The Daily Mail's report on the state of finances at Villa Park seems to put a halt to the notion that Randy Lerner is on the point of selling out. The paper's report states:
The last para sums up the reality of the club's plans. It has been a very sad piece of PR that the club has not explained themselves adequately and expected season ticket holders to re-invest even though (a) the expectations have been lowered and (b) the quality of football so far seen has not been inspirational. For a season ticket holder to re-new for himself and his 2 or 3 children is prohibitive as it is in these dark economic days.
Gates will almost certainly continue to be disappointing except, perhaps, for the 'big' games.
Daily Mail link.
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- Top level discussions have taken place that will lead to cutbacks in the playing budget during the course of the next 12 months. Not huge chunks of money, but a significant amount, nevertheless. Manager Alex McLeish is aware of the need to make savings in this area - which explains why he has gone to such lengths to promote Villa’s youngsters since arriving in the job.
- Times are changing: Villa are about to embark on an economy drive When owner Randy Lerner arrived at the club five years ago, the aim was Champions League football. Funds were made available to manager Martin O’Neill to realise that ambition. But the financial landscape has changed since those days in the summer of 2006. It is a fact that Lerner has spent a small fortune to bankroll the top-four push. I estimate his commitment, including the original purchase of the club, now stands at over £200m. Clubs across the country are now tightening their belts in anticipation of rules coming into force under UEFA’s financial Fair Play banner.
- Whether this is a convenient smoke-screen is a different debate, but several among the Barclays Premier League are now looking to scale back the wages on offer to any in-coming players. And Villa are among them. I would estimate that at least half-a-dozen members of McLeish’s first-team squad command yearly pay-packets in excess of £2.5m. At least two, possibly three, earn in excess of £3m. It is an attempt to rein in the spending.
- It leaves McLeish as if he wasn’t in a delicate enough position having to perform a fine balancing act. But it emphasises once more the difference between the haves and have-nots in the Premier League. Personally, I think it is in danger of becoming anti-competitive, but that’s a different story. The sad truth of the matter is that Villa are now even further away from the top four than they were when Lerner took over.
The last para sums up the reality of the club's plans. It has been a very sad piece of PR that the club has not explained themselves adequately and expected season ticket holders to re-invest even though (a) the expectations have been lowered and (b) the quality of football so far seen has not been inspirational. For a season ticket holder to re-new for himself and his 2 or 3 children is prohibitive as it is in these dark economic days.
Gates will almost certainly continue to be disappointing except, perhaps, for the 'big' games.
Daily Mail link.
.
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