Jump to content

Deadly Doug or Randy Lerner


Ron Burgundy

If you could choose would you swap Randy for Deadly  

168 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you swap Randy for Deadly

    • Yes
    • No
    • Both choices are so depressing I feel like crying


Recommended Posts

As I said, we'll see. My opinion is that he won't do enough to save the club, but if he pulls a couple of Premier League standard players out of the bag that are capable of dragging us out of this mess, then I will gladly admit to being wrong.

And yes, Doug was bad news, we all wanted him gone. But I don't think he'd have let the squad get into the mess that it is now, and hence is the lesser of two evils for me.

I disagree but as you said, we'll see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thought we were better off.

Off the pitch, yes, we are, I agree.

On it, we're back where we were. The concern is that relegation would mean that off the pitch things would inevitable decline, too. From the ability to find young players, to funding for coaches and facilities and so on. All that would suffer if we go down.

Lex has it right when he says

Yes, in terms of league position and the fact that we're in the middle of a squad rebuild but in other areas it really isn't that bad at all and in some areas the club has improved massively. There's no way we'd have one of the best training grounds in the country, a vastly improved sponsorship deal and kit deal or anything like that under Ellis - he was tight as a duck's arse and a lot of people didn't like doing business with him.

I remember your original post you started, asking randy to back us or move over for someone who will. I remember how your post got absolutely slated, upon reflection everything you said at the time was right.

It was only right if you view football as a financial arms race, where clubs vie with each other to attract richer and richer owners to throw money at them.

To me that is wrong, was wrong when it was first raised, and is wrong now. It's just not how I view the game.

Of course the club needs money and income and controlled expenditure and so on, but simply swapping one rich bloke for an even richer different bloke is not, to me, much in the way of a plan for success.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not really worth voting is it. One is a retired senile old scrooge and the other is a completely useless yank.

I agree. But at least the senile old scrooge still cares about the club. He is at every home match and probably find the sorry state we are in just as depressing as we do (even though he cashed in).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree. But at least the senile old scrooge still cares about the club. He is at every home match and probably find the sorry state we are in just as depressing as we do (even though he cashed in).

well the old dog may as well have cashed in ......every other **** football club has when they have seen us coming.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thing is how much did he buy the club for I've heard figures of £65m to £85m.

The lower end of that doesn't sound that much bearing in mind it was at the height of the property / finance boom.

The ground alone must be worth £15-£20m.

Lerner got a bargain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thing is how much did he buy the club for I've heard figures of £65m to £85m.

The lower end of that doesn't sound that much bearing in mind it was at the height of the property / finance boom.

The ground alone must be worth £15-£20m.

Lerner got a bargain.

I think for the players we have bought over recent years he got " life imprisonment"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

we did have better managers at spotting talent. 1.5 million for Nobby Solano case in point

The same manager who paid £7m for Milan Baros Vs £7m for Christian Benteke almost 8 years later. You win some you lose some.

This thread is, in my eyes, an abomination. For all Lerners faults and believe me there are many, give me the rollercoaster any day over sitting on your **** hands and wishing.

Screw Doug Ellis. Daft old prick.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wasnt defending Doug just saying he had better managers to work under his draconian financial regime. I doubt we would have got far with any of Lerner managers under Dougs control

Sorry yes, I should have said, only the first line was intended to be directed towards your post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wasnt defending Doug just saying he had better managers to work under his draconian financial regime.

They were very hit and miss. Turner, McNeill, Venglos, GTMK2, O'Leary were total **** ups. GTMK1, Atkinson, Little, Gregory all did well or OK. In fact Graham Taylors first stint completely saved Ellis's bacon and turned the club around.

Edited by markavfc40
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thing is how much did he buy the club for I've heard figures of £65m to £85m.

The lower end of that doesn't sound that much bearing in mind it was at the height of the property / finance boom.

The ground alone must be worth £15-£20m.

Lerner got a bargain.

I would say around 65-70m and I am sure all of the land around Villa park that came with the purchase aswell?

Now correct me if I am wrong anyone as these figures are from brief memory.. He upgraded the training facilitys at a rough cost of 14m. Rebuilt the Holte Hotel at a rough cost of 4m. The mosiac display on the holte end another 1m, then all the other little bits and pieces like refurbishing the holte end entrance pub etc, trinity road suites, huge cinema screens outside the ground, and the other bumflufferies here and there. All in all an investment of another 25m added to his purchase price of the club. But all in all about 100m let's say he has sunk in on buying and revamping the place.

That's before a player is purchased! I am sure I have read that Randy Lerner has spent well over 200m in 7 years on players (add that to wages and I bet that figure turns to nearly 500m!)

All in all roughly 600m in 7 years!..

I don't think doug could ever match that figure in a 7 year period to be fair!

but 600m and what is there to show for it? ok a nice venue definately but only a Carling cup final appearance and currently 18th in the league and looking like getting worse unless more money is pumped in to save this huge investment.

Now I am no Alan Sugar but if I had ploughed 600m into a business I am going to make sure that if the times get tough I don't **** it all up by ignoring the problem and refusing to fix it.

If Randy was to ever think about selling up he is not going to let an investment this huge go to **** and wipe off any current valuation by dropping down a league and also missing out on a huge windfall of new money deals the following year!

If he is failing to see this than I suggest he sits up and takes notice of PL list of recruits and invests another 20/30m if it is certain to rescue us.

That is an expensive investment and from an outsiders point of view its like he purchased a car and paid shitloads on adding modifications etc. only for your friend to come round (paul faulkner) to have a spin in it but rag the shit out of it and cause you to carry out numerous expensive repairs time and time again of which the mechanics he took it too cost shitloads of money to put right but never actually did the job properly either. Now yes paul faulkner is a clearing in the woods for doing it, but Randy is more of a dick for letting him do it in the first place!

Doug Ellis was a prick and always will be in my view. But I dont think Randy has actually thought about this whole owning a Premier League club being all that is was cracked up to be either hence the new direction this club is now operating on.

.

Edited by AvfcRigo82
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The same manager who paid £7m for Milan Baros Vs £7m for Christian Benteke almost 8 years later. You win some you lose some.

This thread is, in my eyes, an abomination. For all Lerners faults and believe me there are many, give me the rollercoaster any day over sitting on your **** hands and wishing.

Screw Doug Ellis. Daft old prick.

My thoughts exactly.

Lerner is far from perfect and even further from blameless....

... but I'll take his effort over Doug's self-promotion every day of the week. Lerner is playing catch up - it's Doug who missed the big opportunity.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...
Â