It’s a question I often find myself asking when I read many comments on here from fans who think that Randy Lerner should sell up, admittedly for a number of reasons, and Villa should look for an owner that preferably is a sheikh, and has an al- prefix to his name. I’d suggest Lerner did that for good PR, but then people might confuse him with his late father Al.
Anyway, the point I wanted to cover today concerns the idea that being owned by an oligarch is actually good for the club. There’s no doubt that the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City have seen an upturn in their fortunes since their purchase by those who horde the expensive black stuff we have all come to depend on and, no, I’m not talking about Guinness.
Money – The Root Of All Evil?
I’m sure you have, like me, glanced over at the football that Manchester City play and had a certain degree of envy. When you have players in your squad like Aguero and Silva, the latter being the best player in the Premier League at the moment in my opinion, then you will always have an ability to win games. Villa can only dream about having two world class players in their team, whereas City have two just off the top of my head.
To illustrate just how far City are ahead of Villa, the players they bought from us are essentially squad players. That’s right – our best players we have had, are just on the fringes of Manchester City’s team. If that doesn’t upset you in terms of competition, nothing will.
Being a City fan must be something of a dichotomy though. For all of their success, it has come at a price. Whilst the club hasn’t sold their soul per se, “buying” the title isn’t exactly something that feels rewarding. The way I was raised, you were taught the value of working for something. If you didn’t earn what you got, then it felt like it was undeserved, it felt like things were out of kilter with the world.
Maybe nowadays people are happy to get things they don’t deserve. Hell, you only need look at the debt crisis encompassing every nation on the planet to know that people are happy with spending money they don’t have. Maybe that ethos that I was brought up on is dying. Maybe it never existed. Maybe I’m in a minority. Who knows?
Anyway, when it comes to Villa, I understand that, as a fan, it is very difficult to see the club plod along in the middle. I also understand that many people, as fans, see the club as weekend escapism – a chance to get outside of the normal 9-5 work week and be entertained – much like many young British people indulge in binge drinking on Friday and Saturday every week.
So, of course, I understand it. As a fan myself, obviously I see how it feels to have to experience the situations that we all get put through. It’s not like I’m watching an alternate reality where Jose is in charge and Villa are dominating. No, I’m watching the same games as you are and, yes, I am just as frustrated as you are.
I say this because often many of the pieces can be seen as apologetic for the situation, as though myself and John are somehow acting as defensive of the management and the board, as though we are deliberately choosing to oppose the (perceived) common view that Villa are better off rid of Lerner, Faulkner, and McLeish.
The reality is that we are just pragmatists. We look at the situation and, like you, we want to be further up the league. We want to see silverware. We want to see wins and pretty football. Trust us – we are the same as you.
Build It & They Will Come, But Building Causes Impatience
The problem Villa are facing is largely that moving forwards involves a series of (perceived) steps backwards. Cutting wage bills, selling players, and employing unpopular managers, sadly, is part of that agenda. None of these are fun and, again, trust me, I wouldn’t have hired Alex McLeish if I was in charge either.
Wage bills have been inflated because the club have had something of a narrow band of wage earners. Rather than having a dynamic spread of players on differing salaries, many of the players purchased by Martin were on, or around, the same wage level.
The plan going forward for Randy and the board is to be a little more dynamic. The fact of the matter is to move forwards, you need to understand the dynamic of employing and managing an organisation. I understand that not many people out there have managed projects as large as Villa, but the premise is simple – to move forwards, you need good people. Good people ergo cost good money. Better to intersperse great players with a solid base than to have a series of merely above-average players. Above-average perform above the average, as obvious as that sounds. Above average equates between 8th to 10th. Last year we finished 9th. Middle of the road. Slightly above-average.
If Villa are to compete at the top end, they need top players. By that, I mean “top” players. I know it sounds like an obvious statement, but top players are in the top sides. Spurs have van der Vaart and Modric. United have Rooney, Nani & Hernandez. Arsenal have van Persie. Villa have who?
In my opinion, Gabby is the best performing player at present, and N’Zogbia and Ireland are top class but neither are playing at their peak.
However, if we’re honest, I’d say none of those players are on the level of the top players I’ve mentioned. I might get panned for suggesting such a thing, but the facts are the facts. I have a lot of time for Gabby but, at present at least, he isn’t in the same class as Modric or Rooney. I’m sure he could develop into a top striker, and score 20 goals a season in the right team, but I think even Gabby himself would admit he stops short of the talent of Rooney.
Spending Money You Can’t Really Afford To Spend
To get these players though requires one of two strategies. One is financially viable in terms of operating as a standalone business. The other requires insane amounts of money. The introduction of Financial Fair Play was intended by UEFA to stop the latter option happening. Ok, the reason UEFA implemented it was to stop the Champions League becoming uncompetitive but you get the idea. Stop people from “buying” success.
We all know buying success isn’t a new thing. One only need look at 1994-95’s season to see how Jack Walker bought the title for Dalglish’s Blackburn. The difference nowadays is buying the title costs a lot more money. City have invested a BILLION pounds and are still (as yet) not able to call themselves Premier League winners.
Notwithstanding the fact that Chelsea and Manchester City have an abundance of money, and that United (till Ferguson leaves at least) have a manager who is, quite rightly, regarded as the best the game has ever seen, even if Villa were taken over by a super rich owner, success would still take time. Solely including those teams, Villa could feasibly only be competing for fourth, and I’ve not included the likes of Arsenal, Spurs, and Liverpool in that conundrum either. Include those teams and you could be looking at a medium term position of seventh. Not exactly trailblazing, is it? It certainly isn’t good value.
Which leads me to the type of person who would want to get into that kind of deal. The short answer is someone with no business sense at all which, if I’m honest, is hardly what any club wants. The realms of that kind of owner is someone who is in an oil rich family who wants Villa as their plaything. Great in terms of the time that said owner is interested in Villa, but then what? What happens when said playboy decides B6 isn’t as preferable as Monaco? They leave, of course, and Villa go down the chute.
For those of us who admire and respect our proud history, selling it to a playboy means burning those memories forever. It means selling our future for the sake of a few bits of enjoyment now. Think what you like, but I don’t call that sensible. I want my kids to know who Villa are, not have them consigned to a textbook, well in reality a Wikipedia article, when they grow up. I am quite proud of how we do things.
I’m not happy that Villa bumble along in mediocrity. I’m not suggesting others should be happy with that either. However, I do understand that building things takes time, and it takes secrecy. Nobody who wants to make a success of things tells others what is going on. Go and ask Apple for the blueprints for the iPhone 5 and see whether you’re stonewalled. Successful people keep their mouths shut as much as possible to steal a march on their rivals.
Villa may well be going through a difficult period for us as fans, but it is what it is. I never would have hired Alex McLeish in a million years, but I can’t see much reason for sacking him either this year. Had we been glued to the bottom of the Premier League, then I’d sing a different tune but, for now at least, McLeish is delivering what the board are expecting, regardless of Faulkner’s random musings about Villa “competing for Europe”.
My advice to the club is to shut up Paul Faulkner. Suggestions that we might be competing for Europe may have been uttered to ensure the support keeps the faith but, in reality, such statements are inane and make him, and the board, look idiotic.
The future of the club may well depend on a long term strategy, and it may well be a strategy that isn’t shared by our silent owner. I know it isn’t necessarily easy and, in the face of some poor performances, it isn’t great football to watch either, but keep the faith in this project. It may not yield results today or tomorrow, but at least we are building a future rather than selling it for instant gratification.
As my Nan always said to me – patience is a virtue. Nowadays when patience is in short supply, it is difficult to convince others that it is worthwhile, especially when the guy in charge has his lips sealed shut.
Trust me though – things could be a lot worse. Blackburn bought the title years ago, but would you trade places with where they are today? The past means nothing for the future, and reality is often harsh.
Sometimes mediocrity is better than the other options. It may not seem that way, but ask a Forest fan how it feels nowadays with a proud history and a Championship football team. My father-in-law is a Forest fan and, trust me, he would swap places with us in an instant. When they had a horrendous start to the season, he said he would have openly swapped McClaren for McLeish.
So things could be a lot worse. Maybe they won’t pan out. Maybe they will. If anyone out there has the benefit of looking into a crystal ball with certainty and knowing Villa’s future, I suggest you sell your house and gamble it on the bleak future that has been vaunted by many. You’ll be rich then at least.
Then, maybe, Villa might be owned by a “real” fan. Then, I will look forward to attracting the best players and titles. Then, and only then, many of us will be happy. Probably.
Till then though, have patience. At least till those “certain” bets come off and Villa go down and make many fans very rich indeed.
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