JohnCresswell Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Sales of the newspaper are obviously down. Anyone can ask them questions. Especially when they know the club can't and won't answer them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Somebody will have to say something! Does anybody else have a feeling that nothing will happen untill we are 100% safe? very, very good point david. That does indeed have a massive bearing upon the value of the club/shares. IF we were to go down, Elies cannot ask for anywhere near as much for his share of AVFC. well, he can ask, but ........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 A week is a long time in politics but a month must be a fecking long time in football. The AGM ended with Ellis saying we would know in a month, how long has that been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenjos Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 i just want him to hurry up and leave. Im thinkign of knocking up a box for him and taking it donw there before the next game. if onyl we could get the fans to march behind it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 How is Dougs health at the minute, does anyone know? Is he still looking as frail as he did a couple of months back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGoodman Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 He is on the back of today's Post at some press bash. Glass of white in one hand, looking hale and hearty. Shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Birmingham post? Anyone got a link or the picture? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenjos Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 poison him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancsVillan Posted March 24, 2006 Moderator Share Posted March 24, 2006 Birmingham post? Anyone got a link or the picture? if I get a picture it's straight to the dartboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gringo Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 He is on the back of today's Post at some press bash. Glass of white in one hand, looking hale and hearty. Shit. "Hello reporter chap, did I tell you that I invented immortality?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginge Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Have a look at the article of Vital Footballs website called Whats Up At Villa. It hits the nail on the head. If i didnt know better i would have thought i wrote it myself!! I am actually going to send a copy of it to Mr Ellis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Some stories from ic brum THE £64 million takeover of Aston Villa was at a standstill today as fans called for the Comer brothers and Michael Neville to "put up or shut up". Anger at the stop-start talks which have dogged Villa Park since September finally boiled over amid continuing deadlock over the ownership of the biggest club in the Midlands. Days after under-fire manager David O'Leary said the uncertainty over the takeover was affecting the club, fans' groups hit out at the "absolutely abysmal" communications from both Villa and the Comers. Jonathan Fear, chairman of the Aston Villa Shareholders' Association, said: "I think that all the fans, and most shareholders, are simply in the dark over this. "Everything that happens at Villa seems to end in a saga. Communications from both the club board and the Comers have been absolutely abysmal. "We see statements in the press one month and then there's two months of silence. Michael Neville says they are close to a deal, but the Comers have never said anything. "It makes you wonder whether they have not got the money or they are waiting to see if we are safe from relegation. "These people have not spoken to any of the fans' groups. The club is in limbo and if that is how they are going to carry on, then it is not going to be much better for Villa. "The club should now be going to the Comers and saying 'put up or shut up - put up the money or withdraw'. "The foundations are there at Villa Park and we have the rudiments of a massive club, but it is difficult with no communication from anyone." Neil Heitzman, of the Aston Villa Supporters Trust, said: "The longer this continues, the greater the detriment to the club. There is a malaise at Villa Park and it is affecting the club on and off the field. "If this takeover does not happen, there is no way that Doug Ellis is going to release the funds that the club desperately needs. "These protracted negotiations are no good for anybody. Everybody, from the top right down to the bottom, is being affected. There is a wall of silence and the soundbites from Michael Neville are just not helping." Earlier this week, O'Leary said: "There is a strange uncertainty around the club. The fans are feeling it and you are feeling it yourself. You are just waiting to see what is going to happen." ASTON Villa are said to be rapidly losing patience with Michael Neville and the Comers. Although the club has made no specific comment on the talks since confirming in October that a "preliminary approach" had been received, sources say Doug Ellis and other directors believe the bid is going nowhere. An insider said: "Doug is convinced that these people do not have the money and that they are only interested in the land. "But he still wants to sell and has revealed he has instructed Rothschilds bank to find a buyer. So far, nobody else has been found." The club again refused to comment further officially, but another source said: "It is fair to say that Doug Ellis is now getting somewhat impatient over this." The Mail understands that the parties are still in contact with each other, but yet another deadline for progress expires next week. MICHAEL Neville - the shadowy frontman for the takeover bid by Brian and Luke Comer - is not easy to pin down, despite his public vow to end the Doug Ellis era at Villa Park. The Solihull businessman, who describes himself as a lifelong Villa fan and sees the club battling for Champions League honours within three years, has made a string of unfulfilled promises to the Birmingham Mail. Mr Neville, 51, of Dorridge, first came to Villa fans' attention last autumn when initial details of the Comer brothers' takeover scheme emerged, with the club confirming a "preliminary approach" had been received. The Comer Homes Group, owned by the two brothers, is said to be worth £1 billion. In October, Mr Neville publicly praised Mr Ellis, saying: "Doug has done a first-class job at Aston Villa and I have the utmost admiration for him." He said he saw his first Villa game at the age of 10, remembered "the old guys like Charlie Aitken and John Sleeuwenhoek" and took his young son to home games. By November, he said there would be "significant movement" over the deal before Christmas - and denied asset-stripping. By December, he said 'due diligence' was ongoing and an agreement was on the horizon before the New Year. By January, he dismissed reports that the bid had collapsed and said it was "still alive". By February, he told the Mail the bid was making "extremely slow progress" because of guarantees required over the future transfer kitty. "The transaction is lengthy and complex," he said. Mr Neville accepted an invitation to come to the newspaper's offices at 11am on March 7 to discuss the takeover. At 11.15am he rang to say that he could not make it as he had been called to London on business. He accepted a further invitation to visit the Mail on March 10, but again failed to turn up and this time left no message. On March 20, we contacted him at home but he said he was busy, asking to be contacted on his mobile after 11am the following day. A message was left on his answerphone at 11.30am - but to date no response has been received NOW is the time for Michael Neville and the Comer brothers to come clean on their proposed takeover of Aston Villa FC. After six months of teasing expectation, fans have lost patience, hopes of a bright new dawn quickly fading. Our question is direct: Is the deal dead or not? Replies such as "it's still ongoing" or "within days" will no longer do. If the elusive Mr Neville and his backers do not have the money to finalise the £64 million deal, they should have the courage and courtesy to say so. Loyal, long-suffering Villa supporters have a right to know - and if Mr Neville really is a life-long fan he should respect and act on that. The same plea for openness goes to Villa, where the silence is deafening and damaging to the club's fan base. The routine "not allowed to comment" answer is a cop-out for fans spending hard-earned cash following the team each week. They watch abysmal performances from a side desperately needing major investment that's not forthcoming amid takeover limbo. We know that Doug Ellis asked top city bankers Rothschilds to look for other buyers. Are there any? No-one's saying if there are. If the Comer deal is a sham, Mr Ellis needs to call talks off and show fans that their great and proud club has options ready for a different future. Villa are a plc, for goodness sake, so surely there is some sort of plan to secure the club if the takeover never happens. Last November, the day after the 3-0 humiliation by lowly Doncaster in that Carling Cup shambles, the Mail called for Mr Ellis to go. Today we unashamedly repeat that call. At the grand old age of 82, quickly step down, while good memories are still intact, and enjoy a well-earned retirement. And yes, take lack lustre David O'Leary with you. That really would give the fans something to cheer. By clearing the decks with such a double departure, a buyer will be more likely to make that final plunge. In a sentence, the Mail's message on behalf of Villa fans is simple. Neville - put up or shut up, now; Doug - get a move on in announcing your departure...easing fans' frustrations and helping to secure a definite future for Villa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancsVillan Posted March 24, 2006 Moderator Share Posted March 24, 2006 :yawn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted March 24, 2006 Moderator Share Posted March 24, 2006 A friend of mine does some work for the FA, ( I know, but genuinely they do.) and was talking to somebody there who not only confirmed that Doug is one of the most awkward people they've ever worked with, but that they were concerned that if Doug dies without selling the club we could be left in a very difficult situation. They compared the situation with the one Man City found themselves in a few years ago, which meant the club was in a sort of leaderless limbo. It's taken years for City to sort it out, and apparently they still have big debts, despite selling SWP to Chelsea for 20 odd million. Now I've got to admit that I don't know much about the recent history of Man City, but I'm worried that we could find ourselves in a situation where the club is without any sort of leadership or ownership if he dies and leaves it in a mess. Does anybody out there know what the situation would be if he passes on without selling ? Would we end up with a board who each have a small interest and no desire to be in charge ? I have heard that Doug's family have no real desire to run the place, Petchey is strictly an investor as far as I know, and I'm not sure how a takeover would work without Doug as the vendor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 His shares would form part of his estate and would be distributed as per his will. I would think he has one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 No; he believes that he will live forever so a will is unnecessary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted March 24, 2006 Moderator Share Posted March 24, 2006 His shares would form part of his estate and would be distributed as per his will. I would think he has one The suggestion is that his estate will be divided up into a number of different holdings, the benificiary's of which have no real interest in this club, or it's future, and it might take a long time for the pieces to be put back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Or it may be easier to sell as the price may be more realistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted March 24, 2006 Moderator Share Posted March 24, 2006 It's easier to buy a jigsaw in a box, rather than have to find the pieces seperately. Mind you, you might be right, as I say, I don't really know that much about his will or the situation when he goes, I'm just worried that somebody has made this comparison, and I really don't like the idea that it might take years to sort out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avfcinwales Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 Has anyone ever suggested that Ellis and Neville could be colluding together to keep the wolves at bay. I'm sure irrational as it seems it might be possible, especially if Neville didn't have the Comers backing and Ellis didn't have another option Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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