From recent newspaper reports it seems that Tony Xia’s takeover of Aston Villa finally looks like it will come to completion sometime early next week (maybe even Monday), which has been the consensus from what MOMS has heard over the week. The incoming Villa CEO Keith Wyness also tweeted the Daily Telegraph article headlined Aston Villa takeover by Dr Tony Xia to go through next week, if any further proof was needed.
There’s just some formalities to complete, like Xia meeting the Football League chairman Shaun Harvey on Monday morning.
Update: Xia says deal complete on social media – check it out here
While Xia has had the money to purchase the club in place for a while now, the main concern is obviously it’s a business decision relying on the fact that promotion is a necessity to access the TV revenue of the Premier League. What happens if Aston Villa aren’t in the Premier League within two or three seasons? Of course, it’s the same situation for whoever the owner is, but hopefully the Premier League and Football League question that in their final analysis.
When it comes to promotion, it’s certainly a case of ‘failure is not an option’.
The appointment of the new Villa management team with its strength in depth, certainly was a positive step in tempering any concern.
Xia has already said in an interview the fact that the purchase of Aston Villa was a pure business decision, and certainly the club could benefit from a sharper business focus to help matters on the pitch (as long as it takes the interest of supporters to heart).
While Randy Lerner’s intentions were ultimately good, there was a time and place for the philanthropic-like approach he took at the start. When you’re chasing Champions League football, it’s perhaps not the greatest time to give up the revenue source of shirt sponsorship. While Martin O’Neill was splashing the cash signing players (some with questionable ability on high wages), the prime real estate of shirt sponsorship was given away to Acorns Hospice.
How such a local operation like Acorns would have benefited from the international exposure of the international broadcasting of the Premier League is questionable. The club perhaps should have stepped up their efforts locally to promote and work with Acorns, while still earning millions from shirt sponsorship to offset the ridiculous wage bill at the time.
From a business point of view, Villa has been a little wishy-washy in recent decades and if Villa get promoted and Xia has a sharp business plan to grow the club (which has always had potential to kick-up another level), a more ‘business’ approach, might not be a bad thing.
Anyway, the good news is the new Villa revolution begins next week, hopefully in earnest this time.
UTV
good article this from a site / authors that clearly really do care.
i think this is the start of a better future and if the doc is a business man with a plan, then I’ll take it all day long, great point ref Acorns, sums Lerner up really, good intentions and very flawed, he and MON were the Ralph and Ted of the football world.
utv
Cheers. UTV
From a business prospective if we don’t get promoted within 2 seasons Xia will probably look to sell and move on. No love or sentimentality allowed where profit and success is at stake. And that would be a feesible reply to the fit & proper test if asked where is the money for the next 5 years. Some of us have been here before (relegation) but back then the stakes were nowhere near as high as they are now what with the vast amount of money now available to Premier League clubs, it’s the only place of interest to would-be sponsors and investors from around the world.
It’s promising news that Xia gets the all clear next week and a relief that the right footballing people (BL) are in place to advise him.
The appointment of RDM SC & KB on paper is probably about the best managerial team we could wish for in the Championship and the noises coming out of VP are positive for the first time in a while.
Take a look at some of the teams that make up the Championship next season previous Europen Cup winners/finalists Premier Leauge winners/runner ups, FA Cup & Leauge cup winners, some big clubs with like minded ambitions …..it’s no mean task ahead.
Oh, and Acorns wasn’t the biggest, worst, or most stupid thing Lerner did. Tho a great example of good intentions doing harm.
Allegedly Dr T has passed the FFP, possibly why he had some experienced directors on the company’s register.
Tho wary of all of this, happy with the appointments so far. Waiting on Reilly to go. I was happy to see the dog walked too, though released a lot of kids at the same time. Says the academy isn’t as sharp as it needs to be, we shouldn’t be wasting resources like that, they make the team or we get a price for them. I suspect the chinese will fix most inefficiencies.