Accounts Show Reduced Loss

[Toronto Villa]

The contract extension for Lambert pushed that very close in my opinion.

had he been at the club for any length of time then I would agree. It happened very soon after he arrived. He gets a ton of brownie points from me for being able to convince his boss to fire Lambert though, something Faulkner didn't manage to do.

[PeterWithesShin]

We'd have paid a chunk regardless of the new contract. So no, the new contract didn't cost us millions.

[joe_c]

We'd have paid a chunk regardless of the new contract. So no, the new contract didn't cost us millions.

I think it probably cost us the option/ability to get rid of him sooner which may prove to be more damaging than the money.

[Toronto Villa]

We'd have paid a chunk regardless of the new contract. So no, the new contract didn't cost us millions.

I think it probably cost us the option/ability to get rid of him sooner which may prove to be more damaging than the money.

I don't know that it did Joe. I think the situation just got so bad that we fired him. I really think they gave him every opportunity to be a success be it on the old contract or the new one. In the end new contract or not the situation simply became to apparent that it wasn't going to get better. With the new TV deal on the table the new contract didn't become such a bitter pill to swallow when weighed against the alternative.

[PeterWithesShin]

We'd have paid a chunk regardless of the new contract. So no, the new contract didn't cost us millions.

I think it probably cost us the option/ability to get rid of him sooner which may prove to be more damaging than the money.

The way they stood by him regardless of how shit we were, i'm not convinced they'd have sacked him any sooner even without the new contract.

[Hoppo]

To the cleverer finance people than me. Random questions. Are we capable of dealing with relegation? Would it ruin us? Anyone know of relegation clauses in contracts? Thanks in advance.

[silhillvilla]

To the cleverer finance people than me. Random questions. Are we capable of dealing with relegation? Would it ruin us? Anyone know of relegation clauses in contracts? Thanks in advance.

With the huge year 1 parachute payment , if we came straight back it wouldn't be terminal damage. Although the big names like benteke and Delph etc will have release clauses I'm sure

[Villa in Denmark]

For those who don't appreciate how important getting the finances in order has been, the history of Parma over the last 30 years is a salutary lesson.

Parma's uncertain future: Former Uefa Cup winners rack up debts

Or read the thread in other football.  The only reason Leeds survived in any form was that they'd started to address the issues, just 2-3 years to late with further to fall than we did.

Portsmouth never did until their backs were pressed against the wall.

No-one denys that the club has been shockingly mis-managed pretty much since Randy turned up, it's just that £50M / year can hide an awful lot of cracks. Yes the retrenchment has been brutal, but the real mistakes have been in

1. The lack of playing philosophy which has lead to changes in style with every appointment = expensive squad turnover (MON->Houllier->attempt at Martinez->McLeish->Lambert->Sherwood) The only link in that chain that looks reasonable is Houllier to Martinez which never actually happened.
2. The shocking lack of overview in managing the value of the squad.  Since half way through MONs period I'd guess that we must have lost around £100M in transfer fees walking out of the door on free transfers.  If we'd only managed to get 50% back we'd be in so much a better position both financially and squad wise.
3. Not sacking Lambert last summer.  Almost as big a mind bender as the new contract which for me is joint first with appointing McLeish.

(I'll give Fox a pass on the Lambert contract as given how soon it was signed after he arrived, there's a good chance that it was aleady being drafted by the time Fox was appointed.  If it wasn't then it was handed to him from Randy as No.1 job once he'd got his feet under the desk.)
The appointment of managersappalling managerial appointments (McLeish), a l

[silhillvilla]

The damage done under MON was monumental.
Curtis Davies being a prime example , bought for £10m and walked away for £250k

[villadelph]

Cut the losses, great.. hope it was worth it.

[OCD]

The damage done under MON was monumental.
Curtis Davies being a prime example , bought for £10m and walked away for £250k

£3.5m.

[rob_bridge]

The damage done under MON was monumental.
Curtis Davies being a prime example , bought for £10m and walked away for £250k

£3.5m.

Bad but Heskey Beye and Cuellar cost 40m jn fees and wages and we re uperated zilch. And would have been no worse off had any of them never set foot in Villa Park asmone of ours.

[DB]

It was no coincidence that as soon as we dropped into the bottom 3 he was given the boot. There must have been a clause stating if it happened they could get rid at little cost.

[ez]

It was no coincidence that as soon as we dropped into the bottom 3 he was given the boot. There must have been a clause stating if it happened they could get rid at little cost.

I thought he looked more panicked during the Hull defeat than he normally did.

[Toronto Villa]

I just thought he looked broken and defeated. That whatever he tried simply isn't working, hadn't worked, won't work. He knew it was the end.