Tom Fox's meeting with Supporters

[aj2k77]

Joe, without wanting to nag at you for more details could I ask what if any of Almstadts role was mentioned. If it's not directly to do with the playing side is it more the contracts of players? Such as Traore for £65k p/w?

[itbrvilla]

Bet they're pleased the Macon deal is coming to an end as the yes end up with a stack of unsellable shirts when we're in the Championship next season.

[rob_bridge]

There were eight attendees drawn from the assorted message boards, Lions Clubs and Aston Villa Supporters Trust.

The main topic of the meeting was that Tom Fox wished to clarify/rebut much of what has been reported in the press regarding the summer transfer window dealings. He was increasingly frustrated by repeated claims in the media that the transfer policy at Villa is conducted by a committee (a word he dislikes in this context). He explained the transfer process from identification to acquisition and that the manager has veto at all times at any point and that this structure exists for all clubs, not just Villa.

He specifically spoke of Tim Sherwood asserting in an interview in September that he had the final say on all the incoming players and he will live or die in the job by those players. Remi Garde has said similar in his first interview following his appointment. There's been no change in policy so there must be a reason why the emphasis on the committee has arisen since the change in manager.

Additionally, he spoke of the roles and remits of Paddy Reilly and Hendrik Almstadt, the former he believes is responsible for the recruitment of the better players in the squad and stressed that the latter has no direct responsibility for the playing side. He also admitted that the many aspects of the club, not just the playing side, have not been up to scratch for many years and that since he arrived he has been working at improving things wherever possible.

Also spoken about was that the club expect to appoint a new chairman and possibly board member imminently and that a new kit manufacturer should be announced in February. There was little time for direct questions from the attendees but perhaps the most obvious one was asked, namely funds available in January and the impression I got was that there would be though his initial answer was to quote Jurgen Klopp's response to a similar question being better training for the players you already have.

He was also asked about the situation with player contracts and spoke about the Delph situation, that he should never have been allowed to enter the last year of his deal and how he believes you will never see a player in the last year of his contract sign an extension like he did and that his actions brought in £8m that the club would otherwise not have seen had he left on a free.

That's all I remember but if anything else springs to mind, I'll add it.

]

Thanks - some useful pointers.

[joe_c]

The analogy he used to describe Almstadt was that he is the hub of a wheel encompassing areas including but not exclusive to the academy, medical staff, training facilities, scouting and so on. His role is not necessarily above that of the manager at Villa though he acknowledged that other clubs operate the sporting director system differently.

He added that the old model of a manager with complete control over every aspect of the day to day running of the club is not compatible with the demands of the modern game and my interpretation is that Almstadt is in charge of the support network leaving the manager to focus solely on the playing side.

I don't recall any specific mention of him having any authority over contracts though that is not to say that Fox didn't or Almstadt doesn't. He did, however, mention in passing the reported terms of the Traore contract though, chuckling as he did so. Make of that what you will bearing in mind the main topic of conversation was the disparity between what the club does and what the papers say.

[Nelly]

Thanks so much for the update. Real food for thought. I think Lerner's Villa have always been quiet and it enables whatever the media report about the club to be circulated as the truth. Nice to hear the club's take on things though, and not just through the wishy-washy social media team.

[cheltenhamlion]

I have stuck the Trust's take on the meeting on the website. It goes in to the roles of Almstadt and Reilly quite deeply.

[amfy]

It was good to get that up so quick Chelts. The Trust used to be quite slow at releasing news if it ever got out at all and it's really good to see Trust stuff being a bit more up to modern social media pace.

[Toronto Villa]

As much as the now is utterly shit it is a culmination of events that has got us here. It didn't start this year or last. It started when Randy arrived. In fact it started before that and has just gotten worse through a number of very poor decisions that have not maximized the potential of our club.

As much as it is encouraging that they see the structural flaws and are working to fix them it won't be the focus of we go down. Much like there would have been significant challenges to any one of the clubs doing well today like Southampton that needed to be addressed. It wasn't always this rosy there but after a sustained and committed strategy they are a solid well run club.

We need a foundation and a for a long time we haven't had one. Hopefully, even if relegation is a part of it, we are building for more than the next year or two, something we have done too often across our history.

[aj2k77]

Appreciate the reply Joe. This is another one of Villa's failings. Because and this is just to me, it may not be fact, we don't address the media often or forcefully enough rumours and falsehoods are left to fester and develop about us. Some would say to just ignore it, it deserves no response but that doesn't seem to work in this media driven world where they can quickly build a perception of you or what you are doing.

Villa need to speak up for themselves more.

[eamonn]

Not to be crass but was there an acknowledgement/embarassment shown for the thing we live and die by - results on the field?

[alftitimus]

Tom Fox ~ as reported by joe_c:

The main topic of the meeting was that Tom Fox wished to clarify/rebut much of what has been reported in the press regarding the summer transfer window dealings. He was increasingly frustrated by repeated claims in the media that the transfer policy at Villa is conducted by a committee (a word he dislikes in this context). He explained the transfer process from identification to acquisition and that the manager has veto at all times at any point and that this structure exists for all clubs, not just Villa.

Alan Shearer ~ BBC:

My old Blackburn team-mate Tim Sherwood was sacked at the end of October but was in charge at the time those players were brought in.

I know Tim well, and I know he knows what the Premier League is all about - all 13 of those players were not his buys.

So, as well as looking at how badly Villa are struggling on the pitch, you also need to look at who is signing their players in the first place.

Seems the chasm of credibility is still wide open.

[Chris Harte]

Tom Fox ~ as reported by joe_c:

The main topic of the meeting was that Tom Fox wished to clarify/rebut much of what has been reported in the press regarding the summer transfer window dealings. He was increasingly frustrated by repeated claims in the media that the transfer policy at Villa is conducted by a committee (a word he dislikes in this context). He explained the transfer process from identification to acquisition and that the manager has veto at all times at any point and that this structure exists for all clubs, not just Villa.

Alan Shearer ~ BBC:

My old Blackburn team-mate Tim Sherwood was sacked at the end of October but was in charge at the time those players were brought in.

I know Tim well, and I know he knows what the Premier League is all about - all 13 of those players were not his buys.

So, as well as looking at how badly Villa are struggling on the pitch, you also need to look at who is signing their players in the first place.

Seems the chasm of credibility is still wide open.

Shearer also states that Sherwood was an old team mate of his. Influence by Sherwood on Shearer? Who knows?

[Legion]

I know who I believe.

[Toronto Villa]

Not to be crass but was there an acknowledgement/embarassment shown for the thing we live and die by - results on the field?

Do you think they are happy about that? What would you expect them to do? Apologize? They can't control what the players do or how they have played or that Kozak isn't picked etc. The meeting wasn't about that so what would bringing up the very obvious achieve?

[aj2k77]

Not to be crass but was there an acknowledgement/embarassment shown for the thing we live and die by - results on the field?

Do you think they are happy about that? What would you expect them to do? Apologize? They can't control what the players do or how they have played or that Kozak isn't picked etc. The meeting wasn't about that so what would bringing up the very obvious achieve?

I expect an apology at the end of this season yes.