Ok, there’s nothing else to talk about with regards to the Villa, so I suppose we might as well go with the latest takeover rumour that has come from Neil Moxley at the Sunday People.
I’m quite surprised by this one to be honest, as Moxley is generally a decent reporter and his piece actually suggests that the American pair of billionaires have been having discussions for weeks.
How Moxley knows this, is beyond me, unless it’s been deliberately leaked to him; something that I can’t see having come from anyone on Villa’s side of the deal.
So the only other possibility is that it’s come from someone on the buying side’s party. Something that strikes me that Randy Lerner wouldn’t particularly like, as we all know he likes to do his business privately; something I actually really like about him.
So, to say I’m cynical about the whole thing is an understatement. But let’s go with it, eh?
Joshua Harris is apparently an ex wrestler with a very decent amount of poke behind him (around $2.7 billion), who went on to found an investment company, Apollo Global Management.
He has form, in having bought out an NBA and NHL franchise, for a combined $700 mill.
David Blitzer it seems, is more a pure money person, with a background in investments at the Blackstone group. I’m not seeing any sporting background on his part, other than he was involved with Harris, with at least one of the previous mentioned franchises.
Which is the part that makes all of this story a bit dubious to me.
Is buying a Premier league club a good investment?
I’d suggest not, especially with the money that’s involved these days.
I’ve seen arguments that we might be able to at least challenge for the top four with £75 million invested in the first team.
I’d suggest that’s total pie in the sky, myself, as we’d need quality, highly paid players all over the pitch, with expensive back-up sitting on their backsides on the bench.
And we all know what many think of that when MON tried it; a total waste of money, which has put the club in the position it’s in today.
It’s not specifically an opinion I agree with.
My opinion says that if you want to really challenge, you have to waste money in this way. It’s the way it is, as much as I dislike it.
So basically we need a fairy godmother, who’s willing to seriously splash the cash.
Which is why these American money people quite frankly scare me.
Randy Lerner was a bit of a one-off, in my opinion, in that he was born into money, so never really had to make it on his own. Hence, he was probably more willing to lose some money, knowing that he’d owned a Premier league club. More of a status thing, where the money was secondary, if you like.
I don’t see Harris and Blitzer having the same mindset at all.
And it could indeed be a case of Donner und Blitzen. Or loosely translated, Thunder and Lightning.
Oohah, some players cannot settle in their jobs because of dross players around him, as OLL saying watching this world cup this time is as you can see teams snatching goals with weak defending, with what we are getting for our comming season ,boy are we in the shit, also England will never go anywhere with ideas that we went with , I wonder why Stuart Pearce got shoved out with Hodgson and the FA, answer Sponcers, running our game. Football is going out of peoples lives, down to to much money.
Fair point but benteke settled in ok with shit players around him. If your a good player your a good player. I was fairly good amateur player in my time and would drop down a couple of divisions to play for a mates team in the afternoon even though I had a morning game. I still shone out and played well even though the players around me were bloody useless. No excuse
Thing is Oohah Benteke is not a defender having to see stupid midfielders and fullbacks, but I see your take on types of people, Aston Villa rang us up lastnight bout tickets, told them not buying till I like others see movement, he’s said that they have put back the dead line on your seats, I have a feeling news is coming soon, shirts are not on sale till July.
Shows how desperate they are bill if they are phoning people up. I reckon st sales must be poor at the moi think most fans have had enough though ul always have 15,000 or so that renew regardless of what’s happening
It’s not just Villa, fans of every club are getting phoned up by clubs to renew.
My mates at utd and arsenal havnt been phoned up.
One of my mates that’s an Everton fan was, as was a Liverpool fan.
To be fair I’m getting bored with the World Cup roll on the new PL season
Another totally crap season battling relegation for a 5th consecutive season. Yea I can’t wait either!!
But ya got at love Tha villa
Also I think we may be having a few more signings sale or no sale
Interesting, OLL.
I’ve noted your dislike of Guzan before and don’t really disagree.
He’s a shot stopper, more than a thinking goalie.
Which is similar to the way the game has moved to lately, in that the thinking seems to be that you have to out-attack the other side, as opposed to out-defending them.
It’s why the likes of Glen Johnson gets picked at RB, when the fact is, he’s a shocking defender, who can’t do two entirely different jobs at once.
At first glance, attacking seems much better, but as you suggest, the defending has really suffered.
It keeps the money rolling in though, I suppose.
All I know is this WC has been WAY better than South Africa 🙂
As for Vlaar, I don’t massively rate him, but the fact is he’s far better than anything else we’ve got.
Here’s hoping Okore lives up to what we think he might be.
Bloody hell Badger found someone that thinks the same, Johnson is the worse right back I’ve seen in a England shirt, Now can I find someone that will agree that Sterling, Welbeck, and Sturidge, are glory hunter’s bloody selfish strikers, not team players. I bet I don’t. Why was Peace dismissed, he had more idea than Hodgson.
Your’e right, especially with Sterling and Sturridge. Sometime they seem to forget it’s not just about them!!!
Sterling I think will learn while Sturridge has always been like it, and he has that cockiness making me think he isn’t able to change his way.
I said from the start (i know, got my big head on now) that Hodgson wasn’t the man for England. We whinge about Lambert being tactically inept, at least he tries diff things (most fail) Roy played and stuck with a negative 4-2-3-1. He never changed it at all to incorporate nullifying particular quality players (Pirlo – Suarez etc).
Need to see his resignation pronto……..
Bill and Badger. Oh yes I agree! I was a left back throughout my playing career so I pay particular attention to full backs. I am probably the only old codger who will say the best Villa player in my lifetime was John Gidman, and I have a high regard for Charlie Aitken also.
Fashions change in football and the lack of dribbling skills in wingers today compared with say Didier Six or Chris Wadlle who could beat a defender standing in front of them and cross the ball where it is wanted, means that a player needs open space to cross a ball from the wing. This is achieved by the winger coming inside, dragging the opposing full back with him and leaving a space behind for the attacking side’s full back to get up-field and cross the ball. All this and defending too is the modern full back’s task..
All managers today recognise that their strikers may run out of puff and often bring on a new pair from the bench. The genius manager will be one who realises if his team play as I describe above, then his full backs will be the most overworked players, and he needs a spare pair on the subs bench.
England fell into the trap of picking Johnson and Baines for their attacking prowess when 1/ they were not good enough defensively 2/ they were overworked after an hour and needed subbing.