Over the last couple of months there has been a lot of speculation regarding Randy Lerner and the level of love he has for Villa. A lot of that speculation revolves around the Red Bull corporation purchasing Aston Villa. We all know that everything has its price. Nothing is sacred. The Queen gave up some privacy to make money by letting the rabble into Buckingham Palace; every politician of worth writes a tell all book for money and Randy will sell when that offer becomes irresistible. One of the problems with that is we as fans don’t know what that number is and that produces a lot of rumour, and rumours are another story.
What does Red Bull offer us as fans that Randy Lerner won’t? Conjecture has it that Villa will be challenging for the Champions League, the FA Cup, League title, and everything else in their path. But will that happen? Is it perhaps possible that Red Bull will just go down the same path as Lerner? Would a successful business just chuck the biggest blank cheque to a manager to do as he liked? Or to produce an instant winner to match said business success? I kind of doubt it.
Perhaps more money will show up to bolster the team but we all know that isn’t 100% successful 100% of the time, but maybe a guaranteed amount of money for each window will help. Even if we were taken over tomorrow by the bulls in red, do you think they will run with the top four outfits dollar for dollar or pound for pound? I don’t.
Why? They have investors and stockholders, people who hold money so dearly they would rather eat their children than waste a penny. Just what is the financial outlay of all the teams that Red Bull are associated with? Are those teams anywhere near what a top side in Europe is worth or is willing to spend? Isn’t Manchester United the most expensive sports franchise at 1 billion dollars? They aren’t owned by Red Bull, are they?
Think back to a childhood Christmas where you might have received a Meccano set. You got to build something and it kept you interested for most of the holiday season. Or you might have received the latest Transformer toy and you ran around the house holding it in the air for the morning making engine and gunfire noises. Pretty exciting.
However, by the time dinner rolled around you were probably fed up with it and hoped with all your heart you got another better one for your birthday only to run around the house again. Building is much more interesting, even if it is frustrating, because creating an end product is always so much more enjoyable.
In my mind Villa are building but, for me, not quick enough. I also don’t think the investment in the team is adequate for improvement. I do, however, think the investment and timeline is comfortable for Randy Lerner. I am sure he doesn’t want relegation just as much as I’m sure he wants improvement. I think he’s OK with the current tight rope act because he trusts the people he has hired, but I’m also sure he would sell in an instant if the price was right. He certainly won’t get all righteous regarding Aston Villa’s new owner(s) when his financial expectations are met – give him the £200m the club are reported to be priced and he’ll be gone faster than Speedy Gonzales. He won’t ask to keep an advisor at the club, and I doubt he’ll be paying for a box to watch Villa either – it will be Hasta La Vista.
Even though it may not seem like it, what is going on at Villa Park is better than what is going on at the Etihad. Manchester City have sold their soul for instant gratification. The last I heard about instant gratification, you would go blind and grow hair on the palms of your hands. Admittedly I haven’t seen Bigfoot turn up for them yet, but you never know.
What we do know is that they have owners who have all the Transformer toys and constantly crave more. Money to them is a non issue. They have the same issue with performances as the Caesars of ancient Rome. A thumbs down and you are over. As heart breaking as it is watching Villa today, I prefer the building from the bottom just like a Meccano set. The only difference being is I want to build from set number 5 not set number 1 – I think we deserve better than having to go backwards just to go forwards.
So, come on Mr Lerner – spend a little more and get this project you started off the ground. You really are close to a living, functioning, successful football team. 35,000 regular fans on game day would be happy and, despite money being important, isn’t keeping your customers worth something?
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