New chairman and Lerner ramblings

[SashasGrandad]

I'm still not sure what to make of last might's meeting.

Hollis and Fox gave answers that you would expect to defend "the business side of the club".

Watching the body language of the two Tom Fox knew he was going to get a lot of stick and he stayed pretty calm and played a straight bat to most of the criticism he was given. He even admited that it was ultimately his responsibility for appointing and not supporting/getting the best from Sherwood. Despite all this I still don't think he gets it, or what we as "fans" want.

Hollis - started reasonably confidently - he appears to be doing his homework, but then things started to fall apart. He had no paper to make notes so had to beg a piece from the meeting chairman. Hope he made a note to have words with the staff who didn't put out some of those notepads they have for conferences! As the meeting went on he did appear to be flustered by the risings of unrest from the floor. Hopefully he will take from that an understanding we are far from happy, and we are hoping he will be the one to sort things out. On that point the jury is out. His record appear to be good, it appears that he can go into organisations and say what needs to be said. Behind closed doors away from the paying public let's hope he will do that.

It was hard to tell how the 2 of them will get on. Questions were asked about how has the final say etc. But I think a lot of our hopes for things to improve will depend on how these 2 work together. Fox has had virually a free rein until now. Hollis is now his boss. It appears they are trying to put on a show of unity, and Hollis does seem to be agreeing with Fox that the business side is making some progress, but the football is still crap, despite all the good people working at Bodymoor Heath.

Hopefully they know - that we know - they are talking bulls**t - and they are going to do something about it. Hopefully Hollis is the man to "encourage" those with potential at all levels of the club to achieve it. I think he understands that - but will he have enough balls to do it?

[Boz]

I am really struggling with the negativity here. Strikes me that he is calling it exactly how it is, namely that we have been mismanaged for years and have spent extremely unwisely too. In my mind he’s making a simple statement that the club is in a dire situation and that a stint in the Championship is the result of all of this. Additionally it surely is no shocker that players are not falling over themselves to come to us in this window given the gap we have to close; if it is indeed a case that the club has clauses in place for major pay cuts to survive a stint in the Championship then the incentive will be even less.
Bottom line for me is that, like everyone here, I am livid as to the way we ended up where we are, but if it seems that we are mitigating the shock of relegation early and that will help us in bouncing back quickly.

I agree, although Pat Murphy's headline is stating the obvious, all the fans know we are in crisis. I do think that what Hollis has said indicates the club might at last be planning with more foresight for the future and that relegation has to be accepted as a likely outcome. However, a win this weekend may add a little more light into the current darkness, but another run of games with Villa not losing is a vital requirement.

I agree with Clampy, we need to give Hollis time, even if we don't really have any, to save us from relegation.

As far as Murphy's reporting is concerned, I've no doubt he enjoyed writing every word. I just hope we can stick a win at the weekend right up his rear orifice 

[Ormy Droid]

It's obvious that Hollis isn't quite used to having this kind of a goldfish bowl media profile in his previous employment. So when asked about our summer spending, he tried his best to give an answer that wouldn't really offend anybody too much. If he'd said, the money had been well spent, he'd have been ridiculed. And if he'd really come out and actually said we 'wasted' all of it, he would've got (rightfully) slaughtered just like Sherwood was.

He basically gave a 'we are where we are type of answer'. The answer to the question is that we bought the right players at the wrong time, and our current position has more to do with our failings in previous transfer windows, not last summer's, which at least Fox did recognise (and been ridiculed for).

[Billy Walker]

Sorry I know it's early days but I fear this bloke is another clueless appointment. The fact that he said I would never have thought of running a football club or words to that effect immediately sent alarm bells ringing.

Surely we needed somebody with a modicum of experience in this field.

It's this kind of statement that would have made Hollis seem the perfect hire for bat shit crazy Randy Lerner.

I have yet to see anything on the new Chairman's C.V. to suggest he is qualified for this role.  Likewise, the lack of clarity on who is really running the show in the Boardroom leads me to think there will be problems down the line.  I hope I'm wrong and I hope all parties work together like a dream but if I were a betting man, and knowing Lerner's track record at creating messes, I can see some kind of fall-out in six to twelve months. 

[bertlambshank]

I am getting a bit sick of the club hiding behind the 'good people working at Bodymoor Heath'.
What are they actually responsible for?
It can't be for bringing through top class players.

[Billy Walker]

Back to the days of Ellis. I think we have spent ten years going around in a rather large circle and ending up back where we started.

This is far worse.

You are right Dave.  This is potentially a very serious situation that we find ourselves in as we have utterly clueless people running this club.  I think Randy is actually as naive and "dangerous" as the Venky's people at Blackburn.  He, like Ellis before him, is putting himself before the Club which is not good for our short to medium term prospects of competing once more at the top of the game.  If we can somehow stay up this season all might be okay but should relegation occur I just feel we will continue to drift and slide until Lerner realises he will have to take a hit and sell the Club - alas, it might take him some time to swallow his pride and to come to terms with this.

[ChicagoLion]

Some people seem to be missing context here, to paraphrase he seemed to say that you have to view it as wasted money because we're 10 points from safety, in that respect he's right, clearly the money we spent hasn't translated to points so it was a waste.  The reasons for that are more important than anything else and he suggests that the poor infrastructure at the club is the main one.

hn

I think this is a false conclusion.

The money we spent was a 'waste' because we didn't spend enough,or make enough changes, and that again would be a structural issue for the club.

The idea that they could replace 4 regular first teaser including a Goal scorer of Bentekes prowess with those signings is just ludicrous. If that is the premise our new Charman is working under then we are in even deeper shit.

[cheltenhamlion]

I am still a bit bemused by some of the negativity. Hollis didn't say the summer business was shit. He didn't refuse to fund transfers this window. And what they persistently tried to point out was that it isn't JUST about money. We have thrown lots of money at it previously but if you don't spend it properly it gets you nowhere.

Fox finally acknowledged his own mistakes. They even suggested as the present incumbents they would take shit for what had come before them.

They can't just flick a switch and make this better. But at least they are acknowledging the problems.

[aj2k77]

Some people seem to be missing context here, to paraphrase he seemed to say that you have to view it as wasted money because we're 10 points from safety, in that respect he's right, clearly the money we spent hasn't translated to points so it was a waste.  The reasons for that are more important than anything else and he suggests that the poor infrastructure at the club is the main one.

hn

I think this is a false conclusion.

The money we spent was a 'waste' because we didn't spend enough,or make enough changes, and that again would be a structural issue for the club.

The idea that they could replace 4 regular first teaser including a Goal scorer of Bentekes prowess with those signings is just ludicrous. If that is the premise our new Charman is working under then we are in even deeper shit.

I'd rather risk a ''structural issue'' than have a season of Guzan, Gestede, Westwood, Bacuna, Lescott, Sinclair and all the other donkeys that populate the squad.

[Dave]

I am still a bit bemused by some of the negativity. Hollis didn't say the summer business was shit. He didn't refuse to fund transfers this window. And what they persistently tried to point out was that it isn't JUST about money. We have thrown lots of money at it previously but if you don't spend it properly it gets you nowhere.

Fox finally acknowledged his own mistakes. They even suggested as the present incumbents they would take shit for what had come before them.

They can't just flick a switch and make this better. But at least they are acknowledging the problems.

I'm pretty sure that they could both self-immolate on the steps of the Holte and we'd still be told that they just don't CARE ENOUGH.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

I am getting a bit sick of the club hiding behind the 'good people working at Bodymoor Heath'.
What are they actually responsible for?
It can't be for bringing through top class players.

or coaching

[ChicagoLion]

I am still a bit bemused by some of the negativity. Hollis didn't say the summer business was shit. He didn't refuse to fund transfers this window. And what they persistently tried to point out was that it isn't JUST about money. We have thrown lots of money at it previously but if you don't spend it properly it gets you nowhere.

Fox finally acknowledged his own mistakes. They even suggested as the present incumbents they would take shit for what had come before them.

They can't just flick a switch and make this better. But at least they are acknowledging the problems.

I'm pretty sure that they could both self-immolate on the steps of the Holte and we'd still be told that they just don't CARE ENOUGH.

i will definitely piss on them if they are on fire.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

I am still a bit bemused by some of the negativity. Hollis didn't say the summer business was shit. He didn't refuse to fund transfers this window. And what they persistently tried to point out was that it isn't JUST about money. We have thrown lots of money at it previously but if you don't spend it properly it gets you nowhere.

Fox finally acknowledged his own mistakes. They even suggested as the present incumbents they would take shit for what had come before them.

They can't just flick a switch and make this better. But at least they are acknowledging the problems.

didnt he say that we wasted 60 million in the summer? i equate that to him saying that the players we bought are shit

[cheltenhamlion]

He didn't say that last night or in the pre meeting, erm, meeting. I might have missed something on the afternoon press call but was at work then!

[oswald funkletrumpet]

He didn't say that last night or in the pre meeting, erm, meeting. I might have missed something on the afternoon press call but was at work then!

no probs mate, it was on the sky sport page (link on page 32) yesterday, im still trying to work out where the 60 million came from!