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

[Jimbo]

"Not a day (hour) goes by that every angle is thought through- that I can assure you."

Erm...

[LeeB]

"Not a day (hour) goes by that every angle is thought through- that I can assure you."

Erm...

*Sarcastic face coupled with chin stroke*

[Rudy Can't Fail]

"Not a day (hour) goes by that every angle is thought through- that I can assure you."

Erm...

You said you want honesty, Jimbo.

[joe_c]

[pseudscorner] My analysis from the most pretentious and part of my brain is that Randy Lerner has a) Read Atlas Shrugged and b) Actually taken it seriously. He's deliberately running the club into the ground like Francisco d'Anconia and his copper mines for some ill conceived greater good. [/pseudscorner]

[Stu]

[pseudscorner] My analysis from the most pretentious and part of my brain is that Randy Lerner has a) Read Atlas Shrugged and b) Actually taken it seriously. He's deliberately running the club into the ground like Francisco d'Anconia and his copper mines for some ill conceived greater good. [/pseudscorner]

Randroid Lerner.

[LeeB]

[pseudscorner] My analysis from the most pretentious and part of my brain is that Randy Lerner has a) Read Atlas Shrugged and b) Actually taken it seriously. He's deliberately running the club into the ground like Francisco d'Anconia and his copper mines for some ill conceived greater good. [/pseudscorner]

Randroid Lerner.

Randy is Atlas in this particular case. Whatever he does, more weight comes to bear.

Randy Shrugged.

[kippaxvilla2]

Ay up the cavalry is back in town......

Tom,

I am sorry to say that we need urgent, decisive action now.. We have 12 points since Sept 1st (21 league games) and will go down without the manager being changed..
Already by leaving it till now, you are making it hard for a new man but we are only in the bottom 3 on GD (worst in Division) and there are still 39 points to play for so still time.

Imperative it's done now though as the games in April look very tough indeed.

Without this action we simply won't get the wins now necessary. We have to face the reality of that as the facts present themselves under Lambert:

1. 25 wins in 101
2. 33 points from last 40 games
3. 2 wins in 21 games (12 points)
4. 0 wins in 10 games (3 points)
5. 12 goals scored in 25 league games
6. Recent games in this 10 game winless run includes versus direct relegation rivals, WBA, Sunderland, Palace, Leicester and Hull.. Just 2 points gained and zero goals scored.

What is abundantly clear is that this a consistently very poor reign but most disturbingly it is getting worse not better, the longer it is allowed to continue which will only lead to relegation..

We probably need at least 15 points from remaining 13 games which the squad is more than capable of but not with this manager in charge..

We all saw the new TV deal monetary figures yesterday.. Relegation would be a disaster on so many levels and we'd be far from guaranteed of bouncing back..

I am sure you don't want to be associated with such abject failure and be the CEO that took Villa out of the Premier league when the club has been ever present since its inception in 1992? However that's exactly what will happen unless you accept that the manager in situ simply can't deliver on his job description IE win football matches. Your relationship with supporters is now in serious danger of disintegration before it's even really started if you continue to ignore what is happening in front of you.

I know you have made the 'false narrative to blame the manager' and 'changing managers would be like flipping a coin' statements in recent weeks but you have to forget that now.. This is a full blown crisis that will blow any long term plans you have out of the water. At least 'flipping a coin' will give us a fighting chance of staying up.. We won't without doing it.

To emphasise how important the manager is at a football club you only have to look at the country's biggest club.. Manchester United are filled with top people.. Coaches, analysts, huge support network but look at how even they have struggled since Ferguson left.. The manager is the undoubted key position and for far too long we have had the wrong man in that position.

There is a good squad there.. There are managers out there that can get the results needed.. Laudrup, Garcia, Sherwood, Hoddle, Rosler, Garde, Schuster, Rangnick, Kluviert, De Boer, Southgate, Billic, Klinsmann

Some may say some are more realistic than others on that list but you are aiming high off the pitch as we see with the excellent COO appointment so surely it's time to aim high on the pitch and that has to start with the football manager. I am sure there are others that haven't even been mentioned.

The alternative is we appoint a short term motivator like Redknapp to keep us up and then look at appointing Howe, Karanka or Tuchel or one of the others on the above list in the Summer..

The squad is now so down, so demotivated, so demoralised that without this outlined action relegation will be upon us before we know it. Simply adding a number two won't be enough. The presence of Culverhouse and Keane certainly didn't make much difference.

We are in yours and Randy Lerner's hands.. You are the only two that can attempt to save us.. You both owe the fans and this famous old club at least a fighting chance of staying up so please don't ignore this and do what is needed today as literally there is no time left to waste.

We can then at least be unified and fight this huge battle together rather than fighting each other..

Sincerely,

Howard JP Hodgson

Read more: http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7518182#ixzz3RRZXXUFq

[Malandro]

It would appear Randy is not out of his mind as he most certainly isn't involved with the club, he leaves that responsibility 100% to Tom Fox.

In Randy's own words a few days ago (to FEAR):

"he lives Villa every day in a way that I've not been able to do- personally or professionally- for some time."


 

Cheers Mr custodian. We figured that out for ourselves.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

It shouldn't require a squeak of protest from a Villa fan -

the points tally speaks for itself;
the performances speak for themselves;
the league position speaks for itself;
the goal difference speaks for itself;
the potential loss of TV money speaks for itself;

This isn't an emotional or subjective decision to make, it's a logical, business decision.

The only possible reasons for keeping Lambert are if we really couldn't get anyone better; and/or if Fox/Lerner have some reasonable expectation that results are going to substantially improve.  Either of which is hard to believe in the current circumstances.

[Malandro]

Dear Tom,

Next season, how much will you charge for a category AA game? (Nottinghamshire Forest etc)

[Ron Manager]

I have been down Villa Park today. I was expecting to see a few people in the car park anxiously discussing this awful situation we find ourselves in, perhaps even a small TV crew hoping for an exclusive. This is what I saw. Nothing. Not a single person in the club shop. Nobody in the ticket office and apart from a couple of Asian ladies who had been to Tesco's nobody around the surrounds of the ground.

I know its freezing cold but,I don't know, perhaps people are not that interested any more.

[dave.woodhall]

I have been down Villa Park today. I was expecting to see a few people in the car park anxiously discussing this awful situation we find ourselves in, perhaps even a small TV crew hoping for an exclusive. This is what I saw. Nothing. Not a single person in the club shop. Nobody in the ticket office and apart from a couple of Asian ladies who had been to Tesco's nobody around the surrounds of the ground.

I know its freezing cold but,I don't know, perhaps people are not that interested any more.

There never is anyone around, unless there's a conference or a property auction.

[cdbearsfan]

Ay up the cavalry is back in town......

Tom,

I am sorry to say that we need urgent, decisive action now.. We have 12 points since Sept 1st (21 league games) and will go down without the manager being changed..
Already by leaving it till now, you are making it hard for a new man but we are only in the bottom 3 on GD (worst in Division) and there are still 39 points to play for so still time.

Imperative it's done now though as the games in April look very tough indeed.

Without this action we simply won't get the wins now necessary. We have to face the reality of that as the facts present themselves under Lambert:

1. 25 wins in 101
2. 33 points from last 40 games
3. 2 wins in 21 games (12 points)
4. 0 wins in 10 games (3 points)
5. 12 goals scored in 25 league games
6. Recent games in this 10 game winless run includes versus direct relegation rivals, WBA, Sunderland, Palace, Leicester and Hull.. Just 2 points gained and zero goals scored.

What is abundantly clear is that this a consistently very poor reign but most disturbingly it is getting worse not better, the longer it is allowed to continue which will only lead to relegation..

We probably need at least 15 points from remaining 13 games which the squad is more than capable of but not with this manager in charge..

We all saw the new TV deal monetary figures yesterday.. Relegation would be a disaster on so many levels and we'd be far from guaranteed of bouncing back..

I am sure you don't want to be associated with such abject failure and be the CEO that took Villa out of the Premier league when the club has been ever present since its inception in 1992? However that's exactly what will happen unless you accept that the manager in situ simply can't deliver on his job description IE win football matches. Your relationship with supporters is now in serious danger of disintegration before it's even really started if you continue to ignore what is happening in front of you.

I know you have made the 'false narrative to blame the manager' and 'changing managers would be like flipping a coin' statements in recent weeks but you have to forget that now.. This is a full blown crisis that will blow any long term plans you have out of the water. At least 'flipping a coin' will give us a fighting chance of staying up.. We won't without doing it.

To emphasise how important the manager is at a football club you only have to look at the country's biggest club.. Manchester United are filled with top people.. Coaches, analysts, huge support network but look at how even they have struggled since Ferguson left.. The manager is the undoubted key position and for far too long we have had the wrong man in that position.

There is a good squad there.. There are managers out there that can get the results needed.. Laudrup, Garcia, Sherwood, Hoddle, Rosler, Garde, Schuster, Rangnick, Kluviert, De Boer, Southgate, Billic, Klinsmann

Some may say some are more realistic than others on that list but you are aiming high off the pitch as we see with the excellent COO appointment so surely it's time to aim high on the pitch and that has to start with the football manager. I am sure there are others that haven't even been mentioned.

The alternative is we appoint a short term motivator like Redknapp to keep us up and then look at appointing Howe, Karanka or Tuchel or one of the others on the above list in the Summer..

The squad is now so down, so demotivated, so demoralised that without this outlined action relegation will be upon us before we know it. Simply adding a number two won't be enough. The presence of Culverhouse and Keane certainly didn't make much difference.

We are in yours and Randy Lerner's hands.. You are the only two that can attempt to save us.. You both owe the fans and this famous old club at least a fighting chance of staying up so please don't ignore this and do what is needed today as literally there is no time left to waste.

We can then at least be unified and fight this huge battle together rather than fighting each other..

Sincerely,

Howard JP Hodgson

Read more: http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7518182#ixzz3RRZXXUFq

I'd love it if Foxy just replied with "tl;dr".

[joe_c]

Do the intended recipients of open letters ever read them I wonder?

Dear Important Person,

You have no idea who I am but I know a thing or two about a thing or two.

*continues in the same vein for at least 14 paragraphs*

[Pat McMahon]

I have been down Villa Park today. I was expecting to see a few people in the car park anxiously discussing this awful situation we find ourselves in, perhaps even a small TV crew hoping for an exclusive. This is what I saw. Nothing. Not a single person in the club shop. Nobody in the ticket office and apart from a couple of Asian ladies who had been to Tesco's nobody around the surrounds of the ground.

I know its freezing cold but,I don't know, perhaps people are not that interested any more.

There never is anyone around, unless there's a conference or a property auction.

Villa Park is a place you go to not a place you pass through (unless you are David Unsworth). It ain't city centre like St James Park