Randy Lerner

[Dave Cooper please]

I think I remember the night in question. Didn't you say that you were actually in tears and then some other people said that you might need to look at your priorities?

I was probably one of them, and I stick by it. If your hobby makes THAT angry or sad or it gets to the point that it is actually affecting your life or relationships (as many have claimed), then seriously, get a new hobby.

[Jimbo]

The thing is, football isn't just a hobby is it. Making model aircraft or going train spotting is a hobby. Aston Villa is an historical community institution that runs through generations of families in the area and beyond. As part of a multi-billion pound industry it is also an important part of the local economy, it provides jobs and has a knock on effect across the whole region - pubs, food outlets, catering companies, taxi firms, printers... the list goes on. The fans have invested in it, both financially and emotionally, and its gradual decay affects people in all kinds of ways, which is why Randy Lerner's dereliction of duty is all the more disgraceful.

I'm not going to blub over it, but by Christ it is a horrible thing to stomach.

[Billy Walker]

Anyone else see this photo...

I think there's a roaring trade to be made selling blue and white scarves with Lerner's face/name on them. Stick a Blose/WBO badge on them and sell them to either tribe - may as well make money out of the situation.

[saunders_heroes]

I think I remember the night in question. Didn't you say that you were actually in tears and then some other people said that you might need to look at your priorities?

I was probably one of them, and I stick by it. If your hobby makes THAT angry or sad or it gets to the point that it is actually affecting your life or relationships (as many have claimed), then seriously, get a new hobby.

It's not a hobby though is it? Being a fan of a football club is much more than that and well you know it.
I hate this "get a new hobby if it affects you that much" routine that is thrown around when one fan has a problem with another. It's such a cheap shot as we all know that being a passionate football fan means you can't just switch off when things aren't going so well.

[saunders_heroes]

The thing is, football isn't just a hobby is it. Making model aircraft or going train spotting is a hobby. Aston Villa is an historical community institution that runs through generations of families in the area and beyond. As part of a multi-billion pound industry it is also an important part of the local economy, it provides jobs and has a knock on effect across the whole region - pubs, food outlets, catering companies, taxi firms, printers... the list goes on. The fans have invested in it, both financially and emotionally, and its gradual decay affects people in all kinds of ways, which is why Randy Lerner's dereliction of duty is all the more disgraceful.

I'm not going to blub over it, but by Christ it is a horrible thing to stomach.

Spot on.

[Dave Cooper please]

It's not a hobby though is it? Being a fan of a football club is much more than that and well you know it.
I hate this "get a new hobby if it affects you that much" routine that is thrown around when one fan has a problem with another. It's such a cheap shot as we all know that being a passionate football fan means you can't just switch off when things aren't going so well.

No I don't know it. If I did I wouldn't have posted it, I don't post just for affect you know.

Look, get as passionate as you like but in the end it's just football, it's a game. Yes we invest a lot in it both financially and emotionally but at the end of the day (match) you have to be able to put it all behind you and get on with your real life.
If it is affecting you like some people claim it does then it's time to step away.

[Villafirst]

When are you attending your annual match Randy? Brave enough to face the fans? COWARD!

[aj2k77]

When are you attending your annual match Randy? Brave enough to face the fans? COWARD!

No Cup final for him to pretend at this year so I'm guessing you're more likely to see Bosko Balaban at the Villa than that arsehole.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Randy took that advice and just stepped away a couple of years ago. If he cant sell I want the man engaged and spending again.

[bertlambshank]

This place would be in meltdown if Randy found his bollocks and turned up.

[Villafirst]

This place would be in meltdown if Randy found his bollocks and turned up.

He should sit in the Holte End for the Newcastle game.....

[ciggiesnbeer]

This place would be in meltdown if Randy found his bollocks and turned up.

He should sit in the Holte End for the Newcastle game.....

Honestly if he did a Tony Fernandes and sat with the fans for a few games in our darkest hour I would respect him a helluva lot.

[aj2k77]

I'd like to ask him how the dealings with government and quasi-government organisations are going.

[AV89]

First time poster.  Have been a regular visitor for a while, but never really had the inclination to post.  However, yesterday's fiasco has persuaded me get a few things off my chest.

Ten years ago, this club was on a sticky wicket.  We had an unpopular chairman whose penny-pinching was bringing the club to its knees, and a condescending manager who appeared to revel in winding us up.

I was convinced that 2006/2007 would see us relegated.  I'm not old enough to remember the 86/87 season, as my first season was 89/90, but family and friends had told me of the utter dejection that relegation would bring.
 

Then, the arrival of Mr Lerner offered hope.  I remember vividly watching the press conference to announce Martin O'Neill's arrival and feeling that after years of under achievement, things were finally looking up.  We had a manager who appeared to get us.  Whose enthusiasm to bring success matched our own.  It seemed this grand old club was finally ready to stir from its slumber.

The first four years were great.  We were able to throw punches against the big boys for the first time probably since Brian Little's era.  We felt that we could take on anybody, and there is no better feeling as a fan than that.  Off course we all know now that it was built on sand, but we were frequently assured that the powers that be knew what they were doing.

When O'Neill left, it was the first time I felt anxious about our future.  Now it would be Lerner who have appoint a manager for the first time.

I never felt Gerard Houllier was the right man.  His history of health issues and the length of time since his Liverpool days made me feel he was yesterday’s man.  But there were glimpses of promise in amongst the mayhem of that season.  When he left us, I hoped we could get someone who could build on that.

Then came McLeish.  No doubt a decent enough man who clearly respected the history and stature of the club, but it was never going to work.  Not so much for the Blues connection, but his record there of two relegations in three years.  It was then I found myself drifting away from Villa and starting not to recognize us as a club.

Lambert offered me hope that maybe we could turn it round.  I defended him for the first season - despite the tale of woe it brought.  That run to the end of the season filled me with optimism.  We played some good football and looked to have secured some very talented young players who had a brilliant team spirit.

Sadly it failed to last, and when we lost to Palace on Boxing Day 2013, I ran out of patience with Lambert.  I expected him to be gone at the end of the season, yet was dismayed that he was still here the following season.  By the time he finally went, I had been worn down by his defeatist tactics and demeanor.

Now I never wanted Tim Sherwood in the first place.  I disliked his brash style at Tottenham, but in the position we were in, it was hard to see any other credible appointment we could make.

Even though we finished strongly last season, the thumping at Southampton was a warning, followed by that shameful showing in the cup final.  As the season descended into another struggle, Sherwood pointed the finger at everyone but himself.  His ludicrous comments after the Blues game proving that he thought he could pull the wool over people’s eyes.  I quite frankly shed no tears when he left the club.

Now here we are with Remi Garde.  A decent and honest man whose integrity in the face of the crap surrounding him has impressed me, even if his results have been less than what we had hoped.  Sadly, I don't think any manager on the planet has a chance of doing anything while this current regime continue to hold the power.  They don't "get" the club.  They don't feel the hurt we do after every moral-sapping defeat.  They've achieved something even Doug Ellis and David O'Leary never managed - they've broken Aston Villa and left it with no heart, no spirit and no pride.

Ten years on.  We have an unpopular owner whose penny-pinching has now brought the club to its knees.  We've gone full circle in the last decade.  What an absolute waste.

[peter w]

It's not a hobby though is it? Being a fan of a football club is much more than that and well you know it.
I hate this "get a new hobby if it affects you that much" routine that is thrown around when one fan has a problem with another. It's such a cheap shot as we all know that being a passionate football fan means you can't just switch off when things aren't going so well.

No I don't know it. If I did I wouldn't have posted it, I don't post just for affect you know.

Look, get as passionate as you like but in the end it's just football, it's a game. Yes we invest a lot in it both financially and emotionally but at the end of the day (match) you have to be able to put it all behind you and get on with your real life.
If it is affecting you like some people claim it does then it's time to step away.

To some people it's about travelling around the country to nondescript non-league grounds and pints of Seafarers. To others it's following the fortunes of a club which inextricably intwines itself with the strings of your emotional harp. Either way you can't just say to someone to stop when it really just isn't as simple as that.