Randy Lerner

[DaveD]

There are nice guys and there are bastards. There are competents and incompetents. I've seen all combinations at the top of the tree and by far the most dangerous is the nice guy incompetent. Because people tolerate their brand of buffoonery much longer than a less clueless bastard.

Give me a competent bastard any day of the week and twice on Sundays. I worked for Bob Diamond for ten years and he was by far the best leader I've ever seen, universally respected by his staff, and he was utterly ruthless.

Much as Randy's heart may be in the right place, he's a terrible leader and he's slowly wrought more damage than anyone more malign would have been permitted to do, and if we swallow today's sentimental guff there's no telling how much more well meaning disaster he can sow.

[markeeeebeeee2005]

Wasn't Diamond in charge of Barclays when they were manipulating the market rate? Give me morals and competency in a leader, then you have some of the traits required.

[Trinitymiddle]

The only two decent appointments he's made since he's been here were recently - and they lasted weeks. He's sounds now like a sulky child who's broken his favourite toy. This statement is pathetic and says nothing, just that he's a self-pitying fool . Much rather we saw his recent email exchange to get a measure of the man and more insight into what the hell is going on.

Randy didn't appoint B & K, Hollis did.

[themossman]

Absolutely. That better to be feared than loved stuff is 30 years out of date. I hold many things against randy but not his basic decency.

[DaveD]

Wasn't Diamond in charge of Barclays when they were manipulating the market rate? Give me morals and competency in a leader, then you have some of the traits required.

Yeah, like Bob knew what the junior clerks were doing. Its not like the bank benefited. That's like blaming Randy for bar staff short changing punters in the Holte End.

Without getting into an extended argument about the banking crisis and the evils of capitalism, what I mean is once every single quarter he stood on the trading floor, invited the whole company in (and broadcast it to every tv screen for those who couldn't go in person) and explained what the market was doing, what our strategy was, how we were performing against it, and what we needed to do better. And then took unscripted Q&A. He was a brilliant inspirational leader, and we were all proud to work for him and I can't say the same of any CEO I've come across before or since. Compare that to the parade of Tim Nice-but-Dims running a certain taxpayer owned bank since 2008 and our own Randy sitting in his ivory tower across the pond, and you might appreciate my point.

[lovejoy]

From the outside Bob Diamond is the epitomy of a greedy banker, with low morals and branded "the unacceptable face of banking". The scandals during his short reign were many and Barclays was the most complained about bank. Is your point you'd like us to win at all costs with a single mind owner who makes as much money from the game as possible and hated by everyone but loved by the players, a Mourinho character? If so, I can see that, whilst I don't agree.

[olaftab]

Pity they were replaced by dubious gambling companies - and the shirts were then worn by dubiously described footballers

I  do not like the gambling associated shirts. A deeply religious person would tell me that they have brought a curse on our house!

[john e]

Pity they were replaced by dubious gambling companies - and the shirts were then worn by dubiously described footballers

I  do not like the gambling associated shirts. A deeply religious person would tell me that they have brought a curse on our house!

we should have won the league when we had Acorns on the front then

[olaftab]

Yes true we should have! But God was out that day and Buddha doesn't like football and as far as Allah  is concerned he/she has never been pleased with us (I think).

[The Laughing Policeman]

For me two words sum up Randy's ownership.............benign neglect.

[old man villa fan]

Yes true we should have! But God was out that day and Buddha doesn't like football and as far as Allah  is concerned he/she has never been pleased with us (I think).

And what about Leicester?  Perhaps Buddha has taken an interest in football.

[The Man With A Stick]

If he really is in town, as some people suggested yesterday, I wonder if he'll be there today?

[HolmesyVilla]

Who, Buddha?

[Rudy65]

Randolph's statement made me feel a whole lot better, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
This explains comprehensively the last 10 years in the wilderness, the depression has been lifted, l can see the light.
The path is clear, the gardens rosy, god has at last spoken.
Pass me my medication I don't know whether to laugh cry or commit suicide.
Too f***ing little too f***ing late. Get the ambulance to take me away to the nuthouse

And its only 3.5 months until the start of the season

[Chris Smith]

Who, Buddha?

A chap who sits near be is a dead ringer in fact I can't believe it's not Buddha.