I couldn’t let this one go without comment, as it’s just laughable in my opinion.
Here’s the quoted line from our new chairman, Steve Hollis;
I’ve kept my thoughts to myself as regards Hollis, as I wanted to see how things pan out with him and his position, but the fact is the more I hear from him, the less I think of him.
The man talks like he’s chairing a PLC when he mentions the shareholders, almost like we have institutional investors as well as private investors.
Well, let me remind you Steve. We don’t.
The only investors here are Randy Lerner and those close family members who are involved in the Trust.
So basically Lerner himself.
Now a board’s role is to run a company in a prudent manner, while investing carefully to maximise profit for the shareholders.
Which as mentioned above, is basically Lerner.
So does this mean that “the board” will be able to borrow money to make up for the lack of investment over many years?
Of course it won’t, unless Lerner says so.
The quote then goes on to talk about how we were ambitious in the summer and how we spent a lot of money.
Er, no, Steve me old mate, we really didn’t.
At that point, I just gave up on reading comments that frankly insult the intelligence.
So what’s it all about?
Well, quite simply deflection, to my mind.
Some vain hope that us fans will see Hollis and the board as the place to point the finger at instead of Lerner himself.
As for Hollis, it just sums him up when he hasn’t even got the nous to talk about us as a football club, instead, preferring to talk of us as a company.
I’m simply not falling for it and I suggest you don’t either.
Hollis in my eyes, is a total non-entity, placed in the position to do Lerner’s bidding and that’s all.
Hence I doubt I’ll even mention him again, apart from him being Lerner’s mouthpiece.
On the bullshit transfer speculation front, it seems we’ve been offered Nemanja Vidic.
Hmm, that’s good of whoever’s doing the offering, isn’t it?
He was a great defender in his day, but as slow as toast when he left the Prem, so what’s he going to be like now?
A total load of rubbish that one, but you have to laugh, I suppose.
We’re supposedly still in with a shout for Lovre Kalinic, Hajduk Split’s goalie, although I’m not convinced.
The most likely one is probably Debuchy on a loan.
I can see some legs in this and it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s actually our marquee signing in this window.
If indeed, he can be bothered to come.
And the headline that’s annoyed me the most?
We’re the 22nd richest club in the WORLD.
All that money and we’re still an absolute shambles.
There’s also a hint that Mervyn King might become a non executive Director.
Another total breadhead.
But at least he’s a fan, I suppose.
I’m totally fed up of the way that the “business” is becoming way more important than what we basically are, which is a football club, as much as I understand we have to get the money side right (for that, read return value to the shareholders/Lerner).
It’s the constant misplaced emphasis that alienates me as a fan and the more they see me as purely a customer, the less inclined I feel I want to spend any money on the club.
And I’ll bet I’m not alone in thinking that.
They really don’t have a clue, imo.
That said, my brand spanking new Villa Shirt will no doubt accompany me on my hols next week.
Fox will love that, won’t he? 🙁
Get them all on the board – King – Cameron- Prince Wills – Kennedy – Hanks – Geezer etc. Then we could charge for tours around the board room, it’d be like a living Madame Tussauds (SKY money? Who needs it?).
And then we could add Lerner, Fox, Krulak, Almstadt and Riley as the real dummies.
I like it 🙂
Lol. Morning Badger, just what is this all about -“As the chairman I must have a good relationship with the shareholders”??
As you point out – there ain’t no shareholders, just Randy!
And the board? Ain’t that the same bunch of dickheads we had and that f**ked it up prior to his appointment?
Then there’s this from Hollis “Aston Villa’s January transfer spending will be decided by the club board rather than JUST OWNER Randy Lerner,” So don’t that say the final yea or nay is with Randy??
So in reality it seems that apart from having a top of the range, crème de la crème bean counter in the chair, nothings really changed.
Morning mate.
Yes, that’s exactly my point.
Nothing has changed whatsoever.
Apart from the fact that Hollis is no doubt taking a nice fat wedge for being a mouthpiece.
Nice work if you can get it.
If you’re looking at this from a 100% business side of things, we’re putting things in place and it makes us look more efficient as a business, on paper.
But the contribution to us as a football club is a big fat zero, imo.
In the words the great ZZ Top
Top coat, top hat,
I don’t worry ’cause my wallet’s fat.
More fool you for buying merchandise Badger.
He bought a raffle ticket…
And lost!
Morning lads,
This is just a smokescreen from Lerner, nothing will change reference players coming and going, years ago board members had an input of investment of cash, it would mean they made sure the club made money, today one man controls what go on and that’s Lerner.I feel its inevitable that a time will come fans will walk away, Lerner now seen a new way to make money and thats by going down and getting cheaper footballers in a lower divisions. Our club maybe 22th richest but it doesn’t get run that way its a money machine to a yank.
Think they already are Bill given the crowd was 20,706 Tuesday night and the tickets were as chip as chips. Liverpool had 43,292 for last nights visit by Exeter and Old Clipperty played the kids.
‘Cheap’ even
Morning Bill.
‘Morning Bill, BWS, Badger and all Villa fans – the latest piece of b***ocks to escape the mouth of Hollis is that Lerner wants to see ‘Villa as the best run club in the prem before he moves on’. Well Mr Lerner and Mr Hollis it may have escaped your attention but we have to be in the prem first or are you going to claim to have achieved this in the next four months?
I despair – our Chairman could turn out to be a bigger waste of space than Fatty. When is he actually going to mention football?
That seems to have gone under his radar Hitchy but then again it seems most things do.
I think fans should just boycott club until Lerner sells its going nowhere fast and we are all being taken for a ride. Next season will be as depressing as it gets especially when we start to realise we will still struggle. And if a miracle happened and we stayed up big deal we will be in exactly the same place next season. Supporting the club is pointless until Lerner sells the same clowns and jokers are in charge and Hollis is another bean counter. IV had enough of this crap.
The Club is Lerners Cash cow, he has now installed a Chairman to take the flack and count the beans to make sure the cash keeps flowing…. The only way to get rid is a boycott…
But no doubt there will be 1000’s who say support your club no matter what and give them time, they are the people that Lerner depends on.
The clubs a total FUCKING joke 22nd richest club????more like we have the 22nd richest chairman sorry owner in the world the penny pinching bastard.
Lol Don’t stand on ceremony Giddy, tell it how it is mate 🙂
I can’t disagree with all your sentiments gentlemen, we’ve been a joke for far too long, however I’m starting to feel ever so slightly somewhat cautiously optimistic.
What I got from that interview was that Lerner just hired a man who came out in his first interview and fronted up that Lerner fucked up royally, multiple times. Now maybe it is a smokescreen, or maybe a man with serious business stripes who has a reputation for shaking up and reorganising has been hired to do just that. Clutching at straws possibly?
Also I just read the shareholder/fan comment as a cheesy way of trying to reconnect with the fan base and repair some bridges, the delivery might have been a bit more akin to a Westwood corner than a Dublin headbutt but I think it meant well. I’m prepared to give him a chance, and as he said, a crisis gives great opportunity for change. We couldn’t be in more of the first one, and in need of the second one, let’s give him 6 months to show us what he’s got.
“the delivery might have been a bit more akin to a Westwood corner than a Dublin headbutt”
That is without doubt the funniest line on here in ages!
I agree with the rest of the post as well. I’m feeling we may be starting to reverse years of downward spiralling. Not that I expect it to keep us in the division but that maybe we will start to build something.
Holtender – agree with what you’re saying.
We know that Lerner wouldn’t even know how to run a market stall: he inherited his wealth and so far with the Browns and now Villa it’s pretty clear that left to his own devices he simply hasn’t got a clue – and by the look of it he’s also a sucker for taking really duff advice from others who are as clueless as himself.
Hence while fans can moan that the new chairman is a ‘beancounter’ and not a ‘football expert’, maybe it’s time that Lerner actually put somebody in place who knows how any organistion is supposed to be run – and football clubs are businesses, even if rather ‘odd’ ones.
It may not be the complete answer, but it can hardly be worse than the shambles that has been in place throughout nearly 10 years of Lerner’s ownership [ & no, I don’t believe this all started when MON left, the problems were just masked before that time by a blank cheque from the owner, which was hardly a long-term strategy].
proof is in the pudding and for 5 years we have been eating shit.
Sorry i didn’t come back lads, have to do a school run,, BWS, Hitch, Oohah saying don’t buy? My response is if we didn’t where would things end up? a ruin of a club loved by many, a yank that couldn’t give a toss, it wants is fans to stand up and be counted, don’t ask me did my bit in the 70s to old now, its been said Hollis is only in to take the flack then give him just that.soon its going to be to late door will be shutting, you know and i know we are fu*^ked now, this is what Lerner wants taking money off the Brits the tight American bastard. He wont come near Whitacre heath and you know what my family sold him the house should have said fu*k off. Please don’t blame me it was my son’s wife’s side.
So your lad sold his house to Lerner??
Have I got that right?
My lads wife’s Aunt’s its her side BWS.
Nether Whitacre. ..
I’m going round there tonight to put windows through (only joking):-)
I bet it was like Blenheim Palace when he bought but within a couple of years he’s run down into a shack worth about 2 bob.
He’s sold it since BWS, he gave them a month to move when he purchased, it wasn’t up for sale at the time just because of the size and location. At twice the value they didnt argue.
I bet they didn’t, Christmas came early that year.
But on reflection he bought the property for twice the market value and then sold it at market value a few years down the line?
You can’t fail to be impressed with his business acumen can you???
Bit like another villa investment he went into – that’s a poor attempt at a pun!