Aston Villa Boss Paul Lambert Says Clubs Could Do Without FA Cup

[Allezfan]

Christ, £300 million!! Over how long mate?

In 2006 he took over a villa side massively underacheving: they were paying the 7th highest wages and decent transfer fees and only finishing 16th (same as now, tbh). In his first season he gave his manager: 17 million gross, 14 million net on new transfers and paid his players 50 million a year and that got them from 16th to 11th, so 64 million to get them to 11th. Fine, progress.

His second season he spent, 16 million gross, 6 million net on new transfers and paid his players 60 million a year and got them from 11th to 6th so another 66 million to get them up to 6th. Again, progress. He spent 65 million a year and gained 5 or so places, each time.

So third season lerner got out his chequebook and spent 48 million gross, 45 million net on new transfers and paid his players 70 million a year and still only got them 6th. So 115 million to get them where they finished the year before. No progress.

His fourth season 38 million gross, 19 million net on new transfers and paid his players 80 million a year and still only got them 6th. So 99 million to get them where they finished the year before. No progress.

And then he cuts down the spending a bit, because he's spent 344 million over four seasons and not won anything or finished higher than 6th.

Everton meanwhile finished above villa in three of those four years while spending only 204 million. So less than 2/3rds as much and did better.

But even after that season, the next year he told O'Neill he would have to fund his ins with outs, he still is paying top wages (7th best in the league) and still had a positive transfer fund (they paid 18 million for darren bent that year).

In fact since O'Neill quit when told the gravy boat had run out, they've still spent 93 million gross, 22 milion net and paid 223 milion in wages. Whereas Everton in that time have paid wages of 191 million and made 28.5 million in the market. So even since Lerner pulled the plug on spending they've spent 82 million more than we have, and finished behind us every year.

And this is a club which earns less then we do a year. Last year we earned 81 million and Villa earned 80 million. So this is his own money, this isn't money earned from villa's fans.

The problem with that club isn't Lerner's investment, it's the way they had/have a lot of high paying expensively bought players who O'Neill and Houllier brought in who Lambert doesn't fancy. So the likes of Given, Bent etc who were on 80k a week and not in the squad.

 

[Rook]

Lerner bought the club cheap and thought if he spent like say Liverpool or what Spurs are doing now he'd get C-League. I think he found out that unless you have someone like Wenger you gotta spend Chelsea or City money to get top 4 so he said F- this league and closed the checkbook. Like Fayed he still has the money, he just doesn't want to lose what say Chelsea or City does becuase he's not that rich. I'm not sure if I blame him.

 

[Allezfan]

Since Lerner took over Villa, they've spent 589 million. Spurs, in that time period, have spent 558 milion, Newcastle have spent 450 million and Everton have spent 366.5 million.

Only Arsenal (813 million), Liverpool (920 million), Man U (1083 million), Chelsea and Man City (more than you could possibly imagine) have spent more in that time period and they all make 3 times what Villa do as a club.

But yeah no their problem is that tight Lerner who doesn't support his managers.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Since Lerner took over Villa, they've spent 589 million. Spurs, in that time period, have spent 558 milion, Newcastle have spent 450 million and Everton have spent 366.5 million.

Only Arsenal (813 million), Liverpool (920 million), Man U (1083 million), Chelsea and Man City (more than you could possibly imagine) have spent more in that time period and they all make 3 times what Villa do as a club.

But yeah no their problem is that tight Lerner who doesn't support his managers.

He pulled the plug and expected to still do okay

Sorry, but that makes him an idiot

And the Lambert tries making a go of it with the kids and he gets it in the neck

 

[Allezfan]

He pulled the plug and expected to still do okay

Sorry, but that makes him an idiot

And the Lambert tries making a go of it with the kids and he gets it in the neck

Lambert had all the expensive professionals at the club last year. Bent, Dunne, Given, Jenas, Hutton, N'Zogbia, Ireland etc he just didn't like them and so didn't play them.

Last year they were paying the 7th biggest wages in the league and also had the 7th most expensive squad in terms of transfer fees, more than us in both cases, it was Lambert's choice not to use those big earners.

And even Lambert bought in 19 new players for 45 million between them. If that's not backing than god knows I'd take that over our chairman's backing every day of the week.

It's bizarre that our fans have both decided that Moyes was a chancer who was using the finances as excuses to justify finishing 6th and lose semifinals to Liverpool but Lambert, who had more money, had his hands tied when he finished 15th and lost a semi final to Bradford City, ffs.

 

[canuckblue]

Part of the problem, I feel, is the fact Villa doesn't have the worldwide marketing and merchandising pull that clubs like United, City, Chelsea or (this is hard to admit) the Anfield Social Club. They all have millions pouring in from other sources than the owners, Villa has nowhere near as much and when Lerner turned off the tap, it was a double whammy of sorts.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Have you ever looked at the possibility Lambert couldn't trust the vets enough to put them in the main squad?

Or the fact he may have been under pressure not to play the vets so that Lerner could cut the wage bill?

You're very pro Lerner

I'm at least trying to be balanced here

 

[Allezfan]

Part of the problem, I feel, is the fact Villa doesn't have the worldwide marketing and merchandising pull that clubs like United, City, Chelsea or (this is hard to admit) the Anfield Social Club. They all have millions pouring in from other sources than the owners, Villa has nowhere near as much and when Lerner turned off the tap, it was a double whammy of sorts.

This is true, they earn what we do.

In 2011-12, wigan and blackburn earned 53 million, Us, Villa, Fulham and Sunderland earned about 80, Spurs earned 150 million, the RS 170, Arsenal and Chelsea about 250 and Man U over 300 million.

That's your gap in spending right there.

I give Kenwright grief for not making us profitable so it's only fair to say that Lerner has done just as bad a job at making his club profitable.

Having said that, Match Tickets are cheaper at Villa than Everton. It costs less to watch them and he does fund the team out of his own pocket, as well.

 

[Allezfan]

Villa Season Ticket's are £325 to £595 which is cheaper than just about anyone else in the league. Ours are £469 to £695. Arsenals are £985 to £1995.

Giver Lerner credit for that at least. He's supporting his managers without milking the fans to do it.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

O'Neil is not without blame as well I should add

But maybe he was right that the squad was too thin to push on?

I mean, outside of our first XI the options drop considerably. Maybe O'Neil saw the same issues?

 

[canuckblue]

This is true, they earn what we do.

In 2011-12, wigan and blackburn earned 53 million, Us, Villa, Fulham and Sunderland earned about 80, Spurs earned 150 million, the RS 170, Arsenal and Chelsea about 250 and Man U over 300 million.

That's your gap in spending right there.

I give Kenwright grief for not making us profitable so it's only fair to say that Lerner has done just as bad a job at making his club profitable.

Having said that, Match Tickets are cheaper at Villa than Everton. It costs less to watch them and he does fund the team out of his own pocket, as well.

Oh, I agree he's backed his managers far better than Kenwright ever has or ever will. That's a given. I just think he made a mistake spending so much so quickly without the other revenue streams to help. Had he gradually increased the spending as Villa, it might have turned out differently.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Oh, I agree he's backed his managers far better than Kenwright ever has or ever will. That's a given. I just think he made a mistake spending so much so quickly without the other revenue streams to help. Had he gradually increased the spending as Villa, it might have turned out differently.

Typical case of someone thinking he knows the game and then paniking when it doesn't turn out how he expected

If you're going to spend a sickening amount of money, you need to keep the sickening spending up

You can't start big and then stop cold turkey

Once you've started big, you need to stay big.

 

[Allezfan]

I think the problem was he misread his relationship with O'Neill.

They'd come into the club together and got them into that 6th place, together and I think he thought that once they'd made it there, he could drop off the spending a bit and O'Neill would be happy enough to go along with it and steady the ship around the european places.

But O'Neill throw a tantrum and left and Lerner's stumbled badly in replacing him. I can see why he choose all of Houllier, McLiesh and Lambert but none of them have been resounding successes and that's on him, really.

 

[Rook]

I think the problem was he misread his relationship with O'Neill.

They'd come into the club together and got them into that 6th place, together and I think he thought that once they'd made it there, he could drop off the spending a bit and O'Neill would be happy enough to go along with it and steady the ship around the european places.

But O'Neill throw a tantrum and left and Lerner's stumbled badly in replacing him. I can see why he choose all of Houllier, McLiesh and Lambert but none of them have been resounding successes and that's on him, really.

Yeah he's been rather supportive of his managers. Most owners would have fired Lambert mid season last year. O'Neill acted petutlant even though he was given a blank check he wasted all the money on overpriced English players. I wonder if he ever even bothered to scout anyone. McLeish had to go because of a fan revolt, empty seats and boring as hell footie. Houllier, I think he decided that he didn't want to be there after about a month.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

McLeish was never going to work

I don't know what he was thinking with that one

The fans would never accept him