The Randy Lerner thread

[Stevo985]

Anything scrawled on a bedsheet is embarrassing.

They're grown men

Cheap, easy to do and got the message on SSN. Seems a sensible and effective way to show your message to me

If you say so

What should they have done? Can't think of many easier and cheaper ways to get your message broadcast on the biggest sports channel in the country.

I bet you've got to go shopping at the weekend for a new bedsheet, haven't you?

[DCJonah]

Yeah......good one.

[Eames]

Anything scrawled on a bedsheet is embarrassing.

They're grown men

Cheap, easy to do and got the message on SSN. Seems a sensible and effective way to show your message to me

If you say so

What should they have done? Can't think of many easier and cheaper ways to get your message broadcast on the biggest sports channel in the country.

Not wasted perfectly serviceable soft furnishings on a message the bloke they aimed it at already agrees with? 

Not embarrassed themselves and the wider supporter base by waving one pathetic banner? 

 

I'm all up for clever fan protest. The Ellis £ stuff was excellent - a clear message with a clear outcome that was within the chairman's gift to give.

 

Whatever you think of Lerner, and no - I don't think he is the devil incarnate - he has put the club up for sale at a reasonable price and been choosy about who he has decided to do business with. He could have flogged us by now to all manner of arseholes but he hasn't because I genuinely believe that he cares about who takes over and he'll only allow it if its in his and the clubs best interests. 

 

 

[Stevo985]

Yeah......good one.

You miserable ****. Cheer up!

Edited October 29, 2015 by Stevo985

[Eames]

Anything scrawled on a bedsheet is embarrassing.

They're grown men

Cheap, easy to do and got the message on SSN. Seems a sensible and effective way to show your message to me

If you say so

What should they have done? Can't think of many easier and cheaper ways to get your message broadcast on the biggest sports channel in the country.

I bet you've got to go shopping at the weekend for a new bedsheet, haven't you?

Top Tip - Plan what you're going to write first and make sure it fits. Nothing worse than LERNER Out  for ruining a protest. 

Edited October 29, 2015 by Eames

[sexbelowsound]

I don't get this "Lerner want's out, whats the point' stance.

He still deserves to know how we feel. Maybe if he fully understands how we feel he MIGHT just get a bloody move on.

 

[sharkyvilla]

Edit

Edited October 29, 2015 by sharkyvilla

[lapal_fan]

I'm feeling somewhat sorry for the senior pros today.

The players who have been here for a long time, like Guzan, Gabby and... well, yea.

Look back to when they first got here?  For Gabby, he had to work with Angel, Vassell, Carew & lately Benteke - all internationals.  He had service from Barry, Young, Milner, Petrov & Isiah Osbourne, now what is he working with? 

Guzan, he worked along side Freidel, had players like Bouma, Mellberg, Laursen, Dunne, Collins & Habib Beye protecting him, now what is he working with?

I know they're not blameless for their individual performances, which have left a lot to be desired - increasingly more so these days.. But look at the teams they played in, look at what the aspirations of those teams were - Finish in Europe, "let's aim for 4th".  Now what?  "Let's stay in the PL with minimum investment, survive and we'll see at the end of the season" - what incentive to do well is that?  When athletes get out of bed, do you really think they ask themselves "Hope we can continue with our objective of 1 point per game!", do they ****.  Athletes want to win.  Shame the suits above them don't seem that bothered.

And I think that's where the mood, attitude and feeling surrounding Villa has turned rather sour.  I honestly don't know how the fans continue to go and watch it.  From my perspective, it's amazing.  I have been up very intermittently, a couple of times a season because is it really worth the £30+ admission to watch a team who most likely aren't going to win?  I think sports in general is built on hope and aspiration - competition even.  Football fans are known for their tribalism and that's because they invest a lot of time, money and emotion into their clubs.  But look at what Villa have offered over the last 6 (SIX) years, no hope.  For over half a decade now, Aston Villa have shown a complete lack of interest in competing and ambition, and that's not coming from the players - who will always want to do well - and especially not the fans, it comes from the people who we don't see on a weekend, the board, the decision makers, the CEO.

We've reached an F.A Cup final, probably more through luck, guts and determination than skill it has to be said, but we got blasted away at the final hurdle, it's all too familiar isn't it?  We're the epitome of almost, but not quite.

Managers come and go, which is to be expected when year on year, every football team in the world expects to "do better".  "We survived! It's the summer, next year, we'll do better." - EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR - and I always fall for it hook, line, and sinker.  But what can a manager do, what can he build with such shoddy resources and continuous cut-backs.  Aston Villa has now become a product of accountants and Excel spreadsheets where "being in the black" is more important that 3 points.  But that's ok because "We're Aston Villa, we won't go down".

So we gorge on the careers of managers who come into Villa seeing a great infrastructure, a lot of money and the thought that if it doesn't work out, at least they'll be given a few MILLION pounds as compo.  I'm pretty sure we almost put Paul Lambert in a casket towards the end of his reign, such was his unhealthy appearance in the end.

So to come back to my original point, Gabby and Guzan (maybe Clark), they have seen experienced internationals come and go, our best players continuously sold because Aston Villa won't match their ambition to improve and a host of managers who will inevitably fail because money is the be all and end all now.  Their best years are definitely behind them and they probably know that. 

The fans, although dwindling slightly, will continue to attend matches, where-ever Villa play because they're hopeless to do otherwise.  We need something big to happen, from the top.  Lerner needs to go, he knows he needs to go, and that's what makes the whole thing even more depressing.  We know he knows he needs to go, but he can't shift it.  So we come full circle (or season) and we continue to eek our way through seasons in the precious PL, slowly but surely losing the quality of player that keeps us there, until what? 

It couldn't possibly happen to us, could it?

 

[DCJonah]

Eames, I won't quote due to the issues it causes. I don't find it embarrassing and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I don't think Lerner should be protected because he said he wants out. Words mean very little when not followed up with action and after not following up on his promise in the summer I'm hesitant to trust everything that comes out of his mouth. 

The £ signs were brilliant, but they didn't just appear one day out of nothing. The protest towards Doug was something that progressed to that point and even the anti Doug stuff would have started somewhere. 

Your last paragraph is something I disagree with. We'd have not flirted with relegation for the 6th consecutive season if the owner cared about this club as much as you believe he does. I think he lost interest in this club a long time ago, and will sell us to whoever gives him the money he wants.

[Dodgyknees]

I'm still not convinced Lerner wants to go as much as he pretends to. The price is conveniently high enough to put people off and with the new TV deal on the horizon I think he might be planning on sticking around. 

[Eames]

Eames, I won't quote due to the issues it causes. I don't find it embarrassing and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I don't think Lerner should be protected because he said he wants out. Words mean very little when not followed up with action and after not following up on his promise in the summer I'm hesitant to trust everything that comes out of his mouth. 

The £ signs were brilliant, but they didn't just appear one day out of nothing. The protest towards Doug was something that progressed to that point and even the anti Doug stuff would have started somewhere. 

Your last paragraph is something I disagree with. We'd have not flirted with relegation for the 6th consecutive season if the owner cared about this club as much as you believe he does. I think he lost interest in this club a long time ago, and will sell us to whoever gives him the money he wants.

Or perhaps he cares enough to take difficult decisions like not bankrupting us with a wage bill that was larger than turnover at one point. (Yes his fault ultimately - but you can't blame the guy for correcting mistakes) 

 

There are plenty of sticks to beat Lerner with: awful managerial appointments, the absentee landlord approach to ownership, lack of ambition to take us forward, but you can't criticise the guy for not fancying taking a £200m pain in the arse to get rid of us. You wouldn't do it. I wouldn't do it. You can't blame him for not doing it. 

 

 

[Eames]

I'm still not convinced Lerner wants to go as much as he pretends to. The price is conveniently high enough to put people off and with the new TV deal on the horizon I think he might be planning on sticking around. 

To what benefit. If he'd enriched himself as a result of owning Aston Villa I'd be inclined to agree - but he hasn't.

[DCJonah]

I don't think he plans to keep hold. I think if someone offered him the amount he wants today, the deal would be done. I think he's more than happy to have nothing to do with us until that point, even if it takes a few years. And while that's happening this club will go nowhere. Now putting pressure on him through the media and through the fans may change that, it might not, but I can't see it being harmful. The man has never had much negativity towards him, having his name in the media and the fans turn against him may make him want to sell quicker and sacrifice some finances in order to make that happen.

Didn't Brown's fans increase pressure on him to sell?

Edited October 29, 2015 by DCJonah

[Morley_crosses_to_Withe]

I keep seeing mention of the price. NOBODY knows what that price is. It's easy to say it's too high, but we don't know that. Nobody knows why the club hasn't been sold, but I'd say there's no appetite for the money pit that is a PL club; this is evident by the fact none have changed hands since 2012.

Protests: I love it how people keep getting all angry on internet forums, and will literally post countless times about their hatred for the owner, but not do anything. How can people accuse Randy of not caring when the only 'care' they show themselves amounts to a few cheap and easy words on the internet. You hate him? You believe we should protest? Go and arrange one. 

[Dodgyknees]

I'm still not convinced Lerner wants to go as much as he pretends to. The price is conveniently high enough to put people off and with the new TV deal on the horizon I think he might be planning on sticking around. 

To what benefit. If he'd enriched himself as a result of owning Aston Villa I'd be inclined to agree - but he hasn't.

I think he wants to hold on for the new tv deal, raise the price to 220-250m after a year or two, whilst continuing to underfund (Garde works, after his work at Lyon). And he will then be satisfied with an even bigger payment for the club. Unfortunately for him I think we are going down this season which will put a big dent in his plans and in turn we will see even more cost cutting.

You don't move goal posts constantly if your aim is a goal...

[Eames]

The fact that the TV deal ££ is coming surely means that anyone wanting to buy the club does so now so you don't have to pay the inflated price due to larger income. Now is the time to buy a PL club - not next season. 

 

[DCJonah]

I keep seeing mention of the price. NOBODY knows what that price is. It's easy to say it's too high, but we don't know that. Nobody knows why the club hasn't been sold, but I'd say there's no appetite for the money pit that is a PL club; this is evident by the fact none have changed hands since 2012.

Protests: I love it how people keep getting all angry on internet forums, and will literally post countless times about their hatred for the owner, but not do anything. How can people accuse Randy of not caring when the only 'care' they show themselves amounts to a few cheap and easy words on the internet. You hate him? You believe we should protest? Go and arrange one. 

i remember you being quite vocal on here about Lambert and how needed to go. How many protests did you start?

[Dodgyknees]

The fact that the TV deal ££ is coming surely means that anyone wanting to buy the club does so now so you don't have to pay the inflated price due to larger income. Now is the time to buy a PL club - not next season. 

 

I don't think Lerner sees it like that. 

[Demitri_C]

Fox is running the club, if you want someone out then it has to be him.  Lerner has lost too much money with and outside the club to donate £30m a year like he used to, so it's down to Fox to run the club in a sustainable way.  Randy wants to sell, but can't, that's just the way it is.

Who employed him? Who chooses not to get involved in the running of the club? Sorry i am not letting that imbecile Lerner hide behind Fox

[KHV]

The fact that the TV deal ££ is coming surely means that anyone wanting to buy the club does so now so you don't have to pay the inflated price due to larger income. Now is the time to buy a PL club - not next season. 

 

Be cheaper to buy us once we are relegated for any potential suitors......