coda Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Loving these posts from the financial experts on here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 The minute MON left I started to think maybe our owner wasn't as good as i first thought. What an incredibly strange thing to state. You must have been devastated at the time :shock: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumstopdogs Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Loving these posts from the financial experts on here. Cheers - no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 The minute MON left I started to think maybe our owner wasn't as good as i first thought. What an incredibly strange thing to state. You must have been devastated at the time :shock: Why is it strange? I never believed the shit the general posted and MON leaving when he did made me question what was going on behind the scenes. Nothing i've seen in the past 18 months has made me think Lerner is doing a good job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHV Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Most of his 'wealth' is tied up in the Lerner Trust in which case I think it is safe from his ex-wifes claims. As for BOA shares, if he wasn't bright enough to sell before they bottomed out it proves he ain't much of a businessman. Which brings the question why he is intending to hang onto AVFC because he is never going to make money out of it, he is never here so WHY???? It was his dad who was the businessman, as understand it Randy inherited everything from his dad. I dont think he has much of a clue about anything if I'm honest. I think his business knowledge is about as good as his football and NFL knowledge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 My sentiment towards Randy is ambivalent. When he came her we were incredibly happy and the appointment of MON (yeah yeah yeah Doug whatever) gave us a big spark. We spent money, not Chelsea or City money, but we got some exciting players and fought off other clubs to good players. Signings like Ashley Young for 10M and even continuing getting players in was very interesting. We scored goals and even let ourselves believe winning 1-0 boring was not good enough. Linked with tons of good players, like Wesley Sneijder at one point. Steady improvement and hitting 6th three times in a row, even sniffing around 4th at one point when Arsenal were 9 points behind us or something like that around Christmas. I went to Villa Park every year and I don't live in the country. Purchased jerseys every year as well, even though I seldom used them. Well, being a much more satisfied fan, following SkySports, VT etc. every day. Now, I just resent Randy somewhat for bringing us the illusion and then rapidly taking it away in a matter of months. Like being satisfied with your personal economy, then winning the lottery before realizing it was just a problem with the numbers. I have no plans to attend Villa Park this season, or the next for that matter, because when I went to the Wolves game at VP last season I had such a letdown. The crowd was a bit hostile, the atmosphere outside VP was down from past seasons, the team was crap, the manager was crap, everyone were angry and we lost the game after playing incredibly bad. People can say whatever they want about me as a fan, and I seriously do not care, but there are a lot like me who will not bother to show up anymore. One thing is us people living abroad, having to sacrifice 500-750 pounds for just one weekend and one game, but we can see that locals are doing the same because they are just not that into it anymore. And that is the nature of modern football is it not? I can accept us being what we are as a mid-table club, but I cannot accept the fashion of which things have been dealt these last couple of seasons. The lack of information and lack of leadership is second to none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginko Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 It was his dad who was the businessman, as understand it Randy inherited everything from his dad. I dont think he has much of a clue about anything if I'm honest. I think his business knowledge is about as good as his football and NFL knowledge Man I'm bored of seeing this posted. The guy went to some of the best business and law schools in America and Britain, and since his father was such a tremendous businessman, who better to learn from as a mentor? I just find it staggering that people on here seem to think they know how Randy conducts his business, if he truly didn't know what he was doing, either his company would have gone belly up by now or he would have been voted out of it. The point is moot anyways, considering the business of running a football club is completely different to running a normal business. They're not even on the same planet as each other. Do I think Randy has run our club well? No, not particularly, but going around claiming he's just living off his father's success is completely unfounded. When you're a billionaire businessman, then you can tell me how good Randy Lerner is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipvilla1 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Can we change the title of this thread to 'who is Randy?' Its been that long since I've seen his ugly mug I have no idea what he looks like. I heard his wife filed for divorce because he keeps wasting his fortune on donkeys. Heskey refused to comment on the allegation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Just rememberd that the other day I tossed my bright history proud future DVD into the bin at home without a second thought. I remember thinking how great it was and what a nice gesture when it arrived. Hard to believe it will be 5 years ago in a few months since that game against Sheff Utd where we got the free scarfs. It was a nothing end of season game for us given that we were mid table but was a full house, and a fantastic atmosphere due to the anticipation that we may be about to go places. Pretty emotional day due to the European Cup winners being back but the most memorable part for me was when the players game on to the pitch and everyone waving the scarfs and singing. The atmosphere was electric and it felt like this is it.... we're back. Three good seasons of season on season improvement followed and that dream then suddenly died and we've now had the best part of two years of sliding back towards where Randy found us. I guess the ride was good whilst it lasted. I remember that day too, it was magic. In fact I have the panoramic picture that they still sell in the Villa shop on my office wall at work. All it gets now is wistful looks as to what might have been On the subject of the 'Proud History, Bright Future' scarfs I never wear mine now on the basis I only believe half of what is written on it. If fans really wanted to make a gesture that would definitely be picked up by the media we should all bring our scarfs back to Villa Park and throw them on the pitch at the end of the game. A bit like when the Middlesborough fan threw his season ticket at McLaren. We are still attending the game, still supporting Villa, but making a point about the direction the club is going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 On the subject of the 'Proud History, Bright Future' scarfs I never wear mine now on the basis I only believe half of what is written on it. If fans really wanted to make a gesture that would definitely be picked up by the media we should all bring our scarfs back to Villa Park and throw them on the pitch at the end of the game. A bit like when the Middlesborough fan threw his season ticket at McLaren. We are still attending the game, still supporting Villa, but making a point about the direction the club is going. Now that is a clever suggestion. Co-ordinate the return of the scarves, although probably better at half time. Highly visual and providing a good gauge of discontent. It's nice to see a posting from someone who is not happy, but who comes up with something constructive, rather than just flinging mud at the manager of the board. As a non-protestor I will be hanging on to my scarf though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 It's nice to see a posting from someone who is not happy, but who comes up with something constructive, rather than just flinging mud at the manager of the board. On that broad subject my problems with Lerner as an owner are very specific. I understand the need to run the club on a more commercial footing and I buy into the principle that we have have to tread water for a couple of years given the excesses of previous seasons for which I blame Lerner and MON equally. My issue with the owner is two specific things. Failure to really articulate a complete vision for the club in the post MON era. The interview in the Times was a start but he needs to engage with the fan base and show he cares, assuming of course he does which I think he does. The second and far bigger issue is his appointment of McLeish. I was prepared to give him a chance but it was a cataclysmic appointment and we are being treated to exactly what we deep down expected. Accepting the constraints and the need to bring the young players on we should have appointed a young ambitious manager like Brendan Rogers or Paul Lambert and really tried to build something over a few years I think we the fans would have bought into that vision, the "bright future' that was promised as long as we could see progression and the objectives of the club. We all know we cannot compete financially with the Man City's of this world but tight financial control coupled with a good manager and playing staff in the Arsenal or Spurs model can be successful. Finally for the record I think the cheap shots that are constantly made about Lerner serve to undermine the arguments we are trying to make. Apparently the club monitor forums like VT and others. Seeing lots of posters abusing the owner, and the chief executive for that matter, does nothing to advance the more serious concerns we are raising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 It's nice to see a posting from someone who is not happy, but who comes up with something constructive, rather than just flinging mud at the manager of the board. On that broad subject my problems with Lerner as an owner are very specific. I understand the need to run the club on a more commercial footing and I buy into the principle that we have have to tread water for a couple of years given the excesses of previous seasons for which I blame Lerner and MON equally. My issue with the owner is two specific things. Failure to really articulate a complete vision for the club in the post MON era. The interview in the Times was a start but he needs to engage with the fan base and show he cares, assuming of course he does which I think he does. The second and far bigger issue is his appointment of McLeish. I was prepared to give him a chance but it was a cataclysmic appointment and we are being treated to exactly what we deep down expected. Accepting the constraints and the need to bring the young players on we should have appointed a young ambitious manager like Brendan Rogers or Paul Lambert and really tried to build something over a few years I think we the fans would have bought into that vision, the "bright future' that was promised as long as we could see progression and the objectives of the club. We all know we cannot compete financially with the Man City's of this world but tight financial control coupled with a good manager and playing staff in the Arsenal or Spurs model can be successful. Finally for the record I think the cheap shots that are constantly made about Lerner serve to undermine the arguments we are trying to make. Apparently the club monitor forums like VT and others. Seeing lots of posters abusing the owner, and the chief executive for that matter, does nothing to advance the more serious concerns we are raising. The serious concern I have is that Lerner is a crap sports owner and businessman, and if reading that about himself helps him bugger off sooner, then can I just say: Lerner, sell up and go away, you've failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDrums Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Well said Risso. People that think he will magically get it right live in Peter Pan land. If you look back at his appointments in American football he gets it wrong every single time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Well said Risso. People that think he will magically get it right live in Peter Pan land. If you look back at his appointments in American football he gets it wrong every single time. I totally agree that he has not made a good job of owning and running Villa, they the key challenge for him going forward is to get it right. I personally don't think that is living in Peter Pan land. If someone like Mike Ashley can do it at Newcastle I'm sure Randy Lerner can. Its all about taking the right advice and appointing the right people. Paul Faulkner is cast as the pantomime villain by lots of posters but I would hazard a guess that next to no one on this forum has met him let alone talked to him so actually know nothing about him. As the Trees said in a previous post on this thread PF seemingly was appointed to try and put the club on a more sensible commercial footing following the excesses of MON which I agree Lerner must have sanctioned. It could be argued that was a good think to do. Much talk is made on this forum of appointing a 'footballing man' to run the club yet the only suggestion that has been tabled is David Dein. I'd be interested to see if anyone could come up with a shortlist of gettable candidates particularly one that excludes Steve Stride (HDE's bag man IMO) and Graham Taylor (no business background). As I said in my original post Lerner is guilty of not clearly articulating the vision he has for Villa, what is does say is a little too full of sound bites for me at least. My biggest issue, as pointed out, is the appointment of Alex McLeish which I think was ill thought out and flawed but is eminently rectifiable at a suitable point. In fact in some ways its one of the easiest issues to solve. Fans abusing Lerner on internet forums is not going to force him to sell up IMO because if nothing else if you are going to sell up you need a buyer and I don't see many of those around given current economic conditions. As for Randy Lerner being a bad business man the simple truth is we do not know. Al Lerner his Dad was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants to the USA who came from nothing and managed to build up amongst other things MBNA. Randy Lerner is a qualified lawyer who set up and ran his own business before joining MBNA and was a director well before is father died, We don't know what role he played in that business but what we do know is MBNA was sold for $35bn to Bank of America in 2005 which must have been pretty much the top of the market. That sounds pretty good to me but we don't know the background to made a judgement. I'm no apologist for Lerner, I am just as unhappy as everyone else is with the state of the club, but some of the comments being made and the abuse is, IMO, well out of order. I'll just pop off now and get my tin hat and flak jacket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaRoy Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Wheres the General? Anyone heard anything from him in the past few months? I wonder if he still stands by his prediction of 4th being the highest we could achieve this season and 9th being the very lowest? Then theres the classic imagine what Eck could do if backed quote. Mugged off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didiersix Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Well said Risso. People that think he will magically get it right live in Peter Pan land. If you look back at his appointments in American football he gets it wrong every single time. I totally agree that he has not made a good job of owning and running Villa, they the key challenge for him going forward is to get it right. I personally don't think that is living in Peter Pan land. If someone like Mike Ashley can do it at Newcastle I'm sure Randy Lerner can. Its all about taking the right advice and appointing the right people. Paul Faulkner is cast as the pantomime villain by lots of posters but I would hazard a guess that next to no one on this forum has met him let alone talked to him so actually know nothing about him. As the Trees said in a previous post on this thread PF seemingly was appointed to try and put the club on a more sensible commercial footing following the excesses of MON which I agree Lerner must have sanctioned. It could be argued that was a good think to do. Much talk is made on this forum of appointing a 'footballing man' to run the club yet the only suggestion that has been tabled is David Dein. I'd be interested to see if anyone could come up with a shortlist of gettable candidates particularly one that excludes Steve Stride (HDE's bag man IMO) and Graham Taylor (no business background). Good post. I've met PF and as I've said before, wasn't impressed with him at all - he came across as an overgrown, excitable kid and I was genuinely shocked when I discovered he was our CEO. In terms of a 'footballing man' in the role I would suggest there are a few gettable targets. One guy who I have been impressed by is David McNally at Norwich City - also did a good job at Fulham and Celtic (although maybe tainted by the O'Neill connection?). Dare I say Garry Cook is looking for employment.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussG Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 Well said Risso. People that think he will magically get it right live in Peter Pan land. If you look back at his appointments in American football he gets it wrong every single time. I totally agree that he has not made a good job of owning and running Villa, they the key challenge for him going forward is to get it right. I personally don't think that is living in Peter Pan land. If someone like Mike Ashley can do it at Newcastle I'm sure Randy Lerner can. Its all about taking the right advice and appointing the right people. Paul Faulkner is cast as the pantomime villain by lots of posters but I would hazard a guess that next to no one on this forum has met him let alone talked to him so actually know nothing about him. As the Trees said in a previous post on this thread PF seemingly was appointed to try and put the club on a more sensible commercial footing following the excesses of MON which I agree Lerner must have sanctioned. It could be argued that was a good think to do. Much talk is made on this forum of appointing a 'footballing man' to run the club yet the only suggestion that has been tabled is David Dein. I'd be interested to see if anyone could come up with a shortlist of gettable candidates particularly one that excludes Steve Stride (HDE's bag man IMO) and Graham Taylor (no business background). Good post. I've met PF and as I've said before, wasn't impressed with him at all - he came across as an overgrown, excitable kid and I was genuinely shocked when I discovered he was our CEO. In terms of a 'footballing man' in the role I would suggest there are a few gettable targets. One guy who I have been impressed by is David McNally at Norwich City - also did a good job at Fulham and Celtic (although maybe tainted by the O'Neill connection?). Dare I say Garry Cook is looking for employment.... I'd take Garry Cook over the bumbling idiot we currently has a CEO or whatever the hell he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 The next time we hear from Lerner will be at a press conference in February announcing the sale of the club to the Qataris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 The next time we hear from Lerner will be at a press conference in February announcing the sale of the club to the Qataris More chance we'll see General Krulak doing a porn film with David Sullivan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted January 7, 2012 Share Posted January 7, 2012 The next time we hear from Lerner will be at a press conference in February announcing the sale of the club to the Qataris the rumour is resurfacing again isn't it ... interesting for me our current situation is very similar to Dougs last days ... so it could be that Lerner is gearing up for an exit .. maybe he's just working out what stand he wants named after him ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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