Randy Lerner

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I reckon he'd come back if asked and offered a decent package.

[dave.woodhall]

Mr Woodhall, do you think Stride will return?

No.

[Risso]

And what would he do anyway?  He was a brilliant administrator by all accounts, but how would he have helped over the last few years?  I'm sure in terms of the day to day making sure paperwork was correct and admin matters, he was excellent, but that's not where we've suffered is it?  Would he really have been the person to tell O'Neill that he couldn't buy the likes of Harewood or Habib Beye, or would he have stopped Lerner appointing McLeish?  Somehow I think not.

[pauliewalnuts]

He might have pointed out the ticking time bomb of the wage bill, and referenced the age and value of some of the players on it.

Seems like nobody in the camp actually thought about that until it was far too late, and we were hacking away at it desperately, trying to reduce it, and risking our top flight status in the process.

I even recall some of us on the General's thread pointing out the wage bill, and the players not getting used, but we were told not to worry our little heads about the finances, and that they knew what they were doing.

[paul_e]

He might have pointed out the ticking time bomb of the wage bill, and referenced the age and value of some of the players on it.

Seems like nobody in the camp actually thought about that until it was far too late, and we were hacking away at it desperately, trying to reduce it, and risking our top flight status in the process.

I even recall some of us on the General's thread pointing out the wage bill, and the players not getting used, but we were told not to worry our little heads about the finances, and that they knew what they were doing.

As said, I believe they did  know exactly what they were doing, which was gambling on making the champions league before wages became an issue, that qualification, if we'd made the group stages, would've been worth £20-30m (in terms of increased sponsorship value, TV revenues and prize money, potentially a lot more with extra merchandise and ticket sales), which more than covers the wages we 'overspent' on in trying to get there.

The problem is they gambled on a manager who was too limited in the transfer market and in terms of rotating his squad and the wheels came off.

[dave.woodhall]

And what would he do anyway?  He was a brilliant administrator by all accounts, but how would he have helped over the last few years?  I'm sure in terms of the day to day making sure paperwork was correct and admin matters, he was excellent, but that's not where we've suffered is it?  Would he really have been the person to tell O'Neill that he couldn't buy the likes of Harewood or Habib Beye, or would he have stopped Lerner appointing McLeish?  Somehow I think not.

He has the respect of everyone in the game. Almost forty years working in one business, most of that time at a senior level, enables quite a lot of knowledge to rub off. Who knows, maybe O'Neill would have listened to him.

[Virgil Caine]

I see Steve Stride more as an excellent Chief Operations Officer and one who would do a fantastic job at VIlla Park. The role of a football clubs CEO is complex having a need to combine the accountancy skills needed in negotiations etc, to recognition of the the importance of success on the field through support of the team manager. Someone is needed who is experienced in footballing matters, is well connected, and has boardroom experience. I am sure there are others but certainly Graham Taylor , John Deehan ( albeit at lower league level) seem to have the CV required.

[N'ZMAV]

Who knows, maybe O'Neill would have listened to him.

I doubt it. I don't think MON listens to anyone.

[citizenDJ]

Not a terrible article.

http://www.football365.com/f365-says/8376205/F365-Focus

[eastie]

I see Steve Stride more as an excellent Chief Operations Officer and one who would do a fantastic job at VIlla Park. The role of a football clubs CEO is complex having a need to combine the accountancy skills needed in negotiations etc, to recognition of the the importance of success on the field through support of the team manager. Someone is needed who is experienced in footballing matters, is well connected, and has boardroom experience. I am sure there are others but certainly Graham Taylor , John Deehan ( albeit at lower league level) seem to have the CV required.

I agree, but I don't think Lerner will replace Faulkner.

[Risso]

I see Steve Stride more as an excellent Chief Operations Officer and one who would do a fantastic job at VIlla Park. The role of a football clubs CEO is complex having a need to combine the accountancy skills needed in negotiations etc, to recognition of the the importance of success on the field through support of the team manager. Someone is needed who is experienced in footballing matters, is well connected, and has boardroom experience. I am sure there are others but certainly Graham Taylor , John Deehan ( albeit at lower league level) seem to have the CV required.

How would people like Deehan or Taylor have the accountancy or financial skills you mention?  The point about a good board of directors is that you have people with differing skills (eg finance, operations, sales and marketing etc) who combine to ensure that a company as a whole is well run, with a strategy that calls on all of their experience.  What seems to have happened in the O'Neill years is that the financial strategy for the club was non-existent, with Lerner apparently giving O'Neill carte blanche to just sign whatever players he wanted, on whatever salary.  There doesn't seem to have been any sort of budget setting or cost analysis undertaken.

[MarkM]

Not a terrible article.

http://www.football365.com/f365-says/8376205/F365-Focus

A good piece in my view.

The stats quoted are awful and really shamful for a club the size of the Villa

[Chipsticks]

Who knows, maybe O'Neill would have listened to him.

I doubt it. I don't think MON listens to anyone.

The only person MON listens to is the voice inside his head telling him to spunk away half the transfer budget on below average bench warmers.

[Virgil Caine]

Rissbert  I agree though in my defence I was alluding to accountancy knowledge with the background of negotiating player contracts, bonus structure and termination deals rather than pure Chartered Accountancy qualifications. Also I am not sure whether the current boardroom has that scope of experience and knowledge that is needed, especially relating to footballing matters,
rather than the commercials of marketing a product.

[bertlambshank]

It doesn't have to be a former Villa person they bring in,just somebody who knows enough about football.