At this moment we as fans couldn’t be more in the dark. Thankfully Randy Lerner didn’t waste any time in announcing his intentions to sell the club. Now we are all waiting for that to happen, or for any clue who the new owner might be.
If the last four years, or the Lerner era for that matter, have taught us anything, it’s the old adage that if something is too good to be true it probably is. The idea that a sale was a done deal if we stayed up, or that Larry Ellison was going to come in and outspend Sheik Mansour was never going to come to pass. Now it appears that the club will be in limbo as long as this drags out. Just as I feared, a lame-duck owner and a lame-duck manager.
Lambert may be able to make some signings. No player with a viable alternate should want to come here. I suspect Lambert will have to fill out the squad with loan signings of Bosmans on short-term deals. If that is the situation come August, and I lived in a country with more libertine laws regarding sports betting, I wouldn’t walk, I would run to my local bookmaker to bet on Villa going down next season.
Anybody at the club who has a chance to go somewhere else would be wise to do so. If the Celtic job is available, Lambert should jump at it. Whether he particularly fancies managing in Scotland, he can use his long tenure with the club to save face for jumping ship at Villa. He could repair his reputation by winning trophies and a couple credible runs in Europe.
Maybe there is a buyer or buyers lined up. Keith Harris and Forbes were bullish on the chances of the club finding buyers. The longer this drags on, the worse it gets. The Guardian in a headline said we are on a “road to nowhere” and I couldn’t agree more.
The Author
Jason Chalifour
I am a regular columnist for Aston Villa Life with my column running every Friday and have been writing at least semi-regularly about Aston Villa since 2010. I also run my own General Sports Website www.98ontheblack.comComments 52
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Jay,
You are absolutely right the longer this drags on the weaker our position will be as we approach a new season, if a buyer is not found soon then we will potentially miss out on players as there contracts expire or have one year to run, we have been in a mess since MON left and it looks like this situation is about to continue, it is like being stuck in a Brian Rix farce and having our trousers permanently around our ankles.
UTV
Just thought I would post this, a letter written by a Bolton fan to the BEM about the scum fans included this paragraph:
“I have also been to Villa Park frequently as well. Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool, you name it I have been there at some point. I feel the main difference between Birmingham and Villa is the people. By that I mean Birmingham supporters on the whole come from within the City and are working class and that shows in the type of atmosphere they create. Villa supporters tend to come from outside the region as well because of their history.”
Re-arrange this phrase to win a prize- I am a knobhead from Notlob.
UTV
Still no news. Good summing up Jason. Let’s hope we know more by this evening.
30th July for Chesterfield game sounds like a very good idea.
We could make a really good day out of it.
According to an article in the Times Lerner has had the club up for sale for quite a while with a deal in place prior to the Southampton game only for it to fall through, makes sense when you piece things together about the same time as the announcement for the American tour, it seems at this point there are no interested parties although a few may be fishing, I think the asking price of between £200-240m is rather high considering we have been a very poor also ran for the last two seasons, this could drag on for months and could be very damaging in trying to prepare for another relegation battle.
UTV
If we havent got a new owner or manager by July ill panic, but for know i am going to forget about villa and take in some sunshine, beer and world cup football.
So if we have been up for sale for a year and still no buyer, there’s no reason to suggest something will happen any time soon. Everton have been up for sale for years. We could be in the same situation
Its also been suggested thst Lambert will be staying
if Randy and Lambert are still at Villa come the first game then it’s going to be yet another horrendous season where we will probably be rock bottom
Yeah, I was thinking about Everton, Frem, how they’ve been for sale for ages.
Being an optimistic sort, perhaps it means the team have to do better to attract a buyer, and so investment will be forthcoming.
But I can also see the pessimistic side, and right now, it seems the more realistic.
In all the talk we’ve had about finances, it was always pointed out how much the endeavor had cost Randy, even if the investment pales in comparison to some others’. Of course he’d like to get as much back as he can.
It will be interesting to see the cost-benefit thinking play out. Seems like they’ve got to find a way to make the investment more appealing. I would think the biggest obstacle to players coming is uncertainty over the manager. Like it or not, that may well mean committing to Lambert, not rocking the boat, and giving him something to spend to make Villa more competitive.
But of course, it’s a question of how much more money Randy’s willing to sink in. If it means sale or no sale, he’ll have some interesting math to do.
I think Everton struggle cause they need a new ground?
Hello Jason, Excellent appraisal of AVFC, if we go into the new season with the same pathetic idiots running the club we’re definitely down. I can’t believe the damage that these three have done to the club and, yet, people still defend them, its beyond belief.
SWV,
The dick from Bolton was probably correct in some things except “By that I mean Birmingham supporters on the whole come from within the City and are working class” I would re-phrase that to Birminghams few supporters at the hole come from within the slums and are work shy scum lacking in class.
There are no bad buys in football regardless of the league the team plays in. There are though bad asking prices for football teams. If Randy really wants to sell the team he would have ages ago. He wants too much. I hope he has the team at heart as much as he wants to sell. He needs a better product for his asking price and hopefully he and Lambert will invest more wisely and more freely this summer and make Villa a more attractive purchase. Whether you are flipping houses or cars you need to sell a better product than what you bought. It’s your sweat and elbow grease that increases the value as well as proper investment. The same goes for football.
If Randy desides to stick with Lambert and give him cash he will end up even more out of pocket in the vlong term by not learning the lesson of investing in world class coaching staff before parting with his cash — be warned Randy
Sports teams tend to define a city. They give the town a bit of a shine and attract business, tourists, and development. It’s a pity that Birmingham doesn’t realize this. Support from the city regardless of what that support is would do wonders to the improvement in both teams. Having 4 close by teams in the Championship isn’t the way to go in city identity around the world let alone the country.
It’s like a poor carry on film, iv gone from being optimistic having stayed up and big announcement being touted, to being despondent and fully expecting relegation. The buffoons running the club have succeeded in practically running us into the ground. The sale is obviously going to be a protracted and drawn out affair, especially as the isn’t a sniff of interest. During which time no investment into a truly terrible playing squad, and keeping Forest Gump as the manager will likely spell the end of our top flight status, and making it even harder for Randy the idiot to offload
B62,
Have faith comrade, all will be revealed shortly.
Steamer
Behave mate you know what happened last time you revealed , and the old dear round the corner is still having councilling , take the pills now , l did wonder something was up in the caff , re; Tea !!!
did you get the pigs ears ?? could have put them on fat bastards(abduls) plate tonight at that fucking do l got to go to .. how the hell can you have a olly murs tribute , arnt you supposed to be DEAD ?? before that happens , lm gonna be an asre all night ))))
good coments Jason ,
l do read all headers , but at the moment just like the season lm closed ,
asre = arse
How could you miss-type arse its your middle name.
UTV
Villa guaranteed to get at least one striker this summer says http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2014/5/16/5723210/aston-villa-transfer-news-darren-bent-fulham
So, we could pretty well select a team of strikers if we wanted!
Bent, Benteke, Gabby, Weimann, Bowyer, Robinson, Helenius, Kozak … and Holt?
That’s 9 players. OK, we play with one defender and keeper just to make up the team.
Bowyer s/b Bowery … I think!
Bent, Benteke, Gabby, Weimann, Bowyer, Robinson, Helenius, Kozak … and Holt?
Is all I read is shite, good, shite, shite, shite,shite,shite,shite and shite. In fact when I look at our squad, is all I see is shite, and now Lambert is staying with little or no money, WTF are we going to do ?
Frem
get down the pub , use our chat up lines , have a brain deader before you go home (if you’ve pulled dont have BD ) just get pissed and have a lie in and stay away from the web for a day , and try the trick with the collar l told you about ,
also the chesterfield friendly away , make sure you have’nt got anything booked , 30th july ,
have a good weekend all , supposed to be a hot one , speedo’s here l come
Of course, there is a possibility that Lambert and Faulkner are in the USA to discuss the timescale for their departures. Fingers crossed.
Obviously if they aren’t, and they’re staying on indefinitely as there is no buyer, permission to panic granted.
Villa can’t dampen my spirits today – I’ve finished my degree! Despite the last exam being largely based on questions we’d never even been told the subject matter for, and the likelihood of a woeful grade in that module – I will soon be the owner a lovely 2:1 class degree and hopefully a job worthy of it, rather than Morrison’s checkout bitch.
Hopefully some news comes from Lambert and Faulkner’s visit to USA to meet Lerner but as Jenny has commented a few times – there’s a very long minimum time this changeover could be completed in so it might be a case of a similar first season to Lerner’s first – just enough time for a new signing or two and a season of proper transition – rather than these false transitions we’ve been in for the past 4 years.
Congrats Josh, its all over now and you can get Jobseekers Allowance.
Chubs and Mumble are booted, gone, finito, vamoosed 1000000% just negotiating their pay offs, hopefully its performance based and we can sign a player with it. The fact that their departing establishes that we will shortly be owned by someone who hopefully has wads of filthy lucre but also some grey matter between their lugs, so its goodbye from Chubs and goodbye from McMumble with the added bonus of goodbye Randy, enjoy the rest of your life in your cupboard counting your M&M’s.
Well done Josh. I’m trying to pass my electrical course, hopefully by end of June I will
Steamer- Let’s hope TBAR ITK is correct. It’s a step in the right direction. Lambert is just awful for us. PF, good at getting sponsorship deals etc in a way but knows nothing on football.
For me though, the sacking of those two is a sign that no take over is close. Surely if it was Randy would have left it for the nee owners?
josh
well done mate now you can come back to the real world and think properly 😉
steamer
I suppose if you keep saying it, its got to come true eventually hasn’t it? I think villa should become a non-profit organization as opposed to a no profit organisation. in fact all of football should go that way each supporting local charitys and the general vicinity
ST75
do you know a martial arts club called Kstar as they are having a tournament against a local club?
Mark: I think villa should become a non-profit organization as opposed to a no profit organisation. in fact all of football should go that way each supporting local charitys and the general vicinity
Well, that’s exactly what the Villa did in 1889. It’s a little known fact that Villa was formed into a non-profit limited company then (1889) but a few years later (1896) everything had changed.
An accurate summing up of where we are Jay or where we aren’t !
I think it’s relevant that it’s the Lerner Family Trust who own the club – so there are financial obligations on the trustees if US law follows Eng law on this . It may mean that the sale price doesn’t fall below a certain figure ie they don’t lose too much money .
Josh , congratulations – it’s all downhill from now . Having only 5 weeks holiday a year and no more 11 am lecturers and lie ins 🙂 🙂
Agree re Club bringing jobs and investment to Brum. I understand Man City owners have invested heavily in surrounding area so a win win.
Looking forward to hearing what RL had to say PF and PL ,
Steamer 75 – enjoy Olly – my teenage daughters love him so he will be right up your street .xxx
john
thats really interesting didn’t realise non-profits had been around that long, wonder why it changed back did they start to make more money? or the opposite?
I really like the concept don’t suppose all the millionaires would though 🙂
jenny
are you saying ST75’s a teenage girl ?
Mark,
Yes, in the early 1890s they had cottoned on to the fact that money might be made and all principles then went out of the window. This was the start of the period of ‘lucre consciousness’ that McGregor despised (my earlier article).
john
so non-profits work to well then? such a shame, imagine companies who claim to care about there customers actually caring for them, instead of caring for the profit they can take out
So far as time scales go , if the Times is accurate and the club was sold months ago but the sake collapsed at the last moment (but what is the definition of ‘last moment’) and IF the ‘last moment ‘ meant most of legals had been completed , it will take less time for new buyer to get up to speed . The paper work will have been prepared and most if prep work done. I am still clutching at Steamer’s tea bag that we do have a buyer and that it will be announced soon . My prayer mat is also in constant use .
Mark 🙂 ST75 has that youthful exuberance that never dies 🙂
Blues being bought by Qatari Royalty.
Just when you think it can’t get any worse .
B62
Is that right?
Far out. We might be bought by Dunkin Donuts. VP’d become known as Dunkin (on) VP. Others clubs can come have a laugh and dunk all over us. If Lerner were to sell to an outfit like Dunkin Donuts, Villa would go the way of Blackburn Rovers.
Jenny: ST75 has that youthful exuberance that never dies 🙂
Then why isn’t he playing for the Villa then?! 🙂
Mark: so non-profits work to well then? such a shame, imagine companies who claim to care about there customers actually caring for them, instead of caring for the profit they can take out
And the beauty of it is that it’s nigh impossible to make a profit out of football anyway!!
So they might as well take up your suggestion – they know it makes sense!
Why all the angst?
We’ve got we wanted haven’t we?
I’m quite happy that this takes time and Randy sells to the right owner, not just the first offer.
Hi all
Mark yes heard of Kstar but chris does’nt go there mate , l think my daughter kick boxing trainer uses there sometimes and trains a few ,
is that true B62 , my phones gonna go ballistic off the noses ,
JL because l lived over the road from the noses ground l had trials with them and got in but they didnt take to kindly when l used to turn up in my villa shirt , l lasted a month as l just couldnt get on with the trainer , francis , and gallagher were there then , mind you if my dad was able to catch me l hate to think where the Georgie Best boots would have ended up , my mo used to show everyone a picture l had taken there , god bless her , but it has now gone through the shredder , couldnt stand the crap l got because l was in a blues kit .
Jenny , olly done his full song list , all of 4 !!!
same bloke done Bruno Marrs , but his side-kick was better , there was quite a few giggling teenagers , the singer looked about 10 !
it wasnt a bad night , most of the blokes there were outside watching the other blokes sitting by the lake giving maggots a swim , Anglers …………Why !!!
have a good day all ……………………sorry but l cant hack the sun ……….
ST75,
Ahhhhh… that explains all. But HOW could you play for them?!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoyed watching the FA Cup, shame our current team isn’t capable of competing in it and we’ve had a manager who sees it as a mere hindrance.
Good on Arsenal for going all the way and good on Hull for getting to Wembley and getting to Europe.
Looks like Monday afternoon then, big, complicated announcement happening.
The twat twins are gonners and the new owners MAY be announced, i think they will.
Apparently a Jap chap may be involved.
brilliant news steamer nice one – really hope it turns out to be the end of the nightmare
What about Simone , won the lge at barca today and the champs lge double is on – he was a great player looks a world beater of a manager too
apparently the news on Monday is going to be ” complicated ” so fuck knows what is going to happen. Why can’t anything be straight forward with us ? New Owner. Lambert sacked. New manager and 100 mill to spend. Simple 🙂
Runtings- He’s about to win the Champions league also. Small squad, small budget, just a great manager. We have a small squad and budget but a shit manager
We better get better owners then the bloody scum do
Wouldn’t jump the gun to Atletico winning the Champs League. Diego Costa is most probably out and Turan, their best two players. Real are at full strength for the game and I think Ronaldo and Bale will run riot. A big win on the cards but still, all credit for Atletico for getting the League win and breaking up that Real-Barca monopoly. Hope Valencia and Bilbao can get back in there soon too, both outstanding academies and honest principles.
it has to be hoped that new owners have been identified, outline agreement reached and due diligence at least well underway.
If the rumours are true about a deal having fallen through and no new owner yet identified then I fear for the future.
From the point of outline agreement being reached it’s likely to be 8 to 10 weeks before a deal is finally signed. That could leave us in limbo until August and the club is in no state to survive that.
Let’s hope the news is good and that it happens soon.
Paul,
We must be due a bit of good news and it needs to be sooner rather than later.
If this situation drags on, then next season could be the one where the dreaded drop becomes reality.