Well what is it ? something we are missing that simply makes no sense, let me explain.
We had Paul Lambert on Friday claiming that was no money to even sign a LOAN player. Please remember that a loan player is a short term fix and actually if they work (you know how much I hate them !!) quite cost effective. However it appears we were after a CB but could not afford the wages and I guess the loan fee.
I there ask a simple question
Is the BIG SECRET at Villa Park that the cashflow situation is abysmal ?
Well when the Annual report comes out by the end of this month it may give us a few clues but remember of course it will be a year out of date.
For a reminder for the financial report for 2012 (reporting 2010-11) wages were £80M on a turnover of £92M. Now that is clearly not sustainable. However sine then we have had two years of austerity at the club. The revenues are actually likely to have gone up a but wages as we speak are likely to be below £60m PA and falling. Then of course add in the predicted £30M from new TV money next year and where is the issue ?
It could be said that the club is right, maybe we will go down and so lets not take risks but that is not applicable for loans is it ?
Therefore you have to conclude one of these –
- Randy and/or the trust are refusing to put any more money in and there are cashflow issues
- Randy wants to sell and wont put money in
- Randy has no other personal cash available to him
- Unknown financial issues and not clear what of
Something does not add up and it feels like someone is holding back on us the real situation at Villa Park. They are under no obligation to disclose of course but the annual report due up will not tell us the story. It is possible to find out financial details of RAL US (who own RAL UK who own Villa) and details of the trust.
This should be something the local press should be looking into, Lambert has opened the door to that question by claiming no more money. Will the press actually push the door open and question it all ?
May be a while …
I think he must of had some idea about money as offers of 10million plus came in for grant holte when he was at Norwich, I really believe he was told to plug temporary gaps were he needed to apart from Benteke of course paying small wages to get the cash flow going again to build up funds that would then become available to him in January or the summer depending on our league position. I think lambert is just as baffled as we are at the January transfer situation as we really did need an experienced cd and mf in my opinion, still can’t change it now roll on Saturday UTV
Conspiracy theories again Ian? Just like last year and your suspicions about the “real” motive behind Reform Acquistions, selling off the ground etc etc.
Can’t see that Randy is that skint that he couldn’t have bought a couple of semi-expensive players. He just chose to stick with a budget that was laid down at the start of the season. I think the lack of transfer funds/wages is because Lambert sepnt it all in the summer. He could have bought a DM and additional CB if he had chosen to. He preferred to buy a couple of full backs when we had two experienced ones in Hutton and Warnock. Much as I don’t rate them particularly highly, they would have done a better job defensively than Bennett and Lowton. Add to that we have been paying their wages (or at periods some of their wages) and it’s my guess FWIW that that’s where the problem lies.
If you are a Lambert fan it’s easy to blame Lerner, but they are both at fault really. If we drop out of the Premiership they really have ballsed up.
If we stay up I expect this will be addressed in the summer, but it could all have been so much better.
I am not a fan of either, but the decline has not suddenly happened this season its been a slow and gradual one for 3 years now. lambert has only been here this season lerner the rest, for me it is a logical conclusion that lerner is at fault, conspiracies aside the man is a clueless incompetent at best