The Randy Lerner thread

[Dodgyknees]

It's not a plan then, just something that is fairly accepted. No real evidence we will move on, we're all about saving money and doing the least possible imho.

Edited March 10, 2014 by dodgyknees

[suttonpaul]

Ok then I will reword it slightly. The fairly accepted idea that the fans have that is the clubs plan.

[avfc1982]

the fairly accepted idea that we would spend 20m a year on a handful of players from now on slowly improving the team to move forward.

Depends what the wage budget is though. No point in willing to spend good money in transfer fees if you won't pay good wages. The good players just won't come and we'll have to look at the lower leagues again, and look where that's got us.

[Big_John_10]

What a plan. Lambert keeps spending the same amount. So we have 4 shit years cutting costs to then enable the manager to spend the same? Genius.

[suttonpaul]

Yea on less players and therefore in theory improving the first team only from now on rather than padding a squad even anti plan boy can accept that surely?

[Dodgyknees]

Yea on less players and therefore in theory improving the first team only from now on rather than padding a squad even anti plan boy can accept that surely?

Again, there is no evidence of a plan.

[Big_John_10]

Yea on less players and therefore in theory improving the first team only from now on rather than padding a squad even anti plan boy can accept that surely?

Its still spending the same amount. I can't believe we'he had record lows and risked our premiership status to continue to spend the same amount as when we were drastically cutting costs.

[Raver50032]

I seem to have suckered myself into thinking that some sort of shroud of mist would be lifted from Villa Park this summer and that the club would literally 'go again.' The last couple of pages makes me wonder if this is now it then for AVFC.

 

Have we reached rock bottom and a new project emerges with some real tangible evidence of progress on the pitch?

 

Are we at a stage (as a club and as fans) where expectations can be realistically set out and explained by the club? (Not that the Club are that big on filling us in on any sort of recognisable periodicity). Where are we going and what are we actually trying to achieve?

 

Have we simply found our true lot in life? (Personally, I **** hope not).

 

--

I just have a nagging doubt that this summer will be as exciting as the 'just wait and see until we've managed out all the dead wood' guidance led me to believe and hope. I think we are being trimmed for sale personally, just my opinion.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Raver50032

[romavillan]

Well, IF Bent, Given and Hutton all manage to find clubs this summer. The accounts thread seems to suggest that all things considered in the summer we'll be financially much better placed than last summer. So, even if the budget (with Benteke staying) is £20m and we spend it on 3 players, we could pay them all with the wages of Bent and Given. So we get 3 good players, get rid of 3 who aren't going to feature ever, improve the team, the squad and save £40k a week.

 

Now, IF because of the improving finances we spend say £30m on 3 players, they would probably be of a calibre that the wages would be a little higher still, but they coudl be covered by Bent, Given and Hutton all off the books. In that case you0d have to consider the improvement in finances that winning more games and finishing higher up the table would bring too.

 

So, IF we are being prepared for sale and we do manage to offload Bent, Given and Hutton, the first scenario would seem the most likely. Which is a pretty good minimum! Either way this summer is crunch time to see where we are heading, we don't have to see £50m invested in the playing staff for it to be progress though either.

[BG_Villa_Fan]

I think people who'd expect Bent, Given and Hutton to just forfeit their ridiculous wages and go somewhere on a huge paycut are kidding themselves. They will most likely be loaned out again while being paid most of their wages by Aston Villa. Either that or getting a handy payoff on leaving for another team. It's crazy to expect from Bent to decline taking 65K per week or so just to go to a team that'd pay him a more reasonable 25K per week. That difference is over 2 million over a year. No one leaves that money on the table.

[bannedfromHandV]

I think being as none of us have the faintest effing clue about what's actually happening behind the scenes at Villa we should just shut the F up and try as best possible to enjoy the only element of the club that we can try to understand which is what happens on the pitch.

 

When did people become so obsessive over this shit? Do you remember when supporting a team used to be about a saturday afternoon, a burger and pint and a bit of banter amongst mates?

 

Obesessing over this is farcical, particularly when all people are arguing about is speculation and conjecture.

Edited March 11, 2014 by bannedfromHandV

[TrentVilla]

Ah yes the days when football clubs were well... football clubs not PLC's or LTD's or investment fund for Prince's or an asset of a holding company.

Football changed a long time ago, sadly now money is more important than who your number 9 is. Sad but true.

That people speculate over it and accounts is in the modern game really no different to debating any other element of the game

[Isa]

I think being as none of us have the faintest effing clue about what's actually happening behind the scenes at Villa we should just shut the F up and try as best possible to enjoy the only element of the club that we can try to understand which is what happens on the pitch.

 

When did people become so obsessive over this shit? Do you remember when supporting a team used to be about a saturday afternoon, a burger and pint and a bit of banter amongst mates?

 

Obesessing over this is farcical, particularly when all people are arguing about is speculation and conjecture.

Most of us shared your mindset during the MON days probably but the subsequent seasons of cutbacks and resultant mediocrity have obviously made us realise the importance of sustainable finances to the long-term plan. Impossible to ignore really.

[Risso]

Analysing the accounts is much more fun than watching the majority of Villa games this year....

[DelboyVilla]

So where does the £20m come from for the 'summer plan'? We have lost money again last year and almost certainly this year again?

 

And someone suggested if we get rid of Bent Given and Hutton and replace them with 3 players for £20m and pay the 3 what Given and Bent were earning saving £40k per week our accounts will look better? We need to save £40m a year to break even not £2m from Hutton's wages? Plus they will have £20m to spend and £40k per week on wages between all 3 players IMO. This is why we will get rubbish players again because we will have money for fees but crap wages? What will the players be interested in? Wages!

[romavillan]

Although I can remember plenty of conversations about the board and funding, how they treated Tony Barton and the European Cup winning team, politics and money etc... right from when I was young.

Now we're talking more about balance sheets and player wages but still, it's just taking an interest in how things are being run...

[DelboyVilla]

Come the summer the way I see it is that we potentially could have money to spend on fees but nothing to spend on wages.

 

Here comes more Tonev's, Luna's, Helenius' and Sylla's.

 

We're doomed Mr Mainwaring!!!

[sne]

Luciano Spalletti just got sacked from Zenit, really would not mind him here.

Not that he'd be interested, but still. If we had an ambitious owner it could have happened.

Please sell up soon Lerner

[GarethRDR]

Uh-oh, Spalletti-woes.

[suttonpaul]

Delboy check out the accounts thread for the answer (last couple of pages of it).

 

As for the money improving the team I think its worth saying ....... if its spent well it will! That might be obvious to some but it could be spent on some right crap or Lambert may spend it on 7 players not 3 etc. That's the wait and see bit for me. Obviously if Lerner doesn't spend the cash then we can all moan as the books are balanced now on a transfer budget of 20m a season.