Fans Worried Over Villa Future

[Simon Page]

Ive got crushed nuts.


No wait, its Spina Biffida.

Keyboard, meet tea. Tea, keyboard.

[dave.woodhall]

Fear, Nazir, I thought Pete Bland was a member (he's certainly made reference to being 'in the loop', as I believe the terminology goes) but maybe he can confirm that. Mike Field said he was a member once, but he seems to have vanished. Whoever runs Villatalk now.

The 'millionaires and pop stars' ( (c) Martin) have certainly distanced themselves lately.

[Simon Page]

I thought Pete definitely wasn't. (Where is he when you need him?) Don't know Mike Field - completely new name to me. John Cresswell was in the AGM walkout I believe, but I didn't know he was of. Certainly not the impression I've got reading VFC threads on their site.

[dave.woodhall]

It's a shame they've never said who they are. What with them being so insistent that questions should be answered.

[Chris Smith]

Mike Field said he was a member once,

That's who I meant by the drunk who argues with Mac.

[Dave Cooper please]

Oh, so not many of them then.

I just got told on the mailing list that there were 600-700 at the meetings in the Leisure Centre, what happened?

[SoccerHQ]

Pat Murphy weekly column today- thinks Doug could be selling aswell.

From icBrum

nappreciated Ellis finally contemplating the final whistle


So is the Doug Ellis reign at Villa Park now on its last knockings after his revelation at a fascinating shareholders' annual meeting that he was seriously considering a takeover bid?


I think the signs are more favourable than in the past.


Seasoned Ellis watchers, and cynics - and the two are often convertible terms - believe that his announcement about a serious interest in the club was a typical stroke he's pulled in the past.


Veterans of the Villa Park power struggles will point to the occasions when the chairman has hinted that he might step aside - in the club's interests, blah, blah, blah - but then the matter is quietly shelved.


This time, I'm not so sure. Apparently the lawyers were climbing all over Ellis' statement before he stood up to face the shareholders, to ensure he said as little as possible without incurring the wrath of the Stock Exchange. And for the first time in my memory he wouldn't speak, either on or off the record, afterwards.


For those who know Doug Ellis' readiness to talk to the media, that was an eye-opener.


Some comments from the floor were courteous while others went straight to the point, with one fan saying: 'What happens to the club if you suddenly keel over?'


Underlying the whole session, though, was the awareness that time is running out for the Doug Ellis regime as he approaches his 82nd birthday.


He was at pains to stress that he'd been back in his office for the past three weeks and that he'd been told at first hand that a heart by-pass can lead to a new lease of life. But Doug is a realist.


When the meeting finished after 90 minutes he looked and sounded tired. Understandably so.


Even his implacable critics ought to recognise his courtesy in dealing with the varied degrees of vituperation and I could only discern one pro-Ellis monologue that might have been planted.


His detractors had the chance to vent their spleen. It's a pity many of them weren't more succinct. Why do so many babble when a microphone is in their hand? They just play into the hands of a wily platform performer like Doug Ellis.


He says he's 'interested' in the proposal from an unnamed quarter and this time I believe him. Ellis felt Ray Ranson's bid of £47 million last summer undervalued the club and with surrounding land valued at around £20m, it would take something like £60m to make him sell up.


I understand that those interested are Villa fans and judging by the chairman's comments on Friday, that will be highly relevant.


It may just be a platitude for him to say that the key is the sort of people who'd take the club forward - rather than the money on offer - but such a scenario would allow Ellis to step down with honour and remain a welcome presence on match days.


He would love still to sit in the directors' box. We shall see. Possibly within a month.


If so, David O'Leary and his successors in the manager's office could regret his passing. It was always handy to point the finger at the chairman's foibles when the team fell short, season after season.


'Don't blame me, blame Deadly Doug' loses impact when it's trotted out for so long.


The annual meeting yielded some interesting nuggets, not least of all how much it costs to sign footballers these days.


We were told that the total cost of buying six players in the close season was £14.963m but when you add their salaries for the first season, it shoots up to £21.888m.


Villa managed to bring in £5.23m for the sale of Darius Vassell and Nobby Solano - including salaries for the forthcoming season - so that left a commitment of £16.658m towards new players.


Add the loan deals bringing in Erik Bakke and James Milner before the end of August and that's a solid investment by the club.


That's a salutary corrective if you hear David O'Leary complaining again about a lack of depth in his squad. Villa's stake in new players was double that of West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City - and even Arsenal.


With a new training ground, costing £8m, due to be ready for the start of next season, it's simply unfair of the anti-Ellis brigade to bang on about the chairman's parsimony.


O'Leary may be interested to know that his chairman has committed him to appear on a few supporters' forums this season.


A justified criticism from the floor that the fans rarely see O'Leary address the supporters clearly stung the chairman who replied magisterially: "I'll ask David to go to the next fans' forum".


Quite right, too. Villa's poor communications skills as a club need to be addressed. In contrast to O'Leary, Steve Bruce attends around ten Blues supporters' forums a season. He's done three already this campaign.


Another point may scotch a rumour that's gathered momentum down the years. Robbie Keane was not lost to Villa for the sake of just £500,000. Ellis said he had done the deal with Wolves to sign the Irish striker for £5.5m, but the player chose instead to go to Coventry City in 1999.

[Mac]

He also was someone who considring his position could not help actually giving me some help but we had very heated conversations through e-mail and phone and he would not be moved.

Was this following when you called him a tosser in an email and accidentally copied him in?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Oh, so not many of them then.

I just got told on the mailing list that there were 600-700 at the meetings in the Leisure Centre, what happened?

If I can compare them to a cornershop (in this case I think I can), their customers got tired of seeing the same old produce repackaged and displayed as "fresh". Their other problem was they only opened from 3am until 7am, which was little use to their customers but did make the press.

[Simon Page]

I just got told on the mailing list that there were 600-700 at the meetings in the Leisure Centre, what happened?

They were attendees, not members.

As was pointed out numerous times, they aren't a membership organisation. It is (possibly) this which leads to the irritation over Fear being labelled as a fans spokesman and VFC being an umbrella organisation. It's decisions seem to be made by one or two people, although I presume the SA agree owing to the similarity in spokespeople.

In all seriousness, I can't believe anyone can have the front to accuse Doug of spin, bluster, having no mandate (save his own shares) and not listening to people, while being in their own closed shop. It's not that I necessarily disagree with the message, I just bulk at the hypocrisy.

[dave.woodhall]

Oh, so not many of them then.

I just got told on the mailing list that there were 600-700 at the meetings in the Leisure Centre, what happened?

Who really takes any notice of VFC? A mailing list on which about a dozen people post supports them, they're backed by one comparatively small website and we (another site that isn't very big in the greater scheme of things) tend to debate them when we're bored. Elsewhere, they're largely ignored.

For a group established in a blaze of publicity over two years ago, and which claims to have "forged good relations with the media, corporate advisers, lawyers and financiers, many from large City firms, as well as achieving a great deal of support from AVFC's major customer base, the supporters" (Press Release 27/7/03) they haven't really made much subsequent impact.

[Mac]

I just got told on the mailing list that there were 600-700 at the meetings in the Leisure Centre, what happened?

There weren't that many. 700 would have been full capacity.  And there were plenty of empty seats.

I said at the time 400-500.

[martin]

There was the undetaker and someone from the meejia called Jonny who's almost certainly sorry and gone on home.

I'm off to bulk at the publicity a bloke from Headless Cross has managed to stir up for himself on here.

[Laughing Gravity]

Who really takes any notice of VFC?

Priceless.

[Laughing Gravity]

Come on one more page and we can finish the thread.