The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[SoccerHQ]

In my almost 40 years watching, the only three signings which made me think we were acting like a big club, signing exciting players, were Dean Saunders, Darren Bent and Stan Collymore.

Say what you like about Houllier but the way he arrogantly swatted away Steve Bruce's whining over Bent made me think our manager was acting like we were a big club, too.

Same with his ruck with that twat Holloway.

I liked that side of Houllier.

Yeah me too. I know he had his detractors and people jumped all over his 7th to 12th comment (he was right and oh for that now) and he was slated for his Liverpool love in (he nearly died whilst with them and spent a lot of time there, I didn't care too much for that) that aside I think he did act like we were a big club and it was a big loss when he fell ill IMO (for the smart arses, yes we got better once he was ill, but I think that's just because things started to click) I could see what he was trying to do. RL was willing to back him to and when he went RL gave up and then the rest his history.

Houllier's problem was following MON. Expectations were still sky high for another top 6 finish particularly as we still had some very good players at the club, the squad was far superior to what we have now so we really shouldn't have been fighting a relegation battle.

I always felt the Houllier appointment was alongside the right lines (more than obviously McLeish and I'd agree Lambert) but it was just the wrong person, someone who'd been out of football management for too long and obviously had health issues.

If the McLeish and Houllier appointments had been flipped then he'd have had a lot more support off the crowd as Lambert has done.

[Malandro]

Im going to make a wild guess based on recent events




Randy is on crystal meth

[adrenachrome]

Mirror

Aston Villa asking price slashed by £50MILLION as Randy Lerner struggles to sell club

The American is ready to lower his sights to £150m and is looking to the Middle East for a buyer after a sale to an US investor stalled

Jun 02, 2014 22:30 By Alan Nixon

Randy Lerner is ready to drop his asking price for Aston Villa - from £200million to £150m.

The American is actively trying to sell the club and brokers have now sounded out potential buyers at a reduced price.

Lerner hoped to do business at £200 million when he was in discussions with un-named bidders in the States.

However, Mirror Sport can reveal that Villa has now been offered to a couple of Middle East investors in the past few days.

But the valuation has dropped and insiders reveal it is likely to come down further as Lerner looks for an exit before next season starts.

Lerner thought he had a deal with his mystery fellow countrymen recently, but that stalled.

Now Villa's concerned owner is searching the globe for a buyer, with the Middle East his main target.

Boss Paul Lambert is left anxiously watching developments, as Lerner is unlikely to spend on new players with a sale on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Roy Keane is considering a shock move to Villa to become Lambert’s new assistant.

[pauliewalnuts]

Alan Nixon must be one of the worst sports journalists on a national newspaper. Absolutely hopeless.

[kippaxvilla2]

That's a shock.

[pauliewalnuts]

I always felt the Houllier appointment was alongside the right lines (more than obviously McLeish and I'd agree Lambert) but it was just the wrong person, someone who'd been out of football management for too long and obviously had health issues.

I reckon that's about right.

You could at least see a line of clever thinking behind the appointment, even if there were obviously other things at play. Even though he used to piss me off with his Liverpool love-ins and his talking down of Villa, he at least had the feel of someone who knew what he was doing, and was trying to get us doing something we'd like to see us doing.

Not without faults, far from it, and the year was a struggle, but there were good intentions. With McLeish I always thought he was just doing what he had always done, and the results were every bit as abymsal.

We'd had a tough season after the Houllier year, but even given his enforced departure, if we had made the right appointment to carry things on, I think we could have recovered league status relatively quickly.

As it was, they did what was - genuinely, I really believe this - the single most stupid thing they could possibly have done and pissed it all away.

[Sexual Ealing]

Oh, come on. It's not like they appointed the manager who'd just relegated Blues...

[Louzie0]

We're not going for a penny less than £500 billion.




Because we're worth it.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I always felt the Houllier appointment was alongside the right lines (more than obviously McLeish and I'd agree Lambert) but it was just the wrong person, someone who'd been out of football management for too long and obviously had health issues.

I reckon that's about right.

You could at least see a line of clever thinking behind the appointment, even if there were obviously other things at play. Even though he used to piss me off with his Liverpool love-ins and his talking down of Villa, he at least had the feel of someone who knew what he was doing, and was trying to get us doing something we'd like to see us doing.

Not without faults, far from it, and the year was a struggle, but there were good intentions. With McLeish I always thought he was just doing what he had always done, and the results were every bit as abymsal.

We'd had a tough season after the Houllier year, but even given his enforced departure, if we had made the right appointment to carry things on, I think we could have recovered league status relatively quickly.

As it was, they did what was - genuinely, I really believe this - the single most stupid thing they could possibly have done and pissed it all away.

Good conversation. Yup, Houllier I think could have been good given time. The McLeish appointment remains baffling, I have nothing personal against the man he seems a decent bloke, but what the hell were the board thinking? A relegated manager, who plays the opposite style of football that Villa fans say they want. I just do not get it now any more than I did then.

[brian green]

They wanted somebody to do as he was told. McLeish was that man. Then they replaced him with another.

[Rigadon]

Indeed Brian.  And after MON blew the fortune and then fucked off followed by the Houllier farce you can almost understand it.  So, at current count we are still not sold, the lame duck manager is busy appointing another nutcase sidekick and we are looking at phillp senderos to strengthen out shit defence.

 Sure a silver lining is out there but goodness me it's all a bit humdrum at the moment. 

[Phil from the upper holte]

Looks like he wants to sell as much as I want him to go

[Richard E]

But the valuation has dropped and insiders reveal it is likely to come down further as Lerner looks for an exit before next season starts.

Yes, because its really likely someone connected with the sale would reveal to a journalist that there is no point anyone offering the "reduced" price because they will be able to get it cheaper later.

[Malandro]

If it carries on like this I'll be owning the club by the start of the season.

First thing I'll do is sell Benteke and buy a pad in south america

[mr underhill]

Sorry but I think my offer of £3.50 plus a signed copy of Tom Peters' 1980s management bible The Pursuit of Excellence has already been accepted. To sweeten the deal, I also threw in a mint first edition of The Invisible Man.