Randy Lerner

[Billy Walker]

Fair play to Pelty for coming on here, I'm sure he knew he'd be getting flak thrown in his direction.  Whether he has come on to muddy the water or not, I don't know.  I'll take him at his word that he is trying to explain things and give his viewpoint.  What I can't understand is how on earth King and Bernstein could have behaved so unprofessionally in such a short time at the Club?  They have barely had a chance to get sitting at the Boardroom table yet.  In addition to this, if both men have behaved so badly, surely that makes Steve Hollis' position untenable as  he was the man who appointed them both? 

It's all yet another huge Lerner-centred shambles.  How many Villa boardroom people have either been fired or parted company early during this farcical decade, I wonder?  It struck me a while ago that having anything to do with a Randy Lerner boardroom is akin to taking up the drums with Spinal Tap.  I'm sorry Pelty but there's only one man I will back in this particular episode and that is Lord Mervyn King - he has integrity by the bucket load and he genuinely wants what's best for Aston Villa.  It was a huge mistake on Randy's part letting him near the Boardroom at Villa Park because he is both no "yes man" and he has the proverbial brains to burn.  I would imagine a few home truths were fired off and Randy simply didn't like it.   

[Villa1874]

Seems to me like this Pelty fella is just sticking up for good old uncle Randy.

With regards to being respectful to Messrs Bernstein and King; how would Pelty feel if his father was referred to as Chuck or Charlie Krulak instead of General?

I don't know the content of the Bernstein/King emails but, after suffering the last five years of silent ineptitude shown by Lerner, I am glad that they went public with some of their views.

Pelty, if Lerner is so pissed off about what's been said, why doesn't he go public with what was really said? A clandestine leak maybe? One of those hack reports that says "a club insider said...." so that the fans can discover what's really happening at the club instead of having to wait every few years for Lerner to decide he wants to chat about his plaything.

[rob_bridge]

Direct question to you Pelty:

How many of our matches have you attended this season?

Please not the I#m a better fan thread....

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

I'm with Mervyn King on this; Bank of England boss versus Lerner's appalling business and management deals?
No contest. Nice try Pelty but no cigar.

[peter w]

Direct question to you Pelty:

How many of our matches have you attended this season?

Please not the I#m a better fan thread....

I think it was a response to suggest that pelty isn't actually a fan but only here because of Lerner and Krulak.

And I'll publicly state that I believe I am a better fan, no, I'm a fan rather than Lerner, Krulak, or pelty.

[chrisw1]

I think it's a shame when Pelty comes here to give us some insight he gets driven off with such a hostile reaction.

I'm more inclined to side with Bernstein & King as well, but if people could be more civil in their response it may have been a good way to get some dialogue going with someone who is clearly close to the Board.

Gossip about what was in the 'e-mail' is largely irrelevant.  But how the club feels it can move forward after this further massive blow would obviously be of interest.  It would have been nice to keep the conversation going with Pelty without venting all our pent up frustrations on him.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I think it's a shame when Pelty comes here to give us some insight he gets driven off with such a hostile reaction.

I'm more inclined to side with Bernstein & King as well, but if people could be more civil in their response it may have been a good way to get some dialogue going with someone who is clearly close to the Board.

Gossip about what was in the 'e-mail' is largely irrelevant.  But how the club feels it can move forward after this further massive blow would obviously be of interest.  It would have been nice to keep the conversation going with Pelty without venting all our pent up frustrations on him.

But he wasn't giving insight into the goings on at Villa. He was posting his "opinion", which he's welcome to do and which we're welcome to dispute in our usual "robust" manner. Anyone breaching site rules will be banned, I'm sure. He came on here, chucked a few hand grenades an then fucked off. The worst kind of troll, if you ask me

[Chris Jameson]

I think it's a shame when Pelty comes here to give us some insight he gets driven off with such a hostile reaction.

He didn't give us any 'insight' but his 'opinion'. I've never forgiven him for telling a Villa supporter of many years to "go support somebody else if they don't like it" a few years ago, that proved how little they know of what it is to be a football supporter.

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

I'd like some insight too but all we get is his opinion of two respected businessmen.

[Malandro]

Forget the managers, players and backroom staff.One man has controlled and understood the money flow into the club.
It was and always has been a gamble by the owner, that's his legacy. He lost, we lost and what is most unforgivable, it has cost people their livelihood.

Randy will probably feel angry about the money lost but I imagine in the coming months a few people will struggle to buy fish fingers.

 "I owe a massive debt of friendship and loyalty, will continue to guide and protect the Club through this period of transition according to their collective sense of professional pride and long term service to Villa - the vast majority having preceded my tenure"

[cheltenhamlion]

Lerner doesn't need to leak anything. He needs to get out of the dictators island lair and open his fucking mouth. He is the owner. I don't give a fig if he is shy. You can't hide behind that when you have run a "storied" institution into the ground and chaos reigns all round.

I don't know the content of the emails. I do know I trust Lord King. And I certainly know that someone making comments like Pelty did on his first post is not just throwing in an opinion. It is quite clear he is aware of the content of the emails.

I have tried hard to cut Lerner slack on this. Suggested that maybe the board members left as a credible buyer was at the table and therefore it is understandable that Lerner doesn't want to sanction much change until it is resolved.

But I am certainly not prepared to accept aspersions being cast on the integrity of two very able people on the basis "the emails are the tip of the iceberg".

What on earth could they have possibly done in a few weeks that leads Pelty to have such a low opinion of them? Set fire to his restaurant? Thrown Blues over the garden wall?

This club is on its deathbed and risks the life support machine being switched off if we cannot unify and get the best surgeons round the patient.

The football board were those surgeons, regardless of whether they have said something nasty about the owner or The General.

Keep on having a strop about the nasty old men if you like but don't think we will sit idly by and watch whilst you cast aside the surgeons in the hope a bag of grapes and bottle of Night Nurse will cure us.

[Chris Jameson]

We all support Villa for many varying and some bizarre reasons and many of us have supported them for decades but none of us 'support' a club because our dad's friend owns them?

Mervyn King is one of us, Randy Lerner ain't.

[Brend'Watkins]

Tattoo on leg aside I'd say Lerner Pelty and the General are fans of sorts.

[chrisw1]

I'd like some insight too but all we get is his opinion of two respected businessmen.

Of course it's an insight.  Whilst he has to caveat it as opinion, something has clearly gone on here. However without some clarification the only loser will be the club as from the outside the resignations make it seem toxic and unworkable

[1_Pablo_Angel]

I think it's a shame when Pelty comes here to give us some insight he gets driven off with such a hostile reaction.

I'm more inclined to side with Bernstein & King as well, but if people could be more civil in their response it may have been a good way to get some dialogue going with someone who is clearly close to the Board.

Gossip about what was in the 'e-mail' is largely irrelevant.  But how the club feels it can move forward after this further massive blow would obviously be of interest.  It would have been nice to keep the conversation going with Pelty without venting all our pent up frustrations on him.

What 'insight'? He's told us f all.