Riley - When Will It Happen

[OzVilla]

My worry is becoming more obvious every day that our problems run very deep within the club on virtually every level. This is going to take a long time to turn around.

This is what is really scaring the shit out of me.

[croatian]

Did the scout emigrate to Australia without them realising?!

Or even noticing?

I've described the club in the recent past as a rotting corpse, and a twitching zombie. Then thought they were intemperate words, solely borne out of anger and frustration, and perhaps I should reconsider.

Nah, I was spot on.

[pauliewalnuts]

I just find it incredible that things have been allowed to get to this point.

A head scout who has emigrated to Australia? A Spain and Portugal scout who is a journalism student at university?

[kippaxvilla2]

The thing is it's hard to imagine this being made up so far fetched would the allegations be in this instance.

[adrenachrome]

Wouldn't be surprised to learn that that the head scout was Scoutmaster at Warmignton on Sea to be honest.

Maybe would should have signed Northfield's own Private Pike and played him in the hole. 

[ozzjim]

It is genuinely staggering what a fucking pig shit mess the place is behind the scenes.

The only saving grace is Lerner clearly, and finally, worked this out, putting his faith in Hollis to sort the shit heap out and make it better. Hollis, having peeked behind the curtain, thought oh bollocks I need some bloody help here, and has somehow managed to get 2-3 of the most respected people in their fields (ie finance, football administration and Villa fans!) to join him and help. As such, as awful as this season, and these stories are, I am genuinely a lot less concerned about the future than I was the day Hollis was announced.

[peter w]

Most alarming thing was that he was told players didn't want to come but Reiley hasn't even asked them. Fucking joke

Exactly. Mindbogglingly amateurish and unbelievable.

[PeterWithesShin]

I really hope this new board results in the end of this shite. Randy is to blame for a lot of things but I do feel for him when he employs people, and pays them well, to do jobs and they seem totally incompetent. Now I know he hired them in the first place but there seems a few that take the piss and nowhere near earn the money they are paid. Just like some of the players there seems a basic lack of professional pride behind the scenes.

[OCD]

It is genuinely staggering what a fucking pig shit mess the place is behind the scenes.

The only saving grace is Lerner clearly, and finally, worked this out, putting his faith in Hollis to sort the shit heap out and make it better. Hollis, having peeked behind the curtain, thought oh bollocks I need some bloody help here, and has somehow managed to get 2-3 of the most respected people in their fields (ie finance, football administration and Villa fans!) to join him and help. As such, as awful as this season, and these stories are, I am genuinely a lot less concerned about the future than I was the day Hollis was announced.

It's staggering that Lerner didn't make this move much sooner though. It's taken six scrapes with relegation and the final inevitable plunge for action to be taken. It's one thing to be absent, it's another to be absent and leave such a poor structure behind and to not act sooner when it's obvious something is really wrong.

[Steve67]

I have posted on here before. My friend is a scout for a PL club. He has never met a AV scout.

I remember you posting this Steffo. Seems that there might be a job opening at Villa, ask your mate if he's interested!

[villabear]

Even if you thought of the most ridiculous story regarding our 'scouting' you would never have come up with something quite so unbelievable.

Lerner Fox et al, hang your head in shame for being in charge while this load of shit took place.

My favourite gem was "It is also alleged that Garde was told January targets did not want to move to Villa – only for Garde then to speak to the players directly and discover they had never been contacted."  Normally youd dismiss this straight away but I can only think it's got more than a hint of truth.

I drove past the ground today and as I looked over it still fills me with pride to think that this is my club. Only reading that tonight just emphasizes what a bunch of amateurs we have in charge of our great institution.

[Matt C]

Staggering yet somehow entirely believable.

As an aside, a well placed source is clearly briefing John Percy.

[PeterWithesShin]

The one things that fills me with hope, for next season and longer term is the new people that have come in. They don't seem to be messing and are finding a lot of the problems.

Bernstein has admitted changes are necessary as the club prepare for inevitable relegation to the Championship.

“I think up to now there’s been a surprising lack of football expertise at board level,” he said. “It will be for us to look at the structures we’ve got here and just get things into shape. Like with any organisation, we need to look at the whole thing from top to bottom in terms of personnel.

“We’ve got to get a bit of a move on because we’ve got this period until the end of the season, we’ve got the close season, we don’t want to leave any of these things or decisions late.”

[dave.woodhall]

Staggering yet somehow entirely believable.

As an aside, a well placed source is clearly briefing John Percy.

Except that a lot of what he says is wrong.

[peter w]

Hollis has quickly become our most significant signing for many many seasons.