Re: AVFC Takeover Thread, Rumours, Gossip and Hearsay...all goes here

[Trotters]

If he's going to the game then ticket sales WILL go up!

He can't be here for a game. No way.
An art show?
To have a face to face with Bernie/Merv?
To meet with the potential buyer and show them around BMH/VP?

[FoxyAV]

If he's going to the game then ticket sales WILL go up!

He can't be here for a game. No way.
An art show?
To have a face to face with Bernie/Merv?
To meet with the potential buyer and show them around BMH/VP?

Maybe he forgot to specify 'Alabama'?

[DaveAV1]

The thing that is different about this years round of, "Let's Play The Takeover" game, is that it is unfolding during the season. Although it feels like the season is over. So would Randy be daft enough to think, "I've done another of my inspirational addresses to my loyal fans, and so if I do them the honour of my presence at a soccerball game, they will sing my name to the rafters!" ?

But nobody is that stupid I hear you cry...........

[AVFClee]

If he's going to the game then ticket sales WILL go up!


To meet with the potential buyer and show them around BMH/VP?

But poor Randy doesn't know his way around VP

[NARLA24]

Lerner is in Brum definatley

[fastbackace]

how do we know this?

[fastbackace]

Lerner is in Brum definatley

how do we know he is though? I want a picture... and then someone hang him from the top of the holte end.

[NARLA24]

Lerner is in Brum definatley

how do we know he is though? I want a picture... and then someone hang him from the top of the holte end.

Staff say so fella.

[fastbackace]

Lerner is in Brum definatley

how do we know he is though? I want a picture... and then someone hang him from the top of the holte end.

Staff say so fella.

Ok... so about the second part in my statement...

[NARLA24]

Lerner is in Brum definatley

how do we know he is though? I want a picture... and then someone hang him from the top of the holte end.

Staff say so fella.

Ok... so about the second part in my statement...

No probs with that haha

[ember]

Lerner is in Brum definatley

how do we know he is though? I want a picture... and then someone hang him from the top of the holte end.

Staff say so fella.

If that is true - and I know you have sources that have proven to be reliable - what the fuck has possessed him to rock up here now? To look people in the eye and apologise for the fact they are going to be made redundant? Attend the match to take his lumps from the crowd? Grab the mic, walk on the pitch and sing Sloop John B, a la Phil Brown?

I'm baffled as to why, after all this time and all that has happened, he should choose to come here now. I have to say, if I was him I wouldn't come here. I'd stay the hell away until I managed to offload the club and I would never come to Birmingham again. Mind you, if I got the chance to leave the shitehole that is Birmingham, ensconce myself somewhere like The Hamptons and never come back, I would and I haven't even ruined a football club.

[Army villain]

Lerner must have sold, or its smoke and mirrors to get more season tickets sold, and he is going to be at villa park to show the fans, he is behind the team. Bulletproof glass is going to be installed in the directors box.
The spy in the team is trying to lose weight, so no inside information on bullying in the team or coaches.
The fan base consortium sounds good, I hope if they do take over they will allow supporters to buy shares.
Well UTV.

[bruka]

Dearest Randy,
the defeat at Leicester was truly heartbreaking - to be 2-0 up and squander a lead in that way was upsetting to say the least.
Those were the glory days weren't they, when Young scored that last minute winner and we had Acorns on the shirt.
It IS devastating that our once great club has become the laughing stock of the premiership and you're right we should be amongst Englands elite (and Europes).
And you are absolutely right it's all YOUR fault.
I don't even believe you remember the evebts in question, I reckon your press officer has written that statement to remind us it wasn't always this bad. But remember all of what has happened to us is down to you. Just sell up and go we don't need to hear anymore of your bullshit.
Signed
Villa fans everywhere.

[Guest]

Ignoring his total lack of class I must say his statement kinda sounds like a goodbye. Might be the whisky and beer, but it just sounds like a "remember the good times, sorry " type of wording.

Can't believe he mentioned the Everton game though. Laughable

[NARLA24]

Brilliant
http://www.myoldmansaid.com/an-open-response-to-r-lerners-heartfelt-letter/

[The Utterer]

Well it's all gone rather quiet today regards takeover news so not sure if that's good or bad. If Lerner is over here i guess that gives hope that talks, if there actually are any, are moving along necessitating his visit.

All the other stuff with saddo players doing whatever they can to manufacture moves frankly washes right over me as nothing matters apart from are we being sold. It is the only thing which will bring any form of hope back to the circus that is AVFC.

[smetro]

In the absence of anyone else, I reckon Randy is here to speak to or even sign the new manager. One he thing he has always done is met the incoming manager.

[AstonThriller]

Well tonight the papers seem to be agreeing that Ellison is the man.

The Express mention it in THIS article and The Daily Star go big on it HERE

Like many i can't help but wonder if the Ellison stories seem too good to be true. Could the 5th richest man in the world really be interested in our club? I still find it hard to believe but The Sun, Daily Star, Birmingham Mail, Express and now The Daily Star have all said it. One has to wonder why would they all run with this story if there wasn't a hint of truth to it? I dunno, lets just keep everything crossed that this comes to fruition cause if it does everything changes in the Villa universe.

[deadbuzzardalive]

I haven't been believing the Ellison stories up to now and it still seems doubtful, as it seems everyone is just parroting the original sun story and and embellishing it with their own gossip. But it's interesting that Dave Armatige has put his name to the story tonight, not sure what his overall rep is like but I've seen him get things right in the past. Hopefully some good news, breaks asap, we need it.

[Olof Mellberg]

Ahhh Larry Ellison again doing the rounds in the papers...

Well I cant lie its nice to read at least, though like two years ago, Still not sure Ellison knows who Aston Villa are, Hes a Sports mad bloke, but no interest in Soccer as Americans call it.

Cant see any truth to it, but I dont believe it got this much press attention 2 years ago?...did it?

[Villa_Dan]

If Hollis et al manage to get a club akin to a bathtub floating in the ocean riddled with leaks sold to the 5th richest man on earth he deserves a statue and a bowie from the queen

[Trotters]

I've not clicked on any Ellsion links as I believe they're about as truthful and factual as the links claiming that that the McCann's still hold hope of finding Maddie alive.

Again, Ellison has shown no previous passion toward soccerball and only seems to have a like for the American ball games, and a MASSIVE love of yachts. His kids have their own interests.

It may well be that one of his companies has decided it would like to have a promotional vehicle (like Etihad and Emirates) and, for some bizarre reason, have picked Villa. It could be that they'll throw wads of money at us but even if that's the case, I still feel that Ellison would have an arms-length relationship with us.

The China link is still only based on that FananceAsia story and the media have added no substance as to who might be making up a British consortium.

Still, King's "...next two or three weeks..." ring in my ears (could be the tinnitus though!).

[AstonThriller]

But trotters did Abramovic show interest in football before buying Chelsea? Did the Man City lot? What we know of Ellison is he likes his sports. Maybe he just wants a new challenge? Who knows, what is clear though is these links to him this time are way more stronger than the one's two years ago. Two years ago I think it made one paper and it was a throwaway rumours kind of thing. But now several papers are going to town with this story so that's why I'm more hopeful this time.

As for the Chinese. Well maybe it's the same Chinese group who were apparently interested in Albion and us last summer? Chinese groups have been buying clubs in Holland and France recently so I don't know if one being interested in us is that far fetched.

[Trotters]

Oh I hope. It'd be a dream...either of them.

So Oracle are a little on the back foot compared to their competitors in cloud computing and want to fix that. They need a sponsorship vehicle. If - IF - they pick Villa, it won't be to have the name on the shirt. They could do that with just about any team staying in the premiership. If they do buy Villa, it'll be because they want proper worldwide recognition and that'll mean being at the very top of football with their name all over the club.

The Oracle Stadium at Villa Park, anyone?

Let assume for a moment that it IS Oracle trying to buy us - or a subsidiary of the parent company. Could it be that the emails between King & Bernstein were scathing of Lerner's ability to talk and negotiate at this level? We've all seen Lerner's ways of talking many times over and it's horrific!

King: "Why is this clown talking about Shunnamites and romantic nourishment in meetings with these people?"
Bernie: "The bloke has lost the plot and he's going to properly stuff this sale up, mark my words"

But then, he sold the Browns for something like a billion dollars. Was he directly involved in the sale th or did he let someone like Square Pattern Bog look after that?

Personally, I don't think that's why the resignations came out. I think the board had grand plans which Lerner can no longer get behind as he's tired of it all.

I hope that Square Pattern Bog and Steve Hollis are doing all the legwork here and Randy is in town for a meet and greet and to show the potential new owners around the grounds.

But Oracle? It's hard to imagine anyone more perfect coming in. The Wang family could push him close and they have a lot of companies that they might like to push into Europe. But Oracle would have a far more laser-targeted focus and will use Villa to expose their product to try and kill off their competitors. And that COULD mean making us the new Man City.

But why now? That's the question I can't get my head around. Maybe they just weren't ready? But had they come knocking a year ago, they could have bought the club for £120m. So they'll be saving £40-50m. How much income is the club missing out on being out of the top flight? And for a company like Oracle, a few million here or the to buy a promotional vehicle in one of the most watched sports in the world would be nothing. That's the biggest reason I struggle to believe that Larry Ellison has anything to do a takeover.

Anyone looking to buy now were maybe not able to stump up the full asking price last year and it could be that they will be putting the debt back onto the club and leveraging for all its worth. So we could be going from a cashed up owner with no clue to a clued up owner with no cash.

But to counter that arguement, I understand Howard Hodgson made an enquiry a few months back and was politely told to jog on.

So, to conclude, I don't have a fucking clue.

[Chrissylee1111]

I have also heard that it is an American leading the way. Apparently Lerner is here to rubber stamp the deal and say his goodbyes. Knowing Lerner, he will mess it up at the final minute, hopefully we should get an announcement on Monday.

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