Larry Ellison's Brit consortium in 'advanced talks' to buy Aston Villa Larry Ellison is rumoured to be mulling a substantial cash injection into a foundering business which has seen itself unable to compete in recent years with more powerful rivals. No, not Oracle, but Aston Villa, according to the the word on the street and in The Sun, which says that a Brit consortium linked to the US …
I'm looking forward to all the comparison adverts on the back of The Economist, that show a graph with Aston Villa in a huge claret and blue bar which is double the size of the red bar labelled Manchester United - and says when benchmarked on the same grassware Aston Villa performed twice as the competion.
Presumably if they win an silverware, there'll be an open-top yacht parade round the canals of Brum.
I look forward to Larry holding aloft the Johnstone's Paint Trophy in two years time...
Using the MySQL model, he will buy Aston Villa as a hugely inflated price, then several years later he will by Aldershot much more cheaply (somewhere at the base of the National League), only to find that Aldershot performs far better than Aston Villa and is more popular.
I wonder if a club like Newcastle wouldn't be a better option. They're are underachievers, but could still stay up and have probably enough fans to support a super-team ( unlike, say, Man City, who are the definition of nouveau riche ). Doesn't Ashley want out too?
Villa though? Odd choice.
Alas not, If Newcastle stay up that's a guaranteed payment of roughly 100m (65m if they finish bottom + 1/3 due to increase) from the TV rights alone along with further parachute payments. That would increase the sale value whereas Villa are only guaranteed a parachute payment of 26m next season (more for further seasons if not promoted) plus they will get more TV revenue as the former premier league side.
This is not philanthropy, it's profit.
The city model is plough money in, improve the youth squad/facilities so you don't have to buy so many players, create a global brand (Melbourne/New York) and sit back when the money starts to roll in. The TV rights alone are going to be massive next season and the manager will further increase the value of the brand. I see no downside to that especially with all the upset United fans who don't know or have ever known what it's like to lose.
" I see no downside to that especially with all the upset United fans who don't know or have ever known what it's like to lose."
I'm a United fan, and the lowest point in my football watching life was probably getting knocked out of the champions league by Rosenberg, or somebody. We're not built for this kind of torment.
But good point on the TV money. My point was that Newcastle could fill a 70k seater stadium most weeks ( assuming a title challenge ) and sell all the shirts that go with that. I don't know that Villa could do that. Thinking globally, you're probably right though.
I'm a United fan, and the lowest point in my football watching life was probably getting knocked out of the champions league by Rosenberg, or somebody.
Relegation in 1974 was pretty hard to swallow but, more recently, surely having to take down the "35 years" banners was the worst thing to happen?
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ah, the Toon Army's delusions of grandeur…
Even when the Bitters were in the old Third Division they were getting MASSIVE crowds of up 30,000 a game for which they still hold the record. Compare and contrast this Newcastle's attendances when not in the top flight: often less than 20,000.
They might talk a good talk up on the Tyne but they don't do the walk.
Villa an odd choice? Founding member of the football league, second biggest UK City, 7 League titles. 7 FA cups. 5 League cups, 1 European cup, 1 European Super cup, 42,000 seater and 140 year old stadium, Die hard fans.
An odd choice according to a Newcastle fan?
Tell me Newcastle and Sunderland's history and honors...
As Mike Ashley is discovering that the Advertising Wing of Sports Direct is making money hand over fist each year. Where else but football could you advertise your tat and still make millions in profit?
He's got the perfect business model as far as his bank account is concerned. The Toon fans see this somewhat differently.
Anything to do with this?
http://footballisfixed.blogspot.com/2016/03/look-at-state.html
It has been heavily redacted (recently). See the comment stating so right at the top. Still, it makes for interesting reading even in its redacted form.
This Vardy fella seen here:
https://s9.postimg.org/opjhv3vvj/james_vardy_leicester_city_close_up_interview_ne.jpg
...reminds me of Gideon in parliament. More the eyes than anything.
What's going on here then?
""Villa requires a lot of investment if it is going to compete with the other big names in the Premier League"
Yeah, there's no way that a team with average attendance in the low 30 thousands could ever compete in the Premier League...
Aston Villa don't have much talent, but they've also made a series of spectacularly bad managerial choices.
Aston Villa don't have much talent, but they've also made a series of spectacularly bad managerial choices.
Surely Larry's well suited? Clearly knows nothing about the beautiful game, and buys a run down club in an area best described as an urban shit hole.
On the positive side, I suppose he can park his super-yacht in Gas Street Basin, kick his way through the drifts of spent hippy crack cylinders on Holiday Street as he walks down to New Street Station, and pick up a WMPTE number 7 bus to Villa Park. So it's pretty convenient.
Maybe as an American he hasn't quite got his head round the concept of relegation? Rumours are the Venkys were not aware of it when they bought Blackburn Rovers.
I suspect he may find The Villa harder to keep afloat than his yacht but I admire his courage. Wonder if he'll attend any live matches? 90 minutes of excremental football in West Midlands drizzle with tens of thousands of drunk Brummies calling you a c**t. What's not to like?
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