Gunned Down, Blitzed, Demolished…. All Headlines used to describe Aston Villa’s defeat to Arsenal… but they don’t describe it for me, that’s not how I feel. Crushed is far more apt.
“Crushed – to destroy, subdue, or suppress utterly.”
But this isn’t just about one game. One bad game any team can have. Any club in our position can turn up and be thumped by the likes Arsenal, Chelsea etc.
This isn’t only about the man holding the purse strings, this isn’t only about the man picking the team. I find my self continually asking…
“What happened to my Aston Villa?”
I don’t get to many Villa games, but usually make the effort a few times a season, not this one. I found my self in a malaise surrounding the club. I found my self laughing when we’re pathetic, I found my self having shrugging my shoulders with a casual air of apathy… most worrying though I don’t get annoyed when we’re doing badly anymore.
I just come to expect it…. and yet I am told my expectations as a Villan are “too lofty”
We’re breaking records left right and centre, as we sink to new lows. I’m going to list some for fun…
Suffered our biggest Premiership defeat (8-0 against Chelsea)
Managed our worst ever Premier League start;
He is the first manager to have been in charge of Aston Villa for two or more seasons not to achieve a top ten finish
Most home defeats in a single season ever
Most defeats over a whole season in our Premier League history (twenty)
Most goals conceded over a whole season in our Premier League history (sixty)
Five defeats in a row, without scoring, for the first time in the clubs history
Six defeats in a row for the first time in our Premier League history – the record actually stretches back some forty-seven years
The first manager to lose to a fourth tier team over two legs in a Cup semi-final
The first time the Villans have been eliminated from Cup competitions by lower league opposition three years in a row
Twenty-three defeats in thirty-six games is the worst run any manager of Aston Villa has ever had.
I don’t even want to think about the time that has passed since our last Premier League goal…. as I write this the only thing I can remember about it is that it was against United… I think.
How many of you read that list of doom and a smirked at our hapless Aston Villa…. over come with apathy, not an ounce of anger? I was I had the passion left in me to be disgusted with those “records”… but truth be told I don’t, and probably won’t until the club finds a direction.
If we had a noticeable plan, if the structure and vision was clear then perhaps I could continue with the passion, but as it is today, I accept defeat in the same way I accept I except not winning the lottery, its not surprise… almost inevitable.
I’m sad to say that a relegation may just be what our club needs… And Mr Lerner, Mr Fox and Mr Lambert that is just how far my expectations have sunk… I hope they’re not to high for you.
The Author
Graham O'Gara
Follow me on @WorldClassAV A Football and Villa addict, opinionated and argumentative, I say what i see and you may or may not agree. I currently hold a FA Level 2 coaching badge, but have held the Uefa B License. I look forward to sharing some opinions and banter with you all....Comments 74
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Graham
l sat with 7 other lads last saturday and l can say hand on heart , they could have written that piece , but the funny thing was 5 mins after the game was over , the banter kicked in a that game was just a distant memory ,not how it was years ago , that you would have looked for anything to strangle after losing or even drawing a game , there were a few other villa lads who we didnt know and it was the same with them , you would’nt have thought we had just watched a disgraceful performance , l have nothing else to add to that piece you’ve written ,its all there
the weird thing l have noticed though is when a nosed says “your shit you are and just by saying “yes l know ” you can see the puzzled look and you can see them struggling trying to find something else derogatory to say to you , and you stand there palms out saying “And !!!!! ” they’re fucked as usual .
all the best everyone for the weekend
jenny xxxxx
sorry “Sunday” , must stay off the jaeggerbombs
Hello Graham, thanks for the catharsis. Hope you feel a liitle less crushed after that and don’t resort to getting juiced or pickled after a Villa defeat, it’ll kill you given the regularity of poor displays. “What happened to my Aston Villa”? you say. We all know what you mean.
Nevermind:) In Lambert we trust.
UTV
Hello Graham and Steamer 75 xxx
I agree – when you are disappointed so many times – the strategy for survival is humour – and whenever I tell people who I support I join in with the banter of poor you / long suffering . We don’t just have an out of depth manager, we have an owner and CEO who are completely deluded (or dishonest) take your pick. So there is no hope until someone faces up to reality there and instead of the “the fans have got it wrong – we are brilliant in training” there is a open and honest “sorry you have had to put up with seeing only 11 goals this season – no this isn’t good enough – change is needed and this is what we are doing about it”
No doubt this will be the post match press conference after the CHelsea game – sorry for the double posting – but this is becoming our reality.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCMQyCkwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrphCEiJ7cuk&ei=lrPUVNSjOIHAUpKxhLgE&usg=AFQjCNEorCcKWBTnUERWn8mM9T0n6KBECg&sig2=2Gr3CZUmYGjCGiPx409n7A&bvm=bv.85464276,d.d24
GOG,
Spot on with your piece, which continues the sad demise, but am inspired by ST75’s positivity, which is right on the button. No longer do we just want to kick the cat or some other unthinkable thing, but we almost enjoy the being resigned to where Villa are, and that Lambert walks on water, otherwise he would have been drowned long ago.
St75 is also right about the reaction of other fans who are stumped after their initial jibe, when you say “And” and they either melt away or start to find som3e sort of hope for you.
Still trying to make up my mind about the game tomorrow, maybe I will go to Bristol, and make up my mind in the morning, and if something positive strikes me, I can fly up the motorway.
All hope must be on defeating Leicester in the cup and getting through to one more round….Speaking of rounds….still waiting to catch up with Frem for a beer..!!
Unfortunately, there is a bigger crisis of confidence than previously as Paul Lambert is not managing from his own convictions. His teams have historically played counter attacking football and he has changed to suit the fans and by the sound of it the CEO. Does anyone think that deep down he wanted to set up against Arsenal the way he did? He did it out of pressure – external and desperation. Once you start doing something that conflicts with your instincts and to please others – it will be impossible to instil confidence and motivate the team. The11th hour attempt to buy Ricky Lambert was an emotional reaction – what he knows best – the hit man up top – (who wouldn’t have fitted in with the new style)- an attempt to appease the fans . Maybe his dismissal / parting company would be a big relief to him and the players.
There in the problem lies, pre-internet and all forms of social media, the only outlet for your feelings was to get out on the street and protest, protest for change because of the recognised rotten nature of the club in previous years. Those protests had an impact.
Protest has disappeared into online petitions and being able to vent anger in forums and get some sort of release by having stated your feelings on the situation. But the status quo remains and the happy clappers continue to show up in the idea that you support your team first and ignore everything else. We can no longer ignore this until the regime is changed, we’ll be left with a nothing club harking back to history. proud history needs to be in lower case for a period of time and bright future needs to be restored to the agenda and planned for and it won’t happen while Lerner is in charge as he doesn’t have the balls to sack Lambert.
The list of records that have occurred in the last few years beggars belief but the only thing keeping Lambert in the job is the lack of protest. Respected former professionals and those journalists with balls to call a spade a spade and risk being barred from press conferences do not change the mind of an absentee landlord
The club is rotten to the core in my opinion not only in the way it treats its fans but also it’s players where you can have prodigious talent not used effectively and then farmed out, young players being deemed surplus to requirements but veterans played week in, week out that don’t even deserve a place on the bench.
I’m guilty of the armchair protest too, my one man protest through Dublin streets on the plight of my club would see me locked up in the looney bin.
There really needs to be a concerted effort by those who care and who remain disgusted by our situation and the listed items of unwanted records to effect change.
AVFC ALL
Jenny
Looks like Paul needs to get out in the sun more often.
Sounds like Lambo should just get back to what he was doing before. I suggest scouting the world for a keeper that can hoof the ball all the way into the oppositions goal.
I’d like to say “thanks” for the article Graham but it has a dispirited air of melancholy about it that has me searching around for the poison (which I might apply in large doses to this already unpleasant Pret meatball wrap**).
I know the feeling though. This is an exceptionally difficult time to be a Villa fan.
We’ve gone around the houses a few times on should Lambert go or not, “Aston Villa RIP”, “You’re a doom monger!!!” or “You’re a happy clapper!!” etc etc.
Personally – I haven’t stopped caring. I haven’t stopped always hoping that the next game will be the one where we begin to show fight rather than falling back further.
Non-football people will say “it is only a game” and I accept that but it’s important to me. Having said that – I also accept that sanity is even more important. There’s a line between getting depressed at how rubbish we’ve been for ages and allowing it to ruin a weekend or time spent with others.
With that in mind – I’m up with the wife this weekend and rather than having to drive home – we’re staying over.
Where is everybody drinking before and after The Chelski Glory Hunters Association come to town this weekend?
** by the way– in a time of great complaining – I’d like to suggest we give at least some attention to horrible lunches in London which cost the nearly £5.
Darren.
Agree about the internet. Wonder if it has anything to do with declining birthrates in industrialised countries, too.
By the way – my team for tomorrow:
Given
Vlaar, Okore, Clark (Baker if Vlaar is still out)
Richardson, Hutton (wing backs)
Delph and Sanchez
Gill
Benteke and Weimann
Jen,
I think you are very close to the truth, and Lambert and his team are in need of a mind coach to instil some positivity in them.
The knee jerk reactions all the time are not doing any good.
Jenny: Does anyone think that deep down he wanted to set up against Arsenal the way he did? He did it out of pressure – external and desperation.
Important point that Jenny. Anyone who does something against his own convictions is courting trouble.
As got Graham’s article … what to say? The other lads have already said what there is to say it I think.
I’m one of those who crazily still lives in hope that the turning point is the next match … but my head tells me it’s more likely to be 0-3 or 0-4 tomorrow. BUT … remembering Delph’s winner against them last season and that we often spring a surprise against ’em, who can say?
jen,
I’ve just emailed that Paul Reid skit to Fox.
Must admit Lambert changed tack at the same time Fox had his first bit of pressure from the fans, good spot.
Tony H,
i think the older fans feel it more because they’ve seen Villa when we were a football club, most youngsters go for the day out. Over the last two seasons i’ve attempted to kick the AV habit, gone missing several times but can’t quite manage it completely, i’ll die a Villan, probably with my hands around Lamberts throat and possibly Monday.
PP,
The tossers like Fox, Lerner and Lambert ( Include the players too ), don’t give a monkeys about the fans, its us versus them. Jenny mentioned that they might be dishonest, no doubt about it, frauds pretending to be our savious while destroying the club. Virtually everything Fox has said since he joined has been lies or BS ditto Lambert only mixed with fantasy and delusions. Its not a mind coach PL needs its a mind.
GOG,
If you have another Cartharsis similar to Trins, can you send it to me, i’m all out of them.
I have sympathy with any long standing fan, we never thought we’d be in this position again, AGAIN, its NEVER, EVER been this bad, not even in the late 60’s, the Div 3 days were heaven compared to these, sorry, must have a lie down.
Hello Graham,
am I the only one not surprised by the records? In fact when you look at how we have replaced a dwindling prem squad shorn of any talent and replaced it with cheap, young inexperienced players (plus a few over the hill types lately) its hardly surprising at all to me. inconsistency is a hall mark of a young team and when you add the shear volume of faces in and out of Villa that compounds things.
Historically promoted teams rarely stay up and what we have done is built a championship team with potential in the hardest league in England. Teams coming up have a core belief and togetherness the previous years have instilled in them we have none of that and no leaders of note.
I fully understand why (money,FFP etc) and do agree it could of been done better but, I’m struggling to remember any team remodelling itself in the prem in such a drastic way? include the inability to sell the previous squad because they’re not much good and its a minor miracle we have lasted this long.
Lambert came in as a manager that can work with little money (in lower leagues), replaced the entire team bar weiman, gabby and Delph and tried to play counter attacking football to suit gabby and weiman that was the cheap option open to him.
my feelings were that having survived 2 seasons and lowered wages etc was that we would buy 3-4 quality players in the £10 mil bracket this season, with the sale that hasn’t happened. that could have been the plan all along or not we are not privy to that knowledge.
so all in all I’m not now surprised to find us in a shit storm of our own and circumstances making ( with massive help from Randy the hapless).
As for records, I’m amazed he didn’t get the relegated in first season record although it could be said so were Messrs Houllier and McLeish.
My question is are we being deluded by thinking another manager will fare better with this squad? sometimes being too close to something gives you a false impression of its true worth. Yes I want Lambert gone (So I don’t have to listen to another ramble of the same words rearranged) but can this squad play football? when they have continually shown they can’t at this level?
yours in misery
Mark and all,
You know what I frankly don’t understand is what happened after the end of the 2012-13 season!
At that time it looked as though the creaking ship had been reasonably well repaired with CB *and* Andi and Gabby scoring well that season (CB *very* well). In fact at that stage I thought that Lambert would do reasonably well in 2013-14.
And we started 2013-14 in winning form at the Emirates!
Since then it’s pretty well all gone down hill. Injuries have not helped at all but the switching around of playing styles has not helped for sure. And then Culverhouse, Keane and goodness knows what else…
PP
go to Bristol , my niece had a great time down there , just be aware you might bump into a squat bald ejit asking for pints in the pub , or sitting in the corner with his colouring book , its SWW , do yourself a favour and take some crayons with you and give them to him , he will leave you alone for about half hour after he realises they’re not to eat ,
Jenny , try sending lamberk a tape of yours , xxxxxxx
Correct steamer, the late 60’s we all thought we could and did actually achieve assisting to make changes to our club. The 3rd division were just wonderful days, every game home and away, the first trip to Wembley to see MY team, our first European adventure in Antwerp (dunno what hurt more – the hangover, the imprint of police batons or the booting we got on a housing estate).
But we always felt we were part of the club and cared more than we should have maybe ……… but as so many have said before, I don’t really care too much any more – we don’t expect to win against the bigger sides whereas previously we always thought we might just beat them. And this season we don’t even expect to win against the lower clubs.
It’s sad to hear so many older loyal fans talking in this way after all we have been through over the decades on the Villa rollercoaster.
I’ll listen/watch the game tomorrow from afar ……. not expecting anything but a thumping from Chelsea …… and then get ready “to go again” at Hull on Tuesday …….
What might be the odds on us scoring a goal in those games?!
Hmmmmmmm ……………………
steamer- I think the passing game shite has come from the fans moaning about possession stats. we played ultra defensive, effectively a 9 man defence but we got results (Except against the top teams who picked us apart eventually) . I said at the time all the teams that were winning rarely had the highest possession stats, we had more than arsenal ( possession artists) ffs and got mullered. a case of careful what you wish for I think.
And maybe Lambert is really doing some things very well?
He succeeds in making good players into average ones and average players into crap ones …….
Hello people.
Mark, I’m staggered by all of the negative records Lambert’s broken. In many cases these records go back 140 years. We’re not talking about the worst results in the last 10 years or in living memory, but in the entire history of the club. You’ve got to wonder how on earth Lambert’s still got a job let alone a 4 year contract extension.
Going over old ground I know but that contract extension has got to be one of the 3 maddest ideas by any football chairman ever. (For the record, the other 2 were Vincent Tan’s re-branding of Cardiff City and Lerner’s appointment of Alex McLeish.)
A big part of me thinks there’s a lot truth in what Michael Owen said about us. Benteke on his day is unplayable and 2 years ago Weimann looked like the ideal partner for him. Sanchez and Delph can certainly play and Okore and Vlaar can defend. Despite what Bibulus says Guzan is half decent, and Lowton, Baker and Westwood have all shown signs of ability. The jury’s out on Cissokho and Gil, and I think there is definitely an ok football team amongst that lot (but not one involving Clarke and Cleverley who are both wank).
Not a Champions league side by any shade of the imagination (although Southampton fans probably thought the same thing in August) but a half decent side all the same. And being half decent consistently throughout a season means you’ll finish mid-table, comfortably. Without doubt the players are underachieving and that’s squarely down to Lambert. As someone said earlier, it’s time to put him out of his misery.
I’ll be there tomorrow. I won’t be happy and I doubt if I’ll be doing much clapping, but I’ll be there because my name is Andrew and I’m an Aston Villa fan, and also because of my quest. I’m expecting 3-0 to Chelsea but only if we play well.
Mark, are fans really that bothered about possession stats? I’d settle for 25% possession and a win every time. I don’t think it’s the fans’ fault.
Could be right Mark, the results are the same though, good innit, posibly our tactics are formulated by a Jock and a Yank !!!!
OldVilla,
Well said mate, That Antwerp ground was a tip and certainly bandit country, Juggling Jimmy Cumbes had a mare.
As you said, we always felt part of the club, this mob are alienating the fans and parents won’t take their nippers where they aren’t wanted, Lerner is doing more damage than Herbert, although i ‘spose because Herbert sold to him he must retain pole position in our hate list.
Andrew,
Agree, yes it was crap footy but we scored the occasional goal didn’t we ? we’re still crap but we don’t score, but then again, all the possession is in our own box.
Whatever take on it, no-one can justify Lambertstill being at VP,we’re the only club in the solar system that would keep the knob.
What about Sven taking Walcott to the WC before he’d played a 1st team game ? Even that one pales compared to Lerners mindbogglers.
Steamer, the problem with our passing game is we do it at testimonial game pace. Our passing never takes opponents out of the game or makes openings for us because it’s all so sluggish. You watch Cleverley and you know exactly what he’s going to and he does it so slowly. At least the Spaniard moves it quickly.
Andrew P- they were on here, I can remember it, lack of chances, low possession etc. It really isn’t a great predictor of who’ll win or if a games entertaining. granted we took it to a new level at times and once we conceded it was all over. its difficult to really judge our players as I look at it from my own perspective, I would never go out and not pass the ball straight, find space, support my team mates etc,and I certainly wouldn’t let a manager make me play shit, pride comes into it.
Andrew P: Guzan is half decent, and Lowton, Baker and Westwood have all shown signs of ability.
As Monsewer Owen and others have said, we have a reasonable squad and should not be in this state of affairs.
To Andrew’s list we can add Clark and Okore as well as the generally reasonable form of Hutton.
But as I said before, just *what* has happened to the potency of CB Andi and Gabby since 2012-13? It was just Andi and Gabby but now CB also looks as though he’s lost his sense of direction!
John, Okore was on my list. Hutton has done ok this season. Clark was mentioned but only in the sense that I don’t think he’s very good. Like you say, the biggest head scratcher is what happened to Benteke, Weimann and Gabby. After Lambert’s first season I was sure we had loads of goals in us and just needed to shore up the defence. 2 years later the defence looks more solid but we’re not expecting another goal for weeks.
Mark, we all grumbled about lack of possession but most of us were really grumbling about the results and just wanted to look clever. But just in case Lambert and co do take notice of this rubbish, I honestly don’t care about possession but please could you fix it for me to see us score a goal at Villa occasionally because I get really cold sitting still for an hour and half at a time.
…and a win at home once in a while would be nice too. Thank you.
mark king
guzan hutton baker clark delph wiemen zog gabby grealish
where here when lambert took over
sendross cole wwere free
richardson was less than half million
cleverly on loan
so that is 13 of normal 18 20 man match day squad
lambert has spent over 50 million now
just 2 players he spent money on kea bought for over 2.5 million sold for 3/4 of million in just 2 years a loss of 66 percent bowery bought for half m sold for 1/4 million 50 percent loss
he has bought nearly 30 players but for what system or style no one knows
young and hungry bennet luna tonev helnius old and passedit cole sendross
he has destroyed bent a club record signing only 18 months before lambert came to club cannot get zog to perform to any level tried to humilate given then had him put on bench as number 2 makoun what went on there we had players he wouldnt play them or couldnt dunne ireland hutton warnock helnius sold collins for 2.5 million then has gall to try sign lambert from pool for 5 m on 3/4 yeaars contract why
David Cameron gives backing to £15million Thatcher museum
Just to cheer you up Steamer! 🙁
When Graham Taylor mark one took over from Billy McNeill we were garbage, really really awful. Taylor booted the rubbish, signed some rubbish of his own, who understood what he wanted and played for him in a system that was effective if not easy on the eye. He added some quality in the form of David Platt and got us promoted and then added some more quality in the form of the wonderful Paul McGrath and we finished second in the Prem. OK the Premier League has moved on since then but Graham Taylor had a plan and stuck to it. So has Mourinho. So has Tony Pulis for that matter.
What have we got? As James Gill says, we’ve swung from young and hungry to old and experienced, route one hoof ball to a half arsed style of keep ball, created a bomb squad and then brought them back in from the cold and replaced them with some of Lambert’s own signings. We’ve signed players, played them for 5 minutes then shipped them out again. There is no pattern, no logic, no plan and definitely no progress since Alex McClueless got booted, and that’s from one of Lambert’s biggest supporters. Truth is we’re no better off now than when PL took over from one of the worst managers we’ve ever had. It’s sad.
John, I’ve got a roll of (unused) Margaret Thatcher toilet paper which I’ve been saving for a special occasion. Perhaps I should donate it instead. Is that the kind of thing they’ll be looking for?
Make you proud to be British.
Andrew P,
Use first THEN donate.
Good today innit ? Lerner, Fox, Lambert, Ellis, Camoron and Thatcher, suicide beckons.
Steamer,
Before suicide, don’t forget that £20 you owe…!
Blimey JL, don’t you start.
andrew P- Goals? we will have to put the prices up 🙂
james- what’s your point mate? the overall idea was to lower wages
hutton baker clark zog were here but they were crap at the time, bent he didn’t fancy and was our highest earner.Guzan was leaving he gave him a new contract.
most of Lamberts players were bought cheap so if they didn’t work out so what? his better signings have all been £3 m+. Zoggy on the other hand £10 mil. houllier spent £30 odd mil in 1 season on a few players including Makoun who no manager got any joy with. mcleish £18 mil on 3 players and gave them 5 year contracts on £40,000 a week plus. their wages would pay for ten of Lamberts signings wages, Bowery was on £5000 a week.
signing fees are drip fed through the books over 5 years, so sign someone for £10 mil costs you £2 mil a year from your overall net income say tv + tickets £100 mil. whereas wages all get taken from that sum and cant be written off over 5 years. the wage bill is our largest bill and had got out of hand. so spending £50 mil over 3 seasons is F all, basically £10 mil a year over 5 years whereas the wage bill was £90mil down to £70 odd mil a year.
bearing in mind our players were generally on 10,000 to 20,000 a week here’s manures wages
http://www.tsmplug.com/richlist/manchester-united-players-salaries-list/
our wages 2013 couldn’t find a recent one
http://www.tsmplug.com/football/aston-villa-players-salaries/
sorry overpaid Bowery by £3000 a week 😉
bloody hell when you look at the wages I’m surprised they let us in the league
http://www.tsmplug.com/football/arsenal-players-salary-list-2014/
Wonder what Bradford City, Millwall Sheffield United, Orient Reserves and bournemoth Reserves were on.
Mark , inspite of the restrictions PL has had – his man management , change in style , philosophy etc and finally tactical deficiencies have led most journalists and a stack of ex pros like Ian Taylor, Dion Dublin , Andy Grey to name a few to publicly state that the team he has are under performing and that’s down to his management and tactics . Three seasons and I would argue we see worse than when he took over – just.
As for the change in style , was it the fans who sent him to Pepe for lessons or Fox?
One simply but underlining issue that glares at you from all that data (well done, Mark!) is that we have an owner who took on the club knowing full well what it takes (financially) to keep a club challenging in the Premier League. He must have – surely due diligence would have told him that.
OK, we know about FFP, but I was aware they were frightened about the wages % back in 2008, only 2 years after the club takeover. Thing is, the club needed investment from the owner to improve turnover. Clearly he didn’t have the loot … or got cold feet. Maybe the latter.
I’d say that was a publicity stunt of the highest stupidity jen. I don’t disagree with what you say about Lambert a better choice of manager by Lerner could of made a massive difference but at the same time nobody wanted it with the restrictions and you cant separate our fortunes from the finances. 4 managers have tried and failed since Mon. £50m spent to buy a squad is nothing.
steamer- Burnley had a top earners wage of 15,000 a week last I looked they are the lowest payers in the prem QPR one of the highest
JL- could of been the divorce that put wind up him
nice idea but forgot ask Abramovich to come too
http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2015/2/6/7992985/aston-villa-children-mourinho-manager-lambert-diego-costa
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/no-way-jose-mourinho-chelsea-8595435?
Mark,
Divorce? From the Browns you mean ?! 😉
C’mon, everyone needs a project to keep life together and Villa was his chosen project, particularly after selling the Browns. I think he’s still worth as much as he was back in 2006 so not much has changed financially.
The question is “coukd another manager do better with that bunch if players ” to get your answer look at the blues . Same players – no money -different manager – outstanding improvement .
No, Mark, by looking at what the Browns’ fans thought of Lerner’s chairmanship is enough to reveal there was something wrong long before his personal divorce.
JL- my understanding was his mrs walked away with half his fortune then the browns sale happened presumably to refill the coffers
possibly jen, you’d have to hope so or would lerner inflict further damage? if he’s taken advice before you would have to hope he doesn’t ask the same people. Mad thing is different manager five seasons ago totally different outcome?
yes John the browns fans hated him, presumably because he was throwing money at us not them
JL- take a look at this
http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20120806/SUB1/308069973/tax-liquidity-concerns-play-role-in-randy-lerners-decision-to-sell
mark k
our wage bill has gone up under lambert due to amount of players signed
hutton wasnot played because of wages well would all players not be paid regardless whether they play or not
mc leish was given money cause downing and young where going
my point lambert hasnt got a clue what he is doing bit llike lerner
chop change then fox thinks its a matter tossing a coin well fox toss it
james- granted they have gone up slightly from 72 to 74mil after reducing by £20 mil what you are not getting is as a percentage of turnover its miles less than it used to be. tv money has gone up by £30 odd mil so 2mil is hardly a crisis.
the fact we still are paying bent and given for bench warming or playing at derby means it would be less if we could of found buyers. those two cost us £5 mil a year. at one point minus the bomb squad wages are wage bill was £54 mil.
with you on getting rid of Lerner and lambert but the £50 mil is of little consequence against the background it was spent in.
trinity/clive
thank fuck we beat Wales, what a match, England really battered Wales after the first 20, physically that is, then second half out thought them too. at least we have something to celebrate I was expecting a double beating this weekend.
james – on hutton, he was truly awful under mcleish and early on under Lambert and had off field issues with clubs, drinking and scraps etc. fair play to him turning himself around but there’s a reason he didn’t play much at spurs, he ain’t that good.
Mark: yes John the browns fans hated him, presumably because he was throwing money at us not them
Why are you overlooking the time before August 2006, Mark?
Before he took over Villa he was already getting something of a thumbs-down from the Browns’ fans.
Mark,
That newspaper report on finances doesn’t cut with me at all – and I saw a similar article before on this. It all just suggests to me that he took over Villa without a stable base or understanding of the sports world.
I suggest he should simply have stayed out of this business if he wasn’t able to meet its demands rather than treating Villa as a plaything. Good intentions by themselves are not necessarily a worthwhile qualification to be able to provide lasting TLC.
Mark – I enjoyed the rugby; watched it at 0800 this morning after my morning exercise (it was on at 0230 here). Wales did not score a point in the second half under pressure from England.
Shall I watch the Villa at 2200 tonight or in the morning? Might be the morning then at least I will get a sleep tonight!
To quote the 7500to Holte blogger – ‘The realistic hope from a game such as this is simply to avoid embarrassment’
Mark,
In fact another side to this is that Villa might have been taken over by a rich sheikh or Russian oligarch without any feeling at all. At least Lerner connected with Acorns. Chelsea and Man City did not have any great tradition at all before they were taken over by ‘money’ and they (as clubs) fit neatly into the modern day perception of how successful clubs should be run.
Would we have been so *truly* happy if chairman of the Chelsea/Citeh brand had taken over at Villa? Despite our recent experiences with Lerner, I wonder. I also wonder whether something good may come out of the Lerner experience, and (being basically an optimist) I think it will, though not yet.
John- I remember the misgivings when he first arrived and the hatred from the browns fans. what i was trying to get at was why the turnaround after so much good was done, acorns etc, after his divorce maybe life was looking a little sour and had taken up his time and energy. that previous article suggested a huge tax bill of £350 mil on death with no spouse to pass it on to, I wonder if the same applys to villa? hence the sale of the browns and eventually us? he’s a private man and the divorce must of been rumbling for a while. Randys father only had the browns for 4 years apparently before death as a side note
interesting point about westwood and cleverly. clevrly was supposed to give us a goal threat as in his early days, this hasn’t happened and he needs dropping
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/02/06/cleverley-vs-westwood-who-is-offering-villa-more-this-season/?
Ask his kid in Sutton how many times he’s seen daddy.
Browns have always been trouble, their was talk of mafia involvement years ago.
Acorns was PR, Yanks need to be loved, failed again.
Have a feeling we’re going to put up a decent show today, we’ll lose but thats normal, going 1-2, yes thats right, the ball will go between Chelsea’s posts at some time for a mole ?, fole ? sole ? coal ? whatever they call those things, anyway it will probably be scored by a Chelsea player.
Reckon he’ll play –
Guzan:Hutton,Vlaar,Clark,Sissy: Westwood, Sanchez, Delph: Gil, Fattwat, Benteke.
C’mon Chelsea lets have at least five.
Sorry, forgot about our Tom, shove him in for Winegum.
Mark, if you could merge the abilities of AW and TC you’d still only have an average League 1 player. How someone so absolutely talentless as Cleverley can pick up 60-70k per week win England caps and live in a big house oop North is astounding, he ought to be shovelling shite in Rochdale.
All together, diddums for Randy.
Sod it, TC for Gil not Winegum, getting as bad as Lambert.
NEW POST
Steamer,
I do think that to assume the worst about someone is a tendency in all of us, but to say that Acorns was just “PR” I think is not very kind nor necessarily accurate. I am generally in sympathy with you in your views, but I try to see good in everyone and I don’t think that Randy is that perverse to do something like that *simply* for PR. PR *was* involved, of course, but it didn’t have to be done to the extent it was and is if it was just a PR stunt.