Randy Lerner

[bertlambshank]

He hasn't run any business,that's part of the problem.

You're right - he's not a businessman, he's a benefactor.  Which is a hell of a lot better than our previous Chairman who was in it for personal profile & gain, the good of the club coming way down his list of priorities.

how is it better?
How much do we owe him in loans again?

It's better because he's putting money in to the club whereas the last chairman was taking money out of the club.

If the club owes Lerner money what does it matter?  He can't call it in as the club doesn't have the money.  So he chooses not to put any more in - that was how Herbert ran the club.

The club is paying the loans back,it's one of the reasons we are having to get the wage bill down.It has nothing to do with FFP.

[hawkeye]

An immense amount of damage was done last season.

Under Houllier, we had an awful season, but finished a somewhat flattering 11th. Not disastrous.

What we needed was a forward thinking appointment which would pull the club forwards, treat that season like a blip rather than a sign of things to come, and use the decent players we still had at that point, or at least replace them well.

What they then did was make the worst possible appointment they could possibly have done. I still can't believe they appointed McLeish.

You can talk about how the results aren't much better than they were under McLeish all you want, but the fact is last season did a huge, huge amount of damage to the club and started a juggernaut rolling that we still don't look like stopping.

Yep that was the one that did it, bonkers

[Rip Van We Go Again]

One of the biggest problems, and the reason Lerner still does not get flak, is that a lot of the fanbase see him as some sort of benevolent Ronald McDonald figure.
This was an image put across by The General etc at the time of the takeover and it's an image that couldn't be further from the truth.

[hawkeye]

One of the biggest problems, and the reason Lerner still does not get flak, is that a lot of the fanbase see him as some sort of benevolent Ronald McDonald figure.
This was an image put across by The General etc at the time of the takeover and it's an image that couldn't be further from the truth.

Isnt Ronald Mcdonald a clown? seems pretty fair to me.

[OzVilla]

We're in the classic catch 22. with Lerner.

Earliest he could sell would be the Summer which doesn't help us right now.  Cut backs all round means we'd need to sell to buy in January but our most sellable asset (Darren Bent) is at his lowest sale value since we bought him (we wouldn't get anywhere near our money back) and new players will want higher wages just to come to a relegation haunted team.  We also allegedly have a salary cap that by PL standards is very low.

Lerner now has been an unmitigated disaster for 3 years, he couldn't have messed it up more if he'd tried.  But i'm afraid we are in such a mess unless he really backs Lambert (and i mean with 30 million in January - which is highly unlikely) we'll probably be going down.

Basically, he's the TSM of Chairmen.

[Greg N'Ash]

He's been a disaster. Whatever mitigating circumstances you can use to justify his calamitous reign, it's his hole and he still keeps digging. Ever since pubehead slung his hook he's veered from one disaster to another. Fucked over Houllier for the old guard for the sake of his wallet - where are these players now? - injured, stinking up our team or stinking up other teams. Then he bought in TSM which is up there with anything those clowns at Blackburn have managed but at least the guy realised how shit we were and played to survive. This is like groundhog day but with a manager without any tactical awareness - forget chelsea, we could be breaking all sorts of records if he keeps putting out the same formation and team. The guy has lost the youngsters totally - the confidence is rock bottom true, but he's not even organising them properly. You're not gonna improve confidence if no-ones knows what they're fucking supposed to do.

As i see it Lerner has three choices:

1) Stick with his ridiculouse Ajax of the midlands plan and sack Lambert tomorrow because he's not good enough to carry it out - I'm not sure who is mind, but anything is better than getting pummelled by 5 goals a game as we slide into oblivion

2) Sack Faulkner and drop 20+m in the managers lap, or another manager's lap.  fuck off the likes of Dunne, Gabby, Ireland, Nzogbia, gGiven for bargain basement prices because they'll be near enough worthless in the championship anyway and they really aren't going to get better - how many Villa players can you think off who've been shite for 2 or three seasons  in a row and then come good? Nope neither can I.   Cut our losses,just get something for the wasters or pay up their contracts because we'll be doing it next summer anyway. Then pray that 20m together with the few decent youth players is enough to keep us up.

3) Keep Calm and go again.


I'm guessing Lerner hasn't finished digging yet so 3) looks the best bet

2013 is certainly shaping up to be a classic and no mistake....

[Dave Clark Five]

He hasn't run any business,that's part of the problem.

You're right - he's not a businessman, he's a benefactor.  Which is a hell of a lot better than our previous Chairman who was in it for personal profile & gain, the good of the club coming way down his list of priorities.

how is it better?
How much do we owe him in loans again?

It's better because he's putting money in to the club whereas the last chairman was taking money out of the club.

If the club owes Lerner money what does it matter?  He can't call it in as the club doesn't have the money.  So he chooses not to put any more in - that was how Herbert ran the club.

This is the thing that I struggle with. Lerner buys the club from Ellis but borrows money from the club. Who are 'the club'? I thought that was what Lerner had bought so how can he borrow money from it.

Regarding Doug Ellis. We used to see a set of accounts every year. Did anybody expect a Chairman, running a business, to throw millions of pounds of his own money into it? His job was to at least balance the books. The day when everyone needs someone like Abramovich as Chairman (or whatever title he has) is the day to pack up.
 

[OzVilla]

I'm wondering whether we shouldn't just pay up Stephen Irelands contract now after today.

He just strikes me as the kind of bloke you'd pay not to have around in our position.  after all, he claimed from the get go that he never wanted to be here.

[themossman]

In hindsight, Houllier and AMcL were both ludicrous appointments and the combined effects have left  lambert, a decent appointment, with an impossible hole to get out of.

[sirlordbaltimore]

In hindsight, Houllier and AMcL were both ludicrous appointments and the combined effects have left  lambert, a decent appointment, with an impossible hole to get out of.

You'd also have to say Lambert has more than helped dig the hole we now find ourselves in

[Dave Clark Five]

I'm wondering whether we shouldn't just pay up Stephen Irelands contract now after today.

He just strikes me as the kind of bloke you'd pay not to have around in our position.  after all, he claimed from the get go that he never wanted to be here.

When we know that we need experienced players, it is more than a little disappointing that one of our most experienced players (can't be arsed to check this with Wikipedia) is continually playing so poorly.

[hawkeye]

He hasn't run any business,that's part of the problem.

You're right - he's not a businessman, he's a benefactor.  Which is a hell of a lot better than our previous Chairman who was in it for personal profile & gain, the good of the club coming way down his list of priorities.

how is it better?
How much do we owe him in loans again?

It's better because he's putting money in to the club whereas the last chairman was taking money out of the club.

If the club owes Lerner money what does it matter?  He can't call it in as the club doesn't have the money.  So he chooses not to put any more in - that was how Herbert ran the club.

This is the thing that I struggle with. Lerner buys the club from Ellis but borrows money from the club. Who are 'the club'? I thought that was what Lerner had bought so how can he borrow money from it.

Regarding Doug Ellis. We used to see a set of accounts every year. Did anybody expect a Chairman, running a business, to throw millions of pounds of his own money into it? His job was to at least balance the books. The day when everyone needs someone like Abramovich as Chairman (or whatever title he has) is the day to pack up.
 

Hes back

[pauliewalnuts]

This is the thing that I struggle with. Lerner buys the club from Ellis but borrows money from the club. Who are 'the club'? I thought that was what Lerner had bought so how can he borrow money from it.

The club, which is owned by Lerner, has been lent money, by Lerner, at a certain rate of interest, to be repaid at a certain date.

[hawkeye]

He's been a disaster. Whatever mitigating circumstances you can use to justify his calamitous reign, it's his hole and he still keeps digging. Ever since pubehead slung his hook he's veered from one disaster to another. Fucked over Houllier for the old guard for the sake of his wallet - where are these players now? - injured, stinking up our team or stinking up other teams. Then he bought in TSM which is up there with anything those clowns at Blackburn have managed but at least the guy realised how shit we were and played to survive. This is like groundhog day but with a manager without any tactical awareness - forget chelsea, we could be breaking all sorts of records if he keeps putting out the same formation and team. The guy has lost the youngsters totally - the confidence is rock bottom true, but he's not even organising them properly. You're not gonna improve confidence if no-ones knows what they're fucking supposed to do.

As i see it Lerner has three choices:

1) Stick with his ridiculouse Ajax of the midlands plan and sack Lambert tomorrow because he's not good enough to carry it out - I'm not sure who is mind, but anything is better than getting pummelled by 5 goals a game as we slide into oblivion

2) Sack Faulkner and drop 20+m in the managers lap, or another manager's lap.  fuck off the likes of Dunne, Gabby, Ireland, Nzogbia, gGiven for bargain basement prices because they'll be near enough worthless in the championship anyway and they really aren't going to get better - how many Villa players can you think off who've been shite for 2 or three seasons  in a row and then come good? Nope neither can I.   Cut our losses,just get something for the wasters or pay up their contracts because we'll be doing it next summer anyway. Then pray that 20m together with the few decent youth players is enough to keep us up.

3) Keep Calm and go again.


I'm guessing Lerner hasn't finished digging yet so 3) looks the best bet

2013 is certainly shaping up to be a classic and no mistake....

you are back

[pauliewalnuts]

Greg returns = 30 pages by this time tomorrow.