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[August 20, 2006]

Football: MAN OF THE PEOPLE

(Sunday Mercury Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) RANDY Lerner has never been slow to put the media in their place as owner of the Cleveland Browns NFL team.

And if his pounds 62 million buyout of Aston Villa is successful, then the English press pack could come under close scrutiny.

In fact, the prospective new Villa chairman could be breathing down journalists' necks - literally!

If Lerner completes his Villa Park takeover, then he certainly plans to be at his first home game, which could be next month's clash with Charlton.

And it would come as no surprise if Lerner abandoned Doug Ellis's traditional directors' box domain in favour of a seat just a little further down the Trinity Road stand.

Keith Harris, the former Football League chairman and head of investment bank Seymour Pierce, advised Lerner throughout his attempt to land Villa and says things could be a little different if the American moves in to team up with new manager Martin O'Neill.


"Will he be here for the first game in charge? Yes he will. But I'm not sure where he is going to sit. You'd have to ask him that, and it might surprise you," said Harris.

"I'll give you a clue. At Cleveland Browns he sits with the media in the press box! But I don't know where he'll sit at Villa Park.

"Randy is not an elitist. He is very comfortable with the grass roots. He won't be donning a Villa shirt for photos - this is different.

"The parallels between Cleveland and Birmingham are similar in terms of the industrial importance of the two cities.

"So at the same time, Randy wants to make sure the supporters are loved and brought to life.

"There might be pies and chip butties in the ground, but I don't think we'll be seeing too many of Roy Keane's prawn sandwich brigade.

"Randy is a very good guy. His house is round the corner from mine in London and we've had most of the conversations about this in our local pub. If football's in the blood there is nothing better than seeing people lifted by something like this."

Lerner's takeover is not a certainty, with judge Nicholas Padfield's AV06 preparing a pounds 70 million bid.

But until Lerner hears otherwise, he is preparing for life in Ellis's hot-seat.

"I think there'll be a big change there. And we've noticed that fans have been voting with their feet in recent seasons," said Harris.

"But Martin will give that a lift. Filling the stadium is a major priority. We can do that in the short term, but we also need to do it over a longer period.

"The club needs stability. Villa have had a large number of managers in a short period of time. It's had starts, it's had stops. It now needs flow. Randy wants this club to be a success and he wants to win.

"Why shouldn't Villa be like a Tottenham or a Liverpool? Ask fans what they want, and maybe in a couple of years with Martin there could be a good showing in the League Cup, we could go a long way in the FA Cup and maybe finish top six in the League.

"Those are sensible ambitions and ones that can be achieved. If someone says that Villa are going to win the Premiership next year, then you have to say that's a pipe dream. But there's no reason why Villa cannot challenge for honours over the next couple of years.

"I also see no reason why fans, and the sons and daughters of fans, won't be able to see a successful Aston Villa 15 years down the line.

That's just as important. The Americans don't let the grass grow under their feet."

Harris says that, despite years of takeover speculation at Villa, Lerner's deal was swift.

It raises a smile from Harris when it is suggested that Lerner almost walked away from the deal following an acrimonious Villa Park meeting with "Deadly" Doug. But Lerner is now almost there unless beaten by a rival.

"There's been a lot of talk and Villa is an asset that a lot of people have been interested in for a while," said Harris.

"This is the first tangible sign that there is a serious attempt to take it over.

"A formal takeover bid is not something that's done lightly, yet we did it in a relatively short space of time. Although technically other people could do something, it is unlikely to happen. But Randy cannot have a big say in the business until early September.

"Martin and Randy had dinner at my house three weeks ago and we've talked a lot. That was when there was no manager. He was always our choice, though. I've known him quite a long time and we're hiring the guy we wanted. Martin is a great asset.

"There are two aspects of investment. Money needs to be put towards training facilities which are not state-of-the-art. That is something that can be done quickly if we are to get the benefits for years to come.

"Chelsea splashed out huge sums of money, but not all of them have been a success.

"Randy is someone who understands how to run a sports business, so he realises you have to invest in players. But he knows you cannot buy success - you have to earn success. So until Martin comes to him and tells him the areas he needs to strengthen, we don't know what the budget is for players.

"What you don't do is invest pounds 62 million in a business and then not try to make it a success.

"The club also has some debts - not Randy's debts. He knows he has to put money in but he will do it in conjunction with Martin and in conjunction with his own instincts of how to run a sporting business."

Harris also believes that Lerner is a man who wants to put something into the community.

And he says a little Americanisation at Villa Park will do the club no harm.

"Birmingham has five million people within a 20-mile radius and it's the biggest club in the city. It has a long history but, if you turn the corner, you cannot buy a Villa shirt," he said.

"In some of the outlying towns in the West Midlands, it's as though Villa is in outer Scotland. It's only a small point, but think of what the Americans are particularly good at and marketing springs to mind.

"Fans can expect a different experience at matches. Just as with the NFL games, it's hoped to make them an occasion.

There are differences - NFL clubs only get eight home games a season and there are a lot more in the Premiership. But there are things that can be done to make it an event. It would be something for the family to look forward to and we want to encourage fans. His time will be divided between the Cleveland Browns and Villa but he travels easily - he's only 44. You'll see a lot of him.

"Don't forget that the NFL kicks off in early September and it is a relatively short season. There's plenty of time to deal with both clubs. And in Martin O'Neill we have a manager who is a big devotee of American football.

"When they came to my house, I was largely an observer because Martin was talking to Randy about different players in the NFL. But Randy is an Anglophile."

Harris insists that this proposed takeover is totally different from the one in which Malcolm Glazer and his family moved into Manchester United.

That move provoked furious reaction from Old Trafford fans but Harris does not expect a similar scenario at Villa.

"The reaction from Villa fans is the exact opposite to that of Manchester United fans when the Glazers took over," said Harris.

"It was largely borrowed money and this is Randy Lerner's money. The club isn't getting saddled with huge amounts of debt which could be a millstone around their necks.

"Villa finished 16th last season. That should not be acceptable to fans, and it wasn't. Randy wants to invest and sit alongside the fans. He is a grass-roots kind of guy. And he wouldn't call it soccer - he would call it football and he is a football supporter. He lived here, and there is every chance his children will go to school here. This isn't just part of an investment portfolio."

graham_hill@mrn.co.uk

Copyright 2006 - Birmingham Post and Mail Ltd.

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