A Venglos View
Having just read a letter from Lincoln City’s chairman Bob Dorian to season ticket holders, addressing the season that followed the Imps suffering relegation from the football league on the final day of last season, I couldn’t help but think, Randy Lerner could just cut-and-paste the letter next year, if Villa got relegated in a fortnight’s time.
Apart from the dates, the only things changed are under-lined.
So now, imagine it’s next season, and Villa have just finished above the relegation zone in the Championship….Lerner desperate to reach out to season ticket holders, drops them a line via the interweb…
Open Letter To Season Ticket Holders
Posted on: Mon 30 Apr 2013
A difficult season on and off the pitch drew to a close at Oakwell, Barnsley last Saturday and the Board and I are now stepping up our planning for next season.
As a season ticket holder for the 2013/13 season you will shortly be receiving details of the prices and benefits of renewing your ticket. I wanted to say a few words before we publish those details. Ideally I would like to have written to you all individually but with over 1,000 season ticket holders this would have costs hundreds of pounds. I hope you agree that as a Board we should continue to seek all opportunities to save money.
I simply want to thank everyone who renewed their season ticket last summer and also the 200 who had not had a season ticket the previous year but decided to buy one for our first season in non-League for over 20 years.
Relegation from the Football League was a bitter blow and huge disappointment to us all but your decision to continue supporting the team as a season ticket holder meant a huge amount to the Club. Without your support the season would have been very much more difficult than it turned out to be.
I also wish to thank you for your patience during the challenging months when we had to adjust to life in the Championship, change our manager and rebuild the playing squad.
David Bassett has been successful in the short-term targets we set him; namely to keep us up, restore professional standards and help the Board manage down the payroll. Our form over the last fifth of the season has also shown that we now have a much stronger base and are well-placed to go into next season with renewed confidence.
As a Board we were determined to reward those supporters who bought season tickets last summer by offering them cheaper 2013/14 prices than will be available to new season ticket holders. We also want to provide everyone who buys a 2013/14 season ticket with the opportunity to reduce the price of their ticket even further.
So thank you once again for your continuing loyalty to our football club. I do hope that you decide to renew your season ticket and that you can persuade your friends, family or workmates to follow your lead.
A strong season ticket holder base makes an enormous difference to the playing budget we can provide to the manager; season ticket prices and benefits for the 2013/14 season will be announced tomorrow, Tuesday 1 May, with tickets going on sale next Wednesday, 9 May.
I hope you have a relaxing close season and thank you in advance for your support.
Up The Villa!
Randy Lerner,
Chairman
