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Randy Lerner actually spoke directly to the fans today, when he released a strange, rambling statement that seemed to be trying too hard while accomplishing almost nothing. In his too-familiar tone (addressing everybody by first name as if you're chums? Seems a bit forced, Randy) he let us know that we should be focusing on the effort of Paul Lambert and the players to get a point after a tough week.
On a Villa takeover
On a Villa takeover
And then he addressed the rumours of the club being for sale. Or rather, he demurred from doing that and pushed the issue to this summer:
"As regards my personal role at the Club and the steady rumours of a sale, I will address these after the season."
Given the fact that Paul Faulkner has spent the week flat-out denying the rumours, this is a pretty big step back from that line. And it fits really nicely with what we've been hearing, specifically the fact that any sale would be contingent on Aston Villa's finish. Remain in the Premier League and they're sold, drop and they're still Lerner's to deal with. If we're not sure they're staying up, there's no point in putting pressure on everyone at the club and saying "hey, you'd better win or I don't get my money!"
At this point, given everything that we've heard and what Randy Lerner didn't say in his statement, I think it is safe for us to assume that Aston Villa are for sale. Let's see them get a point or three more, assure safety, and see what happens. Lerner has done a lot for the club, but it's pretty obvious that his interest in the day-to-day operations of a Premier League team is waning.
Thanks for the help, Randy, now find us someone who can take Aston Villa to the next level.
