Randy Lerner

[Toronto Villa]

"Not a motivated seller".  I mean, this phrase sums up perfectly the meaningless, half-baked nonsense of the Lerner era.  What on earth does it even mean?  It's obfuscation of the highest order. 

Makes you wonder, especially when considering the news that Bristol Rovers have been taken over by a Jordanian billionaire yesterday.

No one is buying football clubs any more, apparently.

Isn't it just like when QPR were part owned by the Mittal's and were about to become the biggest club in the universe? Do you think this Jordanian bloke is about to make Bristol Rovers a superpower? If he was serious about owning a team he'd own one in a division that gave him greater visibility. Otherwise it's a hobby.

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

"Not a motivated seller".  I mean, this phrase sums up perfectly the meaningless, half-baked nonsense of the Lerner era.  What on earth does it even mean?  It's obfuscation of the highest order.

I take it to mean he'll only sell if he gets the price he wants. The question is since he isn't getting the price he wants what happens when we're in the Championship? Much less likely to sell so where does that leave us? Waiting for us to do a Southampton or suchlike and get back into the Premiership but on a much lower cost base.

The problem is there is no one at the club putting in place a strategy to do that or indeed anyone who seems capable of doing so. All the current management team have done is to relegate a massive club. Its taken 5 years and lots of near misses but they're finally done it. They're not going to turn the club around so who is?

[Malandro]

Buying a Bristol team and spending money could be a decent investment

[Stu]

"Not a motivated seller".  I mean, this phrase sums up perfectly the meaningless, half-baked nonsense of the Lerner era.  What on earth does it even mean?  It's obfuscation of the highest order. 

Makes you wonder, especially when considering the news that Bristol Rovers have been taken over by a Jordanian billionaire yesterday.

No one is buying football clubs any more, apparently.

Isn't it just like when QPR were part owned by the Mittal's and were about to become the biggest club in the universe? Do you think this Jordanian bloke is about to make Bristol Rovers a superpower? If he was serious about owning a team he'd own one in a division that gave him greater visibility. Otherwise it's a hobby.

I don't think it's analogous to the QPR takeover - which seemed to have been a case of 3 different blokes all wanting to run the club....at the same time. The talk is of building BR a new ground, which they have wanted for ages. We'll see, proof of the pudding and all that.

What is annoying is that there are clearly people out there willing to invest but for some reason, and I'd love to know why, no one is touching Villa with a bargepole.

[PeterWithesShin]

Buying a Bristol team and spending money could be a decent investment

Plymouth would be the side i'd be buying, I reckon they have massive potential.

[ez]

"Not a motivated seller".  I mean, this phrase sums up perfectly the meaningless, half-baked nonsense of the Lerner era.  What on earth does it even mean?  It's obfuscation of the highest order.

I take it to mean he'll only sell if he gets the price he wants. The question is since he isn't getting the price he wants what happens when we're in the Championship? Much less likely to sell so where does that leave us? Waiting for us to do a Southampton or suchlike and get back into the Premiership but on a much lower cost base.

The problem is there is no one at the club putting in place a strategy to do that or indeed anyone who seems capable of doing so. All the current management team have done is to relegate a massive club. Its taken 5 years and lots of near misses but they're finally done it. They're not going to turn the club around so who is?

Also conspicuous in their absence are any noises of disapproval from within the club. We should be hearing apologies and thanks to the fans for their support and of how the current situation is unacceptable and how everyone's working hard to rectify the situation.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

The truth about Fox visiting Lerner in America in January '16 seems to be out now. We all thought it was to discuss a transfer strategy (though why one wasn't in place from 1.1.16 is beyond me). No it was to discuss the hiring of bodyguards, the denying of freedom of speech and expression at VP, the ejection and subsequent banning of supporters, the policy of complete silence from all board members and Lerner of course etc etc (anything other than talking transfers). That must have been some negative meeting between two pathetic and irrelevant a-seholes.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Buying a Bristol team and spending money could be a decent investment

Plymouth would be the side i'd be buying, I reckon they have massive potential.

Hoe, hoe, hoe.

[dave.woodhall]

The truth about Fox visiting Lerner in America in January '16 seems to be out now. We all thought it was to discuss a transfer strategy (though why one wasn't in place from 1.1.16 is beyond me). No it was to discuss the hiring of bodyguards, the denying of freedom of speech and expression at VP, the ejection and subsequent banning of supporters, the policy of complete silence from all board members and Lerner of course etc etc (anything other than talking transfers). That must have been some negative meeting between two pathetic and irrelevant a-seholes.

Welcome to the paranoid ward.

[Toronto Villa]

The truth about Fox visiting Lerner in America in January '16 seems to be out now. We all thought it was to discuss a transfer strategy (though why one wasn't in place from 1.1.16 is beyond me). No it was to discuss the hiring of bodyguards, the denying of freedom of speech and expression at VP, the ejection and subsequent banning of supporters, the policy of complete silence from all board members and Lerner of course etc etc (anything other than talking transfers). That must have been some negative meeting between two pathetic and irrelevant a-seholes.

Welcome to the paranoid ward.

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

"Not a motivated seller".  I mean, this phrase sums up perfectly the meaningless, half-baked nonsense of the Lerner era.  What on earth does it even mean?  It's obfuscation of the highest order.

I take it to mean he'll only sell if he gets the price he wants. The question is since he isn't getting the price he wants what happens when we're in the Championship? Much less likely to sell so where does that leave us? Waiting for us to do a Southampton or suchlike and get back into the Premiership but on a much lower cost base.

The problem is there is no one at the club putting in place a strategy to do that or indeed anyone who seems capable of doing so. All the current management team have done is to relegate a massive club. Its taken 5 years and lots of near misses but they're finally done it. They're not going to turn the club around so who is?

Also conspicuous in their absence are any noises of disapproval from within the club. We should be hearing apologies and thanks to the fans for their support and of how the current situation is unacceptable and how everyone's working hard to rectify the situation.

We should be hearing that but we wont because it is a collective failure of the management team. They will be in self preservation mode now. In my experience when this happens in a business people go into bunker mentality and blame everyone but themselves and start to see the "customers" as part of the problem.

The Lescott interview is a tiny example of that "not my fault we got thumped by Liv, didn't play in the Wycombe game, couldn't sign autographs for kids before we got on the bus because of fans etc etc". Anything to deflect from the real problem. Fox story similar with the altercation with season ticket holder and the story about the employee leaving. Individually storm in a teacup but this kind of stuff will be having real feedback at VP.

The real danger is it distracts them from what they should be doing - lining up players and commercial deals that will make us stronger in the summer and better placed to come back up.

[Locko]

"Not a motivated seller".  I mean, this phrase sums up perfectly the meaningless, half-baked nonsense of the Lerner era.  What on earth does it even mean?  It's obfuscation of the highest order. 

Makes you wonder, especially when considering the news that Bristol Rovers have been taken over by a Jordanian billionaire yesterday.

No one is buying football clubs any more, apparently.

Isn't it just like when QPR were part owned by the Mittal's and were about to become the biggest club in the universe? Do you think this Jordanian bloke is about to make Bristol Rovers a superpower? If he was serious about owning a team he'd own one in a division that gave him greater visibility. Otherwise it's a hobby.

I don't think it's analogous to the QPR takeover - which seemed to have been a case of 3 different blokes all wanting to run the club....at the same time. The talk is of building BR a new ground, which they have wanted for ages. We'll see, proof of the pudding and all that.

What is annoying is that there are clearly people out there willing to invest but for some reason, and I'd love to know why, no one is touching Villa with a bargepole.

If I had to hazard a guess I'd say a totally unrealistic asking price. When he first put the club up for sake wasn't the rumour he was long for £250m? He's probably not dropped the price he's such a stupid twerp it's gone up...

[Toronto Villa]

And conversely I bet Bristol Rovers relatively speaking cost next to nothing to acquire.

[Irish villain]

The truth about Fox visiting Lerner in America in January '16 seems to be out now. We all thought it was to discuss a transfer strategy (though why one wasn't in place from 1.1.16 is beyond me). No it was to discuss the hiring of bodyguards, the denying of freedom of speech and expression at VP, the ejection and subsequent banning of supporters, the policy of complete silence from all board members and Lerner of course etc etc (anything other than talking transfers). That must have been some negative meeting between two pathetic and irrelevant a-seholes.

Welcome to the paranoid ward.

The

"Not a motivated seller".  I mean, this phrase sums up perfectly the meaningless, half-baked nonsense of the Lerner era.  What on earth does it even mean?  It's obfuscation of the highest order. 

Makes you wonder, especially when considering the news that Bristol Rovers have been taken over by a Jordanian billionaire yesterday.

No one is buying football clubs any more, apparently.

Isn't it just like when QPR were part owned by the Mittal's and were about to become the biggest club in the universe? Do you think this Jordanian bloke is about to make Bristol Rovers a superpower? If he was serious about owning a team he'd own one in a division that gave him greater visibility. Otherwise it's a hobby.

I don't think it's analogous to the QPR takeover - which seemed to have been a case of 3 different blokes all wanting to run the club....at the same time. The talk is of building BR a new ground, which they have wanted for ages. We'll see, proof of the pudding and all that.

What is annoying is that there are clearly people out there willing to invest but for some reason, and I'd love to know why, no one is touching Villa with a bargepole.

If I had to hazard a guess I'd say a totally unrealistic asking price. When he first put the club up for sake wasn't the rumour he was long for £250m? He's probably not dropped the price he's such a stupid twerp it's gone up...

I think more and more fans are questioning this crowd's motives. The club has suffered immensely the fans most of all. As pointed out other clubs are being bought so it is not all that clear this regime is doing its damnedest to sell.

[PeterWithesShin]

Since Lerner said we were for sale aren't Everton the first club of note to be sold, assuming that sale goes through? It's not as though major clubs are changing hands every day.
There's a tad of a difference between buying Bristol Rovers and Aston Villa. Sheff Wed were sold a year or so ago but again there's a big difference between buying them for 30 odd million and buying a club the size of Villa.