Mervyn King joins the Board

[CT Villan]

I doubt very much he'll be doing it for nowt, as I'd imagine he's a fairly busy bloke, with HoL stuff and other non-exec positions. 

I would guess he's getting an annual retainer plus expenses.

[olaftab]

Like all of them he is on "fill your boots" appointments as said with several organisations. I guess you would expect that after doing the job he did. I would say he will cost  us circa £50K per annum. Worth it IMO.

[brian green]

To me he is a bit of a Johnny-come-lately but if he only chucks a bucket of much needed cold water on potential crackpot decisions like those that have littered our recent past he will justify his role.

[Chris Smith]

"What we really need is continuity now. We've had a lot of chopping and changing."

Can't disagree there, Merv. All this talk of what he is being paid is pretty irrelevant as I doubt it even amounts to a week of N'Zogbia's money for nothing deal.

[brian green]

I won't do Fox or Hollis any harm to have a real heavyweight in their close proximity now and again. Might reduce their aren't-I-clever moments. 

[Chico Hamilton III]

For those who missed it, Merv's appearance on Desert Island Disks in 2013.

His choices included Bob Dylan, Mozart, Lou Bega and Doug O'Brien's unpublished Rotterdam 82 (I'd have gone for Ricky Disoni's Hey Aston Villa myself....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02116z9

[fbriai]

"What we really need is continuity now. We've had a lot of chopping and changing."

Can't disagree there.

I agree, Chris.

I also particularly liked this:

"The former players have been wonderful for Villa and one of the things I would like to bring to the club is the sense that once you have played for Villa you are always part of it."

In a world in which football is now constantly referred to as an 'industry' and a 'business', and in which it's all about 'revenues' and 'market streams' and all that bollocks, it's nice to hear someone taking on a board- or management-level role and talking about it in the terms he uses. His appointment seems a good idea to me.

[Dave]

All this talk of what he is being paid is pretty irrelevant as I doubt it even amounts to a week of N'Zogbia's money for nothing deal.

Nobody is suggesting that he is being paid too much or that we can't afford it.

But if what we're talking about is "how do directors salaries differ from past regimes", then it's a pretty relevant part of that discussion.

[dave.woodhall]

All this talk of what he is being paid is pretty irrelevant as I doubt it even amounts to a week of N'Zogbia's money for nothing deal.

Nobody is suggesting that he is being paid too much or that we can't afford it.

But if what we're talking about is "how do directors salaries differ from past regimes", then it's a pretty relevant part of that discussion.

The latest is that he's not paid.

[Dave]

Interesting. Good on him them.

[dave.woodhall]

If it is true, then I can see the reasoning. He's well-off enough not to need the money and he could see it in the same way as being Trustee of a charity.

[ozzjim]

If he can convince Hollis and Fox to keep Remi happy then he is worth his weight in gold.

[DeeBoy1]

To me he is a bit of a Johnny-come-lately but if he only chucks a bucket of much needed cold water on potential crackpot decisions like those that have littered our recent past he will justify his role.

Johnny-come-lately in what way Brian? As a fan or literally to the board? He seems a pretty genuine fan from boyhood from that article. You are one of the posters whose opinion I always seek out and 99% of the time agree with so I'm just genuinely interested in what brought you to this conclusion?

[Toronto Villa]

I don't think he's a Johny come lately at all Brian. He's been a fan for longer than many of us have been alive. He was approached to join the board, it appears he might not be getting paid, and he seems to genuinely want to do it. That he has joined now isn't his fault. And it's not like he's creating some new allegiance to club when things are going well. We should have done this years ago. I'm just glad he's there to offer some supporter perspective. If he feels compelled to step down that's when the alarm bells should ring things are worse than ever. But if he is able to provide experience, insight and bias then we should benefit.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

"What we really need is continuity now. We've had a lot of chopping and changing."

Can't disagree there, Merv. All this talk of what he is being paid is pretty irrelevant as I doubt it even amounts to a week of N'Zogbia's money for nothing deal.

Spot on, Chris. It's comforting to know he believes Garde is the man to stick with and will hopefully make sure we do everything to keep him at the club no matter what happens this season. I'd imagine that Hollis now has executive powers that will allow the club to invest or take out loans to secure our success next season. Randy may decide to 'loan' the money himself but that will be a detail rather than a decider.