srsmithusa

So, to paraphrase. " being positive is good but I think we're doomed". Oxymoron intended?

So, how 'bout that Houston Dynamo owner?

Ok, I pretty much agreed with Bobzy until the last post. But I think it's nonsense to assume that fans want either a criminal enterprise that wins everything or a family friendly, community rooted club that gets relegated every single year, forever, I want neither. I want a club that's honest, connected, and involved in the community, smart with marketing, positive on the field, and builds gradually to a club to be reckoned with, both on the field and in the balance books. I don't think it's impossible. I just think it's the hard way. But it is unquestionably, the way I would prefer. Of course, like all of us, what I would prefer wont dictate what happens, and like most of us, I'll take whoever Randy decides to sell to.

Sorry to quote myself, but I just looked at a ussoccer discussion forum and discovered that somebody quoted my post above, added that I though Fabian Johnson did well, and told the forum he was quoting a Brit! Clearly, he didn't read my name, or check my profile. But then it launched a debate whether I know more than them because I'm a Brit !!!! LMAO. So, whoever you are, if you want to quote me, feel free to call me a Brit, I'd be honored. But at least quote me accurately. Btw, Fabian looked good in tight space 2 times, but not enough to really impress me. His positioning took too many risks overall.

I have a feeling somebody found a dodgy Russian mafioso and made up a few bits of interest to watch this board research this guy to death. While they laugh at the crap we dig up and the horror and panic we throw over a yeung retread. So, I'll foil his plan by not doing any research and not caring if he's a thug. I'll leave all the hysterics to someone else.

So, based on what I'm reading here, we are going to be sold to a conglomerate of shirts who make their money from sales?

Just watched recorded USA vs. Azerbaijan. Oh my, Germany, protugal and Ghana have got to be licking their lips. USA looked woeful. Besler cannot be allowed on the pitch. He gave away far too many careless balls. A decent attacking team would have had 3 goals off balls directly from him. Diskerud looked promising off the bench, Zusi had a good match. Other than that, USA showed nothing to impress.

I don't think we have room for a yacht at VP. Yeah but the income potential might be worth tearing something down and building a moat.

That's clearly a ridiculous lie. If it were true, someone would have tweeted it.

isn't there some business rule of thumb that a business is worth 4 times it's annual gross income?

You forgot 3. Conventional wisdom in all business deals is to keep it out of the public domain for as long as possible. Too many things go wrong with the outside pressures that mount from 100 directions, when things are public. Just think if a buyer tried to decide on a sale based on reading the 100% certain and contradictory opinions on here. Plus rumors change values. The buyers, and sellers costs and resources change value when rumors of major expenditures and investments start.

Just read Wikipedia on Al-Shabab. It doesn't list him as former president, appears current, nice development with the hotel and shopping mall, though. I'm American enough to hope for an American owner, but villa enough to hope for the best owner, and if it's him, I'll be happy. I think it would be great, (and a little funny amidst the doom and gloom) if randy is courting a Rich consortium and a Saudi consortium at the same time, and that's why he's not talking.

If we do sign WEH (with or without his car) it will be nailed certain that we're planning on going into next season with Lambert on the cheap.

One of the many problems with rumors is that even though they appear to come from multiple sources, but are, in fact, the same rumor being repeated. Point being, even though the "we had a buyer at the table. But not any more." Rumor from multiple sources, it's still just a rumor, so, not substantially more likely than the oil sheikh. I keep repeating the aboveboard to myself, over and over again.

"On a random side note, I used to design for the Red Bull and Toro Rosso F1 teams..." That makes you an insider. Quick make up some crap.

I think the only credible rumor so far is that "nobody knows."

Not reading anything into it but that's weird that our name was seemingly plucked out of mid air, especially as we weren't publicly for sale then too. Coincidence I'm sure though. Thanks for the hint. not able to view the video on BBC... cause I'm in the states maybe? Anything else interesting?

My plan is to mention every US owner of a sports team and claim to be ITK once it's all confirmed and on the OS. How many major sports teams are there in America? If we include NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS and NBL, roughly 20 teams apiece lets say. Therefore we need approximately 100 new twitter accounts making one prediction about the new owner each. When we are sold later this summer theres a good chance we will have one verified ITK account! Come one every one, lets get working - 10 teams each, I'll start on the MBL . God help us if we picked up by a Russian Between the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB (which is what I assume you meant by NBL) there are 141 franchises. I'll contact and personally ask every Alabama team in every one of these leagues. And then I'll create an individual twitter account that will predict each of them. something like @AVFCBamaBaseball or @AVFCBamahockey

what did you learn? That time machines still are badly needed Damn time zones !!!!! How am I supposed tot know when "tonight" is?

line 1. A blow to the "the first act toward selling the club happened on the monday after the season ended, nothing was in place or done before then." theory. line 2. Lambert does see himself as the guardian of Villa's status in an environment of very restricted by finances. line 3. He does not think the restrictions are reversible as long as RL is the owner. line 4. He's hoping that Lambert will continue to vouch for him as a loyal employee that does the best possible under the owners directives without complaining or undermining the owner. (as one who hires people, that's not a bad recommendation at all) the rest, he's basically repeating the 2nd,3rd, 4th, point.

what did you learn?

I am not a nervous wreck. I am not hanging on every potential pipe dream. But I enjoy the guesses that people make. I am entertained by the sleuthing some people do. (somewhere between amused, and appalled, actually). I even like it when they claim that whatever they are guessing is an absolute fact based on some supposed source... if it makes you angry and tense to hear the nonsense and hypothetical musings here, read the OS, or some other VT thread that is entirely factual or entirely optimistic. (if you can find one ) You can complain about supposed ITK,'s, (that's part of the entertainment) but please don't tell me I can't enjoy the entertainment they provide.

What's happened to all the real or pretend ITK's? Seems like every other post, earlier this week, was a new theory with some inside information. Now it's all gone quiet. Has somebody bought them all off?

But it is business decision ? - If we let 2 premier league players (Vlaar and Delph) leave for nothing - that's bad business That's my point. (although they aren't set to leave this summer, their contract is for another year) you just don't dismantle everything good and positive in a product your trying to sell... If there's not a deal in the pipeline, Randy is licking the white cream out of an Oreo and hoping to sell the two chocolate wafers for the full price. He'll hire a manager (mcliesh) that baffles me, but his business and financial decisions have been quite sound long before he got here and since. Again, that does not mean the deal could not fall through. I just think the actions we see the club making all point toward a deal is anticipated sooner rather than later.

while I agree Randy has made some decisions that have baffled me from the standpoint of fan relations and from footballing, I think assuming he's foolish with financial and business decisions is a leap.