John

but if Doug were to pull the plug he would have to dip into the coffers and cough up a considerable amount..... and we all know he doesn't like wasting money, and in this case it would be money for nothing

Not his money though Jim it would be the clubs money.

Was that also how we financed paying NTL to buy their share holding back? If so, who holds and votes these shares now?

I'm more than a little concerned that if the consortium does not give him what he wants he will string this out for a reasonable period to show there is no alternative to him (as his inflated asking price at least) and then pay Rothschild off with next season's transfer budget.

Come on Mr Neville let's be hearing from you in the press on Sunday.

"A whole pile of bills were in the "in" tray still to be settled on the new stand, firms who had supplied services had not been paid, there were stories circulating of "missing" funds, though I never had actual evidence of this, and the whole atmosphere seemed to be one of suspicion. I will not dwell on this unhappy state of affairs, other than to observe that Aston Villa FC did not possess the feeling one would expect in a club which has been well-managed behind the scenes". The words of our current chairman in 1982 rather than our next one in 2006. :winkold:

He also said (after selling up to Bendall) "First I had to learn to endure life without Aston Villa as the club enjoyed its finest hours with a set-up I had done so much to bring about, largely through the youth policy we had introduced and which had borne fruit with some magnificent home produce" and (when turning down Brian Clough's offer to manage us) "Look, Brian. It would never work. There is only one boss at Aston Villa and that's me". Let's hope he will soon have to endure life without Aston Villa again as it has another opportunity to have some more finest hours without him as the one and only boss of AVFC.

Is our friend Mr Neville a News of the World reporter then? Somehow I don't think so. I will be very interested to hear what he has to say next. I'm sure the chairman will be as well.

We have the money to appoint Rothschild but not to keep Baake? Does the chairman think that rich Arab exists because otherwise appointing someone to sell when you have no intention of doing so at a realistic price is a waste of money. It looks like we will be waiting for that casket unless our friend Mr Neville can still turn this around and make the chairman look to others what we all know he is or the NOTW have alerted someone with deep pockets to make the chairman an offer that he can't refuse!

To be fair, they only said that the next 48 hours would be crucial to the takeover. Nobody said they'd make an announcement in 48 hours.

Something big - one way or the other - may have happened in those 48 hours

I wonder if Sven had contacted Beckham and asked our chairman to hurry out of the club as he had things to do during those 48 hours Gilzmo?

I don't understand.

Nor do I Ahamaad. I just wonder if someone was not happy with signing the cheque. :winkold:

Graham Hill writes in "The Sunday Mercury" that the bid is expected to reach a conclusion this week - one way or the other. He refers to the Comer Bros. as having been believed to have held top-level meetings over the past few days to discuss the finer points of the deal. He refers to fears that this could go the same way as the Ranson bid but claims the Neville led group remain confident. He refers to sources close to the takeover having been quick to pick holes in a number of stories stating that the Comers had abandoned their interest.

Graham Hill then points to something that I think is new, "Reports that Villa have had to fork out £150,000, just to make sure financial deadlines were met, have been denied with the figure more like £1,000 - a small amount considering the sums that have been discussed". So, does our CEO want the £1,000 paid by the Comers rather than by the sellers? Would he let small things like this get in the way of a deal that would make millions for him? Of course he would. :roll:

Which team was that? We won the cup, but we were no more the greatest team in Europe in '82 than Liverpool were last season

We won the cup and the league the season before it, which Liverpool did not last season.

And Bob, as far as being the greatest team in Europe, we did win the cup and the Super Cup the year after it against Barcelona. I don't see any reason to doubt that we proved ourselves to be the best team in Europe in 1982!

Doug Ellis at his book signing

Still signing books then. :roll: Given this and the frequent operations he seems to be having I wonder how he fits in all the work he claims to do as Chairman & CEO as well. :roll:

looking at the statement that AVIL made on Dec 30th that is when the clock would start to tick

Would Ray Ranson's 6 month period that he is excluded from making another bid for the club be over within that 60 day period? And if so, could Neville approach him about part funding the present bid?

He seems to be able to refuse every possible offer. Probably even the reapers offer.

Pelle, expect him to say shortly that the Grim Reaper turned up at his home late one night and pleaded with me to go with him, but in the end he realised the club could not do without me (I showed him the letters I had from fans who support me) you know the Reaper is like a son to me, I taught him everything he knows. :winkold:

As I've thought since this saga began, Ellis will only be departing in his box.

You can't take it with you, so where would be the hurry in selling from his point of view? I was just hoping that he would not drag this one out, let's hope Mr Neville is shortly in a position to make him an offer he can't refuse.

So it seems the Comers are out of the consortium led by Mr Neville

If that proves to be the case what would that do to the potential money made available for players after a takeover? The talk of a regular £20m was linked to the Comers building group profits, so would Neville be looking for this sort of regular extra investment as well as the balance of the money needed to make the chairman walk? If so, he would have a tough job on his hands.

As this news has come from a reliable source in Martin Swain it does seem there may be something up with the Comer part of the consortium but that is only part of the whole and it follows closely on from news that the bid remained in "good shape".

Is this just another leak from the club to suggest that the bid is under threat despite the earlier claim?

It seems to me that someone or a group of people do not want a bid to go through for whatever reasons they may have. Every time we hear something positive there is a negative to follow (for example - there has been no actual bid yet, we have yet to see the money and now part of the consortium are pulling out). I will believe the deal is dead when Neville tells us so, until then I will cling to the hope that it is not because the prospect of the club continuing under the penny pinching rule of an unwell 82 year old is one that I would prefer to not consider yet.

Agreed Denis the problem is always our chairman and will be until we have another one.

In the "Sunday Mercury" today, "one source close to the takeover" confirmed to Graham Hill that the deal, "was in good shape". He added that despite reports suggesting that the scheme was close to collapse, growing fears for the future of the bid and the chairman's concerns that financial assurances had not been met, it is understood that the consortium have not pulled out of the proposed takeover despite the amount of time it is taking to make real progress.

It's good news that they are still willing to try to do a deal with a man who is so difficult to deal with, "despite the amount of time it is taking to make real progress" and does that suggest to anyone that they are the ones who are delaying things rather than you know who?

He does not want to sell to Neville/Comers. He wants to sell to a 'football person'.

But, Denis are there any "football persons" who would have the money to pay him what he wants for his shares and that would also want to buy our club? Ray Ranson was a football person, but it seems the money now on offer and the status he will enjoy at the club after any deal has more impact on whether a deal happens than whether the person with the money has ever kicked a football.

'For Doug and by Doug'

How true & how sad Denis.

it seems to me and others that maybe ellis is holding out for someone else who might either a) get him a better deal in money or somehow keep him in power.

Ian, if ( was the case why did he not try to attract the Russian who has joined Portsmouth to pump some money into the club and allowed their chairman to stay. If it was (a) why would he have gone so far as he has if the money was not what he had wanted? Of course, it may be that the Russian was unwilling to work with our chairman (might he have been part of the Russian consortium that were looking at us?) and that our chairman is trying to string this out until the transfer window closes.

I think he probably wants both A & B and even then he would be reluctant. Has he reached the point where his mind is not capable of making a final decision or was that point reached some years ago?

The deal is still in place, he just has to say yes and sign the agreement that he could have signed weeks ago.

Thanks Jimzk5 & Ian.

"The thing is, money does not guarantee success. It never has done. Look at what Wigan have done on very little

If only we were Wigan! :roll:

"In 1968 I came in and the club was virtually bankrupt. I supported Villa with £100,000 right away

And took it back shortly afterwards and we have paid you millions since. And in 1982 you came to a club that had just won the European Cup.

"I'm not just a chairman - I did play the game, you know

Show us your medals then!

I hadn't realised Franz had remarried

Or that the Kaiser would say anything to get rid of you. :winkold:

"I'm very human. I have taken all the criticism by some of the fans seriously. In fact, very often I have had sleepless nights over it.

And we have been hurt by what you have done to our football club, it is however nice to know we have had some impact.

I can think of millions of reasons why you should have a Happy Birthday on Tuesday, give us one and take the cash!

Anything in the press today (Irish or English) about this today folks?

To continue the earlier Simpsons line:

In the episode "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk"

Homer learns he owns stock in the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and sells his 1,000 shares for 25 cents apiece, netting $25. Seconds after the sale, the value of the stock skyrockets to $52 per share, and while Homer misses out on the windfall – he could have made $5,200, after all – all the other employees clean up.

The reason for the stock's inflated value is because a depressed Mr. Burns wants to sell the plant to pursue other interests. The sale is completed at a value of $100 million to two German businessmen, Horst and Fritz. They immediately begin a thorough evaluation of the plant and its employees. When they interview Homer, he is unable to intelligently answer their questions and begins slipping into a dream about cavorting through "The Land of Chocolate." It isn't long before Homer is fired.

A depressed Homer mopes around the house, insisting he is a competent safety-minded worker. Meanwhile, Burns is not having a good time in retirement and decides to go to Moe's Tavern to have a drink. There, Homer and the other bar patrons laugh scornfully at Burns. Burns realizes his job as owner of a nuclear plant gives him power and is resolved to buy back the plant.

The German investors are more than willing to sell the plant back to Burns (for only $50 million), particularly since it will cost about as much as it did to buy the plant to correct all the safety violations. Homer is re-hired, and Burns plots his revenge at some unspecified point in the future.

For Homer use Abdul Rashid or Mark Ansell? For Mr Burns replace with our very own chairman. For the plant replace Villa Park. For the Germans try the Irish. $100m is quite close to the chairman's original sale price. Solution don't ever allow our CEO & Abdul/Mark to get together over a pint of Duff at the local after the deal has been done! :winkold:

Out with the old & in with the new - the hour draws closer with each day!

he hopes Villa goes to good owners

That would be a change to what happened in 1982. Pity the chairman & CEO does not see fit to keep his manager informed.

Who is "Mini-Me" then Lee?

it indicates we're a long way off an agreement

It takes us a step back & another one forward Dukes because the "major shareholders" don't want to be seen to be being rushed by the new boys who have now set up something that will have the affect of doing just that.

Avil also wishes to make it clear that it is committed to concluding a

transaction on terms acceptable to the major shareholders of Aston Villa and to

enable the club to prosper in the future.

For the avoidance of doubt there can be no certainty that an offer will be made

nor as to the terms on which an offer might be made nor as to the timing of any

offer

This seems further good news in that the consortium are still clearly in the race and are still placing pressure (albeit more tentatively) on "the major shareholders" to go through with the deal.

Is the last bit something that they felt they needed to add as the feathers of those "major shareholders" had been ruffled by Neville's previous statement as it had raised expectations and placed what they considered to be undue pressure on them for an early decision? Better to wait a couple of days than see the whole thing blown out of the water by these "major shareholders" getting a touch upset. :roll: But, it really needs doing before the January window passes us by and I think the only ones who do not realise this or don't care enough to sort it out before then are these or should it read the "major shareholder"?

Out with the old and in with the new a.s.a.p.