Tom Fox announced as new Villa CEO

[ozzjim]

That's exactly what I mean.

Surely he can be asked his opinion, especially in terms of the management structure, whether a Director of Football would be a model that could be of use, why there is no assistant manager in place months after the last one leaving and whether from the point of view of the board they realise that the standard of football at Villa park is turning people off going.

Also, how long he thinks a situation where the fans are openly not backing the manager would be healthy for the club. And if we stay up whether there will be more of the new TV money available to strengthen the squad to avoid this next season.

I don't think that would be unreasonable to ask considering his role at the club would it?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Hopefully the questions will be about what inspired him to bring such as brilliant replacement for Lambert and to what extent Randy will be supporting him in the summer.

[pauliewalnuts]

Everyone who goes should remember that Tom Fox is not the manager, it's not his remit to talk about, let alone criticise, the manager or players and constantly asking when Lambert's going to get sacked will only ensure that he doesn't attend next year.

Surely, though, with the team doing so abysmally, that is pretty much unavoidable.

Asking why Weimann keeps getting played out of position, or why Cleverley keeps getting picked, I can understand why there wouldn't be answers to that, but surely, questions about how they see the way things are going are both inevitable, and the obvious questions to ask him?

I can't see how Lambert could possibly not get raised as a subject. Otherwise, what is he attending for?

[Chris Smith]

Everyone who goes should remember that Tom Fox is not the manager, it's not his remit to talk about, let alone criticise, the manager or players and constantly asking when Lambert's going to get sacked will only ensure that he doesn't attend next year.

Surely, though, with the team doing so abysmally, that is pretty much unavoidable.

Asking why Weimann keeps getting played out of position, or why Cleverley keeps getting picked, I can understand why there wouldn't be answers to that, but surely, questions about how they see the way things are going are both inevitable, and the obvious questions to ask him?

I can't see how Lambert could possibly not get raised as a subject. Otherwise, what is he attending for?

I have always assumed that there is a demarcation between the commercial (Fox) and the playing side (Lambert) with both reporting directly to Lerner. I am sure in private he will have an input on wider issues but it is naive and unreasonable to expect him to divulge it at this type of event and have it plastered all over Twitter within minutes.

[Brend'Watkins]

The questions can be asked in a round about way so as not to cross the demarcation line.

For instance, Instead of "Sack Lambert" ask: "what systems are in place to appoint a new manager in the event of the existing one departing."

"There's no fucking width in the team it's all too narrow." ask: "It may just be me but don't you think the pitch flanks have a much richer green look than the middle area, why do you think that is?"

"Lambert describes us as excellent after every game which is an insult and embarrassing" 
Ask: "Do you think it is important that a manager of the club has a basic understanding of English vocabulary?"

[Rudy Can't Fail]

"Don't you agree that Lambert doesn't know his arse from his elbow?"

Ask: "In the recruitment of senior management relating to the club's core business, is it important the candidate has an understanding of basic human physiology?"

[richard moore]

The questions can be asked in a round about way so as not to cross the demarcation line.

For instance, Instead of "Sack Lambert" ask: "what systems are in place to appoint a new manager in the event of the existing one departing."

"There's no fucking width in the team it's all too narrow." ask: "It may just be me but don't you think the pitch flanks have a much richer green look than the middle area, why do you think that is?"

"Lambert describes us as excellent after every game which is an insult and embarrassing" 
Ask: "Do you think it is important that a manager of the club has a basic understanding of English vocabulary?"

Brilliant! Ask away...

[David_Nab]

I would ask

As the sponsorship deals with Macron and Dafabet are up for review how are we looking at increasing out income via sponsorship when the product on the pitch is performing so poorly.

[Toronto Villa]

I would ask

As the sponsorship deals with Macron and Dafabet are up for review how are we looking at increasing out income via sponsorship when the product on the pitch is performing so poorly.

that's a good question. Surely Fox's hand is weakened if the team is playing poorly. If the CEO's job is to increase revenue then right now he is going into battle one hand tied behind his back.

[pauliewalnuts]

Everyone who goes should remember that Tom Fox is not the manager, it's not his remit to talk about, let alone criticise, the manager or players and constantly asking when Lambert's going to get sacked will only ensure that he doesn't attend next year.

Surely, though, with the team doing so abysmally, that is pretty much unavoidable.

Asking why Weimann keeps getting played out of position, or why Cleverley keeps getting picked, I can understand why there wouldn't be answers to that, but surely, questions about how they see the way things are going are both inevitable, and the obvious questions to ask him?

I can't see how Lambert could possibly not get raised as a subject. Otherwise, what is he attending for?

I have always assumed that there is a demarcation between the commercial (Fox) and the playing side (Lambert) with both reporting directly to Lerner. I am sure in private he will have an input on wider issues but it is naive and unreasonable to expect him to divulge it at this type of event and have it plastered all over Twitter within minutes.

i wouldn't expect him to divulge anything newsworthy at this sort of thing - who would? - but I'd imagine he'd at least need to listen to people talking about the manager and hear them out.

The thing most people on here seem concerned with is the direction the club is heading in - which looks increasingly like the wrong direction. Any discussion of that is bound to touch on playing results, it has to.

[Toronto Villa]

It will be practically impossible to have anything approaching a reasoned debate on the club with the CEO without it crossing into affairs on the pitch. Let's face it, if things were going well many of the things off the pitch would be far healthier anyway in a way largely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things to most fans. But most fans are smart enough to realize that things being as poorly as they are on the pitch has a negative impact off it, so people are naturally going to focus in on the middle bit of the Venn diagram

[Toronto Villa]

this tells me more than anything that barring a collapse at the bottom of the table Lambert is as safe as houses. They are changing the entire behind the scenes structure down there and he'll be supported in the market this month to get this thing turned around with an eye to approaching the football side of the business very differently in 2015/2016 onwards. The worrying thing being Lambert being left to the football side and without the right staff things don't promise to get better. At least that's how it might appear on the surface.

Aston Villa are searching for a director of football to help manager Paul Lambert
Jan 20, 2015 17:30 By Gregg Evans
Ideally chief executive Tom Fox is aiming to fill the position by the summer to ensure the new man is settled in for the start of next season

Aston Villa are searching for a director of football operations as they continue to revamp the support networks around boss Paul Lambert.

Chief executive Tom Fox has created the role as part of his on-going plan to improve the major departments that surround the manager at Villa Park.

The club are also closing in on the appointments of a chief commercial officer and a new head of media while a massive overhaul of the academy and the scouting system is already underway.

Ideally Villa are aiming to fill the position by the summer to ensure the new man is settled in for the start of next season.

Can you spot yourself in the Villa Park crowd against Liverpool

Lambert is expected to play a part in the eventual appointment and is likely to help identify some of the roles that he will undertake.

That the club are involving him in such talks suggest that both Fox and owner Randy Lerner are still fully behind him despite Villa’s chronic lack of goals and their slide down the Premier League table.

At Bodymoor Heath business is as usual ahead of the fourth round FA Cup clash with Bournemouth on Sunday but there is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes.

The decision to create the director of football operations position is part of Fox’s long-term vision to help the club prosper.

He told the Birmingham Mail last month that he predicts success in three-to-five years time and in the five months he has been at the club there has been plenty of change.

His plan to hire slick, experienced, professionals who have a history of getting results is slowly starting to take shape and in time the results should show.

Having enjoyed a productive period at Arsenal, the savvy American has started to implement some of the success stories that he witnessed in north London.

The chief commercial officer role was the post he held at the Emirates Stadium and Villa should have that position filled in a matter of months.

Yoann Copreaux, the new head of business strategy, was brought in late last year and is said to have made an impressive start to his time in the Midlands.

The changes in the academy also bode well for the future.

Unlike at other clubs the director of football role will not be heavily centred around identifying and purchasing players.

Villa feel that with new director of recruitment Paddy Reilly already doing a decent job at Bodymoor Heath there is little need to add another commanding head to that section.

Instead, Fox is thought to want someone who can look critically at areas such as sports medicine, data analysis and athletic performance to ensure the claret and blues are reaching their maximum potential.

While the exact duties are not yet clear, it’s thought that a new arrival would not come in and under-cut any football responsibilities that the manager is in charge of.

That would mean no interfering with the squad, team selection and game-based issues.

Villa may be struggling on the pitch but they are certainly hiring good people to take care of the backroom matters.   

At present the need for an assistant manager is not thought to be a serious concern

[Rudy Can't Fail]

A football man in the boardroom may be a big positive, something we've all been crying out for. As for Lambert, he like every manager will be judged on his results. The way I see it, the structure is being built but the people may change, just like in any business. Hopefully we find a visionary rather than a dinosaur. It's bad enough having one in the dug out.

[Mister E]

this tells me more than anything that barring a collapse at the bottom of the table Lambert is as safe as houses. They are changing the entire behind the scenes structure down there and he'll be supported in the market this month to get this thing turned around with an eye to approaching the football side of the business very differently in 2015/2016 onwards. The worrying thing being Lambert being left to the football side and without the right staff things don't promise to get better. At least that's how it might appear on the surface.

Aston Villa are searching for a director of football to help manager Paul Lambert
Jan 20, 2015 17:30 By Gregg Evans
Ideally chief executive Tom Fox is aiming ...

At present the need for an assistant manager is not thought to be a serious concern

The single most crucial aspect is the improvement of coaching for the team ... Fox may be fiddling while Rome burns.

[KevinGage]

A Director of Football is fine.

But the whole thing falls apart if the fans (and the players) don't have a manager they can believe in.