This article has captured my attention. Trevor Fisher has sent this in and brings up a really good point and a plan for change. Just read it
Terry Jones wrote a really good article about having a Technical Director. But the comments were negative. Terry, you are right. But unless we can get a group of people who understand that Villa has to change off the pitch as well as on, we have no future. Can we get that kind of group together?
The basic problem is simple. What happens off the pitch is as important as what happened on it, that’s what makes us fail; badly managed and run, with appalling Public Relations. Let’s look at the problem that really makes the media think we are dummies, the arrogance of Villa from top to bottom.
For example, fans bought rooms in Hotels in London before a ball had been kicked. Including John Gregory. Now there’s a man who knows his football. Lambert after the first leg made the comment “Everyone would make us favourites to turn it around”. And to make us look really dumb, the marketing department put out a flyer to season tickets with an offer of a Wembley ticket thrown in.
There are delusions of grandeur at Villa Park. They make us look stupid. We are not going anywhere. Lerner keeping Lambert even if relegated makes people angry and rightly so. But the choice is now stark
Either we go back to the civil war we had under Ellis – and got nowhere. Or run a campaign to force Lerner, the silent man, to come up with changes like a technical director. Which could only be a start. But if fans have something intelligent to say, media will be interested. Lerner can ignore a civil war – Ellis did. So to make him do more than stagger from one crisis to the next, needs some clever thinking.
The only campaign, which ever worried Ellis, was the Pound Sign campaign. 10,000 people holding up pound signs before the game made him fork out for Juan Pablo Angel. The new campaign would be a long run one to the end of the season, action before each game. But not normal demonstrations, they are a waste of time.
Since we look like having Lambert for at least the next twelve months, and players with talent won’t be coming unless the club starts to show we are not just drifting into the lower divisions. A serious Reform Group to plan such a campaign is needed.
Terry, you have a good idea. Adam liked it and posted it, but is there any real interest out there for a long run campaign and getting together to plan it? If there is, I for one am up for it.
Villa is a badly run football club. It will fail unless it gets the boardroom right. There is nothing lost by discussing whether it should be tried. I will be in the Barton’s arms – on the Walsall Road A34 in Lozells – next Tuesday (29th) before the Newcastle game for a bite to eat and anyone who wants to join me to discuss whether a reform group is possible is welcome. As long as they don’t want to sack the manager and the board, both demands are a complete waste of time.
I will get there at 6pm and have my book VILLA FOR ENGLAND on display. I will leave 7pm. So lets see if there is any real desire for changing the state of the club.
Trevor Fisher
Dear Adam and people
thanks for posting this, I hope people make contact on tuesday – if not in person, let the site managers know that you are interested.
However I should say I am not a revolutionary. I want evolutionary change both on and off the pitch, which is what happened at Swansea, BAGGIES and Stoke. THey did it step by step with a plan. and Swansea in particular involved the fans.
I don’t see a plan at Villa and the fans are left out. So that’s what I would want to talk about. Hope to see you in the Bartons at around 6pm
I will be the man with the book
very many thanks for posting it. Lets start to talk and plan
trevor fisher
A serious Reform Group, like that very clever. Told you to be our leader we need some one to get the ball rolling. Where are you meeting Tuesday?
Sounds good and your posts are generally well balanced and well written. I am for this and i dont see the point in protesting in the absolute way. When we get like this it makes us the ones who look bad Balckburn Rovers are a good example to use, the media just took the michael whenever possible and did not back the fans of the club. we need to be the ones who look like we are being reasonable it makes the argument that much more solid to any onlookers and it would cause more of a problem as well
My only problem is i live outside of Birmingham and would find it hard to meet up especially in midweek, but keep us posted and i am all for it, and if and when i may well turn up for some grub
Blackburn
kind of ironic that you want a reform group given the name of Villa’s holding company.
Not against this idea at all but surely it would be better to work with the Villa Trust as the aims should be the same ?
Ian get involved mate. You have decent contacts and a bit of savey! Go on mate
nope been there and done it ..
I would love to work with the trust Ian, but it is a moot point whether it is still active. It has done nothing since the McGregor tomb event in December 2011 and while I will check with the two officers I know they have had no meetings this year and I have no indication of any plans to have any.
The meeting Billy will be in the Bartons which is on the a34 WALSALL Rd in Lozells. It will not be a formal meeting, just a chance to chat. If there is enough interest and people in brum can book a room, then there could be a meeting later. I just want to see what poeple are thinking, and if they want, then we can proceed. If not, so be it.
I will be having some grub and am open to any ideas people have. I will be there from 6pm to 7ish.
Hope others can come along. I will have my villa for england book on show so people who don’t know me can find me.
trevor fisher.
I would normally be there Trevor but can not do midweek games any more.
As to the trusts as it is a formal company it would have to be wound up to be closed. I believe it still active and should approach them really.
I rarely do midweek games, we can’t do everything but I will post results if ANy. I can’t speak for the trust, it may still be going. I will certainly get in touch with them out of courtesy
Trevor fisher
I can’t be there but if there is anything I can do on this side of the pond let me know. This is where Randy hides. We actually have a good network of supporters over here. We may be able to make an impact. Please let me know how I can help. This may sound silly but its important that we get this turned around so I can proudly raise my son a Villan
We may be very reliant on our American villans for this one you know!
Kentucky Villan..it makes feel good to know that your raising your son as a Villan…this is to only correct way to raise a child…:)
Under our current regime does that not count as neglect???!!!
Hear hear
Trevor i try and be there mate
first things first, brothers. If no one turns up in the Bartons at 6pm on tuesday then I will simply eat my grub and go down to the match.
Villa fans are immensly hard to get organised. We talk the talk. But can we walk the walk?
If no one turns up, that’s me done. Only if fans want to walk as well as talk is anything going to happen. Nice old pub the bartons. I hope we have a good discussion… but people have to turn up
trevor fisher.
I frinsh work at 5 trevor so i come str away mate i wear my villa beanie hat
I’ll wear my villa shirt lol
Mate is that the Barton Arms pub do E-Mail me and let me know as would like to be there and put my points of view forward in person.Bloody good post nice to see someone is seeing sense at last.Oh what time.
Terry, I’ve answered your post to me in the earlier thread.
Please feel free to respond mate.
I will be there lads
The mirror is reporting both hutton & Warnock both out on loans you know the clubs for both which frees 80thou of wages time for buisness I think hurry up Lambert sign someone please Save our souls up the villa….
if they have gone out on loan there is a very good chance we are still paying a fair chunk of their wages.
I see Trevor has managed to contact the Villatrust and it is now on their website, good thing as well.
The vehicle to take action is already there but depends on the driver and direction I guess
I’l try & make it trev,it sounds like my cup of tea.i hope i find it as my knowledge of brum is well dodgy,vp & thats it .work though will take priority.good on ya mate its a good idea imo.
Hi Trevor, I’m sorry that it has to be Tuesday, I live out of Birmingham and could not make it on a evening in the week, Trevor you have my backing for what good it is from me not able to be with you, I wish you all the best Trev, surprised a few have respond to the coarse, may Villa get over its problems.
I like the sound of this but am too far away to be involved other than in passing when I come up to matches, probably three or four more times this season. I find Villa’s website and Facebook campaigns and offers very odd. We lose a match and within an hour or so are being offered an extra 10% off sale items in the store or whatever. Film footage of wins are on the site much sooner than losses. It’s as if they have their heads in the sand when it comes to anything negative. When I saw the ad with the competition for the millionth ‘like’ on Facebook with a competition to win a ticket to the Liverpool match I didn’t enter and considered ‘unliking’ the Facebook page. I’m not interested in that nonsense. I want to hear from Wiemann and Guzan because they’re articulate in English (which Benteke isn’t) and are the best players we have. Clark and Vlaar have captained us through some of the worst performances from the team in general and I don’t think they’re fit to lead the team, let alone show their faces afterwards to talk about how good the team spirit is and how we’ll fight through it or whatever. This article is very good, to engage the media would work, if the manager is having trouble doing so and the owner is unable to bring himself to have an opinion then we need to remind them all that we’re the reason this club is here and paying their wages/their investment. Players, managers and owners come and go but the fanbase is the club.
I live on the other side of the world so can’t get there on Tuesday. Not sure where I read it but someone had the great suggestion to wave orange and brown scarves, flags etc. in reference to the appalling handling of the Browns by RL. Subtle and would really only target our absentee landlord. Maybe a flag saying, ‘First Cleveland, Now Aston’ in the same font as the ‘Proud History, Bright Future’ scarves!