dn1982

Said I was concerned about the future of the club.

Arguably the most important rebuilding job to be done on the playing side in a generation. With a manager who has not yet bought one player in his short career and who has dubious tactical ability. Good luck to us all, and to the manager especially

Shame the last bloke made such a mess of things. Might have made things a little easier for Sherwood.

Shame the last bloke was not allowed to sign his first choice targets. 

Do you mean he was after better players than Benteke and Tonev?? Sherwood is the unknown but he has now got as much experience as Lambert had in the Premier League but his win ratio is a lot better granted one was with a much better squad but the other half was with Lamberts squad! Brendan Rodgers is supposedly a great tactician and has loads of experience in the transfer market. Sherwood out did him in the semi tactically and Rodgers record in the transfer market is woeful. Experience isn't always the best thing. Let's see who he buys before we write him off and let him have at least half a season with his own squad before he's written off tactically aswell.

I hope we are in for Cabaye he'd be a great signing. Has any player said they'd like to play for Pardew? He's record at NUFC was crap in the year running up to his departure but was overlooked because he got Palace playing well just as Pullis did the year before! Didn't Cabaye go on strike under Pardew?

Tom Fox and Sherwood know we need to improve the squad as to not have a relegation battle again so I'm sure they'll be doing business as normal to insure this. With the new TV money coming next year there's no reason we can't speculate on it. Transfer fees are spread out over contracts so we can easily spend £30m+ this year but it'll only show on the books as a fraction of that and seeing as we will be freeing up a lot of wages it'll all fit in nicely.

Why is it we only believe the negative rumours? From the few positive rumours that are coming out it seems Sherwood is trying to fill the positions we know that are problems. 3 links to Trippier Robertson and Cabaye are good players that'd improve us if we don't get them I'm sure they'll be others but if we only signed them to our current squad I'd be happy but Until we know for sure what's happening with the likes of Cleverley Vlaar and especially Benteke we won't know how much or what our are most important places to fill are. There's international weeks coming up and I'd expect a flurry of activity after those then a lull whilst players go on holiday before preseason so if you're getting desperate now you're in for a long summer.

Every body is down after that game but can anybody who attended the 1/4 or semi final say that those feelings weren't the best ever? Would you have still wrote the same post if we'd won? Or is it the fact you feel like crap after the defeat? I never answered my phone for 3 days after and I still feel gutted but today I renewed my ST. I will,probably still feeling like crap and be gutted until the fixtures come out in 2 weeks then I'll slowly refocus on the new season. After a defeat like Saturday most would feel they've had enough but I guarantee if we was to get there again next season you'd be in the plane again in the hope that we can finally get that win.

I reckon we could get him for £6-7m. He's a class above players like O'Shea and Brown. If he's given a proper chance at a club he can be Jagielkas' sort of level. Most proper Manchester united fans actually rate him.

How many players like him leave Man Utd and achieve anywhere near the level they played at there? £6-7m is loads is he twice the player Vlaar is? You can get better value abroad.

It's blasphemy even adding that picture to a conversation involving Evans!!

At least 1 GK 1RB 1LB 2 wide midfielders 2CM and 2 CF

We need half a team with current 1st teamers becoming squad players and the rest getting moved on.

I reckon we could get him for £6-7m. He's a class above players like O'Shea and Brown. If he's given a proper chance at a club he can be Jagielkas' sort of level. Most proper Manchester united fans actually rate him.

How many players like him leave Man Utd and achieve anywhere near the level they played at there? £6-7m is loads is he twice the player Vlaar is? You can get better value abroad.

Ings is off to Liverpool or Spurs too late to get on that bandwagon now 

 

Trippeir is another looking like off to Spurs but that leaves them alot of RB's , Walker is good attacking wise and will need first team football.Spurs will want a big fee though which would be an issue.

 

Alot will also depend on Vlaar and Celverly , should they stay thats the CB's and CM's pretty much covered with 4 options ( CB - Baker /Clark / Vlaar / Okore ) (CM- Westy / Cleverly /Delph / Sanchez) so leave's GK ,LB , Attacking mids and forwards to sort out.

 

Also we need to take into account where we finished and who we can attack and realistically aim to finish around the top 10 next season to build for the season after.We have seen from Spurs and Liverpool selling one star player and bringing in a host of players doesn't work.We need evolution ,aiming to work towards more performances like Liverpool (FA cup) Spurs and Everton in the league.

I would expect also a few of the younger guys to be given a chance especially the ''not that young anymore''   Gardner

So we can't go for Ings because he might sign for one of two other clubs?? Just because clubs get linked with players doesn't mean they'll go there.

If Benteke is going I'd go for both Austin and Ings. I think they'd be a good partnership. We'd probably still have £10m to spend after that as well.

I'd say LFC have tapped him up like they did with Barry and now won't pay the fee! Sherwood specifically said why go to a team that doesn't cross?!it wasn't a general he's got a buyout will he be off. It's nice of the press to try to unsettle us running into our biggest game in years. Where's all the Walcott speculation? He's got one year left.

So Germany is used as a bench mark for FFP no wonder all the top clubs like it. Bayern virtually win the league every year that's the total opposite of a competitive playing field!

heard a rumour last week of a friendly in Dublin but nothing seems to have come of it

We can't confirm the 1st August just yet hopefully we'll have a game lined up a bit more important!!

Any news on Gladwin? Reports were we'd cooled on Luongo so seeing as it's only the one deal confirmed are we still after him?

..Assessing is one thing...a 4 year contract weeks stepping though the door...hmmmmm

Yeah giving him a 4 year contract that was offered by Lerner previously and was still on the table when Fox arrived which was signed 2 weeks later! Maybe Lambert realised Fox would sack him so took it!

We need players to improve the team whether they be foreign or domestic or if they have premier league experience or not. In the last 2 summers we've had bits off everything yet the team never got better. We need to always strive to make the team better and not just adding bodies to the squad. What we seem tO have done is buy players to supplement the squad instead of improving the team. Doing that normally means buying bigger and better which are normally more expensive but ultimately as long as they can improve the team that's all,that matters.

The DOF role. I have been a strong believer that it should be in place whilst Sherwood is here.

 

I fear if we lose Benteke (which despite what people say is a possibility) we would have to rebuild and to do that rebuilding we are relying on someone who hasn't bought a player let alone rebuild a squad. Paddy Reilly might help with this but still think an appointment would've been better.

 

Of course this is all pretty pointless if Lerner sells the club sooner rather than later.

Reilly will have a big input to signings and there's no proof that a DOF would be good at signing players either so it's a case of trusting Sherwood and hoping he's open to advice from the people in place.

If Lerner went this summer he's record in the league is pretty 50/50 and his record in the cups has been good and that's not counting a win on Saturday. Which if it does happen will make up for Mcleish and the last 3 years and then some!

He said he needed time to assess Lambert but felt that he was doing a good job but then acknowledged the role was new to him and now Sherwood is in he realises how much was lacking before. Hindsight and all that.

 

Director of football is on back burner as Sherwood brings a lot of development knowledge with him that Lambert didn't have. However it is a model that Villa will have eventually and if done properly should only be a plus for the manager.

 

Hmm. Doesn't sit right with me.

Which bit? And how doesn't it sit right? Seems pretty straight forward answer to me.

Somebody on Twitter who supposedly was at the SCG is claiming that also. New American manufacturers apparently. That'd be great, I refuse to buy Macron.

If true I've got a feeling it'll be New Balance they've took over Liverpools deal and another premier league club next season can't remember who.

Off to the latest SCG tonight with Tom Fox and Charlie Wijeratna.

 

Do any of the supporters on here have any genuine (non-offensive!) questions that they'd like me to put forward if I get the chance or they are not brought up by someone else? here

 

Leave in about an hour, so be quick!

Can you ask why VillaTalk haven't been invited? Again?

It wasn't an invite thing it was a first come first served thing. Any fan could've gone.

Can we take the big allocation for away games and have a database of interested fans who aren't ST holders so they get a chance to buy any unsold? Also better communication of how tickets are selling

Any chance we can have road restrictions in place after games to aid people getting away? It's become a joke getting away from the King Edward side

Well Charlie Wijeratna was brought in, in February. Maybe this was with a view to eventually making Fox chairman. Although I suspect nothing will change really save for his job title.

 

Is the CEO not the guy who runs the club?  Is the chairman not the face of the club?  Just wondering would fox not be better staying in his current role as it is more important?

 

Yes Im sure he would be thrilled at having someone promoted over his head.

What has Tom Fox actually done at Aston Villa thats so great anyway ? he had no option to but to sack Lambert then recuited the easiest available option, hardly a great visionary is he ?

The CEO is the most important person within an organisation. The Chairman, invariably is a non-executive director. If the Principles of the Corporate Governance Code are followed, the role of a Chairman is as follows:

 

http://www.out-law.com/page-8215

 

The chairman

The chairman leads the board, sets its agenda and ensures it is an effective working group at the head of the company. He must promote a culture of openness and debate and is responsible for effective communication with shareholders (but note the role of the senior independent director as well. (See:Composition and structure of the board, an OUT-LAW guide.) And he must ensure that all board members receive accurate, timely and clear information.

The Code says the roles of chairman and chief executive should not be held by the same person.

“There should be a clear division of responsibilities at the head of the company between the running of the board and the executive responsibility for the running of the company’s business. No one individual should have unfettered powers of decision” – main principle A.2.

The chairman may not always be a part-time non-executive: many are full time and describe themselves as executive chairman, but the roles of chairman and CEO are at least distinct. In addition to the responsibilities described above, the chairman ensures there is a good working relationship between the executive and non-executive directors and sufficient time to discuss strategic issues.

By contrast, the chief executive has responsibility for the day to day management of the company and putting into effect the decisions and policies of the board.

Any big public company combining the roles of chairman and CEO will have to persuade shareholders that the right checks and balances are in place. (See the case study on Marks & Spencer below).

Equally to be frowned upon, according to the Code, is the previously widespread practice of a chief executive stepping up to become chairman of the same company. Those against the practice argue that a new chief executive is going to have a next to impossible job if his predecessor stays as chairman, constantly looking over his shoulder and perhaps disagreeing with any departure from past policies. Those in favour sing  the praises of a chairman who may have years of experience with the company, still has much to offer and who is quite capable of establishing a good working relationship with a new CEO.

The Code does concede that in exceptional cases the rule may be broken. Any board in breach should consult major shareholders in advance and set out its reasons for the appointment, both at the time and in the next annual report. Banks, in particular, have argued that only the incumbent CEO has the knowledge and experience of a large, multinational group’s operations to fulfil the chairman’s role.

This view received some indirect backing from the Walker Report, which argued for a greater emphasis on relevant industry experience among non-executive directors. And much play was made of the fact that of the three UK banks that failed in 2007–2008, RBS, HBOS and Northern Rock, none had a chairman with a banking background. In contrast, the chairmen of HSBC and Standard Chartered, which emerged relatively unscathed from the banking crisis, were lifetime bankers (and both had stepped up from the chief executive role).

Case study: How Marks and Spencer got its way

Marks & Spencer is a rare case of a major company where the roles of chairman and chief executive have been combined.

In 2008, the chief executive, Sir Stuart Rose, was handed the chairman’s job as well – in contravention of principle A.2. Shareholders muttered that this was contrary to the Code, but the company stressed that the roles would be split again when Sir Stuart retired in 2011. In the meantime, the new chairman’s dominance would be counterbalanced by the senior independent director, who was given special responsibility for governance issues.

When a resolution was tabled at the July 2009 AGM calling forthe early appointment of an independent chairman, it received an unusually high level of support, from 38 per cent of voting shareholders, but 62 per cent backed the board, and Sir Stuart remained in place. Despite that, a new chief executive joined in early 2010, and the roles were once again separated.

 

Jeremy Peace is chairman of the albion - he runs the show - Likewise Ashley at Newcastle.

 

If you own a business, you can have staff employed calling them what you want, and performed tasks roles you state. What you have quoted would seem to be best practice guidelines.

If Lerner got another Chairman in he would still run the show as you put it as he's the owner. He wouldn't be making day to day decisions and probably hasn't for a while that's why you employ people. The reason he would want another Chairman in is to do even less of this. Fox probably speaks to him on the phone on a regular basis but that's not good enough at times you need that figure head.

On the one hand it seems like good news with Randy confirming interest and talks with a few parties. But on the other, stuff about appointing a chairman if he can't sell us, seems strange considering it seems like Fox is running the show anyway now. Almost feels like we're being braced for a no-sale and all that's going to happen is Fox will be given a new title to placate fans craving for change.

 

If a new chairman is brought in, Tom Fox will depart IMO. He also makes reference to other new board members, Fox looks on very thin ice here.

No he doesn't. The Chairman is just a figure head. Some one where the buck stops. At present that's Lerner but he's not in the UK to be an active one. I bet you couldn't name Arsenals or Chelsea's Chairman but know the owners. Since Fox has been here we have been bringing in more board members people that are experts in their field. If Lerner does stay I can see him bringing in some board members with stronger Villa links.

 

Wait and see Fox will either be chairman or leave.

Seeing as Lerner trusts him he won't be leaving anytime soon under Lerners ownership! I doubt he'll become Chairman as he is a hands on bloke who's just in his first year as CEO but as you say we'll have to wait and see.