Randy Lerner

[Ian.]

I feel for Lambert, I did for TSM and GH. Something has gone horribly wrong at Villa. Did it start with giving MON too much free reign and now the managers since have no control at all?

I don't think the best manager in the world is going to dig us out of this pit unless he is helped financially. I don't mean just throwing money at it willy nilly but having faith in the manager picked to do his job and let him try and do what he feels he can do to compete as Premier League Football Club. Otherwise Lambert is going to be nurturing youngsters in the lower leagues.

[ROBBO]

We've gone from manager who picks the same eleven every week and pays them a fortune to a manager who has serious health problems to a manager that not one Villa fan wanted  to a manager who just wants to play kids. This is where a football wise board member becomes useful, he could take the manager aside and tell him that playing juniors against seniors will ruin his reputation. Well we finally have set records under Randys reign, not ones we wanted though.

[supertom]

Think we're in dire need of a better infrastructure at the club. As said, a board with some actual footballing knowledge would help. Perhaps a DOF too. It would seem particularly useful now, with an inexperienced manager. A lot of what Lambert is trying to do, Houllier also tried. He'd be far more suited to the DOF role, so maybe we could tempt him back, or someone similar, who knows the top league(s) inside out.

[Stu]

So much ignorance on this page that it is hard to know where to begin, but if you really think that the board chose Lambert "because it is what the fans wanted," then you are past reasoning with.

But I agree that there is no excuse for the AM appt. Before that, when MON left us deep in it, I thought the Houllier appt had potential, esp considering all the available options at the time. He might have been on the right track, but the heart issues means we will never know for certain.

I don't think you could have picked a worse time to start posting again. Fair play and everything, but I tell you this; this is the worst Villa side I've ever seen, and the reason why lays at Randy's door. No excuses, the team needs investment.

[eastie]

So much ignorance on this page that it is hard to know where to begin, but if you really think that the board chose Lambert "because it is what the fans wanted," then you are past reasoning with.

But I agree that there is no excuse for the AM appt. Before that, when MON left us deep in it, I thought the Houllier appt had potential, esp considering all the available options at the time. He might have been on the right track, but the heart issues means we will never know for certain.

One question I'd like answering pelty - is randy still as committed to the club and interested as he was 3 years ago?

[eastie]

Even rentagob joey Barton has tweeted-

@Joey7Barton: Aston Villa are in big trouble. Such a young side. Like a youth team playing in the Premier League. Can't blame Lambert in my eyes

[Dave Clark Five]

So much ignorance on this page that it is hard to know where to begin, but if you really think that the board chose Lambert "because it is what the fans wanted," then you are past reasoning with.

Thanks for those words of wisdom.

[LeeB]

Lerner needs to sell up he just isn't interested anymore, some of the decisions he has made have been disastrous.  If Ellis had made some of the decisions he has done the last few years he would have got no end of shit for it, Lerner has got off lightly in my opinion.

TBH, RL and PF has been given loads of stick on here since MON walked. Not a day has gone by without Rip calling him a bastard or a c***.

Can't remember calling either a bastard or a c.unt.

Hopelessly incompotent and moronic, yes.

Who cares, i'm in a minority anyway.

Equal Rights for Men Who Look Like Minty off Eastenders.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

It makes little difference what Lerner does or does not know about football, or whether he does or does not come to the games. I really do not know if Faulkner and the others in charge of day to day stuff are or are not really any good at their jobs. My guess is they are probably fairly competent, but look less so if the company they work for is not having major capital investment and look better if things are put in their lap to enable them to do a job.
In the end modern football is all down to money, and Lerner does not have enough of it for us to even have a hope that one day we may compete at the very top level again. If and when he sells. the types of ownership you may have is as follows:-
1) Abramovich/Mansour type. Annual foreign coach change, high ticket prices, some trophies. Yes you will see success on the pitch but it will feel a bit less homely and a bit less like your club. I am not saying we should not take it if it was offered but as long as we understand the pay off.
2) Lerner/Liverpool type. Medium level foreign finance. You are never going to shake up the world and will at best bowl along off the pace until as some stage it all goes pear shaped and gets on top of you.
3) Venkeys/Carson Yeung type. Foreign chancers who promise the world and completely mess you up. The very thought of this almost makes you want us to stay with Lerner. Lets hope if Lerner sells he tries to let it go to someone with a measure of responsibility. I know things have gone wrong under Lerner but Doug was a least careful not to let us go to crooks/nutters.
4)Everton/Newcastle type. Home based finance. You will never ever compete at the top. By being reasonably frugal some seasons you may finish top half, other times you will have a relegation struggle. The home based finance model for clubs the size of Villa/Newcastle/Everton in the Premier is becoming more and more difficult season on season as the gap widens further.

Do not talk about how Swansea, Norwich, Stoke etc seem to be doing so much better than us. They have replaced the Charltons, Portsmouths, Boltons. There will always be a handful of small sized clubs rise and have their few years in the Premier before again falling back.
   

[Salsa Party Animal]

We might not like Deadly, but he had more fight and passion in him and love Aston Villa than Randy Lerner,  Randy Lerner have to keep investing and hire a football man to run the club and get 2 players on director board.  Also get someone to interact with fans like the General before he left for new job.  Problem we need someone like Man City / Chelsea owner who is willing to invest and be a financial muscle. But with the global recession there probably be fewer super rich people who willing to splash if there is no tomorrow.

I think if we had appointed someone modern and good instead of Martin O'Neill we would already play in champions league. I believe we had lost heart when Man City arrive and buy Barry & Milner.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Even rentagob joey Barton has tweeted-

@Joey7Barton: Aston Villa are in big trouble. Such a young side. Like a youth team playing in the Premier League. Can't blame Lambert in my eyes

Thanks Joey. But could you at least put your analysis of what has gone wrong at Aston Villa within a Nietzschean philosophical framework you twat.

[LeeB]

We might not like Deadly, but he had more fight and passion in him and love Aston Villa than Randy Lerner,  Randy Lerner have to keep investing and hire a football man to run the club and get 2 players on director board.  Also get someone to interact with fans like the General before he left for new job.  Problem we need someone like Man City / Chelsea owner who is willing to invest and be a financial muscle. But with the global recession there probably be fewer super rich people who willing to splash if there is no tomorrow.

I think if we had appointed someone modern and good instead of Martin O'Neill we would already play in champions league. I believe we had lost heart when Man City arrive and buy Barry & Milner.

It's bad enough watching us get torn to shreds without people getting misty eyed for Doug, ffs.

[tiviseal]

What's the worst that can happen? Next season we could relive the glory days of beating Bournemouth at a packed VP.

[Dazvillain]

The very first game my dad took me to..... Superb

[Rip Van We Go Again]

So much ignorance on this page that it is hard to know where to begin, but if you really think that the board chose Lambert "because it is what the fans wanted," then you are past reasoning with.

But I agree that there is no excuse for the AM appt. Before that, when MON left us deep in it, I thought the Houllier appt had potential, esp considering all the available options at the time. He might have been on the right track, but the heart issues means we will never know for certain.

All this from a man in America who probably doesn't even know where Villa Park is.