Well no real need to tell you the main news of today. Yep we were waiting for the statement and we got it, Randy has said the club is up for sale. To this author this is no surprise and has not been since we found out the extra shares issued.
However lets take the statement at face value and I would be worried.
– Club up for sale
– Lambert gone (d0es anyone doubt that ?)
– Faulkner off in the summer to the FA
IF the club was still up for sale then, then there is no one left at the club. So I think and looking at Randy’s use of the past tense in his statement and the weird one from the General that Randy has already packed his bags and gone.
I firmly believe the the club is almost sold if not already sold and this statement is Randy’s goodbye. Within weeks if not days we will get a simple statement saying the club is sold to xxxxxx
We will not hear from Randy again ….
The club is sold really? To who?
We will find out in the next few weeks if not days. If you believe this will be a long drawn out sale then you are simply not reading the situation. All along I told people since we learnt of the extra share issues that he was going to sell. As soon as we knew Faulkner had took a temp FA job in June the peak of pre season and busiest time for him then it was obvious Lerner was off.
Lerner has cleared his desk and gone, the club has all but been sold.
I really hope your right Ian, as I don’t think the club could survive another season of “transition”
To me it reads as ‘you lot wanted me out, so bugger you I am going, but only when I get the right price’ with a load of spin a PR mixed in…..
But you have been right all along so I am going to believe in Mr Robo !
Lol, so instead of “transition” we are going to get transition? What does anyone expect will happen when change mangers every 1-2 years never mind owners!
Yep … Transition
If the club was already sold then why wouldn’t he just say its sold? I think if there was already a buyer there would be no statement till the deal is signed, this just looks like a statement basically sayin if you wanna buy the villa im willing to talk! Which is the worst possible situation! I mean if i was buying a club and that chairman gave a public up for sale announcement i would be pissed off that he is maybe lookin for more interest from other partys!
I can not say why he issued the statement as today but does anyone really believe it is a long drawn out affair ? Because of the huge work needed we can not have the CEO off to the FA and Lambert still there. Now I think Lerner is a decent bloke and he would not leave us in that state by not having a deal lined up.
which means it may have already been sold. we should know later announcement at 3pm BMH
Hope you are right Ian. Would hope this can be sorted out before end of the month but just feel it will be A long drawn out saga as per usual with Villa.
If the club is already sold Ian, why would an absent American owner feel the need to issue today’s statement ?
He isn’t hear to feel any supporter disapproval so I can’t see any sense in that at all.
And would a prospective/in negotiations/done deal buyer of the club want this release in the mainstream media ?
I hope that we are going to a great custodian who wants to burn money, but I doubt it.
Have I read a different statement Ian. The one I read states club is for sale (not sold) and no mention of Lambert being sacked or Faulkner leaving. Your headline states Club has Been Sold. Tell me more. I do agree though that this statement is a farewell message though.
Agreed it’s a farewell statement.
I came, I thought I could make great things happen, I understand I can’t so I’m off.
Does make a mockery of all those who have accused him of being an asset stripping Yank making a small fortune out of the Villa.
He’ll be lucky to break even at best.
Totally agree vaze he has never been makin any money off villa and now when the money has greatly increased he’s leaving so obviously was not in it for the money!
The Lerner in it for money thing was as thin and flimsy as the criticism of Faulkner ie nothing it back it up.
To this day I have no clue what faulkners football involvement was.
Lerner will not make a profit out of us, to do that the sale would have to be upwards of £250M and that is not likely
I don’t think if he had sold it, he’d hold that information back from supporters. What reason would there be to not tell us? It may be that he has some very interested parties at advanced stages.
Bare in mind that whenever you’re negotiating a deal, you never announce it until it’s done so that you keep your options for higher bidders. I personally don’t think it’s sold yet, not necessarily even close.
I do however think he’s done all the right things to prep us for sale and if there’s any benefactors looking for a PL club, we’d have to be an attractive option.
I also don’t buy the 250m figure. I think it’ll go for somewhere between 200-225m.
Just read in a financial report that the hiring of a bank means we are searching far and wide for a new owner, so think that proves a new owner is nowhere near in place yet and lerners statement is in line with that. So yes Ian i tink it will be a long process and we might even still have lerner at the beginning of next season which really is the worst outcome possible because quite likely Lambert will still be manager too! Fuckin scary or what!
When Ellis hired a bank it took ages for the sale to be concluded but we were a PLC then. Actually I found out then when he hired a bank Lerner and others had already spoken to him.
This is different because we know some things already and once you factor in Faulkner leaving in June for the FA then I think we have the deadline then.
here is financial express take on it looks like no owner ian or they wouldnt have app lynch. http://www.financialexpress.com/news/premier-league-club-aston-villa-up-for-sale-at-250335-million/1249957?
you have been saying no sale throughout this …no one knows the real truth except looking at the facts of where we are.
kendrick thinks we are in for a summer of uncertainty dosnt sound like anythings been sorted yet http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mat-kendrick-comment-randy-lerner-7107092?
just posted that article kerry. hope not or we are doomed
“News of the sale was revealed by BBC reporter Pat Murphy, who said the likely asking price would be about £200m – which is £100m less than Lerner’s estimated total investment in the club.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27372342
Think you are jumping the gun Ian. Lerner has caught a cold buying Aston Villa. He has arrested his losses and stabilised the clubs financial position. The club managed to stay up and now is the time for him to get out. If we had been relegated he would have been left high and dry with a shedload of more losses.
If the club is already sold, why not keep quiet and make your leaving statement whilst announcing the new owners? He has acknowledged that both sides have had enough, and true to his word will move aside for new owners.
I hope you are right though. The uncertainty is destabilising. There is now no point in sacking Lambert or Faulkner. They are probably dead men walking so will naturally seek alternative employment. If they leave where do we go next? Let’s hope this gets sorted quickly.
I Agree that the club has already been sold or at least a buyer has been found,it’s just a case of when both parties are ready to go public,I personally hope it’s to redbull or that oracle guy,I’m fed up of being poor,I want to see messi at villa park,either as a player or in the champions league playing against us
I honestly think that a new owner has been found. The message seemed too much like a goodbye statement.
However, I feel that the new owners will want rid of all the dead wood, and therefore, want Lerner to do the dirty work before they come in. Why would they want to come in and pay a few million in compensation. That would put them on the back foot immediately.
I also think that the take-over will take place during the world cup. Just when the fans attention will be else where. This will allow them to make radical changes within the club, and still be out of the public’s eye. Will it be another American owner? Probably. Will Lambert go? Definitely. this will also take place at the end of May beginning of June, well before the transfer window.
It is significant that Faulkner goes to the FA in June …
Ianrobbo, I really hope your right bud… you have been saying its up for sale for so long but it was obvious, we know there are people sniffing at football clubs in this country just like the bloke who looked at spurs and Newcastle.. which makes me think that you could be slightly off the mark..
I really hope Lerner hasn’t waiting until this past month to really put the club up for sale
I freaking hope so mate, I sincerely hope you’re right…
I can’t believe so many on here are so forgiving, Lerner fed us this young and hungry bullshit for the past few years when it was as plain as the nose on your face he was buying cheap shite, drip feeding the club, keeping it on life support, nothing more nothing less and
part of me really wished we’d have relegated so f**king his plans up good and proper.
Good riddance to bad rubbish!
Sky sports news on twitter are saying that Lerner is hoping to find a buyer within 6 weeks.
yep so they can sell season tickets it wont happen trust me
Change the record Oohah.
How many people do you think buy a season ticket because they want to watch Villa, however they play, or do so hoping that a fairy Chairman will buy Messi, Bale & Ronaldo ?
Every season you come out with this lame ‘this is only being said to sell tickets’ crap. Who is honestly going to buy a season ticket today thinking all is now rosy ?
It seemed a genuine farewell, I tried but failed statement, I’m handing on the custody of a great club if possible.
Lerner was guilty of hiring McLeish, maybe Houllier, and not being rich enough. He isn’t the antichrist. He did quite a lot of good things, but let himself down at times with key appointments, and was let down badly by others. Simple as.
We spent massively beyond our means supporting MON, and others, and he decided to stop pumping money in. Bit like a load of you on here state you’ve done in boycotting the club.
Thanks for having a go when you came, please be careful who you pass us on to, and all the best for the future.
Change the record FFS? I’m staggered at the hypocrisy of that coming form you with your I love Randy T shirt and your everything’s rosy star spangled classes.
Get a grip man he (lerner) put this club back light years behind the likes of Spurs and Everton and lower down the pecking order than Southampton and Stoke so if any f**ker needs to change that record I suggest you look a little closer to home.
I don’t own that T-shirt.
I don’t hold star spangled classes (whatever they are ?) though i don’t hate all things American.
He went for top four with MON, and yes, we had to recoup that outlay.
How you can have the vehement hatred of Lerner I don’t understand, no, but I don’t think that everything he has done has been wonderful, far bloody from it having watched the shower of shyte yesterday.
I try and take a balanced view, rather than the f off Ellis/O’Leary/Lerner/Faulkner/Lambert/Gabby/tea lady etc, delete as applicable.
No Villa fan can be happy with our last four seasons or so, but you can be pragmatic about where we are and what needs to be done.
I make no apology for not toeing the line of the little ‘aren’t Villa rubbish, let’s slag them all the time’ clique.
I don’t see any of you ever make suggestions as to how to correct things other than, everyone must go, and we need an oil sheikh or a Russian oligarch lol !
thats because selling to someone with deep pockets is the only way we will succeed again. thats a sad fact of life rightly or wrongly.
true but whichever way you look at it the club is a shambles. it will stay a shambles until all the uncertainty is over which could take months even years
Simple EPL Recipe
For this you’ll need one very rich owner, 25 exceptionally talented football players, 1 quality grade manager and as many class coaches as you wish to add and 3-4 seasons.
Firstly place your rich owner in the boardroom and add lots of cash,
then secondly add your quality manager to the dressing room at the same time gently stir in the 25 players whilst seasoning liberally with the class coaches.
Finally add all the ingredients to a football pitch, heat gently over a couple of seasons and it will start to rise and then It’s coming, up It’s coming up It’s there.
Lol NICE one MATE.
lol thats funny BWS but true
Cheers Gibby, what might not be the best idea is to starve it of cash, run it into the ground and nearly f..ck up your own investment by letting it go to the dogs and get relegated.
RL is one luck b*****d.
Gibby?????? Lol 🙂
Sorry mate, did I tell you I’m a member of DNA (National Dyslexic Association)?
FFS sake stop the guessing and misleading shite. Firstly, when you said ‘we were going to be sold’…it was copied from numerous other sites/media outlets who were saying it MONTHS before you reappeared on here after a prolonged absence when you quoted ‘I am no longer interested and will spend my spare time cycling’……you then disappeared again and came out of your closet again trying to make out that your the font of all knowledge. Stop the bollox and wait and see…..the bottom line is that you, like the rest of us know absolutely fuck all…get over it!
Come back Lerner, the Villa is YOURS 🙂
just saw an excellent point on VT – Merrill Lynch are banking advisors and like Rothschilds that Ellis got who had to find a buyer in other words they have not been hired to find a buyer but to conclude the deal for the best advantage for all (tax)
That’s tommy rot Ian, Merrill Lynch are a massive international financial services group that don’t specialise in any one area. They offer both financial advice and management in all sorts of areas.
In the UK, they are branded as BlackRock, and you can put money in one of their funds today, doesn’t mean you’re buying Villa ffs !
Stop making stuff up. Faulkner was elected to the FA council two years ago, is he some sort of bloody soothsayer to know that Randy would look to sell well into the future ? He may well have known that Randy had decided he’d given it all and was spent, but the election to that committee is more honourable and influential than an alternate position of employment.
Lambert is off to the States in the next few days, maybe to get his P45, maybe to be thanked for keeping the club up on a shoestring. Probably only Randy knows.
I think that there may well be interested parties, but if I was about to exchange contracts on my house sale tomorrow, I wouldn’t be asking another estate agent to list me today, would I ?
believe what you want but do you really think Lerner will use any more money to sack a manager, who would appoint the next one then ? In fact if Lambert leaves int he next 48 hours that for me is further confirmation a sale will be close as a new owner would appoint the next manager.
but ellis sacked dol and appointed mon. dont get what your saying
actually you just made my point, if you believe Ellis had any control at that point you are seriously deluded. at that time the deal with Lerner was being negotiated and HE appointed MON after he visited MON at his home.
why hasnt lamberk gone yet not happy
agree vaze. collymore has tweeted there is not one prospective buyer atm. this could drag on for months or even years im afraid
ha ha Collymore is a reference, jeez the idiot said there was no sale
He tends to use some of the worst sources only when it’s negative about the club. Something positive came from Collymore, he’d be considered an idiot and have no idea what he’s talking about.
And he was right….Thers isn’t a sale yet……..
Vaze….well said mate…he makes everything!
But he (robbo) was right about the sale you pair of Muppets.
BWS…bollox…it was all over the web months prior to appearing on here. Given the pennypincing of recent years it was obvious a sale was on the cards. It was always a matter of when and not if. Use logic mate….if you were knowing that you were soon to be divorced and in the process lose your property, would you splash out on loads of new things. FFS, try rational and logical thinking…you may find it works for you though I very much doubt it!
Come back Lerner, the Villa is YOURS! 🙂
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, can’t remember you using this egg head logic of yours to post how Lerner was about to sell in fact I don’t remember you posting much other than than ermm, what was it… Oh yea F**k Lerner / Lambert the Villa is ours??
Senility a terrible thing, can anyone else smell piss?
FFS….why do I need to say anything thats obvious…all the signs were there. If you look back on other sites they have been saying it since McLeish left. I cant help it if your getting a bit slow in your old age. Time to get your nappy changed….get up, wise up, clean up and shut the fuck up.
Come back Lerner, the Villa is YOURS 🙂
Drive to VP?
8 hour round trip?
My arse you do. Ring and ride don’t do six hour trips.
Lol….you seem rather knowledgeable regarding ring and ride…..quote ‘8 hour round trip’….’ring and ride dont do 6 hour trips’ Lol….trying reading your post again mate!
p.s……what does senile mean, I seem to have forgotten?
BTW …I dont smell of piss today….I have shit myself 4 times though….similar to you only mine comes out my arsehole…….now go away and try and learn from your mistakes 🙂
Remember……logic and rational 😉
GIRLS. GIRLS LETS STOP THIS BICKERING, ROBO YOU STARTED THIS BY MISS QUOTE, the club is up for sale full stop, I don’t know, we’ve all been contributing great discussion and now its who knows what, ANSWER WE KNOW FUCK ALL YET. 🙂 🙂
Lanford that’s fighting talk were I come from.
Lol……lets have it then 🙂
Cant beat a bit of banter and you know I’ll always love you 🙂
I’ve moved!
at the point we saw the extra shares I was convinced of a sale and everything since even more so …
Faulkner new FA position
Lambert’s new contract talks just stopped
No money in Jan
Lerner not coming to see a single game at VP
Club staff saying how every penny spent has to be accounted for
No new box renewals being dealt with at the moment
It will happen and it will happen in the next few weeks, the only question i who will be the new owner ?
IANROBO…at last your reading the obvious signs. Makes a change from guesswork. Well done 🙂
Come back Lerner, the Villa is OURS
When you posted it Robbo some said you where talking out your rear end but you got it spot on so credit where credits due.
I just think some people go into denial even when the truth stares you in the face !!
The debt for equity swap was for tax purposes in 2013/14.
It makes not a jot of difference to a prospective owner. Lerner can waive the value of new shares or have agreed to write down the debt as part of the sale.
You can say that we are in denial and that the truth is staring us in the face, and that the club has been sold.
I still question why Lerner would make this statement if he had sold the club.
It’s more a Pontius Pilate gesture of washing his hands of us, which most of us have seen since the McLeish debacle.
I don’t think that you need Holmes like powers of deduction to state that Lerner would sell if offered his cash back, he’d lost interest.
If we’re sold, who to Ian ? Or will you ‘deny’ us that piece if information ?
How would I know who we are to be sold to ?
And you make me laugh, the debt swap was not for tax purposes, it was to clear the decks to make the club easier to sell, if we are sold quickly would you still be in denial over this ?
everything for four years has pointed the way to Lerner wanting to sell, the cost cutting, the wage reductions, the debt swap, everything.
TBH Ian I think you have been saying we were up for sale/sold for a long long time. I think most people have long accepted that Lerner would sell at the right price if a buyer came along. The debt swap makes no difference at all in selling the club. Four years pointing to this? That’s a pretty long sale by anybody’s book. Say it for long enough you have to be right.
I hope you are right about a quick sale at this point, provided we get a decent owner. That is a pretty big if. The temptation to own a football club given the huge increase in revenues from TV must be stronger than ever. The problem is that this attracts all sorts.
I’m not happy that Lerner is going, and I won’t be until we know who the new owner is, and see what investment and success they bring (or don’t). Only time will tell if the current rejoicing is misplaced or not.
I see Kraft have been mentioned. That would be awful. They are vile company – remember how they promised to keep Cadbury production in the UK, then shut the whole thing down in a matter of months and moved it abroad? The Cadbury heiress described Kraft as ‘Predators’ at the time. That is the sort of ruthless owner we would do well to avoid. The sort of owners that wouldn’t hesitate for a second when it comes to voting to scrap relegation. They’d make the Glazers look positively homely.
I think you will find that Kraft the sports side is different …
hate to see us taken over by a corp.
You talking about The Kraft Group? Who are largely responsible for The New England Patriots and New England Revolution’s recent successes? If so… That would be very good.
As far a US corperations go, they’re a nasty piece of work…Would rather be owned by the porno Kings, at least they’re up front about what they do. Maybe that’s what football has come to, clubs being advertising tools for multi nationals…
Nice cheese though 🙂
Laughing out very loud at the ITK’s here!!!
No ITK has been right over this at all … so lets stop with that nonsense eh ?
Are you not an ITK? Sorry, my bad
nope never claimed to be
So if it’s true Lerner wants to sell within 6 weeks, how long does it take for the FA/Premier League to complete said Wellness/Authenticity type tests and such? It could very well be an agreed deal already.
not too long really … they only ever take time if someone is dodgy …
wba have sacked manager hopefully lamberk can go there
He works well with 20m (well according to himself anyways)… Why not allow him to prove himself with 0 a summer.