I believe Mr Lerner, at a time of financial uncertaintanty, saw the Villa as a copper-bottomed investment. Throw in the revenue generated by European qualification and/or an increase in money from the TV deals and Mr Lerner must've felt like Jack in the Giant's castle.
He may also have been thinking of the following:
1 A salary cap on player's earnings.
2 The formation of a European league.
3 A limitation of the spending of each club
4 Games to be played in other countries.
Whatever does happen in the future Mr Lerner has in the purchase of Aston Villa got himself a lovely little Milch Cow. (Does anybody know how much money he gets in interest and fees from the club?)
The one thing that is certain is that over the last few years the Villa have been subjected to managerial fuckwittery of the first water.
1 The Mon sacking/resignation pantomime.
2 The purchase of Ireland.
3 The Houllier debacle.
4 The purchase of Makoun.
5 Giving good money to Pires.
6 The General's selling of the youth as the way forward and his bizarre 4th place pronouncement.
7 The appointment of the dullard's dullard Mr McLeish.
8 The purchase of Hutton, Given and N'Zogbia.
9 Giving good money to Jenas.
Last year I went to the Stadium of Light and the only real moment of entertainment came when the Tumbling Bear shaped to shoot and a bloke behind me shouted 'Mind the windows'. I didn't go this year because I thought the money would be better spent on a take out for the family.
We have become the laughing stock and I'm only surprised that the Aston Vanilla line hasn't been trotted out again. My one consolation at the moment is the possibility of a Chris Smith vs. The Gnasher quotathon.
