Randy Lerner Looks to New Owners to Complete His Villa Park Plans

Context

Lets preface this article by saying, I’m a realistic and there is a long, long way to go before we can start looking seriously at elements of the long-term picture, such as the one focused on in this post.

Villa’s future is simpler than you think. Let me deconstruct it for you. If the club doesn’t get promoted back to the Premier League within three seasons max, then it doesn’t matter how much money a new owner has, as Villa could be in serious trouble, as no doubt any owner (especially a Chinese group) will deem it a failure and have an exit plan (more of that to come in a separate article).

With this in mind, lets assume though the club will fulfil their core immediate aim and get promoted pronto and can move onto the business of fulfilling the potential of the club that other owners in the last two decades have failed to get close to.

Rambling Randy

One thing that can be deciphered about the long-term objectives of our would-be Chinese owners, from the rambling statement of departing owner Randy Lerner, is proposed structural changes for Villa Park.

After Lerner’s wayward words compared last season to the Battle of Bannockburn and seemingly considered his crowning achievement as restoring  ‘the wonderful Jacobean Holte Hotel’ (one that Doug Ellis had tried to demolish, it must be noted), he dropped a hint that if everything went well on the pitch, developing Villa Park (or whatever it might be called) would be high on Tony Xia’s agenda.

He is certainly a hugely successful businessman but importantly for me he is passionate about architecture, site design and planning,” wrote Lerner, of Xia.

“His commitment to invest in the squad, and leadership at Bodymoor Heath was expressed early on but as we visited together, and had some unrushed time to discuss his plans, Tony’s excitement to develop Villa Park shone through.

“I remain convinced that this is a crucial part of the Club’s future as it provides a critical, long-term second source of revenue and therefore sustainability for the Club from which squad-funding can potentially come.”

Of course, it is crucial, if Villa are to be competitive with the rest of the top six or so English clubs, who have all actively increased the capacity of the number of fans who watch them; whether it be through relocation or expansion of stadia. However, there has to be a huge swing from a club closing a tier of a major stand for the start of next season, to one that can fill a 50,000 stadium.

Best Laid Plans…

Lerner himself commissioned the architect plans for a new North Stand that would bring about the increased capacity stadium, but he never got close to actually using them, as the footfall through the gates of Villa Park dropped, as a result of the horror that enfolded on the pitch.

In terms of Xia and the Recon’s group getting a chance to dust down those plans, what happens on the green grass of Villa Park in the forthcoming future is now much more important than a bunch of drawings of what surrounds it.

UTV

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14 COMMENTS

    • i cannot believe villa would in any way have anything to do with liverpool after the disgraceful way they undermined, media manipulated, unsettled the player christian benteke if amavi were to be sold to those bin dippers i would be disgusted.

  1. the whole north end should be rebuilt to complement the rest of the grand arena ‘our villa park’.

  2. We are all jumping the gun at the moment. No deal has gone through until it is approved by the FA/League, so don’t count the chickens yet. I may be sceptical, but I think a great deal has to happen in a number of ways before we can look forward. If and when that happens, I believe we should be hopeful. The dead wood must be pruned out by the new manager (?) who I hope will be the man who started the ball rolling for Leicester.

    • deadwood, guzan, cissokho, richards lescott, westwood, bacuna,agbonlahor, can all go, NONE will be missed.

  3. Aston Hall may be Jacobean i.e. built in the early 17th century; but the Holte pub certainly isn’t.

  4. This guy is a mate of Lerner’s. Nobody is interested in buying Villa with a squad of total shite players who don’t even care about the club or have the quality to impact in the Championship.
    It doesn’t matter who the Manager is its the players that have to now perform in what is probably the hardest league in the world to be successful in. That will never happen with our lot on half wages this year. Ellis is solely responsible for Lerner. Ellis and his family lined their pockets for years from the club taking us nearly over the line but never the full distance so he could scam what he could.
    Lerner is a complete c*** with absolutely no interest in the club. This guy is another clown who’ll do nothing for us. Lerner wants the parachute money and his investment back. Simple. We’re shagged!

    • wow! fancy that a fickle doom monger putting the club down, pessemissm around our club is depressing garbage

    • wow! fancy that a fickle doom monger putting the club down, pessemissm around our club is depressing garbage

  5. The big question is whether this guy is what he seems and whether the FA etc will approve him. With the questions now surfacing about his wealth and his companies and his claims over the birds nest building and his academic record, either this deal will go through or it will be delayed because the authorities think due diligence on him needs to be done.,

    This deal has not yet been approved.

    Trevor FIsher

    • done dusted, happening, lerner has gonelets look forward and upwards for a change(we might even like it)

  6. Randy was not the highest bidder when he bought the club from Doug, but add the price of the new facilities @ Bodymoor and the price paid was much higher And I did wonder what addons might be included in the price . And a new North stand might fit the bill

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