DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Randy Lerner Is Crossing the Pond

Looks like Randy is moving to the UK to run Aston Villa, leaving the Browns to Keenan and Savage. Hmmmm....

uk article

Stuart James
The Guardian
Wednesday May 28 2008

Randy Lerner, the Aston Villa owner and chairman, is set to take over the position of chief executive officer and have a more active role in the running of the club. The post has been vacant since Richard FitzGerald unexpectedly left in January and Lerner is understood to have no intention of appointing anyone to fill the position.

The US billionaire, who completed a £67m takeover in August 2006, will establish a permanent residence in the Midlands next season, enabling him to have a greater influence. It is possible that Lerner will not give himself the official title, but sources have made it clear that the Villa owner will take on the post's day-to-day responsibilities .

The news will be welcomed by Villa fans who, in stark contrast to several other Premier League clubs, have embraced foreign ownership. Lerner is seen as the catalyst behind the club's recent renaissance and while the new management structure carries overtones of the much-maligned previous regime, when Doug Ellis operated without any checks, few supporters will harbour concerns.

Lerner has earned the trust of the fans, even if eyebrows have been raised at the boardroom upheaval at the club in the last 18 months. Steve Stride, the former operations director, FitzGerald and, more recently, Michael Cunnah, who was appointed in December to oversee commercial development and stadium changes, have all departed. The long-serving Stride had been expected to step down, but the same cannot be said for FitzGerald and Cunnah.

Those departures suggest that Lerner, who sold the MBNA shares he inherited from his father for $2.5bn in 2006, is keen to streamline the board and reduce the levels of command. The 46-year-old's desire to take on a more hands-on role is likely to be welcomed by Martin O'Neill, the manager, who has always preferred to speak directly with the owner to discuss key decisions.

LERNER FOCUSING MORE ON “FOOTBALL”
Posted by Mike Florio on May 28, 2008, 7:36 a.m. EDT

Media reports from England (where, to Channing Crowder’s ongoing amazement, English is the primary language) indicate that Browns owner Randy Lerner will be having a greater emphasis on the soccer team he owns.

And this presumably means that Lerner will be less involved with his American football team.

Per the Guardian, Lerner will establish a “permanent residence” in Midlands and become the chief executive officer of the team.

The fans of the Aston Villa team have been encouraged by Lerner’s ownership of the team, which began in August 2006. Whether the fans of the Browns are encouraged by Lerner’s reduced involvement in the team they follow remains to be seen.

pft

Interesting... I guess I'd rather him take an active roll with them than with the Browns..

As long as he keeps sending his money back to Savage and Co., I don't care where he lives.

Do you think he's sending the Browns money or are the Browns sending him money? Seems to me the business is run and then he decides how much of the profit he wants...

As long as he keeps the funds going I couldn't care less. I do know that the Ason Villa fans love him per wikipedia.

Yep all the Villa fans I know adore Randy! After their last chairman nicknamed 'Deadly' Doug Ellis he is a god send. The best move Lerner made was appointing Martin O'Neil as Manager, Villa fans look set for a good few years of being competitive at the highest level.

I remember watching the football on TV and the Villa fans were chanting .... to the tune of 'Oh Mandy' by Barry Manilow ......

Oh Randy, you came and you spent with out taking, and you sent Doug away! Oh Randy

I am happy for Randy to stay at my house in England, as long as I can stay at his when I come over the pond?

Makes sense as to why he appointed a new team president now.

If only he promises to go over there and run the team, put me down for $5 to help buy Al Davis a soccer team.

Okay, maybe not...

LERNER SAYS HE’S NOT MOVING
Posted by Michael David Smith on May 29, 2008, 9:15 a.m. EDT

Responding to reports that he’s planning to establish a permanent residence in England to focus more of his energy on the soccer team he owns, Browns owner Randy Lerner says nothing is going to change.

“To clarify recent reports, I’m not becoming a permanent resident/citizen of the UK,” Lerner said in an e-mail to reporters. “I will not be changing the amount of time I spend with either the Browns or Aston Villa, nor will I be assuming the title or role of chief executive officer of Villa. The responsibilities of that position are currently spread among several people at the club, and I am comfortable and confident continuing in that manner.”

Since inheriting the team from his father in 2002, Lerner has generally delegated major decisions. General Manager Phil Savage and the rest of the football staff run everything related to the on-field side of the team, and newly appointed team president Mike Keenan runs the business side. So even if he did devote more time to his soccer team, it wouldn’t have much bearing on his football team.


pft

Well that good. If he had moved to England, he might of had to spend a bunch of time trying to learn English.