Takeover rumours

[oldhill_avfc]

Tomorrow's Mirror are saying that Lerner is NOT looking to sell the club but is looking for new fund raising ideas to help the club, including stadium naming rights. They also report the North Stand will be rebuilt.

He could always sell some of the shares he bought when he was billy-big-bollocks with his 100% buy-out. 

Or maybe he would be a bit wary of serious investors scrutinising the management team's record.

[Ads]

Why was he being a billy big bollocks?

[oldhill_avfc]

Why was he being a billy big bollocks?

Because he could only execute his grand plan if he had full share ownership. 

[john e]

Why was he being a billy big bollocks?

everyone who had villa shares had to sell them to Randy or they would become worthless

I think that's what he's meaning

[Jon Crofts]

It would be nice to know what Randy's plans are rather than what they aren't.

[oldhill_avfc]

It would be nice to know what Randy's plans are rather than what they aren't.

He's Mr Micawber - hoping something will turn up to release him of his debts.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Unfortunately for us, Man City came along and we are arguably the club that has suffered most from that. We were already aiming to sneak into 4th with Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal out of sight. When citee came into the money, they took our 2 best players and the 3 Champs League closed shop became 4 meaning that without further even bigger investment we weren't going to make it to the promised land of the Champs League.

If I was in Lerners shoes, I would have done the same with respect to cutting down on investment. The ship sailed and we missed it. As painful as it is now, I don't think there is any real alternative. Either start again and build from the bottom ala Everton or, possibly make the club sellable and attract someone with serious money who will fund a punt on the Champs League.

For a short period, Arsenal weren't out of sight, we were ahead of them around Christmas/January 2008/09.  That was the time to invest in the superstar player that could make the difference.  Instead, we bought Heskey.  They bought Arshavin.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Not sure it's been mentioned already but we shouldn't forget Lerner lost a fortune back in 2007/2008 with the banking meltdown. He may have recouped some value but I doubt he's anywhere close to where he was before the crash. Only a mad man would kept throwing money at us when all around him was collapsing.

We as supporters want everything; star signings, cheap tickets, a winning team, entertaining football and above all, a cup or two. I'd imagine Lerner thought he needs to regroup, get the house in order and build from a solid base rather than trying to buy success. A key factor to making the club financially strong and bringing in additional revenue is filling Villa Park, yet I'm struggling to remember a game where we've sold out or where those wonderful corporate seats in the Trinity have been filled.

Right now it looks like we're just about treading water, just enough not to get relegated but not enough to make a splash in the top half of the table. We're the best of the relegation group and despite being 10th, it's hardly the kind of position to be that will attract potential new owners, nevermind top players. For now we are what we are, just like most - making up the numbers.

[eastie]

Not sure it's been mentioned already but we shouldn't forget Lerner lost a fortune back in 2007/2008 with the banking meltdown. He may have recouped some value but I doubt he's anywhere close to where he was before the crash. Only a mad man would kept throwing money at us when all around him was collapsing.

We as supporters want everything; star signings, cheap tickets, a winning team, entertaining football and above all, a cup or two. I'd imagine Lerner thought he needs to regroup, get the house in order and build from a solid base rather than trying to buy success. A key factor to making the club financially strong and bringing in additional revenue is filling Villa Park, yet I'm struggling to remember a game where we've sold out or where those wonderful corporate seats in the Trinity have been filled.

Right now it looks like we're just about treading water, just enough not to get relegated but not enough to make a splash in the top half of the table. We're the best of the relegation group and despite being 10th, it's hardly the kind of position to be that will attract potential new owners, nevermind top players. For now we are what we are, just like most - making up the numbers.

Do we know how much he sold the browns for?

[Monty]

But you can't say we didn't spend money - I bet we paid Heskey not much a dissimilar wage to that Arsenal paid to Arshavin.

It's Martin O'Neill. It was always Martin O'Neill. For all his good points, it was he who was entrusted with large amounts of money to establish us in the top tier of football, and he pissed it away on inadequate plodders and played the most retrograde, consciously, brutishly stupid football anyone in his position could possibly have played.

[eastie]

But you can't say we didn't spend money - I bet we paid Heskey not much a dissimilar wage to that Arsenal paid to Arshavin.

It's Martin O'Neill. It was always Martin O'Neill. For all his good points, it was he who was entrusted with large amounts of money to establish us in the top tier of football, and he pissed it away on inadequate plodders and played the most retrograde, consciously, brutishly stupid football anyone in his position could possibly have played.

I think its harsh to blame it all on mon - I think there lies differing portions of blame with faulkner, lerner, o Neill, houllier, Mcleish as well as a lot of players who were happy to take the cash and not deliver the goods.

[Monty]

But you can't say we didn't spend money - I bet we paid Heskey not much a dissimilar wage to that Arsenal paid to Arshavin.

It's Martin O'Neill. It was always Martin O'Neill. For all his good points, it was he who was entrusted with large amounts of money to establish us in the top tier of football, and he pissed it away on inadequate plodders and played the most retrograde, consciously, brutishly stupid football anyone in his position could possibly have played.

I think its harsh to blame it all on mon - I think there lies differing portions of blame with faulkner, lerner, o Neill, houllier, Mcleish as well as a lot of players who were happy to take the cash and not deliver the goods.

Of course, a lot of subsequent chaos hasn't been literally his doing, but that team of arseholes he assembled, spending all the money that we had, that's unforgivable.

[Meanwood Villa]

But you can't say we didn't spend money - I bet we paid Heskey not much a dissimilar wage to that Arsenal paid to Arshavin.

It's Martin O'Neill. It was always Martin O'Neill. For all his good points, it was he who was entrusted with large amounts of money to establish us in the top tier of football, and he pissed it away on inadequate plodders and played the most retrograde, consciously, brutishly stupid football anyone in his position could possibly have played.

This will inevitably start the old arguments but I do find it strange that O'Neill's getting shit yet he was the last manager who had us anywhere near being a half decent side on the pitch.

[Monty]

But you can't say we didn't spend money - I bet we paid Heskey not much a dissimilar wage to that Arsenal paid to Arshavin.

It's Martin O'Neill. It was always Martin O'Neill. For all his good points, it was he who was entrusted with large amounts of money to establish us in the top tier of football, and he pissed it away on inadequate plodders and played the most retrograde, consciously, brutishly stupid football anyone in his position could possibly have played.

This will inevitably start the old arguments but I do find it strange that O'Neill's getting shit yet he was the last manager who had us anywhere near being a half decent side on the pitch.

With loads and loads of money, though. He did quite well, but look at what another manager who didn't think that it was perfectly acceptable for a side with Champions' League ambitions to do practically everything as if it were the 70s: long balls, not much training, playing the same team every week, rock-rigid 4-4-2, exclusively British players - you could go on and on. MON was inadequate in every area of football except motivating his inner clique to get fired up once a week - charismatic, sure, but in the end well short of good enough for the top level we were supposed to want to get into, and was never going to be good enough.

[mr woo]

Out of interest then, how have Cleveland fared (in comparison) since Randy fucked them off.

I'd look it up myself but I'm not sure whether getting more 'downs' is an improvement or not.