Randy Lerner

[Whiney MacWhineface]

I can remember at the time having this argument and being shouted down by posters who were demanding that small shareholders sell to him because a Premier League club owner needs 100% control. One poster in particular came close to being reported to the police for threats of violence against anyone who didn't sell.

I well remember you and (the much missed) Mr Page being quite vociferous about it. At the time it seemed valid, but that it was pissing in the prevailing wind. You were right, in that a dictatorship is only OK if it's both benign and competent.

[kippaxvilla2]

For all the mediocrity nee awfulness of his reign there is one thing to be thankful for.  At least it wasn't a leveraged buyout. 

Imagine if the bank were involved now.  I read the Directors' report in the accounts and it noted the main risk to the business as dropping out of the Premier League.  A bank probably would call in the Administrators were that to be the case (well at least after parachute money was exhausted).

[Pat McMahon]

Lerner felt he needed to own the whole club and enacted his right under UK company law to compulsorarily purchase the shares owned in small quantities by individual supporters.

I can't think of 1 decent busines or ideological reason why he felt the need to avoid the scrutiny or involvement of the supporters.

I can remember at the time having this argument and being shouted down by posters who were demanding that small shareholders sell to him because a Premier League club owner needs 100% control. One poster in particular came close to being reported to the police for threats of violence against anyone who didn't sell.

I held on to my single, token Villa share when RAL wrote to me. I know it means nothing in business terms, and that he owns it, but at least I can say I didn't sell out to the incompetent bastard. It's framed on my wall at home. 

I kept my two as well ( one in my mom's name as she used to go down Villa Park when she was pregnant carrying me).

How much did I miss out on? Genuinely can't recall the value.

[usav]

5p

[Pat McMahon]

5p

Cheers usav. My financial regrets are diminished.

[ChicagoLion]

For all the mediocrity nee awfulness of his reign there is one thing to be thankful for.  At least it wasn't a leveraged buyout. 

Imagine if the bank were involved now.  I read the Directors' report in the accounts and it noted the main risk to the business as dropping out of the Premier League.  A bank probably would call in the Administrators were that to be the case (well at least after parachute money was exhausted).

Banks calling in Administrators is pretty rare these days.

[Villa in Denmark]

For all the mediocrity nee awfulness of his reign there is one thing to be thankful for.  At least it wasn't a leveraged buyout. 

Imagine if the bank were involved now.  I read the Directors' report in the accounts and it noted the main risk to the business as dropping out of the Premier League.  A bank probably would call in the Administrators were that to be the case (well at least after parachute money was exhausted).

I was thinking something along those lines earlier, especially in terms of what the alternatives were. (And this is in no way meant to undersell the rank incompetence of Lerner's ownership)

As far as I can remember the options other than Lerner were.

1) Doug doesn't sell. A commonly held view was that we'd be down either that coming season or the following one as the squad was falling apart and we couldn't finance a loan deal for Eirik Bakke.

2. Ray Ransom. If memory serves the guy that organised the financing for Peter Ridsdale at Leeds and was later involved in the on going clusterfuck that is Coventry City. Was reliant on borrowing most of the £64M.

3. Consortia lead by the QC (Padfield?) and another one by Graham? Neville where the funding must have been borrowing pretty much the full amount as I'd have been surprised if they could have stumped up £64K in cash let alone £64M.

I think we were probably f##ked whatever, it's just taken us longer to realise it this way and as long as Lerner stays true to what he's done so far, we'll still be debt free instead of in hock to the banks for £250M, not that's much comfort right now.

[Percy McCarthy]

Lerner felt he needed to own the whole club and enacted his right under UK company law to compulsorarily purchase the shares owned in small quantities by individual supporters.

I can't think of 1 decent busines or ideological reason why he felt the need to avoid the scrutiny or involvement of the supporters.

I can remember at the time having this argument and being shouted down by posters who were demanding that small shareholders sell to him because a Premier League club owner needs 100% control. One poster in particular came close to being reported to the police for threats of violence against anyone who didn't sell.

Ha! Who the fuck got that worked up about it?

[Legion]

One of our more volatile former members.

[dave.woodhall]

Lerner felt he needed to own the whole club and enacted his right under UK company law to compulsorarily purchase the shares owned in small quantities by individual supporters.

I can't think of 1 decent busines or ideological reason why he felt the need to avoid the scrutiny or involvement of the supporters.

I can remember at the time having this argument and being shouted down by posters who were demanding that small shareholders sell to him because a Premier League club owner needs 100% control. One poster in particular came close to being reported to the police for threats of violence against anyone who didn't sell.

I held on to my single, token Villa share when RAL wrote to me. I know it means nothing in business terms, and that he owns it, but at least I can say I didn't sell out to the incompetent bastard. It's framed on my wall at home. 

I kept my two as well ( one in my mom's name as she used to go down Villa Park when she was pregnant carrying me).

How much did I miss out on? Genuinely can't recall the value.

£5.47 per share.

[OzVilla]

Lerner was deffinetly the best option at the time and, in his defence, he came with best of intentions and those first few years are great. A combination of the GFC, divorce, poor managerial appointments on and off the field and Man City put paid to all that and the rest is history.

I'd also throw n the Moscow debacle which totally turned our season for the worst. A real what could have been moment.

[tomd2103]

Lerner was deffinetly the best option at the time and, in his defence, he came with best of intentions and those first few years are great. A combination of the GFC, divorce, poor managerial appointments on and off the field and Man City put paid to all that and the rest is history.

I'd also throw n the Moscow debacle which totally turned our season for the worst. A real what could have been moment.

Moscow then Stoke.  The week that the decline began.

[Percy McCarthy]

One of our more volatile former members.

I reckon I've sussed it.

[ChicagoLion]

Just had a drink with a Cleveland Browns supporter, he described Randy, he just does not care, was not bothered if they won or lost, liked owning the Browns but could not be bothered to get involved in running them, just wanted some one else to do all that, now he is doing what he did to us to Villa.

[TopDeck113]

Moscow... Our loss, the long and painful retreat from that high-water mark and ultimate humiliating defeat is almost Napoleonic. Relegation will be Waterloo and the Championship the equivalent of exile on St Helena.