The Randy Lerner thread

[villan_007]

Goodbye you utter failure of a man.

Bit harsh.

I think that was nice.

Failed at owning the browns, failed at owning villa, failure in his marriage. He's a failure who was fortunate enough to have a rich father. In a few months he won't be anything to do with villa.

Can we please declare this one of the worst posts of 2014? Getting personal like this is absolutely ridiculous.

 

Lerner needs to get out for all our sakes before we drop like a stone, yes.

 

However, calling a rather private businessman who the public on both sides on the Atlantic know little about a "failure in marriage" is about as wide of the mark as you can get. We don't get to read the divorce papers, and we don't know how little Johnny or whatever thinks about it. Just put a little perspective into it, the man's a fecking human being.

Have some of you read the things people used to say about doug, mcleish, heskey, hutton etc.. I don't remember too many being disgusted with what was said to them. What i said about lerner wasn't half as bad as some of the abuse given out to others. I guess lerner did give us a scarf.

It's just pathetic though what you said, and your excuse is even worse. The football side of things didn't work out in the end for Lerner, it started well but it was all mismanaged. You only need to look at the holte end, the holte suite, the holte pub, the finishing of the training facilities, take a tour of the stadium to see that Lerner cares a great deal about Villa. He has pumped in over £200 mill into the club. Sadly it didn't work out. He is no sticking to his word and moving on.

But hey let's ignore all that and comment on his marriage and try to say all he did was give us a scarf!

Pathetic and embarrassing.

[Big_John_10]

You only need to look at the holte end, the holte suite, the holte pub, the finishing of the training facilities, take a tour of the stadium to see that Lerner cares a great deal about Villa

And you only need to look at the appointment of McLeish and the gambling with our premiership status over the last 3 years to see that he really didn't. The lack of funding in the last 3 January windows tell me more about the man than the pub. Always seems strange to me how those that continue to defend Lerner seem to care more about things that have nothing to do with football.

The only pathetic and embarrassing thing is what Lerner has turned this club into and despite that there's still fans like you ready to pipe up for him.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

 

You only need to look at the holte end, the holte suite, the holte pub, the finishing of the training facilities, take a tour of the stadium to see that Lerner cares a great deal about Villa

And you only need to look at the appointment of McLeish and the gambling with our premiership status over the last 3 years to see that he really didn't. The lack of funding in the last 3 January windows tell me more about the man than the pub. Always seems strange to me how those that continue to defend Lerner seem to care more about things that have nothing to do with football.

The only pathetic and embarrassing thing is what Lerner has turned this club into and despite that there's still fans like you ready to pipe up for him.

So taking both statements into consideration, is it not fair to say he's done both good and bad, maybe try and take a more balanced view of him rather than resorting to personal attacks?

 

[Big_John_10]

The only thing in the world that ever winds me up is Aston Villa and even that's just posting on a forum.

Its fair to say he's done some good with things that don't really matter. We're a football club, in terms of on the pitch and things that matter to a football club I think he's been awful.

[kurtsimonw]

 

 

You only need to look at the holte end, the holte suite, the holte pub, the finishing of the training facilities, take a tour of the stadium to see that Lerner cares a great deal about Villa

And you only need to look at the appointment of McLeish and the gambling with our premiership status over the last 3 years to see that he really didn't. The lack of funding in the last 3 January windows tell me more about the man than the pub. Always seems strange to me how those that continue to defend Lerner seem to care more about things that have nothing to do with football.

The only pathetic and embarrassing thing is what Lerner has turned this club into and despite that there's still fans like you ready to pipe up for him.

So taking both statements into consideration, is it not fair to say he's done both good and bad, maybe try and take a more balanced view of him rather than resorting to personal attacks?

You're a very angry man. If I were you I'd be careful you don't let that spill over into the real world.

 

It's also funny how people forget those top 6 finishes as well. Success on the pitch, excellent rebuilding off it is more positive than the bad seasons IMO. If we do get sold to a US giant, then he'll rightfully get praise for that too, much like Shinawatra opening the door for the current lot at City. 

[Big_John_10]

It's also funny how people forget those top 6 finishes as well.

Do you think Leeds fans are still happy with risdale because they played in the champions leagues? Those years were good but because of how poor he is its led to shocking past few seasons.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Big_John_10

[Morley_crosses_to_Withe]

Leeds ended up in League One. I fail to see the comparison.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Indeed. We're nowhere near "doing a Leeds". If anything, he deserves some credit for stopping the rot in time.

From a business point of view, they've succeeded in restoring our economic situation to a level where we *could* begin to push on again.

My issue has always been the lies that were told along the way. That and McLeish.

[DamsonwoodVillan]

Of course we all thank him for making improvements to some features of the commercial side of the club and the training ground.

The bread and butter however is what happens on the pitch. Lerner has succeeded in certain aspects and not succeeded in others.

I believe his biggest mistake was the first couple of years, where it appears he trusted in himself and O'Neill alone to make all the footballing decisions and transform the team.

Since then our decline has been so depressing and has been down to a number of things.

McLeish, Houllier and Lambert all needed a lot of financial backing to deliver any kind of success on the pitch and that never came because Lerner was worried about bankrupting the club/himself.

It's a sad way to leave really but at least he goes having restored financial order and having made some said commercial improvements.

[DamsonwoodVillan]

From an overall club point of view, this is the ideal time for a takeover.

Lerner will leave with a lot more thank-yous and well wishes than good-riddances... if he sells to the right buyer now.

[villabromsgrove]

He tried, he failed, he nearly cost us our Premiership status. He didn't do it deliberately, it happened due  to his naivety and inexperience, and his refusal to appoint an experienced CEO.  The only thing for him to do now is to sell AVFC to a suitable new owner. Hopefully that is what his announcement in a few days time will confirm. 

[Ingram85]

I don't hate the man and find the distasteful personal insults truly truly pathetic and more of a sad low life reflection of the posters making them rather than lerner but while I thank him for his time, it is time to go. He's had good times & bad times and while im sure he has tried, best intentions will only get you so far in a game all about £££££'s.

I think he realised he couldn't give what was needed and has gotten us (riskily) into a sellable position and will step aside.

I wish things had worked out differently here for us and for him after those bright promises at the start of the new dawn that wasn't to be. A shame. I wish him all the best as a person but kind of glad he has the sense to move aside.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Ingram85

[villa4europe]

It's also funny how people forget those top 6 finishes as well.

Do you think Leeds fans are still happy with risdale because they played in the champions leagues? Those years were good but because of how poor he is its led to shocking past few seasons.

You having a laugh? My Leeds supporting family never let me forget that **** CL semi final

They look at us and ask me what the point of us is, never going anywhere or doing anything, they are happier that they gambled and lost rather than doing what we are, the clubs a shambles from top to bottom and that CL semi is something for them to cling to and remember despite it having no relevance to where the club currently is

Sounds familiar doesn't it?

[DamsonwoodVillan]

I know it's not comparable to the Champions League but during his tenure Villa were so close to winning the League Cup twice. We also threw away two points in the dying seconds of an away game at Arsenal, which I'm convinced had we hung onto we would have been in a very good position to finish 4th.

Had we won one of those fans would be saying we'd matched our moderate successes of the early 90s. Success and failure in football is all such fine margins.

He's made awful mistakes as chairman but also been a tad unlucky on days/nights when the football gods could have smiled on us.

I'd never swap our recent history with Leeds, never in a million years.

[villa-revolution]

 

 

It's also funny how people forget those top 6 finishes as well.

Do you think Leeds fans are still happy with risdale because they played in the champions leagues? Those years were good but because of how poor he is its led to shocking past few seasons.

You having a laugh? My Leeds supporting family never let me forget that **** CL semi final

They look at us and ask me what the point of us is, never going anywhere or doing anything, they are happier that they gambled and lost rather than doing what we are, the clubs a shambles from top to bottom and that CL semi is something for them to cling to and remember despite it having no relevance to where the club currently is

Sounds familiar doesn't it?

 

 

To your Leeds Supporting family.

 

Aston Villa 1 Bayern Munich 0

 

Now maybe they get the point?

[Big_John_10]

He didn't do it deliberately

Did he accidentally hire mcleish? Did he just forget his managers needed their squads improving the last 3 January windows?

He certainly did gamble with our premiership status and it was 100% intentional. That's unforgivable IMO.

[villa4europe]

It's also funny how people forget those top 6 finishes as well.

Do you think Leeds fans are still happy with risdale because they played in the champions leagues? Those years were good but because of how poor he is its led to shocking past few seasons.

You having a laugh? My Leeds supporting family never let me forget that **** CL semi final

They look at us and ask me what the point of us is, never going anywhere or doing anything, they are happier that they gambled and lost rather than doing what we are, the clubs a shambles from top to bottom and that CL semi is something for them to cling to and remember despite it having no relevance to where the club currently is

Sounds familiar doesn't it?

To your Leeds Supporting family.

Aston Villa 1 Bayern Munich 0

Now maybe they get the point?

What year did sky invent football?

Unfortunately we now live in a world where spurs finishing 4th and taking part in the champions league is seen by too many as this huge achievement that eclipses anything we've ever done

But like I was trying to say, don't think there are loads of Leeds fans who are bitter about their CL gamble because the ones I know aren't, they hate risdale but they happily boast that they took the gamble and had a couple of years in the spotlight

We gambled, had a good couple of years, made a mess of it and are now suffering, would people be any happier if lerners time here had seen us finish 8th every year? Doubt it, people still talk about taking 3k to hamburg, the wembley weekends and the stoke game now, but seeing as we are shit and close to rock bottom now let's pretend we were never any good with Lerner anyway?

[smetrov]

one thing about the pub training, training facilities - these were Ellis plans - that Lerner pushed the button on - He didn't seem to have any of his own ideas - or if he did, he didn't have the drive to push them through.

 

I don't think Lerner is a bad bloke - he just knew nothing about football - but then wouldn't appoint a CEO who did ......we are all looking at $ $ at the minute - but arguable expertise is more important, as we aren't likley to get an owner who blow clubs out of the water with his money....

[misanthrope]

We didn't gamble, we had investment. Ridsdale gambled on debt.

 

Our heavy investment into players should have given us better results. Whether that blame fell on Lerner, MON or the players themselves is a contested subject.

[pacbuddies]

Randy Lerner, you have been here for 8 seasons and Aston Villa are no better now than they were when you started.

 

You recklessly overspent in your early years to try to achieve something that requires a football brain as well as money and then you spent 4 years gambling our Premiership status in order to recoup some of the money you so stupidly wasted.

 

Please go now before you do any more damage to our club as you are not wanted here.