Lerner's Driver
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Posts posted by Lerner's Driver
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£30 on Moyes
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1 minute ago, Pilchard said:
Yes please.
Seconded
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1 minute ago, mjmooney said:
"Improving Chinese soccer, he said, "is actually our biggest objective".
Does this further endorse the view that it/we are part of a Govt. initiative, despite Tony's denial?
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From Beijing AP (via Yahoo news)
"BEIJING (AP) — The little-known businessman who bought Aston Villa is hoping to improve both the English club and Chinese soccer in general.
Xia Jiantong, who goes by the English name Tony, told The Associated Press he intends to use cutting-edge management theory and sports science to bring Villa to the pinnacle of the European game — and then bring those lessons back to China.
"In China's going-out strategy, it's been proven that buying foreign firms with know-how and then bringing that back to the domestic industry has been the most efficient route," Xia said, adding that he would establish extensive programs for Chinese players to train at Aston Villa.
Improving Chinese soccer, he said, "is actually our biggest objective."
Xia bought Aston Villa, which was relegated from the Premier League after a dismal season in which they finished last, for $87 million. He denied that the deal involved any government or corporate backers aside from his business conglomerate, the Recon Group.
Chinese President Xi Jinping recently urged the country to become a global soccer superpower and several high-profile firms have bought stakes in clubs, including Atletico Madrid and Manchester City. But until now, no one had acquired entire clubs.
To help improve the game in China, Xia said he is already in talks to bring junior high and high school players to train in Birmingham this summer.
A soft-spoken businessman who studied at Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Xia heads the Recon Group, which owns Lotus Health Group, the world's second largest maker of the food additive monosodium glutamate. Lotus lost $78 million last year, according to Shanghai stock exchange filings. Another subsidiary produces digital hardware for urban infrastructure.
Xia said he considered eight prospective clubs, including teams in Spain and Italy, before settling on Villa, which he said attracted him with its "mature" academy system.
He said he pledged to deploy better technology to monitor players' on-field performance, track statistics and gauge physical workloads to minimize injuries — areas in which he said other clubs he visited performed better than Villa. He also intended to use data to award financial bonuses to players.
"This isn't different from management science," Xia said in one of several allusions to his business experience.
He compared Aston Villa to an undervalued business suffering from "several years of substandard management" and could achieve its potential with better direction from the top.
Questioned about his lack of soccer credentials, Xia said he has looked into the business for 10 years and has diligently studied the second-tier English Championship, the league in which Aston Villa will compete in next season.
"I actually think I have better foundation in football than other business areas we've recently entered," Xia said.
He targeted a swift return to the Premier League but ruled out "burning money" to bring success like Manchester City, whose Qatari owners have pumped in millions. Although he has publicly stated he would spend 50 to 60 million pounds on player transfers, Xia backed away from the figures on Friday, saying he would consult with the new coach he was in the process of hiring.
"We want Villa in its genes to be sustainable and healthy, including in academy development," Xia said. "If you look at all the money-burning clubs they're showing problems right now. On the international level, Spain and Germany couldn't sustain their success with just one superstar."
Xia said he is now down to three final coaching candidates — one of whom is believed to be former Chelsea manager Robert Di Matteo — but declined to comment, saying he would announce the selection next week.
After hiring someone, Xia said his first order of business will be to fix the atmosphere around the relegated club.
"This year, Spurs were so good until they lost the chance for the title and lost to a relegated team," he said. "So in sport, it's crucial to consider spirit, psychology, leaders' attitudes. Especially for Villa now, the biggest priority for us is to fix everyone's confidence, from the players to the coaches."https://www.yahoo.com/news/villa-owner-wants-team-promoted-help-soccer-china-161607563.html
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11 minutes ago, Jareth said:
Hollis said: “The government will be involved in some way. If you’ve worked in China you will know that the government and businesses work closely together.
Maybe RECON has been 'chosen' to purchase the Villa as a way of penetrating the English market - hence the lack of transparency. Sounds pretty Bond like, but who knows.
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2 minutes ago, bobzy said:
Just talking about our new owner.
No doubt they'll provide some fascinating character analysis and some totally new insights.
I'd lay money on it if the Moose gets to contribute...
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1 hour ago, Kingman said:
What is this "Not An Aston Villa Fit" I keep reading of late?
Not sure what all the fuss is about, If he passes any test, surely it has to be the 'Fit and proper Pearson Test'.
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Chap called Pelty on H&V who is attracting some scorn for trying to suggest that all is not quite as it seems in terms of Bernstein & King being the good guys and Randy being the bad guy.
Nut job, you may think, but he professes to be The General's son.
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If the sale thing is relevant at all, perhaps Bernstein and King did not approve of the interested party - after all, King in particular knows a thing or two about money and whose got it versus A. N. Other Crook. Lerner is definitely capable of selling to the latter. Unlikely, I know, but with him in charge, nothing is impossible...
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27 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:
Wut?
It's that some kind of thinly veiled dig? What an odd thing to pick up on.
Given that the offence took place in the past, technically, I would say this is now a 'thinly veiled doug' and if avatars are anything to go by, that don't paint a pretty picture.
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Moyes is an intriguing one.
On the one hand, you could see the appeal to him of turning us around, but on the other, if he fails with us (as is fairly possible), his career would surely be over. Maybe he's as desperate as we are, but I doubt it. Surely better to make some modest progress somewhere else, rather than risk blowing whats left of his reputation with us.
Brave if he does take it.
I'd welcome him.
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Sad to say, but 'to do a Leicester'...
From top to bottom, their togetherness has got them from bottom to top.
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For those interested, the email address is unsurprisingly: tom.fox@avfc.co.uk
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I sent this email to Tom Fox earlier in the week...
Dear Tom,
I suspect you aren't feeling too great, what with all the negative press recently, but I'm afraid it's every bit as bad as it appears and worse.
Aston Villa is now officially a laughing stock and its your decisions that have got us here. No amount of corporate speak will change that Tom, you and your paymaster are to blame.
When you have a moment, read this: http://www.theguardian.com/football/copa90/2016/feb/17/aston-villa-relegation-premier-league-fans
Thanks for nothing,
Spencer-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And I got this in return...
Hello Spencer
Many thanks for your email sent to Tom on the 17th February.
We very much appreciate the frustrations expressed.
I will be collating all comments and suggestions received from our fans and will summarise these for the Executive Team and the Board.
Please be assured that all comments and issues raised will be reported accordingly.
Best wishes
Lee Preece
Football Operations / Projects Manager-
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"We did not go out to find a manager who would keep us up at all costs." ~ Tom Fox
Why not?
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- Popular Post
- Popular Post
In a word, meh.
Like any long term relationship, supporting a football team has its ups and downs. Sometimes you are really into your partner, others they piss you off and most of the time they are just there, being their same old selves. Villa and I added a little spice to our lives a few years back and things were looking up for a while, but recently she's stopped wearing make-up and nowadays she smokes in the bath, so you could say she's lost her charm, but I do still love her.
She's all I've got.
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I thought it was rather telling when they interviewed Richards after the game and they asked him what Garde had changed his answer was "get us organised".
That coming from Sherwood's captain and one of only two players to show any signs of being disappointed at his exit. That is telling and very very damning.
It was just one game and we shouldn't get carried away there is still a big gap and much work to do but it was hugely impressive given Garde has had less than a week in the country and just three training sessions.
The side selected and the performance it produced really did show Sherwood up for what he is, a charlatan.
Sherwood tried to blame everyone else for his own inadequacies and in my view stopped picking certain players to try and support his claim.
Today showed Sherwood up and KMac to a far lesser extent.
There are still issues, Guzan is a constant worry, Clark can't do that week in week out, Hutton hard as he tries is limited and we are really short of quality up front. Those are things that need addressing but today we can revel in the fact we actually have a manager and we've a chance of staying up.
Our season just started, bring it on.
Totally agree, Sir!
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Micah Richards Aston Villa captain
"We have been playing well and we have deserved more than four points. Today is a massive draw for us. the lads were outstanding and we fought for each other. It was tough playing against City. I was there at 14 and I had mixed emotions. I always want City to do well but I am a Villa man now. The new manager has come in and organised us. He has done well."
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Just a quick mention from a decient display from ........eh, it can't be surely ?? ....i think it is......erm......Charles NZOGBIA?
He was our only player who crossed a ball!
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Rode our luck at the end, but we're well overdue some luck.
Clean sheet, stopped the run of losses, looked organised, never panicked even when Man City stepped up a gear, already looking more confident and that result will only give us more.
Yes Man City were the better a team, but they are a better team! They didn't look 20 places better today.
Love that gif - where did you get it Danwich Man?!
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City should have won but were average and a huge reason why was our performance.
It wasn't especially skilful, the odd touch from Gil aside, but it they stood up and they fought and they deserved their point. Well done boys and thank you Remi Garde. That was a proper formation, which produced a disciplined performance.
Maybe, just maybe...
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I imagine the English lads are now taking lessons from Gabby in how to talk slowly.
Is that talking wot he duz?
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Gambling's only fun when you stand to lose everything.
Couldn't disagree more - gambling is only fun when you win.
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Sorry if he's not going to have an instant impact we shouldn't have appointed him. - Not winning for next 5 games would pretty much consign to the championship. He will find it easier to embed his philosophy (whatever that means!) if we win a few games.
He has to be judged on results - no excuses." -
So if he doesn't win the first match, or the second, or the third, or the fourth, then you want him out?
Who exactly could guarantee the immediate wins you say we need?!
The 2016 Takeover Thread
in Villa Talk
Posted
More cut and paste 'journalism' - like so much mee-juh these days, it doesn't say anything new. In fact, it's not even news, it's just some bloke's opinion, but it gets clicks because it has Forbes attached to it. Soooo tiresome...