Is this a case of the Fat Lady singing early? If it is she’s late and should have shown up two years ago. Should Aston Villa have been put on a DNR (do not resuscitate) watch years ago? Was/is it necessary to keep putting band-aids on mortal wounds? To bring out the defibrillator every week and force a few more breaths out of a stiffening corpse? Hell no!
Like a long dead spouse kept secret from the pension authorities, Lerner collected money from Sky Sports by deceit. By the default of being a member of the Premier League he profited. Under the guise of Fair Play he pleaded no money can be spent. A salesman in a sharkskin suit lining up the gullible, making Barnum and Bailly look like Mother Teresa on her best day.
The faithful who trudge to Villa Park week in and week out, who go to all the away games are being played like a cheap violin. Villa has the best ticket prices in the league? But for what? Players who are out of their depth, playing out their careers, going through the motions, and players who plant poison amongst the ones who do care. These are the players Lerner courts. Perhaps N’Zogbia is right in taking his money. They are kindred souls in this mess.
Plenty of managers have walked the sideline. Over the course of the seasons you can see the possibility for Rogaine and Grecian Formula ads filling out their portfolios. The relief that they felt when they were sacked was palpable. It’s always easier to get rid of a manager than revamp the team. The media is culpable in their trashing of managers. To find blame not at Lerner’s feet or administration, or coaching staff but at the only person who isn’t allowed to defend himself-the manager. The allure of managing in the Premiership is too big for many and makes wonderful media fodder. A man can go from savior to reviled bastard in less than a year. And Lerner skates.
The reality has hit home for everyone now. Fans run the gamut of feelings from sad to angry to psychopathic. It doesn’t do us any good mentally to try and remedy this. To walk out of a game, or boycott a game only makes the festering worse. To go and kick your dog out of frustration only makes you feel guilty. It won’t fix things. The fan is the lucky one. There are hundreds of people dependant on Aston Villa for a living regardless of their affinity to the team. They are being tossed aside by one of the world’s nastiest bean counters.
In reality, Aston Villa have been middle of the road to poor for a great length of time with brief periods of brilliance. It’s those times of brilliance that has cemented claret and blue into our psyche. Passed on generation to generation. This five year patch in purgatory will come to an end. But like every addict knows, only rock bottom is the start of a renaissance. A trip to the Championship isn’t the end of the world. Being able to compete again will be a blessing. To gain confidence, skill, and a strong will to win will be the start of the road back. As I asked earlier, did the Fat Lady sing too late? Yes she did. Villa should be in their third year of recovery not mortally wounded at the bottom of the Premier League.
The only fly in the ointment? Lerner. He has to go.
The Author
Ian
I'm an Aston Villa fan who lives in Magna Bay BC CanadaComments 31
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i cant argue with learner making the club self sufficient,,, and the day to day running must balance the books or be pretty close and i believe we were close to that situation
sadly learner dithered with lambert when pullis was available and we ended up with sherwood
who got the team playing but was out of his depth when the summer change around took place
sadly as an owner he is useless,,, and thats why we are in the mess we are in
we are screwed until he moves on
Ian,
Good solid thinking there and well written.
The only issue I’d have trouble with in your statements as the inferred hope that Villa will get back up from the Championship.
The last time we went down at least we had GT come in to kick a few backsides and re-build. Doug was happy to let him do it and we scraped back into the top flight at the first time of asking.
But today’s situation is much more like (i.m.o.) that in 1967 when the club was run by really inadequate people – nice people but not up to the job. It took 8 years for Villa to get back.
Yes, today we have a parallel with that time in my view. Today it’s worse as once relegated I don’t see how Lerner (who you state as being the culprit – and I agree) will be able to sell the club on his terms. To date it would seem he could have sold but didn’t because he wanted more than was being offered, or something like that. Once Villa go down he’d have to be prepared to sell at a big loss to him. Would he wear that?
No, I’m much more in tune with those thinking that under this owner Villa will simply go into oblivion. So the staff will lose their jobs big time anyway while the fat cats swig their brandy in the boardroom.
Therefore, better for Villa fans to show their protest now, with their feet, in my view.
Oh – better still – to forget football altogether. What’s going on in the world has far more ramifications fro everyone than what’s going on at Villa Park.
Unfortunately your words are so true JL.
Last night I went to see the Premier of “Thriller” in Bristol, and had a great night, enjoying fish, chips and curry sauce at the small café/fish shop round the corner, washed down by gin & tonic.
The show was outstanding and the performers put their heart and soul into it, culminating in a fifteen minute encore…!!
I get so much value from my ATG theatre card, in comparison to my Villa season ticket, I know where my money is going in future…!!!
Renewing the ATG card is a no brainer…!!!
Excellent Ian
The reason we are in such a sad state is purely down to rANDY lERNER
He has made one bad decision after another which has lead to the club not being fit for purpose on or off the pitch
It really annoyes me hearing people blaming managers – even though Garde is the only one i have liked under lerner
We have let all of our miost valuable assets go and replaced them with far less capable players and this can only take the club one way
My main fear now is that Randy will stil be the owner next season in which case based on what he has done to this point maked me thing we will only get worse as a club and it is difficult to see any light at the end of the tunnel
And there is the rub Lerner will still own us next season simply because there is nobody daft enough to pay the sort of money he wants for a shambles of a football club and by the way Randy it is the shambles of your making but when you have $1b sat in your bank account do people really believe he gives a shit.
He will bide his time leave Fox and Hollis to do his bidding while he sits in the good old US with his feet up eating Hersey bars, if by some sort of miracle we can gain promotion in three years he may be in a position to recoup some of his money, he can afford to wait it is just an investment that he has lost buckets of cash because he hadn”t got a clue what he was doing, so worse case scenario is he could lose a few more millions or he might just get a good deal of his money back.
The only losers are the fans and backroom staff and this will always be the case, the players and managers will have their big fat salaries and there big fat payoffs and so will the board, but jobs at VP and BH will be lost in a cost cutting exercise so these blood suckers can exist on their big fat wages, and the fans will always be the losers, having to live with the fact that we are the butt of everyones jokes in the football world, we have to endure the jibes from the likes of Carragher on Sky all because we spoilt his free day out at the cup final last year.
We have replaced Birmingham City as the jokes of the second city, we have watched Midland rivals Stoke, West Brom and Leicester move so far ahead of us that it will take years to even claw back parity, and one word of advice for these molly coddled players if they think the championship is going to be a breeze then you have a surprise in store, although most of these will be long gone by the time August is here hopefully replaced by players who might just want to play and fight for Aston Villa.
TCWAVFC
really disapointed to hear Okore said he owed Aston Villa nothing at all
Villa have become such a joke that the players don’t have any respect or good feeling towards the club
paul so right mate come down to the snug in stokes croft tonight some great singers on for £2 great night villa are finished whilst fox is in charge he is the main problem for everything to givig out new contracts to pub players in scabby and westwood lambert sherwood getting herr flick all down to fox see you tonight if you can make it
From hope to despair, Valentine’s Day will go down in memory as the day Villa died for me this season, we’ve huffed and puffed during the season and probably messed with Villa fans’ hearts and minds in giving some hope of survival or hope we’d found the right level of consistency to see progress with next season in mind.
Fortunately from death comes rebirth as every new season brings the chance for a new start. We will have a chance to equip ourselves at a level more in keeping with our current playing squad.
Protest needs to start now, we can’t continue to accept the status quo, for too long we’ve been a participant in the prem, we need to remove the regime so we can be a contributor to the championship and return to being a contributor in the prem.
These guys have to go as part of a new Villa structure
Lerner – on the basis he’s removed inward investment or at the very least not actively sought new revenue streams even by partial sale of the club (e.g. 49% sold for 100m with a guarantee of 25m investment in playing staff) or pushing Villa in the US market.
Fox – on the basis he has had 2 years to turn Villa around in how it deals with it ‘customers’ (see Lions clubs), on how Villa is sold on a global scale and how he has badly dealt with employment in key positions.
Alsmtadt/Riley – on the basis they’ve been given too much power for their experience, these should be backroom boys advising the manager, not decision makers.
Hollis – this is a scary appointment for me, no football background, no connections that would bring in new investment, at his height he was head of Midlands KPMG (meh), he advises on asset striping and takeovers, not a chairman I’d want running a football club
King- regardless of his love of Villa, he brings in no inward investment and therefore is merely an employee of Lerner who may provide opinion in the boardroom but has no decision making power.
All are salary resource drain for an under-performing company, if this was a PLC they’d have been voted out and a new board put in its place ages ago. The focus naturally should be for Lerner to be pushed out the door but given he is in the US, he’s not an easy target, protesting against Fox is the equivalent of protesting against the person employed to clean the toilets,just another employee not an effective use of protest power.
But without protest, the board are laughing at us, so we need to rise up and shout down Fox and Co or we can write off next season before it starts. This regime has no intention of providing a war chest to buy new players to push for immediate promotion.
FOLAFAHAK
JD,
Try the Curried Goat washed back with a pint of Staropramen, happy days.
SWV
southwest i will try that comming tonight good night
Anyone else hearing that the financial director has gone? Also noises we are in deep do do financially? Can’t see that unless lerners bunch are calling in the loans? They are due in 2018 anyhow all £300 mil.
Well if Garde is the right man at the wrong time I’d like to know who the right man is for this time? Whoever he is man city or Chelsea need to sign him up now because they would win the title for the next five years without spending a penny. Managers like that don’t come along often.
Let’s not forget Tim was here because he was considered to be one such man.
I have the feeling Garde will start at least one new player and Hutton and Guzan may reappear. Jordan Lyden deserves his chance and I think Lyden at DM guye out left vertout at no10 Gil/Westwood out right Sinclair and Ayew up top. Clark has an outside chance of making CB .
I don’t have a clue what the future holds but as JL says there are far worse things afoot in the world.
JD,
Unfortunately cannot make it tonight but next time you are down I will try to meet you for a pint, I tell you one thing the Bristol City lads who I know down here are really looking forward to the Villa coming down here and I tell you one thing they will sell out for the return trip to VP as lots have never been to Villa Park.
SWV
Just read an article in the Daily Mail on the demise of AVFC to be honest nothing new in there that has not already been written but one of the comments made me laugh, it said Aston Villa were going down quicker than a 15 year old in Sunderland.
D O R totally agree with your post and see your view there as the only way to save the club
it is frustrating to see how villans have allowed Randy to destroy the club – i don’t like pool but there fans would not allow thing to get any where near this far without collective action
Steamer has being saying all this for about 4 years noe
now
Mark k
Guzan and Hutton are two main reason we are in shite
Never should they play again bunn was at fault for 2 nd it happens rest of goals if he had Joe Hart beside they wouldn’t saved them,as for Hutton only think Richards is bad watch any highlight of goal conceded with Hutton in team he either the cause or not in picture AWOL away up the field creating nothing,
Time to cut out bad eggs plenty off them grealish got hammered by remi yet what lescott ( captain experience) has done should be let rot ,take him zog flabby in morning and night inconvenience them
Hey guys
This season has really brought out the lost cause feeling in me. For weeks I would get myself prim d for the weekend game only to be disappointed. Then I stopp d being disappointed. Other things starts to occupy my mind. Things that gave me a better outlook to the weekend. I think I became a nicer person to be around on Saturday. It’s like waiting for that first robin in spring, the first flower to pop up. And it’s only February . The sooner this season is over the better. It’s way too early to get excited for the new season but that’s all that’s left. Well I’m off for a pint with jack and a run in joleons Mercedes. At least some are happy.
JG- I’m not saying its Ideal just likely in the state we are in, I think Bunn was mainly glued to his line all game
Mark King,
What he actually said was “if you want anything done, ask me, i run this club.” that’s according to a former Villa MF who is close to the dressing room and what we laughingly call players.
hey steamer nice to see you mate, I was channelling it and it loses a bit in translation 😉
would love to of been there to see Garde’s face and reaction
Mark: “I don’t have a clue what the future holds but as JL says there are far worse things afoot in the world.”
In one sense yes … but here’s a fine article written by one of the great religious authors of modern times, Karen Armstrong:
http://www.dailygood.org/story/1221/salt-ideas-essay-3-leading-from-the-heart-karen-armstrong/
Something to think about, perhaps, in how we might approach things – if we’re not already!
What I find really strange about remi he slaughtered grealish a 20 year old lad yet experienced international players in guzan lescott and the fattest number nine since Micky Quinn Gabby, can do what they want something odd there
He doesn’t want Grealish down the same path. I’m sure talking to the experienced players is like talking to a post. He had no choice but to play them. But now it’s all over except the post mortem I expect a lot of younger players to come into the starting 11
I think the same Ian Mate, The been there done it attitude will be in full flow at Villa Park retirement home.
Heres something off topic about the Zika virus, another epidemic you say?
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/02/16/zika-virus.aspx?e_cid=20160216Z2_DNL_art_1&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20160216Z2&et_cid=DM100008&et_rid=1360251935
Stanley was saying he saw bacuna about 3 hours after we lost away to saints in holland….he said he must of legged it straight off the pitch onto the plane, and was just meeting his mates playing on one of those segway things. Thats the mentality we have in the dressing room, dont give a rats ass. And we gave him a 5 year deal. I cant bring myself to watch villa cause i hate at least 8 of 11 players on the pitch with more passion than a blue nose player.
Mark i heard about our financial go going and murmours of bad figures about to be shown. Where the hells are money going if it aint on players!?
Have we no one in control at villa park,lescott is taking on all comers looking for boxing match at training tomorrow, even giving collymore both barrels all on twitter
All signs of complete frustration.
An excellent article, which squarely puts the blame for Villa’s demise on the shoulders of RL. Quite right, too. Just because he’s physically across the pond doesn’t mean he can hide.
I especially feel sorry for the away fans. They’re, together with long time faithfuls, the salt of the earth for the club. Indecisiveness through a lack of effective leadership has been one of the major factors in Villa’s demise.
“Like a long dead spouse kept secret from the pension authorities, Lerner collected money from Sky Sports by deceit.” If you’re right, Ian, and I think you are, deceit has been another factor. In this respect, I agree with JL’s views on the need to get back some basic values into the club. Of course, it’s naive to suggest, given the emphasis on the profits first mentality, that this will ever happen
Ian, do you or JL have any ideas about how it might?
If the finances are as bad as some are reporting, I can see Villa going down the same path as Leeds and Pompey, possibly into administration and points deduction etc. I bet RL doesn’t fully understand the losses he is going to make as we slip into oblivion.
I honestly don’t know where this £300m figure has come from, it seems very high for a club that has spent next to fuck all for years, and only announced they were in the black and the finances were in order last year!!
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