The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[Villafirst]

A bit envious that Everton look to have secured a takeover deal. Look what we're  lumbered with - useless money men who haven't a single clue about football. The demise of our great club will only gather pace next season with these buffoons in charge. Somebody rescue us fast!!

[aj2k77]

If Randy hadn't of run us in to the ground he'd probably be escaping with not too bad a hit to the pocket just before the big TV deal too.

[Duncan Shaw]

So hearing about Everton's take over and how they need a new ground to compete with the extra revenue and also the debates about ticket prices, they don't really need a new ground when their income will likely be aroun £120+million next year from TV alone, assuming a top half finish, so even another 10000 on the gate at £50 for 19 home games is pretty insignificant in the scheme of things.

[Jimbo]

This is strange, because all I've been hearing these past few weeks is that Randy apparently really wants to sell but people just aren't buying football clubs at the moment.

[TheWarlock]

sorry wrong thread 

[adrenachrome]

A dialectical grasp of the contradiction between appearance is essence is another argument in his favour.

"I am ready to stay at this club if I am given the means required for promotion" is a clear demand to the Board.

Nobody can say we are given the mushroom treatment, i.e. kept in the dark and fed bullshit  where he is concerned.

[pauliewalnuts]

So hearing about Everton's take over and how they need a new ground to compete with the extra revenue and also the debates about ticket prices, they don't really need a new ground when their income will likely be aroun £120+million next year from TV alone, assuming a top half finish, so even another 10000 on the gate at £50 for 19 home games is pretty insignificant in the scheme of things.

It isn't just about extra capacity for paying supporters, it is things like improved and extended corporate facilities that bring in big money - you can't shoe-horn those into crumbling old stands.

[dave.woodhall]

In the late 1970s, as Villa began to re-establish themselves back among the top clubs after a lengthy spell in the lower divisions, plans were laid for the next major development of the ground, with the building of the North Stand at the Witton Lane end. The new stand was to be an impressive feature and after completion Villa Park was completely under cover for the first time ever. However, although the North Stand was much admired, the manner in which it was paid for caused an enormous amount of publicity and left the club deep in debt for a number of years. Never before had the construction of a sporting arena caused such a scandal as a police investigation and an internal inquiry found that around three-quarters of a million pounds of work had been unaccounted for. The heads of two directors rolled but this could not prevent the club's relationships with their supporters being irretrievably damaged.
 
http://www.lerwill-life.org.uk/astonvilla/a_villa_vp.htm

I wouldn't take much notice of him.

The North Stand was the source of some controversy. Police did investigate, and from memory the money involved wasn't massive by football club standards but it was still enough to earn someone a tidy few quid. Stadium manager at the time Terry Rutter and someone else whose name escapes me were found guilty; the charge read "in association with Ronald Bendall, deceased."

Witton Lane was built in 1993, on the cheap and finished off in-house after the contractors went out of business. In the summer of 1995 remedial work to alter some of the legroom found blue asbestos in the foundations - it was closed for a while at the start of 1995-96 and the club later fined.   

[pbavfckuwait]

I remember at the time of the North stand build I had a mate who was contracted for the brick work, that name above DW is one I also remember at the time Rutter and was the other guy the Stadium Security Manager who was a jack of all trades and used as such, all I can say is my mate paid out a fair wedge to get the contract, but also made it back by a lot of his payments being made in cash and the poor tax man was never the wiser, common practice in the construction trade then, probably the same now.

[Risso]

In the late 1970s, as Villa began to re-establish themselves back among the top clubs after a lengthy spell in the lower divisions, plans were laid for the next major development of the ground, with the building of the North Stand at the Witton Lane end. The new stand was to be an impressive feature and after completion Villa Park was completely under cover for the first time ever. However, although the North Stand was much admired, the manner in which it was paid for caused an enormous amount of publicity and left the club deep in debt for a number of years. Never before had the construction of a sporting arena caused such a scandal as a police investigation and an internal inquiry found that around three-quarters of a million pounds of work had been unaccounted for. The heads of two directors rolled but this could not prevent the club's relationships with their supporters being irretrievably damaged.
 
http://www.lerwill-life.org.uk/astonvilla/a_villa_vp.htm

I wouldn't take much notice of him.

The North Stand was the source of some controversy. Police did investigate, and from memory the money involved wasn't massive by football club standards but it was still enough to earn someone a tidy few quid. Stadium manager at the time Terry Rutter and someone else whose name escapes me were found guilty; the charge read "in association with Ronald Bendall, deceased."

Witton Lane was built in 1993, on the cheap and finished off in-house after the contractors went out of business. In the summer of 1995 remedial work to alter some of the legroom found blue asbestos in the foundations - it was closed for a while at the start of 1995-96 and the club later fined.   

I'd forgotten just how horrific John Lerwill's site was.  There may well be some interesting info in there, but buggered if I'm going to trawl through a site that looks like it was constructed on AOL in 1996 by a ten year old to find it.

[tomd2103]

A bit envious that Everton look to have secured a takeover deal. Look what we're  lumbered with - useless money men who haven't a single clue about football. The demise of our great club will only gather pace next season with these buffoons in charge. Somebody rescue us fast!!

Been thinking about the supposed Everton takeover and asking "why not us".  I just wonder if it is the case, as it might have been with Manchester City, that they are the city rivals of one of the biggest clubs around.  Can't buy Liverpool or Manchester United?  Buy their city rivals and exploit that rivalry.   

[Jimbo]

A bit envious that Everton look to have secured a takeover deal. Look what we're  lumbered with - useless money men who haven't a single clue about football. The demise of our great club will only gather pace next season with these buffoons in charge. Somebody rescue us fast!!

Been thinking about the supposed Everton takeover and asking "why not us".  I just wonder if it is the case, as it might have been with Manchester City, that they are the city rivals of one of the biggest clubs around.  Can't buy Liverpool or Manchester United?  Buy their city rivals and exploit that rivalry.   

Chief executive Tom Fox said: “I don’t think he (Lerner) is a motivated seller right now."

[Chris Harte]

Chief executive Tom Fox said: “I don’t think he (Lerner) is a motivated seller right now."

In fairness he said that about a year ago. This was less than a year after it had been announced that the club was for sale.

Is he a motivated seller right now? Who knows?

[old man villa fan]

Or problems go back a few years now. When Lerner decided to sell, he thought he would get a buyer quickly. What he thought he needed to do was to cut his funding into the club in the short term. Since then he has been hanging on and has generally funded transfers from sales.

The hanging on has gone on too long and has affected the playing foundations of the club. One season cut backs would have been rectified by a buyer but we have now gone too many seasons without good financial planning.

[Jimbo]

Chief executive Tom Fox said: “I don’t think he (Lerner) is a motivated seller right now."

In fairness he said that about a year ago. This was less than a year after it had been announced that the club was for sale.

Is he a motivated seller right now? Who knows?

Of course, what he probably should have said was: "I don't think Randy knows what he's doing from one minute to the next, right now."