Randy Lerner

[MarkM]

Ellis almost ruined the Villa

Lerner is fast following suit.

If this was my business I would be camped out in the office working toward a solution.

We do seem to be missing some leadership from the top, unless of course the plan is to get us relegated in which case they are all doing a bang up job. Well done!

[dave.woodhall]

One of Lerner's biggest crimes is allowing the revision and viewing of Deadly's reign, but in some ways I can understand it. Ellis the way and I agree whole heartedly with Dave, he with alot of malice dismantled the 82 team, made them for years feel unwelcome and at the same time lost a hell of alot of good football knowledge that could have been tapped into over the years by AV.

But and heres the But, people had a focal point to spill their anger, wave our pound signs, chant "Ellis Out" at the back of the Trinity.

He used the Villa for his own extensive ego trip and financial gain, but with Stride there at least had a person with working knowledge of the game of football that was becoming the business of football and one thing I never heard him do, although his actions spoke louder than words at times with his lack of the final penny or pound, was talk down the expectations of AVFC, he would never state that we were there to make up the numbers and that stopping in the top flight was something we should be grateful for.

That is something I will never forgive Lerner and the people he appointed in all positions, for allowing the total dismantling of any ambition held within Villa Park and to turn us the supporters into accepting nodding dogs and just awaiting the inevitable, whatever money he will lose will not even out that bile in my mouth whenever I hear his name.

I don't think that's entirely down to anyone; it's the way football is now. At the start Lerner had us dreaming of the Champions League and there was certainly no lack of ambition back then even though he never said a word. Doug, on the other hand, always talked a good fight and was superb when it came to patting us on the head and saying what a wonderful club we had and how it was all going to be right in the end. The big difference is that under Ellis money helped, under Lerner it's essential. 

[saunders_heroes]

One of Lerner's biggest crimes is allowing the revision and viewing of Deadly's reign, but in some ways I can understand it. Ellis the way and I agree whole heartedly with Dave, he with alot of malice dismantled the 82 team, made them for years feel unwelcome and at the same time lost a hell of alot of good football knowledge that could have been tapped into over the years by AV.

But and heres the But, people had a focal point to spill their anger, wave our pound signs, chant "Ellis Out" at the back of the Trinity.

He used the Villa for his own extensive ego trip and financial gain, but with Stride there at least had a person with working knowledge of the game of football that was becoming the business of football and one thing I never heard him do, although his actions spoke louder than words at times with his lack of the final penny or pound, was talk down the expectations of AVFC, he would never state that we were there to make up the numbers and that stopping in the top flight was something we should be grateful for.

That is something I will never forgive Lerner and the people he appointed in all positions, for allowing the total dismantling of any ambition held within Villa Park and to turn us the supporters into accepting nodding dogs and just awaiting the inevitable, whatever money he will lose will not even out that bile in my mouth whenever I hear his name.

Hear hear!

[Chico Hamilton III]

Don't forget that a pathetic, shambolic joke of a Newcastle team came straight back up and won the vast majority of their games in the championship, and they're owned by a man who only cares about doing it on the cheap and whose popularity is on a par with a registered sex offender. There's no reason why we couldn't do the same, we're not necessarily going to be stuck there for years. Of course we will lose money but it gives us the chance to clear out some of the crap, and finally build up some confidence and momentum.

That Newcastle side had a few decent players though - Carroll, Nolan, Butt, Alan Smith..... All were better in their positions than any of our current squad are. And the 2nd division, or whatever it's called, is ultra competitive now and our team would be like rabbits in headlights.

[supertom]

All I want for Xmas is a punching bag with Randy's face on it. His actual face...not a picture but his real face and his bollocks as a speed bag.

[supertom]

Don't forget that a pathetic, shambolic joke of a Newcastle team came straight back up and won the vast majority of their games in the championship, and they're owned by a man who only cares about doing it on the cheap and whose popularity is on a par with a registered sex offender. There's no reason why we couldn't do the same, we're not necessarily going to be stuck there for years. Of course we will lose money but it gives us the chance to clear out some of the crap, and finally build up some confidence and momentum.

That Newcastle side had a few decent players though - Carroll, Nolan, Butt, Alan Smith..... All were better in their positions than any of our current squad are. And the 2nd division, or whatever it's called, is ultra competitive now and our team would be like rabbits in headlights.

Well to be fair, Carroll was an unknown quantity then. Didn't they buy Nolan for the Championship push too? Along with our Routledge. And I think that's what will be needed for us. We'll need to purchase 3-4 players who've been round the block (but still have some legs) who can help our youngsters push us back up to the Prem.

If we go the fire-sale route and don't buy some suitable championship players then we could go the way of Portsmouth/Wigan etc.

But my gut tells me that Randy will oversee the latter. He seems like the kind of guy who would obliviously oversee absolute ruin and not be too fussed about it. It won't lose him his mansion, or see him having to fly economy. But really I just hope he cuts his losses in the summer and sells us at a price that someone may actually buy us. And then we just have to hope we don't end up with a chicken farmer or sports shop magnate etc.

[Malandro]

Don't forget that a pathetic, shambolic joke of a Newcastle team came straight back up and won the vast majority of their games in the championship, and they're owned by a man who only cares about doing it on the cheap and whose popularity is on a par with a registered sex offender. There's no reason why we couldn't do the same, we're not necessarily going to be stuck there for years. Of course we will lose money but it gives us the chance to clear out some of the crap, and finally build up some confidence and momentum.

That Newcastle side had a few decent players though - Carroll, Nolan, Butt, Alan Smith..... All were better in their positions than any of our current squad are. And the 2nd division, or whatever it's called, is ultra competitive now and our team would be like rabbits in headlights.

And then we just have to hope we don't end up with a chicken farmer or sports shop magnate etc.

Or a Billionaire's doughnut of a son.

[TopDeck113]

Agree with the revisionist rewriting of Doug's reign.  There is a lot of people with short memories.

However, the one charge leveled at Doug that I struggle with is that he was only in it for himself.  The ego. The self-styled Mr Aston Villa.

Even if that is true, he was smart enough and a canny enough operator to know that he would have to maintain the club's profile and ultimately that mean top flight football.  He knew that he had to glad hand and schmooze the right people in football's corridors of power, to ensure that he -and by extension the club - weren't sidelined or forgotten.  And although he did get it wrong on occasions, he generally knew when to give a manager the bullet.  The only one where history will say he got it spectacularly wrong is with Tony Barton.

If that is all about ego, what we could done with over the last half a dozen years is an owner with the same character trait.

[dave.woodhall]

Agree with the revisionist rewriting of Doug's reign.  There is a lot of people with short memories.

However, the one charge leveled at Doug that I struggle with is that he was only in it for himself.  The ego. The self-styled Mr Aston Villa.

Even if that is true, he was smart enough and a canny enough operator to know that he would have to maintain the club's profile and ultimately that mean top flight football.  He knew that he had to glad hand and schmooze the right people in football's corridors of power, to ensure that he -and by extension the club - weren't sidelined or forgotten.  And although he did get it wrong on occasions, he generally knew when to give a manager the bullet.  The only one where history will say he got it spectacularly wrong is with Tony Barton.

If that is all about ego, what we could done with over the last half a dozen years is an owner with the same character trait.

There is absolutely no question that Doug did it for himself first, last and always. However, he did know that for him to be high profile (and he craved attention more than money) Villa had to be in the news as well.

[TopDeck113]

And therefore I doubt (and I know this is supposition) he would have allowed us to decline to the point where we will in all probability drop out of the all-encompassing Premier League with barely a whimper and a national laughing stock to boot.

[supertom]

All I'll say for Deadly, regardless of the good, the bad and the ugly under him and his ego is in no question at all, but if he didn't have a genuine affection for the club he wouldn't be at almost every home game. He's older than the Earth itself but still turns up and a few times when I've seen him in the last year he's not looked too great. His main interest whilst here (and perhaps now) may have been Doug Ellis, but I can't help but like the guy, in the same way as you might like a cantankerous uncle who winds up the family for the majority of the time but is still part of the furniture and occasionally buys you a good present and you think "ah he's okay I guess."
Randy on the other hand wouldn't get a drop of my piss if he was on fire.

If I was in my 90(millions)'s like Doug, I wouldn't come to watch this horror. I'd be too worried that 10 minutes would make my ticker crumble to dust and they'd take me out the ground in a black bag.

[richard moore]

I wonder how this absentee negligent c*** feels right now?

Yes, agree, it clearly wasn't enough that he fucked up one sports team, the idiotic twat had to go and do it to us as well. Nothing personal though eh Randy, you've only completely fucked up the team I love

[Jimbo]

All I'll say for Deadly, regardless of the good, the bad and the ugly under him and his ego is in no question at all, but if he didn't have a genuine affection for the club he wouldn't be at almost every home game. He's older than the Earth itself but still turns up and a few times when I've seen him in the last year he's not looked too great. His main interest whilst here (and perhaps now) may have been Doug Ellis, but I can't help but like the guy, in the same way as you might like a cantankerous uncle who winds up the family for the majority of the time but is still part of the furniture and occasionally buys you a good present and you think "ah he's okay I guess."
Randy on the other hand wouldn't get a drop of my piss if he was on fire.

If I was in my 90(millions)'s like Doug, I wouldn't come to watch this horror. I'd be too worried that 10 minutes would make my ticker crumble to dust and they'd take me out the ground in a black bag.

One thing about this. When people get old they tend cling onto routine, whether it's going to the shops, the bingo, bowls or whatever. The mundane becomes like a kind of lifeline. When they stop doing those things that gave their life meaning the end is never far away, sadly.

[ChicagoLion]

Does Doug care more about Villa? I think that is obvious.
The Villa during most of Dougs reign had a significant advantage over most other clubs, it was called gate money.
Now TV money has levelled the playing field as match day takings become a less and less significant proprtion of revenue management and strategy are significantly more important.
This is where Lerner has failed badly, he has allowed clubs with less resources than us and without the 200 million+ of his own cash to count for nothing. This is spectacular failure.

[Dave Cooper please]

I wonder how this absentee negligent c*** feels right now?

You do realise he is just the owner of a football club and not a child murderer don't you?