Big Ron Says Back The Next Manager

Former Villa manager Ron Atkinson has told The Mirror that it won`t matter who the new manager is IF Randy Lerner doesn`t invest in the team.

Big Ron told the paper:

"This is the probably the most threadbare Villa side I can remember in the Premier League and it`s obvious they need players."

And Ron is pretty spot on, the Villa faithful need something to get excited about and behind...

"They need at least three top-of-the-range players to climb the table and lift the crowd. Those supporters were brought up on a bit of glamour and Villa need stars get them excited again."

He adds, ever the Villa man that Villa is a 'magnificent` club with a 'great` set of fans and quite rightly also points to the amazing training facilities at Bodymoor Heath.

"You`d expect any manager offered the job to jump at it. But he has to be given money to invest in the team. They are lightweight in midfield and ­certainly need more quality there. Unless the new boss can spend, it could be no better next season."

He also says Villa must stop being a selling club.

It is true, whoever comes in, we`ve now lost a lot of big players over the last few seasons and also had a trio leave this summer on Bosmans (more millions not recouped) and obviously our skipper Stiliyan Petrov isn`t available due to his ill health.

"They simply haven`t replaced the likes of James Milner, Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing* and Ashley Young."

*We did replace Downing to be fair!

He also points at the excellent Gary Cahill as being ex Villa. Thanks for that O`Neill, against all the advice from the youth set up, he was sold. Damn!

"Building a top team isn`t rocket science. You have to have quality players." And warns to achieve anything at all in the game, you have to have players able to compete against the best.

It really is a defining summer for Villa isn`t it?

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