Please email Tom Fox if you feel the current situation is unacceptable

[ozzjim]

Similar to my 6-yearold grandson Freddy. He is avidly C&B, but I found out the other day just how upset he was when he came back from school and his forlorn words were something to the effect of, "There's only me and my Grandad who like the Villa. Everyone else thinks we're rubbish."

It is so hard. Zach loves his Villa shirt, happily tells all he is a Villa fan, but gets bored stiff if we are on TV, and although he wants to go to a game, I know without there being any tangible excitement of his team doing well I could end up turning him off for life. My daughter decided she didn't want a season ticket again after McLeish. It seems even harder to convince now.

[levico]

We're in danger of losing a whole generation of young fans. For a child living in West Mids, just what choice have they got? No wonder they choose the likes of Man City, Chelsea etc.

[simon ward 50]

Similar to my 6-yearold grandson Freddy. He is avidly C&B, but I found out the other day just how upset he was when he came back from school and his forlorn words were something to the effect of, "There's only me and my Grandad who like the Villa. Everyone else thinks we're rubbish."

It is so hard. Zach loves his Villa shirt, happily tells all he is a Villa fan, but gets bored stiff if we are on TV, and although he wants to go to a game, I know without there being any tangible excitement of his team doing well I could end up turning him off for life. My daughter decided she didn't want a season ticket again after McLeish. It seems even harder to convince now.

Glad this debate is happening! Up until 2 years ago my youngest would look forward to attending Villa matches with me, I bought him the kit, his Grandadn bought him the quilt cover etc etc. Then we lost to Bradford and given where we live it was always a toss up between them and the Villa. Can you guess where this is going?

I'm used to being a laughing stock over most things in my house including football, but 2 trips to Wembley in one season, a promotion and some FA cup heroics currently means I have lost the battle.

At least all my sons hate manu!

[aj2k77]

If you look at our net spend under Lambert, we are not in the bottom of that league.

Is that true?  Can anybody supply me with the info. 
I'm certainly not saying that you're wrong, just surprised that's all.

that's what I'd like to know. Just what is his net spend?

http://transferleague.co.uk

Since Lambore took over according to that site this is the spending,

Man Utd £222.0m
Man City £163.8m
Chelsea £132.4m
Arsenal £106.5m
Liverpool £100m
West Ham £69.0m
Hull £54.1m
Aston Villa £49.2m
Sunderland £45.7m
Qpr £43.8m
Southampton £43.7m
Crystal P £34.6m
Leicester £23.2m
Stoke £23.0m
West Brom £20.2m
Everton £18.2m
Newcastle £14.4m
Swansea £2.5m
Burnley £0.7m
Spurs -£11.5m

So we are 8th on the spending list, you can argue about the accuracy of them but I think it proves we are nowhere near the bottom of the net spending table. We've spent money and we've got nothing to show for it because the manager is shit. We've certainly spend enough to score a goal or two every now and again.

[Ads]

Are these the net or gross figures?

[peter w]

My son (16) , ST holder has been to 2 games this season I think. He's had enough of the dross too.

For the first time ever my 19 year old 'refused' to attend the Liverpool game. He was orgainsing a trip to Amsterdam and just happneded to 'pick' that day to get it all booked up. In reality he just didnt want to go but needed an excuse so as not to offend me.

He has had enough of the total dross. Ive only been to three games myself this season but my lad could easily be one of the lost ones who wont ever return. In his time has has probably attended 200 games from a very young age.

I dont blame him. I will return but Im not sure he will

Hmmm. If I was a 19 year-old booking a trip to Amsterdam with my mates I'd be telling my dad that it was because I wanted to avoid going to the Villa...I'll bet he loved the Anne Frank museum too...

[Villa in Denmark]

Are these the net or gross figures?

Given that Spurzzzzzz are -£11.5M they must be net.  That must be skewed drastically by the  Bale sale.

[pauliewalnuts]

If you look at our net spend under Lambert, we are not in the bottom of that league.

Is that true?  Can anybody supply me with the info. 
I'm certainly not saying that you're wrong, just surprised that's all.

that's what I'd like to know. Just what is his net spend?

http://transferleague.co.uk

Since Lambore took over according to that site this is the spending,

Man Utd £222.0m
Man City £163.8m
Chelsea £132.4m
Arsenal £106.5m
Liverpool £100m
West Ham £69.0m
Hull £54.1m
Aston Villa £49.2m
Sunderland £45.7m
Qpr £43.8m
Southampton £43.7m
Crystal P £34.6m
Leicester £23.2m
Stoke £23.0m
West Brom £20.2m
Everton £18.2m
Newcastle £14.4m
Swansea £2.5m
Burnley £0.7m
Spurs -£11.5m

So we are 8th on the spending list, you can argue about the accuracy of them but I think it proves we are nowhere near the bottom of the net spending table. We've spent money and we've got nothing to show for it because the manager is shit. We've certainly spend enough to score a goal or two every now and again.

The figures there are interesting (assuming they are accurate).

Not the disparity between Southampton's spending and their performance. And also Newcastle not spending much at all. I guess that figure is swelled by Andy Carroll, but even so, Ashley obviously doesn't like to spend.

[PaulWinch again]

It doesn't surprise me that we're 8th in the spenders mainly because we have made no money on any player sales over the last few years.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

If you look at our net spend under Lambert, we are not in the bottom of that league.

Is that true?  Can anybody supply me with the info. 
I'm certainly not saying that you're wrong, just surprised that's all.

that's what I'd like to know. Just what is his net spend?

http://transferleague.co.uk

Since Lambore took over according to that site this is the spending,

Man Utd £222.0m
Man City £163.8m
Chelsea £132.4m
Arsenal £106.5m
Liverpool £100m
West Ham £69.0m
Hull £54.1m
Aston Villa £49.2m
Sunderland £45.7m
Qpr £43.8m
Southampton £43.7m
Crystal P £34.6m
Leicester £23.2m
Stoke £23.0m
West Brom £20.2m
Everton £18.2m
Newcastle £14.4m
Swansea £2.5m
Burnley £0.7m
Spurs -£11.5m

So we are 8th on the spending list, you can argue about the accuracy of them but I think it proves we are nowhere near the bottom of the net spending table. We've spent money and we've got nothing to show for it because the manager is shit. We've certainly spend enough to score a goal or two every now and again.

The figures there are interesting (assuming they are accurate).

Not the disparity between Southampton's spending and their performance. And also Newcastle not spending much at all. I guess that figure is swelled by Andy Carroll, but even so, Ashley obviously doesn't like to spend.

Cabaye and Debauchery account for £32m between them too.

[Monty]

Of all the damning statistics around the place, that one might be the damniest of them all. It gives a lie to the excuse offered by the Randy Fox, that he's working under straitened circs (by the way, if it's not his fault, doesn't that mean they admit it's their fault and that they're doing nothing about it?). The club is quite the omnishambles atm.

[Ads]

We need the gross figures really for just money spent.

[Des Little]

Regardless of figures - gross or net - we all agree on one thing.  This team is way short of what it should be, and the manager is clueless.  We don't need numbers to tell us that.

[FranzBiberkopf]

We're in danger of losing a whole generation of young fans. For a child living in West Mids, just what choice have they got? No wonder they choose the likes of Man City, Chelsea etc.

'Twas always thus.

We had more Liverpool fans in our year at school than Albion,probably on a par with Blues, us slightly ahead.

[nick harper]

We need the gross figures really for just money spent.

It's gross for us so Lambert has not only spent £50m in the last two and a half years, he has failed to generate any revenue from the assets, whether it is buying them then loaning them out because they're not good enough, putting them in bomb squads or failing to develop them sufficiently to make them attractive to other clubs. Just a woeful record.