When Deadly Doug first sold the club to Randy Lerner, it was like a breath of fresh air for most supporters of the club, but how things have changed.

Doug Ellis was always known for his no-nonsense approach but a very good business man. You could never ever question the man’s dedication to the club but as I have stated before sometimes you need more than just love for a football club.

Under ‘Deadly’, Villa were known as an established Premiership side that were never really going to brake the top four, due to finances – but the upside to that was we were one of a very few clubs in professional football who were making a operating profit.

The 88-year old was controversial and many fans blame him for the decline of the club following the the greatest hour in the clubs history – winning the European Cup in 1982.

The destruction of the old Trinity Road Stand was something else that upset fans, with many believing it should have been a listed building.

I could go on about the negatives about the man, just as much as I could list the positives but the important factor about the man who still watches Villa week in – week out was he lived Aston Villa and always put the club first. We was always number one in the Midlands, and always financially secure.

Then we look at our current owner Randy Lerner who purchased the club for a very good price of just £62.6million and the American Entrepreneur immediately started to make all the right noises.

He invested money into completing the redevelopment of the clubs state-of-the-art training facility – Bodymoor Heath, as well as the famous Holte Pub.

The 49 year old also splashed the money out like it grew on trees and had a 5 year plan to get the club back amongst Europe’s elite.

However six years on, we are currently a club in decline. There are reports that the club has debt (to the owner), despite selling off all the clubs big assets (James Milner, Ashley Young and Gareth Barry), and on top of that the controversial appointment of former Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish.

Yesterday I asked you if you would be renewing your season ticket in my article ‘Season Tickets – Value for money?‘ and today I am asking you which of our modern day chairman did you prefer?

I am personally undecided – Under Sir Doug we may not of got anywhere but we always knew were we stood, while Randy Lerner have brought some of the best days being a supporter in my life time but I haven’t got a clue what the future holds for my club.

So what do you think? Deadly Doug or Mr Lerner?

It has been a quiet week with us being knocked out of the FA Cup and the first team on their holly bobs so I have found it hard to find anything to talk about, well until tonight.

Every so often I will browse the internet to see if there is anything I have missed in terms of Aston Villa – and although there isn’t I have noticed a very similar theme occurring on many communities and social networking websites. Season tickets!

It is coming to that time of the year where many people will look at this season, and the future in deciding whether to renew their season ticket at the end of the current campaign. There will always be those who argue for and against the case but what route will you be taking?

Without doubt the club will probably make a massive deal about freezing prices (despite the fact we already pay over the odds), and will offer us some stupid coupons and maybe even AVTV free again.

But as a season ticket holder myself, I am sure I am not the only one who gets questioned by ‘stay away fans’ as to why I insist on paying over the odds for something that doesn’t satisfy my Saturday afternoon needs. In fact I tend to walk away from Villa Park these days more stressed than I was before I entered the ground. After all if you was to buy a ticket for a show or a concert you wouldn’t pay to see it again if you wasn’t happy with the first display would you?

Another point that has been brought to my attention, and on more than one occasion this season is whether or not it is actually cheaper to buy tickets on an individual game by game basis?

If you were to contact the club they would no doubt deny that this is the case, but those who have done their research will tell you a different story all together.

And then you could argue the fact that you are guaranteed the same seat each and every week, and you get to know those who are around you.

But is this really what you want when you depart with your hard earned cash? Do you want to pay over the odds to become more stressed?

My answer to that is Yes! And those who are probably reading this will either agree with me or think I am a complete and utter idiot. The simple fact is to a devoted football fan, their football team becomes much more than a hobby – Its a way of life.

The devoted fan will be checking any news source they can get their hands on for any kind of hope relating to their beloved football team. They will defend them even when deep down they know what the other person is saying is probably true.

And lastly and probably most important – They miss it when it is not available to them. I guess you could say it is a bit like losing a loved one!

I normally only like to see and seek the positives in Aston Villa performances of late, to let’s say hide the cracks that are starting to appear. You may not agree with some things that I write but I’ve tried to be as balanced as possible.

Wasting chances, leaving attacking to the last ten minutes and playing with hardly any passion for the badge; I can’t seem to think of anything McLeish could do more other than drop the negative tactics he seems to possess.

Let’s take the most recent game as an example; Manchester City. Defensively it was well organised for the majority of the match. Every player had another man to mark, which in the first half worked extremely well to shut down the opponents. Yet, perhaps after a half time team talk, gaps started to appear as marking seemed to have been forgotten. However, we offered hardly anything going forward. That may have been down to City’s back line or Villa’s tactics. Most would probably agree with the latter. Even in the last ten minutes, when we left it too late, wasted opportunities cost us a point at least. Although, I’d like to point out that the four clear-cut chances we had, three of those were from defenders. What does that say?

A spat with Stephen Ireland and Charles N’Zogbia at Newcastle perhaps cost us that game Sunday night, as possibly our two creative midfielders weren’t on the pitch. Once N’Zogbia came on, the game and tempo from Villa livened up.

Despite his slow start to his Aston Villa career, he has now hit the ground running. Our most attacking intent last weekend and the quick feet in Sunday’s game, McLeish should have shaken off last week’s arguments and wiped the slate clean.

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McLeish’s tactics have held back Villa’s attacking players in my honest opinion. The Tottenham Hotspur game optimised it. Alan Hutton as a right-winger instead of a natural attacking player.

Obviously we can’t just blame it all on the manager. He plays a huge part in the running of the club and how the team are set out yet he can’t influence how the team plays. He can’t go onto the pitch and score goals for them, defend for them and become the next Shay Given.

He can only do so much, let’s face it.

Players earning an enormous amount of money each week only seem to be bothered about the money. Except a few; Gabby Agbonlahor, Marc Albrighton for example. As a fan, to pass the test you have to sweat blood, tears and claret and blue to be an Aston Villa player that can be accepted by the faithful. My view is that there aren’t enough off these guys playing for the badge, giving the crowd something to cheer about and just play football to their greatest ability.

Fans have said in the past that they’d rather lose three or four nil and play with heart and passion than lose one nil and give nothing what-so-ever. I accept that point because after all if they all did then it shows that they care.

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There is all talk around at the moment about Randy Lerner’s intentions, protests, and in particular Alex McLeish. But the one thing that I have noticed is the current division between the supporters of our great club.

The appointment of Alex McLeish was never going to be popular, but some decided just to put up and shut up while others decided to stay away from Villa Park.

Of course everyone is entitled to do as they wish, after all football is only an expensive hobby and not a matter of life and death.

However, as the season as progressed there is becoming an obvious split between fans both at games and around online communities.

Now I am all for people expressing there own views, and the banter that comes with football but it seems that if you don’t agree with a section of fans then you will receive abuse.

Is that really fair? All of us want the best for Aston Villa Football Club and we will all have our own ideas about how to achieve them.

But at the end of the day sooner (lets hope) or later both Alex McLeish and Randy Lerner will move on to new adventures with a new team moving in with there ideas. And ask yourself who is left?

It won’t be the players, It will be us the fans so we need to all become one and remember that WE are Aston Villa Football Club. It is us that stand in the bitter cold Wednesday nights supporting those lucky eleven who are graced to be wearing that famous Claret & Blue shirt. Its us that get up at 5am to travel to that away game in Newcastle.

I am not going to make out I know exactly why William McGregor decided that one day he would start a football club and call it Aston Villa FC. But I have a good idea that bringing a community together is partly behind what he was doing.

Some slated me the other day for publishing the story about a protest due to take place this weekend before the fixture against Manchester City. They stated that I was promoting this.

Just ask yourself, what is wrong with some people expressing there thoughts about the club they love? They are not telling us to go are they? They are simply spreading the word of what they are planning to do with an option of us being able to join them.

I personally won’t be at the protest because I don’t believe it is the right way to go forward but I respect the man who is trying to make something happen. I know he is a season ticket holder of 25 years! Does he really deserve the stick he gets for trying to express his feelings?

The Avillafan Forum isn’t the biggest Aston Villa community on the internet and probably never will be but it does a job for a small selection of Villa supporters. They will come online on daily basis and discuss the ups and downs of our great club – Some days they will agree, while others they won’t.

But one thing they do, every single match day they all meet together in the Adventurers pub for pre-match drinks and banter. Now that is what it should all be about.

Because after all – We all love Aston Villa Football Club and want what’s best for it don’t we?

I recieved an email tonight asking me to make people aware of a protest that is planned before this Sundays fixture against Manchester City.

Let me make this perfectly clear before I publish their statement. This has nothing to do with Avillafan.com and we do not agree or disagree with what this group are trying to achieve. They like everybody else are perfectly entitled to air their opinions.

The statement reads:

We have played 24 games this season, we have won 6! Is this good enough? No. This is relegation form.

Alex McLeish is not the man to lead Aston Villa. He had a full pre-season, was given £20m (approx) to spend and has players of the calibre of Darren Bent, Gabby Agbonlahor and Stephen Ireland to work with (also the most promising batch of home-grown players produced in years). Despite all this we find ourselves 13th in the table and without a home win since Bonfire Night.

Now after the débâcle of Sunday with the players now seeming to be in open revolt, the future is looking very bleak indeed.

We need to act now before it is too late and the unthinkable happens.

If you support this, please join us 3pm on Sunday, Trinity road Stand by the McGregor Statue. If you don’t then please ignore this.

UP THE VILLA

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