Tom Fox announced as new Villa CEO

[silhillvilla]

We will probably swap vlaar for cleverly ? To avoid spending the £8m ??

[peter w]

I wouldn't be surprised if we signed no-one in january - new players that is.

[Percy McCarthy]

Do not worry, fellow Villans. Stop worrying all together. Tom Fox says that we cannot see what is going on, but it will all be alright within five years. What a relief...?!? http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/tom-fox-feature-aston-villa-8279153

He didn't say it, he roared it. Anyway, at least we've got a plan and something to believe in if we choose to. That's better than the last few years of depressing mediocrity/shit.

[Dave]

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

If he did then wouldn't that be 'just words' as well?

[adrenachrome]

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

If he did then wouldn't that be 'just words' as well?

Word up.

[Dante Lavelli]

He seems to be a sensible chap and more importantly can make decisions.  He's only been here a few months and he's appointed a stats guy, a head scout and is looking for a commercial director.  It implies he has a vision and also appears to have the authority to do as he wants (so more than a mouth piece for Randy).

My hunch is that Randy has effectively delegated the running of the club to Fox - which I am fine with, as Randy's input seemed to be 'chuck money at it, or NOT chuck money at it.

[levico]

I'm very sceptical I'm afraid. The fact that they are persevering with Lambert shows that they don't know what they're doing. More misery to come.

[TopDeck113]

The trick is to do a... Southampton when reinvesting after losing your best players

The Southampton model is built on a junior and youth system designed on delivering young talent to the first team regardless of who is manager.  My understanding is they have in place a system of consistency of coaching and play throughout the age groups to assist players move along that conveyor belt.  Perhaps - and I accept that this is with hindsight - we missed a trick in those years when we obviously had a group of very talented players coming through.  Had we done, then the "young and hungry" approach might have worked, in so much as the players would have been put into a system that they were used to and, perhaps more to the point, if the first team still proved to be a step too far, there would more talent following on behind. 

With that in mind - and assuming the austerity years are going to continue - my opinion is that for all Tom Fox's work seeking out new commercial opportunities, what we still desperately need is a football person in the mould of what Brian Marwood in doing at Manchester City, and focussing on the football set-up through out the club.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

"I know one of the things Randy really appreciates is Paul's honesty and his ability to admit mistakes when he makes them. I've seen since that since I came in."

When has Lambert ever admitted making mistakes?

What he says to them and what he says to us will be two different things. He will no doubt be more candid with them, as his employers. That's normal, really.

I'm guessing that one external appearance of such an admission would be the about-turn from inexperienced lower league players to last Summer's veterans.

Perhaps he did indeed admit he's not qualified to coach young talented players but then why would the club plan to invest so heavily in the Academy knowing your manager is the wrong man in charge?

It seems the plan is to finance our development by acquiring, developing and selling the best players we can find. There's nothing wrong with that providing you have somebody in charge with the right football philosophy that can bring it all together.

The only chance Lambert has is if he brings in the right person now to replace Keane. We really need a footballing man at Villa Park not just in the boardroom but at Bodymoor Heath. Randy's blind faith will cost him again.

[Dante Lavelli]

I agree with that TopDeck. 

I've said it a gazillion times before but Southgate had a similar role at England before the U21 gig.  I still think he would be ideal, even continuing as England's U21 coach.

[kipeye]

I think most fans will say we do not mind progress with some intermittent setbacks, even if it is slow and uneven. What is hard to take is to watch a steady unerring decline where all the things you enjoy supporting a team become slowly eroded to the point you no longer care.
I can live with the fact that we will not compete with the major big spenders (though it rankles), what is harder to accept is that we are forced to engage in a Sky-Preeemier/Uefa-Fifa corruption Circus that has only got financial gain at its heart.
In the midst of accepting the reality of this, I will grudgingly and half heartedly settle for a well run club, engaged with the fans and community that has a least some of the traditional values at its core.

[eamonn]

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.

Huh? You're always saying, quite rightly, that Spudzzz are a load o'shite.

[DrGonzo]

“They’re not visible and I understand it’s hard for the fans to see that."  Genius.

[Ian.]

If we're aiming for top 8 and they have their full intentions of this that's a massive step in the right direction. It's also a lot more reassuring than the last few years.
I hope we aim for cup success too, I'd rather we went for that than maybe one extra place up table.

It all sounds good to me, it's nice to have some good vibes coming out the club instead of squabbles, talks if bullying and that the chairman has lost interest and is trying to flog us.

[tomd2103]

I wouldn't be surprised if we signed no-one in january - new players that is.

If (and it's a massive if) we can hold on to everyone and not get any major injury problems for the rest of the season then it's not beyond the realms of imagination to think those in charge would probably feel we currently have enough.  Personally I think we still could do with some different attacking options, particularly out wide (would like Townsend from Spurs).