Tom Fox announced as new Villa CEO

[saunders_heroes]

Just listened to Fox on the BRMB link and I have to say it's quite uninspiring to say the least. A five year plan to reach the top 8 and "maybe even a European place"?
Basically we've taken 3 steps backwards then they plan to take 1 step forward and class it as progress.
They must think we're all bloody stupid.

[cdward]

3 more points and a better goal difference, and we'd be 8th now.

[Villa in Denmark]

From where we've been heading one step forward is better than another 2 or 3 back as that's where the trapdoor is.

As Fox correctly points out, even if Randy felt like throwing another £250M at it, it wouldn't actually make a great deal if difference. We'd just end up in the same place a season or 2 earlier.  Any further progress is limited by the spending of the top.clubs and their revenue streams to not fall foul of FFP (or in the case of Man City the money to not give a flying f%&k about any fines)
Unless he / we can get revenues up to support increased spending there will be a painfully low glass ceiling, which is why everything he says is exactly what we need to do to stand a chance long term.  It just isn't very exciting right now, although the manager getting more out of his existing squad might help in that score.
I refuse to believe that what we've seen through the majority of the last 18 months is the peak of what they're capable of.  They've proved on occasions that they are capable of much more.

[caster troy]

Giving Lambert a 4 year deal then telling fans there is a 5 year plan to improve the club is like a judge giving you a 4 year prison sentence then promising your life will be better in 5 years time.

Also if the club had said to me today 'what is the last thing you want to hear from us right now?' I'd have said 'Anything to do with how great a relationship Lerner and Lambert have.' And lo and behold they delivered exactly that.

[Mellin]

Fox impresses me. We're all naturally suspicous of such characters as football supporters, but he gives the right impression. Let's see how he does before berating him.

[Tom_Mc9?]

I think it made sense. We're hardly going to be knocking Man City and Chelsea off their perch in the next five years are we?

[ChicagoLion]

Does it really matter what Fox says?
The big decisions are not being taken by him.
Organ grinder and monkey.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I thought it was a pretty good interview. CEO looking up the table and how to grow revenues to put it there. Fine by me.

[Steve67]

It's just words. That's all. How? Answer that please mr Fox.

When I try to sum up the Lambert era makes me think about that old saying 'I feel like I've found a fiver and lost a tenner'.

[cdward]

I think it made sense. We're hardly going to be knocking Man City and Chelsea off their perch in the next five years are we?

So we're currently aiming to knock Newcastle (7th) or Swansea (8th) off their perches by 2020.
Excuse me if I don't get over excited.

[Tom_Mc9?]

Me neither, but I prefer it to the continual decline we've had in the last five years.

[Tom_Mc9?]

Look at it another way: what would we be saying if he said 'In the next five years, we need to be in the top four with the occasional win at the Nou Camp' we'd all think he was mad as a box of frogs. One step at a time.

[silhillvilla]

I think it made sense. We're hardly going to be knocking Man City and Chelsea off their perch in the next five years are we?

So we're currently aiming to knock Newcastle (7th) or Swansea (8th) off their perches by 2020.
Excuse me if I don't get over excited.

Perhaps he's set low targets so he can possibly over deliver (happy days) and can give himself a pat on the bat and a nice bonus.

[Ads]

I don't see how 8th or 7th is low expectations. It's only a step or two down from what we had under O'Neill, O'Leary or Gregory, only this time Man City and Spurs are actually good sides.

It would be nice if the fact that we have balanced books actually worked in our favour over the next few years. I don't wish financial catastrophe on any club, but it's annoying that so many cheat the system and it's about time their financial chickens came home to roost.

I like that our step towards modernity is independent from the manager and personnel. Henke went pretty quickly, but at least the structures as there now with scouting and recruitment to maintain continuity and he ability to refine and improve over time.

A lot will depend on the summer when we will likely lose four of our biggest earners in Benteke, Bent, Vlaar and Delph, probably close to £150-200,000 in weekly wages and £25-30 million in fees. The trick is to do a Newcastle/Southampton when reinvesting after losing your best players and I do trust Lambert when it comes to the purchasing of mid-shelf £4 million class and above.

Fox sounds like he knows what his doing and if you're finishing 8th or 7th, then you're only talking about turning a couple more loses into draws, a couple of draws into wins to get back into 6th.

[villasjf]

It'll be interesting to see what level of spending we have for January.

I think we will have enough for a few more Joe Cole type players to keep our physios busy. I really dont see spending £7 - £8m on Cleverley is sensible.