, Chelsea and Arsenal have got worse over the last 18 months and renewed investment could mean we're challenging again.

But the bottom is falling out of Premiership football as attendances across the board are proving and maybe RL just doesn't want to invest anymore with no guarantee of success.

[Chris Smith]

Is it any surprise that they're not communicating with us when "fool" and "congenital idiot" are being bandied about.

It's one thing having reservations about their policies but there is no place for that sort of abuse.

If they're not thick skinned enough to take the abuse some give out on a message board, then I doubt they're really cut out for the game as a whole to be honest.

It still doesn't make it right.

Anything they say will just get ripped apart so they're better off keeping out of it. What is to be gained by them engaging with fans when people like KT and BCV will just slag them off anyway?

[Risso]

Is it any surprise that they're not communicating with us when "fool" and "congenital idiot" are being bandied about.

It's one thing having reservations about their policies but there is no place for that sort of abuse.

If they're not thick skinned enough to take the abuse some give out on a message board, then I doubt they're really cut out for the game as a whole to be honest.

It still doesn't make it right.

Anything they say will just get ripped apart so they're better off keeping out of it. What is to be gained by them engaging with fans when people like KT and BCV will just slag them off anyway?

We're always being told that us vocal nutters on the internet aren't representative of the wider fan base.  You may have noticed that the crowds at Villa Park  have for the most part been shit this season.  At least attempting to stir up a bit of interest might be an idea.