Demitri_C

and he is richer than glazer

cheers jez

£12m in debt, but Villa sale still on Aug 9 2006

By John Revill, Business Staff

The battle to buy Aston Villa Football Club is still on, despite new figures showing it turned a cash surplus into £12 million debt last season.

Calls for chairman Doug Ellis to step down and sell the club intensified last night as its annual financial report revealed losses trebled during its year of turmoil.

But the poor returns on and off the pitch have not deterred potential bidders, including American billionaire Randy Lerner and Michael Neville, while new manager Martin O'Neill has been promised some transfer funds.

Mr Ellis, who owns a 39 per cent stake, admitted the 2005/06 season had been a "huge disappointment" but said the board had supported former manager David O'Leary with transfer funds and a 20 per cent increase in wages, amounting to a total of £18.2 million.

"This investment was not reflected in the performances on the field," said the 82-year-old chairman.

According to the preliminary results for the year ending May 31:

* Villa's slump to 16th in the Premiership was blamed for a £600,000 surplus in 2005 turning into a £12.1 million debt.

* Attendances down by 8.7 per cent.

Pre-tax losses increasing £2.6 million to £8.2 million, while revenue decreased from £51.6 million to £49 million.

* The wage bill rising by £5.2 million to £38.3 million, representing "an unhealthy" 78.1 per cent of revenue. Jonathan Fear, chairman of the Aston Villa Shareholders' Association, said the figures were not a surprise but showed why Mr Ellis should give way to new owners with fresh ideas.

"There are far more deep-rooted problems than what happened on the pitch. David O'Leary and Doug Ellis were a recipe for disaster and a lot of fans have voted with their feet," he said.

"They didn't like the product on and off the pitch and stayed away."

Villa non-executive director Steve Kind said the club had not tried to "gloss over" its disappointing season.

"Our performance on the field of play is what dictates the financial performance of the club, and we had a poor season."

Despite the downturn, Mr Kind said money would be made available to Martin O'Neill for players, although this would only be a small amount in the short term, and he did not believe the financial downturn would deter the six consortia vying for control of Villa.

A source close to Randy Lerner said the bid was very much still on the table.

He said: "There has been much publicity recently saying that Lerner has lost interest in Villa, but that has been a smoke-screen instigated by the consortium as it does not like doing its business in the media.

Michael Neville said the financial results would not affect his indicative bid.

In his statement accompanying the report, Mr Ellis said the club was determined to balance its costs, which could include more players being drafted in from the youth academy rather than multi-million pound transfers. Villa's shares closed unchanged at 501.5p last night

link

sorry, i dont know how to shorten links :oops:

EDIT: Then please learn

if ellis was to stay im 99% certian MOn wouldnt be here. tahts teh only thing that is keeping me going

this is exactly what im talking about.

when we marketing our new shirts for example, why not ahve baros as one of the people? vilals mareting under ellis was abysmal

top post pb

oh go on then ill come out of retirement

Doug Ellis parking improves after re-doing his test

Chris and Brian welcome Martin O'Neill, in typical Villa Fashion

Doug Ellis appoints New chief scout

Trims finds new way to make easy money

although the consortium fronted by Michael Neville believe they are still in contention.

I think your the only one neville :winkold:

daily star is reporting randy lerner wants to build a super casino once he takes over villa! already new ideas coming in. great stuff!

murdochs very powerful, hence why the media hate manure. dont wanna get on the wrong side of him

now we have the manager sorted we need the players to be bought. the team is not nearly strong enough.

if we sign over 5m im certain we are being takeover

man im getting bloody excited as each minute goes on.

if your info is right man we can actually do something this season in terms of top half.

anything over 12th is a succuss

SILVER BACK:

A man and his wife were spending a day at the zoo. She was wearing a

loose-fitting, pink dress, sleeveless with straps. He was wearing his usual

jeans and T-shirt. As they walked through the ape section, they passed in

front of a large, silverback gorilla.

Noticing the wife, the gorilla went crazy. He jumped on the bars, and

holding on with one hand and two feet, he grunted and pounded his chest with

his free hand. He was obviously excited at the pretty lady in the pink

dress.

The husband, noticing the excitement, thought this was funny. He suggested

that his wife tease the poor fellow some more by puckering her lips and

wiggling her bottom. She played along and the gorilla got even more excited,

making noises that would wake the dead.

Then the husband suggested that she let one of her straps fall to show a

little more skin. She did this and the gorilla was about to tear the bars

down.

"Now show your thighs and sort of fan your dress at him," he said. This

drove the gorilla absolutely crazy and he started doing flips.

Then the husband grabbed his wife, ripped open the door to the cage, flung

her in with the gorilla and slammed the cage door shut.

"Now tell him you have a headache."

Rivals may unite in Villa takeover bid

The consortia headed by Michael Neville and Nicolas Padmore QC are considering joining forces in the battle to take control of Aston Villa.

Padmore is believed to have been approached by representatives of Neville with a view to holding talks over a possible liaison when the former returns from holiday in Corsica at the weekend.

Lifelong fan Neville tabled a formal £64million bid to buy Villa last week while Padmore, a deputy judge, has also declared his interest in the midlands club.

A source close to AV06 said: "We have had approaches by representatives of other consortia, one of whom is a representative of Michael Neville. We are considering opening discussions."

A joint bid would give Neville and Padmore more financial clout to challenge the other interested parties - American billionaire Randy Lerner and the consortium fronted by Athole Still.

AV06 have already promised to provide Martin O'Neill with a £50million transfer kitty if he becomes the new manager.

O'Neill would be handed £30million to strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes at the end of August and another £20million when it reopens in January.

Certain members of AVO6 were understood to originally favour a managerial team of Danish duo Michael Laudrup and John Jensen if they gained control of the midlands club.

They were said to be concerned O'Neill would radically overhaul Villa's Academy, which has seen a conveyor belt of talent make its way into the first-team squad.

But AV06 have spoken with O'Neill's advisors and are confident they could work with the former Leicester and Celtic boss if they win the four-pronged takeover battle.

An AV06 spokesman said: "We have spoken with Martin's people and believe we can work with him.

"We are looking at a £50million transfer budget - £30million now and a £20million top-up in January."

Lerner has re-emerged as a contender to buy Villa after initially expecting to tie up a deal for Villa with chairman Doug Ellis last week although progress is believed to be slower than expected.

Lerner, owner of NFL side Cleveland Browns, has also made it clear he sees O'Neill as the kind of top quality manager to replace David O'Leary - who parted company with Villa a fortnight ago.

The consortium fronted by Sven-Goran Eriksson's agent Still remains in the frame although, publicly at least, they have kept a low profile for the past week.

But sources close to the group are indicating Eriksson, whose reign as England coach officially ended on Monday, is not part of any takeover.

Still first met Ellis two months ago and had a second meeting last Wednesday when he was photographed leaving Villa Park.

An informal offer was made to Ellis during that meeting which appeared acceptable - although slightly above the asking price - but there has been no contact since from Villa towards Still.

The consortium want to rescue Villa from the doldrums on the playing side - they narrowly missed out on relegation from the Premiership last season - and also make them into a high-profile club.

He on Wednesday night confirmed the possibility of joining forces with Neville. Padfield told Radio Five Live: "The latest state of play is we have been approached by representatives from other consortia who have already put their hats in the ring. One is a representative of Mr Neville.

"We are considering opening discussions with them but haven't taken a firm decision.

"Nothing is going to happen until I return (from holiday) at the end of the week.

"We haven't had serious discussions yet but an approach has been made to me and certainly I'm quite happy to arrange a meeting when I get back."

Padfield added: "One of the crucial issues is the extent to which Doug Ellis wants to retain a stake in the club or whether he is prepared to sell his entire shareholding.

"The other critical issue is what the position is as regards the team manager - has one been appointed, is one going to be appointed, the nature of his contract etc.

"This will impact on the amount of finance available to buy new players."

Padfield insisted: "I have had no discussions with Mr Ellis at all and all of us find it surprising that no-one from the club has bothered to tell us what the position is as regards whether any formal offers have been made or indeed the position as regards appointing a manager.

"I am having meetings (with Mr Ellis) next Tuesday. They will be one of a number of meetings but I don't anticipate we will be in a great rush to make a bid simply because we don't have all the relevant information on which to base it."

from teamtalk

Villa takeover consortiums could merge Aug 3 2006

TWO of the consortiums interested in buying Aston Villa may join forces to try and win the takeover battle.

The group known as AV06 fronted by deputy judge Nicholas Padfield QC have confirmed they have been approached by representatives of life-long Villa fan Michael Neville.

Padfield is willing to set up a meeting with Neville when he returns from holiday at the weekend before having talks with Villa chairman Doug Ellis on Tuesday.

If the two parties form an allegiance it will give them greater financial muscle to combat the challenge posed by American billionaire Randy Lerner and the consortium fronted by Sven-Goran Eriksson's agent Athole Still.

Padfield, in an interview on Radio Five Live, said: "The latest state of play is we have been approached by representatives from other consortia who have already put their hats in the ring. One of those is representatives of Mr Neville.

"We are considering opening discussions with them but haven't taken a firm decision. Nothing is going to happen until I return (from holiday) at the end of the week.

"We haven't had serious discussions yet but an approach has been made to me and certainly I'm quite happy to arrange a meeting when I get back."

Padfield insists there is unlikely to be any "great rush" to make a formal bid until he is aware of all the relevant information, and he is surprised Ellis and the club have kept him in the dark over potential developments.

Martin O'Neill is favourite to replace David O'Leary as manager although Padfield denied claims that he had already spoken to the former Celtic boss.

He said: "I have had no discussions with Mr Ellis at all and all of us find it surprising that no-one from the club has bothered to tell us what the position is as regards whether any formal offers have been made or indeed the position as regards appointing a manager.

"I don't know what Michael Neville's position is in relation to Martin O'Neill. There have been rumours he has been appointed or will be appointed. I have had no contact with Martin O'Neill.

"I am having various meetings next week. They will be a number of meetings but I don't anticipate we will be in a great rush to make a bid simply because we don't have all the relevant information on which to base it."

Padfield added: "One of the crucial issues is the extent to which Doug Ellis wants to retain a stake in the club or whether he is prepared to sell his entire share-holding.

"With Mr Ellis' involvement over so many years, I'd be very surprised if he didn't want some role in helping the best interests of the club.

"We would welcome that. If it was an informal role, not taking a front seat, I don't see what the fans could object to."

thats from Icbrum. i dont like taht part. we are in need of a rush you muppet! We need palyers or we are down! dont like the sound of this bid.

so a statement is going to be made?

it could be regarding a press conference which could

a) be the new manager if villa

b)new owners

man i hope its today the aappointment, i gotta work tomorrow and will miss it if it occurs tomorrow! :evil:

if thats true 100% thats great news. but why were SSN so certain it wasnt lerners men? cover up perhaps?

i think its gotta be lerners men, howell would have picked it up if it was another group wanting villa. im hoping its lerners people. man this needs to speed up. not long before the season starts and we need this to hurry up.

from what ive heard lerner will only deal with rothchilds and NOTR ellis.which is great news if true

dec 23rd 2005 this thread was created

july 26th 2006 a bid finally made!!

Chris gets more than he bargined for when he asks Baros for a picture

>In Pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a trade name and a generic name.

>For example, the trade name of Tylenol also has a generic name of

>Acetaminophen. Aleve is also called Naproxen. Amoxil is also called

>Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen.

>

>The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra. After careful

>consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that

>it has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin. Also considered were

>Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.

>

>Pfizer Corp. announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid

>form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for

>use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself

>a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it

>gives new meaning to the names of "cocktails", "highballs" and just a good

>old-fashioned "stiff drink". Pepsi will market the new concoction by the

>name of: MOUNT & DO.

>

>Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and

>Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by 2040, there

>should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections

>and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

>

Fistface gets a couple more vegetiables at the sty

Bouma's wife reveals her new husbands diet

A Woman was out golfing one day when she hit her ball into the woods.

>

>She went into the woods to look for it and found a frog in a trap. The frog

>said to her, "If you release me from this trap, I will grant you three

>wishes."

>

>The woman freed the frog, and the frog said, "Thank you, but I failed to

>mention that there was a condition to your wishes. Whatever you wish for,

>your husband will get ....... times ten!"

>

>

>The woman said, "That's okay." For her first wish, she wanted to be the

>most beautiful woman in the world. The frog warned her, "You do realize

>that this wish will also make your husband the most handsome man that ever

>lived, an Adonis whom women will swoon over and flock to". The woman

>replied, "That's okay, because I will be the most beautiful Woman and he

>will have eyes only for me."

>

>So, KAZAM!!! - She's the most beautiful Woman in the world!

>

>

>For her second wish, she wanted to be the richest woman in the world. The

>frog said," That will make your husband the richest man in the world by

>far. And he will be ten times richer than you. "The woman said, "That's

>okay, because what's mine is his and what's his is mine."

>

>So, KAZAM!!! - She's the richest woman in the world!

>

>

>The frog then inquired about her third wish, and after careful

>consideration she answered, "I'd like a mild heart attack."

>

>Moral of the story: Women are clever. Don't mess with them.

>

>ATTENTION female readers: This is the end of the joke for you. Stop here

>and continue feeling good.

>

>

>

>Male readers: Please scroll down.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>The man had a heart attack ten times milder than his wife!!! Moral of the

>story: Women are really dumb but think they're really smart. Let them

>continue to think that way and just enjoy the show.

>

>PS: If you are a woman and are still reading this; it only goes to show

>that women are nosey cows and never listen!!!

We are short of players especially those of genuine quality and if we get a run of injuries or of off form players, O'leary and his team will struggle because the options from the bench remain far too limited.

100% agree with this

Can the Mods keep this thread as a sticky - It will be "interesting" to see how people react as the season progresses

i actually think this is a goo idea. personally the teams i think will be battling us for safety are fulham, wigan and maybe man city along with the three promoted clubs. think pompey will be well ahead of us next season.