Lambert's Vision for Villa

[robbo1874]

The plan:

1) Reduce wage bill - check
2) Stay up - check (season end 13)
3) Secure services of better players by offering improved contracts until one of the sky4 offers £10m+ (in progress)
4) Stay up (season end 14)
5) Bring in a couple of average players at the end of the January window to show the fans our 'ambition'
6) Keep spouting endless bullshit so fans buy season tickets next year.

I'm sorry, but Aston Villa, like many other clubs is purely a money making machine. Even if Randy invested heavily in the team so we bought the league it would stink.

How is Aston Villa "purely a money making machine" (like many other clubs) when it consistently loses money and the owner keeps having to dig into his own pocket? it's more akin to a financial black hole, in my view. I think we're relatively lucky that we have a guy upstairs that is either too loyal, or too stupid to realise that he's unlikely to ever see a penny in return, in all likelihood.

[villa kicks]

How much would avfc be sold for now today ? In uk money terms

[AV82EC]

How much would avfc be sold for now today ? In uk money terms

I'd reckon about £200 million which is about twice turnover. I have no reasoned financial argument to back this up in anyway. If you take what Randy bought the club for then look at how much debt he's swapped for equity each year in the accounts then you won't be far away. However what it's value is compared to what someone's willing to pay..........

[paul_e]

Something around £200-250m seems about right, I think that ties it with the share valuation as well.  That said I think the point being made is whether Lerner would be in profit if he sold us (I might be wrong but that's the logical step to asking the question), the answer that is a resounding no, as it stands if he got away with a loss of less than £100m he'd have done very well with the sale.

[ChicagoLion]

As long as we remain a PL team Randy would get is money out, at least the  Investment less management charges, interest and drawings.

So don't start thinking he is doing us a favour by holding on.

[villa kicks]

ahh ok thanks. May be going off the point regarding lambos vision but it's all linked with.Randy.
So if club is £250 mil and bought at £77 mil any sales would see debt transfered to new owner but loaned against club assets no doubt and the money spent is loaned is it not against assests - namely the stadium and bm facilities. Randy stands to make a bit of money if sold I would think . The cutting of wage bill is to stabilise the club and make an attractive buy with improving  players who have a higher re sale value.

[eastie]

By James Nursey | 23/01/14 

Aston Villa left Liverpool with an extremely creditable and encouraging point last weekend to leave the club 10th.

Afterwards boss Paul Lambert had a pop at his critics and I don't blame him.

The Scot said: "People think we are doing poorly and we are sitting tenth - it's really incredible, the perception of it."

Reds owner John W Henry was in the crowd to watch Liverpool come from behind to get a point with a debatable penalty after Luis Suarez went down.

Henry is the man who, when Arsenal tried to buy Suarez last summer, famously Tweeted: "What do you think they're smoking over there at Emirates?"

And I would pose the same question to Lambert's persistent critics who claim to want him sacked.

Because when assessing the OVERALL picture of the Premier League it is irrational to dispute Villa are in reasonable shape.

I wrote last week why I insist the club is making progress (albeit despite their shocking home form and a few dodgy cheap signings).

My criticism of SOME fans' unreasonable expectations was aimed at those who phoned in to demand Lambert's head after a narrow 2-1 loss to Arsenal.

I took plenty of grief from Villa fans online who supposed I was having a go at them all.

That certainly isn't the case.

But I stand by my viewpoint that Lambert is doing fairly well given the financial restraints and cut-backs at Villa.

I am no mouth-piece of the club and have been banned previously from Villa Park under Martin O'Neill.

I was also among the first journalists to write that Alex McLeish had to go during his controversial, ill-fated reign.

But it would be and is pure madness for some Villa fans to demand Lambert leaves now.

He has a promisingly, improving young squad who are loyal to him and were assembled at a modest price and are benefiting from stability and continuity at the club for the first since O'Neill left.

To go back to square one with a new manager - who would not have major money to spend now Randy Lerner has shut his cheque book - would be pure folly.

But some fans still insist Lambert must go.

Take Twitter user @bsb_1979.

This person, whose biog says: #LambertOut now! Nothing else is wanted!, regularly Tweets me.

He asked have I seen Villa at home this season and do I not realise how poor they have been?

Well yes, of course I have seen them play (and under-perform) at home regularly this season and it must be very frustrating for supporters.

But I have also crucially seen a lot of other live Premier League football elsewhere.

And if fans think they have it bad at Villa Park, then they should pay more attention to the rest of the Premier League where Cardiff, Sunderland, West Ham, Fulham, Palace, Swansea, Stoke, West Brom and Norwich all have bigger worries.

Many fans of those clubs think they are doomed.

Their bigger woes, allied with some decent Villa performances (mainly away granted), means Lambert's men are well on course to finish around mid-table which I feel is in line with their spending.

That is a satisfactory improvement on last season's 15th spot and why the club is heading in the right direction despite no longer spending masses on transfer fees and salaries.

It is blatantly obvious and transparent to a neutral like me but clearly not to a section of SOME fans who have demanded Lambert's head.

We'll have to continue to disagree.

But some better home performances certainly would not go amiss and would underline more clearly Lambert's Villa side are improving on a (shallow) steady upward curve.

[Dave Clark Five]

ahh ok thanks. May be going off the point regarding lambos vision but it's all linked with.Randy.
So if club is £250 mil and bought at £77 mil any sales would see debt transfered to new owner but loaned against club assets no doubt and the money spent is loaned is it not against assests - namely the stadium and bm facilities. Randy stands to make a bit of money if sold I would think . The cutting of wage bill is to stabilise the club and make an attractive buy with improving  players who have a higher re sale value.

Don't forget the £20m that Doug Ellis gave back to Lerner to buy a player with.

[dave.woodhall]

ahh ok thanks. May be going off the point regarding lambos vision but it's all linked with.Randy.
So if club is £250 mil and bought at £77 mil any sales would see debt transfered to new owner but loaned against club assets no doubt and the money spent is loaned is it not against assests - namely the stadium and bm facilities. Randy stands to make a bit of money if sold I would think . The cutting of wage bill is to stabilise the club and make an attractive buy with improving  players who have a higher re sale value.

Don't forget the £20m that Doug Ellis gave back to Lerner to buy a player with.

Which has never been accounted for, for some reason.

[RickySlade]

What £20m loan is this?!

[Matt Collins]

How much would avfc be sold for now today ? In uk money terms

I'd reckon about £200 million which is about twice turnover. I have no reasoned financial argument to back this up in anyway. If you take what Randy bought the club for then look at how much debt he's swapped for equity each year in the accounts then you won't be far away. However what it's value is compared to what someone's willing to pay..........

Um, I think value is defined by what someone is willing to pay, surely?

I'd be very surprised if whenever Lerner leaves, he hasn't made a pretty heavy loss, if you take into account his ongoing subsidy and foregone interest

[Dave Clark Five]

What £20m loan is this?!

It wasn't a loan, as far as I know. Doug Ellis told me, personally, that he gave Lerner £20m.

[not3bad]

Was this to cover Stiliyan Petrov?

[dave.woodhall]

What £20m loan is this?!

It wasn't a loan, as far as I know. Doug Ellis told me, personally, that he gave Lerner £20m.

And Doug, as we know, has never told a fib.

[AV82EC]

Ha ha Doug Ellis giving up £20million of his limited fortune to buy a player, yeah right. He never did it whilst he was Chairman so I've no reason to think he'd do it when he became President Emeritus.