Tony's Tweets

[saunders_heroes]

Ellis managed to ensure we were an also ran by not getting what the Premier League was at a time that Edwards and co. elsewhere did. Look at Chelsea for fecks sake, even before Abramovich.

When we came 2nd to Man Yanited we'd more or less got the exact same trophy haul, had a bigger ground (albeit nowhere near the support) yet they got what the league was. We were beans on toast in an ever more Michelin starred world, to paraphrase Bates.

Before Abramovic Chelsea were spending millions of Mathew Harding's money. Those buggers got lucky twice!

[paul_e]

Blackburn also had absolutely no infrastructure and nothing like a big enough fan base to maintain a place at the top of the league.

[saunders_heroes]

Weren't we already tumbling down the table and in massive debt by the time Ellis returned?

I thought we finished mid table the year after winning the league?

Also, to be a bit pedantic, Ellis was back with us when we won the Supercup.

One thing I know for sure. In my 40 years of supporting Villa we have never been thought of of more irrelevant and worthy of nationwide ridicule than we have in the last few years.

I'll hold my hand up and say I wanted Doug to move over years before he did. I thought, like most on here, that the next person would come along and prove how easy it is to get our club back to the very top, especially with having money.

I'm man enough to admit I was wrong. It's not easy, and it never was. But, good god, Lerner really made a complete fuck up of it.

In hindsight I enjoyed the Ellis years a damn site more than I did the Lerner years. I'm not going to pretend I didn't, just because it offends those who continue to hate Ellis with a passion.

We finished tenth the season after winning the league but we did have a minor consolation trophy at the end of it. We were in no more debt than any other club, despite what Doug likes to say, and were sixth in the season he took over. We were relegated four years after that.

I'm not offended, I don't particularly hate Ellis, but I don't see why he should now be beyond criticism just because his successor left us in as bad a shape as Ellis took us to.

That's fine. As long as the same goes for Lerner.

Having been an avid reader of this forum for the last few years, I'm not sure it does. From some people at least.

Exactly.
And let's not forget that Ellis didn't relegate us with one of the worst teams ever seen in the top division of English football either, and didn't leave us with a skeleton of of a club like Lerner did. He has put this club back years and turned us into a genuine laughing stock. There's no comparison between the two in my opinion.

Hang on do you not remember the last season with Ellis where we were well on the route to where we are now.

I do remember that last season with Ellis where we did appear to be well on route to where we are now. I also remember 1982-1987 where he did take us to where we are now. I dread to think what would have happened if SGT hadn't fancied the job.

The decline leading up to relegation in '87 was nowhere near as humiliating as the last 7 years no matter how much you try and dress it up, and by the way we were back in the big time at the first attempt. Getting whipped by the likes of Cardiff and Brentford in the bottom half of the Championship is Lerner's legacy.

[four fornicholl]

Villa was, and still is, in Dougs blood. Dare I say, if he was still here we would be in a far better place!

[Ads]

You don't have to think Lerner was a buffoon by praising Doug, who was an abysmal owner.

Definitely had Villa in his blood while he skulked at the Noses.

As for better place, maybe we could have had another 10 years of Pug Nose. We were certainly going places under him.

[Richard E]

Defo itely had Villa in his blood while he skulked at the Noses.

And when he was interested in buying the Dingles.

[four fornicholl]

You don't have to think Lerner was a buffoon by praising Doug, who was an abysmal owner.

Defo itely had Villa in his blood while he skulked at the Noses.

As for better place, maybe we could have had another 10 years of Pug Nose. We were certainly going places under him.

He knew how to run a football club.

[Richard E]

You don't have to think Lerner was a buffoon by praising Doug, who was an abysmal owner.

Defo itely had Villa in his blood while he skulked at the Noses.

As for better place, maybe we could have had another 10 years of Pug Nose. We were certainly going places under him.

He knew how to run a football club.

For his personal benefit.

[Ads]

You don't have to think Lerner was a buffoon by praising Doug, who was an abysmal owner.

Defo itely had Villa in his blood while he skulked at the Noses.

As for better place, maybe we could have had another 10 years of Pug Nose. We were certainly going places under him.

He knew how to run a football club.

For his personal benefit.

Winner winner.

Lerner got plenty of stick and all of it deserved. It's tinged with regret as he was well meaning and spent an absolute fortune in fucking it up. Still a big man baby idiot mind.

Ellis was in it for Ellis. Not a single penny did he ever put into the club and he took enough out and was a huge milestone for years.

[Villa75]

We need Tony to tweet again.

Please Tony. Save us from this madness! 😁

[four fornicholl]

You don't have to think Lerner was a buffoon by praising Doug, who was an abysmal owner.

Defo itely had Villa in his blood while he skulked at the Noses.

As for better place, maybe we could have had another 10 years of Pug Nose. We were certainly going places under him.

He knew how to run a football club.

For his personal benefit.

And there's the crux, we were mixing it with best, all be it not quite capable of upsetting the hierarchy, they were however, far better times.

[Villa75]

And, nobody congratulated me on becoming a 'trialist'.😞😉

[saunders_heroes]

You don't have to think Lerner was a buffoon by praising Doug, who was an abysmal owner.

Definitely had Villa in his blood while he skulked at the Noses.

As for better place, maybe we could have had another 10 years of Pug Nose. We were certainly going places under him.

So What? Dennis Mortimer played for Small Heath, as did several other Villa legends. I don't see that ever been held against them.

[Ads]

It's a job for a player. What was Doug "Villa in the blood" Ellis' excuse while he was doing the tour of the shit and small?

[saunders_heroes]

It's a job for a player. What was Doug "Villa in the blood" Ellis' excuse while he was doing the tour of the shit and small?

It's a job for a director as well. God knows why you think it should be classed as anything different.