Time for Randy to go?

[hawkeye]

Then again, why shouldn't Brady be a very good football CEO? She's got the experience.

It is interesting that Richard FitzGerald and Michael Cunnah (and, in fact, wasn't there another one for a short spell) didn't last long as CEO with MON, which suggests the inevitable conclusion that Randy allowed them to walk at the behest of the manager (interesting too to see how Quinn went so quickly after MON's arrival at Sunderland).

Maybe that was Lerner's first, big, and long lasting mistake - to allow the manager to be so utterly in control. The wage bill suggests it was. It's admirable that he recognised this wasn't going to work when the manager refused to do anything about that wage bill. I dont blame him for that.

The problem is that, having established what looks like a more formal operating structure, and having lost the megalomaniacal manager, they then made such a gigantic pigs ear of the first big decisions they had to make on their own that they've effectively thrown away all the progress they'd made.

Randy can still pull it around, I think, if he bins this manager. I think that, contrary to a lot of what people say here, they'll give him another go to get it right if he admits it was a bad appointment, and does something about it. The worst thing he could do would be to bury his head in the sand and just plough on.

If you look at it from a purely business point of view, it's very hard to say he's done a good job of it. He's invested a stack of money, we're losing lots of money, we're roughly where we were when he arrived table-wise, we've got a ridiculously weak squad, and the club feels disunited.

If we feel that suicidal about it, then he, with it being his money, should - must - feel really compelled to do something to turn things around. Let's hope he does, and let's hope it works.

It seems to point to the fact that all the big decisions have been made by RL, you either have a CEO or you are the CEO, Randys mistake would appear to be that he has tried to get half pregnant.

[Kent Villian]

I am in Cleaveland at the moment - today after listening to the ginger twat comments after the game I went outside my hotel to have a fag & calm down. As I am puffing away I look across the road at the hospital opposite & see the CLEAVELAND LERNER CLINIC in big letters - I nearly choked! It appears RL is viewed as a good guy in these parts due mainly to the large amount of cash he donates to local causes. Speaking to the locals I did find out a few interesting comments:
The Cleaveland Browns are always sold out for every home game, even when they are doing badly - interesting that if that is RL's experience, he may take a little time to respond to the falling gates at VP.
The local view is that Aston Villa is a very successful club & they are mega pissed as he does not appear to invest in the Browns - I put them straight on that one!
The current manager of the Browns has been there a few seasons, doing a crap job but RL will not sack him.
The expectation of the Browns fans I spoke to was to win 6 & lose 10 games a season would be a good year.
I was advised not to wear my villa top around town as some fans resent the time & money RL spends on AVFC!!
Finally, Cleaveland is a real dump - makes small heath look upmarket. Low expectations & resignation that their team are crap but hold onto the hope of having a good cup run.
If RL stays in control of AVFC, unless there is a massive mind shift from RL -  just image the road ahead for our beloved club!
Anybody wanting a Cleaveland Browns top, let me know & I will recommend a good shrink!

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The only way Lerner can turn this around is by scrapping the austerity measures he's placed and getting some people in upstairs with real football knowledge, not to mention a different team Manager, he also needs to rekindle his interest.

As I can't see any of this happening, it's time he looked to sell up.

[Hookeysmith]

It is interesting that with MON, Richard FitzGerald and Michael Cunnah (and, in fact, wasn't there another one for a short spell) didn't last long as CEO with MON, which raises the inevitable conclusion that Randy allowed them to walk at the behest of the manager (interesting too to see how Quinn went so quickly after MON's arrival at Sunderland).

Just those two. Cunnah was a strange one - he arrived seemingly with some sort of remit to re-build the ground, him coming led to FitzG leaving, but he was never formally CEO and left soon after. 

FitzGerald left as he couldn't work with MON - that's something I've heard from as close to the horse's mouth as you can get.

I heard this also from a very close source - also what ever happened to the top guy from IMG - when he came on board i felt that were really going to go places and then out of the blue he left as well

[dave.woodhall]

It is interesting that with MON, Richard FitzGerald and Michael Cunnah (and, in fact, wasn't there another one for a short spell) didn't last long as CEO with MON, which raises the inevitable conclusion that Randy allowed them to walk at the behest of the manager (interesting too to see how Quinn went so quickly after MON's arrival at Sunderland).

Just those two. Cunnah was a strange one - he arrived seemingly with some sort of remit to re-build the ground, him coming led to FitzG leaving, but he was never formally CEO and left soon after. 

FitzGerald left as he couldn't work with MON - that's something I've heard from as close to the horse's mouth as you can get.

I heard this also from a very close source - also what ever happened to the top guy from IMG - when he came on board i felt that were really going to go places and then out of the blue he left as well

Family circumstances changed (his wife is a former Olympic skating medalist - I think they had a late child) and he retired to somewhere like Seattle.

[Risso]

It seems to me that Lerner never learns from his mistakes, and instead of trying to appoint the best possible people to run the club, he surrounds himself with people he is comfortable with.  Faulkner clearly isn't CEO material and has been promoted way above his ability.  Similarly McLeish was always going to be pliable after being offered an escape route from Blues.  We're therefore lumbered with two people who are unlikely to rock the boat, even if they think Lerner is in the wrong.  He's gone from one extreme in O'Neill to the other, and it was clearly never going to work, and it hasn't worked.

[NiiLamptey]

Some people amaze me - they're entitled to their opinion but whatever happens they can't find it within themselves to criticise the club, it's owner, CE or manager. It's almost worth getting relegated to see what they would say then.

Other people amaze me that they can't seem to accept that some people might have a different opinion to themselves.

Other people amaze me that they are amazed that other people cant seem to accept differing opinions...

[Dave Cooper please]

Some people amaze me - they're entitled to their opinion but whatever happens they can't find it within themselves to criticise the club, it's owner, CE or manager. It's almost worth getting relegated to see what they would say then.

Other people amaze me that they can't seem to accept that some people might have a different opinion to themselves.

Other people amaze me that they are amazed that other people cant seem to accept differing opinions...

Aw, now I'm confused.

[5ft811st2 Durham]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

They do, but of the usually quoted suspects, Sir Graham's at Watford, BFR's retired and Ian Taylor is a great bloke but whether that transfers into business ability remains to be seen.

Steve Stride would do nicely.

If ever history has treated someone well... Seriously though, he's in his sixties now and I think he enjoys retirement and his part-time job with UEFA a bit too much.

I'm sure Stride would have talked Lerner out of employing McLeish as our manager. He may have had faults, but by Christ he wouldn't have let that numpty anywhere near our football club.

Can't agree. It was his idea to appoint Gregory and the losses incurred by the club on players he bought were huge, far greater than MON. 

[Greg N'Ash]

 You can't run a Rolls-royce on a budget as you just end up damaging the value of it, so if you can't afford to run one anymore you'd sell it and buy a Kia or something with low running costs. Likewise Lerner needs to decide whether he wants to own Aston Villa and the costs associated with it, or whether he would be  better off owning a walsall or wigan where his "asleep behind the wheel" style of ownership would be less noticeable or damaging.

[VillaBobby]

The club is obviously available to any prospective buyer, unfortunately Lerner has done such a piss poor job his investment in the purchase and now untold debt makes Aston Villa on top of the customer base diminishing by the day does not a it a saleable asset.

The General was hilarious and how many fools feel for such basic commercialism is unreal.

Reality check, Lerner has gambled and lost, we foot the bill of future mediocrity.

[TonyD]

The only way for RL to avoid losing any more money is to run the club into the ground or appoint a fresh new manager.    He could also sell up.  I really have no idea were the club will be 2 years from now. 

[James]

I really have no idea where the club will be 2 years from now. 

Nail on head. The worrying thing is that we don't even know if the club do either!

No, it's not time for Randy to go, it's time for him to man up and get a grip of things instead of carrying on like a kid that's fallen out of love with what was once a favourite toy!

[Tom Sawyer]

Just watching Bill Kenwright on Coronation Street. I wonder if Randy will be making a cameo appearance on "The Young and the Restless?"

[The Situation]

Usually I would be against fans putting pressure on owners to satisfy their demands, but every man and his dog could see appointing McLeish was going to be a disaster from the get go. We all knew what was coming. I still can't believe how fucking moronic Lerner is. Sorry, we are Aston Villa, we are a club of winners, we are not the Browns who have a losers mentality because they have sucked for so long. We will not become the Browns, we are Aston Villa.