Takeover rumours

[LeeB]

Cockweasel.

[robbo1874]

Just voted  no in the poll, as there is the high risk of a name change and kit colour change and that's a huge no for me. If there was some kind of guarantee they wouldn't fuck withe name or the colours, then I'd say yes.

[pauliewalnuts]

Well, we didn't have a bottomless pit of money and he spent it all on those players. And yes - Dunne and Collins physically threatened a Villa legend, for one thing, and they and Warnock spent a lot of the GH and Eck years mouthing off at the young players whenever he messed up. Those three were a poisonous influence, for which privilege, thanks to MON, we paid six figures a week. The current mob are just cheap and trying their best. That's not to mention the money spent on the likes of Sidwell, Heskey, Harewood, Shorey, Carson, Davies, Knight. Yes he also signed good players, but they were hardly amazing finds - everyone in the league knew about Milner and Young, and he inherited Stan Petrov at Celtic, he didn't go out to find him, as he inherited Henrik Larsson, Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry. His scouting was UKIP-esque and his spending was like Mike Tyson's circa 1995.

As for guesswork, well, look at Moyes and Pardew - hardly the game's greatest thinkers but they assembled teams more cheaply than MON which played better football, had better squad depth and finished higher.

Martin O'Neill wasted the best opportunity this club had had in years, and he did so in such a spectacularly obnoxious, gratingly dislikable and flouncingly prima-donna-ish way that I can't believe he still has even one defender among Villa fans.

I'm welling up here.

Spot on.

[ChicagoLion]

Well, we didn't have a bottomless pit of money and he spent it all on those players. And yes - Dunne and Collins physically threatened a Villa legend, for one thing, and they and Warnock spent a lot of the GH and Eck years mouthing off at the young players whenever he messed up. Those three were a poisonous influence, for which privilege, thanks to MON, we paid six figures a week. The current mob are just cheap and trying their best. That's not to mention the money spent on the likes of Sidwell, Heskey, Harewood, Shorey, Carson, Davies, Knight. Yes he also signed good players, but they were hardly amazing finds - everyone in the league knew about Milner and Young, and he inherited Stan Petrov at Celtic, he didn't go out to find him, as he inherited Henrik Larsson, Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry. His scouting was UKIP-esque and his spending was like Mike Tyson's circa 1995.

As for guesswork, well, look at Moyes and Pardew - hardly the game's greatest thinkers but they assembled teams more cheaply than MON which played better football, had better squad depth and finished higher.

Martin O'Neill wasted the best opportunity this club had had in years, and he did so in such a spectacularly obnoxious, gratingly dislikable and flouncingly prima-donna-ish way that I can't believe he still has even one defender among Villa fans.

Spot on.

Brilliantly summed up.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

As it stands the team that's been variously described as arseholes, thuggish and unprofessional are our last vaguely successful team. What does that make the current mob? No one knows whether any other manager would have done better, it is just guesswork to say that someone would. I don't like O'Neill for leaving when he did and his later career does suggest he'd lost it but really nearly 4 years down the line how is he still getting the blame for the dross currently on offer?

because we are still suffering from his overspend and the non-sustainable squad that he left behind. We have limped along for a couple of seasons since he left and then gone right the way back to basics, rebuilding the entire squad. That's why we are where we are, it's a long road back and I would say we have probably got at least another season of this before we can start considering ourselves as being away from the relegation group and into the group that is solidly in the top half and in with a chance of contesting the uefa places, ie 6-9

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Martin O'Neill wasted the best opportunity this club had had in years, and he did so in such a spectacularly obnoxious, gratingly dislikable and flouncingly prima-donna-ish way that I can't believe he still has even one defender among Villa fans.

apart from that he was ok tho :-)

[Fergal]

IKN ?   

Well done for picking up on my typo, really impressive

didn't know it was a typo, thought it was a new thing with a meaning
that's why I asked so I could be up to date with the in crowd,

If you want too be up with the in crowd FFS son't copy me...

[Fergal]

Those are all valid criticisms of him and the failure to make the champions league is a mark against him but we've been pretty much useless on the pitch since he left and I don't see how it's fair to blame him for that. When he was actually at the club we were better. 

He achieved 3 top 6 finishes and got us to a cup final but given the situation at the time and the money at his disposal he underachieved  in my view .

We would have been better off keeping DoL

[saunders_heroes]

Martin O'Neill wasted the best opportunity this club had had in years, and he did so in such a spectacularly obnoxious, gratingly dislikable and flouncingly prima-donna-ish way that I can't believe he still has even one defender among Villa fans.

apart from that he was ok tho :-)

Yep. Apart from the fact that he got us 3 consecutive top 6 finishes.
Now we're perennial relegation strugglers.

[pauliewalnuts]

Martin O'Neill wasted the best opportunity this club had had in years, and he did so in such a spectacularly obnoxious, gratingly dislikable and flouncingly prima-donna-ish way that I can't believe he still has even one defender among Villa fans.

apart from that he was ok tho :-)

Yep. Apart from the fact that he got us 3 consecutive top 6 finishes.
Now we're perennial relegation strugglers.

Although let's not forget, if we're "perennial" relegation strugglers, based on the three and a bit seasons since he flounced out, then a good deal of that is down to the state he had to get us into to finish top six in the first place.

I'm aware that that fades with every year that passes, as finances improve a bit, but even so, if you're classing the last three years as "perennial" you can't ignore his "contribution" to it.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

There isn't same prestige in most leagues, france and spain have their 2 big clubs each who are likely to dominate for a while now, Germany has it's own big 2, one who are already mega rich and the other who, whilst an option, don't fit with the ego boost that would be expected.  That leaves Italy really and I'm not sure how attractive any of the top clubs there would be, given the associated costs.  I doubt there are many sides higher up the list than us, Everton maybe, but as has been said, they share a catchment area with 3 of the 5 biggest clubs in England right now, which makes them a tough sell to anyone.

I would say that Newcastle and West Ham are probably as attractive to buyers as us, Newcastle because of the ground and big crowds, West Ham because of being in London and having a shiny new prestigious ground being bestowed upon them

[dave.woodhall]

There isn't same prestige in most leagues, france and spain have their 2 big clubs each who are likely to dominate for a while now, Germany has it's own big 2, one who are already mega rich and the other who, whilst an option, don't fit with the ego boost that would be expected.  That leaves Italy really and I'm not sure how attractive any of the top clubs there would be, given the associated costs.  I doubt there are many sides higher up the list than us, Everton maybe, but as has been said, they share a catchment area with 3 of the 5 biggest clubs in England right now, which makes them a tough sell to anyone.

I would say that Newcastle and West Ham are probably as attractive to buyers as us, Newcastle because of the ground and big crowds, West Ham because of being in London and having a shiny new prestigious ground being bestowed upon them

And owners that would sell each other for the right price.

[paul_e]

There isn't same prestige in most leagues, france and spain have their 2 big clubs each who are likely to dominate for a while now, Germany has it's own big 2, one who are already mega rich and the other who, whilst an option, don't fit with the ego boost that would be expected.  That leaves Italy really and I'm not sure how attractive any of the top clubs there would be, given the associated costs.  I doubt there are many sides higher up the list than us, Everton maybe, but as has been said, they share a catchment area with 3 of the 5 biggest clubs in England right now, which makes them a tough sell to anyone.

I would say that Newcastle and West Ham are probably as attractive to buyers as us, Newcastle because of the ground and big crowds, West Ham because of being in London and having a shiny new prestigious ground being bestowed upon them

They're both close I guess but Newcastle were available previously and he totally overvalued them (the rumour I remember seeing was that the asking price was £200m after we relegated them).  West ham, similar to Everton, have potential but the catchment isn't that great.  Locals will generally have a club already and newcomers to London will either bring a club with them or will plump for Arsenal, Chelsea or Spurs first.  I think the first season at the Olympic Stadium will be enlightening but I really wouldn't be surprised if they're playing to a half empty ground pretty regularly.  Now clearly new owners and big spending would address that but I don't know if it's such a big deal as we might think.

[Glenn Peen]

Disagree with the statement about east London locals - West Ham fans tend to view their support of the team as a visible badge of what it means to be from east London. Their support, and that identity, stretches right out to the hinterlands of Essex and Kent, too. They have a strong support base and could surprise a few people when they have a big, free stadium. The potential is there.

[dave.woodhall]

Disagree with the statement about east London locals - West Ham fans tend to view their support of the team as a visible badge of what it means to be from east London. Their support, and that identity, stretches right out to the hinterlands of Essex and Kent, too. They have a strong support base and could surprise a few people when they have a big, free stadium. The potential is there.

Totally agree. West Ham are like us in that their traditional fanbase has moved away from the ground, but unlike ours they've retained their sense of roots; all that Ronnie & Reggie, spirit of the blitz, knees up muvver Brahn stuff. Never underestimate the tourist influence either. Selling the chance to go to London, and watch the Premier League at the Olympic Stadium - it's a travel agent's dream.