The Accounts are out.

[brian green]

Perhaps he is a generous rich guy.   There are far worse things to be.   Like being a banged up money launderer.

[ROBBO]

Is Bill Gates interested in football?

[lovejoy]

Randy has put a lot of money into the Villa during his ownership, most of which he's unlikely to recover and yet he gets vilified on here.

[oldhill_avfc]

Randy has put a lot of money into the Villa during his ownership, most of which he's unlikely to recover and yet he gets vilified on here.

He's not being vilified - far from it.  He's a very generous philanthropist and I for one applaud that.

The point I'm trying to make is that is a lot of evidence that points to him being a poor businessman and that his decisions have adversely affected Villa's performance (financially and on the field). 

I strongly believe he bought us as a business that would maybe entertain him and might be profitable.  Therefore terms such as 'put a lot of money into the Villa' jar with me.

He has invested a lot of money in one of his businesses and through his decision making may lose some of that money.  That's the nature of the game - Villa are not one of Lerner's intended philanthropic ventures.

[lovejoy]

Whatever or whoever gave him the impression that investing in a football club might be a profitable venture, knows nothing about modern football and I'd be hugely surprised if any professional advisors, which surely would have been used in any such transaction, suggested such a thing. There is such overwhelming contrary evidence available. not sure how you get from him being generous to villa and a poor businessman.

[dekko]

I might be imagining it but didn't he say when he bought us that if he wanted to make money he wouldn't have bought a football club?

[Phil from the upper holte]

As we near the end of the 2013-14 season, the Club is financially self-sufficient, compliant with both UEFA’s and the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play requirements and we look forward to a period of continued growth and progress on and off the pitch.”

Does anyone apart from us actually do this? You can't tell me Man City and Chavski do?

[saunders_heroes]

Randy has put a lot of money into the Villa during his ownership, most of which he's unlikely to recover and yet he gets vilified on here.

That's because he's turned us into perennial relegation battlers.

[pauliewalnuts]

Randy has put a lot of money into the Villa during his ownership, most of which he's unlikely to recover and yet he gets vilified on here.

That's because he's turned us into perennial relegation battlers.

I cant speak for anyone else, but I really respect him for the amount of money he has put in. What I am far less impressed with is how he has run the club, in terms of protecting that investment.

It is way, way too simple to say he's vilified. Throwing money at something alone is not enough. I'd rather he'd spent half as much money and ensured that it had been spent more prudently.

[pauliewalnuts]

As we near the end of the 2013-14 season, the Club is financially self-sufficient, compliant with both UEFA’s and the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play requirements and we look forward to a period of continued growth and progress on and off the pitch.”

Does anyone apart from us actually do this? You can't tell me Man City and Chavski do?

Manchester City sold their "intellectual property" to "various third parties" for £47m. That's exactly the sort of utter bollocks (see also the Etihad being the most expensive stadium naming exercise in world football) that makes FFP an absolute joke.

[Dave]

As we near the end of the 2013-14 season, the Club is financially self-sufficient, compliant with both UEFA’s and the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play requirements and we look forward to a period of continued growth and progress on and off the pitch.”

Does anyone apart from us actually do this? You can't tell me Man City and Chavski do?

Manchester City sold their "intellectual property" to "various third parties" for £47m. That's exactly the sort of utter bollocks (see also the Etihad being the most expensive stadium naming exercise in world football) that makes FFP an absolute joke.

If you consider money from winning the Champions League, new partnership deals with Sauber, Delta and Audi, the new Premier League TV deal and big profits on the likes of Mata and De Bruyne I can't imagine Chelsea need to worry to much either.

[rob_bridge]

Randy has put a lot of money into the Villa during his ownership, most of which he's unlikely to recover and yet he gets vilified on here.

That's because he's turned us into perennial relegation battlers.

I cant speak for anyone else, but I really respect him for the amount of money he has put in. What I am far less impressed with is how he has run the club, in terms of protecting that investment.

It is way, way too simple to say he's vilified. Throwing money at something alone is not enough. I'd rather he'd spent half as much money and ensured that it had been spent more prudently.

Correct - we hve turned into Coventry of the 80's and 90's but unlike them, who punched above their weight, we did so by giving money to a succession of managers who have not in the large part used it wisely.

Be it transfer fees, players bought, contract length, sell on value due to age / injury.

3 things stand out which has been symptomatic about the way the club has been run under Lerner.

O'Neills transfer and spending splurge, lack of sell on value of most of the players and walkout and subsequent compensation.

We paid, yes we actually PAID money, to our rivals to recruit their manager who had just relegated them.

£2m paid to Tottenham for a season (1-2 game) long loan for Jermaine Jenas. Pile of shite.

As for the accounts headline it makes for very depressing reading especially as we hear enough noise about how our income streams are very healthy.

I hope we can draw a line under this financial calamity once and for all

[oldhill_avfc]

Whatever or whoever gave him the impression that investing in a football club might be a profitable venture, knows nothing about modern football and I'd be hugely surprised if any professional advisors, which surely would have been used in any such transaction, suggested such a thing. There is such overwhelming contrary evidence available. not sure how you get from him being generous to villa and a poor businessman.

There have been a clutch of Amercian investors in recent times.  Maybe they all wanted to support their lifelong teams or bring a feel good factors to the people of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester?

As for your second point I don't think he has been generous to Villa.  I think he has spent vast amounts on his business and got diabolical returns - that makes it quite easy to get to him being a poor business man.

[Clampy]

Whatever or whoever gave him the impression that investing in a football club might be a profitable venture, knows nothing about modern football and I'd be hugely surprised if any professional advisors, which surely would have been used in any such transaction, suggested such a thing. There is such overwhelming contrary evidence available. not sure how you get from him being generous to villa and a poor businessman.

As for your second point I don't think he has been generous to Villa.  I think he has spent vast amounts on his business and got diabolical returns - that makes it quite easy to get to him being a poor business man.

With respect, I've not read such rubbish in a long time.

[Mister E]

Whatever or whoever gave him the impression that investing in a football club might be a profitable venture, knows nothing about modern football and I'd be hugely surprised if any professional advisors, which surely would have been used in any such transaction, suggested such a thing. There is such overwhelming contrary evidence available. not sure how you get from him being generous to villa and a poor businessman.

There have been a clutch of Amercian investors in recent times.  Maybe they all wanted to support their lifelong teams or bring a feel good factors to the people of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester?

As for your second point I don't think he has been generous to Villa.  I think he has spent vast amounts on his business and got diabolical returns - that makes it quite easy to get to him being a poor business man.

first of all you used the word "hopeless"; now it's just "poor".

To describe him as not having been generous to Villa undermines your argument and perhaps your credibility.

But each to his own, I suppose.