Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: 2big4seatswannastand 
Date:Saturday February 2 2013
Time: 12:00PM
UK time is: 01:36:47
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Would You Rather Be Run Like QPR?
2big4seatswannastand asks, would you rather be run like QPR?
I know we are in difficult times. It has never been more embarrassing to be a Villa fan. Supporters of virtually every other team, taking turns to twist the knife with the latest observation on what's wrong at Villa, or even worse, the latest joke doing the rounds about our once proud club.
But I don't believe we have the bleakest prospects.
QPR seem to be intent on following the Portsmouth 3 year plan. Only they appear to have decided that Portsmouth did not follow the plan with sufficient conviction. Yes they have signed the big, experienced centre-half we all wanted, but would you seriously want a player that's going to cost the club £30 million over 4 years, with no resale value after that.
Our problems with overpaid players on overlong contracts pales into insignificance when compared to QPR. They even have Luke Young, no doubt on 30k per week plus, unable to play because he didn't make their 25 player list. Plus Bosingwa, Remy, Campbell, Wright-Phillips, Cesar, et all, who will make our wage bill look like peanuts.
All this on average gates of 19000. I know that the January window was disappointing, but we may have unearthed a couple of gems. The one area that I consider that PL has done well, is in his player purchases. Surely we all agree that if we sold all his signings we would get more in total than he paid, even with our poor form. If we do go down, it will hurt, deeply.
But look on the bright side, at the start of next season, we will be able to hope we can win our league. It has been, and will continue to be a very long time before we have that feeling in the Premiership. For all the criticism of Lerner and Faulkner, I remain confident that the club will still exist in 5 years time. If I was a QPR fan I would be very, very, worried. If they do go down, they will make Portsmouth's problems look like a tea-party.
I like every other Villa fan want to see us win every week, but I want to know that our great club will still be around long after I'm gone. So let's get back behind the team, and pray that we can gather enough points to finish 17th.
Anyone wish they were a QPR fan?
2big4seatswannastand
See also: Paul Lambert Points To Randy Lerner?
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Your Comments
I certainly see what you are saying and no, I don't want us to go bust. But I also don't want us being compared to Prem newbies, we have been in the top flight for 25 years (after an awful 86/87) and should not be in danger. At least with QPR and Newcastle, they have acted this January to TRY to stay up. Fair play, QPR will be bang in trouble if they go down wage wise but one would suspect their rich owner can either handle that OR they have release / wage reduction clauses. Us? We seem to be going out with a whimper.
The Fear
There are any number of ways of being a badly run club. QPR might be one example. Villa might be another. But they are both bad.
OnMeHeadFred
Surely a far more sensible approach would have been a blend of players purchased in the summer. Until attendance pick up we will need to rely on buying cheap and developing a gem that could be sold at a profit but we only need to do this with one or two not all of them, the rest can be journeymen if needs be. It should take time to rebuild, slash and burn is a recipe four disaster
AVbornandbred
Well said. But I agree with JF. It shouldnt be all or nothing. Still I havent lost faith in PL or Randy. I am sure both have our long term interests at heart. Anyway, maybe we supprise everyone and stay up! Hey, we`re not down yet! And I am sure our players if we do go down, will go down fighting. We cant expect anymore from them!
villa_de
Fear, there have already been quotes in the press re Fernandes walking away from QPR. If that happens they will be gone. I was in the Trinity Road stand back in 1987 in tears as we went down playing against Sheffield Wednesday if I remember correctly. Because of my age, that was not my first taste of relegation, I was in senior school when we were in the old division 3. But I was prouder of my team then, in divison 3, than I am now.
I can also remember the coming back up. I don't fear relegation. I would be happy to be a big fish in a smaller pond. I am fed-up to the back teeth of being cannon-fodder for the big boys. Fed-up of hoping that on day we might be good enough to finish fourth, if you can avoid the trap of the Europa cup thing. Almost but not quite fed-up of football.
I also approve of the hungry young player aspect. We have a good manager who lacks experience in dealing with a side devoi of confidence. He is on his own learning curve. Keep the faith, it will come good even if we go down.
2big4seatswannastand
Premiership football is entering a period of decline and will be for a couple of years at least. The money in football is causing a lot of problems and even managers are speaking out about agents and players being involved in gang like warfare. The clubs who get themselves on a solid footing now will reap the future benefits. Lerner, Faulkner and Lambert know what they are doing, I believe they also know the massive gamble they are taking, I also believe they know the consequences and are ready to take them and act if need be ...... I also believe they are doing it for the best of the club and it's future. We couldn't go on like we were, and I for the life of me don't expect a man who for the best intent and purposes has poured in hundreds of millions of pounds into our club to continue to do so with nothing to show for it. Slagging Lerner off is petty in my eyes, yes he's been naieve, yes he's made mistakes. Our losses on wages over the last few years would have crippled any club outside the top four or five and he still wants to put it right after all the wrongs, I'm going to give them the benifit of my support for this season come what may and see where or what we are in the summer and what comes along to improve us properly. This has to be the most dire Premier League season for years and three home wins would have had us 9th, the season has been all over the place for us but a bit more concentration and clear heads on the pitch and we can survive and really get into the rebuild of AVFC. Lambert hasn't become a bad manager overnight and he has only had scraps to work with but I believe we will rise from this and so will he. UTV
astonmilan
Agree with Fear and co we should be able to compete financially without paying out silly money, its the wages that is crippling us and i just don't understand why our income is larger than Stoke's yet we are being told we can not compete with them financially?? All i want is for Randy to either accept wages are part n parcel of footie or sell up!
clivethevillan
AVbornandbred our attendances have been poor since the early 80's mate, don't kid yourself we pack our stadium, if we do its because 6000 Manure or Chelski fans get into the home stands.
astonmilan
Agree with Aston Milan.
The amount of away fans who get home tickets is obvious when the sky clubs come to town. We have to have a long term financial vision and the footballing philosophy to match.
Villa_Grizzly
To be honest it doesn't matter one jot how we're run if we go down.
eltoro
I posted this in response to Astonmilan on the piece about Dawkins, it's worth repeating here:
If Randy had done that Samba deal for £12.5m and £100k a week there would have been a huge outcry. In the long run, the financial fair play rules will suit the club, if we can survive this season. I think we can, but need a win quickly. QPR will be in administration and in League 1 because they won't sustain their wage bill on 18500 ticket sales every 2 weeks. We the fans need to support our club more than ever now, fill VP for the Wet Spam game and blow the ball in to the Holte End goal if we have to. There is enough quality to stay up, but not enough belief. We can help if we stay behind the lads. UTV
Madirish
I'm disappointed like anyone else. It also hurts to see that we are not competing off the pitch. But I also agree with the thrust of this article and with Aston Milan. No-one wants to go down to go up, but I remembber division 3 too and the future of the club means more than money gamble to stay up. The last 3 seasons have been awful, something has to give to enable us to look forward again even if it is to go down, to re-build properly.
Gordonsleftboot
The Fact is Tony Fenandes is a very rich and successful businessman. He is SE Asia's Richard Branson if you like. He can afford to pay these prices aka Abramovich..... He owns Air Asia, which is massive over here. His new venture in a competitor to Facebook which will be huge when it's fully lauched, called myface.me Believe me, QPR is NOT being run like Portsmouth etc This guy mean business. To be honest, it's the type of owner we, well a good percentage I'd imagine, would like Villa run - with an owner who will spend money when needed.
Pride of Lions
We used to be run the same when Mon was here that's why we are in the ***** not because randys not funding us in the same way as b4 because if he did it would break him and the debts would be so big no one would buy it off him and we would go under
wal
I understand the reasoned and sensible argumments put forward,but I cant help feeling we penny pinched when there was hundreds of thousands of pounds to be made. Surely an appearance in a wembley final plus considering the draw a very good run in the F.A.CUP would have brought in a lot more revenue than signing 3 experianced prem.league players on loan in early january ? I understand no guarantees of winning with those signings but the odds would have been heavily in our favour I suspect. And while I have not given up hope yet the same 3 players could be the difference between relegation or not. No I do not want us to become a debt laden club but do you not think the rewards would have outmatched the outlay ?
Merlin128777
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