After the events of this week, if you didn’t realise it already it’s red alert time at Villa Park. The departing director Mervyn King has more than hinted that a sale in motion, while that process takes place everything like new managers and planning for next season seems to have been put on hold, judging by his and David Bernstein’s resignations.
This following message from the Chairman of the Aston Villa Irish Lions Clubs certainly capture the anger and distrust of Randy Lerner felt by a lot of Villa supporters at the moment.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE from the Chairman of Aston Villa’s Irish Lions Club.
The events of the past few days are the culmination of six years of bad decisions, management and ultimately poor ownership.
As the chairman of the Aston Villa’s biggest overseas supporters club and current overseas supporters club of the year, I feel that we are in a position where we can make a difference.
I am personally WITHDRAWING financial support of Aston Villa FC. I will not be buying tickets, merchandise and also will not be facilitating the purchase of anything that lines the pockets of the people who currently own, run and play for the club. Until Randy Lerner has gone.
I am reaching out to you to do the same. As Villa’s biggest supporters club and Villa’s biggest catchment of fans outside of Birmingham we can hit Randy & co the only way they will notice. Their pockets!
The current regime treats us like a customer and not a supporter, so we should treat them like a business.
Would you go to a cinema and watch a bad movie, then go back the next week – pay good money to watch it again? If you had a bad experience in any establishment, hotel, shop – would you be in a hurry to go back again and spend your money? I pretty sure, the answer would be a resounding NO!
Aston Villa do not currently deserve the great supporters mind-set of supporting a team through thick and thin. The attitude of supporting a team during the highs and lows, come rain and shine. Their whole business model relies on this ‘Guaranteed income from hard core supporters’
So I’m asking all Villa fans to stop financially supporting the Villa until they treat us as supporters.
Do not buy any more tickets, merchandise & boycott the new Villa kit.
I truly believe that the only way to hurt the Aston Villa business is by not being a customer.
When we get treated as a supporter, then we can come back and help support their business.
Peter Chatham
Chairman – Aston Villa Irish Lions Club
Sick of being slag from others! I support a big club from England and … We deserve better. I’m with Peter irish lions UTV
Not my intention to slag anybody just want what’s best for the Villa. Although we may disagree on best ways forward the end result is the same, we want pride and passion put back into what I believe is the greatest club in the world. Villa till I die.
Also a lifelong villa fan based in northern Ireland and if it hurts us from a distance it must be excruciating being close up. Whilst I agree with the principal of a total ban on buying all things Aston Villa it worries me that we look like we don’t care and two wrongs don’t make a right. It’s a tough call but if it has to be done it has to be a total blanket support, cause we have seen enough half hearted efforts already this season on the pitch, villa till I die.
Well, you can spend or not as after taxes it almost is your money. There isn’t a CFO to count it anyway unless I missed that appointment in the boardroom.. Dunno as its been a revolving door to that place so might have. Club is in freefall, certain players go and we’re a cert for lg1. Worth a straddle on both sides of that bet. Rumor has it China might buy Villa. Hmm. More Venky than Srivaddhanaprabha I fear, worse still as their word for crisis is the same as opportunity.
Bodymoor Heath has a lovely ring as a private community, maybe ex-footballers, managers, bank of england directors could live (afford) there oh and some of the anti corruption money that is missing from the Chinese (world) economy. Villa Park, that’s a nice name for a TechHub, few startups go unicorn and more could buy in the aforementioned Heath. Huawai needs a european hq. Hahaha.. But yet to see anything like hope for immediate return to the Prem,
only the kids and a couple of shrewd decisions will keep us in the Championship.
Not sure right now it matters what we as the fans do or say, except those of you who can and have will to (Bravo!) support the kids and the ones who try. Two things Villa can be proud of this season the fans and the pitch, all the rest is b*****ks.
There are Villa Forums etc…that would help also Social Networks, I am in full agreement. I had stated months ago the only thing these people understand is money flow. Income and Outcome. When they see a substantial reduction on Income from the “Customers” it forces change and ideology. American Companies work a very different way from UK companies. Usually Non empathic entities that take no consideration of environment community spirit loyalty etc. Yes it hits the club no it doesn’t make recovery impossible. It will speed up a sale. The price will drop to sell, He will want shot as soon as…Then it becomes an attractive enterprise something easily fixable that is not in the mindset or true entrepreneurs (his was handed down to him as a legacy) I like the idea of Wang from China (no gfaws please :O)) He likes to take things run down and make them great again. That would give Villa bouncebackability with a new energy willing to make things happen with right investment. It would pay enormously to the next buyer, For a start Villa fans would be back in their droves filling up the stadium. This is a good protest to demonstrate that fans have power. No income gets rid of the dross players anyway. Contracts can be terminated. There is hope with a new buyer ..more than hope.
C.Gale, do you really think that a potential owner will make his decision based on how many fans are in the ground on a given day.
One of the factors they will look at will be made on the potential of the club, and therefore look at what is possible if the team are doing well.
If all the fans stop spending money, on tickets, merchandise etc, the likelihood is that RL will sell up faster and for less.
I stopped spending on Aston Villa in November 2015. And before you ask, I am a life long Villa fan of 48 years, so the decision was taken with a heavy heart.
My only concern is that the cheaper the club becomes, the more chance of us getting a new owner that can only just afford to buy the club and has little money to plough in to make us great again.
VillaPete
I agree with Gale, only hurts in the long run, when new owners look to buy a club, if they see 40,000 rocking the place, or causing earthquakes ala Leicester then they will be more likely to buy the place.
that will only hit the club & make recovery impossible ! Is that the plan ?
that will hit the club & make recovery impossible is that the plan ?
very good comment. But if it is to be followed up we need to be able to contact and network. If there is to be a boycott it has to be organized.
How does Peter plan to do this? Fail to plan is plan to fail. So lets get a network together and do the business so Lerner can’t simply think this is going away over the summer.
Trevor FIsher,