Since I posted last week the revelation of the £90 Million share investment has got a lot of fans wondering what it is.
At the time the great David Conn from the Guardian said he would look into it and I am sure he will. However not one single local journo has replied back to me. Tonight Tom Ross interviewed Faulkner who said things were improving but Tom never asked him about it.
Why the silence ?
Apparently Mat Kendrick said it was ‘housekeeping’ but that is not correct and I don’t believe he has asked the club the right questions ?
Why not ?
Given tonights news with Holt it is clear we are not spending in this window. Now I could rant and rave about that but no point because I believe bigger things are going on. this £90M is deeply significant for how the club will be run in the future and yet silence from the club.
If I was a journo I would want to know what is happening and why we are forced to go for Wigan players on the bench on loan, it does not get lower than that (forget the player). People laughed at West Ham getting Roger Johnson this is just as bad.
I do believe and my conviction on this is getting stronger that this £90M represents a large shift behind the scenes at Villa. I said for a long time the belt tightening was a plan for Randy’s exit and hoping to hang on in the PL at the same time.
Stan Collymore today repeated the line about Red Bull. Now he is just repeating a well trod rumour BUT he has brought it into a wider audience.
I ask myself if the silence is due to movements soon, the journo’s have the story but asked to keep quiet.
Otherwise why not ask the question ?
lambert said he would not do loans or experienced players. Only young and hungry players who buy into the project. Holt on loan is a strange switch in direction.
Why are we signing a striker when we are crying out for a cm
Because Kozak’s injured and he needs replacing in case Benteke gets injured again?…
Or sold.
Morgan, your right. Now of course Kozak injury has forced it BUT we are not in a desperate position with forwards really. Now I want to relate this to the £90M, that money I believe changed things and we have gone very short term but why ?
We may be poor but actually few think we will go down, why does the project have to be changed ?
UNLESS
behind the scenes something has changed ….
So a loan deal proves we won’t spend money… We might not, but that’s the dumbest thing I’ve read and in no way proves that. We don’t need another permanent striker, we have 7 that can play there… However we need a replacement for Kozak in case once again Benteke gets injured, which we would have been ABSOLUTELY FUCKED if we didn’t get Kozak as Bowery would have started and Villa would have been screwed. In makes absolute sense to loan in someone who scored 23 goals in his 2 seasons in the EPL at Norwich under Lambert.
Do you remember when the local journos went quite about McLeish. Not long after he was sacked…..they don’t want to ruin there relationship with sources so they hold stuff back.
They rent to say lots when there is nothing to say and nothing when there is lots to say.
I have mixed feelings about red bull takeover, but I am starting to think something like that may be about to happen within the year….
Interested in that fucking cart horse,so yet again buy a striker.lambert we have issues in fucking midfield you fucking 4eyed jock.is that the answer get a striker you’re a fucking joke.just fuck off
I did laugh when west ham got in roger jonhson now we’re getting holt, that’s embarrassing, but again we’re getting quite used to being embarrassed, if it works out to be a good move I will gladly eat my hat.
as for the money thing, I have no idea, its all speculation.
Grant Holt- the ultimate embarrassment. If I bothered to go to VP any more (I don’t because the whole Lamberk-Lerner thing makes me sick) I’d boo his every touch.
A fat, overweight lump whose only ability is elbowing people out the way, so much for good passing football. See this is why I bang on about getting a continental manager instead of this shit British approach, its horrible to watch and leads you nowhere.
Worst of all this Holt joke, shows us that Lamberk is trying to strengthen his position in the dressing room (note we’ve been linked to Hoolahan and Naughton too). As I’ve said all along, not only is Lamberk the worst Villa manager of all time, he is also a snide, manipulative twat who will stoop at nothing. I truly despise everything about Villa at the moment, to the point that I wouldn’t give a shit if we were in the conference, just so we could get rid of lamberk, lerner and faulkner.
here here Belcs !
Morning Giddy You OK giddy,? Only you sound a bit pissed off.
Belcs, that’s how I see him, watched his face lastnight he’s about to drop, the man has no idea of the game of football IMO, the sooner he goes the better for the club and your right, he has to be the worse manager Villa has had ever.
Indeed Bill, when you have to turn to ex players to save you, then time’s up as far as I’m concerned. He’s just trying to win favour in dressing room by bringing some of his Norwich lot to Villa
You’re right mate im well fucked off with it,i was too angry to come on after the game & now i read the holt link fuck me between lerner & that 4eyed fucking jock their turning our club into a fucking joke.i even heard the gooners singing ‘your the shit of b’ham’we probably are fuck pl status at least the scum were unbeaten in 10 until lst wknd.i well & truly fucked off bill.that’s all i can say atm.
Ps morning bill.
Same here mate well fucked off, me and my lad drank a bottle of whiskey I don’t remember getting home, the club is driving me to drink. Never mind Giddy I’ve always got Nuneaton town or Tamworth even Atherstone,that’s how its getting me.
I don’t blame you mate you have to be totally fucking legless to toterate the performances they dish out mate.i watched harriers sat & it was enjoyable aswell as entertaining 2 words you don’t hear being a villa fan atm.i had work early today mate so couldn’t get wasted.we’ll meet up one day bill & we will be wasted.happy days
I think we all know that midfield is where we are most in need of strengthening. IF we do spend any money of significance it will be there. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do anything else, and as Andrew rightly states this is just a sensible, short term move.
Back on the share movement I am still puzzled. I can’t see it being linked to an imminent sale as even if it was a necessary part of that it could be done at the same time as selling. If it’s not linked to a sale it is a signal of Lerner’s long term interest. If that is the case why is he making so little investment in the playing staff? Look at what Liverpool paid for Coutinho. Surely there are similar opportunities out there. How can this be beyond the club’s means?
I think we need a LB and a LM/w, our weakness in midfield is at times caused by our weakness on the left side of the pitch.
On 2 occassions last night Luna ventured into the RB position and was not instructed to do so, this pulled Delph back into LB, giving Cazorla loads of room in the centre of the park. We need a decent Am but i think we would be stronger if our left side got sorted, Luna is shocking.
Lowton, Westwood, Benteke, Vlaar, Delph and Guzan should be in the squad the rest i dont think cut the mustard.
|Everyone moaning about Holt but i think he is a better player than Kozack who just falls over a lot, not saying i rate Holt just shows where we are at at this moment in time
Add gabby to that list
DS we all fucking know we need fresh blood in the midfield,but that 4eyed fucking jockstrap doesn’t could someone plse have a fucking word in his shell like.ffs
That’s just it Giddy. I think he does know, and has tried for decent players in that position before. Problem is he has to shop in Lidl when those type of players need Waitrose money. Lerner needs to provide backing to sort this problem out and it certainly looks like he isn’t going to.
DS i think lidl is too up market mate more like the heart foundation or sense sounds more nearer the mark.im not working myself into a state anymore we wont bring in quality just the dregs.pl survival that’s our goal plain & simple.
Stan Collymore reports but says is a rumour but for him to say on Talksport about it it must have gathered pace that Red Bull are in for AVFC ?
That’s the dream, still can’t see it happening. Bring on Red Bull Villa, would love it.
Firstly it tastes like fucking shite,secondly you would be prepared to lose our club & ground name can things get any worse.bollox to that idea.
It’s a cracking drink with vodka mate!
I’ve softened to the renaming of Villa Park, although it will always remain so for me.
As long as there’s no fucking with our colours or name it could be cool!
Its all bollocks, he transferred the debt into shares as it is easier to account for and shows as an asset rather than a debtor on his accounts, pure and simple…
No one outside of the Midlands gives a shit about the Villa any more and that includes our owner, therefore why would RebBull want to buy us….
We will scrape survival this year playing shit football, with shit players, because all Randy cares about is revenue and profit…. Attendances equate for a third of the SKy money so he doesn’t give a shit if attendances drop either….. THe VILLA is no more !!!
Stan Collymore was on Talksport last night from 7 live show on about it he also tweeted it.Why say it live on Air?
He said it was a rumour Jay Dee…… Probably a rumour from the Villa’s awful PR machine to keep us all interested…..If I take off my Villa spectacles and look at it from Redbull perspective there are far better propositions in English football to purchase !
I just cannot see it happening !!
See what you mean
I would say that the debt for equity swap would have far more to do with accounting and tax purposes than any grand strategy or imminent takeover deal.
Look around the leagues and there are probably a couple of dozen clubs that have made similar adjustments within the timeframe of year end.
Of course at Villa, some can’t resist a cracking conspiracy theory, Why are all the journalists quiet on the matter ? Probably because it means nothing.
A little desperate to suggest that any contrived rumour has an air of legitimacy because a Talkshyte presenter (who was too stressed to play for our club) repeats it on air. I could make something up that gets repeated and goes viral online and it would end up in the Metro or that radio station.
As for bringing Holt in, it’s probably costing next to nowt, and he is a very strong presence in the dressing room, and may help ‘motivate’ some of our more reluctant players who just haven’t done it this season.
For all those carping that this is the worst ever Villa manager and side in history, you can’t have been following them long.
And if you truly do prefer to switch your allegiances to lower league, and non-league sides, would you be kind enough to sod off to their forums too please.
What fucking BOLLOX YOU LITTLE PRICK are you the fucking site monitor now ffs,i’ll watch whoever i want to & until the owner off the site tells me otherwise arsehole i’ll continue using it get it fucknut.
Fucking cheeky wigan wanker.
Vaze Your a nasty sod at times do you know that, what makes you think with remarks about sodding of to none league club’s which was aimed at me then, Vaze done more miles with Villa from the late 40s up till now than you will ever do, just lighten up and done be so vindictive.
Don’t be vindictive or nasty ?
Get a grip, I come on here to see if there are comments about the game and all I read is that we are the worst club in the league, totally crap, and that it’s far better to watch other sides.
How is a Villa fan supposed to react to provocation like that ?
There is a little clique on here that love to moan and bitch together and anyone that doesn’t sing to their hymn sheet isn’t welcome.
Happy to talk to any fans anywhere, trains to aways, in the boozer before the Albion, but the crap on here from ‘supporters’ gets my bloody goat !
OK but you’re going to far with that type of remarks Vaze, people are pissed off with the Villa and the club in general they have that right, if Your looking for sheep your in the wrong place, fans can and will say what’s on their minds, that’s being a fan.
Lambert has to bring Grant (hod carrier) Holt in because he can’t control the naughty boys in the dressing room and they keep picking on him, he holds some of the worst records in the clubs history, is tactically inept, excepts losses as decent results and cannot string a sentence together without mumbling some absolute shit that doesn’t make any sense… I can’t see how anyone wants to think he is not the worst Manager in our history !!
“accepts’
Sorry mate I’ll never use the ‘M’ again and as for the possession statistics haven’t you heard we’re a better team without the ball? (Courtesy of talkshite).
McNeill, Turner, O’Leary off the top of my head…
They don’t hold the records that Lambert does Vaze !!
McClown by miles, a win rate of around 23 percent and by far the worse football I’ve ever witnessed.
There again McNeil’s up there with the very worst.
Sorry BWS, your not allowed to mention McClown thats like using the ‘C’ word… I think McNeil is up there with Lambert….But only time will tell
Also McClowns win rate of 23% is about the same as our possession% with Lambert
dr jozef venglos
Vaze – the least liked Blogger but he loves it that way. Just a Villa PR man in disguise.
Constructive as ever.
Thanks for that.
Constructive more like destructive , toe rag.
I was referring to Giddy’s comments.
And the owners wonder why the site isn’t on Newsnow ?
Fuck off who the fuck do you think you are?i fucking know but would be banned if i spelt it out tosspot.
Sober up.
Dont’
Don’t what ?
And if you want to hurl personal insults, come and meet me for a drink before the Baggies game, I’ll get the first one in. That’s an offer, not a threat, I’m just interested to see the faces behind the keyboards.
Too many of the haters just get personal if an alternate view is taken.
Fans who want to watch non league plse leave the site.that’s about it what you fucking stated plus i’d rather pull my nails out with pliers than have a bevvy in your fucking company.
Come giddy mate calm down, what was you said yesterday about having a go at each other? (-:
Mate this wasn’t villa related this is about supporting your local non league team.if we do we should stop using the site.see what i mean mate?
Just trying to lighten it up giddy before it all gets out of hand (I know I’m a fine one to talk).
Lol mate 😀
That was a correction on the post, glad to have that drink but its at my place The Villa Tavern. Have to say given up my seats over being angry and live out of the city.
Vaze, ignoring the other crap you are making a presumption with
“I would say that the debt for equity swap would have far more to do with accounting and tax purposes than any grand strategy or imminent takeover deal.”
Actually we have no proof that the £90M paid off the debt as no one is asking the question to the right people.
Now if it was don’t you ask yourself
why now ?
Why after all these years with the debt has Randy paid off the debt now ?
It has no impact on tax liabilities etc. The only reason you do this is to clear the debt. Roman did at Chelsea because of the FFP rules, that does not apply to us.
Previously Lerner had done small debt for equity swaps of £5-10M but if this is it, it is massive and can not be written off as a
‘tidying up exercise’
this is far more important than last nights result or getting Holt.
Robbo perhaps I’m thick but spell it out for me.
Randy ‘s got rid of the debt? Yes? Ain’t that a good thing?
I know nothing of shares, share reissues and the likes, so how does a £90m investment work? Is this just paper money smoke and mirrors, creative accounting or as he or someone else put this money in? In which case isn’t the club in debt for another £90m but just to another third party?
In short 90M was put in for shares, it is not a loan but equity. They can use the money then to pay off the debt, have more money on players etc.
What this is, is 90M invested into the club, if it wipes off 90M of debt then the pressure on the finances of the club is massively eased OR it is easier to sell.
Whatever this is, it is nothing but GOOD news, it is not an ‘accounting exercise’ as Mat Kendrick tried to spin it and it is significant in the future direction of the club.
the thing is no one is telling us !
I know this may seem stupid but where does the £90m come from?
only two sources, Randy or an outside investor.
I note so many fans simply are accepting of this and not thinking about the longer term impact. Over the years of doing the blogs part of the aim was to look at the bigger picture and always query. Sorry to see many people compliant towards the club and not ask the questions that directly affect how the club is run.
How I wish Leon Hickman was around now.
So have I got this right? Randy puts in £90m in return he gets more shares in something he already owns lock stock and barrel but the £90m pays of any debt (a debt that is ultimately his as owner of the club?)
And people wonder why the banking system went tits up.
Not quite BWS, if you put in 90M to pay off debt you have to get something in return and that is shares. It is not a fiddle and normal practice IF indeed this is what has happened.
Ok cheers Robby I’m with it now, anyway of finding out if it is an outside investor(s)? And if it is, who it is?
Its obviously an outsider investor who has put £90m in to buy new players…. thats why we are loaning a hod carrier who can’t get a game at Wigan….. You couldn’t make it up… This clubs a mess…. Thanks Randy love the 5 year plan !
nope no way at all of knowing until the annual report due in the next 4 weeks or if the club think the fans are worthy enough to tell us.,
Just to lighten things up a little
Little Johnny was in year 5 of primary school when the new Teacher asked the children what their dads did for a living.
All the typical answers came up… Builder, fireman, policeman, salesman, etc.
Johnny was being uncharacteristically quiet and so the Teacher asked him about his dad. ‘My dad’s an exotic dancer In a gay bar and takes off all his clothes in front of other men. Sometimes, if the offer is really good, he’ll go out to the ginnel and have sex with them for money.’
The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some colouring, and took Little Johnny aside to ask him, ‘Is that really true about your dad?’
‘No,’ said Johnny, ‘He’s the manager at Aston Villa but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids.’
Lol very funny.
Nice one mate ;-D
Holt having medical according to Sky sports
Ian I hope your right. If you are when do you expect news to leak re precisly what is happening?
That fat Cuxt Holt is Havin a medical at AVFC lets all get fuckin exited errrrr lets not god what a pile of shite
Jaydee…lighten up mate. Holt is costing fuck all and we need a back up for Benteke, Gabby etc…so whats wrong with it. It makes perfect short term sense. If it were a permanent deal then I would be majorly pissed off as well. Not only that , it means (hopefully) that we can add another couple of signings.
Fuck off Lerner, the Villa is OURS
holt makes perfect sense ~ hopefully benteke goal and improved second half display spurs him 2 repeat it for the run in ~ but holt will be massive in dressing room and maybe on field as he can hold the ball up and bring midfielders in ~ its wot we have been lacking all season
we all know we need a midfielder or 2 or 3 or even 4 but who ?? players that i av heard are none starters only hoolahan was a likely but thats now dead 🙁 i believe they try 2 get charlie adams somehow he would be perfect with westwood and delph
How does Grant make perfect sense… we have Benteke Gabby Helenius Weiman and Bowery.. three players PL brought and another he gave a pay rise to in the summer..
Now with Grant here that is a min of 35 going out on Helenuis Bowery and Grant.. if anything it shows the managers incompetence.. when wages are tight he is wasting it on players not needed or he does not think are good enough..
It is ridiculous.. and i can not believe there are fans who actually think it is a good idea..
Unbelievable Jeff..!
i explained b4 why i think hes perfect 4 now not nxt season, hes gonna rally the dressing room which must be a morgue. if benteke can produce the form of last year or play as he did last 20 minutes where he looked alittle interested then holt will not play.
but say benteke gets injured we av helenius and bowery / as back up 2 gabby and weimann . helenius needs time and bowery isn’t gonna make it, weimann is totally off form and lacking confidence,
its my opinion thats all ~ helenius would learn loads in training with holt positioning holding of defenders this is why i believe it makes sense
Sorry Nath we have a manager, his back room staff and coaches who are paid millions to coach and get the dressing room in the right frame of mind….. If they can’t do that then it shows how incompetent they are….. And the hod carrier proves this
He’s fat he’s round he bounces of the ground grant holt grant holt lol
“he elbows he kicks and he likes to carry bricks, he name is holt his name is holt !!
Foxy mate had heard that and its a cracker, think it was at one stage a go at the Blue noses, anyway Robo thanks for that but do we need to worry more. Is it the start of off loading the club at a future date? or is it a safety move of money.
Is this investment of cash anything to do with financial fair play? Assuming for a moment Lerner isn’t taking all the cash he can get and running the club on a shoestring and doing just enough to keep us in the PL, what if the plan is still in action and the club is being rebuilt? If debt is being written off (how much more debt does the club have, is there a limit on how much can be paid off each season?) does it enable the club to have a larger operating budget? I’d rather poke out my eyes than have to watch Lambert’s single tactic for the next 10 years but if he succeeds in calming everything down after four years of upheaval with all the various managers, could we see investment coming back in with a new manager? If it’s true that Lambert has more money available to him and choses not to spend it then I can’t wait to see him gone. I have a feeling he’ll see out his contract (three years?). It will be interesting to see where we are in 18 months. I don’t think we’re bad enough to go down, I do think Lambert is bad enough in terms of taking us forward. Call me a Lerner apologist if you like but I don’t see the same overwhelming case against him lots of other people see. The problem with it all is that we haven’t a clue what’s going on, where he’s taking the club, what Lambert’s aim is, anything. It will presumably come out in a few years time but for now it’s nigh on impossible being a blind sheep and expected to continue to support the club. Excluding the ones with so much money they can afford to throw hundreds of millions at football clubs, I wonder how many other teams in the PL are owned by people who have inherited wealth rather than built it up themselves, or worked their way up through a business to the point where they’re in charge and have a business head on their shoulders?
Foxy, how is FFP relevant when you have to be in Europe ?
That was one of the greatest wool pulling exercises I heard from the club. When they started to mention FFP we were a distance from Europe, this is about pulling the cash out. Lerner wants to get rid of his toy but the debt made it unsellable with no profit to him.
IF the 90M has paid off the debt he can finally get rid as total debt will be only 50M
My point being with no or little debt do the finances allow the club to spend more money than the opposition and build towards Europe? If the club has little or no debt doesn’t that make us a lot better off than a lot of the other teams?
of course but I do not think that Lerner will be doing that though. He could have paid the debt off at any time. We have no idea where the 90M came from.
As ~I just posted the signing of Holt as a very short term solutions tells me Lerner is off.,
And yet there would be no point signing Holt on a longer deal, he’s at the end of his useful playing career and Kozak will be back. He’s coming in on temporary cover.
Take that at face value then and explain the attempts to sign Hoolahan ?
I haven’t got the foggiest idea why Lambert wants to sign Hoolahan unless as someone else has pointed out he’s lost the dressing room and needs some of his old players back to sort things out. I can’t imagine why Hoolahan would have been signed for any length of time. Do ‘pay as you play’ contracts even exist? If they do most of the current starting 11 need to be on them…
I’ve said it all along about the press. Especially Kendrick and the like, they’re just interested in they’re own ego’s and posh dinners the club lays on for them. They won’t ask the questions that need answering as they’ll lose their access and perks of reporting on Villa. They don’t give a crap what the readership wants. Just what suits their own inflated ego’s! Never trust the press.
On the 90m, i’m not sure. There’s good arguments for a potential sale, one we won’t have any say in though. IF it is Red Bull, they will upset some people as there will be massive branding changes, which the traditionalists will hate, but if its for a bright future and they get it kinda right (not changing name or colours) will it be worth it? I think thats a very key question.
bullshit villa thats got a ring
Man gets pulled over by the old bill for drinking driving
The officer asks for a breath specimen – the driver pulls out a card from the asthmatic society which says “this man is severely asthmatic do not ask for a specimen of breath.
So the copper takes him down to the the cop shop and says right we are going to take some blood to see if you’ve been drinking – the driver pulls out a donor card which says “this man has a rare blood group and is not able to give specimens of blood”
The copper is now really pissed off and says right we are going to have to take a urine sample…… The driver pulls out his Villa season ticket, turns to the copper and says “please don’t take the piss”
its an old one but still makes men smile
I cant beleave people are sticking up for us getting Grant Holt in, even if it is on loan i consider this the most embarrasing thing we have done over the last few seasons and that includes getting Macleish, id say he is a championship player but he cant get in Wigans side. And all this utter crap that he is only backup and will be on the bench what if Benteke breaks his leg and gabby injury flares up again in a couple of weeks we will be battling relegation with Grant Holt as our main stiker, we are completly inept as a club you have backup that you think could actually be good enough to come in and play. What does lambert have to do to get the sack, if he was manager of West Brom, Crystal palace, Hull etc he would have gone by now but i suppose we have to acccept they have more ambition than us.
Villa get Grant Holt on loan and Hull close to signing Jelavic and Long. Mmm, I wonder who’s getting the better deal there?
We are a joke.
say he is a championship player but he cant get in Wigans side. That made me laugh CB LOL