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Randy Lerner and What Happens Next


GaztonVilla

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On the "guff" that Bickster refers, I'm sorry the point about more bums on seats will result in better players is true, in my opinion. Man City or Chelsea we aint I'm afraid. A crowd of less than 30k for Rapid was not very encouraging.

Clearly you need to do the maths about how much people attending a football match actually put towards the purse, you'd be surprised at how little it is. Just think of this... a shortfall of about 5k in attendance (which is usually all we're ever off capacity, and that usually when the likes of Fulham are at VP) with an average spend of £40 equates to £200k, now as that happens on average about (without doing the research) say 12 times a season thats a whole £2.4mil (£2mil net) over a season we're falling short through "poor attendance". Who you going to buy and pay wages for because that £2.4 mil is missing? is poor attendance really preventing us moving forward as suggested? I think not, its guff. It may be well intentioned but its not really the truth of the situation. The attendance shortfall is worth about half a Marlon Harewood financially.....(wages not included)

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Good article Gazton.

As someone pointed out earlier, the Milner-Ireland deal had to go ahead because Milner wanted out. You can't keep unhappy players in this day and age and then get top dollar for them, it just doesn't happen anymore. As soon as his head was turned, we had no choice but to get the best deal possible and Ireland plus cash is as good as we could have hoped for.

While I am disappointed we didn't sign anyone (especially a forward), I can see it is the sensible way forward. It is imperative that we get a manager with an exceptional record in the transfer market - MON wasted far too much money on some very mediocre players.

I'm a bit worried that come January, the players we need to take us forward will not be available and we could be left with some emergency 'make do' signings. I really think that if Gabby is out for an extended period, we could be drawn into a dog fight down at the bottom. Carew looks disinterested, Heskey NEVER attacks space in the box, which leaves us with Delfouneso if Gabby's out. We didn't score enough last year and I see us scoring even less this time around. I also worry about heads dropping if we go on a bad run.

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We will have to ride our luck with injuries but what has changed at Villa really the last few years, with O'Neill being reluctent to rotate his squad but now we will get a manager that will use the whole squad just to get a better idea of each players ability.

If we can be in the top 8 or 10 by Jan we can spend a few million in Jan and push for the top 6 again. The most important decison is getting the right manager and that will take aslong as it takes. We have won 2 out 3 in the league under MacDonald meaning we should be alright until the new man is hired.

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We have won 2 out 3 in the league under MacDonald meaning we should be alright until the new man is hired.

Yes, but let's be honest, we were poor against Everton and were lucky to get the points. We won't get away with that level of performance every week. Sorry, but I can't see us being top 10 come Jan, no matter who comes in. We just don't have the firepower...we're gonna have to rely on backs to the wall performances.

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Nice try, Gaz, but you must know in your heart of hearts that both these statements can't hold at the same time:

I have great admiration and respect for Randy Lerner. I believe him to be the near-perfect custodian of our club.

O’Neill, after 4 years of near-total, almost dictatorial, control of footballing matters had left and a massive vacuum remained. By their nature, vacuums suck up all that surrounds them. They are hugely volatile and destructive. I believe that Lerner’s biggest mistake since his arrival was to allow for that to happen.
If Mr Lerner really did let MON have such potentially destructive control of the club, he can hardly have been a perfect, or even near-perfect, chairman, can he?

For the moment, anger about MON's departure is quite understandably clouding questions about the competence of the board but as time goes on we will increasingly be able to judge the board's actions more dispassionately.

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No way there is a deal in place that we can't back out of and then we play milner in our first game.

If Mr Lerner really did let MON have such potentially destructive control of the club, he can hardly have been a perfect, or even near-perfect, chairman, can he?

Excellent point, if Randy allowed us to get into such a mess then how is he blameless and so brilliant?

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If Mr Lerner really did let MON have such potentially destructive control of the club, he can hardly have been a perfect, or even near-perfect, chairman, can he?

I think that was Gatzon's actual point. He is near-perfect because this was allowed to happen. Hard to mistake Lerner on anything else.

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If Mr Lerner really did let MON have such potentially destructive control of the club, he can hardly have been a perfect, or even near-perfect, chairman, can he?

I think that was Gatzon's actual point. He is near-perfect because this was allowed to happen. Hard to mistake Lerner on anything else.

Zacly. The near perfect bit, IMO, is the bit about giving MON way too much freedom and control of the club. MON obviously wanted this, but in hindsight it was perhaps not the wisest position to adopt.

It resulted firstly in Faulkner, then a power struggle between Faulkner and MON, and then MON leaving and leaving us in this temporary vacuum.

MON wanted it this way though, it seems. Lerner's only really major failing to date, for me, has been the misplaced trust and faith in MON.

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That was my point. He gave MON control with the best of intentions, believing it to be in the best interests of the football club. He now knows he made a mistake doing that and is learning from it.

I think Randy will prove to be a very good Lerner. :mrgreen: :winkold:

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Fine article Gazton.

Is it really that bad being a Villa fan currently, i mean what is so wrong?

So people are getting themselves in such a pickle, ask yourself what is really so bad?

Probably down to the fact we haven't strengthened key areas. We have no LB cover, we haven't got proper CM cover, and well we don't have a proper goal scorer in.

Sidwell is on the books, and will continue to look lost on the field and pass to the opposition, like he has done since he signed here. Heskey will continue to fall over and forget how to score. And John Carew will only decide to start playing well in late January when there is talk of him being released or sold off, as he has also done in the past, and throughout his career.

So nothing really different to when MON was here?

As i said what is really so terrible at Villa right now?

Are we in masses of debt, do we owe banks or the government shit loads, are we about to fold or drop into the blue square premier.

We're not going to challenge for the holy grail of the top four unless we spend another 100+ million imo and we're not going to do that.

We're in the pack behind though, challenging possibly win the odd cup or two, whats wrong with that?

I've realised since MON left that we're not going to spend the money to get the be all and end all of football, its not too bad competing if one of the best leagues in the world though...

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That was my point. He gave MON control with the best of intentions, believing it to be in the best interests of the football club. He now knows he made a mistake doing that and is learning from it.

I think Randy will prove to be a very good Lerner. :mrgreen: :winkold:

Jesus Wept!

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Yeah but a mistake is a mistake. Football is an unforgiving sport and everyone is judged on results.

I'm not saying that Lerner or MON should be harrangued at all but you have to judge people in this game by what they do and the results that they produce. Best intentions mean nothing.

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ONeil had identified Ireland in June don't know anything about pre agreements but 100 percent he wanted him .

Good post Gazton btw

Not according to Jas, he said MON never wanted Ireland well MON's nephew said that apparently! :notsure:

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