Takeover rumours

[eastie]

Seems to be buttering lerner and Faulkner up and getting  a new contract in the bargain - the emperor has no clothes!

[dave shelley]

The best analogy I can come up with regarding what's going on with Aston Villa at the moment, and apologies to anyone who thinks it's out of context is: Goering told Hitler that no allied bombs would land on Berlin, result...annihilation.  I'm sure Lambert has told Lerner that they will always be mid-table safe, result...inevitable relegation.  Unless of course there is a drastic turnaround in attitudes and fortunes.

[Fergal]

The way things are going I will soon be able to afford to buy the club, and I cant afford a season ticket...

[levico]

You keep predicting it Levico, you never know, it might happen for you one year.

Absolutely, but I won't take any pleasure from being right.

What's your view on the likelihood of our relegation?

[Dante Lavelli]

I never had Paul Lambert down has a bullshitter but its there in black and white.

Eh, in which bit?

[Mazrim]

Randy has put a lot of money in. That cannot be doubted. But the problem is that the money is and has been utterly squandered. And in the main, needlessly. And all for the want of some nous and forward planning.

So we find ourselves in a situation where we have bought two left backs and loaned a third to replace them, and we have no playmaker or reliable centre halves, For instance. That's not directly Randy's fault but it is certainly what happens when you have no clear long term plan or expertise in the right areas, which is his fault.

The legacy of stumbling from one mistake to the next. To quote Bowie, we're putting out fire with gasoline.

[bertlambshank]

I never had Paul Lambert down has a bullshitter but its there in black and white.

Eh, in which bit?

Read it again just about all of it.Randy hiding in different parts of the ground for a start,he has lost it I tell ya.

[mr underhill]

there is very little to suggest he ever had it

[caster troy]

If he's been to a few home games it is even more incredible that he thinks a new contract for Lambert is a good idea. I don't know what's worse, an absent owner or one who is blind to our biggest problem.

[nigel]

I never had Paul Lambert down has a bullshitter but its there in black and white.

Eh, in which bit?

Read it again just about all of it.Randy hiding in different parts of the ground for a start,he has lost it I tell ya.

I think you might find they were just 'Tongue in Cheek' comments.
Scottish sense of humour 

[villa `cross the mersey]

So how would we feel if an unknown Chinese consortium became owners?

The next major purchaser of a PL club is most likely to be Chinese, probably linked to a Major Chinese corporation.

I have a feeling you might be getting warmer there ChicagoLion - where has Mr Lerner been flying to recently?

[pauliewalnuts]

So how would we feel if an unknown Chinese consortium became owners?

That is surely too general a question, isn't it?

Isn't the obvious answer that it depends who they are and what they do? What if it turned out to be the new Carson Yeung and Peter Pan or whatever his name is?

Or what if it turned out to be some group of incredibly socially aware, philanthropic billionaires with a proven record of running sport teams?

Both would be an unknown Chinese consortium (at least initially), but could be very different.

[PeterWithesShin]

It explains why Luna often looks so bad. Lambert is sending on Randy wearing Luna's shirt!

[Toronto Villa]

So how would we feel if an unknown Chinese consortium became owners?

That is surely too general a question, isn't it?

Isn't the obvious answer that it depends who they are and what they do? What if it turned out to be the new Carson Yeung and Peter Pan or whatever his name is?

Or what if it turned out to be some group of incredibly socially aware, philanthropic billionaires with a proven record of running sport teams?

Both would be an unknown Chinese consortium (at least initially), but could be very different.

exactly. I don't see why anyone's nationality has anything to do with it. Because it's not like there aren't any shady English blokes running sports teams is there? It's all about intention and ambition and Randy showed plenty of it early on. I hope he gets back to it next season.

[Sexual Ealing]

So how would we feel if an unknown Chinese consortium became owners?

That is surely too general a question, isn't it?

Isn't the obvious answer that it depends who they are and what they do? What if it turned out to be the new Carson Yeung and Peter Pan or whatever his name is?

Or what if it turned out to be some group of incredibly socially aware, philanthropic billionaires with a proven record of running sport teams?

Both would be an unknown Chinese consortium (at least initially), but could be very different.

exactly. I don't see why anyone's nationality has anything to do with it. Because it's not like there aren't any shady English blokes running sports teams is there? It's all about intention and ambition and Randy showed plenty of it early on. I hope he gets back to it next season.

Quite. It's almost like there's a reason that Randy, a rich (but not super-rich) American (but not one of those brash, tasteless Americans) bought Aston Villa. We're a big (but not super-big) top-flght club who have potential (but not super-potential, like we're near the King's Road. But we do have history and a bit of style). He was always going to buy us and it was always going to be like this. We're Aston Villa, we bob around generally near-but-not-that-near-the-top. I blame Kaiser Willhelm.

People often compare the England national team to Villa because we were pioneers but have subsequently become also-rans. I'd go further and compare the entire nation of the UK to the Villa. We were quite seismic in terms of our impact at the forging of the modern world, and we're still allowed to sit at or near the top table on most occasions, but really we're just here to add some gilt and faux-gravitas to the grubby cash exchanges that we're ultimately responsible for the creation of.