MikeMcKenna

A producer called me about 30 minutes before and asked if I would comment during programme about no players awards.Cant remember exactly what I said. But iirc when interviewed said it was hardly surprising, assumed many clubs facing relegation wouldn't have an award but personally had mixed feelings as it was another broken record etc. However on balance there was nothing to celebrate so didn't see the point of any awards. Said fans feelings towards players especially Lescott, Agbonlahor, Richards etc had made atmosphere very toxic and maybe only Ayew or Gana had really tried all season. Mentioned that state of club was a tragedy and that it was disgusting that our owner Lerner was hiding away in the States. Was asked about future and couldn't really answer question other than not being very positive.

i am on 5 live about this in 2-3 minute

Ultimately one person to blame for our humiliation. LERNER OUT!

Nah they would be like damp squibs! A little puff and then gone.

It really is a case of history repeating itself. Following Ellis's return in 1982 he went down a similar road of breaking up our League and European Cup winning squad. Five years and several shit managers later we were relegated. When Lambert arrived Lerner's 'project' began that led to loads of low quality players coming in. Several shit managers and five years later were about to be relegated. Ellis and Lerner - pair of prize clearings in the woods! AVFC has been very unlucky with owners over the last 3+ decades!

I agree and am also confused. They appear to have done the right thing by bringing in 'football people' but I have never heard of a football club having a distinct 'football board' as a subset of the main board. Like many things over the last decade, those in power, think AVFC has to do things differently and this has invariably led to disastrous results. It still concerns me that there is window dressing going on. Ultimately Hollis and Krulak will sign off on any new manager, budgets etc etc

My thoughts exactly. The badge redesign is symbolic of a 'football' club that was fiddling while Rome burned. Whether it is £80,000 or £2 million, my sense it that Tom Fox with his commercial hat on was removed from the reality that if we didn't maintain our Premier League status everything else was incidental. His absolute initial focus should have been ensuring that we were fit for purpose 'on the pitch' but he will be remembered for increasing the commercial staff from around 230 to around 260 and overseeing a decline in commercial income. He brought in Charles Wijeratna as 'Chief Commercial Officer' who was sacked by Levy/Spurs because his only contribution funnily enough was redesigning a new badge. Had I been the new CEO of AVFC, I would have been 90% focussed on ensuring we had the right 'football' advisers, players, managers etc in place with the objective of reversing our then 4/5 year decline. With hindsight the decisions to appoint Sherwood, Reilly, Almstadt, Garde and mass influx of cheap players all strike me as those of a Corporate Manager who didn't know what he was doing - basically a repeat of Lerner's previous mismanagement Fox, ultimately wasn't a very good commercial director and more critically a terrible and amateur Chief Executive in the image of Randy Lerner. I would have liked the badge to maintain a more traditional feel but ultimately it is all for naught, we are being relegated because Lerner, Faulkner, Fox, Reilly, Almstadt were ***** amateurs who ran a PL club as if was just a case of painting by numbers! It wasn't rocket science, every fan with half a brain could see what the problem was, we needed proven quality on the pitch led by a manager who could stabilise and then improve the club. Maybe the title of this thread would be more aptly 'Bodge Job' because that is exactly what AVFC have been for most of the last decade! We didn't need a new badge we needed our FOOTBALL club to be run professionally! Rant over!

WIJERATNA OUT! Is a bit of mouth full though!

So a new 'bomb squad' has been started?

You're welcome - just pm me when done

DDID As I have said, I will happy buy 1000 of these or similar; http://www.bakerross.co.uk/football-whistles-3?gclid=CKynr5Ky9csCFQWfGwod8fkLPg I am sure others would happily chip in...

Mate, In my opinion there is a good chance we WILL become the next Sheffield Wednesday if we appoint any of these three. However whoever we appoint, if they are not backed, it will all be rather academic.

Good luck with "Seats on 7" - I will be participating! One idea i have had that you may wish to consider for later is "Whistle on 74" It would cause pandemonium both on and off the pitch. If this is an idea you would like to pursue, I would happily contribute a 1000 whistles!

Southgate: Yeah the player who left us 2001 and went to M'boro because they had ambition. **** Southgate!

It is absolutely pathetic to claim the fans were even partly responsible.

I have massive respect for Brian Little and do not knock him for taking his advisory role and do believe he has the club's interests at heart. However: 1. We are soon to be relegated from the PL for the first time ever and in the nearly 30 years 2. The squad is a shambles and the likes of Agbonlahor, Lescott, Bacuna and Richards are adding insult to injury. In terms of attitude this squad is ****** pathetic. Despite our dire position the ******s just add to the misery, succeeded in getting another manager fired and have been an total embarrassment all season and most are not fit to wear the shirt. 3. Our owner cannot be bothered by turn up to games and has totally distanced himself from the club. I don't buy the 'better the devil you know' claims and wish he would just **** off! He has ruined our club, potentially for years. 4. Hollis is good at firing people both at the top and throughout the club but is yet to show he is anything other than Lerner's poodle. Appointing the likes of Bernstein, Little etc may make no difference if there is **** all to spend. Let's see what happens when it comes to spending money. 5. Krulak is back lurking in the wings like a sycophantic pile of shit. 6. We may yet appoint Nigel Pearson, Mick McCarthy or Steve Bruce 7. I have my doubts that we will sign enough players with sufficient quality to keep us in the Championship never mind get us back to the PL. So to all those who say Brian Little and the 'football board' should be given a chance, I say, I will believe it when I see it but until then I believe **** all. Hollis may have cut out some of the cancer, but the tumour is still here. It is difficult to be anything other than negative and calling for the fans to positive is far too premature. The club is still a disaster.

Sadly the situation with Bacuna is just more evidence of the club going down the drain. As much as I dislike what Bacuna has said, I don't agree with booing any player. Bacuna was never good enough like the vast majority of the other players signed in the last 5/6 years. Booing him is a distraction from the main issue: Lerner. He has put Hollis in as his stool pigeon, who in turn has created a so called "football board' for the same reason. I assume in the next month we will get wind of the next manager who like those before him will probably be given insufficient funds and even worse could be someone who drags us down further. I have little faith that we will do well in the Championship, never mind come back up again. **** Bacuna, he like several others is history.

I think this would be very effective

Met Ken at the game yesterday and am very pleased to report that he said his operation was a 100% successful :-)

It is basically two fingers to the fans!

Obviously Garde was perfectly right when he 'criticised him for his lack of professionalism' He basically sums up Villa players for me.

Grealish has turned to a proper little turd hasn't he?

Which is why I don't think we will get him. Do you think Moyes would come to Villa if the deal is that we have to fund new players from within our existing means?

Thanks for responding mate, thought it was genuine but just wanted to check. It is very odd that McLaren should be in Birmingham just three days before Garde goes. I really hope there is **** all in it!

Penguin, was this a wind up?