It is a curious one this, apparently Lerner will be spending more time in England than the USA. Wonder how the Browns feel about that? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would cut-and-run, but that is simply my gut feeling. MON seems happy enough - for the moment at least. I don't think Randy knows much about football, is that a good or a bad thing for a Premier League CEO?

I, for one, am hoping this is paper talk 'cos I like the fact MON's left to do his job, albeit without spending much at the mo', but I'm sure he'll be even less likely to spend with RL over his shoulder

I would welcome the move of Lerner coming in to have a direct role. I think over the last two years only good things have come out of Villa Park. I cant remember a time when we have had such good publicity. Having Randy down there will hopefully speed the aquisition of players up!! Messiah says yes, Randy get the cheque book out, deal done!

Of course the squad size is a problem but if the messiah is bringing in quality and chopping dead wood then who cares.

One good player is better than three SHITE ones!!!

Up the Villa!

I personaly think Randy's here for the long haul. I am living overseas now but hear about all the stuff he has done from instantly agreeing and upgrading our training facilities to state of the art to providing funds to do up the Holte pub. I also heard about providing scarfs for all fans last game of the season before and contributions to local charities. He knows these changes will not change the team overnight but for the future, and I am hearing about these since I have left!

Does he have the balls? I am sure he has, and although we want more, he seems to have put his hand in his pocket each time MON has asked him. It seems that it's MON holding back, not Randy

Come on, let's sign some quality. We seem to be on the verge of signing everyone, but then no ones confirmed. I do love MON, but I must say his deadline transfer dealings do get on my tats

yes i do think he has the balls to make the club big again however i dont expect massive signings just yet. i think that if the club get a good run in Europe and sement ther position as a top six side then we may see much more investment. i know this is a double edged sword but thats the way i think the club will go this season.

expect one big signing ie David Bentley (i hope) and 4-5 squad players or young talent that will becaume quality

Look at it this way, the CEO and COO are gone and if this is true then Randy will be coming in to handle these two roles. That would save a sh*t load in salarys as both of these positions pay very handsomely in any company. Also, if your worried about Randy Lerner selling up, i wouldn't be. He bought the Cleveland Browns American football team and made them one of the best teams in the country and hasnt cashed in on that. A very good sign in my opinion.

I think Randy Lerner is 100% in the long term. Look what he has done, finish off the training ground, that'll cost a good few million. He's also donated £5m to the national portrait galleries. He wouldnt have done that simply to jump on a plane in the next few years back to the USA, he will have done it because he is staying in England and is buying a house.

In terms of the risks Lerner will be making, no way will they be the 'big risks' as in the article, where we will go around the continent splashing millions of pounds for a guy with some reputation. Yes, this could get us to break into the top 4 within a few years, but it could also see the team cohesiveness drop with big ego's on big salaries, and many signings back fire and we drop down the table. Instead we will be taking calculated risks after much scouting and thought, which is the best way to build the club for the long term. Ashley Young is the prime example of this, and I hope like danvilla said before, than David Bentley will be next. The results may still come quick but there is a far less chance of things going wrong, and will also build a platform for us to keep on pushing on in the future.

I think Randy's intentions are honest enough, but i think you are right though Damien, Has he got the balls?

This summer is make or break for him, and O'Neill, for Randy, it is providing a substantial amount of moolah, and for O'Neill, it is going out and spending that money on quality! Not Emile Heskey and Titus Bramble!

We'll see. . . . . . . .

Also, by all means, take a more active role in the club! We want to see that he cares!

But for heavens sake, don't be like muppets up at Anfield! Or even Newcastle, their chairman sticks his face in the paper far too often for my liking!

I think the qestion should be has MON got the balls to bring in some big time players and open himself to some criticism if it does'nt work out.

i think hes really dedicated now hes moving to the midlands atleast we didnt get the fukin glasiers

The 'smart businessman' approach simply doesn't make sense. Randy Lerner is a [i]billionaire[/i]. I'm not sure how much of his net worth would be cash stocks, but you can be sure there is a nice bit of interest being earned somewhere on his assets and it'd grossly outweigh anything he'd ever make off selling Villa for a profit.

He bought Villa for £70m. In ten years time, how much will Villa be worth? Liverpool cost Hicks and Gillet about £200 million including its debt. Will we be as big a club as Liverpool in 10 years under the 'smart businessman' strategy of penny pinching and cut backs?

In 10 years Lerner could make about £100m simply letting £1bn sit in a savings account offering 1% interest. No flights back and forth across the Atlantic, no meetings, no pressure off fans, no arguments, no effort, no stress. That sounds far more 'smart business' to me.

He loves the club and wants us to win! Keep the faith in MON and Lerner!

He'd make

I think this is a good move. Lerner has had a couple of years to show his true stripes and not once has he put a foot wrong. I am as proud to be a Villa fan now as ever.

I am concerned about the investment though. We saw from West Ham last year that it does not pay to invest rashly, however with Spurs already signing Luka Modric (and apparently Dos Santos today) we really do need a sense of urgency in redressing this squad. If there are no significant changes on the squad of last year I would say we are running the misk of mediocre mid table, as many of the teams around us will spend big. Eto'o and Deco to Newcastle? We have the PR now, let's attract the players.

i jus hope he doesnt do a abramovich an meddle in team selection affairs - ie - shevchenko. wud be good to see more of him in the sense that it would help clarify his intentions for the club and what he is willin to do. i think if he has the finances, he shud be careful cos we dont wanna be another man utd in terms of turnin into muplc

he's listed by the NFL as a low key owner so i doubt the browns will mind too much
i hope he steps it up, gets a huge shirt sponsorship deal thrashed out, knocks down the north stand and spends £50mil on players

plus you have to look at what he's moving to the midlands, could it simply be that MBNA are going to start a huge drive in this country, so its doubley beneficial for him to be here

i can put my house that he ent going nowhere he does love this club.i know where his house is near tamworth and can tell you he has even got a tattoo of the villa badge.i truely think randy has got funds he is willing to put forward.it is mon that does not want to spend it because he wont pay big money to improve(like every other one of the teams around us)everton,man city,pompy will spend big and spurs have money and are looking at players 10 times better than the ones were being linked with and they didnt finish anywhere near us!!!

I'm split on this one, on one hand i'm glad he stays in the states as it gives the manager and the staff chance to do things their way without too much intervention. it also means they are not looking over their shoulder every five minutes wandering if they are going to be pulled up over a decision...
on the other hand having him here makes it easier to get hold of him and gives him a chance to see what this team means to us and the Midlands in general.
Getting back to the original point though, its not whether Randy Learner has the balls, it's has MON got the balls to splash the cash.
In his time at Celtic i gather he only spent about 35 mill in 6 years. So far here he has spent, what, 35.5ish mill, his record is that of a frugal man. He has said on more than one occasion that he will not buy overpriced players, but surely every player is!! if you are a seller you are going to want the best deal for your club, the only realistically priced players are the CRAP ones. We as a club have to gamble, coz i bet this squad cant pull off the same fete next season without some serious additions.
This summer will determine what sort of shape our club is in, and what our aspirations are.
So to quote Gerry Maguire "show me the f*&#xki;n money"

Hey, Yank here with a little NFL insight. IT DOES NOT MATTER. Few owners are very hands on, they go to games, big league meetings and team functions. Few owners have much more of a role than that. So if Randolph wants to move to Brum then I'm all for it. Let's hope he has balls of steel!

So let me get this right, 6 players have already left us so far at the end off this season, so that would mean we need at least 10 players to come in. Can anybody see MON getting in this amount of players, i would be amazed if he got in 5 players. Spurs are already dropping there marker for next season. MON should be getting in players NOW. With the Inter-toto coming up these players need to be signed asap to jell with the side. If Learner wants to show us fans his ambition and his vision for the club he needs to invest at least 100mill on players and wages for us to be serious contenders for 4th next season..

could be wrong, but i don't think he bought the browns. i think that was his father's purchase. and to say he's turned the browns into one of the best teams ...well, that's hyperbole. they've become respectable under his ownership. but certainly not elite. nfl clubs, with their massive television deals, revenue sharing, & salary caps, are cash cows. so there's not much incentive to "cash in" by selling unless an owner just wants out to do other things. all that said, i still think randy is an excellent choice to lead villa. but comparing his roles with villa & the browns is apples & oranges.

Of course he dose u have got to be kidding with that question ?

And just because we have not heard from him much nor has he really spoke to us you should see that as a good thing not a bad thing

Would you rather him be like hicks and roman ?

This topic is more laughable than serious good god

NFL ownership is a bit different. Some are very hands on, others are very hands off. But the management hierarchy is such that usually the General Manager is responsible for all the player dealings, etc., and the salary cap imposes limits. Because of the cap, free agency, and the unique importance of the QB position, teams can turn around quickly or slowly. And because of the way the league is structured, teams can do rather nicely without winning anything, as businesses. You can do everything right and still not win a Super Bowl, or even a division or conference title. Injuries are another really significant factor. RL is very much a delegating-type owner, leaving the player dealings to the GM.

Anyway...I think RL moving to England is a great sign, whatever other interests he may have. I suspect it's MON who's thrifty moreso than Randy, but having him on hand, along with the CEO oddities, probably means he can facilitate deals more effectively, and maybe wants to take a more active role as far as getting the business done. I don't think he's wanting to pressure MON in any way, just be closer to Villa, and based on everything we've seen so fat, that probably has to be good. He'll know how lucky he is to have MON, and I'm sure he respects him greatly.

I'm also sure that Villa really succeeding appeals to him, especially given the Browns haven't achieved much in long time. I think he's an owner who's a fan, and wants to be closer to football, England, Villa, and all the rest because he's having fun and because he wants to be a good owner and push on.

B.Robinson

the smart businessman idea makes perfect sense. buy something for x and sell it for double. thats how $ billionaires increase thier wealth

brett

i may be wrong here, but from what i understand lerner isn't invovled in MBNA anymore. his family sold all their holdings in the company - which in essence made them $ billionaires

Wish we'd stop using this term 'global brand'.

Rafael Sobis please

Darragh

hate to pick you out but he didn't buy the cleveland browns (and i'm guessing you've been told that) and the rumours are he is looking to sell it - after they've won nothing since he took full control

as for the 2 jobs and salaries. you could probably pay both those annual salaries with £500k - not really very much