JulieB Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Just found this on ic birmingham about takeover and THEY seem to know who scuppered the Lerner deal allright!!! How the hell does this tally with OS statement of in the best interests of the club and its shareholders?!!! .............................. RANDY Lerner's chances of re-entering the race to buy Aston Villa are now rated at only 50-50 after a week of twists and turns in the saga to see who takes control from Doug Ellis. But it now seems certain that if American billionaire Lerner, owner of the Cleveland Browns NFL team, does revive his bid, then it will be done through banks and lawyers rather than face-to-face with Ellis. And the breakdown has put SvenGoran Eriksson's agent Athole Still in pole position to win control of Villa. Whatever happened at last Wednesday's meeting between Lerner and Ellis, it has left a bad taste in the mouth. Lerner may yet be playing a shrewd game of poker when it comes to bidding for Villa, but if his current movements are a bluff then he is making a very good job of it. The 44-year-old is unlikely to want to meet Ellis again and, apparently, came to Villa Park this week only out of courtesy. Any further contact with Villa from Lerner is now likely to be done through financiers Rothschild. It is also understood that no formal bid was made as a result of the meeting which was designed to rubber-stamp the deal. Lerner has since been linked with a move for Everton, but it is understood that he felt Villa was his best bet when it came to buying into the Premiership. The documents were there to be signed and Martin O'Neill was waiting to hear the news that he was Villa manager that evening. O'Neill was said to be shocked when he heard that the talks had broken down. While Lerner is said to be upset at the manner of the meeting, Ellis is likely to counter that by saying discussions simply hit a brick wall. But there is no doubting the silence coming from the Lerner camp last night, although he has yet to withdraw officially from the race. If he had done on Wednesday, then Villa would have had to issue a statement saying as much. And if Lerner withdraws his interest, then, under Stock Exchange rules, it would be six months before he could make another bid. For that reason alone, Villa will be hoping that Lerner comes back into the equation, despite his apparent disagreement with Ellis. But Lerner is a private man and does not court publicity. So when he arrived in Britain to find out that his plans were common knowledge - along with Neville's proposals - it did not sit comfortably with him. Weekend reports suggested that Still's financial backing was even greater than Lerner's, although it is still uncertain as to what former England manager Eriksson's involvement would be should Still be successful. Mike Neville's proposed bid is still alive and he has made it clear that he can make £20 million available for players - a pledge he also made when leading the Comer Brothers bid last year. Another consortium, AV06, led by deputy high court judge and leading solicitor Nicholas Padfield QC, is also in the running. Padfield says that his choice for new Villa manager has "won the League, FA Cup and European Cup, and has since managed". But if the David O'Leary saga stunned Villa, the latest soap opera to grip the club has left fans wondering just what the future holds for a club who could be on the verge of greatness once more if a big-money backer comes in. There could be more developments tomorrow, but the week's events have left the club in a whirl. It all started last weekend when Neville exclusively revealed to the Sunday Mercury that he had fresh backing that would let him make a new bid for Ellis's majority shareholding. Neville had continued to work on his bid despite his association with the Comers fizzling out. He has yet to reveal the identity of his backers but was due to meet Ellis over the weekend. The news that Neville was preparing a bid brought Lerner's plans out into the open after he had been in talks with Ellis two weeks earlier. Neville said he had to move quickly with his bid and, when Lerner arrived in Birmingham three days later, it was easy to see why. Lerner's wealth was clearly a strong selling point with fans anticipating big-money signings at Villa Park. But talks broke down and Wednesday turned into something of a procession with TV cameras spotting Still leaving Villa Park. In the meantime, Neville was making his plans known in a series of interviews in which he stressed that he was a Villa fan trying to work in the best interests of the club. Padfield was a late arrival to the race on Friday but it seems Still has taken huge strides towards taking over from Ellis. Now it remains to be seen which of the remaining bids Ellis favours. And it has to be made clear that the chairman cannot let personal favourites get in the way of his judgement. Whatever bid he believes is the best one for shareholders, that is the one he has to go with. But the worrying aspect to this is that it is all being done in the public gaze. Stock Exchange officials, who put strict rules in place about what can and cannot be said during a takeover bid, must be tearing their hair out. When Roman Abramovich took over at Chelsea, it was done under cover of darkness and was a done deal before anyone had a chance to work out what was happening. The only trouble is that deal made the prospect of big-money owners moving in on Premiership chairmen a realistic option, particularly at Villa where Ellis has made no secret of his decision to sell up. At times behind the scenes this week, the race for Villa has been grubby and unsavoury - something that, like the messy parting with O'Leary, does the club no favours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted July 31, 2006 Moderator Share Posted July 31, 2006 Ah IcBrum, maybe I should rephrase my question Can somone point me in the direction of a credible news source where this has been reported Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJim Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Ah IcBrum, maybe I should rephrase my question Can somone point me in the direction of a credible news source where this has been reported Don't think it's Bill's imagination this time. Seems to carry a quote from an AV06 rep - looks at least as credible as anything else I've read since this saga started, though that's not saying much I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted July 31, 2006 Moderator Share Posted July 31, 2006 Ah but its a "source" and Bill's sources have proved to be about as reliable as Jordan's chastity belt in the past Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Jordan's chastity belt in the past F**k me so that's what happened to Frankie Howerd! Lurkio? Oh Lurkio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 icBrum today Bicks. "Villa consortium not keen on O'Neill" IMHO this report is false. I believe they will talk to MON, if they havent already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denis_B Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 The documents were there to be signed and Martin O'Neill was waiting to hear the news that he was Villa manager that evening. O'Neill was said to be shocked when he heard that the talks had broken down. While Lerner is said to be upset at the manner of the meeting, Ellis is likely to counter that by saying discussions simply hit a brick wall. Which is exactly why the announcement was made on the OS today. Doug fecked up big style and they are trying to reassure interested parties that it won't happen again. They might just as well have said so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigJim Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 icBrum today Bicks. "Villa consortium not keen on O'Neill" IMHO this report is false. I believe they will talk to MON, if they havent already. PB, I always respect you r opinion because I know you are well informed and not inclined to speculate without a reasoned base. But this story rings true to me because this appears to be a "European" consortium. MON has a high profile in the UK, but apparently not in Europe. They talk about bringing in players from La Liga; sounds plausible - it has worked for other clubs anyway. If you believe that part, then MON might not be the man for the job. Of course, if you don't believe any of it, then fair enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jez Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Lerner no novice at transfers Jul 30 2006 By Mike Preston BILLIONAIRE Randy Lerner is no stranger to spending money. And that will be encouraging news for fans eager to see new faces at Villa Park if the Cleveland businessman returns with a revised takeover bid. Lerner has the financial muscle to dive straight into the summer transfer market and an encouraging track record for getting deals done quickly. His Cleveland Browns American football team began preseason training this week and were boosted by the signing of rookie defensive stud Kamerion Wimbley, who, despite having never played professionally, will be paid $23.7 million (£12.7 million) in wages over the next six years. NFL teams are traditionally locked in lengthy contract talks with high-profile players drafted from the college ranks, but Lerner delved into his $1.4 billion fortune to meet Wimbley's salary demands quickly. The free-spending Lerner paid out a staggering $32 million (£17.2 million) in signing bonuses last year. To boost Browns' squad this season he has raided three-time Super Bowl winners the New England Patriots and runners up the Seattle Seahawks for some of their star players. He also snapped up the NFL's most coveted free agent, LeCharles Bentey from rivals the New Orleans Saints. In Premiership terms, the equivalent might be Lerner signing Michael Carrick, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Italy's World Cup-winning keeper Gianluigi Buffon as welcome presents for when a new Villa manager arrives. But, despite his spending, Lerner is still considered frugal by NFL standards. Browns are a comfortable $10 million (£5.4 million) below the NFL salary cap and their wage bill was 27th among the league's 32 teams as Cleveland finished last season with a miserable record of six wins and 10 losses. Browns were rooted to the foot of the AFC North Division for the third year running and failed to make the play-offs, grateful that the NFL does not have a relegation and promotion system. While Lerner was at Villa Park this week holding talks with chairman Doug Ellis, he was served a lawsuit by Cleveland TV station. WOIO Channel 19 are suing the Browns over the breaking of a three-year, $4 million (£2.1 million) deal that gave them the rights to broadcast the team's pre-season games. Lerner ruthlessly cut ties with Channel 19 when the recording of a 911 emergency call made by his sister was aired by the station after his six-year-old niece had been found drowned. Clicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted July 31, 2006 Moderator Share Posted July 31, 2006 That Bill Howell article is also contradicted on in This icBrum article Also from today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 That Bill Howell article is also contradicted on in This icBrum article Also from today In my opinion this is the correct version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Lerner ruthlessly cut ties with Channel 19 when the recording of a 911 emergency call made by his sister was aired by the station after his six-year-old niece had been found drowned Man of honour fair play Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrobo1 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Lerner ruthlessly cut ties with Channel 19 when the recording of a 911 emergency call made by his sister was aired by the station after his six-year-old niece had been found drowned. Clicky good on him, sounds the kind of owner we would love stands up for himself like the Blooz owners do !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bully Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 icBrum today Bicks. "Villa consortium not keen on O'Neill" IMHO this report is false. I believe they will talk to MON, if they havent already. PB, I always respect you r opinion because I know you are well informed and not inclined to speculate without a reasoned base. But this story rings true to me because this appears to be a "European" consortium. MON has a high profile in the UK, but apparently not in Europe. They talk about bringing in players from La Liga; sounds plausible - it has worked for other clubs anyway. If you believe that part, then MON might not be the man for the job. Of course, if you don't believe any of it, then fair enough My source' info agrees with Baggie Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianrobo1 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 it's all coming together from H&V 5 Live are reporting tonight that Lerner is to resume discussions with Doug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 5 Live are reporting tonight that Lerner is to resume discussions with Doug. The Rollercoaster, Part 2, opens at a football club near you soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMcKenna Posted July 31, 2006 VT Supporter Share Posted July 31, 2006 Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder. – George Washington I hope Lerner knows this quotation from his former president. I also suggest that IF he ever gets down to negotiating with ellis again that he asks Doug to consider the following before talks begin! * "It still remains true that no justification of virtue will enable a man to be virtuous." * "Prosperity is the measure or touchstone of virtue, for it is less difficult to bear misfortune than to remain uncorrupted by pleasure." * "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted July 31, 2006 Moderator Share Posted July 31, 2006 He'll be ready this time. Cue crap gag. He's a quick Lerner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMcKenna Posted July 31, 2006 VT Supporter Share Posted July 31, 2006 5 Live are reporting tonight that Lerner is to resume discussions with Doug. The Rollercoaster, Part 2, opens at a football club near you soon PB I missed it. Is that all they said, any more details? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Well IF Radio 5 is right then I'm 'deadly' sure that Lerner is only coming back with BIG BIG assurances. All together now: Radny Lerner's Claret and Blue Army! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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