The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[LeeB]

The issue I have with the "he's never going to get sacked" line is that there were a lot of people saying exactly the same about McLeish in the last few weeks before he got sacked.  I think the key is that Lerner doesn't like replacing managers during the season and last summer he was too busy hoping for a sale to worry about it.  That said there's never been widespread calls for the manager to go so early in a season before (i.e. before the January window) so if this weekend goes badly and the murmurings become full on calls for his head I think he could still go.

McLeish didn't sign a new 4 year deal just weeks before he was sacked though.
Of all the madness surrounding the Villa over the last few years the awarding of a 4 year contract to Paul Lambert after what he's dished up is the most deranged thing yet.

it is nuts on all levels. I still think it only protects a little more than it did prior to the new deal though. There is a tipping point to everything so the new new deal merely nudged him a little further down the mountain. He's managed to undo any good work from the start of the season in a few miserable weeks and once again stands close to the top on the verge of staring into the abyss.

I think the biggest indictment of this whole sorry saga is that it's the likes of me, you, saunders_heroes and Risso all consistently agreeing with each other.

[dave shelley]

Sums it all up. A good guy but out of his depth in a sport he really doesnt understand.

I agree Ron, I think he is a decent enough individual; without actually knowing him.  Can I add that I really don't think he understands what the club means to us, the supporters (fans)?  He may hold the deeds to the club but it belongs to you and me and our fathers and grandfathers and their fathers.  It will all pass into the minds of our sons and their sons etc.  Until we have someone who understands this and acts accordingly then, sadly we will continue to be frustrated.

[joe_c]

Sums it all up. A good guy but out of his depth in a sport he really doesnt understand.

I agree Ron, I think he is a decent enough individual; without actually knowing him.  Can I add that I really don't think he understands what the club means to us, the supporters (fans)?  He may hold the deeds to the club but it belongs to you and me and our fathers and grandfathers and their fathers.  It will all pass into the minds of our sons and their sons etc. Until we have someone who understands this and acts accordingly then, sadly we will continue to be frustrated.

I disagree with this bit. Or more correctly, I think he understood it more than his predecessor and never seemed to view the club as a possession to show off to his pals. I think the decision to sell is partly borne from the knowledge that it will never mean enough to him to invest as much time and money into it as is clearly required.

[Toronto Villa]

The issue I have with the "he's never going to get sacked" line is that there were a lot of people saying exactly the same about McLeish in the last few weeks before he got sacked.  I think the key is that Lerner doesn't like replacing managers during the season and last summer he was too busy hoping for a sale to worry about it.  That said there's never been widespread calls for the manager to go so early in a season before (i.e. before the January window) so if this weekend goes badly and the murmurings become full on calls for his head I think he could still go.

McLeish didn't sign a new 4 year deal just weeks before he was sacked though.
Of all the madness surrounding the Villa over the last few years the awarding of a 4 year contract to Paul Lambert after what he's dished up is the most deranged thing yet.

it is nuts on all levels. I still think it only protects a little more than it did prior to the new deal though. There is a tipping point to everything so the new new deal merely nudged him a little further down the mountain. He's managed to undo any good work from the start of the season in a few miserable weeks and once again stands close to the top on the verge of staring into the abyss.

I think the biggest indictment of this whole sorry saga is that it's the likes of me, you, saunders_heroes and Risso all consistently agreeing with each other.

It's like a chart where there two axis are Misery and Time. Risso and SH just started higher up on the misery side earlier on. You and I might have just been a little more patient with it, tried to stay optimistic. In the end our line has quickly caught up and intersected theirs and we now share one unified point on the chart.

[andyh]

There are quite a few of us who have been calling it as shite for some considerable time now.

[dave shelley]

Which begs the question Joe: why buy it in the first place?  I don't subscribe to the theory oft times posted on here that, Randy is thick etc.  Didn't he spend time here studying or something, attending football matches?  If he was here long enough and, I have no idea how long he was, he would have been bright enough to understand just what was required to operate a Premiership football club competitively.

Going back to my OP, I still believe that he's a decent individual and really buys (bought) into the history of the club proven by all the good off-field things that have been done but I firmly believe he doesn't understand what the Villa means to us.

[dave.woodhall]

Which begs the question Joe: why buy it in the first place?  I don't subscribe to the theory oft times posted on here that, Randy is thick etc.  Didn't he spend time here studying or something, attending football matches?  If he was here long enough and, I have no idea how long he was, he would have been bright enough to understand just what was required to operate a Premiership football club competitively.

Going back to my OP, I still believe that he's a decent individual and really buys (bought) into the history of the club proven by all the good off-field things that have been done but I firmly believe he doesn't understand what the Villa means to us.

His father died earlier than expected which left him with more money and time than he thought he'd have by then. Being a strong Anglophile he wanted to buy a football club and we were the choice he made after examining others. I'll never criticise him for those first four years, but I think a perfect storm of personal, outside business and other football reasons have knocked the enjoyment out of it for him, and most importantly the biggest factor was what he saw as betrayal by a man he trusted in 2010.   

[dave shelley]

Like all Villa supporters, I would love to sit down with Randy Lerner and talk to him to find out what his thinking was behind all this.  Isn't going to happen though is it?

[kippaxvilla2]

He is a philanthropist I think, which obviously doesn't bode well in today's slimy football world.

[dave.woodhall]

I also think that like Sir Graham, he's a bit too decent for modern football.

[dave shelley]

I think, that, in a nutshell is it.

[Richard E]

He is a philanthropist I think, which obviously doesn't bode well in today's slimy football world.

I don't think being a stamp collector should be held against him.

[ChicagoLion]

Which begs the question Joe: why buy it in the first place?  I don't subscribe to the theory oft times posted on here that, Randy is thick etc.  Didn't he spend time here studying or something, attending football matches?  If he was here long enough and, I have no idea how long he was, he would have been bright enough to understand just what was required to operate a Premiership football club competitively.

Going back to my OP, I still believe that he's a decent individual and really buys (bought) into the history of the club proven by all the good off-field things that have been done but I firmly believe he doesn't understand what the Villa means to us.

His father died earlier than expected which left him with more money and time than he thought he'd have by then. Being a strong Anglophile he wanted to buy a football club and we were the choice he made after examining others. I'll never criticise him for those first four years, but I think a perfect storm of personal, outside business and other football reasons have knocked the enjoyment out of it for him, and most importantly the biggest factor was what he saw as betrayal by a man he trusted in 2010.

This is quite sad. It seems then that he has gone all in with Lambert ie, given him a budget, a four year contract and told him to get on with it because he can not be bothered to take responsibility for the Club. Even more sad is that this could have a devastating impact.

[kippaxvilla2]

He is a philanthropist I think, which obviously doesn't bode well in today's slimy football world.

I don't think being a stamp collector should be held against him.

Why feckin not - it is just another example of ................

[Toronto Villa]

There are quite a few of us who have been calling it as shite for some considerable time now.

It's not a competition Andy. Being patient and having a more long term view, trying to have a sense of optimism doesn't make you right or wrong. We all hurt the same when our team and club is what it has become. Each generation of Villa fans has had to deal with difficult years. I just hope this generation gets to actually what a truly great we are.