Chris Heck - President of Business Operations

[Sexual Ealing]

Whether they're in it for their own reasons or not- if you enjoyed last season (and you ought to have enjoyed more than any in 40 years) then there's only so many leavers they can pull to try and ensure it's repeated. This is one. That doesn't make it any less difficult for somebody moved from a beloved seat, but here is another consequence of FFP or whatever it calls itself.

I'm probably the only leaver that's still pullable.

I wasn't having a pop at them, just at TV's idea that any dissent is verboten.

[Ads]

No I get you, I think I'm coming at it from an angle that it doesn't have to be a good/bad dichotomy. If the extra 900 GA+ tickets get us that extra 0.5% to achieve something, then the 299,999,100 Villa fans out there not affected by this will be overjoyed, but they'll still be losers. This is the game, we all know the rules, whether you like it or not, well- doesn't matter and hasn't for a long time. Probably hasn't mattered for decade after decade when you consider HDE.

[pablo_picasso]

Whether they're in it for their own reasons or not- if you enjoyed last season (and you ought to have enjoyed more than any in 40 years) then there's only so many leavers they can pull to try and ensure it's repeated. This is one. That doesn't make it any less difficult for somebody moved from a beloved seat, but here is another consequence of FFP or whatever it calls itself.

I wasn't having a pop at them, just at TV's idea that any dissent is verboten.

Indeed.

I don't see why some people see everything so black & white.

If we criticise Heck for the crest, then we cant give him credit for the adidas deal. Which is nonsense.

Some of what he has done is good. Some of what he has done is shit.

And the same goes for the owners. Or the manager. Or the players.

Not everything has to be ALL candy floss grass & lollipop trees. And not everything has to be ALL doom & gloom.

The truth is most often found in the middle.

[Nii Lamptey]

On the subject of Heck, i can't believe how much positivity is gushing around for him in here.....

- Literally the only tangibly 'good' thing he's done so far is secure the Adidas deal, and let's face it, as a sportswear firm looking for a promising football team, (*fairly cheap to sign with large profit potential), an 'Unai Emery Champions League chasing Aston Villa' are pretty much a shoe-in, so you've got to question how difficult this actually was. Also, let's not tempt fate but we haven't actually SEEN the state of the kit yet - Not too promising considering the clusterfuck he's made of the badge!

Regarding season ticket prices/fans being moved, someone mentioned it earlier... It feels like it's getting to the point where ALL Premier League fans need to stage a super league level retaliation. On what planet should there be so much money flying around a sport (*made special BY THE FANS), where the fans are the ones who get royally shafted? That TV money should be used to subsidise ticket prices instead of just adding extra naughts to transfers and agents fees?!

God I wish we operated more like the Bundesliga here..... I love going to the Villa, but I'm not going to be taken for a mug much longer. If I get one of those letters (*I'm in row F of trinity upper), that could be it for me, which would be typical when all that effort of supporting that shambles over the years looks to finally be paying off.

[VillaTim]

The Adidas deal was a bloody tap in too given Sawaris is on the board and owns 6% etc

[garyellis]

Whether they're in it for their own reasons or not- if you enjoyed last season (and you ought to have enjoyed more than any in 40 years) then there's only so many leavers they can pull to try and ensure it's repeated. This is one. That doesn't make it any less difficult for somebody moved from a beloved seat, but here is another consequence of FFP or whatever it calls itself.

I wasn't having a pop at them, just at TV's idea that any dissent is verboten.

Indeed.

I don't see why some people see everything so black & white.

If we criticise Heck for the crest, then we cant give him credit for the adidas deal. Which is nonsense.

Some of what he has done is good. Some of what he has done is shit.

And the same goes for the owners. Or the manager. Or the players.

Not everything has to be ALL candy floss grass & lollipop trees. And not everything has to be ALL doom & gloom.

The truth is most often found in the middle.

With the caveat that my club is unrecognisable from 5 years ago and that is due to the owners and management

[Toronto Villa]

Heck is happily treating the loyal fans with contempt .

Contempt would have been settling on the deals we had in place with Castore and BK8. Contempt would have been saying fuck it we’re moving Villa Park to a soulless site and calling it the Aldi Arena because they gave us a few quid. I get that the badge could and should have been handled better. And I don’t think for a second we have given up as a club on greater remodeling of the ground. It just might not happen now or the same concept as floated last year. I don’t disagree his communication on it could have been tidier. But by some he gets hammered for everything. Which I think is unfair. Because if you’re smashing him then you are criticizing to the same level Wes and Nas. Unless you think he acts in a rogue capacity without the knowledge and agreement of the owners. And if you think that you’re a little naive.

You've said this a couple of times. What's wrong with criticising the owners? They're not infallible.

I'm glad they're here, and that the relationship has been mutually beneficial so far, but if and when they start acting the C-word, they'll rightly get both barrels. Our relationship with them is commercial, transactional - we shouldn't be fooled into feeling gratitude to a couple of billionaires who are in it for their own reasons.

I have said that and there is nothing at all criticizing the owners. It's just that Heck tends to get the stick as if he's making those statements, decisions about the club and it's direction.

[Chris Harte]

The Adidas deal was a bloody tap in too given Sawaris is on the board and owns 6% etc

I don't think it is a tap in. If it doesn't make business sense does Sawiris let it happen?

If Gerrard is still manager, does.Sawiris let it happen?

[pauliewalnuts]

Being a shareholder in a company does not give you some automatic control over how the business is run, especially not on something so piddlingly small in terms of numbers to a company like Adidas.

[Sexual Ealing]

He is the largest non-institutional shareholder. 6% is not piddling in this instance.*


*I do know what I'm talking about, but I'm at my limit. I can't field any questions.

Edit: I'm not suggesting he makes executive decisions, just that he may wield some quite firm soft power.

[nigel]

The Adidas deal was a bloody tap in too given Sawaris is on the board and owns 6% etc

I don't think it is a tap in. If it doesn't make business sense does Sawiris let it happen?

If Gerrard is still manager, does.Sawiris let it happen?

I think Sawaris is pretty ruthless when he needs to be.
He was at Fulham and, virtually, within minutes of the final whistle Gerrard was out and Purslow soon followed.
It was Sawaris in all the photos with Unai, so I’m guessing he did the negotiations on that front.
He must have spoken to Edens about this.
This pair don’t appear to fk about so some interesting times lie ahead.

[Ads]

He is the largest non-institutional shareholder. 6% is not piddling in this instance.*


*I do know what I'm talking about, but I'm at my limit. I can't field any questions.

Edit: I'm not suggesting he makes executive decisions, just that he may wield some quite firm soft power.

The fact he's on the board is of more significant relevance.

[LeeB]

Firm Soft Power would be the title of my down tempo, introspective second solo album.

[pauliewalnuts]

Firm Soft Power would be the title of my down tempo, introspective second solo album.

It's my name for my love-making style.

[Ads]

Firm Soft Power would be the title of my down tempo, introspective second solo album.

Why not The 6%?