Takeover speculation - hopefully :)

Withes Sweatbands wrote:

Eastie wrote:

jvilla wrote:Don't know about you chaps but I am warming to the current set-up if we have to start the season without new owners. At least we have the owner's attention now as the penny finally seems to have dropped for him that he stands to lose a lot of money if he remains dormant. Villa lately have tended to win when they're supposed to lose and vice-versa - could be this is a successful season when we expect it not to be.

Not for me mate - I think the end game is approaching and expect lerner to depart very soon.

Eastie is that based on something you have heard or just a gut feeling ?? .....

jvilla wrote:Don't know about you chaps but I am warming to the current set-up if we have to start the season without new owners. At least we have the owner's attention now as the penny finally seems to have dropped for him that he stands to lose a lot of money if he remains dormant. Villa lately have tended to win when they're supposed to lose and vice-versa - could be this is a successful season when we expect it not to be.

Mardybum72 wrote:Relax everyone...the great Nursey has spoken!

Mardybum72 wrote:Relax everyone...the great Nursey has spoken!

My Old Man wrote:

Mardybum72 wrote:Relax everyone...the great Nursey has spoken!

Go on...let's have a laugh. What's Lambert's press officer come out with now

James nursey mirror wrote:

Aston Villa's crisis has deepened with their chief executive Paul Faulkner dramatically leaving the club – stunning manager Paul Lambert.

Faulkner is on the FA Board and had been working for owner Randy Lerner since before his buy-out of the club in 2006, but departed when asked to work on other aspects of the billionaire’s business portfolio.

Lerner is desperate to sell the Villans and flew into the UK this week for crunch talks, but has no firm offer despite publicly putting the club up for sale at the end of last season.

The American wants out after ploughing in over £300million in a failed pursuit of Champions League qualification.

It has forced Lambert to rely on cheap Bosman signings this summer such as Joe Cole after US-based Lerner shut his cheque-book.

Now the club is effectively rudderless at the top after Lerner’s loyal long-serving ally and man on the ground walked away.

Faulkner, a Cambridge graduate, cleared his desk at Villa Park on Tuesday and left with immediate effect.

The shock development startled Lambert, who has big headaches anyway trying to make Villa competitive despite his limited spending power.

The club’s takeover limbo means they haven’t tied down Ron Vlaar, Fabian Delph and Gabby Agbonlahor, who all have only 12 months left on their contracts.

Holland international centre-back Vlaar, in particular, is sure to have suitors after impressing at the World Cup.

Hanging onto Vlaar is just one of several huge challenges facing Lerner, Lambert, new assistant manager Roy Keane and Robin Russell, previously Villa's chief financial officer who is now the acting chief exec.

The Midlands side's first pre-season game is next Thursday at Mansfield before a US tour ahead of their opening Premier League game at Stoke on August 16.

Keane is trying to get to know the squad after predecessors Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa were axed from the coaching staff as Villa flirted with relegation again last term.

Karsa was sacked following an investigation into bullying following his behaviour towards various club staff including grounds staff and physios.

Pete Norton
Room at the top: Villa chief exec Faulkner left abruptly on Tuesday

It was a nightmare for Lambert, who had worked with the pair at Wycombe, Colchester and Norwich.

Now the Scot has more headaches following the exit of Faulkner, who negotiated player contracts among his many responsibilities.

Off the pitch under 36-year-old Faulkner, Villa have an impressive marketing and commercial set-up.

But it is their woes on the pitch which has lead a weary Lerner to hire Bank of America Merrill Lynch to find a buyer.

Last term, Villa limped to a 15th place for the second successive season, after coming 16th in 2011-12 under unpopular Alex McLeish, who defected across the second city from arch-rivals Birmingham.

Midfielder Marc Albrighton, who quit Villa this summer on a Bosman for newly-promoted Leicester, feels the turnover of bosses has not helped.

He said: “Since I broke through at Aston Villa, I have had five or six different managers.”

Villa’s takeover limbo saw them surprisingly release their talented former England U21 international winger Albrighton, who added: “Nobody said a word to me about contracts. I felt I did well towards the end of the season and gave a good account of myself. I got a couple of man of the match awards and then got put on the bench.”

Eastie wrote:

James nursey mirror wrote:

Aston Villa's crisis has deepened with their chief executive Paul Faulkner dramatically leaving the club – stunning manager Paul Lambert.

Faulkner is on the FA Board and had been working for owner Randy Lerner since before his buy-out of the club in 2006, but departed when asked to work on other aspects of the billionaire’s business portfolio.

Lerner is desperate to sell the Villans and flew into the UK this week for crunch talks, but has no firm offer despite publicly putting the club up for sale at the end of last season.

The American wants out after ploughing in over £300million in a failed pursuit of Champions League qualification.

It has forced Lambert to rely on cheap Bosman signings this summer such as Joe Cole after US-based Lerner shut his cheque-book.

Now the club is effectively rudderless at the top after Lerner’s loyal long-serving ally and man on the ground walked away.

Faulkner, a Cambridge graduate, cleared his desk at Villa Park on Tuesday and left with immediate effect.

The shock development startled Lambert, who has big headaches anyway trying to make Villa competitive despite his limited spending power.

The club’s takeover limbo means they haven’t tied down Ron Vlaar, Fabian Delph and Gabby Agbonlahor, who all have only 12 months left on their contracts.

Holland international centre-back Vlaar, in particular, is sure to have suitors after impressing at the World Cup.

Hanging onto Vlaar is just one of several huge challenges facing Lerner, Lambert, new assistant manager Roy Keane and Robin Russell, previously Villa's chief financial officer who is now the acting chief exec.

The Midlands side's first pre-season game is next Thursday at Mansfield before a US tour ahead of their opening Premier League game at Stoke on August 16.

Keane is trying to get to know the squad after predecessors Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa were axed from the coaching staff as Villa flirted with relegation again last term.

Karsa was sacked following an investigation into bullying following his behaviour towards various club staff including grounds staff and physios.

Pete Norton
Room at the top: Villa chief exec Faulkner left abruptly on Tuesday

It was a nightmare for Lambert, who had worked with the pair at Wycombe, Colchester and Norwich.

Now the Scot has more headaches following the exit of Faulkner, who negotiated player contracts among his many responsibilities.

Off the pitch under 36-year-old Faulkner, Villa have an impressive marketing and commercial set-up.

But it is their woes on the pitch which has lead a weary Lerner to hire Bank of America Merrill Lynch to find a buyer.

Last term, Villa limped to a 15th place for the second successive season, after coming 16th in 2011-12 under unpopular Alex McLeish, who defected across the second city from arch-rivals Birmingham.

Midfielder Marc Albrighton, who quit Villa this summer on a Bosman for newly-promoted Leicester, feels the turnover of bosses has not helped.

He said: “Since I broke through at Aston Villa, I have had five or six different managers.”

Villa’s takeover limbo saw them surprisingly release their talented former England U21 international winger Albrighton, who added: “Nobody said a word to me about contracts. I felt I did well towards the end of the season and gave a good account of myself. I got a couple of man of the match awards and then got put on the bench.”

PDC Lion wrote:

Southern Villan wrote:

PDC Lion wrote:Some solid information for everybody, solid as granite.
Randy Lerner has been at both VP and BMH in meetings with what was described as "V.I.P Guests of Aston Villa Football Club" all day long today.
Meetings expected to be on going for some time.
Don't know what to make of this but it is a shread of info about something happening.  
Make of it what you will but i see this as a very interesting bit of info.

Thank you for sharing mate.

Just to help with context for us, is this one of the sources that was helping put together the Davis takeover news? Or, in another way, can you help us with what they have right before?

Or just tell me to get lost, which would be fair enough - your source is valuable and we all want him or her to stay that way.

A similar source pal.

My Old Man wrote:I think Lambert will walk out pretty soon...

In one way, its nice that the whole thing is now coming down around Learners ears, unfortunately for us, we are royally fucked. I think we should brace ourselves for an exodus...

Villa_Dan wrote:Regardless of your opinions on Faulkner and Lambert, if we lost them both at this point, without a takeover on the horizon, Villa would be shafted.

Think I might turn to drink

Eastie wrote:

Villa_Dan wrote:Regardless of your opinions on Faulkner and Lambert, if we lost them both at this point, without a takeover on the horizon, Villa would be shafted.

Think I might turn to drink

I'd have more faith in Keane than lambert in charge., I think a takeover is closer than many too.

Green Villan wrote:

cgale wrote:

Green Villan wrote:

God_wore_number5 wrote:Fair do's just saying

A loss is a loss and it will be the other end of the scale compared to MON but every loss builds up.

of course it does but nothing ventured nothing gained & sometimes it's worth taking a punt on low value players

I can't disagree but Lamberts judgement on young and up and coming talent has been less than adequate if you ask me.

My Old Man wrote:TV deal is worth 70m. So if he is struggling to sell for 200m, then he can hang on 12 months, keep spending to the minimum and sell for less whilst using the TV revenue as the balance.

If we go down, then he still has the TV cash but also the parachute payments, so he could proberly afford to sell us cheap, and still come out ok financially.  

We will know more come the closure of the transfer window, because more of the same will point to the above,imo.

larvin86 wrote:

My Old Man wrote:TV deal is worth 70m. So if he is struggling to sell for 200m, then he can hang on 12 months, keep spending to the minimum and sell for less whilst using the TV revenue as the balance.

If we go down, then he still has the TV cash but also the parachute payments, so he could proberly afford to sell us cheap, and still come out ok financially.  

We will know more come the closure of the transfer window, because more of the same will point to the above,imo.

People need to remember that the TV money goes to Aston Villa Football club.... Randy can NOT legally just pocket the funds, unless he wishes to face embezzlment charges!! This talk of him sticking around for the TV revenue will only be true if we stay up as will put the club in the black and he can up his asking price!!

jvilla wrote:Didn't Lerner write off most of the debt as equity?